The narrator expects, after two days on horseback, to arrive at the Virginian’s rendezvous point three days ahead of time and get in some fishing. Twelve hours into his rain-soaked ride, he stops at an abandoned ranch, part of the route planned for him by the Virginian, but he is early and finds there the Virginian and a group of cowboys, along with two captured horse-and-cattle thieves who will be hung in the morning. One of the captives is Steve, the Virginian’s friend from Medicine Bow.

Steve notices a newspaper sticking out of the narrator’s coat pocket. He asks to read it, and the narrator gives it to him. Steve reads portions of the news to his fellow captor, who listens glumly.

The narrator sleeps fitfully in the stable near the others. At dawn, the cowboys share breakfast with their captors; the narrator overhears them discussing the chase and learning from Steve how his gang had evaded them on more than one occasion. It develops that one of the gang had lit a fire, which led to Steve’s capture. The men trick Steve into giving up the name of the fire builder, the feckless