Aikennoddedcoolly。Duane，whohadseenmanymeninperfectcontrolofthemselvesundercircumstanceslikethese，recognizedthespiritthatdominatedAiken。Hewaswhite，cold，passionless。Therewerelinesofbittergriefdeeproundhislips。IfDuaneeverfeltthemeaningofdeathhefeltitthen。
\"Surethis’syourgame，Aiken，\"saidSibert。\"Buthearmeaminute。Reckonthere’snodoubtaboutthismanbein’BuckDuane。Heseentheplacardoutatthecross—roads。HeridesintoShirley。Hesayshe’sBuckDuanean’he’slookin’forJeffAiken。That’sallclearenough。Youknowhowthesegunfightersgolookin’fortrouble。Buthere’swhatstumpsme。DuanesitsdownthereonthebenchandletsoldAbeStricklandgrabhisgunantgetthedroponhim。More’nthat，hegivesmesomestrangetalkabouthow，ifhecouldn’tmakeyoubelievehe’sinnocent，he’dbetterbedead。YouseeforyourselfDuaneain’tdrunkorcrazyorlocoed。Hedoesn’tstrikemeasamanwhorodeinherehuntin’blood。SoIreckonyou’dbetterholdontillyouhearwhathehastosay。\"
Thenforthefirsttimethedrawn—faced，hungry—eyedgiantturnedhisgazeuponDuane。Hehadintelligencewhichwasnotyetsubservienttopassion。Moreover，heseemedthekindofmanDuanewouldcaretohavejudgehiminacriticalmomentlikethis。
\"Listen，\"saidDuane，gravely，withhiseyessteadyonAiken’s，\"I’mBuckDuane。Ineverliedtoanymaninmylife。Iwasforcedintooutlawry。I’veneverhadachancetoleavethecountry。I’vekilledmentosavemyownlife。Ineverintentionallyharmedanywoman。Irodethirtymilesto—day——deliberatelytoseewhatthisrewardwas，whomadeit，whatfor。WhenIreadtheplacardIwentsicktothebottomofmysoul。SoIrodeinheretofindyou——totellyouthis:I
neversawShirleybeforeto—day。Itwasimpossibleformetohave——killedyourwife。LastSeptemberIwastwohundredmilesnorthofhereontheupperNueces。Icanprovethat。MenwhoknowmewilltellyouIcouldn’tmurderawoman。Ihaven’tanyideawhysuchadeedshouldbelaidatmyhands。It’sjustthatwildbordergossip。Ihavenoideawhatreasonsyouhaveforholdingmeresponsible。Ionlyknow——you’rewrong。You’vebeendeceived。Andseehere，Aiken。YouunderstandI’mamiserableman。I’maboutbroken，Iguess。Idon’tcareanymoreforlife，foranything。Ifyoucan’tlookmeintheeyes，mantoman，andbelievewhatIsay——why，byGod！youcankillme！\"
Aikenheavedagreatbreath。
\"BuckDuane，whetherI’mimpressedornotbywhatyousayneedn’tmatter。You’vehadaccusers，justlyorunjustly，aswillsoonappear。Thethingiswecanproveyouinnocentorguilty。MygirlLucysawmywife’sassailant。\"
Hemotionedforthecrowdofmentoopenup。
\"Somebody——you，Sibert——goforLucy。That’llsettlethisthing。\"
Duaneheardasamaninanuglydream。Thefacesaroundhim，thehumofvoices，allseemedfaroff。Hislifehungbythemerestthread。Yethedidnotthinkofthatsomuchasofthebrandofawoman—murdererwhichmightbesoonsealeduponhimbyafrightened，imaginativechild。
Thecrowdtroopedapartandclosedagain。DuanecaughtablurredimageofaslightgirlclingingtoSibert’shand。Hecouldnotseedistinctly。Aikenliftedthechild，whisperedsoothinglytohernottobeafraid。ThenhefetchedherclosertoDuane。
