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diff --git a/old/62743-0.txt b/old/62743-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 58ea960..0000000 --- a/old/62743-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6882 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, Grace Harlowe's Overland Riders at Circle O -Ranch, by Josephine Chase - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - - -Title: Grace Harlowe's Overland Riders at Circle O Ranch - - -Author: Josephine Chase - - - -Release Date: July 24, 2020 [eBook #62743] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GRACE HARLOWE'S OVERLAND RIDERS AT -CIRCLE O RANCH*** - - -E-text prepared by Roger Frank and the Online Distributed Proofreading -Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by -Internet Archive (https://archive.org) - - - -Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this - file which includes the original illustrations. - See 62743-h.htm or 62743-h.zip: - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/62743/62743-h/62743-h.htm) - or - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/62743/62743-h.zip) - - - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - https://archive.org/details/graceharlowesove00flow_7 - - - - - -GRACE HARLOWE’S OVERLAND RIDERS AT CIRCLE O RANCH - - -[Illustration: “It’s Pap!”] - - -GRACE HARLOWE’S OVERLAND RIDERS AT CIRCLE O RANCH - -by - -JESSIE GRAHAM FLOWER - -Author of The High School Girls Series, The College Girls Series, The - Grace Harlowe Overseas Series, Grace Harlowe’s Overland Riders - on the Old Apache Trail, Grace Harlowe’s Overland Riders on - the Great American Desert, Grace Harlowe’s Overland Riders - Among the Kentucky Mountaineers, Grace Harlowe’s Overland - Riders in the Great North Woods, Grace Harlowe’s - Overland Riders in the High Sierras, Grace Harlowe’s - Overland Riders in the Yellowstone National - Park, Grace Harlowe’s Overland Riders in the - Black Hills, etc., etc. - -Illustrated - - - - - - -Philadelphia -Henry Altemus Company - -Copyrighted, 1923, by -Howard E. Altemus - -Printed in the United States of America - - - - - CONTENTS - - Chapter I—Peace in the Coso Valley - - Stacy’s dream is interpreted. Jim-Sam proves to - be a problem. A guide that could howl like a coyote. - “Mules, like some fellers, is contrary critters.” Sam’s - whiskers are expressive. A peace that was rudely - broken. - - Chapter II—On the Road to Trouble - - The Overlanders prepare for defense. Stacy’s weapon - a tent stake. Emma Dean in the toils. The shot - that stopped the roper. “Let ’em have it!” yells the - guide. All because of the fat boy’s dream. The - alarm. - - Chapter III—An Invitation to Move - - “Sit tight!” orders Hippy. A caller who threatened - trouble. Sam Conifer passes the lie. “I reckon I’d - kill ye whar ye stand!” Hands flash to weapons. - The stranger is ordered out of camp. When brains - were mixed. - - Chapter IV—At the “Circle O” Ranch - - Camp made in the foothills of the Cosos. “The Old - Man wants ter know what ye are doin’ heah!” The - Overlanders are again ordered to get out. Emma - explains the “imponderable something.” The dance - in the bunk-house. A bullet parts Sam Conifer’s - whiskers. - - Chapter V—Overlanders Suffer a Loss - - “Shoot, Sam! Shoot, I tell you!” A mysterious - shot is fired. Jim finds a trail. A “lovely party” - spoiled. The Overland Riders find their ponies missing. - Distress at the Circle O. Jim-Sam blame each - other. - - Chapter VI—Rustlers Are Hard Pressed - - A question of mules. Emma Dean looks for dreams. - Sam exchanges shots with a prowler. Stacy Brown - believes in safety first. Ranchers engage the rustlers - in a lively battle. Lieutenant Wingate wages an - unequal fight and loses. - - Chapter VII—A Fight to a Finish - - “Give ’em the rifles!” yells Two-gun Pete. The - end of the battle. An Overlander is found seriously - wounded. Tom bears bad news to his companions. - Elfreda gives first aid. Cowpunchers look on in - open-mouthed wonder. - - Chapter VIII—The “Dude” Makes Good - - Hippy is complimented by Two-gun Pete. “What’s - a hoss when it comes to a scrap?” What Hippy - Wingate dreamed. Grace Harlowe’s pony is recovered. - Ranchers help the Overlanders to move. - Judy Hornby makes an exciting entrance. - - Chapter IX—Judy Speaks Out - - The mountain girl wants to know what love is. Judy - tries poulticing for a sick heart. “If I could talk - like that I’d be a real lady.” Overland girls give helpful - advice. A word that drove a mustang to desperation. - - Chapter X—The Round-up - - “Pap sure was a scream,” declares Judy. The Overland - Riders witness a thrilling round-up. Stacy Brown - gets into new difficulties. J. Elfreda is accused of - frightening a wild steer to death. Bad news from - up the valley. - - Chapter XI—Hippy Defends the Ranch - - Lieutenant Wingate’s suspicions aroused. Two - ruffians are neatly trapped. The ranch-house under - rifle fire. A ruse that succeeded. “I’ve got to take - a chance.” Rifle bullets rip through the old house. - Disaster again overtakes the Overland Rider. - - Chapter XII—At the Last Moment - - An alarm scatters the mountain ruffians. “Hit the - trail! Hit it hard!” Cowpunchers find the ranch-house - on fire. A dramatic scene in Joe Bindloss’s - home. Captives give sullen replies. “The herd’s - stampeded an’ Pop’s been shot!” cries Idaho Jones. - - Chapter XIII—An Overlander Is Missing - - Hippy at last regains consciousness. Lieutenant - Wingate relates the story of the attack on the ranch-house. - Cowboys howl when they hear the news. Stacy Brown mysteriously - disappears. “The prisoners have got away!” - - Chapter XIV—The Lost Trail - - Malcolm Hornby refuses Joe Bindloss’s request. - “Pap’s got an awful grouch today.” Jim fails to - follow Chunky’s trail. The search is given up for - the night. Judy acts strangely. “Something has - happened to Jim!” Sam Conifer meets disaster. - - Chapter XV—Clews That Were Loaded - - The old guide finds the trail and a bullet finds him. - Stacy and Jim are among the missing. Two-gun - Pete makes a strange discovery. The mystery of - the carrier pigeons. Birds for a pie. “Wal, I’ll be - shot!” exclaims Joe Bindloss. - - Chapter XVI—The Carrier Pigeons’ Flight - - Chunky writes a letter for the Rustlers. “This - suspense is killing me!” cries Emma. High ransom - is demanded for the fat boy. How to follow the - trail of a bird. The “dove of peace” is liberated. - “I’ve got it!” shouts Sam Conifer. - - Chapter XVII—Stacy Decides to Leave - - How the Overland boy was captured. Mountain - ruffians make desperate plans. Money that came - down from the skies. “Put up yer hands, young - feller!” The fat boy in the toils. Stacy Brown finds - himself under arrest as a horse thief. - - Chapter XVIII—Trouble at Red Gulch - - Carrier pigeons point the way. The guide smells - smoke. Sam Conifer stalks the rustlers to their - lair. “Brown’ll be a dead dude by mornin’!” A - thunderbolt is hurled at the mountain ruffians. - Plotters get a rude surprise. - - Chapter XIX—A Duel in the Dark - - The magician’s wand. “Yer too yellow to draw!” - Sam reveals his identity to Mexican Charley. Six to - one. The outlaw takes a chance and loses. When the - light was shot out. “That’s what I calls a low-down - trick!” - - Chapter XX—Stacy Wields a Club - - The fat boy’s story is not believed. “All hoss thieves is - liars!” A barn his prison cell. “Heah’s yer chuck. - I hope it chokes ye!” Ordered to leave for prison. - Chunky turns the tables on his jailer and compliments - himself. - - Chapter XXI—Judy Brings Tidings - - A mysterious shot. Pete gets a bullet hole through - his hat. No trace of the missing Jim. Judy takes - her time in telling bad news. “Sam’s been killed - and Tom and Hippy wounded!” announces the - mountain girl. - - Chapter XXII— Riders of the Night - - Overland girls go in search of the missing ones. - Judy Hornby leads the way. The mountain cabin - found to be empty. Bindloss reads the trail. Startled - by the sound of shots. The worst is feared. “Fire! - They’ve set the grass on fire!” - - Chapter XXIII—Racing with Death - - Ponies become frantic with fear. Overland Riders feel - the thrill of the moment. “Faster!” cries the mountain - girl. Rifle shots sound nearer. A scene that - startled the Riders. The duel. A bandit meets his - reward. - - Chapter XXIV—Farewell to the Cosos - - Judy Hornby finds a new “Pap.” Stacy Brown - still stalked by trouble. “This feller is a hoss thief!” - When Judy’s dreams came true. - - - - -GRACE HARLOWE’S OVERLAND RIDERS AT CIRCLE O RANCH - - - - -CHAPTER I - -PEACE IN THE COSO VALLEY - - -“Does anyone know where we are at?” wondered Stacy Brown, the last -person to leave his berth in the car that morning. - -“We are in the Coso Valley,” replied Grace Harlowe Gray. - -“I never heard of it,” returned Stacy. “We are still in Southern -California, I presume.” - -“Of course. What a silly question!” interjected J. Elfreda Briggs -laughingly. - -“Young man, we are nearing our destination. If you don’t make haste -you will be left,” reminded Grace’s husband, Tom Gray. - -“Left! What a tragedy!” murmured Emma Dean. “By the way, Chunky, did -you dream last night?” she added, placing a hand on the fat boy’s -arm. - -“Of course I did. What’s the fun in sleeping if you don’t dream? I -dreamed that I was the King of England, and you should have seen—” - -“Stacy!” cried Emma in mock horror. “How unfortunate! To counteract -the effect of that unhappy dream, try tonight to dream that you are -a peasant. If you do not, some terrible misfortune is sure to -overtake you.” - -“Piffle! Where do you get that stuff, Emma? All right, Thomas. I’ll -be ready by the time the train stops,” added Stacy, addressing Tom -Gray, and moving on to the wash room, where he remained until the -train began to slow down for Carrago, their destination. Carrago was -a sleepy little far-western town whose only excuse for existence was -that it was the only trading center for the ranchers within a radius -of many miles in the broad valley that lay between the Argus and -Coso ranges, a remote section of the country selected by Grace -Harlowe’s Overland Riders for their regular summer’s outing in the -saddle. - -The scenery that morning had held the attention of the entire party -with the exception of Stacy, who had been too busy sleeping to give -heed to mere scenery, and the passengers were already detraining at -Carrago when he finally came rushing through the car. - -“Shall I brush you off?” asked the porter, facing him, broom in -hand. - -“Brush me off?” frowned Stacy, who thus far had avoided the porter. -“Well, no. I reckon that I’ll just get off in the ordinary way,” he -added, hurrying out to the vestibule of the Pullman and down to the -station platform. - -“That was rude of you, Stacy,” rebuked Miss Briggs, who had heard -the boy’s retort. - -“Rude? Huh! Do you think I want to be brushed off the train?” - -“Oh, Stacy! You are as hopeless as ever, aren’t you?” laughed Grace. -“Oh, this wonderful air!” she cried enthusiastically, turning to her -companions. “Tom, aren’t you going to look for the guide who was to -meet us here?” - -Tom Gray said that Hippy Wingate was attending to that, and just -then the Overlanders saw him halt before two bewhiskered natives -standing on the station platform side by side and assuming almost -identically the same pose. Both were old men. Their faces were -seamed and tanned, their shoulders stooped, and as they stood with -heads tilted back until their long beards protruded at almost the -same angle, they presented a picture that made the Overlanders -smile. - -“I am looking for Jim-Sam, who is to guide us,” announced Hippy, -addressing the men. - -“We’re Jim-Sam,” answered the men in chorus. “Be ye the dudes?” - -“Well, not exactly,” interjected Stacy Brown. - -“This is the party that engaged Jim-Sam,” repeated Hippy patiently. -“Which of you is Jim-Sam?” - -“Both of us,” added the taller of the two men. “I’m Sam, an’ this -heah galoot standin’ side me is Jim, an’—” - -“I’ll have ye understand that I ain’t no galoot,” objected Jim -heatedly, shaking a finger under Sam’s nose. - -“Hold on, you two! Let me get this clear,” interposed Tom Gray, -stepping up to them. “Do you mean that we have engaged, not one -guide, but two?” - -Sam explained that he and Jim were “pards,” and that they had always -worked together, and “fit an’ died together” these many years, -adding further, that Jim, being a spavined, ring-boned old cayuse -wasn’t much good to anyone, himself included, but that he could hold -the horses and howl like a coyote at the pack-horses to keep them -going. - -“Haw, haw!” exploded Stacy. - -“I don’t know about this,” muttered Hippy, removing his hat and -mopping his forehead. - -“Are you two gentlemen heavy eaters?” questioned Emma. “The reason I -ask is, that we already have two powerful eaters in this outfit, and -I doubt if we could stand to feed more like them.” - -“We kin rustle our own grub,” promised Jim. - -“I suggest that we go into executive session and talk this over,” -urged Miss Briggs. - -The suggestion was approved and the Overlanders withdrew for -discussion, Jim and Sam holding their positions, apparently the most -disinterested persons on the station platform. Inquiry developed -that the salary named in the letter of Jim-Sam covered the services -of both, so, after talking the matter over, the Overland Riders -decided to take on this strange pair to guide them. The fact that -the guides owned their own ponies and pack-mules was an added -inducement. Otherwise it would be necessary to hire or buy -pack-animals. - -Hippy Wingate told the guides that they had been accepted, then he -introduced each member of the party to them. Nora Wingate laughingly -warned the pair that they were embarking on a perilous undertaking -when they set out with the Overland Riders, whereat Jim-Sam’s -whiskers stiffened, but the owners made no reply. - -Emma Dean, speaking confidentially to Hippy, objected to guides -wearing such long whiskers, though she thought the men themselves -might do very well. Emma was of the opinion that such whiskers were -not sanitary, and averred that if San Antone, who had guided them -through the Black Hills, were present he would correct the fault by -shooting off the whiskers without making the slightest fuss about -it. - -Tom interrupted Emma’s conversation by urging that the Overland -ponies be unloaded at once, the car containing them having, by this -time, been shunted to a switch. - -“When do ye reckon on gittin’ out o’ heah?” asked Sam. - -“We shall be ready by the time you get your mules and packs ready,” -answered Hippy. “This outfit moves without fuss, but it occasionally -makes quite a racket in doing so. Get busy, boys!” - -Jim-Sam turned away, still side by side, each carrying himself with -a dignity that made the Overlanders laugh. While the provisions and -other equipment were being purchased by the women of the party, Tom -and Hippy unloaded the ponies, and Stacy, uttering many grunts and -groans, piled their equipment on the ground near the stock car. The -ponies were then secured to the tie-rail in front of the general -store, where they were looked over and felt of by every man in the -village, including several cowboys from neighboring ranches. - -During the unloading, Hippy and Tom had noticed a cowboy sitting on -a mustang some little distance from them, observing the Overland -operations with keen interest. - -“Who is that fellow?” asked Hippy of a bystander. - -The native shook his head, and the horseman, seeing that he had -attracted attention to himself, jerked his pony about and trotted -away. - -“I don’t like the looks of that chap,” declared Tom. - -“I reckon he’s all right. Most cowpunchers look tougher than they -really are, though it is quite possible that we may meet up with -some real rough-necks. I have heard that they are not difficult to -find in the Coso range,” replied Hippy. - -“Oh, there come our heavenly twins,” cried Emma, who had returned -from the store with an armful of packages. - -Jim and Sam had just appeared dragging a pair of unwilling mules, -behind which, saddled and bridled, trailed two long-haired mustangs. -The two men were alternately arguing and berating each other and -threatening the mules. - -“What kind of an outfit is this?” wondered Emma, her merry eyes -regarding the scene. - -“You may search me,” was Hippy’s laughing reply. “Here come the -other girls. Good gracious! Where do they expect to stow all that -stuff? Jim-Sam, pull up here and sling your packs. Is that as fast -as those mules can travel? If so you had better leave them at home.” - -The guides were too busy arguing to give heed to Hippy’s words, but -when they reached the station platform they took hold of the work -with surprising alacrity and began rolling packs with skillful -hands. - -“What are they?” asked Emma, pointing to the lazy mules. - -“Jest mules,” answered Jim without looking up, and Sam echoed his -statement. “Don’t have to have no names. When my long-haired cayuse -does somethin’ he oughtn’t, Sam gives him er kick, an’ when Sam’s -critter cuts up capers I give his’n the boot.” - -“No names?” wondered Emma. “Yes, but what do you call them when you -want them to come to you?” - -“Missie, what we calls ’em sometimes ain’t sootable fer a young -woman to hear,” grinned Jim. - -“Then kindly see that you do not call them,” retorted Emma, turning -away. - -The Overlanders observed that their guides now wore heavy revolvers -and that the saddle-boot of each held a rifle, which aroused -apprehension in the minds of at least two of the girls. Jim-Sam, -however, assured them that the Coso Valley and the mountain ranges -on either side of it were as peaceful as “Sunday meetin’,” and, -further, that “nothin’” ever happened there. Something did threaten -to happen, though, when it came to lashing the packs to the mules, -and Jim-Sam instantly became involved in a violent argument as to -how the packs should be “thrown,” the two men in their anger shaking -belligerent fists under each other’s nose until they nearly came to -blows. - -“If I had a disposition like your’n I’d go shoot myself,” raged Jim. - -“If I was a cantankerous cuss like you I’d go live with the coyotes -where I could snarl all day an’ bark all