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"Dad, they've got the best of us in the daytime," he said, "but not after dark"

Jean buckled on a belt that carried shells, a bowie knife, and revolver, and with rifle in hand he went out through the kitchen to the yard The night was darker than usual, as soainst the log cabin, waiting for his eyes to become perfectly adjusted to the darkness Like an Indian, Jean could see well at night He knew every point around cabins and sheds and corrals, every post, log, tree, rock, adjacent to the ranch After perhaps a quarter of an hour watching, during which time several shots were fired from behind the embankment and one each from the rustlers at the other locations, Jean slipped out on his quest

He kept in the shadow of the cabin walls, then the line of orchard trees, then a row of currant bushes Here, crouching low, he halted to look and listen He was now at the edge of the open ground, with the gently rising slope before him He could see the dark patches of cedar and juniper trees On the north side of the cabin a streak of fire flashed in the blackness, and a shot rang out Jean heard the bullet bit the cabin Then silence enfolded the lonely ranch and the darkness lay like a black blanket A low hu illumined the dark horizon to the south Once Jean heard voices, but could not tell from which direction they came To the west of him then flared out another rifle shot The bullet whistled down over Jean to thud into the cabin

Jean ray-black open before hi as he kept the dense shadows behind him he could not be seen He slipped fro with absolutely noiseless footsteps, he gained the first clump of junipers Here he waited patiently and motionlessly for another round of shots from the rustlers After the second shot froht Patches of brush, clumps of juniper, and isolated cedars covered this slope, affording Jean a perfect means for his purpose, which was tofroe, descended the opposite slope, made his turn to the left, and sloorked up behind the point near where he expected to locate the rustler Long habit in the open, by day and night, rendered his sense of direction alht itself The first flash of fire he saw froht up toward his man Jean's intention was to crawl up on this one of the Jorth gang and silently kill him with a knife If the plan worked successfully, Jeanaside his rifle, he crawled forward on hands and knees,no more sound than a cat His approach was slow He had to pick his way, be careful not to break twigs nor rattle stones His buckskin garainst the brush Jean located the rustler sitting on the top of the ridge in the center of an open space He was alone Jean saw the dull-red end of the cigarette he was se top was rocky and not well adapted for Jean's purpose He had to abandon the idea of crawling up on the rustler Whereupon, Jean turned back, patiently and slowly, to get his rifle