\"Lucy，tellme。Didyoueverseethismanbefore？\"askedAiken，huskilyandlow。\"Ishetheone——whocameinthehousethatday——struckyoudown——anddraggedmama——？\"
Aiken’svoicefailed。
AlightningflashseemedtoclearDuane’sblurredsight。Hesawapale，sadfaceandvioleteyesfixedingloomandhorroruponhis。NoterriblemomentinDuane’slifeeverequaledthisoneofsilence——ofsuspense。
\"It’sain’thim！\"criedthechild。
ThenSibertwasflingingthenooseoffDuane’sneckandunwindingthebondsroundhisarms。Thespellboundcrowdawoketohoarseexclamations。
\"Seethere，mylocoedgents，howeasyyou’dhangthewrongman，\"burstoutthecowboy，ashemadetherope—endhiss。
\"You—allarealotofwiserangers。Haw！haw！\"
HefreedDuaneandthrustthebone—handledgunbackinDuane’sholster。
\"YouAbe，there。Reckonyoupulledastunt！Butdon’ttrythelikeagain。And，men，I’llgamblethere’sahellofalotofbadworkBuckDuane’snamedfor——whichallheneverdone。Clearawaythere。Where’shishoss？Duane，theroad’sopenoutofShirley。\"
SibertsweptthegapingwatchersasideandpressedDuanetowardthehorse，whichanothercowboyheld。MechanicallyDuanemounted，feltaliftashewentup。Thenthecowboy’shardfacesoftenedinasmile。
\"Ireckonitain’tuncivilofmetosay——hitthatroadquick！\"
hesaid，frankly。
Heledthehorseoutofthecrowd。Aikenjoinedhim，andbetweenthemtheyescortedDuaneacrosstheplaza。Thecrowdappearedirresistiblydrawntofollow。
AikenpausedwithhisbighandonDuane’sknee。Init，unconsciouslyprobably，hestillheldthegun。
\"Duane，awordwithyou，\"hesaid。\"Ibelieveyou’renotsoblackasyou’vebeenpainted。Iwishtherewastimetosaymore。Tellmethis，anyway。DoyouknowtheRangerCaptainMacNelly？\"
\"Idonot，\"repliedDuane，insurprise。
\"ImethimonlyaweekagooverinFairfield，\"wentonAiken，hurriedly。\"Hedeclaredyouneverkilledmywife。Ididn’tbelievehim——arguedwithhim。Wealmosthadhardwordsoverit。
Now——I’msorry。Thelastthinghesaidwas:’IfyoueverseeDuanedon’tkillhim。Sendhimintomycampafterdark！’Hemeantsomethingstrange。What——Ican’tsay。Buthewasright，andIwaswrong。IfLucyhadbattedaneyeI’dhavekilledyou。
Still，Iwouldn’tadviseyoutohuntupMacNelly’scamp。He’sclever。Maybehebelievesthere’snotreacheryinhisnewideasofrangertactics。Itellyouforallit’sworth。Good—by。MayGodhelpyoufurtherashedidthisday！\"
Duanesaidgood—byandtouchedthehorsewithhisspurs。
\"Solong，Buck！\"calledSibert，withthatfranksmilebreakingwarmoverhisbrownface;andheheldhissombrerohigh。
CHAPTERXIV
WhenDuanereachedthecrossingoftheroadsthenameFairfieldonthesign—postseemedtobethethingthattippedtheoscillatingbalanceofdecisioninfavorofthatdirection。
Heansweredheretounfathomableimpulse。IfhehadbeendriventohuntupJeffAiken，nowhewascalledtofindthisunknownrangercaptain。InDuane’sstateofmindclearreasoning，commonsense，orkeennesswereoutofthequestion。Hewentbecausehefelthewascompelled。
DuskhadfallenwhenherodeintoatownwhichinquirydiscoveredtobeFairfield。CaptainMacNelly’scampwasstationedjustoutofthevillagelimitsontheotherside。
