desert; not in any sense an interest in the young man at present. Then
he turned his back.

Hare, feeling that Holderness wished to talk with Naab, walked to the
counter, and began assorting his purchases, but he could not help hearing

what was said.
"Lungs bad?" queried Holderness.

"One of them," replied Naab.
"He's all in. Better send him out of the country. He's got the name of

Dene's spy and he'll never get another on this desert. Dene will kill
him. This isn't good judgment, Naab, to take him with you. Even your

friends don't like t, and it means trouble for you."
"We've settled it," said Naab, coldly.

"Well, remember, I've warned you. I've tried to be friendly with you,
Naab, but you won't have it. Anyway, I've wanted to see you lately to

find out how eve stand.
"What do you mean?"

"How we stand on several things--to begin with, there Mescal."
"You asked me several times for Mescal, and I said no."

"But I never said I'd marry her. Now I want her, and I will marry her."
"No," rejoined Naab, adding brevity to his coldness.

"Why not?" demanded Holderness. "Oh, well, I can't take that as an
insult. I know there's not enough money in Utah to get a girl away from

a Mormon.... About the offer for the water-rights--how do we stand?
I'll give you ten thousand dollars for the rights to Seeping Springs and

Silver Cup."
"Ten thousand!" ejaculated Naab. "Holderness, I wouldn't take a hundred

thousand. You might as well ask to buy my home, my stock, my range,
twenty years of toil, for ten thousand dollars!"

"You refuse? All right. I think I've made you a fair proposition," said
Holderness, in a smooth, quick tone. "The land is owned by the

Government, and though your ranges are across the Arizona line they
really figure as Utah land. My company's spending big money, and the

Government won't let you have a monopoly. No one man can control the
water-supply of a hundred miles of range. Times are changing. You want

to see that. You ought to protect yourself before it's too late."
"Holderness, this is a desert. No men save Mormons could ever have made

it habitable. The Government scarcely knows of its existence. It'll be
fifty years before man can come in here to take our water."

"Why can't he? The water doesn't belong to any one Why can't he?"
"Because of the unwritten law of the desert. No Mormon would refuse you

or your horse a drink, or even a reasonable supply for your stock. But
you can't come in here and take our water for your own use, to supplant

us, to parch our stock. Why, even an Indian respects desert law!"
"Bah! I'm not a Mormon or an Indian. I'm a cattleman. It's plain

business with me. Once more I make you the offer."
Naab scorned to reply. The men faced each other for a silent moment,

their glances scintillating. Then Holderness whirled on his heel,
jostling into Hare.

"Get out of my way," said the rancher, in the disgust of intense
irritation. He swung his arm, and his open hand sent Hare reeling

against the counter.
"Jack," said Naab, breathing hard, "Holderness showed his real self

to-day. I always knew it, yet I gave him the benefit of the doubt....
For him to strike you! I've not the gift of revelation, but I see--let us

go."
On the return to the Bishop's cottage Naab did not speak once; the

transformation which had begun with the appearance of his drunken son had
reached a climax of gloomy silence after the clash with Holderness. Naab

went directly to the Bishop, and presently the quavering voice of the old
minister rose in prayer.

Hare dropped wearily into the chair on the porch; and presently fell into
a doze, from which he awakened with a start. Nanb's sons, with Martin

Cole and several other men, were standing in the yard. Naab himself was
gently crowding the women into the house. When he got them all inside he

closed the door and turned to Cole.
"Was it a fair fight?"

"Yes, an even break. They met in front of Abe's. I saw the meeting.
Neither was surprised. They stood for a moment watching each other.

Then they drew--only Snap was quicker. Larsen's gun went off as he fell.
That trick you taught Snap saved his life again. Larsen was no slouch on

the draw."
"Where's Snap now?"

"Gone after his pinto. He was sober. Said he'd pack at once. Larsen's
friends are ugly. Snap said to tell you to hurry out of the village with

young Hare, if you want to take him at all. Dene has ridden in; he
swears you won't take Hare away."

"We're all packed and ready to hitch up," returned Naab. "We could start
at once, only until dark I'd rather take chances here than out on the

trail."
"Snap said Dene would ride right into the Bishop's after Hare."

"No. He wouldn't dare."
"Father!" Dave Naab spoke sharply from where he stood high on a grassy

bank. "Here's Dene now, riding up with Culver, and some man I don't
know. They're coming in. Dene's jumped the fence! Look out!"

A clatter of hoofs and rattling of gravel preceded the appearance of a
black horse in the garden path. His rider bent low to dodge the vines of

the arbor, and reined in before the porch to slip out of the saddle with
the agility of an Indian. It was Dene, dark, smiling, nonchalant.

"What do you seek in the house of a Bishop?" challenged August Naab,
planting his broad bulk square before Hare.

"Dene's spy!"
"What do you seek in the house of a Bishop?" repeated Naab.

"I shore want to see the young feller you lied to me about," returned
Dene, his smile slowly fading.

"No speech could be a lie to an outlaw."
"I want him, you Mormon preacher!"

"You can't have him."
"I'll shore get him."

