ober.

"We come acrost Santry and the Sheriff a while back," explained Big Bob
Lawson, one of Wade's own punchers. "They must be in town by now. We was
aimin' to light into 'em, but Santry wouldn't hear of it. Course, we
took our orders from him same as usual. He said to tell you that you
wanted him to keep quiet, an' that's what he aimed to do."

"He said we wasn't to tell you that he didn't shoot them Swedes," put in
another of the men.

"What?" Wade demanded sharply.

"He said--hic!" broke in Tim Sullivan, with drunken gravity. "He
said--hic!--that if you didn't know that without--hic!--bein' told, you
wasn't no friend of his'n, an'--hic!--you could go to hell."

"Shut up, you drunken fool!" Lawson snapped out.

"Jensen and his herder were shot in the back, they say. That clears
Santry," Wade declared, and sat for some moments in deep thought, while
the men waited as patiently as they could. "Lawson," he said, at last.
"You're in charge for the present. Take the boys to the big pine and
camp there quietly until I come back. I'm going into town."

"Hadn't you better take us with you, boss? We'll stick. We're for you
an' Bill Santry an' ag'in' these--sheepherders, whenever you say the
word."

"That's--hic--what we are!" Sullivan hiccoughed.

Wade shook his head.

"No. You wait for me at the pine. You'll have to rustle your grub the
best way you can. I may not get back until to-morrow--until this
evening--it's morning now. But wait until I come. There will be plenty
for you to do later on and there is no use of you going back to town
with me. It might get you into worse trouble than you're headed for
already, and what I've got to do, I can do alone."

Wheeling his horse, he rode off toward Crawling Water.

That he could take his men with him, storm the jail and release Santry,
Wade did not doubt, but to do so would be to bring each of the men into
open conflict with the law, a responsibility which he was resolved to
bear alone. Then, too, because his long ride had cooled him somewhat, he
intended to make one more appeal to the Senator. Possibly, Moran had
exceeded his instructions, and if this were so, it was no more than just
that Rexhill, who had seemed to evince a willingness to be helpful,
should have the opportunity to disown the act of his agent. Besides, if
Santry could be peaceably released, he would be freed of the charge
hanging over him, which would not be the case if he were taken from the
jai