ToCAPTAINJOHNHUGHES
　　andhisTexasRangersItmayseemstrangetoyouthatoutofallthestoriesIheardontheRioGrandeIshouldchooseasfirstthatofBuckDuane——outlawandgunman。
　　But，indeed，RangerCoffee’sstoryofthelastoftheDuaneshashauntedme，andIhavegivenfullreintoimaginationandhaveretolditinmyownway。Itdealswiththeoldlaw——theoldborderdays——thereforeitisbetterfirst。Soon，perchance，Ishallhavethepleasureofwritingoftheborderofto—day，whichinJoeSitter’slaconicspeech，"Shoreis’mostasbadan’wildasever！"
　　IntheNorthandEastthereisapopularideathatthefrontieroftheWestisathinglongpast，andrememberednowonlyinstories。AsIthinkofthisIrememberRangerSitterwhenhemadethatremark，whilehegrimlystrokedanunhealedbulletwound。AndIrememberthegiantVaughn，thattypicalsonofstalwartTexas，sittingtherequietlywithbandagedhead，histhoughtfuleyebodingilltotheoutlawwhohadambushedhim。
　　Onlyafewmonthshavepassedsincethen——whenIhadmymemorablesojournwithyou——andyet，inthatshorttime，RussellandMoorehavecrossedtheDivide，likeRangers。
　　Gentlemen，——Ihavethehonortodedicatethisbooktoyou，andthehopethatitshallfalltomylottotelltheworldthetruthaboutastrange，unique，andmisunderstoodbodyofmen——theTexasRangers——whomadethegreatLoneStarStatehabitable，whoneverknowpeacefulrestandsleep，whoarepassing，whosurelywillnotbeforgottenandwillsomedaycomeintotheirown。
　　ZANEGREY
　　BOOK1THEOUTLAW
　　CHAPTERI
　　Soitwasinhim，then——aninheritedfightinginstinct，adrivingintensitytokill。HewasthelastoftheDuanes，thatoldfightingstockofTexas。Butnotthememoryofhisdeadfather，northepleadingofhissoft—voicedmother，northewarningofthisunclewhostoodbeforehimnow，hadbroughttoBuckDuanesomuchrealizationofthedarkpassionatestraininhisblood。Itwastherecurrence，ahundred—foldincreasedinpower，ofastrangeemotionthatforthelastthreeyearshadariseninhim。
　　"Yes，CalBain’sintown，fullofbadwhiskyan’huntin’foryou，"repeatedtheelderman，gravely。
　　"It’sthesecondtime，"mutteredDuane，asiftohimself。
　　"Son，youcan’tavoidameetin’。LeavetowntillCalsobersup。
　　Heain’tgotitinforyouwhenhe’snotdrinkin’。"
　　"Butwhat’shewantmefor？"demandedDuane。"Toinsultmeagain？Iwon’tstandthattwice。"
　　"He’sgotafeverthat’srampantinTexasthesedays，myboy。
　　Hewantsgun—play。Ifhemeetsyouhe’lltrytokillyou。"
　　HereitstirredinDuaneagain，thatburstinggushofblood，likeawindofflameshakingallhisinnerbeing，andsubsidingtoleavehimstrangelychilled。
　　"Killme！Whatfor？"heasked。
　　"Lordknowsthereain’tanyreason。Butwhat’sthattodowithmostoftheshootin’thesedays？Didn’tfivecowboysovertoEverall’skilloneanotherdeadallbecausetheygottojerkin’
　　ataquirtamongthemselves？An’Calhasnoreasontoloveyou。
　　Hisgirlwassweetonyou。"
　　"IquitwhenIfoundoutshewashisgirl。"
