tch. "You claim to be mountain raised, and tell
me you think this is a short cut from whar you was at to Nancy Cyard's? I
reckon you'll have to make up another tale."

Bonbright became suddenly aware that he was surrounded, two of the men
who were with Turrentine having slipped past him and appearing now as
blots of blacker shadow against the trees on either side of the path by
which he had come. Turrentine and the remaining man barred the way ahead;
on the one side was the sheer descent of the bluff; on the other the
rough, broken rise.

It was like a bad dream. With his usual forthright directness he spoke
out.

"What is it you want of me--all of you? This meeting never came about by
chance."

Blatch shook his head. "Yo' mighty right it didn't," he said. "Me an' the
boys has a word to speak with you, and when we ketch you walkin' on our
land in the middle o' the night--with whatever intentions--we think the
time has come for talkin'."

"Andy! Jeff! Is that you?" Creed, the rash, called over his shoulder to
the two behind him.

An inarticulate growl answered, and then a boyish voice began,

"Yo' mighty free with folks' names, you Creed Bonbright. Me and my
brother both told you what we thought o' you when you come to the jail. I
told you then you'd be run out of the Turkey Tracks ef you tried to come
up here. We don't want no spies."

"Spies!" echoed Creed with a rising note of anger in his voice. "Who said
I was a spy? What should I be spying on?"

"Yo' friend Mr. Dan Haley might 'a' said you was a spy," suggested Andy's
higher pitched tones. "As for what you'd be a-spyin' on you know best.
We're all mighty peaceable, law-abidin' folks in the Turkey Tracks. I
don't know of nothin' that we're apt to break the law about 'less'n it
would be beatin' up and runnin' out a spy that----"

The childish bravado of this speech evidently displeased Blatch, who
wanted the thing done and over with. His heavier, grating tones broke
in,

"They's jest one thing to be said to you, Creed Bonbright. You've got to
get out of the Turkey Tracks--and get quick. Air ye goin'?"

"No!" Creed flung back at him. "When I take my orders from you it will be
a mighty cold day. I came up here in the Turkey Tracks to do a good work
among my own people. I'm going to stay here and do it in my own way. Is
that you, Wade Turrentine? What have you got to say to me?"

The second of the men who faced him stirred uneasily at the mention of
his