“I scarcely understand, Hicks; do you mean you propose standing a siege?”

“Don’t clearly perceive nothin’ else ter do,” and the man’s half-closed eyes glanced about questioningly.  “We ain’t strong enough to assault; Farnham ’s got more ’n five men ter our one over thar right now.  He ’s sent a rider inter San Juan arter another bunch o’ beauties.  We’ve corralled the evidence, an’ we’ve got ther law back o’ us, ter send him ter the penitentiary.  Shore, thar’s no doubt o’ it.  He knows it; an’ he knows, moreover, thar ain’t no way out fer him except ter plant us afore we kin ever git inter ther courts.  Thet’s his game jist now.  Do yer think Mr. Biff Farnham under them circumstances is liable ter do the baby act?  Not ter no great extent, let me tell yer.  He ain’t built thet way.  Besides, he hates me like pizen; I reckon by this time he don’t harbor no great love for you; an’ yer bet he means ter git us afore we kin squeal, if he has ter h’ist the whole damned mounting.  Anyhow, that’s how it looks ter me an’ Stutter yere.  What was it you was goin’ ter advise, Mr. Winston?”

The engineer set down his tin coffee cup.

“The immediate despatching of a messenger to San Juan, the swearing out of a warrant for Farnham on a criminal charge, and getting the sheriff up here with a posse.”

Hicks smiled grimly, his glance wandering over toward Stutter, who sat staring open-eyed at the engineer.

“Ye’re a young man, sir, an’ I rather reckon yer don’t precisely onderstan’ ther exact status o’ things out yere in Echo Canyon,” he admitted, gravely.  “I’m law-abidin’, an’ all that; law’s all right in its place, an’ whar it kin be enforced, but Echo Canyon ain’t Denver, an’ out yere ther rifle, an’ occasionally a chunk o’ dynamite, hes got ter be considered afore ther courts git any chance ter look over ther evidence.  It’s ginerally lead first, an’ lawyers later.  Thet ’s what makes the game interestin’, an’ gives sich chaps as Farnham a run fer their money.  Well, just now we ‘ve got the law an’ ther evidence with us all right, but, damn ther luck, them other fellers hes got the rifles.  It ‘s his play first, an’ it sorter looks ter me as if the man knew how ter handle his cards.  He ain’t no bluffer, either.  Just take a squint through them glasses down the trail, an’ tell me what yer see.”

Winston did so, rising to his feet, standing at the edge of the rock fairly overhanging the valley.

“Wal, do yer make out anythin’ in partic’lar?”

“There is a small party of men clustered near the big boulder.”

“Exactly; wal, them thar fellars ain’t thar altergether fer ther health.  Thar ‘s three more o’ ther same kind a’squattin’ in the bushes whar the path branches toward ther ‘Independence,’ an’ another bunch lower down ’side ther crick.  It’s easy ‘nough ter talk about law, an’ ther sendin’ o’ a messenger down ter San Juan after the sheriff, but I ’d hate some ter be that messenger.  He ’d have some considerable excitement afore he got thar.  Farnham ’s a dirty villain, all right, but he ain’t no fool.  He’s got us bottled up yere, and ther cork druv in.”