ck once--but not lately."

The giant Gulden scratched his head and swore. Probably he had no sense
of justice and was merely puzzled.

"We're wastin' a lot of time," put in Beard, anxiously. "Don't fergit
there's somethin' comin' off down in camp, an' we ain't sure what."

"Bah! Haven't we heard whispers of vigilantes for a week?" queried
Gulden.

Then some one of the men looked out of the door and suddenly whistled.

"Who's thet on a hoss?"

Gulden's gang crowded to the door.

"Thet's Handy Oliver."

"No!"

"Shore is. I know him. But it ain't his hoss.... Say, he's hurryin'."

Low exclamations of surprise and curiosity followed. Kells and his men
looked attentively, but no one spoke. The clatter of hoofs on the stony
road told of a horse swiftly approaching--pounding to a halt before the
cabin.

"Handy!... Air you chased?... What's wrong?... You shore look pale round
the gills." These and other remarks were flung out the door.

"Where's Kells? Let me in," replied Oliver, hoarsely.

The crowd jostled and split to admit the long, lean Oliver. He stalked
straight toward Kells, till the table alone stood between them. He was
gray of face, breathing hard, resolute and stern.

"Kells, I throwed--you--down!" he said, with outstretched hand. It was a
gesture of self-condemnation and remorse.

"What of that?" demanded Kells, with his head leaping like the strike of
an eagle.

"I'm takin' it back!"

Kells met the outstretched hand with his own and wrung it. "Handy, I
never knew you to right--about--face. But I'm glad.... What's changed
you so quickly?"

"VIGILANTES!"

Kells's animation and eagerness suddenly froze. "VIGILANTES!" he ground
out.

"No rumor, Kells, this time. I've sure some news.... Come close, all
you fellows. You, Gulden, come an' listen. Here's where we git together
closer'n ever."

Gulden surged forward with his group. Handy Oliver was surrounded by
pale, tight faces, dark-browed and hardeyed.

He gazed at them, preparing them for a startling revelation. "Men, of
all the white-livered traitors as ever was Red Pearce was the worst!" he
declared, hoarsely.

No one moved or spoke.

"AN' HE WAS A VIGILANTE!"

A low, strange sound, almost a roar, breathed through the group.

"Listen now an' don't interrupt. We ain't got a lot of time.... So never
mind how I happened to find out about Pearce. It was all accident, an'
jest because I put two an' two together.... Pearce was approached