you, I have ceased to see the advantage of poisoning
one's-self merely because it is the fashion to do so."

"The poison is wonderfully slow," said Buck.

"But not less wonderfully sure," returned Charlie, with a smile.

"As you will," rejoined Buck, rising and going outside with his visitor.

The night was very still and beautiful, and, the clouds having cleared
away, the moonbeams struggled through the foliage and revealed the
extreme wildness and seclusion of the spot which had been chosen by the
outlaws as their fortress.

Charlie now saw that the approach to the entrance of the cave was a
narrow neck of rock resembling a natural bridge, with a deep gully on
either side, and that the cliff which formed the inner end of the cavern
overhung its base, so that if an enemy were to attempt to hurl rocks
down from above these would drop beyond the cave altogether. This much
he saw at a glance. The minute details and intricacies of the place of
course could not be properly seen or understood in the flickering and
uncertain light which penetrated the leafy canopy, and, as it were,
played with the shadows of the fallen rocks that strewed the ground
everywhere, and hung in apparently perilous positions on the mountain
slopes.

The manner of the outlaw changed to that of intense earnestness the
moment he got out to the open air.

"Charlie Brooke," he said, with more of the tone and air of old familiar
friendship than he had yet allowed himself to assume, "it's of no use
exciting poor Shank unnecessarily, so I brought you out here to tell you
that your man Dick Darvall is in deadly peril, and nothing but immediate
action on my part can save him; I must ride without delay to his rescue.
You cannot help me in this. I know what you are going to propose, but
you must trust and obey me if you would save your friend's life. To
accompany me would only delay and finally mar my plans. Now, will
you--"

A peculiar whistle far down the gorge caused the outlaw to cease
abruptly and listen.

The whistle was repeated, and Buck answered it at once with a look of
great surprise.

"These are my fellows back already!" he said.

"You seem surprised. Did you, then, not expect them so soon?"

"I certainly did not; something must have gone wrong," replied Buck,
with a perplexed look. Then, as if some new idea had flashed upon him,
"Now, look here, Brooke, I must ask you to trust me implicitly and to
act a part. Your life may de