nch. The dew lay heavy on the laurel leaves of the
thickets, and the breeze was perfumed with the penetrant fragrance of
many blossoms. The day was thrilling with the matins of the birds. The
balsamic air was a wine of life. The rugged mountain peaks seemed to
stand as an impregnable barrier against the confusions and evils of
the larger world. But the man and the girl recked nought of these
things as they went forward, with cautious steps and watchful eyes.
They knew that the tranquil scene masked wickedness close by them,
which would not hesitate to destroy. The discovery of the marshal in
that vicinity would mean for him the bullet of an assassin from out
the screen of leaves, and the same fate--or worse--for his companion.
The corpses would be lost in the Devil's Cauldron. Men would whisper
grim surmises, and whisper low lest the like come upon them. And that
would be all.

They reached the cliff top overlooking the little canon, and Plutina
pointed out the location of the traps on the strip of dry ground
below, and the huddles of brush that disguised the buildings of the
still. Then, the girl went her way. She had done her part. The man
remained to study the scene above for hours through his glasses, and
to map out the night's campaign into the enemy's country.

A delicate moonlight fell over the mountains, when, in the evening,
Stone led his men from the rendezvous at Trap Hill. The six were
heavily armed and well mounted. Their course at the outset led them
along the Elkin road to Joines' store, where they swung into the trail
over which Zeke and Plutina had walked the day of their parting. The
cavalcade rode swiftly. There was no conversation; only the pounding
of hoofs and the jangling of accoutrements. When, at last, they
reached the edge of the Widow Higgins' clearing, they turned sharply
to the eastward, following the path toward the Cherry Lane
post-office. Presently, at a low word of command from the leader, they
halted and dismounted. The horses were left to the care of one man in
a near-by thicket, and the remainder of the party continued the
advance on foot.

The marshal, during his watch on the still that day, had planned his
attack in every detail. He hoped to make his capture of the gang
without unnecessary casualties, for in this particular he had achieved
an enviable record, on which he prided himself. At first, he had
thought of ascending along the course of Luffman's Branch, after
springing t