night. Git outer my way -afore I soak ye in the jaw!” threatened Sam. - -“That’s right, Sam. Hit him!” urged Stacy Brown. “He isn’t any -good.” - -“Yes, he is, too! Don’t ye say nothin’ agin my pardner. I ain’t -standin’ fer nothin’ like that.” - -“Here, here!” interrupted Tom Gray. “Stacy, let these men alone and -pack your pony. Jim-Sam, you will stop your quarreling and do your -work or we may change our minds about taking you along.” - -“You understand, we wish to head for the Bindloss ranch—the Circle -O Ranch, I believe they call it. We do not know Bindloss, but we -propose to get acquainted with him.” Hippy grinned as he said it. - -“This really promises to be a peaceful journey,” observed Miss -Briggs solemnly, whereat the Overland girls gave way to the -merriment that for some moments they had been restraining, then -preparations for the start were resumed with renewed speed and -vigor. - -Departure for the Circle O was made within an hour. The Circle O was -a ranch where a friend of Lieutenant Hippy Wingate had put up while -on a hunting trip in the mountains some time before, and it was -because of what his friend had told him of Old Joe Bindloss and his -ranch that Hippy decided to take in the Circle O on their summer’s -ride. - -The start was accomplished to the accompaniment of shouts and yells -from Jim-Sam to get the mules started and headed in the right -direction as well as to keep them going. It was a task that proved -too much for the old guides, who, finally, after getting well out in -the valley, rode on ahead with the Overlanders. The pack-mules, -finding themselves being left behind, increased their pace and soon -caught up with the outfit. - -“That’s the way with mules. Contrary critters jest like some fellers -I know of,” volunteered Jim, giving Sam a withering glance. “If ye -wants ’em to go back’ards jest try to drive ’em for’ards.” - -“An’ then agin, some fellers is so gosh darn stubborn they won’t go -either way when ye tells ’em to go t’other,” retorted Sam. “Folks, -git yer appetites workin’ fer we’ll soon be eatin’.” - -Luncheon that first day was taken sitting on the sand by a water -hole, and was a brief affair, for Jim-Sam had a camping place in -mind, to reach which meant a long, hard ride. It was some time after -nightfall when they arrived there, and still later when the lazy -mules dragged themselves in, uttering long-drawn brays of -satisfaction or dissatisfaction or whatever it might be. The animals -were quickly relieved of their packs and turned loose to roll and -feed on the desert sage through the night. All day long Jim-Sam had -argued and quarreled, and by the time they made camp they had -reached a point where they no longer spoke to each other. - -“What are we going to do with them?” wondered Tom Gray frowningly. - -“Keep them, of course,” answered Grace. “Tom, they are a real treat, -but if Stacy and Emma do not stop stirring them up we may have to -send for the sheriff of the county. Just look at them now,” she -added laughingly. - -Jim and Sam were sitting back to back unrolling packs, each man -muttering to himself his opinion of the other. Later in the evening -the Overlanders got them talking and drew the guides out. It -developed that the pair had been prospectors nearly all their lives; -that they had loved and fought each other for so many years that -they had lost count of them, and when their halting story had -finally been finished, the Overland Riders looked upon Jim-Sam with -new appreciation. Emma Dean characterized them as a pair of “beloved -vagabonds.” - -This having been their first day in the saddle since the previous -season, the Overlanders were saddle-weary, and some of them -were sore and lame. Miss Briggs hobbled about painfully and -complainingly, and Nora Wingate lay by the little campfire rolled in -her blanket, the picture of woe. Emma and Grace, however, appeared -not to be suffering the slightest degree of discomfort. - -Jim cooked the supper, and it was a good one, for he made biscuits -and served them hot, soaked in bacon gravy, a luxury to which the -Riders had not been accustomed. They made the most of their -opportunity, and Stacy Brown’s appetite, as usual, was not fully -satisfied until some time after his companions had finished supper. -Then all hands gathered about the fire for a chat. - -“Samuel, do you ever dream?” questioned Emma after thoughtfully -regarding the old guide for some moments. - -“Sure I do, Missie. I dreamed last night that that critter—that -ornery mule o’ Jim’s—kicked the everlasting daylight out o’ me,” -growled Sam. - -“Oh, you don’t mean it? That was fine,” glowed Emma. - -“Eh?” Sam’s whiskers stood out belligerently. The old guide’s -whiskers could express varying shades of emotion. - -“Your dream means that you are going to have good luck—the best -ever. Perhaps you are about to discover a gold mine or a hole in the -ground where one has been, or something like that,” bubbled Emma. - -“Wrong up here again,” muttered Stacy Brown, significantly tapping -his head with a finger. - -“I should say that Emma has read one of those five-cent dream -books,” suggested Miss Briggs. - -“It is my opinion that she has been fitting herself for a lunatic -seminary—cemeter—sanitarium,” corrected Stacy. - -“Tell us about it,” urged Grace, smiling over at Miss Dean. - -“I will if you folks won’t laugh at me. I am a student of Professor -Freud’s new science of dreams,” announced Emma with dignity. “The -professor has demonstrated beyond question that there is an -imponderable quality within us—” - -“You mean hot biscuit and gravy,” interjected Hippy Wingate. “Since -I overate this evening I surely have an imponderable quality in my -midst,” he added amid much laughter. - -Emma elevated a disdainful chin. - -“I see nothing funny in a scientific discussion,” she retorted. “As -I was about to say when so rudely interrupted, Professor Freud has -conclusively proved that every dream has its meaning—that the -imponderable quality in the subconscious mind never ceases to work; -that it even works when we sleep, and—” - -“Old Subconscious ought to join a union,” suggested Stacy. - -“And that, if we will but learn a few simple rules, we shall be able -to interpret those dreams and be better able to avoid many perils as -well as to take advantage of real opportunities. Always let the -imponderable quality have its way,” urged Emma. - -Jim-Sam’s whiskers drooped, and the Overlanders repressed their -laughter. - -“Perhaps you yourself might dream out the solution of a mystery for -us,” suggested Grace. “I mean as to the identity and purpose of the -horseman who has been riding a parallel course with us all day, -evidently keeping us under observation.” - -The guides gave her a quick, keen look. - -“Miss, I reckon as ye ain’t no tenderfoot,” observed Sam dryly. - -“A man following us?” cried Nora. “It has come already! I knew it -would. I knew that trouble would follow this outfit, just as it has -done from the moment we set out over the Old Apache Trail right on -down until we ended our vacation in the Black Hills last summer.” - -Others of the party had observed the solitary horseman, but had -attached no particular significance to his traveling in the same -direction that they were following. - -“Watching us, do you think?” wondered Emma. - -“What about him, Jim-Sam?” demanded Tom Gray. - -“Wal, I reckons mebby he is the feller that was hangin’ ’round when -ye folks was unloadin’ at Carrago. He was a-snoopin’, an’ I don’t -reckon as he was doin’ it fer no good. I didn’t like the look of him -nohow,” growled Jim. - -“Ye ain’t dreamed nothin’ ’bout that, has ye, Miss Dean?” asked Sam. - -“No. Not yet. However, in case it means trouble for us either I or -one of the others will get a reaction in advance and—” - -“Ha, ha!” laughed Hippy. “A reaction in advance! That surely is a -new one. Were Freud to hear that he himself surely would have a bad -attack of nightmare.” - -“I mean that one of us will feel that imponderable quality stirring -within us,” explained Emma, her color rising. “We shall know. No -harm can come to us without our being warned in advance. I—” - -A volley of revolver shots punctuated the silence of the desert -night—shots close at hand, accompanied by yells, hoots and howls, -and the thudding of many unshod hoofs. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -ON THE ROAD TO TROUBLE - - -“Merciful heaven! What is that?” cried Nora Wingate, the color -rushing to her cheeks, then instantly receding, leaving them -blanched with fear. - -The Overland Riders were, for the moment, too startled to move, and -it was Jim and Sam who first sprang to their feet. - -“Look out! They aire comin’!” warned Sam. - -The girls ran for the protection of their tents, with the exception -of Emma Dean, who appeared to be too frightened to stir. Tom and -Hippy were on their feet a second or so behind Jim-Sam, each with a -hand on his revolver holster, while Stacy had disappeared on the -dark side of his tent. Stacy Brown always believed in safety first, -and he seldom lost many seconds in applying that principle. - -All this occurred within the space of a few seconds, during which -the shooting and the shouting had ceased, but the hoof-beats of -ponies sounded much nearer to the camp. Then the Overlanders saw -them. Wild riders they were, shadowy figures in the night, keeping -just beyond the flickering rays shed by the campfire, but circling -the camp, racing their mustangs. Once more their shrill penetrating -yells split the silence, followed by a rattling fire of revolver -shots. - -“They’re shootin’ into the air. They don’t mean no harm. Keep -steady!” urged Jim. - -“Shoo them off, Jim-Sam! Somebody will be shooting lower than that -if this keeps on for many minutes,” warned Hippy Wingate. - -“Git out o’ this, ye galoots!” yelled Sam as one rider, bolder than -the others, drove his pony right through the camp. The animal -hurdled the campfire and ran between two of the Overland tents. -Yells from his companions greeted the achievement. - -The night rider repeated the performance, but this time Jim-Sam -fired at the same instant, one bullet snipping off the rider’s hat, -the other fanning the hind hoofs of the pony. - -“Now you’ve done it, you poor, crazy coyote!” roared Sam. - -“I didn’t. You did it yourself. I fanned the critter’s feet,” -retorted Jim. “Look out, they’re comin’ fer keeps this time!” - -They were. - -The wild night riders had circled out on the desert until joined by -the man who had twice ridden through the Overland camp, then they -drove their ponies straight at the camp, uttering thrilling yells -and shooting into the air. They were upon the camp before the -Overland Riders fully realized what their attackers were doing. The -man in the lead rode down the little tent beside which Stacy Brown -was in hiding, and Stacy, who had armed himself with a tent stake, -hurled it at the fellow as he passed. The stake reached its -mark—the neck of the rider—and the man sagged in his saddle as the -pony rushed on into the darkness. - -“I hit him!” yelled Stacy. - -The rest of the riders went through with a rush. - -“Do that agin’ an’ I’ll wing ye!” howled Sam. - -The attackers did it again. The tents no longer being a safe refuge, -the girls ran out and stood by the campfire so that the night riders -might see and avoid them. Emma stood a few yards from them, where -she had been standing since the excitement began. This time the -riders rode down the rest of the tents, with weapons still shooting -into the air. - -Sam had returned his revolver to its holster, but a nervous hand -trembled on the butt of the weapon—trembled not because of any fear -of its owner, but because all the nervous tension of a trained -gunman was centered in it. The riders were growing wilder with each -passing second, and Sam was growing proportionately calmer, with -shoulders slouched forward and whiskers standing out at a sharper -angle. It was plain that nothing short of shooting with intent to -wound or kill could stay the orgy of those wild night riders and -their mustangs whose flashing heels were a peril to every member of -the Overland party. Both Jim and Sam, knowing that aggressive action -on their part would bring down the wrath of the riders, hesitated. - -There came a moment, however, when restraint was no longer possible. -The horsemen had cleared the camp and were turning for another sweep -over it when a rider on a dust-covered pony came galloping into the -light of the campfire. - -“Whoo-pee!” he howled, his lariat in a great loop spinning over his -head. - -“Look out!” roared Jim warningly, for he saw where the rope was -going to drop. - -His warning failed of its purpose. The lariat came down in a flash, -and the great loop, holding its form in a perfect circle, dropped -neatly over the head of Emma Dean. - -At first Emma did not realize what had happened, but as the coil -suddenly tightened about her waist she uttered a scream. Her feet -left their footing and Emma measured her length on the ground, the -coil gripping her tighter and tighter, though the roper had checked -the speed of his mustang and was letting the rope slip slowly -through his hands. - -Sam’s hand was trembling on the butt of his revolver more agitated -than before. The trembling ceased suddenly, and there followed a -twitch of the wrist, a flash, and a sharp report. The roper uttered -a yell and let go of his lariat. Sam’s shot had shattered his wrist. - -Hippy sprang to Emma and freed her of the lariat. - -“Git down!” yelled Sam. “The varmits is goin’ to shoot!” - -The “varmits” shot lower this time, but every member of the Overland -party had taken to the shadows and thrown themselves down, as the -rider who had roped Emma dashed out holding his wounded wrist, -yelling to his companions to take it out of the man who had shot -him. - -By this time Tom and Hippy had gotten their rifles and were watching -and waiting, fully expecting further and more serious trouble. It -came in the shape of another charge of the night riders. This time -their yells were savage. The new note in them told the Overlanders -what was coming. - -“Let ’em have it, fellers!” urged Jim. - -“Girls, keep down!” called Grace Harlowe, as Emma Dean once more -stood up. “Isn’t once enough for you?” - -Emma permitted herself to sink to the ground, just in time to avoid -a rattling fire of revolver shots from the raiders. - -At this juncture, Jim and Sam let go with their heavy revolvers, -followed a few seconds later by the crash of the two Overland -rifles. That some of their bullets had taken effect the Overlanders -knew by the angry yells of their attackers. A rider’s pony went down -on its nose at the very edge of the camp and its rider plunged -forward to the ground, whereupon the pony staggered to its feet and -limped away, but the rider lay where he had fallen. - -“Jim-Sam, don’t kill ’em!” begged Tom Gray. “Drive ’em off, that’s -all.” - -The fellow’s companions, leaning from saddles, dragged the wounded -man away, whence he was flung on a mustang and carried off, but how -badly the fellow was hurt the Overlanders had no means of knowing. -They kept on shooting just the same, backed up now by the weapons of -Jim-Sam, and it took but a few shots from the heavy weapons to drive -the raiders away. - -“Now, ye infernal idiot! Do ye reckon ye’ve done enough fer one -night?” demanded Jim sarcastically. - -“I reckon I done too much when I saved yer miserable hide from them -raiders,” flung back Sam. “Anybody git hurt?” - -“I believe that I am the only casualty, but it was only my feelings -that were hurt by the fall that my pride got,” replied Emma. “This -is indeed a peaceful valley, isn’t it, Sam? Nothing ever happens -here. Oh, no!” - -Suppressed chuckles greeted Emma’s retort, but Jim and Sam had -already run out of camp to make certain that the raiders had really -gone away. The guides found that they had departed, but fearing that -the attackers might return, they decided to watch the camp for the -rest of the night. - -The Overland Riders, acting upon the suggestion of Sam, were putting -out the fire and beginning to get the camp in condition for -sleeping, when Stacy Brown strolled into the scene. He had not been -seen since the attack began. - -“My tent is all down and torn,” he complained. - -“So are others,” reminded Nora. “What shall we do about it?” - -“Nothing until daylight,” answered Tom briefly. - -“I suppose I am responsible for driving those ruffians away,” -boasted the fat boy. “I hit that fellow an awful wallop with a tent -stake when he went past me, and that made the rest of the gang more -careful. Think of it! I didn’t have to fire a shot to do it, -either!” - -“Yes. You did it all, little man. But if you love us, never again -dream that you are the King of England or the Emperor of the -Cannibal Islands. I read in that dream of yours that something -terrible was going to happen. Oh, Sam! That was a wonderful shot of -yours,” she complimented glowingly, turning to the guide as he -stalked in, combing his whiskers with his hand. “It was perfectly -adorable of you to shoot that fellow after he had roped me. And such -a shot! Did you mean to hit him in the wrist or did you shoot at the -pony’s feet?” questioned Emma innocently. - -Sam’s whiskers bristled. - -“I reckon I hit what I shot at,” he answered briefly. - -“How wonderful! I wish I could shoot like that.” She tapped his -holster, and smiled up into the weatherbeaten face. - -“You kin. I’ll larn ye, Missie. You’ve got the feel of a gun in yer -make-up. We’ll talk about it later on.” - -“Yes,” agreed Tom Gray. “Other matters are of more importance at the -moment. What have you to say about the attack on us? What does it -mean?” - -“I reckon they aire a lot of wild cowboys that wanted to have some -fun with us,” drawled Sam. - -“No. I don’t agree with you,” spoke up Grace. “They were too savage -for men bent on having fun with a party of campers. I have been -wondering if the mysterious horseman, that kept abreast of us all -day, had anything to do with the raid?” - -“Cowboys on a spree,” persisted Sam. - -“Ain’t no such thing,” interjected Jim, coming in in time to hear -his partner’s assertion. “Any galoot with a spoonful o’ brains under -his hair would know better ’n that. Them’s wild horse hunters!” - -“Huh! Know