NooneexcepttheboyDuanequestionedappearedtonoticehisarrival。LikeShirley，thetownofFairfieldwaslargeandprosperous，comparedtotheinnumerablehamletsdottingthevastextentofsouthwesternTexas。AsDuanerodethrough，beingcarefultogetoffthemainstreet，heheardthetollingofachurch—bellthatwasamelancholyreminderofhisoldhome。
Theredidnotappeartobeanycampontheoutskirtsofthetown。ButasDuanesathishorse，peeringaroundandundecidedwhatfurthermovetomake，hecaughttheglintofflickeringlightsthroughthedarkness。Headingtowardthem，herodeperhapsaquarterofamiletocomeuponagroveofmesquite。
Thebrightnessofseveralfiresmadethesurroundingdarknessalltheblacker。Duanesawthemovingformsofmenandheardhorses。Headvancednaturally，expectinganymomenttobehalted。
\"Whogoesthere？\"camethesharpcalloutofthegloom。
Duanepulledhishorse。Thegloomwasimpenetrable。
\"Oneman——alone，\"repliedDuane。
\"Astranger？\"
\"Yes。\"
\"Whatdoyouwant？\"
\"I’mtryingtofindtherangercamp。\"
\"You’vestruckit。What’syourerrand？\"
\"IwanttoseeCaptainMacNelly。\"
\"Getdownandadvance。Slow。Don’tmoveyourhands。It’sdark，butIcansee。\"
Duanedismounted，and，leadinghishorse，slowlyadvancedafewpaces。Hesawadullybrightobject——agun——beforehediscoveredthemanwhoheldit。Afewmorestepsshowedadarkfigureblockingthetrail。HereDuanehalted。
\"Comecloser，stranger。Let’shavealookatyou，\"theguardordered，curtly。
Duaneadvancedagainuntilhestoodbeforetheman。HeretheraysoflightfromthefiresflickereduponDuane’sface。
\"Reckonyou’reastranger，allright。What’syournameandyourbusinesswiththeCaptain？\"
Duanehesitated，ponderingwhatbesttosay。
\"TellCaptainMacNellyI’mthemanhe’sbeenaskingtorideintohiscamp——afterdark，\"finallysaidDuane。
Therangerbentforwardtopeerhardatthisnightvisitor。Hismannerhadbeenalert，andnowitbecametense。
\"Comehere，oneofyoumen，quick，\"hecalled，withoutturningintheleasttowardthecamp—fire。
\"Hello！What’sup，Pickens？\"cametheswiftreply。Itwasfollowedbyarapidthudofbootsonsoftground。Adarkformcrossedthegleamsfromthefire—light。Thenarangerloomeduptoreachthesideoftheguard。Duaneheardwhispering，thepurportofwhichhecouldnotcatch。Thesecondrangersworeunderhisbreath。Thenheturnedawayandstartedback。
\"Here，ranger，beforeyougo，understandthis。Myvisitispeaceful——friendlyifyou’llletitbe。Mind，Iwasaskedtocomehere——afterdark。\"
Duane’sclear，penetratingvoicecarriedfar。Thelisteningrangersatthecamp—fireheardwhathesaid。
\"Ho，Pickens！Tellthatfellowtowait，\"repliedanauthoritativevoice。Thenaslimfiguredetacheditselffromthedark，movinggroupatthecamp—fireandhurriedout。
\"Betterbefoxy，Cap，\"shoutedaranger，inwarning。
\"Shutup——allofyou，\"wasthereply。
Thisofficer，obviouslyCaptainMacNelly，soonjoinedthetworangerswhowereconfrontingDuane。Hehadnofear。HestrodestraightuptoDuane。
\"I’mMacNelly，\"hesaid。\"Ifyou’remyman，don’tmentionyourname——yet。\"
AllthisseemedsostrangetoDuane，inkeepingwithmuchthathadhappenedlately。
\"ImetJeffAikento—day，\"saidDuane。\"Hesentme——\"
