War in Lincoln County

Curly Wells rides into Ganado Crossing in New Mexico Territory on his Appaloosa Paint looking for his stolen horse a tiger-striped dun named Tige. He finds him in a herd there and is allowed to ride out with him but he notices an unwelcome interest in Paint by Tuffy Malone the leader of the toughs there. As he leaves a grey horse follows and he encounters Melissa McCoy who accuses him of stealing her horse. Curly escorts Melissa back to her corral where he meets her friend Colonel Moore a former Texas Ranger and now a big rancher. Moore invites Curly and Melissa for supper and during the meal Curly learns that Tuffy Malone has been annoying Melissa and that she has lost other horses to the rustling that is rampant in the area. Many suspect that Tuffy Malone and the Rafter J riders are rustling for Hard Winter Johnson whose own cattle herd has grown rather unaccountably over the years.