it all, don’t ye?” leered Sam. - -“Have to, bein’ as I’m hitched up with you.” - -The laughter of the Overlanders put an end to the argument of the -two guides, following which preparations for the night were resumed. -It was decided not to try to mend the tents until daylight, which -meant that some of the party must sleep on the ground in the open. -J. Elfreda Briggs objected loudly. - -“There are rattlesnakes here! I saw one today. What if one should -crawl into my blanket in the night? I know I should die of fright.” - -“Silly!” rebuked Emma. “If such a thing should occur, I’ll tell you -what to do. Don’t move a muscle nor make a sound, but call for Sam, -and he will shoot the head off the reptile without so much as -disturbing your rest.” - -“Emma Dean, your logic is overwhelming. As a lawyer I fully -appreciate it, and I thank you for the suggestions. Without moving -and without speaking, I will yell for Sam and he will fan my cheek -with a bullet, and during it all I shall slumber on as peacefully as -a babe in its cradle. Lovely!” - -“Never mind the snakes. Turn in!” ordered Hippy. - -An hour later the camp was asleep and just outside of it prowled Jim -and Sam, halting to growl at each other when they met on their -rounds. Only once during the night was the quiet disturbed. About -two o’clock in the morning Jim-Sam heard a body of horsemen moving. -It was but a faint thudding that was borne to their ears, and after -listening for some time they heard the hoof-beats die away in the -distance. - -“Glad we ain’t got to do no more shootin’,” observed Sam. “Might -wake up the gals and that shore would be too bad. Say, Jim, that -little Missie Dean, with the freckled face like a speckled trout, -shore’s got spunk.” - -“A-huh! Mebby she’ll lend ye some of it,” retorted Jim. - -“Shet up!” growled Sam, and strode away for another round of the -camp. - -A pack of coyotes at this juncture barked in a yelping chorus, and -the Overlanders heard them but only faintly, for it was now a -familiar sound to them after their many nights in the wilder places -of their native land. - -Morning dawned bright and beautiful. The day promised to be warm, -and, as Elfreda Briggs opened her eyes, her first thought was of -snakes; and her next, the sweet, pungent, penetrating fragrance of -sage which lay heavy on the morning air. A cautious investigation -showed that no serpent had taken refuge in her blanket, whereat -Elfreda Briggs heaved a deep sigh of relief. - -Sam stood a short distance from her, whiskers standing out, shading -his eyes with a hand as he gazed over the surrounding country. He -stood straight like an Indian, and Elfreda found herself studying -this strange old man of the hills and the desert—studying him with -a new interest. He was rather above medium height with the small -hips of a rider. His eyes were faintly gray, and his was the lean, -strong face of the man of the open, a face that was lined with -wrinkles, and as he gazed there was a look of nobility about it that -held her fascinated. - -The guide turned suddenly and saw her. He smiled and passed a hand -over his whiskers. - -“What is it, Sam?” questioned Elfreda. - -“Mornin’! Nothin’ but a little cloud o’ dust. Might have been made -by a hoss or a little wind pocket.” - -The Overlanders now began to sit up and rub their eyes. - -“Breakfast is nigh ready. That no ’count pard o’ mine is fryin’ the -bacon an’ I reckon he’s boiled the coffee till it ain’t fit to feed -to coyotes,” observed Sam. - -“Do coyotes drink coffee?” questioned Emma, blinking in the strong -morning light. - -“I reckon they takes somethin’ like that to keep ’em awake nights,” -answered Sam, whereat the Overlanders laughed and began throwing off -their blankets, all now fully awake. - -The camp looked to be a wreck, but a hurried examination revealed -that it was not as bad as it looked. There were rents in the -flattened tents that would call for the work of the women to repair, -and some of the packs had been trampled on by the raiding ponies. - -It was decided to put tents and equipment in condition before -starting out, and this took nearly half of the forenoon, so the -start was not made until after luncheon. - -Not a human being had been seen all that morning, nothing of a -disturbing nature had occurred except the dust cloud that Sam had -discovered. A few hours after they set out, however, a horseman was -discovered in the far distance, sitting motionless in his saddle. He -did not move until the Overland party had proceeded some two miles, -whereupon he started along on a parallel course. - -“It is our mysterious horseman, I am positive,” announced Grace, -after a long look through her binoculars. - -At Hippy’s suggestion the party changed their course and headed -directly for the course that the stranger was following. Shortly -after that he too changed his course. Several similar experiments -were made by the Overlanders, and always with the same result. It -became plain to them that the mysterious horseman was keeping them -under observation, but for what reason not even Jim-Sam seemed to be -able to guess. - -These deviations had carried the Overlanders some distance out of -their way, and to reach their proposed camping place for that night -would necessitate traveling after dark, so the guides decided to -camp at the nearest water hole, which proved to be located in the -foothills. There the foliage was greener and fresher, and bunches of -grass made fine grazing for the ponies. - -Supper was an enjoyable affair that evening, especially so because -Jim and Sam enlivened the occasion by wrangling over the way that -Jim had cooked the beans for their mess. Jim, finally becoming too -enraged to eat, got up and stalked away, whereupon Sam gravely ate -his own portion, and then finished all that Jim had left. - -The party had barely finished supper when the familiar hoof-beats of -a rapidly riding party of horsemen were heard. The Overlanders were -on their feet in an instant, each member of the party hurriedly -throwing on his holster, then looking to Jim-Sam for orders. - -“I reckon nobody ain’t goin’ to do no shootin’ till I’ve had a first -crack at the cayuses,” ordered Sam. - -The Overland Riders tensed their muscles and their nerves for what -they believed was to be a battle in earnest. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -AN INVITATION TO MOVE - - -“They’ve stopped!” breathed Grace. - -“One of ’em hain’t,” answered Jim. “He’s comin’ on.” - -“Jim-Sam, you sit tight, both of you. I’ll talk with him,” said -Hippy, stepping forward a little to get the light of the campfire at -his back. - -A man on a gray bronco rode out of the shadows at a slow trot, and -pulled up a few yards from the camp where he sat surveying the -outfit. No one spoke, but the Overlanders were ready for any hostile -move. - -After a few seconds the horseman slipped from his saddle, tossed the -bridle-rein over the pommel, and clanked towards the Overlanders. -Hippy stepped forward to meet him. The newcomer was short and -swarthy. He wore a Mexican sombrero, fancifully decorated; a gun -swung at his hip and a row of brass-tipped cartridges showed in his -belt. Black, searching eyes swept from one to another of the -Overland Riders, finally returning to Hippy Wingate and resting on -him with a challenge in their depths. - -“Well! Now that you have given us the once-over, what’s the big -idea?” demanded Hippy. - -“Who be you?” snapped the horseman. - -“I might ask the same question.” - -“Don’t git funny. It ain’t healthy,” warned the fellow. - -“We are here for reasons best known to ourselves, which can be of no -interest to you. Are you one of the party that attacked us last -night?” - -“No, I don’t know nothin’ ’bout that.” - -“Then what do you want here?” - -“To tell you to git out! You ain’t got no business here. Pack up an’ -mush out o’ this, an’ if you don’t do it fast enough I’ve got boys -that’ll help you along.” - -Jim-Sam were getting nervous, but they were obeying orders. Tom Gray -stepped forward and asked the reason for the stranger’s demand. - -“These heah is grazin’ grounds fer stock, and the man that owns them -don’t ’low no others on his land. Yer stock is eatin’ up the grass -that belongs to his cattle, so you’ll have to hike out of this heah -valley, and do it quick.” - -“Stranger! Who is this feller that owns this range?” drawled Sam. - -“Hornby! Malcolm Hornby of the ‘Double Q’ ranch,” was the prompt -reply. - -“Stranger, I ain’t particular ’bout stirrin’ up trouble, bein’ an -old man and a little rheumatic in the joints, an’ ’specially in the -trigger finger, but what would ye say if I said ye was a liar?” -asked Sam half humorously, though the expression in his eyes was not -in harmony with his tone. - -“I reckon I’d kill ye whar ye stand!” shot back the fellow, flushing -hotly under his tan. - -“So?” nodded the guide. - -“Is what this man says the truth?” demanded Tom Gray, turning to -Sam. - -“This heah land don’t b’long to Hornby. Mebby he grazes his stock -heah, but this grass don’t b’long to nobody. We got as much right to -graze our stock heah as he has, an’ that’s all that’s to say ’bout -it.” - -“You have your answer, Mr. Man. I don’t know your game, but it is my -opinion that you are not only what this gentleman has called you, -but that you are bad medicine as well,” declared Tom Gray, looking -the caller squarely in the eyes. - -“Meanin’ that I’m a liar?” - -“I reckon that’s about the size of it.” - -“Get out of here!” commanded Hippy sharply. “We can take care of -ourselves.” - -The stranger’s hand flew to his holster, but there the hand paused. - -“Easy thar! Don’t draw,” warned Sam whose own right hand hovered -near his weapon. “It ain’t safe. You might hurt somebody, or mebby I -might hurt you, an’ that wouldn’t do nohow before these young women -who don’t like to see a feller git hurt. But if you’ve got to draw, -pint your gun this way an’ mebby I ain’t too old or my rheumatiz -ain’t too crinkly so that I can’t dodge yer bullet.” - -The stranger’s hand closed over the butt of his revolver and half -drew the weapon from its holster. It drew no further, for the fellow -suddenly found himself facing Sam’s weapon, which had been drawn -with a speed that must have been a revelation to him, because his -face reflected amazement, as well as rage. - -“If ye must shoot that gun off, take my advice an’ come ’round in -the daytime when ye can see better, an’ we’ll fit it out man to man. -But git! This ain’t no company fer a feller like you who can’t talk -without a gun in his hand. Be ye goin’?” - -“Yes, but I’ll come back and you’ll be the one to git,” the fellow -flung at him, turning abruptly on his heel. - -“Hol’ on a minute thar!” commanded the guide. “Don’t try to start -nothin’ at all heah. These friends of mine an’ these fine young -women has seen yer kind before an’ they’d as lief shoot as not. Go -back to Hornby, if he sent ye, an’ tell him to come out hisself if -he is so tarnation ’fraid we’ll spile this grass. Jest a word more. -We’ll watch ye an’ if ye try any tricks we’ll shoot. That’s all I’ve -got to say to ye.” - -“You’ll hear from me!” shouted the departing caller as he flung -himself into his saddle. - -“I hear ye now, but yer voice sounds like as if ye was afraid of -somethin’,” drawled Sam. - -The fellow rode away without another word. - -“Follow him, Sam!” urged Grace. “We don’t know but they may rush us, -just as the raiders did last night,” warned Grace. - -“Leave it to Jim. He’s out thar an’ Jim kin trail a canary bird -without the bird ever knowin’ it. Jim’ll give us the word if them -fellers try any of their fancy tricks.” - -“Oh, Samuel, why didn’t you shoot while you had an excuse for doing -so?” begged Emma. - -The Overlanders laughed. They knew Emma and they did not take her -suggestion seriously. - -Half an hour later, during which time the Overland Riders had -remained quietly alert, Jim came stalking in, stroking his whiskers. - -“Have they gone?” questioned the Overlanders in chorus. - -“I reckon they knowed what was good for ’em, so they skedaddled,” -replied Jim. - -“Which way an’ whar did they go?” demanded Sam. - -“West! How do I know whar they went?” - -“If you was half a man you would know. You ain’t no more ’count, an’ -not half so much use, as that tarnation mule that carries yer pack. -But it ain’t your fault, an’ I reckon I oughter not set so much -store by you. A feller can’t be blamed much because he was borned -with half a teaspoonful of brains in his haid,” raged Sam. - -“I s’pose ye think you an’ that mule of yourn has all the brains in -this heah outfit. Wal, I reckon you’re part right ’cause you an’ the -mule has got some brains, but when the Lord made ye he got you two -mixed. He thought you was the mule, so he give you the mule’s brains -an’ the mule got yourn. I reckon—” - -“Oh, shet up, will ye?” snarled Sam savagely, tugging viciously at -his whiskers, while a gale of laughter swept over the Overland -Riders. Jim and Sam did not speak to each other again that night, -but glared as they met in their prowling about in ceaseless vigil of -the camp. - -The next morning found the guides still deadly enemies, but after -breakfast Emma cleared the clouds away by making a disparaging -remark about Jim to Sam, whereupon Sam promptly came to the defense -of his partner, and Jim heard it. - -A late start was made, the guides having informed their charges that -they were only a few hours’ ride from Old Joe Bindloss’s “Circle O” -ranch. An hour after the start they again discovered what they -believed to be their mysterious horseman, but he disappeared shortly -after luncheon and was seen no more, and the Overland Riders, making -a sharp turn to the right, now headed towards the purple haze behind -which lay the foothills and the mountains of the Coso range, where -adventure awaited them. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -AT THE “CIRCLE O” RANCH - - -Camp was pitched in the foothills about four o’clock that afternoon. -Grazing lands stretched away parallel with the mountain range as far -as the eye could see, and then were swallowed up in that everlasting -purple haze. - -Farther along the valley in the opposite direction they could make -out the buildings of the Bindloss ranch, to which Sam said they -would ride in the morning, as Hippy Wingate wished to introduce -himself to the owner. - -Cattle were grazing all along the foothills, hundreds of them, and -those close at hand were observed to have the brand of the “Circle -O” ranch. They were part of the great herd belonging to Old Joe -Bindloss, a rich rancher, a hard man, according to Sam, but -respected as a just one. - -Cowboys riding in to the ranch-house for supper gazed curiously at -the outfit that was making camp, for it was seldom that anything of -the sort was seen in the Coso Valley. Arriving at their headquarters -the cowboys reported what they had seen. Shortly after supper the -Overland Riders were again disturbed, and half a dozen cowboys rode -up in a cloud of dust, sweeping off their hats as they pulled down -their mustangs at the very edge of the camp. Their attitude was -stern, but not unfriendly, and the Overlanders surmised that they -were from the “Circle O” ranch, which they soon learned was the -fact. - -“The Old Man wants to know who you be and what you are doin’ heah,” -announced the spokesman. “He ’lows thet he don’t like no strangers -foolin’ ’round whar the stock is, and he says it’ll please him if -you move on.” - -“Say! This is a hospitable country, isn’t it?” cried Stacy Brown. -“Since I have been here, about all I have heard is, ‘Get out or get -shot up!’ Funny thing about it, though, is that we haven’t ‘got’ and -we haven’t been ‘shot up.’” - -“Be quiet, Stacy!” admonished Grace. - -“Please go back and tell Mr. Bindloss that it is Lieutenant Hippy -Wingate, and his friends from the east. Lieutenant Wingate is a -friend of Captain Gordon who was out here some time ago on a hunting -trip. Say to Mr. Bindloss that if he objects to our camping here, we -will go on up into the range and make camp there,” answered Hippy. - -“Wal, the Old Man reckoned thet if ye didn’t go we was to fetch ye -back whether ye wanted to come or not, but seein’ as thar’s ladies -heah mebby we won’t have to take only the men,” answered the -spokesman doubtfully. - -“Listen, Buddy! You go back and tell the Old Man to come and fetch -us himself if he wants to see us. Tell him Lieutenant Wingate said -so,” directed Hippy laughingly. - -The cowboys hesitated, surveyed the Overland outfit keenly, then, -whirling their ponies, dashed away towards the “Circle O” ranch. - -“Another one invites us to get out,” murmured Emma. “How exciting!” - -An hour later a bellowing “halloo” informed the Overland Riders that -they were about to receive another caller, and they surmised who it -was. The hail was answered in kind, then a horseman trotted in and -hopped off. He was a big, powerful-looking man, his face hard, -probably from exposure, but the cold gray eyes now held a sparkle -that was reassuring. - -“I’m Joe Bindloss. Where’s the duffer who dared me to come after -him?” - -“I’m the duffer,” answered Hippy, stepping forward. - -“Shake!” rumbled Old Joe Bindloss. “Any friend of Cap’n Gordon is a -friend of mine. We’ve had to be kinder careful out here lately -because there’s been some rustling done and the word has been passed -that there’s a big gang—a regular gang of thieves, that’s working -this section under all sorts of disguises.” - -“Meet _our_ gang, Mr. Bindloss; every one a rustler, but not the -kind you are looking for,” said Hippy laughingly. He then introduced -the rancher to the members of the Overland party, and lastly to the -guides. Bindloss peered at Sam. - -“Wal, strike me dead if it ain’t Sam Conifer!” shouted the rancher, -extending a mighty paw to Sam and another to Jim. “Do you folks -savvy this feller you’ve got here? You better savvy him if you know -what’s good for you. Sam, if you want to do the ‘Circle O’ a great -big favor you just get wise to the feller that’s stealing stock, but -give him a chance to draw so you can plug him proper. Come on up to -the ranch-house.” - -Hippy said they had intended to do so in the morning, and then asked -the rancher if he knew a man named Hornby. Bindloss’s face darkened -and a heavy scowl wrinkled his forehead. - -“I reckon I do. He and I don’t hook up nohow, but he’s got a -daughter that I reckon I wish was mine. Judy is a peach and you -ought to know her. Why do you ask me about Mal Hornby?” - -Tom Gray explained that they had been ordered to leave the grazing -grounds on the other side of the valley, and that the demand had -been made in Hornby’s name. He also told Bindloss about the raid of -the night before. - -“A-huh! Hornby ain’t got no call to tell you to get out. A Mexican -feller, you say? Probably one of the half-breeds that you’ll find -all over the ranges, and a bad lot they are, too. I don’t reckon -Hornby had to do with that.” - -“Who do you think the raiders were?” questioned Grace. - -“How do I know? I reckon, though, that mebby they were sent after -you. Somebody don’t want you folks hangin’ ’round these diggin’s, -but I reckon that Sam Conifer can take care of them. Eh, Sam?” - -“I reckon, but honest, Joe, my rheumatiz crinkles my fingers so that -I can’t throw a gun any more, let alone pulling the trigger,” -complained Sam. - -Bindloss laughed uproariously. - -“The feller who reckons on gettin’ you because of your rheumatiz is -a dead man before he leaves home that day. Say, folks, the boys are -having a little shindy in the ranch-house this evenin’, and they’d -be mighty pleased to have you all come over. The boys are a rough -gang, but they will treat you fine, you ladies.” - -“What kind of a shindy?” asked Nora. - -“A dance. They have a fiddle and a fellow who scrapes it, and they -may walk on your toes, but they’ll feel worse about it than you do.” - -“Oh, goodie! A dance! Of course we will go. Come on, folks. Oh, Mr. -Bindloss, do you ever dream?” asked Emma soberly. - -“Help!” murmured J. Elfreda. - -“Why, yes. I reckon I do, like everybody else does when they get -outside of too much chuck,” laughed the rancher. - -“Do you ever make a psychoanalysis of your dreams, Mr. Bindloss?” -questioned Emma, laying a hand on the rancher’s arm and gazing up -into his eyes. - -“Eh? Eh? A what?” he stammered. - -“You should learn to read your dreams. Freud says that all dreams -mean something—ungratified desires in life—imponderable somethings -that may mean great happiness, great sorrows, disaster—any number -of fine or frightful things. If you will tell me about your dreams I -will search out the imponderable quality in them and—” - -“Ride out, Miss Dean! Quick! Use your spurs because—” - -“Don’t be alarmed,” begged Elfreda. “She never gets violent. We are -in hopes that the mountain air may do her good.” The Overland Riders -burst out laughing, which, after a look at Emma, Old Joe Bindloss -joined in with a bellowing laugh. - -“Try that on the boys. They’ll be plumb locoed,” rumbled Bindloss. -“Are you going with me?” - -“Of course we are,” answered Emma. “Where’s my horse?” - -“I have ridden every foot that I am going to ride today,” protested -Miss Briggs. “Let’s walk.” - -The distance to the ranch being only about a mile the Overlanders -decided that they would walk, and the rancher, assuring them that -their stock and equipment would not be disturbed, Jim-Sam welcomed -the opportunity to accompany them. Bindloss led his mustang and -walked with them, and between Emma Dean’s quaint humor and Stacy -Brown’s broader fun-making, Bindloss was kept in a roar most of the -way home. - -He explained that he had no family, and that he seldom saw people of -the outside world except when he went to town, which was only at -rare intervals. He said that his men were preparing for a round-up -and that within a few days a bunch of his cowboys would start with a -drove of cattle for the north. He led his new friends to the -dance-house, which was the cowboys’ bunk-house, and there he -introduced them to that rollicking crowd. - -The fiddler stopped playing the moment the party appeared in the -bunk-house. - -Sierra Joe, Squint Nevada, Sallie, and Two-gun Peters, were among -the names that rolled readily from the tongue of the rancher as he -introduced his men to the Overland Riders. - -“And if they don’t talk you to death I reckon they’ll dance you to -death,” warned the rancher, grinning at his men. “Scrape, you lazy -lout!” he roared to the fiddler. - -The cowboys were shy, and stood about awkwardly, avoiding the eyes -of the girls who were smiling invitingly. - -“See here, boys, aren’t you going to ask us to dance?” cried Emma. -“No? Then I am going to ask you. Two-gun Peters, I like your name. -It is a perfectly adorable name, and I want to dance with you. If -you are half as handy with your feet as your name indicates that you -are with your revolver, we’ll have a heavenly dance. Shake your -feet, Peter!” - -There was laughter from the Overlanders, a bellowing laugh from Joe -Bindloss and sheepish grins from Two-gun Peters and his fellows, as -Emma grabbed him and began waltzing about with him. Then the other -girls of the party selected their partners, and in a few moments the -cowboys were dancing, milling about as if they were herding cattle -at a round-up. Stamping feet, shrill cries from the fiddler and an -occasional howl from Stacy Brown, who was doing an Indian dance by -himself, made the old bunk-house ring, and raised the dust until the -room was bathed in a yellow haze. - -Jim and Sam, grinning and pulling their whiskers, were watching the -fun and trying to talk to Bindloss, but the old rancher was having -altogether too good a time to say much to them. - -“I wish Judy was over here. She’d see somethin’ worth while,” he -finally confided to Tom Gray. - -“Two-gun, do you ever dream?” Emma was saying as she swept past them -with her partner. - -“Why—I—I reckon I do,” admitted Two-gun. “Why?” - -“Did you ever hear of a man named Freud, the world’s most scientific -interpreter of dreams?” questioned the little freckle-faced girl -gazing soulfully up into the eyes of the big cowboy. - -“I shore did heah of a feller of thet name. He was a cattle rustler -an’ I reckon he’s havin’ a long dream, ’cause they caught him and -hanged him up on Rainy Mountain ’bout three year ago. He shore was -some rustler, an’ thar’s some others of the same kind that aire -goin’ the same way when we kotch up with ’em.” - -“Oh, no! That isn’t the man I mean. The one I refer to is a great -scientist who has discovered that there is an imponderable quality -in each of us, and through his method of psychoanalysis he is able -to throw the spot-light on that imponderable quality and—” - -“Bang! Bang!” - -Two quick shots fired from somewhere beyond the open door of the -bunk-house startled every one in the room. One bullet passed through -Sam Conifer’s whiskers, and the other grazed the dress of Emma Dean -who was dancing past him at that instant. - -Sam’s weapon was out of its holster with a movement so speedy that -no one saw him draw it. Two shots rang out from the guide’s weapon, -one shattering the hanging lamp, the other following close upon the -first, but fired through the open door. The room was plunged into -deep darkness, with the odor of burnt powder heavy on the air. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -OVERLANDERS SUFFER A LOSS - - -“Shoot, Sam! Shoot, I tell you!” It was Emma Dean’s voice that -broke the silence of the room. Sam’s answer was lost in the chorus -of yells uttered by the enraged cowboys, who made a rush for the -door, with Joe Bindloss charging after them and shouting orders. - -“Get the critter! Drill him! Don’t let him get away,” yelled the -rancher. “You women stay here till we find out what’s doing. There -may be some shooting, and there surely will be if I ketch sight of -the coyote who did that.” - -Jim-Sam had strolled out behind the others, the least excited of the -party. They reasoned that the person who fired the shot into the -room, evidently with the intention of hitting Sam Conifer, would not -be found outside waiting to be caught. It was a pot shot and it had -missed, but the shooter, by this time, no doubt was well on his way -to safety. - -Jim began snooping about, but the night was too dark to enable him -to find what he was looking for, and the girls, not to be denied, -stepped out. - -“Here! Take my pocket lamp,” said Grace, thrusting it into his hand. - -“Thankee, Miss,” growled Jim, and began sweeping the rays from the -lamp over the ground in front of the bunk-house door. “Here’s whar -the critter stood when he let go,” announced Jim. “Anybody recognize -them boot-prints?” - -No one did, and Jim went on nosing out the trail, which he followed -for several rods down the valley, though the footprints were mixed -with the tracks of cowpunchers and ponies. Jim continued his -tracking until he reached a point where the shooter had met and -mounted a pony, on which he dashed away straight for the hills. -Those hoof-prints were of keen interest to Jim-Sam. They were the -prints of unshod hoofs, and the two men looked at each other with a -meaning gaze. - -“I reckon the feller was shootin’ with his left hand, an’ that’s why -he missed,” observed Sam. - -“I reckon,” agreed Jim. - -“What have you got, Conifer?” called Joe Bindloss, dashing up on his -pony. - -The men explained what they had found, and the old rancher raged and -stormed, declaring that he would get the fellow, that he would set -his cowpunchers on the trail at once to follow it until they did get -the man. - -“Ain’t no use,” objected Sam. “Can’t do nothin’ till daylight, an’ -then it’ll be too late. I’ll know that hoof-print when I see it.” - -“I reckon I know it now,” spoke up Jim. - -“What’s that?” demanded Bindloss. - -“You do?” wondered Sam. - -“Shore, I do. It’s Mrs. Gray’s pony. He lost a shoe yesterday an’ -the others was loose, an’ she was intendin’ to have him shod all -around, after I’d pulled off the rest of the shoes,” was the guide’s -startling announcement. - -“Come back to the bunk-house. We’ve got to find out about this,” -growled Bindloss. - -On their way back they met the Overlanders coming along. Unable to -restrain their curiosity, the Overlanders had followed their guides -down the valley. - -“Mrs. Gray, would you know the hoof-prints of your pony if you were -to see them?” asked the rancher. - -“I am quite certain that I would,” answered Grace. - -“Come and have a look at what Jim’s found,” he said, wheeling his -pony and trotting back towards the place where the Overland animal -hoof-print had been found by Jim. - -“Yes,” announced Grace after a careful examination of the tracks. -“Those are Ginger’s tracks, or else Ginger has a double; but what -was my pony doing here? What does it mean, Sam?” - -“I reckon it means that the feller who shot at me had your hoss. -Hark!” - -A scattering fire of revolver shots was heard from farther down the -valley, and now Joe Bindloss’s cowpunchers came riding from the -ranch-house, they too having heard the shots. - -“It’s down by our camp!” cried Nora. - -“Go to it, fellows!” shouted the rancher. “You folks go back to the -ranch-house, I’m going to follow the boys,” he announced, spurring -his horse into a run. - -Instead of following his direction the Overland Riders started at a -brisk walk for their camp. - -“Aren’t we going back to finish our dance?” wailed Emma. - -“Not until we find out what is going on down yonder,” answered Tom -Gray with a wave of the hand towards their camp. - -“Oh, what a shame to spoil a perfectly lovely party!” wailed Emma. -“Two-gun Pete surely could handle his feet even if they are big, and -I was having such a nice talk with him about Freud, too.” - -“Emma Dean, if you keep on I shall be in favor of having your sanity -inquired into,” threatened J. Elfreda Briggs. - -Stacy shook his head. - -“You can’t inquire into what ain’t, can you?” he demanded. - -“No, and that is the reason you have never been the subject of an -inquiry,” flung back Emma sharply. - -At this juncture, Jim and Sam began to wrangle, each accusing the -other of being to blame for the mess their party had gotten into, -but the Overlanders were too much concerned with their own troubles -to laugh at the argument of the guides. - -A few moments later the Overland party came within sight of their -camp. Someone, probably men of the “Circle O” ranch, had built up -the campfire and could be seen moving about there. - -As a matter of prudence, before leaving camp that evening, the -Riders had hidden their rifles and ammunition, as they were in the -habit of doing. Their revolvers they wore, for experience had taught -them that it was the wise thing to do in a wild country, or in -sections where there were ruffians such as they had encountered in -the Coso Valley. - -“Is everything all right?” called Hippy as they came up to the camp. - -“No. Everything’s all wrong,” answered Bindloss savagely. “I’ll kill -somebody for this.” - -“What happened?” begged Grace. - -“My night rangers discovered some fellows fooling about your camp, -and knowin’ you was at the ranch-house, because one of ’em had -watched you to see what you were doing, he looked a little closer -and saw the prowlers nosing into your property. That was Idaho -Jones. Idaho fired three shots at the fellows, and that called our -other rangers nearby, who rode in hot-foot, but the prowlers skipped -before they got in, though not before Jones had taken a few pot -shots at them. The thieves got away, but one of the fellows says -Jones was certain that he hit one of them.” - -“Yes. But what about our ponies?” cried Grace. - -“Not a hide nor hair of ’em left,” answered Bindloss. “The critters -took ’em all, and one had the nerve to ride yours, Mrs. Gray, almost -over to the ranch-house. You better look around and see if they got -anything else,” suggested Bindloss amid a tense silence. “Jones and -some of the others chased ’em into the hills and are after ’em now.” - -“The ponies stolen!” howled Stacy Brown. - -“It’s your fault, consarn ye!” raged Sam Conifer, addressing his -companion. “I told ye to stay here an’ watch things.” - -“It ain’t! It’s your fault. If you’d had any brains in yer empty -head you’d stayed an’ watched this camp. You need somebody to watch -you, an’ that’s no lie!” yelled Jim at the top of his voice. - -The Overlanders burst out laughing, some of them a little -hysterically. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -RUSTLERS ARE HARD PRESSED - - -“The mules is still heah,” cried Jim. - -“Of course they aire, an’ I’ll bet my mule scared them fellers off. -Thar ain’t a man livin’ that can git away with that cayuse of mine,” -declared Sam. - -“Leastwise when he has mine to frighten them off,” added Jim. - -“I think you are right, James. Your mule would frighten the beasts -of the jungles,” said Emma. - -“Missie, you’re wrong. Jim’s mule is the finest chunk o’ mule flesh -that you ever seen,” declared Sam. - -“You said it, old Whiskers. That critter of yours can’t hold a -firebrand to him,” agreed Jim. - -“He can’t, eh? Wal, I’ll show ye whether he can or not. Thar ain’t a -mule on four feet that can come up to mine,” averred Sam heatedly. - -“Will you kindly stop your wrangling and do something?” begged Tom -Gray. “Hippy, are the rifles safe?” - -“Yes. They didn’t find them, thank goodness.” - -Grace and her companions, who had been making a hasty inventory of -their belongings, announced that not a thing was missing. - -“I reckon that our boys got here too soon and chased the critters -away,” boomed the rancher. “What do you folks think you’re going to -do now?” - -“That is the question before the house,” observed Stacy. - -“Where would the horse thieves be likely to take the stock?” asked -Grace. - -“No one knows where their hang-out is, but I’ve heard that it’s up -in the canyon country, where it is said there are acres of rich -grass and plenty of hiding places, but nobody ever succeeded in -tracking ’em very far. They are too smart. The boys won’t find ’em, -but we’ll wait till they get back.” - -“Where is the canyon country to which you refer, Mr. Bindloss?” -asked Miss Briggs. - -“On the other side of the valley in the mountains.” - -“Then is it not reasonable to suppose that they will attempt to -cross the valley tonight so as to be in their lair by daylight?” -persisted Elfreda. - -“Sure they will,” agreed Bindloss. - -“Can you spare enough men to ride back and forth for a few miles on -this side? It is possible that they might intercept the thieves and -possibly recover at least one of our animals,” suggested Miss -Briggs. - -“You’re right. Miss, you have a head on your shoulders. Pete, you -take all the boys that are left here and hit it along the valley, -stringing out ’bout half a mile apart and watch like all possessed,” -directed Bindloss. - -“We want to be in on that, Mr. Bindloss. How about ponies for -Captain Gray and myself?” asked Hippy eagerly. - -“You can have the one I’m riding, and Nevada will ride back to the -ranch and get one for Captain Gray. Hustle, Nevada! The rest of you -fellows go on, and don’t be afraid to string out. Sam, I reckon you -and Jim better stick around. No telling what might be pulled off by -that gang. I’ve been thinking that mebby this is a sort of come-back -for Sam’s shooting that fellow in the wrist the other night. I’ll -bet it’s the same gang, but there’s something more to it. I don’t -know what, but I reckon on you folks finding out one of these days.” - -“You may be certain that we will,” spoke up Emma. “And please, Mr. -Bindloss, try to remember your dreams, for they may have a powerful -bearing on this affair. Each of you do the same and tell them to me -in the morning.” - -“It ain’t dreams, it’s lead that’s goin’ to settle this heah -matter,” observed Sam. - -Nevada soon returned with a mustang for Tom Gray. The animal was not -particularly good-natured, and gave Tom no little trouble at first, -but fortunately he was not unhorsed, and the party was soon -galloping away, each man carrying a rifle and fifty rounds of -ammunition. - -A few miles down the valley they were halted by Pete and told to -spread out between him and the camp and keep a sharp lookout. Three -rifle shots were to be fired as a signal that the thieves had been -discovered. The men rode slowly back and forth, hailing as they met -at the end of their beats, and thus the night wore on with nothing -more disturbing than the howls of coyotes up in the mountains. - -“Is it us that those fellows are howling