It's a queer thing, boys, but he'd decided--for private reasons--to give up the cattle-lifting just two days before.

The police were hot after him, but they didn't catch him and the smugglers didn't catch him either.

He dodged 'em all, and when he left he said to himself, 'I'll be the boss of Barren Valley when I come back.' After that he went West and starved a bit in the Australian desert till the cattle episode had had time to blow over.

Then--it's nearly two years ago now--he came back.

The first person he ran into was--Fletcher Hill, the policeman." He paused with that dramatic instinct which was surely part-secret of his fascination.