Madison Barton was the owner of the Diamond Garter Gaming House in the prosperous cattle town of McCoy, but all was not as it seemed, for Barton's real wealth came from cattle rustling. When he learned that Gene Adams had sent five hundred head of his prime Bar 10 longhorn steers to the auction pens at McCoy, it was a temptation the rustler could not resist. Trail boss Johnny Puma had to bring the herd through the narrow canyons of Deadman's Fork—an ideal place for an ambush. He didn't stand a chance in hell of surviving ... or did he?