ently in the moonlight the little procession took its way down the
trail, the girl and the man side by side, their captor close behind, and
when the girl summoned courage to glance fearsomely behind her she saw
three more men riding like three grim shadows yet behind. They had
fallen into the trail so quietly that she had not heard them when they
came. They were Jasper Kemp, Long Bill, and Big Jim. They had been out
for other purposes, but without question followed the call of the
signal.

It was a long ride back to Rogers's ranch, and Forsythe glanced
nervously behind now and then. It seemed to him that the company was
growing larger all the time. He half expected to see a regiment each
time he turned. He tried hurrying his horse, but when he did so the
followers were just as close without any seeming effort. He tried to
laugh it all off.

Once he turned and tried to placate Gardley with a few shakily jovial
words:

"Look here, old fellow, aren't you the man I met on the trail the day
Miss Earle went over to the fort? I guess you've made a mistake in your
calculations. I was merely out on a pleasure ride with Miss Rogers. We
weren't going anywhere in particular, you know. Miss Rogers chose this
way, and I wanted to please her. No man likes to have his pleasure
interfered with, you know. I guess you didn't recognize me?"

"I recognized you," said Gardley. "It would be well for you to be
careful where you ride with ladies, especially at night. The matter,
however, is one that you would better settle with Mr. Rogers. My duty
will be done when I have put it into his hands."

"Now, my good fellow," said Forsythe, patronizingly, "you surely don't
intend to make a great fuss about this and go telling tales to Mr.
Rogers about a trifling matter--"

"I intend to do my duty, Mr. Forsythe," said Gardley; and Forsythe
noticed that the young man still held his weapons. "I was set this night
to guard Mr. Rogers's property. That I did not expect his daughter would
be a part of the evening's guarding has nothing to do with the matter. I
shall certainly put the matter into Mr. Rogers's hands."

Rosa began to cry softly.

"Well, if you want to be a fool, of course," laughed Forsythe,
disagreeably; "but you will soon see Mr. Rogers will accept my
explanation."

"That is for Mr. Rogers to decide," answered Gardley, and said no more.

The reflections of Forsythe during the rest of that silent ride were not
pleasant, and Rosa's