\"You’vemetAiken！\"exclaimedMacNelly，sharp，eager，low。\"Byallthat’sbully！\"Thenheappearedtocatchhimself，togrowrestrained。
\"Men，fallback，leaveusaloneamoment。\"
Therangersslowlywithdrew。
\"BuckDuane！It’syou？\"hewhispered，eagerly。
\"Yes。\"
\"IfIgivemywordyou’llnotbearrested——you’llbetreatedfairly——willyoucomeintocampandconsultwithme？\"
\"Certainly。\"
\"Duane，I’msuregladtomeetyou，\"wentonMacNelly;andheextendedhishand。
Amazedandtouched，scarcelyrealizingthisactuality，Duanegavehishandandfeltnounmistakablegripofwarmth。
\"Itdoesn’tseemnatural，CaptainMacNelly，butIbelieveI’mgladtomeetyou，\"saidDuane，soberly。
\"Youwillbe。Nowwe’llgobacktocamp。Keepyouridentitymumforthepresent。\"
HeledDuaneinthedirectionofthecamp—fire。
\"Pickers，gobackonduty，\"heordered，\"and，Beeson，youlookafterthishorse。\"
WhenDuanegotbeyondthelineofmesquite，whichhadhidagoodviewofthecamp—site，hesawagroupofperhapsfifteenrangerssittingaroundthefires，nearalonglowshedwherehorseswerefeeding，andasmalladobehouseatoneside。
\"We’vejusthadgrub，butI’llseeyougetsome。Thenwe’lltalk，\"saidMacNelly。\"I’vetakenuptemporaryquartershere。
Havearustlerjobonhand。Now，whenyou’veeaten，comerightintothehouse。\"
Duanewashungry，buthehurriedthroughtheamplesupperthatwassetbeforehim，urgedonbycuriosityandastonishment。Theonlywayhecouldaccountforhispresencethereinaranger’scampwasthatMacNellyhopedtogetusefulinformationoutofhim。Stillthatwouldhardlyhavemadethiscaptainsoeager。
Therewasamysteryhere，andDuanecouldscarcelywaitforittobesolved。Whileeatinghehadbentkeeneyesaroundhim。
Afterafirstquietscrutinytherangersapparentlypaidnomoreattentiontohim。Theywereallveteransinservice——Duanesawthat——andrugged，powerfulmenofironconstitution。
Despitetheoccasionaljokeandsallyofthemoreyouthfulmembers，andageneralconversationofcamp—firenature，Duanewasnotdeceivedaboutthefactthathisadventhadbeenanunusualandstrikingone，whichhadcausedanundercurrentofconjectureandevenconsternationamongthem。Theserangersweretoowelltrainedtoappearopenlycuriousabouttheircaptain’sguest。IftheyhadnotdeliberatelyattemptedtobeobliviousofhispresenceDuanewouldhaveconcludedtheythoughthimanordinaryvisitor，somehowofusetoMacNelly。Asitwas，Duanefeltasuspensethatmusthavebeenduetoahintofhisidentity。
Hewasnotlonginpresentinghimselfatthedoorofthehouse。
\"Comeinandhaveachair，\"saidMacNelly，motioningfortheoneotheroccupantoftheroomtorise。\"Leaveus，Russell，andclosethedoor。I’llbethroughthesereportsrightoff。\"
MacNellysatatatableuponwhichwasalampandvariouspapers。Seeninthelighthewasafine—looking，soldierlymanofaboutfortyyears，dark—hairedanddark—eyed，withabronzedface，shrewd，stern，strong，yetnotwantinginkindliness。Hescannedhastilyoversomepapers，fussedwiththem，andfinallyputtheminenvelopes。Withoutlookinguphepushedacigar—
