andsome thought a moment, and then he asked suddenly:

"Turner, who sent you up here?"

"Nobody sent me; why?"

"Didn't the people of Calamont send you to find me and my followers?"

"Nary a bit of it."

"Well, now that you have seen me, and know that I am here, and therefore
guess that others are here with me, what would you do about it if you
should go back to Calamont now, and somebody there should ask you if you
had seen me?"

"Look here, Handsome, I don't meddle with other people's affairs. I want
'em to leave mine alone, and consequently I leave theirn alone. You hear
me speak!"

"But what answer would you make if that question was asked of you?"

"I probably shouldn't answer at all."

"Suppose an answer was insisted upon?"

"I ain't never found nobody yet who could make old Bill Turner answer a
question if he didn't want to."

"Do you mean that you would not wish to answer that question?"

"Look here, Handsome, if you want me to promise that I won't tell on ye,
why don't you say so? What you and your fellers do ain't none of my
funeral, so long as you leave me alone. Do you think I came up here to
spy on you?"

"That is what I thought when I first discovered you."

"Well, forget it. I ain't carryin' no tales. I'd 'a' been dead long ago
if I had done that. Life's too short. I ain't never mentioned to nobody
about the two times I have met you, and I ain't likely to, either. I
ain't got time. You ain't robbed my house, and I don't care what you do
as long as you leave me alone."

Again Handsome was silent a while, and then he said suddenly:

"Turner, would you like to go to our camp?"

"No; that is, I ain't particular about it. You might think I was trying
to spy on ye--or some of the men might, and that would make me mad."

"They won't think anything of the kind if I take you there."

"All right. If you want me to go--I'll go."

"Come along, then. You have got this far, and we've either got to trust
you, or kill you. It will depend upon you which that will be."

Keeping in his mind's eye the plans that Turner had made for him, Nick
knew perfectly the route over which Handsome led him on the way to the
camp, to which he had referred.

It was a picturesque place. Turner had described it in detail to the
detective, and had mentioned it as the most likely place for the outlaws
to make their headquarters. He had said:

"Ye see, mister, it's a sort of sasser in the mountings. There ain't
only