He made his rope at least thirty feet long and then gave it a final test, knot by knot.

He judged that it was now near midnight and the skies were still very dark.

Inside of a half hour he would be gone--to what?
He was seized with an intense yearning to wake up Mr.Austin and tell him good-by.

The Texan leader had been so good to him, he would worry so much about him that it was almost heartless to slip away in this manner.

But he checked the impulse again, and went swiftly ahead with his work.
He kept on nothing but his underclothing and trousers.