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CHAPTERII
CHANEabruptlyleftthecampfirecircle,notaverse
tothepossibilityofargumentandactionthatmight
leavehimlesstocontendwith.Loudangryvoices
attestedtoaquarrelamongthemen.Hemade
significantnoteofthefactthathedidnotdistinguish
McPherson’svoice.
“Coolsortofchap,”soliloquizedChane.“If
Manerubehasanysensehe’llnotrilethatman.But
Ihopehedoes.”
Chanepossessedhimselfofhisrifle,whichduring
hisdailyrideshehadleftincamp.Forawild-horse
hunterariflewasanuisanceandaburden
onasaddle.Buthehadreflectedthatsuchalong-
rangeweaponmightdomorethanevenupthe
advantageManerubeandhisassociateshad
innumbers,fortheycarriedonlytheshortColtgun
commontoridersoftherange.Inthefuturehewould
packtherifleonhissaddle,whetheritwas
cumbersomeornot.
Withthisinhand,andhisbridle,Chaneleftcamp
tohuntforhishorses.Glancingbackfromtheedge
oftheslope,hewaspleasedtoobservethatthefour
unwelcomeguestswereengagedinahotargument.
“I’dsureliketoknowjustwhatandwhotheyare,”
mutteredChane.“I’llbetthey’regoingtosteal
mymustangs.Well,that’dbenogreatloss.Butthey’ve
alltakenashinetoBrutus.Idon’tlikethat.They’ll
havetotakehimovermydeadbody.”
BrutuswasChane’snewhorse,anacquisitionofthis
lasttripthroughtheMormoncountry.Chanehadnot
riddenhimandhadnotyetseenhimgothroughany
kindoftest.Twoyearsearlier,Chanehadlost
abelovedhorseandsincethenhadbeenindifferent
toallhorsesexceptthegreatandalmostmythical
Panquitch.ThelosshadhurtChanesodeeplythat
hedreadedtofindanotheranimalhemightlove.
Brutus,however,hadbeengraduallygrowingonhim,
