of Turner--Nick
took the old man's place in the customary stroll, or hobble would be a
better word, to the post office.

He stopped and talked with people as he met them, having posted himself,
with the old man's aid, in what he was to say. And he stood around the
post office steps for two hours, as Turner was in the habit of doing.

He was trying out the part; trying it on the dog, so to speak. And he
was thoroughly satisfied with the result.

In his talks there in front of the post office he gave it out that he
was going to take another trip into the woods; and as it was the season
of the year when Turner had been in the habit of being absent, no
surprise was felt. And that afternoon he literally pulled up stakes and
started.

Once he was in the woods, Nick quickened his pace. He realized now that,
figuratively, he had burned his bridges behind him, and that he must see
the thing through to the end.

He did not fear the consequences at all; he felt that there was only one
chance of his failure, and that was in the shrewd eyes and keen
intelligence of Handsome.

Handsome had met Turner twice and talked with him each time. Nick knew
Handsome well enough to know that the outlaw would have studied Turner
very closely at those interviews; the question now was, would Handsome
detect the fraud?

Nick did not think it likely; and, anyhow, the risk had to be taken.

That night the detective made himself a fire and camped in the woods; in
the early morning he started on again.

In due course of time he came to the ravine, and went up it to the top
as the old man had directed him to do. And he went around the "rocks
with a sort of a twist in them" until he found the steps that were cut
in the stones, and so mounted to the top.

Far up the second ravine he found the dead tree that hung over it, and
the pathway up the side of the hill beside it; and that night he camped
again in the woods.

He had not far to go that second morning, after he had eaten some
breakfast, before he arrived at the Dog's Nose. It was ten o'clock in
the morning when he got there.

All that morning Nick had noticed signs that he was approaching the
region where he would find the hobo gang. He had seen where trees had
been chopped down and corded up for firewood; and there were many other
signs that many men were in the vicinity.

When he came to the shelter of the Dog's Nose, he stopped there, and,
having fixed himself a temporary camp, res