In one great stride Naab confronted and towered over Dene.
The rustler's gaze shifted warily from Naab to the quiet Mormons and back

again. Then his right hand quivered and shot downward. Naab's act was
even quicker. A Colt gleamed and whirled to the grass, and the outlaw

cried as his arm cracked in the Mormon's grasp
Dave Naab leaped off the bank directly in front of Dene's approaching

companions, and faced them, alert and silent, his hand on his hip.
August Naab swung the outlaw against the porch-post and held him there

with brawny arm.
"Whelp of an evil breed!" he thundered, shaking his gray head. "Do you

think we fear you and your gunsharp tricks? Look! See this!" He released
Dene and stepped back with his hand before him. Suddenly it moved,

quicker than sight, and a Colt revolver lay in his outstretched palm. He
dropped it back into the holster." Let that teach you never to draw on me

again." He doubled his huge fist and shoved it before Dene's eyes."One
blow would crack your skull like an egg-shell. Why don't I deal it?

Because, you mindless hell-hound, because there s a higher law than
man's--God's law--Thou shalt not kill! Understand that if you can. Leave

me and mine alone from this day. Now go!"
He pushed Dene down the path into the arms of his companions.

"Out with you!" said Dave Naab." Hurry! Get your horse. Hurry! I'm not
so particular about God as Dad is!"

III
THE TRAIL OF THE RED WALL

After the departure of Dene and his comrades Naab decided to leave White
Sage at nightfall. Martin Cole and the Bishop's sons tried to persuade

him to remain, urging that the trouble sure to come could be more safely
met in the village. Naab, however, was obdurate, unreasonably so, Cole

said, unless there were some good reason why he wished to strike the
trail in the night. When twilight closed in Naab had his teams ready and

the women shut in the canvas-covered wagons. Hare was to ride in an open
wagon, one that Naab had left at White Sage to be loaded with grain.

When it grew so dark that objects were scarcely discernible a man vaulted
the cottage fence.

"Dave, where are the boys?" asked Naab.
"Not so loud! The boys are coming," replied Dave in a whisper. "Dene is

wild. I guess you snapped a bone in his arm. He swears he'll kill us
all. But Chance and the rest of the gang won't be in till late. We've

time to reach the Coconina Trail, if we hustle."
"Any news of Snap?"

"He rode out before sundown."
Three more forms emerged from the gloom."

All right, boys. Go ahead, Dave, you lead."
Dave and George Naab mounted their mustangs and rode through the gate;

the first wagon rolled after them, its white dome gradually dissolving in
the darkness; the second one started; then August Naab stepped to his

seat on the third with a low cluck to the team. Hare shut the gate and
climbed over the tail-board of the wagon.

A slight swish of weeds and grasses brushing the wheels was all the sound
made in the cautious advance. A bare field lay to the left; to the right

low roofs and sharp chimneys showed among the trees; here and there
lights twinkled. No one hailed; not a dog barked.

Presently the leaders turned into a road where the iron hoofs and wheels
cracked and crunched the stones.

Hare thought he saw something in the deep shade of a line of
poplar-trees; he peered closer, and made out a motionless horse and

rider, just a shade blacker than the deepest gloom. The next instant
they vanished, and the rapid clatter of hoofs down the road told Hare his

eyes had not deceived him.
"Getup," growled Naab to his horses. "Jack, did you see that fellow?"

"Yes. What was he doing there?"
"Watching the road. He's one of Dene's scouts."

"Will Dene--"
One of Naab's sons came trotting back. "Think that was Larsen's pal. He

was laying in wait for Snap."
"I thought he was a scout for Dene," replied August.

"Maybe he's that too."
"Likely enough. Hurry along and keep the gray team going lively.

They've had a week's rest."
Hare watched the glimmering lights of the village vanish one by one, like

Jack-o'-lanterns. The horses kept a steady, even trot on into the huge
windy hall of the desert night. Fleecy clouds veiled the stars, yet

transmitted a wan glow. A chill crept over Hare. As he crawled under
the blankets Naab had spread for him his hand came into contact with a

polished metal surface cold as ice. It was his rifle. Naab had placed
it under the blankets. Fingering the rifle Hare found the spring opening

on the right side of the breech, and, pressing it down, he felt the round
head of a cartridge. Naab had loaded the weapon, he had placed it where

Hare's hand must find it, yet he had not spoken of it. Hare did not stop
to reason with his first impulse. Without a word, with silent

insistence, disregarding his shattered health, August Naab had given hen
a man's part to play. The full meaning lifted Hare out of his

self-abasement; once more he felt himself a man.
Hare soon yielded to the warmth of the blankets; a drowsiness that he

endeavored in vain to throw off smothered his thoughts; sleep glued his
eyelids tight. They opened again some hours later. For a moment he

could not realize where he was; then the whip of the cold wind across his
face, the woolly feel and smell of the blankets, and finally the steady

trot of horses and the clink of a chain swinging somewhere under him,
recalled the actually of the night ride. He wondered how many miles had

been covered, how the drivers knew the direction and kept the horses in
the trail, and whether the outlaws were in pursuit. When Naab stopped

the team and, climbing down, walked back some rods to listen, Hare felt
sure that Dene was coming. He listened, too, but the movements of the

horses and the rattle of their harness were all the sounds he could hear.
Naab returned to his seat; the team started, now no longer in a trot;

they were climbing. After that Hare fell into a slumber in which he
could hear the slow grating whirr of wheels, and when it ceased he awoke

to raise himself and turn his ear to the back trail. By-and-by he
discovered that the black night had changed to gray; dawn was not far

distant; he dozed and awakened to clear light. A rose-red horizon lay
far below and to the eastward; the intervening descent was like a rolling

sea with league-long swells.

