This man stood slightly apart from the others, as though he had no part in what was going on; though Sanderson could tell from his manner that he was laboring under an intense strain.

Miss Bransford and the big man were the opposing forces in what was transpiring—­Sanderson knew that from Miss Bransford’s manner of answering the big man’s question.  Her “yes” had been uttered reluctantly.  Her testimony was damaging—­she knew it, and her sympathies were with the young man with the rope around his neck.

Sanderson knew nothing of the motives that were actuating the people of this little drama, but he was entirely conscious of the visible forces that were at work.

Plainly, the big man had accused the captive of stealing cattle; he had brought the supposed culprit to face the owner of the stolen stock; he had constituted himself judge and jury, and was determined to hang the young man.

The two men with the big man were noncommittal.  The pale, undersized man was a mere onlooker whose sympathies were with the accused.  Miss Bransford would have been quite willing to have this young man escape punishment, but she could not deny that the cattle in question belonged to her.

Sanderson was in doubt about the other young woman, though obviously she was closely related to him—­a wife, or sister—­perhaps a sweetheart.

Sanderson studied the young man’s face, comparing it with the big man’s, and his lips stiffened.  He backed Streak slightly and swung crosswise in the saddle, intense interest seizing him.

The big man grinned, first at Miss Bransford, and then at the other girl.

“I reckon that settles it,” he said.  “There don’t seem to be nothin’ more to it.  Miss Bransford says the cattle is hers, an’ we found them in Ben Nyland’s corral.  There ain’t-----”

“Alva Dale, you are a sneak and a liar!”

This was the girl.  She had stepped forward until she was within a short pace from the big man.  She stood erect, rigid, her hands clenched at her sides; her chin lifted, her eyes flashing with defiant passion.

Dale smirked at her.

“Peggy Nyland,” he said, “you’re handin’ it to me pretty strong, ain’t you?  You’d fight for your brother’s life, of course.  But I represent the law here, an’ I’ve got to do my duty.  You won’t deny that we found them steers in your brother’s corral?”

“No, I can’t deny that!” declared the girl passionately.  “You found them there.  They were there.  But Ben did not put them there.  Shall I tell you who did?  It was you!  I heard a noise in the corral during the night—­last night!  But I—­thought it was just our own cattle.  And I did not go out to see.

“Oh, how I wish I had!  But Ben didn’t put the Double A cattle in the corral, for Ben was in the house all the time.  He went to bed when I did, and I saw him, sleeping in his bunk, when the noise awakened me!”