"You must nod come to see me more as iss necessary," began the German. "It iss such carelessness as puts peoples in chails. Vat iss it dis time?"
Murray, grinning, unfolded Dave’s plans to the astonished German, who could only grunt his surprise and disgust. Suddenly Schatz brightened and a faint twinkle came into his eye. "Dot iss a goot plan, Murray. A very goot plan. _Aber_ it goes too far. Dose railroad peoples vould spoil it quick. You get der herd like Dave says, more if you can; und hold it till _I_ say somet’ing. Neffer mind vat Dave say—he iss _ein verruchter Mensch_. But ven _I_ say somet’ing, den you do it. _Verstanden_?"
"All right, Schatz," agreed Murray, smiling. "I ’ll back yore play to th’ limit, every time. But what ’ll I say to Dave when he gets anxious?"
"He von’t ged anxious. I vill speak der vord before he haf time to ged anxious. I vill tell vat to do mit dot herd, und it von’t be vat Dave vants."
"Then I ’ll tell Slow Jack that th’ collection takes place. Anything else?"
"_Nein_—careful you go. Alvays you must be careful. _Goot nacht_!" and the door closed quickly.
"Ach! Dot Dave!" ejaculated Schatz, his hands upraised.
Slow Jack must have been told of Schatz’s wishes, because during the week following Murray’s visit to the German’s house, cattle had been disappearing from the southwestern part of the range; this was not strange enough to cause worry even if it had been observed, because cows go where they please; and it was not observed by any one but Cock Murray and Slow Jack. The fence, extending to within a short distance of the south line, was regarded as barrier enough to keep the cattle off the infected range, and Buck gave no particular thought to it. Slow Jack rode along the fence every few days to see that there were no breaks in it and as Cock Murray had the south line under his care, it was an easy matter to round up small herds and drive them over the Hog Back, down the ravine on the river side, and hold them on the plateau pasture by the means Dave had suggested. The grass was heavy and the water plentiful along the line patrolled by Murray and there were always large numbers of cows grazing there—so many, in fact, that those driven off could not be missed under ordinary circumstances. Thus the hidden herd grew rapidly and it was not long before a large herd grazed close to the edge of the precipitous cliffs frowning down on the cold, hard-looking Black Jack.