• lately [´leitli] ad.近来，不久前 (初中英语单词)
• existence [ig´zistəns] n.存在；生存；生活 (初中英语单词)
• reasonable [´rizənəbəl] a.合理的；有理智的 (初中英语单词)
• indian [´indiən] a.印度的 n.印度人 (初中英语单词)
• disgust [dis´gʌst] n.厌恶 vt.令(人)作呕 (初中英语单词)
• cottage [´kɔtidʒ] n.村舍；小屋；小别墅 (初中英语单词)
• drunken [´drʌŋkən] a.喝醉的；常醉的 (初中英语单词)
• bishop [´biʃəp] n.主教 (初中英语单词)
• presently [´prezəntli] ad.不久；目前 (初中英语单词)
• standing [´stændiŋ] n.持续 a.直立的 (初中英语单词)
• sharply [´ʃɑ:pli] ad.锋利地；剧烈地 (初中英语单词)
• saddle [´sædl] n.鞍子 v.装鞍(于) (初中英语单词)
• departure [di´pɑ:tʃə] n.离开，出发 (初中英语单词)
• twilight [´twailait] n.黎明；黄昏 (初中英语单词)
• whisper [´wispə] v.耳语 n.低语；沙沙声 (初中英语单词)
• vanish [´væniʃ] vi.消失；消散；消灭 (初中英语单词)
• contact [´kɔntækt] n.接触；联系 v.联络 (初中英语单词)
• weapon [´wepən] n.武器；斗争手段 (初中英语单词)
• spoken [´spəukən] speak的过去分词 (初中英语单词)
• impulse [´impʌls] n.推动(力)；冲动；刺激 (初中英语单词)
• warmth [wɔ:mθ] n.温暖；热情；激动 (初中英语单词)
• actually [´æktʃuəli] ad.事实上；实际上 (初中英语单词)
• pursuit [pə´sju:t] n.追踪；追击；事务 (初中英语单词)
• rattle [´rætl] n.嘎吱声 (初中英语单词)
• harness [´hɑ:nis] vt.上马具 n.马具 (初中英语单词)
• slumber [´slʌmbə] v.&n.睡眠；沉睡状态 (初中英语单词)
• horizon [hə´raizən] n.地平线；范围；视野 (初中英语单词)
• arizona [,æri´zəunə] n.亚利桑那(州) (高中英语单词)
• monopoly [mə´nɔpəli] n.垄断(权)；专利事业 (高中英语单词)
• revelation [,revə´leiʃən] n.展现；揭露(的事物) (高中英语单词)
• climax [´klaimæks] n.顶点；高潮 (高中英语单词)
• gloomy [´glu:mi] a.昏暗的；忧郁的 (高中英语单词)
• clatter [´klætə] n.&v.喧嚷；骚动 (高中英语单词)
• gravel [´grævəl] n.砾石 vt.铺砾石 (高中英语单词)
• repeated [ri´pi:tid] a.反复的；重复的 (高中英语单词)
• stride [straid] n.进展 v.跨过；骑 (高中英语单词)
• downward [´daunwəd] a.下降的，向下的 (高中英语单词)
• decided [di´saidid] a.明显的；决定的 (高中英语单词)
• motionless [´məuʃənləs] a.静止的；固定的 (高中英语单词)
• descent [di´sent] n.出身，家世 (高中英语单词)
• wearily [´wiərili] ad.疲倦地；厌烦地 (英语四级单词)
• ridden [´ridn] ride 的过去分词 (英语四级单词)
• outlaw [´autlɔ:] n.歹徒 vt.将...放逐 (英语四级单词)
• revolver [ri´vɔlvə] n.左轮手枪；旋转者 (英语四级单词)
• cautious [´kɔ:ʃəs] a.小心的；谨慎的 (英语四级单词)
• grating [´greitiŋ] n.格栅 a.刺耳的 (英语四级单词)
• eastward [´i:stwəd] a.&ad.向东(的) (英语四级单词)
• august [ɔ:´gʌst] a.尊严的；威严的 (英语六级单词)
• cracked [krækt] a.有裂缝的；碎的；粗哑 (英语六级单词)
• outstretched [,aut´stretʃt] a.扩张的；伸长的 (英语六级单词)
• nightfall [´nait,fɔ:l] n.黄昏；傍晚 (英语六级单词)
• fleecy [´fli:si] a.羊毛似的 (英语六级单词)
• cartridge [´kɑ:tridʒ] n.弹药筒；子弹 (英语六级单词)