wed the white feather, if I let him see me shake,
he'd be out of his chair and on top of me. No gun--he don't need nothin'
but his hands--and what was in front of my eyes was a death like--like
Jim Silent's!"

He squinted his eyes close and groaned. Once more he roused himself.

"But I couldn't move a foot without my knees bucklin', so I takes out my
makin's and rolls a cigarette. And while I was doin' it I was prayin'
that my strength would come back to me before he come back to
himself--and started!"

"It was surprise that held him, Buck. To think of you striking him--you
who have saved his life and fought for him like a blood-brother. Oh,
Buck, of all the men in the world you're the bravest and the noblest!"

"They ain't nothin' in that brand of talk," growled Buck, reddening.
"Anyway, at last I started for the door. It wasn't farther away than
from here to the wall. Outside was my hoss, and a chance for livin'. But
that door was a thousand years away, and a thousand times while I walked
towards it I felt Dan's gun click and bang behind me and felt the lead
go tearin' through me. And I didn't dare to hurry, because I knew that
might wake Dan up. So finally I got to the doors and just as they was
swingin' to behind me, I heard a sort of a moan behind me----"

"From Dan!" whispered the white-faced girl. "I know--a sort of a stifled
cry when he's angered! Oh, Buck."

"My first step took me ten yards from that door," reminisced Buck
Daniels, "and my next step landed me in the saddle, and I dug them spurs
clean into the insides of Long Bess. She started like a watch-spring
uncoilin', and as she spurts down the streets I leans clean over to her
mane and looks back and there I seen Dan standin' in the door with his
gun in his hand and the wind blowin' his hair. But he didn't shoot,
because the next second I was swallowed up in the dark and couldn't see
him no more."

"But it was no use!" cried the girl. "With Black Bart to trail you and
with Satan to carry him, he overtook you--and then----"

"He didn't," said Buck Daniels. "I'd fixed things so's he couldn't get
started with Satan for some time. And before he could have Satan on my
trail I'd put a long stretch behind me because Long Bess was racin'
every step. The lay of the land was with me. It was pretty level, and on
level goin' Long Bess is almost as fast as Satan; but on rocky goin'
Satan is like a goat--nothin' stops him! And I was ridin' Long Bess like
to bu