sk it. If any of you who are here now
think differently, say so."

He paused, but no one spoke up.

"If anybody doesn't want to go into this, now is the time to back out.
Just keep your mouths shut, that is all."

He paused again, but again no one moved.

"That's all right," observed Danny with satisfaction. He lifted a paper.
"Listen to this: 'We the undersigned agree, as we are decent men, to
stand by each other to the last, to avenge the death of any one of us,
and to obey the orders of our leaders. And if we fail in this may God
deny us mercy.' Boys," said Danny Randall earnestly, "this is serious.
If we start this now, we've got to see it through. We are not much on
Bible oaths, any one of us, but we must promise. Frank Munroe, step
forward!"

I obeyed. The little man stared up into my eyes, and I will freely
confess that never have I experienced quite the queer sensation it gave
me. Danny Randall had become not only formidable, but great. He seemed
to see through into the back of my mind. I braced myself as though to
resist some strong physical force.

"Do you, Frank Munroe, subscribe to this document as a man of honour, so
help you God?" he demanded.

"I do," I answered solemnly, and affixed my signature below that of
Danny Randall. And queerly enough, as I stepped aside, I felt somehow
that I had assisted at something sacred.

One by one Danny Randall called us forward and administered his simple
oath. The fire leaped, and with it the mighty shadows. Outside the
circle of light the tall pines and fir-trees watched us like a multitude
standing witness. The men's faces were grave. There was about the
roughest of them something noble, reflected from the earnest spirit of
justice.

Randall had the plans all made, and he detailed them rapidly. We were to
arrest four men only, and he named them--Morton, Scar-face Charley, who
had recovered, a gambler named Catlin, and Jules, the proprietor of the
Empire.

"Crawford is back in town," said some one.

"Make it five then," said Danny instantly.

We had a long discussion over all this. Many other names were suggested.
Danny agreed that they were those of men guilty of the worst crimes, but
maintained that the first thing to do was to get hold of the real
leaders, the brains and motive power of the gang. The five first
designated filled that description.

"Can we really prove anything against them?" asked someone.

"No," said Danny instantly, "we cannot.