“Good idea,” said Rhinehart, and he added with a chuckle, “it’s been nigh three months since I’ve talked to a piece of calico.”

“Hey, there!” called Haines, and he stepped out with Rhinehart before her horse.

“Oh!” cried Kate, reining up her horse sharply.  “Who are you?”

“A beaut!” muttered Rhinehart in devout admiration.

“We’re from the Y Circle X outfit,” said Haines glibly, “camping over here for the night.  Are you lost, lady?”

“I guess I am.  I thought I could get across the willows before the night fell.  I’m trying to find a man who rode in this direction.”

“Come on into the camp,” said Haines easily.  “Maybe some of the boys can put you on his track.  What sort of a looking fellow is he?”

“Rides a black horse and whistles a good deal.  His name is Barry.  They call him Whistling Dan.”

“By God!” whispered Rhinehart in the ear of Haines.

“Shut up!” answered Haines in the same tone.  “Are you afraid of a girl?”

“I’ve trailed him south this far,” went on Kate, “and a few miles away from here I lost track of him.  I think he may have gone on across the willows.”

“Haven’t seen him,” said Rhinehart amiably.  “But come on to the camp, lady.  Maybe one of the boys has spotted him on the way.  What’s your name?”

“Kate Cumberland,” she answered.

He removed his hat with a broad grin and reached up a hand to her.

“I’m most certainly glad to meet you, an’ my name’s Shorty.  This here is Lee.  Want to come along with us?”

“Thank you.  I’m a little worried.”

“’S all right.  Don’t get worried.  We’ll show you the way out.  Just follow us.”

They started back through the willows, Kate following half a dozen yards behind.

“Listen here, Shorty,” said Haines in a cautious voice.  “You heard her name?”

“Sure.”

“Well, that’s the daughter of the man that raised Whistling Dan.  I saw her at Morgan’s place.  She’s probably been tipped off that he’s following Silent, but she has no idea who we are.”

“Sure she hasn’t.  She’s a great looker, eh, Lee?”

“She’ll do, I guess.  Now get this:  The girl is after Whistling Dan, and if she meets him she’ll persuade him to come back to her father’s place.  She’ll take him off our trail, and I guess none of us’ll be sorry to know that he’s gone, eh?”

“I begin to follow you, Lee.  You’ve always had the head!”

“All right.  Now we’ll get Purvis to tell the girl that he’s heard a peculiar whistling around here this evening.  We’ll advise her to stick around and go out when she hears the whistling again.  That way she’ll meet him and head him off, savvy?”

“Right,” said Rhinehart.

“Then beat it ahead as fast as you can and wise up the boys.”

“That’s me—­specially about their bein’ Y Circle X fellers, eh?”