humans around him, and when he dies he wants to pull Dan
down with him."

They sat staring at each other for a time.

"If he lives through that fight with Silent," said Buck sadly, "the
crowd will jump in on him. Their numbers'll make 'em brave."

"An' then?"

"Then maybe he'd like a friend to fight by his side," said Buck
simply. "So long, Joe!"

The old man wrung his hand and then followed him out to the
hitching-rack where Buck's horse stood.

"Ain't Dan got no friends among the crowd?" asked Cumberland. "Don't
they give him no thanks for catching the rest of Silent's gang?"

"They give him lots of credit," said Buck. "An' Haines has said a lot
in favour of Dan, explainin' how the jail bustin' took place. Lee is
sure provin' himself a white man. He's gettin' well of his wounds
and it's said the Governor will pardon him. You see, Haines went bad
because the law done him dirt a long time ago, and the Governor is
takin' that into account."

"But they'd still want to kill Dan?"

"Half of the boys wouldn't," said Buck. "The other half is all wrought
up over the killings that's been happenin' on the range in the last
month. Dan is accused of about an even half of 'em, an' the friends of
dead men don't waste no time listenin' to arguments. They say Dan's an
outlawed man an' that they're goin' to treat him like one."

"Damn them!" groaned Cumberland. "Don't Morris's confession make no
difference?"

"Morris was lynched before he had a chance to swear to what he said in
Dan's favour. Kilduff an' Jordan an' Rhinehart might testify that Dan
wasn't never bought over by Silent, but they know they're done for
themselves, an' they won't try to help anybody else, particular the
man that put 'em in the hands of the law. Kilduff has swore that Dan
_was_ bribed by Silent, that he went after Silent not for revenge, but
to get some more money out of him, an' that the fight in the shanty up
at Bald-eagle Creek was because Silent refused to give Dan any more
money."

"Then there ain't no hope," muttered Cumberland. "But oh, lad, it
breaks my heart to think of Kate! Dan c'n only die once, but every
minute is a death to her!"

CHAPTER XXXVII

DEATH

Before noon of the next day Buck joined the crowd which had been
growing for hours around Tully's saloon. Men gave way before him,
whispering. He was a marked man--the friend of Whistling Dan Barry.
Cowpunchers who had known him all his life now avoided his eyes, but