t to watch the tragedy among the peaks. At
the line of the rocks the sheriff spoke.

"Gregg, you've busted your contract. You didn't bring him out."

Vic threw his revolver on the ground.

"I bust the rest of it here and now. I'm through. Put on your irons
and take me back. Hang me and be damned to you, but I'll do no more to
double-cross him."

Sliver Waldron drew from his pocket something which jangled faintly, but
the sheriff stopped him with a word. He sat up behind his rock.

"I got an idea, Gregg, that you've finished up your job and
double-crossed us! Does he know that I'm out here? Sit down there out of
sight."

"I'll do that," said Gregg, obeying, "because you got the right to make
me, but you ain't got the right to make me talk, and nothin' this side
of hell can pry a word out of me!"

The sheriff drew down his brows until his eyes were merely cavities of
blackness. Very tenderly he fondled the rifle-butt which lay across his
knees, and never in the mountain-desert had there been a more humbly
unpretentious figure of a man.

He said: "Vic, I been thinkin' that you had the man-sized makin's of a
skunk, but I'm considerable glad to see I've judged you wrong. Sit quiet
here. I ain't goin' to put no irons on you if you give me your parole."

"I'll see you in hell before I give you nothin'. I was a man, or a
partways man, till I met up with you tonight, and now I'm a houn'-dog
that's done my partner dirt! God amighty, what made me do it?"

He beat his knuckles against his forehead.

"What you've done you can't undo," answered the sheriff. "Vic, I've seen
gents do considerable worse than you've done and come clean afterwards.
You're goin' to get off for what you've done to Blondy, and you're goin'
to live straight afterwards. You're goin' to get married and you're
goin' to play white. Why, man, I had to use you as far as I could. But
you think I wanted you to bring me out Barry? You couldn't look Betty
square in the face if you'd done what you set out to do. Now, I ain't
pressin' you, but I done some scouting while you was away, and I heard
four men's voices in the house. Can you tell me who's there?"

"You've played square, Pete," answered Vic hoarsely, "and I'll do my
part. Go down and get on your hosses and ride like hell; because in ten
minutes you're goin' to have three bad ones around your necks."

A mutter came from the rest of the posse, for this was rather more than
they had planned ahead. Th