at?” questioned Tom Gray as -he met Two-gun Pete. - -“I don’t reckon so. The breeze ain’t blowin’ right fer them to scent -us.” - -“Then it is probable that they are howling at someone up in the -hills, isn’t it?” - -“Cap’n, I reckon as you aire right ’bout thet. Somethin’ aire -stirrin’. I feels it in my bones. Can you folks shoot?” - -“Pretty well when we can see, but not in such darkness as this. Can -you?” - -“Shore I kin shoot in the dark, but thet ain’t sayin’ I can hit what -I’m shootin at,” chuckled Pete. - -While the Overland men and cowboys were watching the foothills for -the horse thieves, the girls of their party were busy making their -camp comfortable and chatting with Joe Bindloss, who found himself -much attracted to them. Then again, he felt it wise to remain with -them until the men returned. - -Jim-Sam were striding back and forth with “ears pricked up, jest -huntin’ fer trouble,” as they listened to sounds of the night rather -than to what those about them were saying. Both men finally sat down -in the shadows on the mountain side of the camp, but not a word did -either man have to say. - -“May I sit down with you boys?” asked Emma, skipping over to them. -“You are expecting something, I know, and I would just love to be in -on it.” - -“Please, Missie, git back,” urged Sam. “Mebby nothin’ll happen. Most -likely nothin’ will, but we got to listen and watch, fer—Skip!” he -added in a whisper. - -Jim felt his companion stiffen ever so little, and Emma, observing -the expression on his face, without another word, turned and ran -back to her companions. Sam had heard something, and Jim’s nod -indicated that he too heard it, but neither man moved from his -position, though Sam Conifer’s hand might have been seen caressing -the big revolver butt that protruded from his holster. - -Over yonder by the campfire there were chatter and joking and -laughter, the old rancher being entertained as he had not been in -many years, in fact not since he was a youngster in Illinois where -he had been born and reared. Jim-Sam now heard nothing of the -merriment, every faculty being bent on the slight rustling that both -could hear in the bushes to the rear of them. It was not the breeze -that was stirring the foliage, for there was no breeze, and they -knew that it was either man or animal creeping up on them, though -neither man could be certain that their own presence, there in the -shadows, had been discovered. - -Sam suddenly decided that the time for action was at hand. With one -of those marvellously flashing movements that seemed so little a -part of him, the old man jerked his weapon from its holster and -fired back over his shoulder into the bushes without even looking -around. - -Nora uttered a scream, and the other girls sprang to their feet, -while Joe Bindloss, uttering a roar, charged towards the guides, -both of whom, now having risen, were shooting into the bushes. -Bindloss suddenly realized that the firing was not one-sided, for he -heard bullets zing past his ears. The Overland girls also at once -discovered that they were under fire—revolver fire—and springing -away from the campfire, they threw themselves prone on the ground. - -The rancher at this juncture took a hand in the shooting. The -Overland girls, despite their fright, gazed at him in admiration. -Bindloss, standing in the light of the campfire, was working his -revolver, firing at the flashes he saw coming from the bushes. He -made a splendid mark, but nothing touched him, though twice Jim-Sam -heard grunts in the bushes, that told that someone there had been -hit. - -“I can’t stand this!” cried Emma. “I’m going to get my rifle.” - -“Lie still!” commanded Grace. “Let the men do the fighting. If they -need us we shall know it, and that will be time enough.” - -Emma sank back, complaining to herself. Stacy was nowhere in sight, -but they knew that he was in hiding, for he had disappeared at the -first shot fired by Sam Conifer. - -The firing from the bushes ceased suddenly, the defense of the camp -probably having grown too warm, as the Overlanders reasoned out the -situation. Now the three men fairly riddled the bushes with their -shooting, sweeping the entire spread of foliage for several yards to -the right and left of them. - -A sharp cry from one of the girls drew the attention of Jim-Sam and -Joe Bindloss to them. - -“Horses!” shouted Grace. - -The three men instantly divined her meaning. The attackers had taken -to their mounts, and, with quick perception of what their defenders’ -next action would be, the Overland girls snatched up rifles and -thrust them into the hands of the men as the latter ran for the -open. - -The heavy report of a rifle before the three men were clear of the -camp, was the first intimation that Stacy Brown had come out of -hiding. He was shooting at the retreating horsemen, now that it was -reasonably safe for him to do so. A few seconds later Jim-Sam and -Joe Bindloss were firing at the sound of retreating hoof-beats, and -they kept on firing until the hoof-beats finally died away. - - * * * * * - -“Hark!” exclaimed Tom Gray as the sound of rifle fire from the -Overland camp reached them. - -“I heah it,” answered Two-gun Pete. “Rifles! They aire at it fer -keeps.” - -“Then let’s go. Man, they need us!” urged Tom, his tone reflecting -his excitement. - -“Wait! Hold yer hosses fer a bit.” - -They heard the few answering scattering shots fired by the fleeing -attackers; then the firing died out. Pete, with head cocked to one -side, interpreted the sounds and the silence aright. - -“Yer folks have got ’em on the run. Reckon we’ll be goin’. Jest jog -along so thet we don’t run into somethin’ headlong,” he advised. - -Tom Gray, worried and full of eagerness to get into action, had to -put a firm check on himself to keep from racing on in the lead of -his companion. Ahead of them somewhere they knew that Hippy Wingate -was on the lookout for the horse thieves, and so long as nothing was -heard from him there appeared to be no need for haste, but while -Tom’s every faculty was centered on what lay ahead of them, Two-gun -Pete, like the mustang he was riding, gave as much attention to the -rear as he did to what was ahead. - -A flash suddenly leaped up in the darkness ahead, followed by a -sharp report. Then guns banged with a speed that reminded Tom Gray -of nights on the firing line in France. - -“He’s met ’em! Ride!” yelled Two-gun Pete, putting spurs to his -horse. - -Tom needed no urging, nor did his pony. The little animal uttered a -whistling snort and plunged ahead, its nose at the flank of Pete’s -flying mustang. - - - - -[Illustration: “He’s Met ’Em! Ride!”] - - - - -“He’s turned ’em!” flung back Pete. “They aire headin’ ’cross the -valley. That feller shore has got nerve.” - -No more was said, but both men swerved their mounts farther out into -the valley to head off the fleeing horsemen, and drew up on them -slowly. Pete saw that Hippy Wingate was fighting with all the odds -against him, but that he was holding his own. Had there been light, -the Overlander would have been in a much more serious situation. - -As the two men neared the scene of the fighting, Tom Gray uttered a -long-drawn yell, which Hippy heard, recognized, and answered. The -attackers heard too, and put on a fresh burst of speed. Observing -this, Pete jerked his rifle from its holster and emptied his -magazine at them. Up to this time, however, Tom Gray had not fired. - -“No use. We aire losin’ ground,” shouted Pete. “Ride till we git -close enough to use the barkers. I never was no good at long-range -shootin’.” - -A few moments later the horses of the ruffians became faintly -discernible, and Pete rode straight at them. The ruffians were -shooting as they raced, and Lieutenant Hippy Wingate was banging -away at them and yelling like an Indian on the warpath. About this -time Tom and Pete opened up with their revolvers. A pony went down -and its rider was seen to plunge over its head. Pete jerked his -mustang aside just in time to avoid running into the fallen man and -horse. There were fully half a dozen of the supposed horse thieves, -some of whom were leading other animals behind them, and it was -these to whom Pete devoted his attention, believing that the led -horses were stolen animals. - -The three pursuers were spread out in fan shape now, Hippy Wingate -on the extreme right, running in on the fleeing men head-on, then -ducking and swinging out, after emptying his weapon at them. - -“Hit!” he muttered as a sudden burning sensation was felt in the -calf of his left leg. “Take that!” he yelled. Taking a desperate -chance he rode right in among the scattered horsemen, hoping to cut -them off and give his own companions an opportunity to do more -effective work. - -Hippy emptied two revolvers at the raiders, then all at once -something suddenly seemed to snap in his head, and Hippy Wingate -reeled in his saddle. Sudden and deeper darkness enveloped him, and -Hippy fell forward on the neck of his mustang, both feet slipping -from the stirrups. For a moment he clung there. He did not hear the -scream of his pony as a bullet hit the plucky little animal, nor did -he feel the impact when both he and the pony went down in the dust -and lay motionless where they had fallen. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -A FIGHT TO A FINISH - - -“They are heading for the mountains!” shouted Tom as he and Two-gun -Pete drew together. - -“Yes, but we’ll chase ’em into the foothills afore we quit,” raged -Pete. “Ain’t hit, be ye?” - -“No.” - -“Thet’s good.” - -The two riders again settled down to their work, pushing their -ponies to utmost speed. Then they observed that the ruffians were -beginning to spread out, to scatter, a move that Two-gun Pete -understood perfectly. They were planning to take to the mountains as -individuals rather than as a body. This would make pursuit more -difficult, in fact, practically impossible. - -Both Tom and Pete had had many close calls from bullets, but neither -gave much heed to them. They were too busy to consider something -that had passed, and again, they had advantage in that they were -pursuing while their adversaries were fleeing before them. - -“Now give ’em the rifles!” yelled Pete as the pursued riders neared -the foothills. “Keep shootin’!” - -The pair unlimbered their rifles, and soon afterwards other -cowpunchers who had joined them did the same. The heavy firing was -plainly audible to the girls of the Overland party, who, fearing for -their companions, were very nervous, and Joe Bindloss paced back and -forth at the camp listening, his face stern, both hands tightly -clenched. - -“I hope they kill some of them devils! I hope they do!” he growled. - -In the meantime Tom Gray and the cowpunchers were at it hammer and -tongs, nor did they cease firing until the last of the supposed -horse thieves were out of sight in the deep shadows in the -foothills. - -“I reckon thet’s about all,” observed Two-gun Pete dryly. “What I -wants to know is whar thet fightin’ friend of yours is.” - -“Can’t we give Lieutenant Wingate a gun signal to come in?” asked -Tom, a note of anxiety in his tone. - -“No. Thet will be givin’ notice to them critters thet we’ve finished -this heah little game, an’ I don’t want them to have thet -satisfaction. We’ll mosey about a little an’ see if we kin find Mr. -Wingate.” Pete, followed by Tom, worked up and down the valley -parallel with the mountain ranges for some little time without -discovering Hippy; then all of a sudden, Pete uttered a -_whoo—pe-e-e!_ It was answered instantly, and two men rode -cautiously out of the darkness. They proved to be Sierra Joe and -Nevada, who said the others were somewhere to the north. A distant -hail told the men that the others also had heard Pete’s call and -were heading in his direction. Tom, worried as he was about Hippy, -could not but admire the efficient manner in which these men of the -open worked. It was a revelation to him. Shortly after that the rest -of the party rode in. - -“Has any of you cayuses seen anythin’ of the Old Man’s friend?” -questioned Pete. - -“Is he the feller that was workin’ to the south?” asked Nevada. - -“Yes,” spoke up Tom. - -“Wal, he quit firin’ some little piece back thar. I reckon mebby he -got winged,” announced Nevada. - -“Line up, fellers! Take yer ranges by the hills on the other side of -the valley and look sharp. I reckon mebby thar’s some other things -to find in this heah valley,” added Pete significantly. - -The search for Hippy began without a moment’s delay, fast and -efficient, but without a trace of excitement. The attitude of his -companions steadied Tom and assisted him to keep his head clear. - -Two dead ponies were found first by Sierra, and near them lay two -men, both dead. Sierra hailed his companions and when they arrived -he struck a match to look at the victims. - -“Chuck the light!” commanded Pete sternly. - -The words were barely past his lips when a bullet _pinged_ through -the air over their heads. - -“Ain’t you got no sense, Sierra?” demanded Pete disgustedly. “Don’t -ye do thet agin. Them fellers aire waitin’ fer us to give them a -show, an’ I reckon they’ll hang out in the foothills fer some time -yit. Anybody know these critters?” - -Each cowboy took a look at the victims, but none recognized them. -The brand on the dead mustangs also was unknown to them. - -“Can’t do nothin’ till daylight. Hit the trail agin,” ordered Pete, -whereupon the search for Hippy Wingate was resumed. It was Tom Gray -who found him, nearly a mile from their last stand. - -“Help here!” shouted Tom. - -Pete heard and understood. With the others, he spurred to the scene, -finding Tom Gray on the ground bending over the stretched-out form -of the fallen Overlander. - -“Is he daid?” questioned Sierra anxiously. - -“No. He is alive, but he must be badly hurt. He has been here for -some time and is still unconscious. That looks bad. Boys, we must -get him to camp as quickly as possible. How shall we do it?” - -“I’ll take him on my ’tang,” answered Pete. “Wait till I git up; -then boost him up to me and I’ll do the rest. Nevada, you ride back -a piece to make sure thet we ain’t followed, an’ give us a good -start. You kin come on in then.” - -Hippy’s limp form was lifted into Two-gun Pete’s arms, and giving -the pony the reins, Pete touched the animal with a light spur and -the journey back to camp was begun. It was not a gentle ride for the -wounded Overlander. In fact it was a killing ride, and when they -came in sight of the campfire, the pony was white with lather. - -It was at this juncture that Hippy began to mutter and struggle. - -“Thet’s all right, pard. Yer on yer way back to camp, and Pete’s the -boy thet’s takin’ ye; so jest rest easy-like. Cap, ride in an’ tell -’em we aire comin’.” - -Tom spurred ahead, and by the time Pete and his burden rode in, the -Overlanders were ready to receive them. All were pale, though Nora, -who might have been expected to go to pieces, was calm, in fact -fully as much so as Elfreda and Grace who, as hospital workers in -the great war, were used to scenes of this sort. - -Hippy’s face, as he was lifted from Two-gun Pete’s arms, was seen to -be covered with blood. - -“Place him by the fire where we can see,” directed Grace. “Stacy, -fetch water, and be quick about it!” - -“I’ll get my kit and be back in a moment,” announced Elfreda. - -Blankets were spread out by the campfire, and on them the wounded -Hippy was laid, and by the time Elfreda returned, Grace had sponged -away the blood from his face and head. - -“A bullet has laid his scalp open on the right side,” she announced. -“If there are no other wounds he will pull through all right. Do you -hear me, Hippy?” - -“Ye—es.” - -“Is this the only wound you have?” - -“No. In leg,” answered the patient weakly. - -Nora pulled up the trousers from both limbs and discovered that the -left one was bloody from half way below the knee down, and it was -Nora’s hands that washed the wound clean and prepared it for the -dressing. - -Elfreda Briggs, by this time, had returned with her first-aid kit, -and was critically examining the scalp wound, Grace Harlowe standing -over her with face full of interest and sympathy. - -“This must be sewed up as soon as we have treated it,” announced -Miss Briggs, nodding up at her companion. “Hippy, I shall have to -take several stitches in your scalp, and I am going to hurt you. You -won’t mind, will you, after all the fun you have been having -tonight?” - -“Get it over with,” muttered Hippy. - -“Grace, you might dress the leg while I am doing this embroidery -work for Hippy. Did the bullet go all the way through the leg?” - -“Ye—es,” replied Nora. “I—I think so.” - -“It did, through the fleshy part. It is not a bad wound,” -volunteered Grace. - -Miss Briggs began her work at once, and performed it quickly and -skillfully. Hippy, despite himself, flinched under each needle -thrust. A group of wondering, open-mouthed cowpunchers watched the -Overland girl perform her operation, and by the time she had -finished stitching the scalp together, Grace had completed her task -on the leg wound. - -“Oh! He’s dead!” cried Nora, after a quick look into Hippy’s now -ghastly pale face. - -“Don’t get excited! He has fainted, that’s all,” comforted Miss -Briggs, who thereupon proceeded to revive her patient. The pain had -been a little more than Hippy, in his weakened condition, could -bear, and under it he had swooned. - -Old Joe Bindloss clutched off his sombrero and mopped the -perspiration from his forehead. - -“Wal! I’ve seen some things in my time, but I’ll be shot for a hoss -thief if I ever come up with the like of this,” rumbled the rancher. - -Hippy opened his eyes and a faint grin appeared on his face, -whereat, the cowpunchers, as one man, heaved a deep breath of -relief. They stood about awkwardly, sombreros tucked under their -arms, not knowing what they ought to do, but quite positive to a man -that they wished there were more patients to be treated so that they -might stay where they were and watch these capable young women work -for the rest of the night. