d. He advanced over the rough ground, came close to the logs,
and craftily peered in at the small window in the back of the cabin. It
was evident that he had not been heard. The sinister figure within still
sat on the table, but was crouched, listening like an animal to the
shouts that were coming from a safe distance down in the gulch. Cutler,
outside of the window, could not see the face of Toussaint, but he saw
one long brown hand sliding up and down the man's leg, and its movement
put him in mind of the tail of a cat. The hand stopped to pull out a
pistol, into which fresh cartridges were slipped. Cutler had already
done this same thing after dismounting, and he now felt confident that
his weapon needed no further examination. He did not put his hand to his
holster. The figure rose from the table, and crossed the room to a set
of shelves in front of which hung a little yellow curtain. Behind it
were cups, cans, bottles, a pistol, counters, red, white, and blue, and
two fresh packs of cards, blue and pink, side by side. Seeing these,
Toussaint drew a handkerchief from his pocket, and unwrapped two further
packs, both blue; and at this Cutler's intent face grew into plain shape
close to the window, but receded again into uncertain dimness. From down
in the gulch came shouts that the runaway horse was captured. Toussaint
listened, ran to the door, and quickly returning, put the blue pack
from the shelf into his pocket, leaving in exchange one of his own. He
hesitated about altering the position of the cards on the shelf, but
Kelley and Loomis were unobservant young men, and the half-breed placed
the pink cards on top of his blue ones. The little yellow curtain again
hung innocently over the shelves, and Toussaint, pouring himself a drink
of whiskey, faced round, and for the first time saw the window that had
been behind his back. He was at it in an instant, wrenching its rusty
pin, that did not give, but stuck motionless in the wood. Cursing,
he turned and hurried out of the door and round the cabin. No one was
there. Some hundred yards away the noiseless Cutler crawled farther
among the thickets that filled the head of the gulch. Toussaint whipped
out a match, and had it against his trousers to strike and look if there
were footprints, when second thoughts warned him this might be seen, and
was not worth risking suspicion over, since so many feet came and went
by this cabin. He told himself no one could have been there t