Free Conagher (1969) by Louis L'amour

d down to chewing on a piece of jerky.
    From where he sat he could see over a far stretch of country. Getting his fiel d glasses from his saddlebag, he began t o study the country. He spotted severa l bunches of cattle, a few scattered ones, an d a bunch of deer. He was getting up t o return the field glasses to the saddlebag , but took one longer look. Further out , beyond the limits of ST range, he sa w another bunch of cattle.
    He studied them for a while, curious a s to why they were bunched so tightly . . . a nd then he picked up a plume of dust an d saw the cattle were being drifted by tw o riders. They were too far away to mak e them out clearly.
    He tightened the cinch, swung into th e saddle, and angled down the mountainside.
    This was open range country, and th e limits that Tay placed on his range wer e purely arbitrary. Such limits were probabl y not recognized by other ranchers; i t was simply that Tay wished to keep hi s own herds within those limits. That way i t was easier to supervise and care for them , to check range conditions, and to trea t them for screw worms, and for cuts o r scrapes from horns or rocks.
    Conagher found the tracks of scattere d cattle on Tay range, and found where the y had been bunched and drifted. The track s showed the men had ridden carelessly, a s if driving the cattle by chance.
    He followed the tracks, keeping to lo w ground and what cover he could find , until, topping out on a pinon-creste d ridge, he saw the cattle not far off, stil l moving northward. The two riders wer e going on.
    Holding to the cover of the pinons , Conagher considered. The cattle belo w were likely to be ST stock, but withou t checking the brands, he would not be sure.
    They had been started north, and woul d probably, unless stopped, continue t o graze in that direction. With a little nudg e from riders, they might be thirty mile s away by the time another man came thi s way.
    With his glasses he studied the directio n taken by the two riders, but they were no t in sight now. Waiting only a few minute s longer, he rode down to the herd.
    All but one wore the ST brand. He cu t out the lone steer, then started the other s back toward their home range. He ha d almost reached the home range whe n another rider, this one on a sorrel hors e with three white stockings, come down of f the slope.
    He was a stocky, hard-faced man with a scar over one eye, high cheekbones, and a square jaw. He was riding a Ladder Fiv e horse.
    Where you takin' them steers ? h e asked.
    Back to their home range. As yo u can see, they're ST stock. Figured I' d best start 'em back where they com e from .
    The man studied the brands, the n looked at Conagher . I don't believe I know you , he said . Are you a new ride r for Tay ?
    Uh-huh. My name's Conagher. Firs t time around. Sort of gettin' acquainte d with the range .
    I'm Tile Coker. You'd better have a talk with Kris Mahler .
    We've talked before. Kris an' me rod e together for the stage company a whil e back .
    Tile Coker gave him a quick glance.
    Oh? Are you the gent who busted u p Kiowa Staples ?
    We had a difficulty .
    Heard about it . Coker swung hi s horse . You an' Kris should get bette r acquainted. Save us all some trouble .
    Maybe .
    Coker rode off, and Conagher pushe d the cattle back over the line and deep int o ST territory. Only then did he resume hi s ride.
    Twice he found bunches of ST cattl e that seemed to have strayed too far north.
    He started them south, then pushed on , but he kept off the skyline and carried hi s Winchester in his hands.
    Johnny McGivern was waiting for hi m near a clump of scrub oak, but Conaghe r saw him before he was seen by McGiver n and chose to make a sweep around som e brush up the slope from where Johnn y waited.
    McGivern saw him then and yelled, bu t Conagher took a slow, lazy turn aroun d the clump of oak, cutting for sign. Ther e was none but that left by Johnny himself , so he rode on up to the fire.
    Johnny had coffee ready,