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -THE “DUDE” MAKES GOOD - - -Two-Gun Pete sidled over to Hippy. - -“Fer a dude, yer some scrapper. I’ll say so. Shake, Pard,” he said, -extending a ham-like paw. - -“Yep! Reg’lar bear-cat,” agreed Sierra, and all the cowboys nodded -solemnly. - -“Thanks! Did we get any of them?” questioned Hippy, not much above a -whisper, for every word sent shooting pains through his head. - -“Two thet we knows of, and mebby some more. The Old Man’s hoss thet -you was ridin’ got his’n, too.” - -“Oh, that is too bad. I’m sorry.” - -“Thet ain’t nothin’,” interjected Idaho. “What’s a hoss when it -comes to a scrap with a bunch of rustlers? They’re mad now, and -we’ll mebby git another chance at ’em some day soon. Reckon you -won’t care ’bout mixin’ in agin?” - -“I reckon you have another guess coming, Idaho,” answered Hippy, -grinning. - -Bindloss here interrupted by declaring that the wounded Overlander -must be taken to the ranch-house and put to bed. He said he would -have a buckboard brought down and fetch him. Miss Briggs shook her -head. - -“I do not think best to have him moved tonight. If he feels better -in the morning, you may do that,” she said. - -“All right. You’re the doctor. I’ll have the boys fix you up -comfortable and stand guard for the rest of the night so you won’t -be bothered by those rustlers.” - -“Bindloss, I am sorry about the pony that got shot under me. Of -course I shall pay you for him,” offered Hippy. - -“Pay nothing!” roared the rancher. “I owe you money for the -walloping you folks give those coyotes. Here, you rough-necks! Fix -these folks up with whatever they want, then spread out and ride -’round for the rest of the night, and if they get into any more -trouble tonight, I’ll fire the bunch of you and get riders who can -see and shoot.” - -“I reckon we kin take care of our folks and do whatever is -necessary,” interjected Sam. - -Bindloss agreed, but said his men would be on guard just the same. -Shortly after that the cowboys mounted and rode out into the valley -for their night’s vigil. - -A tent was erected over Hippy, and Nora insisted on sitting up to -look after him, but before turning in the Overlanders went into -Hippy’s tent with a cheerful word for their wounded companion. - -“Hippy, tell me, did you dream anything when you were asleep out -there after being shot?” whispered Emma. - -“Yes. I dreamed that an imponderable quantity appeared suddenly out -of the nowhere and gave me an awful wallop,” retorted Hippy. - -“I think you are real mean,” pouted Emma. “Good-night! Don’t forget -to remember what you dream about tonight, for it may be of great -importance to us.” - -“Huh!” muttered Hippy. - -Soon after that the camp became quiet and every Overlander, except -Nora, was sound asleep. Jim-Sam, however, were just outside holding -a heated argument over the occurrences of the evening. Jim blamed -Sam for shooting into the bushes and thus starting the row that -ended in the wounding of one of their party. - -“Why, you miserable galoot, you ain’t got the sense of a flea!” -retorted Sam. “If it hadn’t been fer me, you’d been quarrelin’ with -the angels right this minute. Some folks ain’t got brains enough to -know nothin’.” - -“You said it,” agreed Jim. “I’ve knowed that ever since I’ve been -with ye.” - -The argument was continued at intervals all the rest of the night, -and until at break of day they saw the cowpunchers ride off down the -valley at a brisk gallop. Jim then built up the fire and began -preparing for breakfast. The odors of the cooking soon awakened the -Overlanders, and one by one they turned out rubbing the sleep out of -their eyes. - -Emma Dean’s face, however, was glowing and her eyes were full of -sparkle. - -“Oh, girls,” she cried. “I had the most wonderful dream last night. -What do you think? It was a most adorable dream. I dreamed that I -was engaged to the nicest man and—” - -“What! Again?” shouted the Overlanders. - -“Yes. Why not? He was a cowboy, and I dreamed that he had just shot -a man who made eyes at me. Wasn’t that a perfectly adorable thing -for him to do?” - -“Which man to do what?” questioned Stacy. - -“For my fiancé to shoot the other fellow, of course. I just loved -him for that.” - -“Emma, we will have you in a strait-jacket yet,” retorted Grace -laughingly. “How many does this one make?” - -“Two real ones and a spiritual one. You know the one last night -wasn’t a real fiancé—” - -“Just an imponderable quantity or quality,” suggested Stacy Brown, -which brought a laugh from the Overlanders, and made Hippy grin -despite the fact that it hurt him to twist his swollen face. - -Hippy, while feeling much improved, was sore and weak, and when Joe -Bindloss rode up, as the Overlanders were eating breakfast, he said -he had arranged to have them move their camp up near the -ranch-house, as it would be some time before Lieutenant Wingate -would again be able to ride. - -“He can stay at my house and I’ll take all the care of him that he -needs. You folks can make trips out and stay as long as you want to. -What about it?” - -The Overlanders agreed, and the rancher said the buckboard would be -down later in the morning to fetch the wounded man. Bindloss sat -down and ate breakfast with his new friends, and they had just -finished the meal when Sam Conifer called to them that the cowboys -were coming back, one of them leading an extra mustang. - -Glasses were soon leveled at the approaching dust cloud which Sam -had identified as belonging to the Circle O bunch. As the riders -rode out of the cloud Grace uttered a cry of delight. - -“It is Ginger! They have found Ginger! Oh, I’m so glad.” - -“Only Ginger! Fiddlesticks!” growled Stacy in disgust. “Somebody -will have to buy me a new pony. I’m not going to walk. You take my -word for that.” - -“Ginger!” cried Grace as the punchers rode in, dust-covered, -smiling, happy in being able to do something for one of the Overland -girls. - -The little pony trotted to her, showing every evidence of being glad -to be back with his mistress, and Grace petted and fed the -scrubby-looking mustang until Sam took the animal away and tethered -him. - -“We found him grazin’ ’bout fifteen mile down the valley,” explained -Pete. - -“What about the men who stole him?” demanded Bindloss. - -“We didn’t find ’em,” said Pete. “Thar was three dead mustangs out -thar, though, but saddles and bridles had been taken off, leavin’ -nothin’ to identify the outfit by.” - -“See any blood?” questioned Sam Conifer. - -“Wal, I reckon as thar was some,” answered Pete, with a grin. “This -is the bunch thet got yer mustangs, folks. No doubt ’bout thet. -Boss, what do ye reckon on our doin’ next?” - -“Help these folks move up to the ranch-house.” - -“Thank you, but we can attend to that. We have our mules and one -pony with which to operate,” spoke up Tom Gray. “If you will arrange -to get Lieutenant Wingate up, as you have suggested, we shall be all -set.” - -Nevada was sent to the ranch to fetch the buckboard and returned -with it in about an hour. In the meantime the cowpunchers were -interested witnesses to the breaking of camp, in which all the -Overlanders except Hippy participated, and in a short time packs -were rolled and Jim-Sam were lashing them to the mules and to -Ginger. - -“I reckon these heah folks ain’t no tenderfeet,” observed Sierra, as -the cowboys rode away. - -“Have ye jest found thet out?” drawled Two-gun Pete. “If they kin -all fit like the Dude kin, the rustlers better hike fer the -mountains an’ stay thar.” - -Nora, riding with Hippy, swung a hand to the men as the buckboard -passed them on the way to the Circle O ranch, and by the time the -rest of the party reached there Hippy was taking what ease he could -get on a cot on the front porch of the ranch-house. - -The Overland Riders pitched their camp on a little rise of ground a -short distance to the rear of the ranch buildings, and the -cowpunchers observed this further operation with interest. - -“Good job,” approved Idaho. - -“Thank you,” smiled Grace. “We hope you boys will come around -whenever you can. You all have been mighty kind to us and we -appreciate it.” - -“Where did you folks larn to do things like you do?” asked Nevada. - -“Mostly from our western experiences. Of course we learned a few -things in the war.” - -“The war? Was you thar?” laughed Sierra. - -“Yes. I drove an ambulance. The other young women were in the -service as hospital workers, and the like. My husband, Tom Gray, was -a Captain of Engineers, and Lieutenant Wingate was a flier—a -fighting pilot,” Grace informed them. - -“Gee whiz! Ain’t thet the limit?” wondered Idaho. - -“The next question is, what are we going to do for horses? Do any of -you boys know where we can buy or rent some?” - -“Mebby the Old Man might sell ye what ye need,” suggested Sallie, -who was in charge of the corral for Bindloss. “I’ll arsk him.” - -Grace thanked him, but said Tom Gray would take the matter up with -the rancher. Later in the morning Tom informed her that he had -already done so, and that arrangements had been made to rent such -ponies as they needed. Bindloss, he said, did not want to take money -from them, but that the Overlander had insisted on his doing so. The -arrangement, Tom said, was that they were to pay a rental of two -dollars a week for each pony, and in the event of any of the animals -being lost or injured, the Overland Riders were to settle for the -ponies at the rate of twenty-five dollars a head. - -This was satisfactory to all hands, and on the following day they -were to select their mounts. - -That noon they took their luncheon with the rancher and his men in -the bunk-house, by special invitation. After dinner Nora sang a -song, Emma Dean recited a pathetic little selection to which she -gave the title of “The Cowboy’s Love,” but which, instead of being -about a cowboy, was the story of a child lost on the desert, and -adopted by a mother wolf that had lost its own offspring. - -The Overlanders were of the opinion that Emma made up the story, but -at any rate it made a hit and moved some of the cowpunchers to -tears, for cowpunchers, like sailors, are sentimental under their -rough exteriors. Emma’s eyes were twinkling mischievously when she -finished and observed the effect of her story. - -The cowmen wiped their eyes, then gave her a cowboy yell. Stacy -Brown rose and bowed low in acknowledgment, which brought a loud -guffaw. The dance that had been so rudely interrupted on a previous -occasion was then resumed, and thirty minutes later the gathering -broke up, every cowboy face wearing a broad grin. The Overlanders -surely had brought sunshine to the Circle O ranch. - -As all hands strolled out into the open, Emma walking at the side of -Two-gun Pete, gazing up soulfully into his embarrassed face, Elfreda -Briggs pointed to a cloud of dust far down the valley, a cloud that -was rolling rapidly towards them. - -“That looks like a young tornado,” observed Stacy. - -“I reckon thet’s it, and on a hoss, too,” said Idaho. - -“On a horse?” wondered Emma. - -“Yes. You’ll see when it gits heah. Wait!” chuckled Idaho. - -The Overland party now watched the cloud with new interest, and the -cowboys laughed as they observed the puzzled expression on the faces -of their guests. - -“It is someone on a horse. You can’t fool me,” cried Emma. - -“Yes, and it is a girl, too,” added Elfreda. - -The rider came on like an incipient whirlwind, her mustang on a run. -She shot by the spectators and went on for some distance, then, -circling out into the valley, came dashing up to them and flung -herself from the saddle. - -The newcomer gazed from one to another of the Overland Riders, while -the cowpunchers chuckled to themselves. They knew the girl and -looked for something interesting to follow. It did. - -“I’m Judy! Who be you?” she demanded. - -“We are the Overland Riders,” answered Stacy Brown pompously. - -Judy eyed the fat boy frowningly, then once more ran her gaze over -the rest of the party. - -“My gosh! You are a sweet bunch of dudes, ain’t you? Here you, Idaho -Jones, take my cayuse,” she demanded, tossing the bridle-rein to the -grinning cowboy. - -Judy Hornby, in introducing herself to the newcomers in the Coso -Valley, had done so in characteristic fashion. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -JUDY SPEAKS OUT - - -“Hello, little gal!” cried Bindloss, coming forward with extended -hand and smiling face. - -“Hello! Why don’t you introduce me to your friends?” - -“Why, Judy, don’t you know them?” - -“No, but I’m goin’ to in ’bout a minute,” answered Judy, who shook -hands and commented on each member of the Overland party as Joe -Bindloss introduced her. “Some knock-down, ain’t it?” grinned Judy -after the introductions had been finished. “My Pap says you folks -ain’t no great scratch an’ that you ain’t here for no good. Pap says -that Old Joe Bindloss better build a corral ’bout his cattle or -he’ll lose ’em with all these new folks roamin’ ’round in the hills. -Be you a fine lady, or ain’t you?” demanded the mountain girl, -fixing her eyes on Elfreda Briggs. J. Elfreda flushed under the -scrutiny. - -“No. I am just a plain, ordinary woman, a bachelor girl and—” - -“In other words, an old maid, Miss Hornby,” Emma Dean explained. - -“Cut the ‘Miss.’ My name’s Judy. What’s your handle?” - -“Emma.” - -“All right, Emma. Now the rest of you give me your handles, then -we’ll be down to cases,” whereupon the Overlanders dutifully gave -her their given names. “My gosh! What a lot of highfalutin’ names. I -should think they would keep you folks awake nights.” - -The Overlanders laughed heartily and Judy joined in the laugh, -though with little idea what she was laughing at. The mountain girl -had, in her lifetime, seen but few persons who did not belong to -desert or mountain, and these bright-eyed girls were a revelation to -her, because, as she expressed it, “most all that kind is stuck up.” - -If Judy was interested in her new acquaintances, they surely were -even more attracted to her. She was a splendid type, her dark, -handsome face unspoiled by the strenuous outdoor life she led, and -her figure possessing lines that would have been the envy of any -woman. Judy was only nineteen, so she said, but she looked more. -That she could ride, the Overlanders had the evidence of their own -eyes, and that she could shoot, was to be inferred from the -business-like looking revolver that swung at her hip. - -“Not all are ‘stuck up,’” differed Grace laughingly. “We are not. If -we were we probably should not be here, roughing it, when we might -be at home taking our ease and getting fat.” - -“Judy, you mustn’t take too seriously what Grace says. Remember, she -and Nora are here with their husbands, both old married women, here -because their husbands want to live part of the year in the open. -That’s the way women do when they love their husbands,” volunteered -Elfreda. - -“A-huh! What are you doin’ here, then?” - -“Because I love the open and love my friends who also enjoy it.” - -“What’s love?” flung back the mountain girl. - -“Why—I—I—Perhaps you had better ask Emma. Old maids are not -supposed to be authorities on that subject,” answered Miss Briggs, -her color rising. - -“Love? Why, Judy, love is the most wonderful thing in the world,” -cried Emma dramatically, as Judy turned to her inquiringly. Emma’s -eyes were rolling and she registered extreme emotion, greatly to the -amusement of her companions. - -“My gosh! Ain’t goin’ to have a fit, be ye?” exclaimed Judy, whereat -the Overland Riders shouted. - -“Have you ever been in love?” interjected Nora. - -“I don’t know, Nora. Once I seen a fellow in a play in a tent over -at Carrago, and he was some man, believe me. I jest sat there and -looked at him and my heart got so wiggly that I couldn’t do nothin’ -with it at all. But thet wan’t nothin’ to what happened later in the -day when I met him on the street. He seen me lookin’ at him an’ -smiled an’ bobbed his hat to me. My gosh! I near fainted. I sure -thought I was goin’ to die right there. Never had no such feelin’ in -all my life.” - -“Yes?” urged the girls, doing their best to keep from laughing. - -“Did you get acquainted with him?” asked Grace. - -“No. I didn’t dast. My Pap was with me, but I went home and cried. -Can you beat it?” - -“Oh, my dear, you _were_ in love. You surely _were_,” cried Emma. - -“Was I?” wondered the mountain girl. “Was you ever that way, Emma?” - -“Ever? Oh, help!” murmured Miss Briggs. “Judy, she is even making -love to these fine cowboys. Doesn’t that make you jealous?” - -“Jealous? Of them rough-necks? Wal, I reckon not. I don’t reckon on -that kind of critter. I want a real man, I want to fly, to see -what’s on t’other side of them mountain ranges. I want to be a real -lady an’ know ’bout things. My gosh, how I want to be like that! -It’s right in here!” cried Judy, clapping a hand over her heart. “I -want to so much that it aches, it hurts like as if a rattler had -given me a jab there. I tried poulticin’ but it wan’t no good. Pap -said it was what I needed, but it wan’t, and here I am. What do you -reckon I ought to do?” finished Judy, passing a quick hand over her -eyes. - -The Overlanders did not laugh. There was a tragic note in the voice -of the mountain girl that stirred their sympathies and moved them. -Grace slipped an arm about her. - -“Judy, I wish you might come with us while we are riding the ranges. -Perhaps we might teach you things that would make you more contented -with your life,” said Grace, her voice full of sympathy. “Would you -like to do that?” - -“Like it? I’d be so dum tickled that I couldn’t hold myself.” - -“Then why not come?” urged Nora. - -“I don’t dast. Pap would take it out of me right smart.” - -“You don’t mean he would punish you—that he would lay hands on -you?” begged Elfreda. - -“Him wallop me? Wal, I reckon not! I ain’t packin’ no gun for -nothin’.” - -“Judy!” cried Nora. “You mustn’t say such things. Why not let us ask -your father to let you go with us?” - -“Ask _him_?” Judy shook her head with emphasis. “You folks keep away -from Pap if you know what’s good for you. Pap’s got a grouch on most -of the time, and he ain’t particular ’bout who knows it. You keep -away from Pap, ’cause he don’t set much store by this here outfit. -He reckons as you ain’t got no business here, an’ if you come -foolin’ round he’ll chase you out. Would you go?” she demanded -abruptly. - -“It has been tried on us on other occasions, but up to the present -time we have never gone until we were quite ready