　　"Ireckonsheain’tquit。Butnevermindherorreasons。Cal’shere，justdrunkenoughtobeugly。He’sachin’tokillsomebody。He’soneofthemfour—flushgun—fighters。He’dliketobethoughtbad。There’salotofwildcowboyswho’reambitiousforareputation。Theytalkabouthowquicktheyareonthedraw。TheyapeBlandan’KingFisheran’Hardinan’allthebigoutlaws。Theymakethreatsaboutjoinin’thegangsalongtheRioGrande。Theylaughatthesheriffsan’bragabouthowthey’dfixtherangers。Cal’ssurenotmuchforyoutobotherwith，ifyouonlykeepoutofhisway。"
　　"Youmeanformetorun？"askedDuane，inscorn。
　　"IreckonIwouldn’tputitthatway。Justavoidhim。Buck，I’mnotafraidCalwouldgetyouifyoumetdownthereintown。
　　You’veyourfather’seyean’hisslickhandwithagun。WhatI’mmostafraidofisthatyou’llkillBain。"
　　Duanewassilent，lettinghisuncle’searnestwordssinkin，tryingtorealizetheirsignificance。
　　"IfTexaseverrecoversfromthatfoolwaran’killsofftheseoutlaws，why，ayoungmanwillhavealookout，"wentontheuncle。"You’retwenty—threenow，an’apowerfulsightofafinefellow，barrin’yourtemper。You’veachanceinlife。Butifyougogun—fightin’，ifyoukillaman，you’reruined。Thenyou’llkillanother。It’llbethesameoldstory。An’therangerswouldmakeyouanoutlaw。Therangersmeanlawan’
　　orderforTexas。Thiseven—breakbusinessdoesn’tworkwiththem。Ifyouresistarrestthey’llkillyou。Ifyousubmittoarrest，thenyougotojail，an’mebbeyouhang。"
　　"I’dneverhang，"mutteredDuane，darkly。
　　"Ireckonyouwouldn’t，"repliedtheoldman。"You’dbelikeyourfather。Hewaseverreadytodraw——tooready。Intimeslikethese，withtheTexasrangersenforcin’thelaw，yourDadwouldhavebeendriventotheriver。An’，son，I’mafraidyou’reachipofftheoldblock。Can’tyouholdin——keepyourtemper——runawayfromtrouble？Becauseit’llonlyresultinyougettin’theworstofitintheend。Yourfatherwaskilledinastreet—fight。An’itwastoldofhimthatheshottwiceafterabullethadpassedthroughhisheart。Thinkoftheterriblenatureofamantobeabletodothat。Ifyouhaveanysuchbloodinyou，nevergiveitachance。"
　　"Whatyousayisallverywell，uncle，"returnedDuane，"buttheonlywayoutformeistorun，andIwon’tdoit。CalBainandhisoutfithavealreadymademelooklikeacoward。HesaysI’mafraidtocomeoutandfacehim。Amansimplycan’tstandthatinthiscountry。Besides，CalwouldshootmeinthebacksomedayifIdidn’tfacehim。"
　　"Well，then，what’reyougoin’todo？"inquiredtheelderman。
　　"Ihaven’tdecided——yet。"
　　"No，butyou’recomin’toitmightyfast。Thatdamnedspellisworkin’inyou。You’redifferentto—day。Irememberhowyouusedtobemoodyan’loseyourtemperan’talkwild。Neverwasmuchafraidofyouthen。Butnowyou’regettin’coolan’quiet，an’youthinkdeep，an’Idon’tlikethelightinyoureye。Itremindsmeofyourfather。"
　　"IwonderwhatDadwouldsaytometo—dayifhewerealiveandhere，"saidDuane。
　　"Whatdoyouthink？Whatcouldyouexpectofamanwhoneverworeagloveonhisrighthandfortwentyyears？"
　　"Well，he’dhardlyhavesaidmuch。Dadnevertalked。Buthewouldhavedonealot。AndIguessI’llgodown—townandletCalBainfindme。"
　　Thenfollowedalongsilence，duringwhichDuanesatwithdowncasteyes，andtheuncleappearedlostinsadthoughtofthefuture。PresentlyheturnedtoDuanewithanexpressionthatdenotedresignation，andyetaspiritwhichshowedwhereintheywereofthesameblood。
