was moving rapidly toward the ranch-house. Bullet after
bullet pitilessly led the escaping wretch. Death dogged every eager
footfall. Suddenly de Spain jerked the rifle from his cheek, threw
back his head, and swept his left hand across his straining eyes. Once
more the rifle came up to place and, waiting for a heartbeat, to press
the trigger, he paused an instant. Flame shot again in the gray
morning light from the hot muzzle. The rifle fell away from the
shoulder. The black speck running toward the ranch-house stumbled, as
if stricken by an axe, and sprawled headlong on the trail. Throwing
the lever again like lightning, de Spain held the rifle back to his
cheek.

He did not fire. Second after second he waited, Nan, lying very still,
watching, mute, the dull-red mark above the wet rifle butt. No one had
need to tell her what had happened. Too well she read the story in de
Spain's face and in what she saw, as he knelt, perfectly still, only
waiting to be sure there was no ruse. She watched the rifle come
slowly down, unfired, and saw his drawn face slowly relax. Without
taking his eyes off the sprawling speck, he rose stiffly to his feet.
As if in a dream she saw his hand stretched toward her and heard, as
he looked across the far gulf, one word: "Come!"

They reached the end of the trail. De Spain, rifle in hand, looked
back. The sun, bursting in splendor across the great desert, splashed
the valley and the low-lying ridge with ribboned gold. Farther up the
Gap, horsemen, stirred by the firing, were riding rapidly down toward
Sassoon's ranch-house. But the black thing in the sunshine lay quite
still.

CHAPTER XXVIII

LEFEVER TO THE RESCUE

Lefever, chafing in the aspen grove under the restraint of waiting in
the storm, was ready long before daylight to break orders and ride in
to find de Spain.

With the first peep of dawn, and with his men facing him in their
saddles, Lefever made a short explanation.

"I don't want any man to go into the Gap with me this morning under
any misunderstanding or any false pretense," he began cheerfully. "Bob
Scott and Bull will stay right here. If, by any chance, de Spain makes
his way out while the rest of us are hunting for him, you'll be here
to signal us--three shots, Bob--or to ride in with de Spain to help
carry the rest of us out. Now, it's like this," he added, addressing
the others. "You, all of you know, or ought to know--everybody 'twixt
here and the railroa