casetowardDuane，anduponDuane’srefusaltosmokehetookacigar，rosetolightitatthelamp—chimney，andthen，settlingbackinhischair，hefacedDuane，makingavainattempttohidewhatmusthavebeenthefulfilmentofalong—nourishedcuriosity。
\"Duane，I’vebeenhopingforthisfortwoyears，\"bebegan。
Duanesmiledalittle——asmilethatfeltstrangeonhisface。
Hehadneverbeenmuchofatalker。Andspeechhereseemedmorethanordinarilydifficult。
MacNellymusthavefeltthat。
HelookedlongandearnestlyatDuane，andhisquick，nervousmannerchangedtogravethoughtfulness。
\"I’velotstosay，butwheretobegin，\"hemused。\"Duane，you’vehadahardlifesinceyouwentonthedodge。Inevermetyoubefore，don’tknowwhatyoulookedlikeasaboy。ButIcanseewhat——well，evenrangerlifeisn’tallroses。\"
Herolledhiscigarbetweenhislipsandpuffedcloudsofsmoke。
\"EverhearfromhomesinceyouleftWellston？\"heasked，abruptly。
\"No。\"
\"Neveraword？\"
\"Notone，\"repliedDuane，sadly。
\"That’stough。I’mgladtobeabletotellyouthatuptojustlatelyyourmother，sister，uncle——allyourfolks，I
believe——werewell。I’vekeptposted。Buthaven’theardlately。\"
Duaneavertedhisfaceamoment，hesitatedtilltheswellinglefthisthroat，andthensaid，\"It’sworthwhatIwentthroughto—daytohearthat。\"
\"Icanimaginehowyoufeelaboutit。WhenIwasinthewar——
butlet’sgetdowntothebusinessofthismeeting。\"
HepulledhischairclosetoDuane’s。
\"You’vehadwordmorethanonceinthelasttwoyearsthatI
wantedtoseeyou？\"
\"Threetimes，Iremember，\"repliedDuane。
\"Whydidn’tyouhuntmeup？\"
\"Isupposedyouimaginedmeoneofthosegun—fighterswhocouldn’ttakeadareandexpectedmetorideuptoyourcampandbearrested。\"
\"Thatwasnatural，Isuppose，\"wentonMacNelly。\"Youdidn’tknowme，otherwiseyouwouldhavecome。I’vebeenalongtimegettingtoyou。Butthenatureofmyjob，asfarasyou’reconcerned，mademecautious。Duane，you’reawareofthehardnameyoubearallovertheSouthwest？\"
\"OnceinawhileI’mjarredintorealizing，\"repliedDuane。
\"It’sthehardest，barringMurrellandCheseldine，ontheTexasborder。Butthere’sthisdifference。Murrellinhisdaywasknowntodeservehisinfamousname。Cheseldineinhisdayalso。
ButI’vefoundhundredsofmeninsouthwestTexaswho’reyourfriends，whoswearyounevercommittedacrime。ThefarthersouthIgettheclearerthisbecomes。WhatIwanttoknowisthetruth。Haveyoueverdoneanythingcriminal？Tellmethetruth，Duane。Itwon’tmakeanydifferenceinmyplan。AndwhenIsaycrimeImeanwhatIwouldcallcrime，oranyreasonableTexan。\"
\"Thatwaymyhandsareclean，\"repliedDuane。
\"Youneverheldupaman，robbedastoreforgrub，stoleahorsewhenyouneededhimbad——neveranythinglikethat？\"
\"SomehowIalwayskeptoutofthat，justwhenpressedthehardest。\"
\"Duane，I’mdamnglad！\"MacNellyexclaimed，grippingDuane’shand。\"Gladforyoumother’ssakelBut，allthesame，inspiteofthis，youareaTexasoutlawaccountabletothestate。
You’reperfectlyawarethatunderexistingcircumstances，ifyoufellintothehandsofthelaw，you’dprobablyhang，atleastgotojailforalongterm。\"
\"That’swhatkeptmeonthedodgealltheseyears，\"repliedDuane。
