He stared at Lee with a sort of fascinated horror.

"Silent," said Haines, "can you explain how the lightning comes down
out of the sky?"

"Of course not."

"Then don't ask me to explain how Whistling Dan made his getaway. One
minute I heard him talkin' with the girl. The next second there was
two shots and when I whirled he was gone. But he'll come back, Jim.
We're not through with him. He slipped away from you and your men like
water out of a sieve, but we won't slip away from him the same way."

Silent stared on again with bowed head.

"He liked the girl, Lee?"

"Any one could see that."

"Then while she's with us he'll go pretty slow. Lee, that's another
reason why she's got to stay with us. My frien', it's time we was
moving out from the willows. The next time he comes up with us he
won't be numb in the head. He'll be thinkin' fast an' he'll be
shootin' a damn sight faster. We got two jobs ahead of us--first to
get that Wells Fargo shipment, and then to get Whistling Dan. There
ain't room enough in the whole world for him and me."

CHAPTER XVI

THE THREE OF US

In the clearing of Whistling Dan and Tex Calder the marshal had turned
into his blankets once more. There was no thought of sleep in Dan's
mind. When the heavy breathing of the sleeper began he rose and
commenced to pace up and down on the farther side of the open space.
Two pairs of glowing eyes followed him in every move. Black Bart, who
trailed him up and down during the first few turns he made, now sat
down and watched his master with a wistful gaze. The black stallion,
who lay more like a dog than a horse on the ground, kept his ears
pricked forwards, as if expecting some order. Once or twice he
whinnied very softly, and finally Dan sat down beside Satan, his
shoulders leaned against the satiny side and his arms flung out along
the stallion's back. Several times he felt hot breath against his
cheek as the horse turned a curious head towards him, but he paid no
attention, even when the stallion whinnied a question in his ear. In
his heart was a numb, strange feeling which made him weak. He was even
blind to the fact that Black Bart at last slipped into the shadows of
the willows.

Presently something cold touched his chin. He found himself staring
into the yellow-green eyes of Black Bart, who panted from his run, and
now dropped from his mouth something which fell into Dan's lap. It
was the glove of Kate Cumberland. In the grasp