The tall stranger seemed to be considering. Penny wanted to scream out a warning that he would never be allowed to leave the place alive. He would be killed, no matter what his decision might be. Lonergan went on. "You must have brains enough to realize that you wouldn't be able to prove that any of us had a hand in murdering those Texas Rangers. Why, we could even prove we _didn't_ do it, by the footprints of an Indian around the place where they've been buried." So the graves had been found. The masked man added this minute detail to his stored-up knowledge. "Anyone can see," went on Lonergan, "that they must have been ambushed by Indians. Maybe old Gimlet, who took a message in to town for Captain Blythe, had a hand in framing them for murder. Gimlet might have had an old grudge he wanted to settle with Texas Rangers. He's been around here for a good many years, you know." "I admit," the masked man said, "it would be pretty hard to prove who killed those men, but cattle-stealing is a different matter. Furthermore, the law wants you men for other things." "As for _us_," Lonergan argued, "the law'd have to find us first. As for the cattle-stealing, when we sell cattle the brands are _right_. We haven't sold a head that hasn't had the Cavendish brand." Penny felt the world fall still further apart when the man she had begun to trust said, "What if I join up with you?" Lombard and Sawtell looked admiringly at Lonergan and more than ever appreciated his glib tongue. "In that case, you'd split the proceeds like the rest of us." "But what about the stolen cattle?" Lonergan shook his head. "Never can be traced here," he said. "We bring them down the mountain trail from the top of Thunder Mountain; we shove them in with older cows and run a new brand. We got a dozen brands recorded to work with. We keep the cattle here until the scar has healed to look old; meanwhile we take cattle from the last batch up the trail and sell them. We don't have no trouble at all." Penelope could see Lonergan's purpose. He was a gambler and playing at his game. He told everything that would occupy time, knowing that at any minute some of the men would be returning from Red Oak. He was betting that the masked man could never use that information. She saw the tall stranger apparently considering the offer to join the gang. Why, in the name of Heaven, couldn't this masked man realize what Lonergan was doing? Why didn't he come here with some concrete plan instead of bungling in to find himself so helpless, even though he held a gun on the others? "You have a pretty well-greased machine for stealing cattle," the Lone Ranger said in admiration, "and as you say, it would be almost impossible for me to do much in fighting against you." "That's right," agreed Lonergan. "Now put up that gun and take off the mask, an' we'll talk." "But first tell me who I'm taking orders from." "Sawtell." The masked man shook his head.