ow they can be approached. You will take all the time needed,
if it's months. It will be necessary for you to communicate with me, and
that will be a difficult matter. For Cheseldine dominates several whole
counties. You must find some way to let me know when I and my rangers
are needed. The plan is to break up Cheseldine's gang. It's the toughest
job on the border. Arresting him alone isn't to be heard of. He couldn't
be brought out. Killing him isn't much better, for his select men, the
ones he operates with, are as dangerous to the community as he is. We
want to kill or jail this choice selection of robbers and break up the
rest of the gang. To find them, to get among them somehow, to learn
their movements, to lay your trap for us rangers to spring--that, Duane,
is your service to me, and God knows it's a great one!"

"I have accepted it," replied Duane.

"Your work will be secret. You are now a ranger in my service. But no
one except the few I choose to tell will know of it until we pull off
the job. You will simply be Buck Duane till it suits our purpose to
acquaint Texas with the fact that you're a ranger. You'll see there's
no date on that paper. No one will ever know just when you entered the
service. Perhaps we can make it appear that all or most of your outlawry
has really been good service to the state. At that, I'll believe it'll
turn out so."

MacNelly paused a moment in his rapid talk, chewed his cigar, drew his
brows together in a dark frown, and went on. "No man on the border knows
so well as you the deadly nature of this service. It's a thousand to one
that you'll be killed. I'd say there was no chance at all for any other
man beside you. Your reputation will go far among the outlaws. Maybe
that and your nerve and your gun-play will pull you through. I'm hoping
so. But it's a long, long chance against your ever coming back."

"That's not the point," said Duane. "But in case I get killed out
there--what--"

"Leave that to me," interrupted Captain MacNelly. "Your folks will know
at once of your pardon and your ranger duty. If you lose your life out
there I'll see your name cleared--the service you render known. You can
rest assured of that."

"I am satisfied," replied Duane. "That's so much more than I've dared to
hope."

"Well, it's settled, then. I'll give you money for expenses. You'll
start as soon as you like--the sooner the better. I hope to think of
other suggestions, especially about commu