　　"You’vegotafasthorse——thefastestIknowofinthiscountry。AfteryoumeetBainhurrybackhome。I’llhaveasaddle—bagpackedforyouandthehorseready。"
　　Withthatheturnedonhisheelandwentintothehouse，leavingDuanetorevolveinhismindhissingularspeech。Buckwonderedpresentlyifhesharedhisuncle’sopinionoftheresultofameetingbetweenhimselfandBain。Histhoughtswerevague。Butontheinstantoffinaldecision，whenhehadsettledwithhimselfthathewouldmeetBain，suchastormofpassionassailedhimthathefeltasifhewasbeingshakenwithague。Yetitwasallinternal，insidehisbreast，forhishandwaslikearockand，forallhecouldsee，notamuscleabouthimquivered。HehadnofearofBainorofanyotherman;
　　butavaguefearofhimself，ofthisstrangeforceinhim，madehimponderandshakehishead。Itwasasifhehadnotalltosayinthismatter。Thereappearedtohavebeeninhimareluctancetolethimselfgo，andsomevoice，somespiritfromadistance，somethinghewasnotaccountablefor，hadcompelledhim。ThathourofDuane’slifewaslikeyearsofactualliving，andinithebecameathoughtfulman。
　　Hewentintothehouseandbuckledonhisbeltandgun。ThegunwasaColt。45，six—shot，andheavy，withanivoryhandle。Hehadpackedit，onandoff，forfiveyears。Beforethatithadbeenusedbyhisfather。Therewereanumberofnotchesfiledinthebulgeoftheivoryhandle。Thisgunwastheonehisfatherhadfiredtwiceafterbeingshotthroughtheheart，andhishandhadstiffenedsotightlyuponitinthedeath—gripthathisfingershadtobepriedopen。IthadneverbeendrawnuponanymansinceithadcomeintoDuane’spossession。Butthecold，brightpolishoftheweaponshowedhowithadbeenused。
　　Duanecoulddrawitwithinconceivablerapidity，andattwentyfeethecouldsplitacardpointingedgewisetowardhim。
　　Duanewishedtoavoidmeetinghismother。Fortunately，ashethought，shewasawayfromhome。Hewentoutanddownthepathtowardthegate。Theairwasfullofthefragranceofblossomsandthemelodyofbirds。Outsideintheroadaneighborwomanstoodtalkingtoacountrymaninawagon;theyspoketohim;
　　andheheard，butdidnotreply。Thenhebegantostridedowntheroadtowardthetown。
　　Wellstonwasasmalltown，butimportantinthatunsettledpartofthegreatstatebecauseitwasthetrading—centerofseveralhundredmilesofterritory。Onthemainstreettherewereperhapsfiftybuildings，somebrick，someframe，mostlyadobe，andone—thirdofthelot，andbyfarthemostprosperous，weresaloons。FromtheroadDuaneturnedintothisstreet。Itwasawidethoroughfarelinedbyhitching—railsandsaddledhorsesandvehiclesofvariouskinds。Duane’seyerangeddownthestreet，takinginallataglance，particularlypersonsmovingleisurelyupanddown。Notacowboywasinsight。Duaneslackenedhisstride，andbythetimehereachedSolWhite’splace，whichwasthefirstsaloon，hewaswalkingslowly。
　　Severalpeoplespoketohimandturnedtolookbackaftertheyhadpassed。HepausedatthedoorofWhite’ssaloon，tookasharpsurveyoftheinterior，thensteppedinside。
　　Thesaloonwaslargeandcool，fullofmenandnoiseandsmoke。
