by Max Brand
CHAPTER XV
THE CROSS ROADS
As Black Bart raced away in answer to Dan's whistle, Kate recoveredherself from the daze in which she stood and with a sob ran towardsthe willows, calling the name of Dan, but Silent sprang after her, andcaught her by the arm. She cried out and struggled vainly in his grip.
"Don't follow him, boys!" called Silent. "He's a dog that can bitewhile he runs. Stand quiet, girl!"
Lee Haines caught him by the shoulder and jerked Silent around. Hishand held the butt of his revolver, and his whole arm trembled witheagerness for the draw.
"Take your hand from her, Jim!" he said.
Silent met his eye with the same glare and while his left hand stillheld Kate by both her wrists his right dropped to his gun.
"Not when you tell me, Lee!"
"Damn you, I say let her go!"
"By God, Haines, I stand for too much from you!"
And still they did not draw, because each of them knew that if thecrisis came it would mean death to them both. Bill Kilduff jumpedbetween them and thrust them back.
He cried, "Ain't we got enough trouble without roundin' up work athome? Terry Jordan is shot through the arm."
Kate tugged at the restraining hand of Silent, not in an attempt toescape, but in order to get closer to Haines.
"Was this your friendship?" she said, her voice shaking with hate andsorrow, "to bring me here as a lure for Whistling Dan? Listen to me,all of you! He's escaped you now, and he'll come again. Remember him,for he shan't forget you!"
"You hear her?" said Silent to Haines.
"Is this what you want me to turn loose?"
"Silent," said Haines, "it isn't the girl alone you've double crossed.You've crooked me, and you'll pay me for it sooner or later!"
"Day or night, winter or summer, I'm willing to meet you an' fight itout. Rhinehart and Purvis, take this girl back to the clearing!"
They approached, Purvis still staring at the hand from which only amoment before his gun had been knocked by the shot of Whistling Dan.It was a thing which he could not understand--he had not yet lost amost uncomfortable sense of awe. Haines made no objection when theywent off, with Kate walking between them. He knew, now that his blindanger had left him, that it was folly to draw on a fight while therest of Silent's men stood around them.
"An' the rest of you go back to the clearin'. I got somethin' to talkover with Lee," said Silent.
The others obeyed without question, and the leader turned back to hislieutenant. For a moment longer they remained staring at each other.Then Silent moved slowly forward with outstretched hand.
"Lee," he said quietly, "I'm owin' you an apology an' I'm man enoughto make it."
"I can't take your hand, Jim."
Silent hesitated.
"I guess you got cause to be mad, Lee," he said. "Maybe I played tooquick a hand. I didn't think about double crossin' you. I only seena way to get Whistlin' Dan out of our path, an' I took it withoutrememberin' that you was the safeguard to the girl."
Haines eyed his chief narrowly.
"I wish to God I could read your mind," he said at last, "but I'lltake your word that you did it without thinking."
His hand slowly met Silent's.
"An' what about the girl now, Lee?"
"I'll send her back to her father's ranch. It will be easy to put heron the right way."
"Don't you see no reason why you can't do that?"
"Are you playing with me?"
"I'm talkin' to you as I'd talk to myself. If she's loose she'lldescribe us all an' set the whole range on our trail."
Haines stared.
Silent went on: "If we can't turn her loose, they's only one thingleft--an' that's to take her with us wherever we go."
"On your honour, do you see no other way out?"
"Do you?"
"She may promise not to speak of it."
"There ain't no way of changin' the spots of a leopard, Lee, an' thereain't no way of keepin' a woman's tongue still."
"How can we take a girl with us."
"It ain't goin' to be for long. After we pull the job that comes onthe eighteenth, we'll blow farther south an' then we'll let her go."
"And no harm will come to her while she's with us?"
"Here's my hand on it, Lee."
"How can she ride with us?"
"She won't go as a woman. I've thought of that. I brought out a newoutfit for Purvis from Elkhead--trousers, chaps, shirts, an' all. He'ssmall. They'll near fit the girl."
"There isn't any other way, Jim?"
"I leave it to you. God knows I don't want to drag any damn calicoaroun' with us."
As they went back towards their clearing they arranged the details.Silent would take the men aside and explain his purpose to them.Haines could inform the girl of what she must do. Just before theyreached the camp Silent stopped short and took Haines by the shoulder.
"They's one thing I can't make out, Lee, an' that's how Whistlin' Danmade his getaway. I'd of bet a thousand bones that he would be droppedbefore he could touch his shootin' irons. An' then what happened? HalPurvis jest flashed a gun--and that feller shot it out'n his hand.I never seen a draw like that. His hand jest seemed to twitch--Icouldn't follow the move he made--an' the next second his gun wentoff."
He stared at Lee with a sort of fascinated horror.
"Silent," said Haines, "can you explain how the lightning comes downout of the sky?"
"Of course not."
"Then don't ask me to explain how Whistling Dan made his getaway. Oneminute I heard him talkin' with the girl. The next second there wastwo shots and when I whirled he was gone. But he'll come back, Jim.We're not through with him. He slipped away from you and your men likewater out of a sieve, but we won't slip away from him the same way."
Silent stared on again with bowed head.
"He liked the girl, Lee?"
"Any one could see that."
"Then while she's with us he'll go pretty slow. Lee, that's anotherreason why she's got to stay with us. My frien', it's time we wasmoving out from the willows. The next time he comes up with us hewon't be numb in the head. He'll be thinkin' fast an' he'll beshootin' a damn sight faster. We got two jobs ahead of us--first toget that Wells Fargo shipment, and then to get Whistling Dan. Thereain't room enough in the whole world for him and me."