ellows, go outside and smoke," he said. "Knell, come on in
now. Let's get it over."

He returned, sat down, and lighted a cigar for himself. He put his
booted feet on the table.

Duane saw that the room was comfortably, even luxuriously furnished.
There must have been a good trail, he thought, else how could all that
stuff have been packed in there. Most assuredly it could not have come
over the trail he had traveled. Presently he heard the men go outside,
and their voices became indistinct. Then Knell came in and seated
himself without any of his chief's ease. He seemed preoccupied and, as
always, cold.

"What's wrong, Knell? Why didn't you get here sooner?" queried
Longstreth.

"Poggin, damn him! We're on the outs again."

"What for?"

"Aw, he needn't have got sore. He's breakin' a new hoss over at Faraway,
an you know him where a hoss 's concerned. That kept him, I reckon, more
than anythin'."

"What else? Get it out of your system so we can go on to the new job."

"Well, it begins back a ways. I don't know how long ago--weeks--a
stranger rode into Ord an' got down easy-like as if he owned the place.
He seemed familiar to me. But I wasn't sure. We looked him over, an' I
left, tryin' to place him in my mind."

"What'd he look like?"

"Rangy, powerful man, white hair over his temples, still, hard face,
eyes like knives. The way he packed his guns, the way he walked an'
stood an' swung his right hand showed me what he was. You can't fool me
on the gun-sharp. An' he had a grand horse, a big black."

"I've met your man," said Longstreth.

"No!" exclaimed Knell. It was wonderful to hear surprise expressed by
this man that did not in the least show it in his strange physiognomy.
Knell laughed a short, grim, hollow laugh. "Boss, this here big gent
drifts into Ord again an' makes up to Jim Fletcher. Jim, you know, is
easy led. He likes men. An' when a posse come along trailin' a blind
lead, huntin' the wrong way for the man who held up No. 6, why, Jim--he
up an' takes this stranger to be the fly road-agent an' cottons to him.
Got money out of him sure. An' that's what stumps me more. What's this
man's game? I happen to know, boss, that he couldn't have held up No.
6."

"How do you know?" demanded Longstreth.

"Because I did the job myself."

A dark and stormy passion clouded the chief's face.

"Damn you, Knell! You're incorrigible. You're unreliable. Another break
like that queers you with me. Did you te