“Silent,” warned Haines, “hasn’t it occurred to you that there’s something damned queer about the ease with which Buck slid into the favour of the girl?”

“Well?”

“All his talk about manhandling her is bunk.  He had some message for her.  I saw him speak to her when she was struggling in his arms.  Then she conveniently fainted.”

Silent turned on Buck.

“Is that straight?”

“It is,” said Daniels easily.

The outlaws started and their expectant grins died out.

“By God, Buck!” roared Silent, “if you’re double crossin’ me—­but I ain’t goin’ to be hasty now.  What happened?  Tell it yourself!  What did you say to her?”

“While she was fightin’ with me,” said Buck, “she hollered:  ’Let me go!’ I says:  ‘I’ll see you in hell first!’ Then she fainted.”

The roar of laughter drowned Haines’s further protest.

“You win, Buck,” said Silent.  “Take the job.”

As Buck started for the door Haines called to him: 

“Hold on, Buck, if you’re aboveboard you won’t mind giving your word to see that no one comes up the valley and that you’ll be here in the morning?”

The words set a swirling blackness before Buck’s eyes.  He turned slowly.

“That’s reasonable,” said Silent.  “Speak up, Daniels.”

“All right,” said Buck, his voice very low.  “I’ll be here in the morning, and I’ll see that no one comes up the valley.”

There was the slightest possible emphasis on the word “up.”

On a rock directly in front of the shanty Buck took up his watch.  The little house behind him was black.  Presently he heard the soft call of Kate:  “Is it time?”

His eyes wandered to the ranch house.  He could catch the drone of many voices.  He made no reply.

“Is it time?” she repeated.

Still he would not venture a reply, however guarded.  She called a third time, and when he made no response he heard her voice break to a moan of hopelessness.  And yet he waited, waited, until the light in the ranch house went out, and there was not a sound.

“Kate!” he said, gauging his voice carefully so that it could not possibly travel to the ranch house, which all the while he carefully scanned.

For answer the front door of the shanty squeaked.

“Back!” he called.  “Go back!”

The door squeaked again.

“They’re asleep in the ranch house,” she said.  “Aren’t we safe?”

“S—­sh!” he warned.  “Talk low!  They aren’t all asleep.  There’s one in the ranch house who’ll never take his eyes off me till morning.”

“What can we do?”

“Go out the back way.  You won’t be seen if you’re careful.  Haines has his eyes on me, not you.  Go for the stable.  Saddle your horses.  Then lead them out and take the path on the other side of the house.  Don’t mount them until you’re far below the house.  Go slow all the way.  Sounds travel far up this canyon.”