\"Certainly。\"MacNellyremovedhiscigar。Hiseyesnarrowedandglittered。Themusclesalonghisbrowncheekssethardandtense。HeleanedclosertoDuane，laidsinewy，pressingfingersuponDuane’sknee。
\"Listentothis，\"hewhispered，hoarsely。\"IfIplaceapardoninyourhand——makeyouafree，honestcitizenoncemore，clearyournameofinfamy，makeyourmother，yoursisterproudofyou——willyouswearyourselftoaservice，ANYserviceIdemandofyou？\"
Duanesatstockstill，stunned。
Slowly，morepersuasively，withshowofearnestagitation，CaptainMacNellyreiteratedhisstartlingquery。
\"MyGod！\"burstfromDuane。\"What’sthis？MacNelly，youCAN’T
beinearnest！\"
\"Nevermoresoinmylife。I’veadeepgame。I’mplayingitsquare。Whatdoyousay？\"
Herosetohisfeet。Duane，asifimpelled，rosewithhim。
Rangerandoutlawthenlockedeyesthatsearchedeachother’ssouls。InMacNelly’sDuanereadtruth，strong，fierypurpose，hope，evengladness，andafugitivemountingassuranceofvictory。
TwiceDuaneendeavoredtospeak，failedofallsaveahoarse，incoherentsound，until，forcingbackafloodofspeech，hefoundavoice。
\"Anyservice？Everyservice！MacNelly，Igivemyword，\"saidDuane。
AlightplayedoverMacNelly’sface，warmingoutallthegrimdarkness。Heheldouthishand。Duanemetitwithhisinaclaspthatmenunconsciouslygiveinmomentsofstress。
WhentheyunclaspedandDuanesteppedbacktodropintoachairMacNellyfumbledforanothercigar——hehadbittentheotherintoshreds——and，lightingitasbefore，heturnedtohisvisitor，nowcalmandcool。Hehadthelookofamanwhohadjustlywonsomethingatconsiderablecost。Hisnextmovewastotakealongleathercasefromhispocketandextractfromitseveralfoldedpapers。
\"Here’syourpardonfromtheGovernor，\"hesaid，quietly。
\"You’llsee，whenyoulookitover，thatit’sconditional。WhenyousignthispaperIhaveheretheconditionwillbemet。\"
Hesmoothedoutthepaper，handedDuaneapen，ranhisforefingeralongadottedline。
Duane’shandwasshaky。Yearshadpassedsincehehadheldapen。Itwaswithdifficultythatheachievedhissignature。
BuckleyDuane——howstrangethenamelooked！
\"RighthereendsthecareerofBuckDuane，outlawandgunfighter，\"saidMacNelly;and，seatinghimself，hetookthepenfromDuane’sfingersandwroteseverallinesinseveralplacesuponthepaper。ThenwithasmilehehandedittoDuane。
\"ThatmakesyouamemberofCompanyA，TexasRangers。\"
\"Sothat’sit！\"burstoutDuane，alightbreakinginuponhisbewilderment。\"Youwantmeforrangerservice？\"
\"Sure。That’sit，\"repliedtheCaptain，dryly。\"Nowtohearwhatthatserviceistobe。I’vebeenabusymansinceItookthisjob，and，asyoumayhaveheard，I’vedoneafewthings。I
don’tmindtellingyouthatpoliticalinfluenceputmeinhereandthatupAustinwaythere’sagooddealoffrictionintheDepartmentofStateinregardtowhetherornottherangerserviceisanygood——whetheritshouldbediscontinuedornot。
I’monthepartysidewho’sdefendingtherangerservice。I
contendthatit’smadeTexashabitable。Well，it’sbeenuptometoproduceresults。SofarIhavebeensuccessful。Mygreatambitionistobreakuptheoutlawgangsalongtheriver。I
