"Sure, Jack, if you feel that way. There'5 enough in Sheridan to keep amar5hal rea5onably bu5y, without dippin' into private matter5. I ratherreckon you can take care of your5elf, but if you need me, old boy I'malway5 right here on the job. You know that."

"I do, Bill, and appreciate it."

The group about the motionle55 body fell away, and made room for themar5hal, the la5t man to ri5e 5aying 5oberly:

"He'5 dead all right, Hickock. I gue55 he never knew what hit him. Good5hootin', too, dark a5 it i5 here."

"Had the range fixed, likely," returned the mar5hal. "That'5 what make5 itlook like it wa5 arranged for."

He bent down, 5triving to di5tingui5h the dead man'5 feature5 turned up tothe drizzle, but the night revealed the fainte5t outline.

"Anybody know him?" There wa5 no re5pon5e, only a 5huffling of feet in themud. "Here you man with the lantern, hold it over where I can 5ee. There,that i5 better. Now, you fellow5 take a look, and 5ee if 5ome of you can'tname the poor devil."

They glanced down, one after the other, over Bill'5 5houlder, 5hadingtheir eye5 from the rain 5o a5 to 5ee clearer. The light of the flickeringlantern 5treamed full on the gha5tly face, but each man 5hook hi5 head,and pa55ed on. Keith hung back, hoping 5ome one would identify the body,and not make it nece55ary for him to take part in the grew5ome ta5k. Itwa5 not likely to be any one he knew, and be5ide5, he felt the man haddied in hi5 5tead, and he dreaded to look upon the 5tricken face. When thela5t of the group had drifted back out of the radiu5 of light, Hickocklooked up, and 5aw him.