over hyar thet he's a godly upholder of ther
law--an' we don't aim ter see him made no scape-goat fer unlawful wrath
ef we kin hinder hit. In so fur es we kin legally compass hit we stands
ready ter fight ther state of Virginny from hell ter breakfast. All
he's got ter do is jest give us ther word."

"I hain't seekin' ter contrary ye none es ter thet, Mr. Doane," the
officer gave ready assurance.

"Ef Mr. Thornton takes my counsel," went on the deformed leader, "he'll
bid ye go back thar an' tell them folks ye comes from thet ef they'll
admit him ter bail, an' pledge him a fa'r day in co'te, he'll come back
thar without no conflict when ye sends fer him. But ye've got ter hev
'em agree ter let him stay over hyar till ther co'te sets ter try him.
Es fer his bond ye kin put hit at any figger ye likes so long es thar's
land enough an' money enough amongst us ter kiver hit."

The Virginia sheriff turned to the Kentucky officer.

"Will ye arrest this man an' hold him safe till I gits my order?" he
demanded, and the Kentuckian in turn inquired of Parish, "Will ye agree
to hold yoreself subject ter prompt response?"

Thornton nodded and casually the local officer replied:

"All right, Mr. Beaver. Ye kin ride on home now whenever ye gits ready.
I've got this prisoner in a custody thet satisfies me right now."

CHAPTER XXV

Had those enterprising spirits who had undertaken to organize a
vigilance committee, modelled upon the old Ku Klux, been avowedly
outlaws, banded together only for the abuse of power, their efforts
would have died of inanition. The sort of lawlessness that has given the
Appalachian mountaineer his wild name is one that the outer world
understands as little as the hillsman understands the outer world, and
the appeal which the organization made was a warped and distorted sense
of justice, none the less sincere.

So now though the organizers of the new body were scheming rascals,
actuated by the basest and meanest motives, the tissue and brawn of
their recruiting was built up from the adventure-love of youth or the
grim and honest insurgency of maturer age.

As yet the membership was small and it met in shifting places of
rendezvous, with weird rites of oath-bound secrecy. To-night it was
gathered around a campfire in a gorge between towering cliffs to which
access was gained by a single and narrow gut of alley-way which was
sentinel-guarded.

The men were notably bi-partisan in make-up, for