view. Had he done so, his quest would have ended then
and there. It would then be simply a matter of laying an ambush at the
given time and place, into which the rascals would walk blindly, and from
which there would be no escape. But when at last the conference was over,
he was no wiser than before, except that his suspicions as to the
half-breed had become a certainty.

The afternoon was well along now, and the captain, casting a glance at
the sun, rose hastily to his feet.

"Come along," he growled. "We can do our chinning later on. We'll have
all we can do now to get to camp before dark."

"Before dark." Bert looked at his watch. It was nearly six o'clock. It
would not be fully dark until eight. That meant that the rendezvous of
the gang was within two hours' ride. Allowing ten miles an hour, it meant
a distance of perhaps twenty miles.

But that was assuming that they went on well-traveled roads, where the
horses could be given their head. Bert felt sure that they would not do
this. The conditions of their lawless life made it necessary for them to
seek refuge in the wilds, where riding would be hard and slow. Their lair
was doubtless in some secluded valley or coulee, where they could hide
the stolen stock, secure from discovery until a favorable opportunity
offered to drive it out at night far from the plundered ranches. The
place, therefore, might not be more than fifteen miles distant. Otherwise
the outlaws would hardly be able to make it in the time mentioned, over
the rough trails they would probably follow. That this conjecture was
correct was proved by the fact that, instead of returning to the broad
road up which Bert had ridden, the men mounted their horses and turned
their heads in the opposite direction up the ravine.

But how could he follow without detection? If he let them get too far
ahead, he might lose track of them altogether. On the other hand, if he
followed too closely they might hear the sound of his horse's feet, or,
turning in the saddle, might see his figure outlined against the sky. In
that case the game was up. It would be a matter of flight, or an
encounter in which, against such odds, he could look for nothing but
capture or death. And in either event, his plans for the breaking up
of the band would come to nothing.

There was but one alternative. He must follow on foot.

He was in superb condition and could do it easily. Running was his game.
He had taken the measure of the fle