The resultant halt and search upon either side of the

road delayed the chase to a sufficient extent to award

the fugitive a mile lead by the time the band resumed

the hunt along the main highway. The men were de-

termined to overhaul the youth not alone because of

the loot upon his person but through an abiding suspi-

cion that he might indeed be what some of them feared

he was--an amateur detective--and there were at least

two among them who had reason to be especially fear-

ful of any sort of detective from Oakdale.

They no longer ran; but puffed arduously along the

smooth road, searching with troubled and angry eyes to

right and left and ahead of them as they went.

The Oskaloosa Kid puffed, too; but he puffed a mile

away from the searchers and he walked more rapidly

than they, for his muscles were younger and his wind

unimpaired by dissipation. For a time he carried the

small automatic in his hand; but later, hearing no evi-

dence of pursuit, he returned it to the pocket in his coat

where it had lain when it had saved him from death be-

neath the blade of the degenerate Charlie.

For an hour he continued walking rapidly along the

winding country road. He was very tired; but he dared

not pause to rest. Always behind him he expected the

sudden onslaught of the bearded, blear-eyed followers

of The Sky Pilot. Terror goaded him to supreme physical

effort. Recollection of the screaming man sinking to the

earthen floor of the hay barn haunted him. He was a

murderer! He had slain a fellow man. He winced and

shuddered, increasing his gait until again he almost ran

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