“I held the bead,” he kept repeating, his glance going blankly past her as he struggled to find words for the strange experience, “but then I saw his ribs going in and out.  He was big where the cinches would run, you see, and I began to understand where he got that wind of his that never gives out.  Besides, I somehow got to thinking about his heart under the ribs, lady, and I figured it kind of low to stop all the life in him with a bullet.  So I swung my bead up along his neck—­he’s got a long neck and that means a long stride—­till I came plump on his head, and just then he swung his head and gave me a look.”

He breathed deeply, and then:  “It was like jumping into cold water all of a sudden.  I felt hollow inside.  And then all at once I knew they’d never been a hoss like him in the mountains.  I knew he was an outlaw.  I knew he was plumb bad.  But I knew he was a king, lady, and I couldn’t no more shoot him that I could lie behind a bush and shoot a man.”  He was suddenly on fire.

“Looked to me like he was my hoss.  Like he’d been planned for me.  I wanted him terrible bad, the way you want things when you’re a kid—­the way you want Christmas the day before, when it don’t seem like you could wait for tomorrow.”

“But—­he’s a man-killer, Mr. Perris.  I’ve seen it!”

His hand went out to her and she listened in utter amazement while he pleaded with all his heart in his voice.

“Lemme have a chance to make him my hoss, murders or not!  Lemme stay here on the ranch and work, because they’s no other good place for hunting him.  I know you want them mares, but some day I’ll get my rope on him and then I swear I’ll break him or he’ll break me.  I’ll break him, ride him to death, or he’ll pitch me off and finish me liked he finished Cordova.  But I know I can handle him.  I sure feel it inside of me, lady!  Pay?  I don’t want pay!  I’ll work for nothing.  If I had a stake, I’d give it to you for a chance to keep on trying for him.  I know I’m asking a pile.  You want the mares and you can get them the minute Alcatraz is dropped with a bullet,—­but I tell you straight, he’s worth all of ’em—­all six and more!”

A light came over his face.  “Miss Jordan, lemme stay on and try my luck and if I get him and break him, I’ll turn him over to you.  And I tell you:  he’s the wind on four feet.”

“You’ll do all this and then give him to me when he’s gentled and broken—­if that can be done?  Then why do you want him?”

“I want to show him that he’s got a master.  He’s played with me and plumb fooled me all these weeks.  I want to get on him and show him he’s beat.”  His fierce joy in the thought was contagious.  “I want to make him turn when I pull on the reins.  I’ll have him start when I want to start and stop when I want to stop.  I’ll make him glad when I talk soft to him and shake when I talk hard.  He’s made a fool of me; I’ll make a fool and a show of him.  Lady, will you say yes?”