nd. "I am proud to be admitted to
the friendship of Cass Grimshaw, horse-thief, and--gentleman," he said,
and turned away to see the Texan looking at him with a twinkle in his
eye.

CHAPTER XXVIII

BACK ON RED SAND

While Cass Grimshaw and Bill Harlow rounded up the horses, and
transferred the girl's saddle from the dead mare to one of the animals
belonging to the outlaws, Endicott and Bat assisted Janet to bind up the
Texan's wound.

When at last they were ready for the trail, Grimshaw called Endicott
aside: "You an' the breed come along with me," he whispered, "you must
be middlin' anxious to see yer wife, an' I'll take you to Cinnabar
Joe's. The girl, there, she knows the way, an' they can follow along
slower," he paused and winked, "he won't be wantin' to ride no ways
fast--on account of that leg."

Endicott's eyes lighted with sudden understanding as he glanced at the
two figures who stood side by side near the horses: "By George!" he
exclaimed, "I wonder----"

"Wonder--hell! Give 'em a chance! Come on, we'll pull out. Bill, he'll
h'ist him onto his horse, an' then he'll stay an' drop them corpses down
some mud crack."

As Endicott leaped from his horse in front of Cinnabar Joe's cabin, his
wife rushed from the door and threw herself into his arms.

"Oh, Win--Win--dear!" she sobbed, "oh--can you ever forgive me? But--it
was the only way--they'd have killed him!"

Endicott soothed her: "Forgive you! I have nothing to forgive, dearest.
I know it's all right! At first I was a little--worried, but Old Bat
came along--and after that, I knew it was all right--but come on, let's
go inside and you can tell me all about it!"

Cinnabar Joe greeted Grimshaw and Bat at the horse corral: "Seen Tex?"
he asked anxiously. Grimshaw nodded: "Yeh--we seen him."

"Did he--git Purdy?"

Grimshaw shook his head: "No--he didn't git him. He almost, but he
didn't quite."

Without a word, Cinnabar turned, entered the corral, and stepped out a
few moments later leading a saddled horse.

"Where you goin'?" asked Grimshaw.

"To Wolf River."

"Wolf River! What's goin' on in Wolf River that you're so hell bent to
take in?"

Cinnabar hesitated just an instant, then he spoke: "You might as well
know it as the rest of 'em. I'm goin' to give myself up, an' I want to
beat Purdy to it. He's got somethin' on me--a hold-up that I was partly
mixed up in, way back when I was a kid. I never got none of the money,
an' I've be