mebbe, if Dale's around, we'll run into him."

The posse, led by the sheriff, returned to Okar. Within five minutes
after his arrival in town the sheriff was confronting Silverthorn in
the latter's office in the railroad station. The posse waited.

"It comes to this, Silverthorn," said the sheriff. "We ain't got any
evidence that you had a hand in killing those men at Devil's Hole. But
there ain't a man--an honest man--in town that ain't convinced that you
did have a hand in it. What I want to say to you is this:

"Sanderson and Nyland are running maverick around the country tonight.
Nyland has killed Maison and is hunting for Dale. Sanderson and his
men have cleaned up the bunch of guys that went out this morning to
wipe Sanderson out. And Sanderson is looking for Dale. And after he
gets Dale he'll come for you, for he's seeing red, for sure.

"I ain't interfering. This is one of the times when the law don't see
anything--and don't want to see anything. I won't touch Nyland for
killing Maison, and I won't lay a finger on Sanderson if he shoots the
gizzard out of you. There's a train out of here in fifteen minutes. I
give you your chance--take the train or take your chance with
Sanderson!"

"I'll take the train," declared Silverthorn.

Fifteen minutes later, white and scared, he was sitting in a coach,
cringing far back into one of the seats, cursing, for it seemed to him
that the train would never start.