to do so,” -answered Miss Briggs. - -“I wondered what you’d do, when I dreamed somethin’ ’bout you last -night—” - -“Dreamed? Do you dream, Judy?” cried Emma, her face full of sudden -interest. - -“I reckon I do. I dreamed ’bout that actor feller for a month.” - -“Oh, isn’t that adorable!” bubbled Emma. “The imponderable quality -is working in you. Listen, dear. When you have another dream, you -come straight to me and I’ll make a psychoanalysis of it and tell -you what it means.” - -“My gosh! If I could talk like that I’d be a real lady, wouldn’t I? -Where you goin’ from here?” - -“We don’t know. All depends upon how my husband gets along with his -wounds. He was shot in a fight with the men who, we believe, stole -our ponies, but we hope that he will be able to ride in a short -time,” answered Nora. - -“Ain’t that too bad? Gosh! If a fellow hurt my man I reckon I’d do -some shootin’ for myself,” observed Judy. “Who do you think rustled -them ponies?” - -Tom Gray said they did not know, but that they proposed to find out, -and asked her if she or her father had any suspicion as to who the -rustlers were. Judy shook her head. - -“I don’t know nothin’. That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. -Say, Emma, what’s that word you got off jest now?” - -“Imponderable,” intoned Stacy gloomily. - -“I didn’t ask you, Mr. Fatty. Write it down, Emma, and I’ll try it -on Pap. I’ll bet there’ll be some fun. Wal, I reckon I’ll be hittin’ -the trail for home. So long, Tom. Hippy, I hopes your laig gets -better right smart,” she called to the Overlander on the porch. -“’Bye, girls.” - -“Come again soon, and as often as you can,” urged Grace. - -“Sure I will. Mebby I can’t get back today, but I’ll try. Say, Emma, -I’m goin’ to practice that word on Butte. That’s my mustang. If he -stands for it I reckon Pap can,” finished Judy, starting slowly -towards her pony, arms linked with Grace and Elfreda. “Butte’s got a -temper somethin’ like Pap’s. I reckon he got it from Pap, too. Let’s -see. What’s that word? Im—impond’ble. All right. Jest watch me.” - -Judy swung lightly into her saddle. - -“G’wan, you impond’ble, dad-busted cayuse,” she shouted, touching -the animal lightly with a spur. - -Butte responded instantly. Uttering a grunt, both hind heels went -into the air before Judy had succeeded in getting her feet into the -stirrups. - -The mountain girl made a quick reach for the swinging stirrups and -missed, whereupon the mustang leaped clear of the ground, coming -down stiffly on all four feet, head down with hind quarters shooting -into the air. Judy was catapulted over his head and landed on her -back with a whack that should have knocked all the breath out of -her. - -Tom Gray made a quick spring for the pony’s head and grabbed the -bridle. The pony fought him, but a firm grip on the animal’s nose -shut off his breathing and subdued him in a moment. - -The girls ran to Judy just as she sat up. Judy was a little dazed, -but she grinned. - -“Oh, you poor girl! You’re hurt,” cried Nora. - -“Mebby I be, but I reckon the ground is hurt worse. Anyhow what -happened to me an’ the ground ain’t a flea-bite to what’s goin’ to -happen to Butte afore we gets home. Say, Emma! I don’t reckon as -I’ll say that word to Pap all of a sudden. I’m too dad-busted sore -now to have another fight on my hands tonight, and I’ll be sorer by -the time I gets home. I’m goin’ to ride him this time.” - -Judy again flung herself into the saddle, and this time both feet -caught the stirrups. The mustang instantly threw himself into -another buck. The spur dug into him harder and harder and Judy’s -whip came down on his flank again and again. A leap carried them -clear of the Overland party, and for the next few moments they were -treated to the most spirited exhibition of horsemanship that they -had ever seen. Old Bindloss was shaking with laughter, and the -cowpunchers were howling with delight and firing their six-shooters -into the air. - -“She’s got him!” cried Emma. “Oh, I wish I could ride like that. -There she comes!” - -Judy, who was by now a full quarter of a mile out in the valley, had -whirled and was driving straight at them. On she came, the pony’s -efforts to unseat its rider growing less and less, as its speed -increased. - -“Whoo—pe-e-e-e!” yelled Judy in her shrill, high-pitched voice as -she reached the Overlanders, and turning, tore off down the valley -where she was soon lost to sight in a cloud of dust. - - - - -CHAPTER X - -THE ROUND-UP - - -Judy Hornby did not return to the Circle O ranch that day nor the -next, and when she did she was not nearly so talkative as before. -The girl, however, listened eagerly to all that her new-found -friends had to say to her, and what they said was intended to be -helpful to this unusual young woman who had known little -companionship of her own sex. - -After a time her tongue loosened a little and she told them that -“Pap” had forbidden her to visit them unless he told her to go. Judy -declared that she didn’t give a rap whether he liked it or not, and -that she was going to ride over to the Circle O ranch whenever she -felt like it. - -“He don’t dast do nothing to me anyway. I reckon it’s because I -tried that ‘impond’able’ thing on him. When he asked me where I got -it an’ I told him over here, you ought to seen him git mad. Pap sure -was a scream. Lemme look at your hair,” she added abruptly, -addressing Miss Briggs, who nodded good-naturedly. - -“Gosh! Ain’t that fine? But for the love of Mike, how do you do it?” - -“I will do yours if you wish,” offered Elfreda. - -“Would you?” - -“Of course,” answered J. Elfreda. “Sit down and I will see what I -can do with it. You have beautiful hair, and I am not eager to see -you wear it any other way than you do now—down your back.” - -Greatly to the amusement of her companions, Miss Briggs performed an -elaborate piece of hair-dressing, building up a wonderful tower of -shining brown on the mountain girl’s head. Then a mirror was brought -and Judy was permitted to look at the result, the Overlanders -awaiting the verdict in silent expectancy. - -Judy gazed into the mirror for some moments before looking up. - -“Gosh-a’mighty, I’m a lady now for sure, ain’t I?” she breathed, -heaving a deep sigh. - -After a time the Overland girls sought to explain to her that it was -not the dress she wore nor the way she wore her hair, but her -breeding, that made the lady. Judy listened attentively to the brief -lecture read to her by Grace and Elfreda, then started for home, -this time at a slow jog. Judy was in a thoughtful mood. - -For the next week she was a daily visitor at the Circle O ranch. -Hippy Wingate was again on his feet, but still wearing a bandage on -his head and walking with a cane. His companions were in no haste to -leave him; in fact they had been waiting for his recovery quite -willingly because they had been urged by Bindloss to stay for the -round-up that was now close at hand, when the cattle would be -rounded up into herds and the fat ones cut out, branded again and -driven to a shipping point for market. Bindloss promised his guests -a lively time. The cowpunchers, too, were looking forward to the -occasion with more than their ordinary interest, for in it they saw -an opportunity to show their horsemanship and skill to the Overland -girls. - -Judy Hornby was invited to accompany the party to the round-up, but -for some reason she refused, and went away that day with her face -dark and resentful. The Overlanders were at a loss to account for -the sudden change in her. - -The day of the big round-up arrived, and the ranch presented a scene -of activity long before daylight that morning. There was much -equipment to be shipped down the valley, for the first herd to be -rounded up were grazing more than twenty miles away, not very far -from Judy’s log-cabin home, where her father had quite a herd of -cattle of his own, though small compared with the Bindloss herds. -His brand was the “Double Q” while Bindloss’s was the “Circle O.” - -Lieutenant Wingate, not feeling able to take the long ride, decided -to remain at the ranch-house until one of the herds near by was -rounded up. He could watch the round-up, then easily get back to the -ranch-house should he find it necessary to do so. There being no -reason for Jim-Sam’s remaining at the ranch, Bindloss accepted their -offer to assist in the round-up. - -“I am going to help, too,” promised Emma, as they were eating -breakfast in camp next morning with Bindloss as their guest. - -“No, you ain’t,” replied the rancher. “You keep out of it and stay -where you’re safe. There’s some wild ones in the bunch we are going -after today.” - -Tom Gray was accepted as a novice, and a pony that knew the ropes -was assigned to him for the work. Bindloss told him that so long as -he gave the animal its head he would be reasonably safe. - -The Overlanders got a later start than the others, but managed to -get away shortly after daybreak. It was a wonderful ride through the -fragrant morning air, one that every member of the party thoroughly -enjoyed. Hippy in the meantime was having a glorious morning, -too—snoring in the ranch-house, where he proposed to remain all day -and have “peace and quiet,” as he expressed it. - -As they neared the scene of the round-up, near mid-forenoon, the -Overlanders rode up the first bluff of the foothills, as they had -been directed to do, and then followed along parallel with the -valley. As they drew near they suddenly found themselves gazing down -upon the scene that they had come so far to see—a western round-up. - -A great herd—thousands of them, it seemed—were milling about on -the plain below them, making the dust fly in suffocating clouds, -while wilder ones of the herd were galloping for the foothills. -Calves were running about bawling for their mothers, and frantic -cows were splitting the herd in search of them. Above the din rose -shrill and clear the calls of the cowpunchers, calls that were -familiar, especially to the steers, who seemed to know the meaning -of them even if they did do exactly the opposite to what was -expected of them. - -Up and down the rolling foothills raced the long-horns, with ponies -ridden by yelling, shouting, dare-devil riders, in pursuit. Here and -there a lasso wriggled through the air, spun by an irate cowboy, and -a big steer went down on his nose. - -A bunch of wild steers raced past the Overlanders, and Stacy, -suddenly deciding that it was his duty to drive them back, galloped -after them. - -The fat boy soon found himself in the midst of a charging, bellowing -mass of wild steers whose long horns and threatening jabs at his -mustang, made him wish that he had kept out of it. He was in a more -perilous position than he realized. The girls were shouting for him -to come back, but in the uproar Stacy did not hear them, nor could -he have obeyed had he heard. - -Two-gun Pete was the first to discover the boy’s predicament. He -came flashing up the grade, past the girls, but without looking at -them, and rode on until he had reached the herd. There he began -uttering shrill yells that were heard above the uproar. Pete, at the -risk of his pony’s life, if not his own, dodged in and out until he -got to the side of the fat boy. - -“Hot-foot it out of this, you tenderfoot!” he roared. - -“All right. Show me the way, you cowpuncher!” flung back Stacy. - -“Follow me, but not too close.” Pete, exerting mighty efforts, soon -split the herd apart, and into the opening thus made, Stacy rode -without further urging, and in a few moments he was clear of the -herd. “Now git back with ye and stay back!” - -Now that he was up there, Pete decided to head off the wild bunch. -He rode his sweating mustang until it seemed as if he would ride the -little animal off its feet, and little by little he bunched the -unruly steers and started them towards the valley, when they -suddenly headed straight for the position occupied by the -Overlanders. - -“They’ll run us down!” cried Nora. - -“No! We can get away if they get too close. Ride for them and yell -like all possessed. Try to turn them to their left,” urged Grace. - -The Overland girls, fired with the same spirit that was urging the -cowpunchers in their work, started forward at a gallop, waving their -sombreros and uttering such screeches as probably not only -astounded, but frightened the outlaw steers. The cattle, however, -held to their course just the same. Two-gun Pete saw and understood -what the girls were trying to do. He also understood full well the -risk they were taking. Pete pealed out a shrill, far-reaching -warning, but they did not hear. - -“Yell, you Overlanders!” screamed Elfreda Briggs, and, taking her -own advice, she uttered yell after yell, that Two-gun Pete later -declared on his honor as a cowpuncher frightened one tough old -maverick to death. At least the animal was found dead at about that -point, later on in the day. - -J. Elfreda evidently turned the tide, for a leader swerved, and the -herd followed him and went plunging down the slope. - -“Hot stuff, but don’t ye do it again!” shouted the cowboy as he -followed the herd down the foothill and out into the valley, where -other cowpunchers came to his assistance and rounded it up. - -The girls, now that the excitement was ended, suddenly felt weak in -the knees. They realized that they had taken a desperate chance, and -that they had not been unhorsed, and perhaps gored to death, was due -to great good luck, and to the far-reaching power of the dignified -Elfreda Briggs’ voice, rather than to any skill on their part. - -“That was a fool thing to do,” observed Stacy, who now came trotting -up to them. - -“Why, you unappreciative creature!” rebuked Emma. “Don’t you know -that we were trying to save your life?” - -“Save nothing!” growled Stacy. - -“Thank you,” bowed Emma. “I could not have said it better myself,” -whereupon the other girls laughed merrily, and Stacy drew off by -himself where he sat sullenly observing the work going on below him. - -All day the milling about, the cutting-out, the yells and the -bellows, with here and there a sharp encounter between cowboy and an -ugly steer, continued without a let-up. No one thought of eating. -There was too much work to be done, and even the Overlanders forgot -their noon luncheon which they had brought with them. - -At twilight the cowmen were still busy, but by this time they had -several hundred animals in the big corral, and in another a bunch of -stock for branding, while out on the range as many more animals were -stirring about restlessly. Campfires began to spring up here and -there, over which tired riders cooked their slender suppers and -rested before taking up the work of the night. This work included -branding and keeping rounded-up the stock left out on the range. -Bindloss joined the Overlanders at their coffee and bacon. He was -covered with dust and his voice was hoarse from yelling at cattle -and at his riders. - -“How long is this thing going to continue?” questioned Stacy Brown. - -“All night, young feller. Of course things will quiet down ’long -’bout midnight. We’ve got to get some rest, you know.” - -Grace said she thought that they should be starting back towards -camp after supper, but Bindloss shook his head. - -“Some of the men will be going in later in the evening. I’d rather -have you folks wait and ride in with them,” he said, but without -giving any reason for the request. “You can ride ’bout after supper, -but keep away from milling bunches, and see the sights. You’ll be -interested in the branding, if you’ve never seen it done.” - -Soon after supper the girls of the party, accompanied by Stacy, rode -down the valley. There they scattered somewhat, Emma first having -discovered Two-gun Pete and stopping to talk with him. Stacy rode -on, saying that he wished to see the rest of the show. - -Pete told Emma that he did not like the way the cattle had been -acting that day. He averred that something had been stirring them up -of late, but reckoned it must be a mountain lion that had been -trying to get the calves. Whether or not the beast had succeeded he -said he did not know, for no one knew how many calves there were in -any of the herds. - -Two-gun Pete had work to do, so Emma rode on and joined her -companions whom she found chatting with the owner of the ranch, who -sat his pony surveying the activity that was everywhere. They -wondered how he could make anything out of all the confusion in the -darkness, which the many little fires merely accentuated. Joe -Bindloss, however, knew exactly what was going on at all points of -the round-up. - -Idaho Jones interrupted the conversation when he came galloping up -to the party. - -“Hey, Boss!” he called. “I been lookin’ all over fer ye.” The voice -of the cowpuncher held an urgent note that each member of the party -before him felt. - -“Eh? What’s wrong?” demanded Bindloss sharply. - -“Pop Skinner jest rode in, an’ he’s lookin’ fer ye hot-foot. He says -as he reckons thar’s trouble up in the valley.” - -“What about?” - -“He didn’t wait to tell me.” - -“Find him—find him and fetch him here almighty quick! Hump -yourself!” commanded Bindloss. - -“Co—o-o-o-o! Pop, heah,” yelled Idaho, his quick eye discovering -the man for whom he was looking, and out of the darkness shot a gray -mustang bearing down on them. “Thar he is now.” - -“What’s wrong?” shouted Bindloss. - -“I don’t reckon as I know, Boss, but as I was comin’ down to jine -the outfit heah, I runned across Sallie guardin’ the number six -herd. He said as he’d seen a bunch of riders come out of the -foothills, ’bout four mile above heah an’ head off in the direction -of the ranch an’ he thought ye better know ’bout it. As I was comin’ -down anyway, I made a hustle. ’Bout half way down I heard rifle -shots up-valley. Thet’s all I knows ’bout it, but I reckoned you -ought to know.” - -“Get Pete and all the other fellers you can skin in a hurry and -light out for the ranch. There’s trouble, and I’ve felt it somehow -all day!” - -While Bindloss was giving his orders another cowpuncher rode in on a -pony that was dripping lather. He, too, was from somewhere up the -Coso Valley and he was excited. - -“They’ve attacked the ranch, Boss!” he fairly flung at Bindloss. - -“Who’s attacked it?” roared the rancher. - -“Don’t know nothin’ ’bout