of town, and we listened to and watched the
destruction of Steele's house. It had served his purpose to leave lights
burning, to have shadows blow across the window-blinds, and to have a
dummy in his bed. Also, he arranged guns to go off inside the house at
the least jar. Steele wanted evidence against his enemies. It was not
the pleasantest kind of thing to wait there listening to that drunken
mob. There must have been a hundred men. The disturbance and the intent
worked strangely upon Steele. It made him different. In the dark I
couldn't tell how he looked, but I felt a mood coming in him that fairly
made me dread the next day.

"About midnight we started for our camp here. Steele got in some sleep,
but I couldn't. I was cold and hot by turns, eager and backward, furious
and thoughtful. You see, the deal was such a complicated one, and
to-morrow certainly was nearing the climax. By morning I was sick,
distraught, gloomy, and uncertain. I had breakfast ready when Steele
awoke. I hated to look at him, but when I did it was like being revived.

"He said: 'Russ, you'll trail alongside me to-day and through the rest
of this mess.'

"That gave me another shock. I want to explain to you girls that this
was the first time in my life I was backward at the prospects of a
fight. The shock was the jump of my pulse. My nerve came back. To line
up with Steele against Blome and his gang--that would be great!

"'All right, old man,' I replied. 'We're going after them, then?'

"He only nodded.

"After breakfast I watched him clean and oil and reload his guns. I
didn't need to ask him if he expected to use them. I didn't need to urge
upon him Captain Neal's command.

"'Russ,' said Steele, 'we'll go in together. But before we get to town
I'll leave you and circle and come in at the back of the Hope So. You
hurry on ahead, post Morton and his men, get the lay of the gang, if
possible, and then be at the Hope So when I come in.'

"I didn't ask him if I had a free hand with my gun. I intended to have
that. We left camp and hurried toward town. It was near noon when we
separated.

"I came down the road, apparently from Sampson's ranch. There was a
crowd around the ruins of Steele's house. It was one heap of crumbled
'dobe bricks and burned logs, still hot and smoking. No attempt had been
made to dig into the ruins. The curious crowd was certain that Steele
lay buried under all that stuff. One feature of that night assault made
me