"Double crossed you?" There was disbelief and suspicion in Doubter's laugh. "How's he done that? I reckoned you was too smart for anyone to do that to you?" The sarcasm in this last brought a dark red into Duncan's face, but he successfully concealed his resentment and smiled. "That's all right," he said; "I've got more than that coming from you. I'm telling you about what he done to me if you ain't got any objections to me getting off my horse." "Tell me from where you are." In spite of the coldness in the nester's voice there was interest in his eyes. "Mebbe you an' him have had a fallin' out, but I ain't takin' any chances on you bein' my friend--not a durned chance." "That's right. I don't blame you for not wanting to take a chance, and I'm not pretending to be your friend. And I sure ain't any friendly to Langford. He's double crossed me, but I ain't telling how he done it--that's between him and me. But I want to tell you something that will interest you a whole lot. It's about some guy which is trying to double cross you. To prove that I ain't thinking to plug you when you ain't looking I'm leaving my gun here." He drew out his six-shooter and stuck it behind his slicker, dismounted, and threw the reins over the pony's head. In silence Doubler suffered him to approach, though he kept his rifle ready in his hand and his eyes still continued to wear a belligerent expression. "You and me ain't been what you might call friendly for a long time," offered Duncan when he had halted a few feet from Doubler. "We've had words, but I've never tried to take any mean advantage of you--which I might have done if I'd wanted to." He smiled ingratiatingly. "We ain't goin' to go over what's happened between us," declared Doubler coldly. "We're lettin' that go by. If you'll stick to the palaver that you spoke about mebbe we'll be able to git along for a minute or two. Meanwhile, you'll excuse me if I keep this here gun in shape for you if you try any monkey business." Duncan masked his dislike of Doubler under a deprecatory smile. "That's right," he agreed. "We'll let what's happened pass without talking about it. What's between us now is something different. I've never pretended to be your friend, and I'm not pretending to be your friend now. But I've always been square with you, and I'm square now. Can you say that about him?" He jerked his thumb in the direction of the river trail, on which Dakota had vanished some time before. "Him?" inquired Doubler. "You mean Dakota?" He caught Duncan's nod and smiled slowly. "I reckon you're some off your range," he said. "There ain't no comparin' Dakota to you--he's always been my friend." "A man's got a friend one day and he's an enemy the next," said Duncan mysteriously. "Meanin'?" "Meaning that Dakota ain't so much of a friend as you think he is."