California and Hoppy were riding in the Skeleton Mountains, a range not far west of the Bar 20, where an old pal of Hoppy's had taken up homestead a few years back. He had written to Hoppy about how good the grass there was, and so he thought they might use some of it for the Bar 20 range. They were just getting up a steep canyon trail on the horses, when a gunshot rang out - and it certainly wasn't a friendly greeting!