　　Thenoiseceaseduponhisentrance，andthesilenceensuingpresentlybroketotheclinkofMexicansilverdollarsatamontetable。SolWhite，whowasbehindthebar，straightenedupwhenhesawDuane;then，withoutspeaking，hebentovertorinseaglass。AlleyesexceptthoseoftheMexicangamblerswereturneduponDuane;andtheseglanceswerekeen，speculative，questioning。ThesemenknewBainwaslookingfortrouble;theyprobablyhadheardhisboasts。ButwhatdidDuaneintendtodo？Severalofthecowboysandrancherspresentexchangedglances。DuanehadbeenweighedbyunerringTexasinstinct，bymenwhoallpackedguns。Theboywasthesonofhisfather。Whereupontheygreetedhimandreturnedtotheirdrinksandcards。SolWhitestoodwithhisbigredhandsoutuponthebar;hewasatall，raw—bonedTexanwithalongmustachewaxedtosharppoints。
　　"Howdy，Buck，"washisgreetingtoDuane。Hespokecarelesslyandavertedhisdarkgazeforaninstant。
　　"Howdy，Sol，"repliedDuane，slowly。"Say，Sol，Ihearthere’sagentintownlookingformebad。"
　　"Reckonthereis，Buck，"repliedWhite。"Hecameinheahabootanhourago。Shorehewassomeriledan’a—roarin’forgore。
　　Toldmeconfidentialacertainpartyhadgivenyouawhitesilkscarf，an’hewashell—bentonwearin’ithomespottedred。"
　　"Anybodywithhim？"queriedDuane。
　　"Burtan’SamOutcaltan’alittlecowpuncherIneverseenbefore。They—allwascoaxin’trimtoleavetown。Buthe’slookedontheflowin’glass，Buck，an’he’sheahforkeeps。"
　　"Whydoesn’tSheriffOakslockhimupifhe’sthatbad？"
　　"Oakswentawaywiththerangers。There’sbeenanotherraidatFlesher’sranch。TheKingFishergang，likely。An’sothetown’sshorewideopen。"
　　Duanestalkedoutdoorsandfaceddownthestreet。Hewalkedthewholelengthofthelongblock，meetingmanypeople——farmers，ranchers，clerks，merchants，Mexicans，cowboys，andwomen。Itwasasingularfactthatwhenheturnedtoretracehisstepsthestreetwasalmostempty。Hehadnotreturnedahundredyardsonhiswaywhenthestreetwaswhollydeserted。Afewheadsprotrudedfromdoorsandaroundcorners。ThatmainstreetofWellstonsawsomesuchsituationeveryfewdays。IfitwasaninstinctforTexanstofight，itwasalsoinstinctiveforthemtosensewithremarkablequicknessthesignsofacominggun—play。Rumorcouldnotflysoswiftly。InlessthantenminuteseverybodywhohadbeenonthestreetorintheshopsknewthatBuckDuanehadcomeforthtomeethisenemy。
　　Duanewalkedon。Whenhecametowithinfiftypacesofasaloonheswervedoutintothemiddleofthestreet，stoodthereforamoment，thenwentaheadandbacktothesidewalk。Hepassedoninthiswaythelengthoftheblock。SolWhitewasstandinginthedoorofhissaloon。
　　"Buck，I’ma—tippin’youoff，"hesaid，quickandlow—voiced。
　　"CalBain’soveratEverall’s。Ifhe’sa—huntin’youbad，ashebrags，he’llshowthere。"
　　Duanecrossedthestreetandstarteddown。NotwithstandingWhite’sstatementDuanewaswaryandslowateverydoor。
　　Nothinghappened，andhetraversedalmostthewholelengthoftheblockwithoutseeingaperson。Everall’splacewasonthecorner。
　　Duaneknewhimselftobecold，steady。Hewasconsciousofastrangefurythatmadehimwanttoleapahead。Heseemedtolongforthisencountermorethananythinghehadeverwanted。
　　But，vividaswerehissensations，hefeltasifinadream。
