At this point the members of Hutter’s party dismounted and tied their horses to the top log of the fence.  When Carley essayed to get off Glenn tried to stop her, saying she could see well enough from there.  But Carley got down and followed Flo.  She heard Hutter call to Glenn:  “Say, Ryan is short of men.  We’ll lend a hand for a couple of hours.”

Presently Carley reached Flo’s side and the first corral that contained sheep.  They formed a compact woolly mass, rather white in color, with a tinge of pink.  When Flo climbed up on the fence the flock plunged as one animal and with a trampling roar ran to the far side of the corral.  Several old rams with wide curling horns faced around; and some of the ewes climbed up on the densely packed mass.  Carley rather enjoyed watching them.  She surely could not see anything amiss in this sight.

The next corral held a like number of sheep, and also several Mexicans who were evidently driving them into a narrow lane that led farther down.  Carley saw the heads of men above other corral fences, and there was also a thick yellowish smoke rising from somewhere.

“Carley, are you game to see the dip?” asked Flo, with good nature that yet had a touch of taunt in it.

“That’s my middle name,” retorted Carley, flippantly.

Both Glenn and this girl seemed to be bent upon bringing out Carley’s worst side, and they were succeeding.  Flo laughed.  The ready slang pleased her.

She led Carley along that log fence, through a huge open gate, and across a wide pen to another fence, which she scaled.  Carley followed her, not particularly overanxious to look ahead.  Some thick odor had begun to reach Carley’s delicate nostrils.  Flo led down a short lane and climbed another fence, and sat astride the top log.  Carley hurried along to clamber up to her side, but stood erect with her feet on the second log of the fence.

Then a horrible stench struck Carley almost like a blow in the face, and before her confused sight there appeared to be drifting smoke and active men and running sheep, all against a background of mud.  But at first it was the odor that caused Carley to close her eyes and press her knees hard against the upper log to keep from reeling.  Never in her life had such a sickening nausea assailed her.  It appeared to attack her whole body.  The forerunning qualm of seasickness was as nothing to this.  Carley gave a gasp, pinched her nose between her fingers so she could not smell, and opened her eyes.

Directly beneath her was a small pen open at one end into which sheep were being driven from the larger corral.  The drivers were yelling.  The sheep in the rear plunged into those ahead of them, forcing them on.  Two men worked in this small pen.  One was a brawny giant in undershirt and overalls that appeared filthy.  He held a cloth in his hand and strode toward the nearest sheep.  Folding the cloth round the neck of the sheep, he dragged it forward,