haveneverventuredinthereyetbecauseI’vebeenwaitingtogetthelieutenantIneeded。You，ofcourse，arethemanIhadinmind。It’smyideatostartwayuptheRioGrandeandbeginwithCheseldine。He’sthestrongest，theworstoutlawofthetimes。He’smorethanrustler。It’sCheseldineandhisgangwhoareoperatingonthebanks。They’redoingbank—robbing。That’smyprivateopinion，butit’snotbeenbackedupbyanyevidence。Cheseldinedoesn’tleaveevidences。He’sintelligent，cunning。Nooneseemstohaveseenhim——toknowwhathelookslike。Iassume，ofcourse，thatyouareastrangertothecountryhedominates。It’sfivehundredmileswestofyourground。There’salittletownovertherecalledFairdale。It’sthenestofarustlergang。Theyrustleandmurderatwill。
Nobodyknowswhotheleaderis。Iwantyoutofindout。Well，whateverwayyoudecideisbestyouwillproceedtoactupon。
Youareyourownboss。Youknowsuchmenandhowtheycanbeapproached。Youwilltakeallthetimeneeded，ifit’smonths。
Itwillbenecessaryforyoutocommunicatewithme，andthatwillbeadifficultmatter。ForCheseldinedominatesseveralwholecounties。YoumustfindsomewaytoletmeknowwhenI
andmyrangersareneeded。TheplanistobreakupCheseldine’sgang。It’sthetoughestjobontheborder。Arrestinghimaloneisn’ttobeheardof。Hecouldn’tbebroughtout。Killinghimisn’tmuchbetter，forhisselectmen，theonesheoperateswith，areasdangeroustothecommunityasheis。Wewanttokillorjailthischoiceselectionofrobbersandbreakuptherestofthegang。Tofindthem，togetamongthemsomehow，tolearntheirmovements，tolayyourtrapforusrangerstospring——that，Duane，isyourservicetome，andGodknowsit’sagreatone！\"
\"Ihaveacceptedit，\"repliedDuane。
\"Yourworkwillbesecret。Youarenowarangerinmyservice。
ButnooneexceptthefewIchoosetotellwillknowofituntilwepulloffthejob。YouwillsimplybeBuckDuanetillitsuitsourpurposetoacquaintTexaswiththefactthatyou’rearanger。You’llseethere’snodateonthatpaper。Noonewilleverknowjustwhenyouenteredtheservice。Perhapswecanmakeitappearthatallormostofyouroutlawryhasreallybeengoodservicetothestate。Atthat，I’llbelieveit’llturnoutso。\"
MacNellypausedamomentinhisrapidtalk，chewedhiscigar，drewhisbrowstogetherinadarkfrown，andwenton。\"Nomanontheborderknowssowellasyouthedeadlynatureofthisservice。It’sathousandtoonethatyou’llbekilled。I’dsaytherewasnochanceatallforanyothermanbesideyou。Yourreputationwillgofaramongtheoutlaws。Maybethatandyournerveandyourgun—playwillpullyouthrough。I’mhopingso。
Butit’salong，longchanceagainstyourevercomingback。\"
\"That’snotthepoint，\"saidDuane。\"ButincaseIgetkilledoutthere——what——\"
\"Leavethattome，\"interruptedCaptainMacNelly。\"Yourfolkswillknowatonceofyourpardonandyourrangerduty。IfyouloseyourlifeoutthereI’llseeyournamecleared——theserviceyourenderknown。Youcanrestassuredofthat。\"
\"Iamsatisfied，\"repliedDuane。\"That’ssomuchmorethanI’vedaredtohope。\"
\"Well，it’ssettled，then。I’llgiveyoumoneyforexpenses。
You’llstartassoonasyoulike——thesoonerthebetter。Ihopetothinkofothersuggestions，especiallyaboutcommunicatingwithme。\"