　　BeforehereachedEverall’sheheardloudvoices，oneofwhichwasraisedhigh。Thentheshortdoorswungoutwardasifimpelledbyavigoroushand。Abow—leggedcowboywearingwooleychapsburstoutuponthesidewalk。AtsightofDuaneheseemedtoboundintotheair，andheutteredasavageroar。
　　Duanestoppedinhistracksattheouteredgeofthesidewalk，perhapsadozenrodsfromEverall’sdoor。
　　IfBainwasdrunkhedidnotshowitinhismovement。Heswaggeredforward，rapidlyclosingupthegap。Red，sweaty，disheveled，andhatless，hisfacedistortedandexpressiveofthemostmalignantintent，hewasawildandsinisterfigure。
　　Hehadalreadykilledaman，andthisshowedinhisdemeanor。
　　Hishandswereextendedbeforehim，therighthandalittlelowerthantheleft。Ateverystephebellowedhisrancorinspeechmostlycurses。Graduallyheslowedhiswalk，thenhalted。Agoodtwenty—fivepacesseparatedthemen。
　　"Won’tnothin’makeyoudraw，you——！"heshouted，fiercely。
　　"I’mwaitin’onyou，Cal，"repliedDuane。
　　Bain’srighthandstiffened——moved。Duanethrewhisgunasaboythrowsaballunderhand——adrawhisfatherhadtaughthim。
　　Hepulledtwice，hisshotsalmostasone。Bain’sbigColtboomedwhileitwaspointeddownwardandhewasfalling。HisbulletscattereddustandgravelatDuane’sfeet。Hefellloosely，withoutcontortion。
　　InaflashallwasrealityforDuane。HewentforwardandheldhisgunreadyfortheslightestmovementonthepartofBain。
　　ButBainlayuponhisback，andallthatmovedwerehisbreastandhiseyes。Howstrangelytheredhadlefthisface——andalsothedistortion！ThedevilthathadshowedinBainwasgone。Hewassoberandconscious。Hetriedtospeak，butfailed。Hiseyesexpressedsomethingpitifullyhuman。Theychanged——rolled——setblankly。
　　Duanedrewadeepbreathandsheathedhisgun。Hefeltcalmandcool，gladthefraywasover。Oneviolentexpressionburstfromhim。"Thefool！"
　　Whenhelookedupthereweremenaroundhim。
　　"Plumbcenter，"saidone。
　　Another，acowboywhoevidentlyhadjustleftthegaming—table，leaneddownandpulledopenBain’sshirt。Hehadtheaceofspadesinhishand。HelaiditonBain’sbreast，andtheblackfigureonthecardcoveredthetwobullet—holesjustoverBain’sheart。
　　Duanewheeledandhurriedaway。Heheardanothermansay:
　　"ReckonCalgotwhathedeserved。BuckDuane’sfirstgunplay。
　　Likefatherlikeson！"
　　CHAPTERII
　　AthoughtkeptrepeatingitselftoDuane，anditwasthathemighthavesparedhimselfconcernthroughhisimagininghowawfulitwouldbetokillaman。Hehadnosuchfeelingnow。Hehadridthecommunityofadrunken，bragging，quarrelsomecowboy。
　　Whenhecametothegateofhishomeandsawhisuncletherewithamettlesomehorse，saddled，withcanteen，rope，andbagsallinplace，asubtleshockpervadedhisspirit。Ithadslippedhismind——theconsequenceofhisact。Butsightofthehorseandthelookofhisunclerecalledthefactthathemustnowbecomeafugitive。Anunreasonableangertookholdofhim。
　　"Thed——dfool！"heexclaimed，hotly。"MeetingBainwasn’tmuch，UncleJim。Hedustedmyboots，that’sall。AndforthatI’vegottogoonthedodge。"
　　"Son，youkilledhim——then？"askedtheuncle，huskily。
　　"Yes。Istoodoverhim——watchedhimdie。IdidasIwouldhavebeendoneby。"
　　"Iknewit。LongagoIsawitcomin’。Butnowwecan’tstoptocryoverspiltblood。You’vegottoleavetownan’thispartofthecountry。"
