She ran out through the patio and to the front of the house.  The dust-cloud already had swallowed the individual forms of the riders.  And turning to the left, she saw McGuire and Hastings lolling in full view near the corrals.  With consummate tact, Hervey had chosen those of his men who were the oldest, the hardest, the least liable to be melted by her persuasions.

Moaning, she turned back and looked east.  The dust-cloud was dwindling every minute.  And without hope, she cast another glance towards the corrals.  Evidently, the men agreed that it was unnecessary for two of them to stay in the heat of the sun to prevent her from getting at a horse.  Hastings had turned his back and was strolling towards the bunkhouse.  McGuire was perched on a stump rolling a cigarette and grinning broadly towards her.

He would be a hard man to handle.  But at least there was more hope than before.  One man was not so hard to manage as two, each shaming the other into indifference.  She went slowly towards McGuire, turning again to see the dust-cloud roll out of view over a distant hill.

In that cloud of dust, Hervey kept the pace down to an easy dog-trot.  From mid-afternoon until evening—­for he did not intend to expose himself primarily and his men in the second place, to the accurate gun of Red Jim in broad daylight—­was a comfortable stretch in which to make the journey to the shack on the mountain-side.  Like a good general, he kept the minds of his followers from growing tense by deftly turning the talk, on the way, to other topics, as they swung off the east trail towards Glosterville and journeyed due north over the rolling foothills.  There was only one chance in three that he could have deceived the girl by his first direction, but that chance was worth taking.  He had a wholesome respect for the mental powers of Oliver Jordan’s daughter and he by no means wished to drive her frantic in the effort to get to Perris with her warning.  Of course it would be impossible for her to wheedle McGuire and Hastings into letting her have a horse, but if she should——­

Here Hervey abruptly turned his thoughts in a new direction.  The old one led to results too unpleasant.

In the meantime, as they wore out the miles and the day turned towards sunset time, the cheery conversation which Little Joe had led among the riders fell away.  They were coming too close to the time and place of action.  What that action must be was only too easy to guess.  It was simply impossible to imagine Red Perris submitting to an order to leave.  He had already defied their assembled forces once.  He would certainly make the attempt again.  Of course odds of five to one were too great for even the most courageous and skilful fighter to face.  But he might do terrible damage before the end.

And it was a solemn procession which wound up the hillside through the darkening trees.  Until at length, at a word from Hervey, they dismounted, tethered their horses here and there where there was sufficient grass to occupy them and keep them from growing nervous and neighing, and then started on again on foot.