e deceived the girl by his first direction, but that chance
was worth taking. He had a wholesome respect for the mental powers
of Oliver Jordan's daughter and he by no means wished to drive her
frantic in the effort to get to Perris with her warning. Of course
it would be impossible for her to wheedle McGuire and Hastings into
letting her have a horse, but if she should----

Here Hervey abruptly turned his thoughts in a new direction. The old
one led to results too unpleasant.

In the meantime, as they wore out the miles and the day turned towards
sunset time, the cheery conversation which Little Joe had led among
the riders fell away. They were coming too close to the time and place
of action. What that action must be was only too easy to guess. It
was simply impossible to imagine Red Perris submitting to an order to
leave. He had already defied their assembled forces once. He would
certainly make the attempt again. Of course odds of five to one were
too great for even the most courageous and skilful fighter to face.
But he might do terrible damage before the end.

And it was a solemn procession which wound up the hillside through
the darkening trees. Until at length, at a word from Hervey, they
dismounted, tethered their horses here and there where there was
sufficient grass to occupy them and keep them from growing nervous and
neighing, and then started on again on foot.

At this point Hervey took the lead. For that matter, he had never been
lacking in sheer animal courage, and now he wound up the path with
his long colt in his hand, ready to shoot, and shoot to kill. Once or
twice small sounds made him pause, uneasy. But his progress was fairly
steady until he came to the edge of the little clearing where the
shack stood.

There was no sign of life about it. The shack seemed deserted. Thick
darkness filled its doorway and the window, though the rest of the
clearing was still permeated with a faint afterglow of the sunset.

"He ain't here," said Little Joe softly, as he came to the side of the
watchful foreman.

"Don't be too sure," said the other. "I'd trust this Perris and
take about as many chances with him as I would with a rattler in a
six-by-six room. Maybe he's in there playing possum. Waiting for us to
make a break across the clearing. That'd be fine for Red Jim, damn his
heart!"

Little Joe peered back at the anxious faces of the others, as they
came up the path one by one. He did not like to be on