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。