　　"Mother！"exclaimedDuane。
　　"She’sawayfromhome。Youcan’twait。I’llbreakittoher——whatshealwaysfeared。"
　　SuddenlyDuanesatdownandcoveredhisfacewithhishands。
　　"MyGod！Uncle，whathaveIdone？"Hisbroadshouldersshook。
　　"Listen，son，an’rememberwhatIsay，"repliedtheelderman，earnestly。"Don’teverforget。You’renottoblame。I’mgladtoseeyoutakeitthisway，becausemaybeyou’llnevergrowhardan’callous。You’renottoblame。ThisisTexas。You’reyourfather’sson。Thesearewildtimes。Thelawastherangersarelayingitdownnowcan’tchangelifeallinaminute。Evenyourmother，who’sagood，truewoman，hashadhershareinmakingyouwhatyouarethismoment。Forshewasoneofthepioneers——thefightin’pioneersofthisstate。Thoseyearsofwildtimes，beforeyouwasborn，developedinherinstincttofight，tosaveherlife，herchildren，an’thatinstincthascroppedoutinyou。ItwillbemanyyearsbeforeitdiesoutoftheboysborninTexas。"
　　"I’mamurderer，"saidDuane，shuddering。
　　"No，son，you’renot。An’youneverwillbe。Butyou’vegottobeanoutlawtilltimemakesitsafeforyoutocomehome。"
　　"Anoutlaw？"
　　"Isaidit。Ifwehadmoneyan’influencewe’driskatrial。
　　Butwe’veneither。An’IreckonthescaffoldorjailisnoplaceforBuckleyDuane。Strikeforthewildcountry，an’
　　whereveryougoan’whateveryoudo—beaman。Livehonestly，ifthat’spossible。Ifitisn’t，beashonestasyoucan。Ifyouhavetoherdwithoutlawstrynottobecomebad。Thereareoutlawswho’renotallbad——manywhohavebeendriventotheriverbysuchadealasthisyouhad。Whenyougetamongthesemenavoidbrawls。Don’tdrink;don’tgamble。Ineedn’ttellyouwhattodoifitcomestogun—play，aslikelyitwill。Youcan’tcomehome。Whenthisthingisliveddown，ifthattimeevercomes，I’llgetwordintotheunsettledcountry。It’llreachyousomeday。That’sall。Remember，beaman。Goodby。"
　　Duane，withblurredsightandcontractingthroat，grippedhisuncle’shandandbadehimawordlessfarewell。Thenheleapedastridetheblackandrodeoutoftown。
　　Asswiftlyaswasconsistentwithacareforhissteed，Duaneputadistanceoffifteenoreighteenmilesbehindhim。Withthatheslowedup，andthematterofridingdidnotrequireallhisfaculties。Hepassedseveralranchesandwasseenbymen。
　　Thisdidnotsuithim，andhetookanoldtrailacrosscountry。
　　Itwasaflatregionwithapoorgrowthofmesquiteandprickly—pearcactus。Occasionallyhecaughtaglimpseoflowhillsinthedistance。Hehadhuntedofteninthatsection，andknewwheretofindgrassandwater。Whenhereachedthishighergroundhedidnot，however，haltatthefirstfavorablecamping—spot，butwentonandon。Oncehecameoutuponthebrowofahillandsawaconsiderablestretchofcountrybeneathhim。Ithadthegraysamenesscharacterizingallthathehadtraversed。Heseemedtowanttoseewidespaces——togetaglimpseofthegreatwildernesslyingsomewherebeyondtothesouthwest。Itwassunsetwhenhedecidedtocampatalikelyspothecameacross。Heledthehorsetowater，andthenbegansearchingthroughtheshallowvalleyforasuitableplacetocamp。Hepassedbyoldcamp—sitesthathewellremembered。
　　These，however，didnotstrikehisfancythistime，andthesignificanceofthechangeinhimdidnotoccuratthemoment。
