His eye is on the gun-men. If they do their work right, why,
he'll clear out free of the blood of the boy. If they don't----?

"But the boy had a dash of his father in him. He knew trouble was
hitting his trail. When it caught him up he was ready. He was quicker
than the gun-men. And Murray was watching and saw. His gun was ready
behind the curtains of that box, and it spoke, and spoke quick. The
gunman was dead. Alec was dead. There was no trail left. Only the
bullet I dug out of the poor kid's body. Murray cleared on the
instant, and didn't have to _pass through the hall_. The rest----"
Bill finished up with a comprehensive gesture indicating the camp about
them.

The work going on outside sounded doubly loud in the silence that
followed the rapidly told story. Kars' brooding eyes were turned on
the sunlit doorway. His pipe had remained cold.

It was almost a visible effort with which he finally bestirred himself.

"You guess he quit his outfit and returned to Leaping Horse," he said.
"You can't prove it."

Bill shrugged.

"It'll be easy. His outfit can prove it. He either quit it or didn't
join it in the morning. The p'lice'll get it out of them. When they
learn what's doing they won't be yearning to screen Murray. Specially
Keewin."

"No. Keewin was Allan's best boy. Keewin would have given his life
for Allan."

Kars drew a deep breath. He sat up and struck a match. His pipe began
to glow under his deep inhalations. He stood up and moved towards the
door.

"It's the foulest thing I've ever heard. And--I guess you've got it
right, Bill," he admitted. "I allow we've done all we can. It's right
up to the p'lice." He abruptly turned, and his steady eyes stonily
regarded his friend. "He's got to hang for this. Get me? If the law
don't fix things that way, I swear before God I'll hunt his trail till
I get him cold--with my own hands."

Bill's reply was a silent nod. He had nothing to add. He knew all
that was stirring beyond that stony regard, and his sympathies were in
full harmony. The bigness of these two men was unlimited by any of the
conventions of human civilization. They were too deeply steeped in the
teachings of the long trail to bow meekly to the laws set up by men.
Their doctrines were primitive, but they saw with wide eyes the justice
of the wild.

Kars stood for a few moments lost in profound thought. Then he stirred
again and moved to depart.

"Where you