'Why make such a fuss over her? She's far better away from here,' said Nix.
'I'll be even with her,' replied Shaw; and there and then made up his mind to ride to Barker's Creek and bribe Dalton to scour the country for her.
When he arrived at Dalton's he found affairs had reached a crisis.
Abe Dalton was in no mood to be trifled with or to stand upon ceremony.
'This comes of meddling in your affairs,' he said savagely. 'Curse you and the girl too! You have ruined us all, yourself included, you blundering fool!'
Rodney Shaw commenced to realise the extent of the scrape he had got into, but he did not mean to be beaten.
When Abe Dalton explained to him what had happened, and that his spies had brought in news that an attack was to be made on Barker's Creek Rodney Shaw said,—
'I'll stay with you and see it through. I'd like to get a chance of putting a bullet in Jim Dennis.'
'There's more than you would give a good deal for such a chance,' said Dalton. 'If you mean to stay, well and good; I'm not going to stop you; but let me warn you it will be putting your neck in a noose to be found here. You had better clear out and do the best you can for yourself.'
Rodney Shaw, however, decided to remain. He thought Dalton and his men would easily repulse any attack made upon them, and Dennis might be killed in the struggle. He meant to have a shot at him if possible, for he had learned something during the past week that had caused him to tremble whenever he thought of the owner of Wanabeen. What that something was will be related later on.