the arm. She cried out and struggled vainly in his grip.

"Don't follow him, boys!" called Silent. "He's a dog that can bite
while he runs. Stand quiet, girl!"

Lee Haines caught him by the shoulder and jerked Silent around. His
hand held the butt of his revolver, and his whole arm trembled with
eagerness for the draw.

"Take your hand from her, Jim!" he said.

Silent met his eye with the same glare and while his left hand still
held Kate by both her wrists his right dropped to his gun.

"Not when you tell me, Lee!"

"Damn you, I say let her go!"

"By God, Haines, I stand for too much from you!"

And still they did not draw, because each of them knew that if the
crisis came it would mean death to them both. Bill Kilduff jumped
between them and thrust them back.

He cried, "Ain't we got enough trouble without roundin' up work at
home? Terry Jordan is shot through the arm."

Kate tugged at the restraining hand of Silent, not in an attempt to
escape, but in order to get closer to Haines.

"Was this your friendship?" she said, her voice shaking with hate and
sorrow, "to bring me here as a lure for Whistling Dan? Listen to me,
all of you! He's escaped you now, and he'll come again. Remember him,
for he shan't forget you!"

"You hear her?" said Silent to Haines.

"Is this what you want me to turn loose?"

"Silent," said Haines, "it isn't the girl alone you've double crossed.
You've crooked me, and you'll pay me for it sooner or later!"

"Day or night, winter or summer, I'm willing to meet you an' fight it
out. Rhinehart and Purvis, take this girl back to the clearing!"

They approached, Purvis still staring at the hand from which only a
moment before his gun had been knocked by the shot of Whistling Dan.
It was a thing which he could not understand--he had not yet lost a
most uncomfortable sense of awe. Haines made no objection when they
went off, with Kate walking between them. He knew, now that his blind
anger had left him, that it was folly to draw on a fight while the
rest of Silent's men stood around them.

"An' the rest of you go back to the clearin'. I got somethin' to talk
over with Lee," said Silent.

The others obeyed without question, and the leader turned back to his
lieutenant. For a moment longer they remained staring at each other.
Then Silent moved slowly forward with outstretched hand.

"Lee," he said quietly, "I'm owin' you an apology an' I'm man enough
to make it."

"I can't take