ed over at him. "Poker" John looked
pained.

"Guess you're right, Bill," said the rancher. "Hot--very hot. I pity the
poor devil if Lablache lays a hand on him. Excuse me, boy, I'm going
down to the barn. We've got a couple of ponies we're breaking to
harness."

The old man departed. The others watched the burly figure as he passed
out of the door. His whole personality seemed shrunken of late. The old
robustness seemed a thing of the past. The last two months seemed to
have put ten years of ageing upon the kindly old man. Jacky sighed as
the door closed behind him, and there was no smile in her eyes as she
turned again to her lover. Bill's face had become serious.

"Well?" in a tone of almost painful anxiety.

The girl had started forward and was leaning with her two brown hands
upon the back of a chair. Her face was pale beneath her tan, and her
eyes were bright with excitement. For answer, Bunning-Ford stepped to
the French window and closed it, having first glanced up and down the
veranda to see that it was empty. Not a soul was in sight. The tall
pines, which lined the approach to the house, waved silently in the
light breeze. The clear sky was gloriously blue. On everything was the
peace of summer.

The man swung round and came towards the girl. His eagle face was lit up
by an expression of triumph. He held out his two hands, and the girl
placed her own brown ones in them. He drew her towards him and embraced
her in silence. Then he moved a little away from her. His gleaming eyes
indexed the activity of his mind.

"The cattle are safe--as houses. It was a grand piece of work, dear.
They would never have faced the path without your help. Say, girlie, I'm
an infant at handling stock compared with you. Now--what news?"

Jacky was smiling tenderly into the strong face of the man. She could
not help but wonder at the reckless daring of this man, who so many set
down as a lazy good-for-nothing. She knew--she had always known, she
fancied--the strong character which underlay that indolent exterior. It
never appealed to her to regret the chance that had driven him to use
his abilities in such a cause. There was too much of the wild half-breed
blood in her veins to allow her to stop to consider the
might-have-beens. She gloried in his daring, and something of the spirit
which had caused her to help her half-brother now forced from her an
almost worshiping adoration for her lover.

"Horrocks is to spare no expense