For the Liberty of Texas | Page 7

use the gun slung on his shoulder.
The mustang took several steps, and then the half-breed brought him to
an abrupt halt. "You're carrying matters with a putty high hand, to my
notion," he remarked, sarcastically.
An awkward pause followed, Ralph knowing not what to say, and
glancing at Dan, half afraid that his brother would be tremendously
angry with him over the hasty threat he had made. Yet he felt that he
was in the right, and he kept his gun-barrel on a line with the
half-breed's head.

"Stiger, you might as well give up the deer," said Dan, as quietly as he
could. "It's Ralph's first big game, and of course he feels mighty proud
of it. A good shot like you ought to be able to bring down lots of game
of your own."
Dan imagined that this tempered speech and side praise would put the
half-breed in good humour, but he was mistaken. Stiger glanced from
one lad to the other, his face growing more sullen each instant.
"This deer is mine, and you can't force me to give it up," he muttered.
"Put down that gun, or we'll have trouble."
"You put down the deer, first," said Ralph, sturdily.
"It's my deer, not yours, and I won't put it down. I'm not afraid of two
youngsters like you."
Again Ralph's temper got the better of him. "You shall put it down,
Hank Stiger. You are nothing but a horse-thief, and I----"
"Ha! call me a hoss-thief!" ejaculated the half-breed, in a rage. "I won't
stand that, boy. You shall suffer for it."
"You are a horse-thief, and stole one of my father's animals last year.
Now you want to steal my deer, but you shall not do it. Dan, he's got to
give it up, hasn't he?"
"Yes, he has got to give it up," answered the older brother, seeing that
matters had gone too far for either of them to back down. Dan was slow
to make up his mind, but, once it was made up, he was
uncompromising to the last degree.
"Supposing I refuse to give up the deer?" came from the half-breed. He
spoke in a brusque manner, but there was a shade of anxiety in his tone.
"You had better not refuse."
"You wouldn't dare to shoot at me."

"Don't you be too sure of that," put in Ralph. "You must remember that
father could have had you shot down for a horse-thief, had he wanted to
do so. I don't want any trouble with you, but I am bound to have my
game."
"All right, then, you keep the game!" ejaculated Hank Stiger, in deep
rage, and, turning on his mustang, he picked up the deer and flung it to
the earth. "But remember, I say I shot that deer and that he is mine.
Some day you'll rue your work here, mark my words!" And with an
angry shake of his dirty fist at them he kicked his mustang in the sides
and was soon lost to view in the forest to the north of the creek.
The two boys watched him carefully, and they did not lower their guns
until they were certain that he had gone too far to turn and fire at them.
Then Ralph knelt over the deer and examined the torn open neck.
"There, I was sure of it!" he cried, triumphantly. "There is my bullet,
and that's the only shot he received."
"Let me see." Dan took the bullet. "You are right, Ralph. But, even so,
we have made an enemy of Stiger for life. He will never forgive you for
calling him a horse-thief."
"I don't care,--I got the deer. Do you believe he'll come back to make
more trouble?"
"There is no telling. I think we had better be getting back to the
house,--father doesn't seem to be anywhere about. There is a tree
branch. You can tie the game to that, and we can both pull it down the
creek to the river and then over to the burn. It won't be worth while
bringing a pony out to do it."
Both set to work, and in a few minutes the deer was fastened to the
branch and slid into the creek. The bottom was sandy, and the water
made the load slip along readily. The lads had just crossed the burn
with their drag when a gunshot rang out, coming from the direction of
the ranch home.

"Listen!" ejaculated Dan. "A shot from the house! What can that
mean?"
He dropped his hold on the branch and leaped forward, unslinging the
escopeta as he did so. For a moment Ralph hesitated, not wishing to
leave his game again, but then, as his brother disappeared into the belt
of timber hiding the