　　Atlasthefoundasecludedspot，undercoverofthickmesquitesandoaks，atagoodlydistancefromtheoldtrail。Hetooksaddleandpackoffthehorse。Helookedamonghiseffectsforahobble，and，findingthathisunclehadfailedtoputonein，hesuddenlyrememberedthatheseldomusedahobble，andneveronthishorse。Hecutafewfeetofftheendofhislassoandusedthat。Thehorse，unusedtosuchhamperingofhisfreemovements，hadtobedrivenoutuponthegrass。
　　Duanemadeasmallfire，preparedandatehissupper。Thisdone，endingtheworkofthatday，hesatdownandfilledhispipe。Twilighthadwanedintodusk。Afewwanstarshadjustbeguntoshowandbrighten。Abovethelowcontinuoushumofinsectssoundedtheeveningcarolofrobins。Presentlythebirdsceasedtheirsinging，andthenthequietwasmorenoticeable。WhennightsetinandtheplaceseemedallthemoreisolatedandlonelyforthatDuanehadasenseofrelief。
　　Itdawneduponhimallatoncethathewasnervous，watchful，sleepless。Thefactcausedhimsurprise，andhebegantothinkback，totakenoteofhislateactionsandtheirmotives。Thechangeonedayhadwroughtamazedhim。Hewhohadalwaysbeenfree，easy，happy，especiallywhenoutaloneintheopen，hadbecomeinafewshorthoursbound，serious，preoccupied。Thesilencethathadoncebeensweetnowmeantnothingtohimexceptamediumwherebyhemightthebetterhearthesoundsofpursuit。Theloneliness，thenight，thewild，thathadalwaysbeenbeautifultohim，nowonlyconveyedasenseofsafetyforthepresent。Hewatched，helistened，hethought。Hefelttired，yethadnoinclinationtorest。Heintendedtobeoffbydawn，headingtowardthesouthwest。Hadheadestination？ItwasvagueashisknowledgeofthatgreatwasteofmesquiteandrockborderingtheRioGrande。Somewhereouttherewasarefuge。Forhewasafugitivefromjustice，anoutlaw。
　　Thisbeinganoutlawthenmeanteternalvigilance。Nohome，norest，nosleep，nocontent，nolifeworththelivinglHemustbealonewolforhemustherdamongmenobnoxioustohim。Ifheworkedforanhonestlivinghestillmusthidehisidentityandtakerisksofdetection。Ifhedidnotworkonsomedistantoutlyingranch，howwashetolive？Theideaofstealingwasrepugnanttohim。Thefutureseemedgrayandsomberenough。Andhewastwenty—threeyearsold。
　　Whyhadthishardlifebeenimposeduponhim？
　　Thebitterquestionseemedtostartastrangeicinessthatstolealonghisveins。Whatwaswrongwithhim？Hestirredthefewsticksofmesquiteintoalastflickeringblaze。Hewascold，andforsomereasonhewantedsomelight。Theblackcircleofdarknessweigheddownuponhim，closedinaroundhim。
　　Suddenlyhesatboltuprightandthenfrozeinthatposition。
　　Hehadheardastep。Itwasbehindhim——no——ontheside。Someonewasthere。Heforcedhishanddowntohisgun，andthetouchofcoldsteelwasanothericyshock。Thenhewaited。Butallwassilent——silentasonlyawildernessarroyocanbe，withitslowmurmuringofwindinthemesquite。Hadheheardastep？
　　Hebegantobreatheagain。
　　Butwhatwasthematterwiththelightofhiscamp—fire？Ithadtakenonastrangegreenlusterandseemedtobewavingoffintotheoutershadows。Duaneheardnostep，sawnomovement;
