"Sure. I did as I was told. But I returned, built a shack in the hills, an' have been prowlin' around ever since waitin' me chance. Jim Weston's daughter sometimes rides alone on this side of the Crest, but so far I've missed meetin' her. But I'll get her one of these days, an' then her devil of a father will know that Dan Hivers has some of the Old Nick in him as well as he has. It's a mighty poor game, to my way of thinkin', at which two can't play."
"Yes, and more than two," Curly eagerly replied. "You're just the man
I need. Let's work together, Dan, an' we'll be company fer each other.
Have you any grub?"
"Lots of it in me shack. I brought a good supply from Big Draw, an' fresh meat is plentiful in the hills. I've an extra rifle, too, if ye need it."
"What's your plan?" Curly asked. "You know this region better'n I do."
Dan did not at once reply, but sat looking thoughtfully into the fire.
"An' ye say that guy's got the cinch on the gal?" he at length queried.
"Seems so. He was with her when I was led past, an' they seemed mighty happy together."
"Is that so? An' I suppose he'll be with her wherever she goes."
"Most likely. But we can fix him, can't we?"
"We'll have to find some way, but the question is, how?"