once. Can you trust me
now?"

Her hand went out to him.

"With all my heart," she said. "Let us start!"

"I've given my horse a hard ride. He must have some rest."

She moaned softly in her impatience, and then: "We'll go back to the
house and you can stable your horse there until you're ready to start.
Dad will go with us."

"Your father cannot go," he said shortly.

"Cannot?"

"Let's start back for the ranch," he said, "and I'll tell you
something about it as we go."

As they turned their horses he went on: "In order that you may reach
Whistling Dan, you'll have to meet first a number of men who are
camping down there in the willows."

He stopped. It became desperately difficult for him to go on.

"I am one of those men," he said, "and another of them is the one whom
Whistling Dan is following."

She caught her breath and turned abruptly on him.

"What are you, Mr. Lee?"

Very slowly he forced his eyes up to meet her gaze.

"In that camp," he answered indirectly, "your father wouldn't be
safe!"

It was out at last!

"Then you are--"

"Your friend."

"Forgive me. You _are_ my friend!"

"The man whom Dan is following," he went on, "is the leader. If he
gives the command four practised fighters pit themselves against
Barry."

"It is murder!"

"You can prevent it," he said. "They know Barry is on the trail, but I
think they will do nothing unless he forces them into trouble. And he
will force them unless you stop him. No other human being could take
him off that trail."

"I know! I know!" she muttered. "But I have already tried, and he will
not listen to me!"

"But he will listen to you," insisted Haines, "when you tell him that
he will be fighting not one man, but six."

"And if he doesn't listen to me?"

Haines shrugged his shoulders.

"Can't you promise that these men will not fight with him?"

"I cannot."

"But I shall plead with them myself."

He turned to her in alarm.

"No, you must not let them dream you know who they are," he warned,
"for otherwise--"

Again that significant shrug of the shoulders.

He explained: "These men are in such danger that they dare not take
chances. You are a woman, but if they feel that you suspect them you
will no longer be a woman in their eyes."

"Then what must I do?"

"I shall ride ahead of you when we come to the willows, after I have
pointed out the position of our camp. About an hour after I have
arrived, for they must not know