ridle, and led him forward a few steps so that Buck was
directly under the overhanging limb. Then, with the coil of Buck's
rope in his hand, he turned back and squirmed up the tree-trunk until
he had reached the limb. He crawled out until he was over Buck's
bullet-punctured hat-crown, sliced off what rope he did not need, and
flung it to the ground. He saw Buck wince as the rope went past him.
The pinto horse shied out of position.

"Take the reins and bring him back here!" Ward called shortly, and gave
a twitch of the rope as a hint.

Mechanically Buck obeyed. He did not know that the rope was not yet
tied to the limb.

Ward tied the rope securely, leaving enough slack to keep Buck from
choking prematurely. He fussed a minute longer, with his lip curled
into a grin of sardonic humor. Then he crawled hack to the trunk of
the tree and slid down carefully so that he would not frighten the
pinto.

He went up and took the hobble off Buck Olney's feet, felt in the seam
of his coat-lapel, and pulled out four pins, with which he fastened
Buck's "pedigree" between Buck's shrinking shoulder-blades. Then he
stood off and surveyed his work critically before he went over to
Rattler, who stood dozing in the sunshine.

"Sorry I can't stay to see you off," he told Buck maliciously. "I've
decided to let you go alone and take your own time about starting. As
long as that cayuse stands where he is, you're safe as a church. And
you've got the reins; you can kick off any time you feel like it.
Sabe?" He studied Buck's horror-marked face pitilessly.

"You've got about one chance in a million that you can make that pinto
stand there till someone comes along," he pointed out impartially.
"I'm willing to give you that chance, such as it is. And if you're
lucky enough to win out on it--well, I'd advise you to do some going!
South America is about as close as you'll be safe. Folks around here
are going to know all about you, old-timer, whether they get to read
what's on your back or not.

"And, on the other hand, it's a million-to-one shot you'll land where
your ticket reads. I'd hate to gamble on that horse standing in one
spot for two or three days, wouldn't you?" He wheeled Rattler
unobtrusively, his eye on the pinto. "I hope he don't try to follow,"
he said. "I want you to have a little time to think about the things I
said to you. Well, so-long."

Ward rode back the way he had come, glancing frequently over his