　　nevertheless，therewasanotherpresentatthatcamp—firevigil。Duanesawhim。Helaythereinthemiddleofthegreenbrightness，prostrate，motionless，dying。CalBain！Hisfeatureswerewonderfullydistinct，clearerthananycameo，moresharplyoutlinedthanthoseofanypicture。Itwasahardfacesofteningatthethresholdofeternity。Theredtanofsun，thecoarsesignsofdrunkenness，theferocityandhatesocharacteristicofBainwerenolongerthere。ThisfacerepresentedadifferentBain，showedallthatwashumaninhimfading，fadingasswiftlyasitblanchedwhite。Thelipswantedtospeak，buthadnotthepower。Theeyesheldanagonyofthought。Theyrevealedwhatmighthavebeenpossibleforthismanifhelived——thathesawhismistaketoolate。Thentheyrolled，setblankly，andclosedindeath。
　　ThathauntingvisitationleftDuanesittingthereinacoldsweat，aremorsegnawingathisvitals，realizingthecursethatwasonhim。Hedivinedthatneverwouldhebeabletokeepoffthatphantom。Herememberedhowhisfatherhadbeeneternallypursuedbythefuriesofaccusingguilt，howhehadneverbeenabletoforgetinworkorinsleepthosemenhehadkilled。
　　ThehourwaslatewhenDuane’smindlethimsleep，andthendreamstroubledhim。Inthemorninghebestirredhimselfsoearlythatinthegraygloomhehaddifficultyinfindinghishorse。Dayhadjustbrokenwhenhestrucktheoldtrailagain。
　　Herodehardallmorningandhaltedinashadyspottorestandgrazehishorse。Intheafternoonhetooktothetrailataneasytrot。Thecountrygrewwilder。Bald，ruggedmountainsbrokethelevelofthemonotonoushorizon。Aboutthreeintheafternoonhecametoalittleriverwhichmarkedtheboundarylineofhishuntingterritory。
　　Thedecisionhemadetotravelup—streamforawhilewasowingtotwofacts:theriverwashighwithquicksandbarsoneachside，andhefeltreluctanttocrossintothatregionwherehispresencealonemeantthathewasamarkedman。Thebottom—landsthroughwhichtheriverwoundtothesouthwestweremoreinvitingthanthebarrenshehadtraversed。Therestorthatdayherodeleisurelyup—stream。Atsunsethepenetratedthebrakesofwillowandcottonwoodtospendthenight。Itseemedtohimthatinthislonelycoverhewouldfeeleasyandcontent。Buthedidnot。Everyfeeling，everyimagininghehadexperiencedthepreviousnightreturnedsomewhatmorevividlyandaccentuatedbyneweronesofthesameintensityandcolor。
　　Inthiskindoftravelandcampinghespentthreemoredays，duringwhichhecrossedanumberoftrails，andoneroadwherecattle——stolencattle，probably——hadrecentlypassed。Thustimeexhaustedhissupplyoffood，exceptsalt，pepper，coffee，andsugar，ofwhichhehadaquantity。Thereweredeerinthe。
　　brakes;but，ashecouldnotgetcloseenoughtokillthemwithtarevolver，hehadtosatisfyhimselfwitharabbit。Heknewhemightaswellcontenthimselfwiththehardfarethatassuredlywouldbehislot。
　　SomewhereupthisrivertherewasavillagecalledHuntsville。
　　ItwasdistantaboutahundredmilesfromWellston，andhadareputationthroughoutsouthwesternTexas。Hehadneverbeenthere。Thefactwasthisreputationwassuchthathonesttravelersgavethetownawideberth。Duanehadconsiderablemoneyforhiminhispossession，andheconcludedtovisitHuntsville，ifhecouldfindit，andbuyastockofprovisions。