re an' came through O. K. I'll back my luck
to stand up this time too."

Arthur looked into the brown face of this spare, clear-eyed youth and
felt that he would give his hopes of heaven for such gameness. They had
not one chance in ten thousand to escape, but the sheer nerve of the boy
held him as cool and easy as though he were sauntering down the main
street at Clarendon.

CHAPTER XXI

TEX TAKES A LONG WALK

Except for desultory firing the Kiowas left the islanders alone for the
rest of the day. The fever of the wounded man mounted. Most of the time
he was out of his head, and in tossing to and fro was continually
disturbing the cold-water bandages applied by the Texan.

As soon as night had fallen, Roberts put a proposition to his companion.
"One of us has got to go for help. Take yore choice, Ridley. Will you go
or stay?"

The Easterner felt as though his heart had been drenched in ice-water.
"Can't we wait until some one comes?" he asked timidly.

"Who's likely to come? You got any friends on the way? I haven't.
There's another thing: the stage will be along to-morrow. We've got to
get warnin' to it that the Kiowas are on the warpath. If we don't--well,
you know what happened to the freight outfit."

"If one of us goes, how can he get away?"

"I've thought of that. It will be dark for an hour before the moon gets
up. The one that goes will have to drop off the bank an' swim down with
the current for a quarter of a mile or so, then get to the shore, crawl
across the prairie till he's clear of the sentries, an' make a bee-line
for Tascosa."

"I couldn't find my way in the dark," faltered Arthur.

Jack nodded. "I doubt if you could. I'm elected, then."

"Why--why can't we both go?"

"We couldn't take Dinsmore fifty yards. He's too sick a man."

"He's going to die anyhow. If I stay, we'll both die--horribly. It's
every man for himself now."

Jack shook his head. "If you feel that way, you go an' I'll stay."

"I--I can't go alone." He pushed his plea one step farther. "He's a
criminal--a murderer. He'd kill you if he could, and he's already
betrayed me. There's no call for us to wait for certain death on his
account."

The Ranger spoke gently. "None for you, but he's in my hands. I'll see
it out. Mebbe you can get through the lines. Crawl through the grass.
Keep yore nerve an' lie low if you hear 'em comin'. Once you're through,
you'll be all right."

"I tell you I can't go alone. If it