Donnie Boyd, a farm implement dealer in Merrill, said farmers are prepared to provide a round-the-clock vigil at the headgates in Klamath Falls to prevent anyone from tampering with the gates. They will stand there to protect what is rightfully their property, the A Canal, and its headgates. They don’t want anybody doing anything to the canal or headgates that may jeopardize the future operation of the canal. On one side of the fence stood 11 federal marshals, somber and quiet, their eyes concealed by sunglasses and their navy blue blazers buttoned up despite the hot weather. On the other side stood more than 150 farmers, business owners, and general citizens, angry and at times loud, their options uncertain and their patience worn thin. As twilight faded over the A canal, people on both sides waited to see who would make the next move. So ended a week in which tension mounted day by day in the Klamath Basin water crisis, with attention focused increasingly on the headgates of the A Canal on the south end of Upper Klamath Lake.