ay eyes fastened upon Farnham. Here was a condition of
affairs he must decide upon for himself, decide instantly, decide in
spite of law, in spite of everything.

"He appears to be rather badly hurt; not seriously, I think, but the
man is unconscious, and in no condition to be removed," he said,
managing to hold his voice to a strange quiet. "I consider myself his
prisoner, and shall remain with him until he becomes fit to travel.
Farnham, I do not acknowledge your deputyship, and if you attempt to
arrest me it will be at your peril. There are four of us here against
you, but we 'll give you a chance--go back to your own! Not a word, if
you care to live! Go, damn you--go!"

They stood and watched him, until his slender figure disappeared behind
the fringe of cedars. Then Hicks and Winston, neither man speaking a
word, tenderly lifted the wounded sheriff from off the rocks, and bore
him back into the shelter of the cabin.

CHAPTER XXIII

A NEW VOLUNTEER

The desperate seriousness of their situation was only too evident.
Both men recognized this, yet had no opportunity then to reflect over
its possibilities, or plan for relief. Without exchanging a word,
except as related to their present labor, the two at once began
ministering to the relief of Hayes, confident that Brown, stationed
without, would guard vigorously against any surprise attack. The two
wounds upon the sheriff's head were extremely ugly in appearance, being
both deep and jagged, and having bled profusely. However, when
carefully washed and probed, neither proved particularly severe or
dangerous. In less than an hour, conscious yet exceedingly weak and
becoming somewhat feverish, the injured man, dazed in mind but fairly
comfortable in body, had been safely stowed away in a bunk, with every
prospect of an early recovery.

Not until all this had been accomplished did his anxious nurses venture
to look thoughtfully into each others' faces and take direct cognizance
of their own perilous position. Hicks stepped outside into the
sunlight, wiping the perspiration from off his face, and a moment later
Winston joined him, the two standing in grave silence, gazing off
toward the apparently deserted "Independence." The strain of the past
night and day had plainly marked them both, yet it was not exposure and
toil alone that gave such anxiety to their faces. Finally Hicks turned
from his long scrutiny and glanced back toward the younger man,