There were a dozen men with Deveny--she had seen them, counted them when they had been racing down the shelving trail on the other side of the valley. And she knew they were following Deveny, for she could hear the thudding of hoofs behind. Deveny's big arms were around her; she could feel the rippling of his muscles as he swayed from side to side, balancing himself in the saddle. He was not using the reins; he was giving his attention to her, letting the horse follow his own inclinations. Yet she noted that the animal held to the trail, that he traveled steadily, requiring no word from his rider. Once, after they had ridden some distance up the valley, Barbara heard a man behind them call Deveny's attention to some horsemen who were riding the shelving trail that Deveny and his men had taken on their way to the level; and she heard Deveny laugh. "Some of the Star gang, I reckon. Mebbe Haydon, goin' to the Rancho Seco, to see his girl." He grinned down into Barbara's face, his own alight with a triumph that made a shiver run over her. Later--only a few minutes, it seemed--she heard a man call to Deveny again, telling him that a lone rider was "fannin' it" up the valley. "Looks like that guy, Linton," said the man. "Two of you drop back and lay for him!" ordered Deveny. "Make it sure!" he added, after a short pause. Barbara yielded to a quick horror. She fought with Deveny, trying in vain to free her arms--which he held tightly to her sides with his own. She gave it up at last, and lay, looking up into his face, her eyes blazing with impotent rage and repugnance. "You mean to kill him?" she charged. "Sure," he laughed; "there's no one interfering with what's going on now." Overcome with nausea over the conviction that Deveny's order meant death to Red Linton, Barbara lay slack in Deveny's arms for a long time. A premonitory silence had settled over the valley; she heard the dull thud of hoofs behind her, regular and swift, the creaking of the saddle leather as the animal under her loped forward. There was no other sound. For the men behind her were strangely silent, and even Deveny seemed to be listening. After what seemed to be a long interval, she heard a shot, and then almost instantly, another. She shuddered, closing her eyes, for she knew they had killed Linton. And she had blamed Linton for guarding her from--from the very thing that had happened to her. And Linton had given his life for her! How long she had her eyes closed she did not know. The time could not have been more than a few minutes though, for she heard a voice behind her saying to Deveny: "They got him." Then she looked up, to see Deveny grinning at her.