He was tall, lean and cadaverous, with a thin, hard face half hidden by a growth of beard and eyes as hard cold and unfeeling as the eyes of a diamond-back rattler. Along the Rio Grande he was known as a bad man to cross, very unlucky to argue with. He was thoroughly disliked from Pasear Hennessey’s outlaw hideout in the west to the eastern coast. The dislike was usually well hidden for Giss was better than fair with a rifle and no mean hand with a Colt gun and not particularly worried about giving the other man an even break. Yet for all that Giss rode with fear these days and his ordinary wolf caution was increased with the knowledge that his life was in danger. Giss did not fear ghosts and the faces of his murdered victims never troubled him but he was haunted by the ghost of a black-dressed young man who rode a huge white stallion. The fear of the Ysabel Kid grew with each day. Giss and Kraus had sent eight of their best men after the Kid but as the days passed Giss knew they had not succeeded.