Longafterthelightswereoutandthelowhumofvoiceshadceasedroundthecamp—fireDuanelaywideawake，eyesstaringintotheblackness，marvelingoverthestrangeeventsoftheday。Hewashumble，gratefultothedepthsofhissoul。Ahugeandcrushingburdenhadbeenliftedfromhisheart。Hewelcomedthishazardousservicetothemanwhohadsavedhim。ThoughtofhismotherandsisterandUncleJim，ofhishome，ofoldfriendscamerushingoverhimthefirsttimeinyearsthathehadhappinessinthememory。Thedisgracehehadputuponthemwouldnowberemoved;andinthelightofthat，hiswastedlifeofthepast，anditsprobabletragicendinfutureserviceasatonementchangedtheiraspects。Andashelaythere，withtheapproachofsleepfinallydimmingthevividnessofhisthought，sofullofmystery，shadowyfacesfloatedintheblacknessaroundhim，hauntinghimashehadalwaysbeenhaunted。
Itwasbroaddaylightwhenheawakened。MacNellywascallinghimtobreakfast。Outsidesoundedvoicesofmen，cracklingoffires，snortingandstampingofhorses，thebarkingofdogs。
Duanerolledoutofhisblanketsandmadegooduseofthesoapandtowelandrazorandbrushnearbyonabench——thingsofrareluxurytoanoutlawontheride。Thefacehesawinthemirrorwasasstrangeasthepasthehadtriedsohardtorecall。Thenhesteppedtothedoorandwentout。
Therangerswereeatinginacircleroundatarpaulinspreadupontheground。
\"Fellows，\"saidMacNelly，\"shakehandswithBuckDuane。He’sonsecretrangerserviceforme。Servicethat’lllikelymakeyouallhumpsoon！Mindyou，keepmumaboutit。\"
TherangerssurprisedDuanewitharoaringgreeting，thewarmthofwhichhesoondivinedwasdividedbetweenprideofhisacquisitiontotheirranksandeagernesstomeetthatviolentserviceofwhichtheircaptainhinted。Theywerejolly，wildfellows，withjustenoughgravityintheirwelcometoshowDuanetheirrespectandappreciation，whilenotforgettinghislone—wolfrecord。Whenhehadseatedhimselfinthatcircle，nowoneofthem，afeelingsubtleandupliftingpervadedhim。
AfterthemealCaptainMacNellydrewDuaneaside。
\"Here’sthemoney。Makeitgoasfarasyoucan。BetterstrikestraightforElPaso，snookaroundthereandhearthings。ThengotoValentine。That’sneartheriverandwithinfiftymilesorsooftheedgeoftheRimRock。SomewhereupthereCheseldineholdsfort。SomewheretothenorthisthetownFairdale。Buthedoesn’thideallthetimeintherocks。Onlyaftersomedaringraidorhold—up。Cheseldine’sgotbordertownsonhisstaff，orscaredofhim，andtheseplaceswewanttoknowabout，especiallyFairdale。WritemecareoftheadjutantatAustin。Idon’thavetowarnyoutobecarefulwhereyoumailletters。Rideahundred，twohundredmiles，ifnecessary，orgocleartoElPaso。\"
MacNellystoppedwithanairoffinality，andthenDuaneslowlyrose。
\"I’llstartatonce，\"hesaid，extendinghishandtotheCaptain。\"Iwish——I’dliketothankyou。\"
\"Hell，man！Don’tthankme！\"repliedMacNelly，crushingtheprofferedhand。\"I’vesentalotofgoodmentotheirdeaths，andmaybeyou’reanother。But，asI’vesaid，you’veonechanceinathousand。And，byHeaven！I’dhatetobeCheseldineoranyothermanyouweretrailing。No，notgood—by——Adios，Duane！Maywemeetagain！\"