"And I don't hide it, Mr. de Spain." "You'd have to crawl under Music Mountain to do that. What I want to know is, do you like your job?" On this point it was impossible to get an expression from Bull. He felt convinced that de Spain was pressing for an answer only as a preliminary to his discharge. "No matter," interposed the latter, cutting Bull's ramblings short, "drop it, Bull. I want you to do something for me, and I'll pay for it." Bull, with a palsied smile and a deep, quavering note of gratitude, put up his shaky hand. "Say what. That's all. I've been paid." "You know you're a sot, Bull." Bull nodded. "I know it." "A disgrace to the Maker whose image you were made in." Bull started, but seemed, on reflection, to consider this a point on which he need not commit himself. "Still, I believe there's a man in you yet. Something, at any rate, you couldn't completely kill with whiskey, Bull--what?" Bull lifted his weak and watery eyes. His whiskey-seamed face brightened into the ghost of a smile. "What I'm going to ask you to do," continued de Spain, "is a man's job. You can get into the Gap without trouble. You are the only man I can put my hand on just now, that can. I want you to ride over this morning and hang out around Duke Morgan's place till you can get a chance to see Miss Nan----" At the mention of her name, Bull shook his head a moment in affirmative approval. "She's a queen!" he exclaimed with admiring but pungent expletives. "A queen!" "I think so, Bull. But she is in troublesome circumstances. You know Nan and I----" Bull winked in many ways. "And her Uncle Duke is making us trouble, Bull. I want you to find her, speak with her, and bring word to me as to what the situation is. That doesn't mean you're to get drunk over there--in fact, I don't think anybody over there would give you a drink----" "Don't believe they would." "And you are to ride back here with what you can find out just as quick, after you get into the clear, as a horse will bring you." Bull passed his hand over his mouth with a show of resolution. It indicated that he was pulling himself together. Within half an hour he was on his way to the Gap. For de Spain hours never dragged as did the hours between his starting and the setting of the sun that night without his return. And the sun set behind Music Mountain in a drift of heavy clouds that brought rain. All evening it fell steadily. At eleven o'clock de Spain had given up hope of seeing his emissary before morning and was sitting alone before the stove in the office when he heard the sound of hoofs. In another moment Bull Page stood at the door.