The proving of Matt Stowe

the long version

Hired by ranch owner Calloway to track down the rustler Ned Franklin, Matt Stowe and his brother are on their way to Dodge City when they are bushwhacked by Shamanza, whom they kill in self-defence. Things get worse still when their horses and most of their money are stolen by the Benjamin Bunch. Fortunately for them, ex-marshal Steve Inkpen takes pity on them and invites them to stay at his ranch. It is there the brothers meet Inkpen's wife and daughters. This act of kindness has not gone unnoticed and Benjamin and his bunch try to set fire to the ranch as an act of revenge against Inkpen for sending Benjamin to prison some years earlier. The Benjamin Bunch then robs a bank and Inkpen leads a posse in pursuit of the robbers, with fateful consequences. Still set on their original task, the brothers are offered a guide to Ned Franklin's hideout. However, they will face many dangers before they succeed in their mission... - Publishers description.