"Why isn't he here ?" "Buck, they couldn't have overtaken--" She started.

"Dan ?" Buck Daniels grinned reassuringly.
"Not unless his hoss is a pile of bones; if it has any heart in it, Dan'll run away from anything on four legs.

No call for worryin', Kate.
He's simply led 'em a long ways off and waited for evenin' before he doubled back.

He'll come back right enough.

If they didn't catch him that first run they'll never get the wind of him." It quieted her for a time, but as the minutes slipped away, as the darkness grew more and more heavy until a curtain of black fell across the open door, they could see that she was struggling to control her trouble, they could see her straining to catch some distant sound.