When they unclasped and Duane stepped back to drop into a chair MacNelly fumbled for another cigar--he had bitten the other into shreds--and, lighting it as before, he turned to his visitor, now calm and cool. He had the look of a man who had justly won something at considerable cost. His next move was to take a long leather case from his pocket and extract from it several folded papers.
"Here's your pardon from the Governor," he said, quietly.
"You'll see, when you look it over, that it's conditional. When you sign this paper I have here the condition will be met."He smoothed out the paper, handed Duane a pen, ran his forefinger along a dotted line.
Duane's hand was shaky. Years had passed since he had held a pen. It was with difficulty that he achieved his signature.
Buckley Duane--how strange the name looked!
"Right here ends the career of Buck Duane, outlaw and gunfighter," said MacNelly; and, seating himself, he took the pen from Duane's fingers and wrote several lines in several places upon the paper. Then with a smile he handed it to Duane.
"That makes you a member of Company A, Texas Rangers.""So that's it!" burst out Duane, a light breaking in upon his bewilderment. "You want me for ranger service?""Sure. That's it," replied the Captain, dryly. "Now to hear what that service is to be. I've been a busy man since I took this job, and, as you may have heard, I've done a few things. Idon't mind telling you that political influence put me in here and that up Austin way there's a good deal of friction in the Department of State in regard to whether or not the ranger service is any good--whether it should be discontinued or not.
I'm on the party side who's defending the ranger service. Icontend that it's made Texas habitable. Well, it's been up to me to produce results. So far I have been successful. My great ambition is to break up the outlaw gangs along the river. Ihave never ventured in there yet because I've been waiting to get the lieutenant I needed. You, of course, are the man I had in mind. It's my idea to start way up the Rio Grande and begin with Cheseldine. He's the strongest, the worst outlaw of the times. He's more than rustler. It's Cheseldine and his gang who are operating on the banks. They're doing bank-robbing. That's my private opinion, but it's not been backed up by any evidence. Cheseldine doesn't leave evidences. He's intelligent, cunning. No one seems to have seen him--to know what he looks like. I assume, of course, that you are a stranger to the country he dominates. It's five hundred miles west of your ground. There's a little town over there called Fairdale. It's the nest of a rustler gang. They rustle and murder at will.
Nobody knows who the leader is. I want you to find out. Well, whatever way you decide is best you will proceed to act upon.
You are your own boss. You know such men and how they can be approached. You will take all the time needed, if it's months.
It will be necessary for you to communicate with me, and that will be a difficult matter. For Cheseldine dominates several whole counties. You must find some way to let me know when Iand my rangers are needed. The plan is to break up Cheseldine's gang. It's the toughest job on the border. Arresting him alone isn't to be heard of. He couldn't be brought out. Killing him isn't much better, for his select men, the ones he operates with, are as dangerous to the community as he is. We want to kill or jail this choice selection of robbers and break up the rest of the gang. To find them, to get among them somehow, to learn their movements, to lay your trap for us rangers to spring--that, Duane, is your service to me, and God knows it's a great one!""I have accepted it," replied Duane.
"Your work will be secret. You are now a ranger in my service.