darkest moment which just precedes the dawn, a light creaking came up
the hall. It was very faint and it occurred only at long intervals,
but at the first sound Black Bart raised his head from his paws and
stared at the door with those glowing eyes which see in the dark.

Now another sound came, still soft, regular. There was a movement of
the door. In the pitch dark a man could never have noticed it, but it
was plainly visible to the wolf. Still more visible, when the door
finally stood wide, was the form of the man who stood in the opening.
In one hand he carried a lantern thoroughly hooded, but not so well
wrapped that it kept back a single ray which flashed on a revolver.
The intruder made a step forward, a step as light as the fall of
feathers, but it was not half so stealthy as the movement of Black
Bart as he slunk towards the door. He had been warned to watch that
door, but it did not need a warning to tell him that a danger was
approaching the sleeping master. In the crouched form of the man, in
the cautious step, he recognized the unmistakable stalking of one who
hunts. Another soft step the man made forward.

Then, with appalling suddenness, a blacker shadow shot up from the
deep night of the floor, and white teeth gleamed before the stranger's
face. He threw up his hand to save his throat. The teeth sank into
his arm--a driving weight hurled him against the wall and then to
the floor--the revolver and the lantern dropped clattering, and the
latter, rolling from its wrapping, flooded the room with light. But
neither man nor wolf uttered a sound.

Calder was standing, gun in hand, but too bewildered to act, while
Dan, as if he were playing a part long rehearsed, stood covering the
fallen form of Buck Daniels.

"Stand back from him, Bart!" he commanded.

The wolf slipped off a pace, whining with horrible eagerness, for he
had tasted blood. Far away a shout came from Sam Daniels. Dan lowered
his gun.

"Stand up," he ordered.

The big fellow picked himself up and stood against the wall with the
blood streaming down his right arm. Still he said nothing and his keen
eyes darted from Calder to Whistling Dan.

"Give me a strip of that old shirt over there, will you, Tex?" said
Dan, "an' keep him covered while I tie up his arm."

Before Calder could move, old Daniels appeared at the door, a heavy
Colt in his hand. For a moment he stood dumbfounded, but then, with a
cry, jerked up his gun--a quick movement