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.His teeth were helping his hands tie a knot, so it was a moment before helooked up.His eyes passed over me, then went to my captor."What you got, John?""This is all we could find," the big fellow said defensively, "but it's getting late,you know.""Yes, and I know the men are sharp set; but a vow is a vow.Is there anythingunusual about him?"After a moment of thought the man beside me chuckled."He was unusualenough to put Scarlok to sleep when he was first stopped."Everybody within hearing seemed to think this a great joke.Even the man Ihad hit gave a sheepish grin."Aw, he caught me with my guard down.Besides, I wasn't out." His chief, who had laughed as heartily as anybody, still had merriment in hiseyes when he pointed his reddish beard my way."Have you any money?""We were going to frisk him," John said hastily, "but it was getting dark, andI ""Let the man answer, John.""I haven't even got a slug for a slot machine," I said, happy to spite them."You'll be glad, if you're telling the truth," he told me."Find out, John."Of course, they didn't find anything, though they were thorough."He ain'tgot a thing but this knife, Robin."There was a pathetic desperation in the report which pierced my own grimmisery.This skyscraper was hungry.Everybody else was very grave about it, butRobin's eyes met mine.In answer to my grin his mouth twitched."Maybe," he said to John, "we can find something else about him that willmake him qualify." He looked at me again."A man is only in the woods becausehe's lost, because he's running away, because he's going to meet a man, orbecause he's looking for a woman.""I'm doing all four," I informed him."More than that, I'm looking for dinner."As I said this, I could feel that everyone else was holding his breath.Then, astheir chief rose lithely, that breath was loosed in a sigh."You've come to the right place," Robin said."We're just about to eat."That was a swell barbecue.There was plenty of well-cooked venison andplenty of ale to wash it down with.The fire tempered the evening chill withoutrobbing the air of its freshness.Sandwiched between light and dark, I could seeboth sides of the world at once.The food, the earth, the wood smoke, the ale,and the forest provided an incomparable salad of smells.Below me the forestfloor was yielding.Above, the night wind riffled the leaves.The company was all right, too.Society may take a different view, but to theindividual the man who does not steal from him is no thief at all.As far as I wasconcerned, they were my pleasant benefactors, and I took to Robin.He and Iate together, talking as we worked at the meat with knife and fingers."We don't have many holy days in the woods here," he said."Lady's Day isabout the only one we keep, but to make up for it we keep it several times ayear.""Uh-huh." I didn't know what he was getting at, so I let him talk.He chewed hurriedly and cleared his throat with ale."On that day we holddinner until our Lady sends us a guest."I chuckled comfortably."Preferably one with money?""We like it better that way," he admitted, "but on Lady's Day that's not themain point.If he has too much cash, we'll ease him of his load, of course; buton the other hand, if he's broke, we'll help him out.In either case dinner is onus, and we try to make it a good one.""As long as I don't have to pay the shot, it seems like a great idea." I savored achunk of venison while I considered."And I'm the only stooge you could findtoday?""You don't appreciate the compliment.Just anybody won't do.The woods arefull of chicken thieves and kids who can't get along with their families.Wepicked one of those up this afternoon.No, to qualify as our Lady's Day guest aman has to be out of the ordinary." "Who isn't?" I asked, blowing the foam off a fresh horn of ale.After drinking, Ishoved the sharp end in the ground, as I had seen the others do."Incidentally,what was my selling point?""A hunch of mine, prompted by that white hank of hair.Just a minute.There's the only other fellow we collared today.Hey, Nicolind; come here."A slender youngster approached and, by invitation, sat down.Black hairstraggled out of a tam o' shanter to frame handsome, tanned features."He's come to the woods because he says town got too hot for him," Robinexplained, winking at me with the eye the other couldn't see."Nicolind, this isShandon Silverlock."The hand the youth gave me was firm, but it had never done much work.Mymind, meanwhile, was occupied.If those woods-running gangsters had beenwatching the road, why hadn't they seen Rosalette? Or had they seen her?"Tell me something," I said."Do you ever catch yourselves any ladies on Lady'sDay?""Nope." That was finality speaking."Any of the boys who want to botherwomen can go elsewhere.It is not to be done on my stamping ground." For thefirst time his face showed the toughness that enabled him to hold and directthis crew of roughnecks."Ask any of them what happens, if they forget that."His stand on that point made me feel less concerned about Rosalette."Didyour men happen to see a girl on that road, do you know? I'm not chasing her,"I added hastily."But she was all alone, and I'm worried about her.""That's right; you said you were looking for a woman.What about it, Nicolind?You were with the crew that picked you up, until it was relieved and broughtyou in.Did you see any maids or madames?"The youth reflected."I saw one, come to think of it, when I stepped off theroad to drink from a spring.""That must have been she," I declared."Did you talk to her?""No.She didn't seem to feel like it, and even without knowing how Robinhere felt about it, I never was one for running after girls.""They probably don't know you're anything to run from yet," Robin suggested."Wait till you get a few whiskers on your chin." He winked at me again."Nicolind says he wants to join up and be an outlaw.How about you?"When I hesitated, he smiled."I'm pledged to help anybody I pick up on Lady'sDay who's in trouble.I won't find that girl for you and couldn't make her loveyou, if I did; but if you're looking for a home, we might try each other out for afew days."If Rosalette hadn't passed Robin's patrols, she was straying in the forestsomewhere, probably not too far away.Even if I didn't find her, I would feelbetter if I spared some time for the effort.And if I stayed in the woods, I had tohave some source of nourishment."Suppose we leave it at that," I said."And thanks.""Think it over.Anybody who can knock Scarlok down is wasting his timeleading a peaceful life." Jabbing his knife in the earth to clean it, he rose."I'vegot to take a look around to see that everyone gets all he can eat and a littleless than that to drink.See you later."When he had gone, I reappraised the scene from a new angle.It might not betoo bad a life for a while, although I realized I was now looking at the butter side of it.Some were still eating, though most, like myself, were just enjoyingbeing at peace with their stomachs.The cooking fires were dying out, but thecamp fire still blazed.As men finished their meal, they tended to draw nearerto it.After a while Nicolind suggested that we do so, too.I had been feeling rather than thinking, but now my mind turned on again."Just what did that girl look like the one you saw back there at the spring?" Iasked."Oh, I don't know." He smiled and shrugged
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