thet, but I seen an’ heard the firin’ and -thar’s the old Harry to pay up thar.” - -Idaho had already ridden away to gather a bunch of his fellows for -the ride back to the ranch, and while this was being done Bindloss -eagerly questioned the two men who had brought him evil tidings. -Perhaps Bindloss had an idea as to who the men from the mountain -were, but if so he did not inform the disturbed Overlanders. They -were thinking of Hippy up there alone in the ranch-house, himself -suffering from wounds and perhaps helpless in the hands of a band of -mountain ruffians. - -“We must go!” cried Nora. - -“Yes, we will go,” answered Grace. “I wish I could find Tom.” - -“They’ll get him,” answered Bindloss. “You’ll have to ride some if -you keep up with the cowpunchers, and this ain’t no pleasure trip -neither. Here they come!” - -Pete was leading the party of rough-riders that came racing towards -him, and with them was Tom Gray. His companions of the Overland -party hardly recognized him, for his clothes were covered with dust -and his face was streaked where the perspiration had trickled -through the grime. - -“Orders, Boss?” called Pete. - -“Ride! Ride the cayuses to death, but get there, that’s all. Go!” - -The cowboys pulled their mustangs and fairly lifted them, rearing -and wheeling, and were off like projectiles, fierce fires burning in -every cowboy heart, and the lust for battle and revenge taking full -possession of them. - -The Overland Riders were not many seconds behind them in starting, -nor did they have to urge their mustangs, who were as eager as they -to keep up with the reckless riders ahead, riders that were using -spur and voice in the wild night ride up the Coso Valley. - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -HIPPY DEFENDS THE RANCH - - -Lieutenant Wingate after a refreshing afternoon’s sleep had remained -up long enough to brew tea and fry bacon and eggs for himself. It -was dusk when he finished his supper. - -“I ought to wash the dishes, I suppose, but I think I’ll let the -girls do that. There is some satisfaction in being a convalescent,” -he decided, grinning at his own humor. “Queer thing about -convalescence—when you get through with your sleep you are ready -for another. Ho, hum!” - -Hippy, with the aid of a cane, hobbled out to the porch that fronted -the valley and sat down on his cot, then lay back breathing in the -soft breezes from mountain and plain. - -“This is the life,” he muttered, sinking into a half doze. - -All at once the Overland Rider pulled himself into keen wakefulness. -He was positive that he heard horses approaching, but they seemed to -be a long way off. His first thought was that either the Overlanders -or some of the cowboys were on their way home, but with the caution -born of experience, he decided to lie quietly and wait. - -The hoof-beats ceased, so far as he was able to hear, and silence -settled over the valley, broken now and then by the howl of a hungry -coyote. Somehow this sudden silence got on the nerves of Lieutenant -Hippy Wingate, and getting up he hobbled into the ranch-house and -strapped on his revolver holster. Bethinking himself of Bindloss’s -rifle he got that, examined the chambers and, as he expected, found -it fully loaded. - -“Now we are all set,” he muttered. He had reached the ranch-house -door when he halted sharply and gazed into the night over which the -stars shed a faint light, making objects within the range of his -vision stand out in unreal and fantastic shapes. Hippy, however, did -see something moving, something that was quite real. This something -was a man, and as he gazed other figures were discovered. - -“I wonder if that’s some of the boys?” he muttered. Upon second -thought he decided that the cowpunchers would not be moving about so -quietly. Three appeared to have come from the direction of the -Overland camp at the rear of the ranch-house, and Hippy then knew -that all was not well at the Circle O ranch. He stepped back, softly -closed and bolted the door, and took his place at a window that had -been pulled down from the top. From that vantage point he watched -with straining eyes. - -The men appeared to be investigating, undoubtedly for the purpose of -learning whether or not there were anyone about the place. One -finally turned his attention to the ranch-house, first cautiously -trying the door, then peering in through the window. Hippy had -stepped aside as the man approached him, and a few seconds later he -saw a face pressed against the pane. - -After a moment of peering, the fellow carefully raised both windows -from the bottom and thrust his head in. - -Hippy pressed his body against the wall and grasped his revolver by -the barrel. The fellow’s shoulders were thrust in and the watcher -saw that he was about to climb in. - -Lieutenant Hippy Wingate took instant advantage of the opportunity -and brought the butt of his revolver down with full force on the -intruder’s head. The whack was so loud that the Overlander thought -the others must hear, and, without an instant’s hesitation, he -grabbed and dragged the unconscious man into the room. - -“I hope I haven’t killed the ruffian!” A hand placed over the man’s -heart told Hippy that he had not. Hippy, knowing that there was a -lasso hanging in Bindloss’s room, in fact that there were several -there, hobbled in, and fetching the rope, hog-tied the man, after -which he put a handkerchief gag in the fellow’s mouth. - -“Good! This is like taking candy from babies,” he chuckled, going -over to the window and replacing it as it was before. This enabled -him to stand up and look out, and also gave him free range in case -he found it necessary to use his weapons. Bethinking himself of -other windows, Hippy made a circuit of the lower floor and closed -and locked them. For a man to get in now would necessitate breaking -a window, which he surely would hear. - -The watcher had no more than returned to his open window than he -suddenly ducked to one side, for he discovered that a second man was -about to peer in. Unlike the first caller this man walked away and -went around to the rear of the house, but he was back in a few -moments, this time accompanied by a companion. They were whispering, -and at this instant the man on the floor gave a kick with his heel -that stopped the whispering instantly. - -Lieutenant Wingate went over to the bound man. - -“Do that again and I’ll settle you!” he hissed with all the -savageness that he could put into his tone. “I mean what I say!” - -Returning to the window he stood to one side watching the two men -who were again holding a whispered conversation, pausing now and -then to listen attentively. After a few moments of this, one raised -the window an inch or so at a time and looked in. In the darkness -they saw nothing. - -“I reckon it’s all right. I’ll go in an’ ye foller me,” said one in -a low, guarded tone of voice, whereupon he began crawling in. As he -landed on his hands on the floor, Lieutenant Wingate hit him a -terrific wallop on the head with the butt of his revolver, then made -a swift pass with it at the head of the other man whose head was -just inside the window. - -It hit the fellow a glancing blow, and jerking his head from the -window he fell over backwards, then staggering to his feet he ran, -uttering a warning cry. - -The time for secrecy, so far as Lieutenant Hippy Wingate was -concerned, had passed. He sent a bullet from his revolver after the -man and then discovering other prowlers trying to get into the -corral, he snatched up the rifle, and fired at the ground just -behind them. - -The prowlers scattered in record time and a volley of shots pinged -into the ranch-house in reply. - -The Overland Rider now hastily turned his attention to his second -victim, and in a few minutes he had the man bound and dragged to the -other side of the room at a distance from the first prisoner. - -“Confound the ruffians! Why couldn’t they have come singly?” he -growled. “I could have caught the whole bunch. I reckon maybe there -will be something doing in a few moments.” - -There was. A rifle crashed out, then another, and a snapping fire -was directed at the Circle O ranch-house, with Hippy lying flat on -the floor waiting for the shooting to stop. It soon did, whereupon -the Overlander crept to the window and peered out. Not a human being -was in sight, but the watcher was too old a hand at campaigning to -believe that the prowlers had gone away. He reasoned, too, that by -making no return of their fire, they might believe that they had hit -him. As he had surmised would be the case, a man appeared after a -time just beyond the corral. The fellow darted across and -disappeared behind the stable where saddles and other equipment were -stored. - -The man’s next appearance was a few moments later when he walked to -the corral, looked in and strolled back to the protection of the -stable. Others then appeared, at first exercising the utmost -caution, but little by little showing that they believed danger to -them had passed. - -Hippy Wingate chuckled. His ruse had succeeded, but he knew the end -was not yet. At the same time he was groping for the reason for the -presence of these prowlers. From their actions he believed that they -were trying to steal the ponies, and a moment later he saw them -again at work trying to break the locked gate of the corral. They -were battering away at it so boldly that he knew they now feared no -interruption. - -“I’ve got to take a chance,” muttered the Overland Rider, “but I’ll -shoot low. Perhaps I won’t hit any of the stock.” - -There was no time to lose, for in a few moments those sledge-hammer -blows, that were probably delivered with a maul or an axe, must -produce results. - -Taking as careful aim as he could in the uncertain light, he pulled -the trigger and Old Joe Bindloss’s rifle roared. - -A yell greeted the shot, by which sign Lieutenant Wingate knew that -the bullet had found a mark. He fired again, but this time there was -no answering yell. Two men grabbed up one of their number, the party -started on a run for the stable and Hippy deliberately fired right -into the group. One man staggered and fell. He was quickly dragged -away, but not before the Overland Rider had emptied his rifle at -them, though, so far as he was able to discover, without results. -Accurate shooting was impossible under the conditions. - -The rancher’s rifle was now empty, nor did Lieutenant Wingate know -where to find more ammunition. He possessed his revolver and a belt -of cartridges which would keep him going for some time, provided he -were conservative in their use, so the rifle was laid aside and the -revolver took its place. A quick examination of the two captives -informed him that both were conscious. - -“You fellows! Don’t you make a sound or I’ll use the business end of -my gun on you,” he warned. - -Rifle bullets at this juncture again began ripping through the side -of the house, and while they were still crunching about the room -with a chilling sound the Overlander, who was on the floor, heard a -powerful blow delivered on the door. It was followed by other blows. -The ruffians were trying to beat the door down, and already a panel -had been shattered. - -Hippy hopped to his feet and placed himself before the door, feeling -reasonably safe there so long as men were standing in front of it. - -Thrusting the muzzle of his weapon close to the shattered panel he -pulled the trigger, and a howl of rage answered it. This shot had -not missed. - -Before giving the attackers a chance to do further damage Hippy -fired the remaining chambers of his revolver through the door in -quick succession. He did not know whether or not he had made a hit, -but he knew that, for the moment, he had effectively checked -operations out there. - -A few seconds were lost in reloading, during which not a sound -reached him from the outside. Stooping over, he peered through the -shattered panel. As he did so there came a sudden burst of rifle -fire and a dozen bullets ripped through the door. - -Lieutenant Wingate straightened up, staggered, clapped a hand to his -head, half turned and crashed full length to the floor. As he lay -there, bullets continued to thud through the door and the siding of -the ranch-house, then ceased as suddenly as they had begun, but -Hippy, some moments since, had ceased to hear or know. - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -AT THE LAST MOMENT - - -“Smoke him out!” came the sharp command after the firing had died -down. “That’ll fetch the critter. Then git him.” - -Some dead grass, a handful of chips and a match did the work, and a -flickering blaze was soon started under one corner of the -ranch-house. - -“Now the hosses!” commanded the same voice. “Two of ye git behind -the house to watch for him, the others go fer the mustangs in the -corral.” - -The men ran to obey the orders of their leader, when a sudden shout -from one of them changed the plans of the attackers entirely. It was -a shout of warning. Following it the ruffians plainly heard the -sound of hoof-beats approaching—many of them. They were coming at -what the trained ears of the mountain ruffians told them was a -killing pace. - -“Hit the trail!” yelled the leader. “Go south and scatter! Hit it -hard!” came the further orders. - -The ruffians were in their saddles within a minute thereafter, some -of them carrying wounded companions who had got in the way of Hippy -Wingate’s bullets, and they were around the corner of the corral in -a twinkling. Once in the shadow of it they faded away into the -night, just as Two-gun Pete and his companions flashed in with guns -ready for instant use. - -“Quick! Fire!” shouted Idaho. - -“Git water!” yelled Two-gun Pete, leaping from his mustang. - -Old Joe Bindloss came up as the cowpunchers were dashing water on -the flames that were now licking at the side of the building. He -instantly threw himself from his pony and grabbing a pail began -carrying water and giving orders at the same time. The blaze was -extinguished in a few minutes. The Overland Riders came up at this -juncture. - -“Gosh a-mighty, what’s been going on here?” bellowed the rancher. -“Look at that door! Clean busted in.” - -The boys quickly brought lanterns from the stable, and by their -light discovered the bullet holes in door and siding. Windows, too, -were shot out at the front of the house. - -“Thar’s been a fight heah!” decided Pete. - -“Hippy!” wailed Nora, almost collapsing as her pony stopped. - -“We’ll find out about thet, Missie,” answered Pete. “Hey, Dude! Be -you thar?” he shouted. - -There was no reply, and the Overlanders ran for the house, each one -fearing the worst. - -“Back! I reckon I’ll go in first!” bellowed Bindloss. “It’s my -house, and I reckon it’s up to me to go in ahead. Boys, get behind -me with the lights so they don’t get in my eyes. You Overlanders -keep out of range in case there should be some scrapping. No telling -what we might meet in there.” Bindloss with drawn weapon, Two-gun -Pete at his side, strode up and kicked in the remnants of the front -door of his home. As the door went down both men leaped lightly to -one side, fearing an ambush. - -A dead silence followed. - -“Lights here!” commanded Bindloss, stepping in with revolver thrust -before him. - -Nothing happening, cowpunchers and Overlanders crowded in. They -found the old rancher standing with a dazed expression on his face. - -“Gosh a-mighty!” he muttered over and over. “What’s happened?” - -It was then that the Overlanders discovered the two bound men, and -then Hippy at some little distance from them, stretched out on his -face, one hand still grasping his revolver. - -“Hippy!” It was a wailing cry from Nora as she threw herself down -beside him. “He’s dead! He’s dead! They’ve killed him!” Nora threw -both arms about her husband and tried to turn him over, but he was a -dead weight and she failed. - -Tom did it for her, the cowpunchers during all this time standing -with gaping mouths as dazed as was their employer. - -Grace and Elfreda were at Hippy’s side in an instant, and it was -Elfreda who discovered that he was not dead. - -“Light here, please,” requested Miss Briggs in a tone so calm that -it steadied the others of the party. “Look at this, will you?” she -added. “A bullet has ripped the bandage from his head, and torn open -the stitches that I put in Hippy’s scalp.” - -“Wounded in exactly the same place!” murmured Grace. “How strange!” - -“What ’bout these cayuses, Boss?” demanded Two-gun Pete, fixing a -malignant gaze on the two helpless ruffians who were looking from -one to the other of the party with anxiety in their eyes. “Shall I -make a good job of it an’ sarve ’em the same way somebody has sarved -the Dude?” - -“Shut up! They’ll keep. This man gets first attention. Is he bad -off, Miss?” questioned Bindloss. - -“I can’t say,” answered Elfreda. “If I knew how long he has been in -this condition I might make a better guess.” - -Pete released the gun from Hippy’s hand, felt of the barrel, smelled -of the muzzle, then looked into the cylinder to see how many shots -had been fired from it. - -“Ain’t been this way more’n ten or fifteen minutes, I reckon. Gun’s -warm yit.” - -“Then it may be only concussion of the brain, but I shan’t be able -to tell definitely for some little time. Some one run to camp and -get bandages. Tom, will you please go? Fetch my case along.” - -Elfreda called for water and by the time Tom returned had bathed the -wound, the same wound reopened, though the scalp on either side of -it was lacerated somewhat more than before. Restoratives were -administered by Grace, while Elfreda was dressing and re-sewing the -wound, she believing it best to do this before the patient recovered -consciousness. Grace was not so successful, and at Bindloss’s orders -the cowpunchers picked up the wounded Overlander and carried him to -his bed at the back of the house. - -“Take the gags out of them fellers’ mouths. I reckon they’ll have -something to say,” drawled Bindloss in the cool tone that his men -knew from experience was a mask for a raging passion beneath it. - -The gags were none too gently removed, the captives’ weapons were -jerked from their belts, smelled of and examined and found not to -have been fired that evening. This was evidenced by the fact that -the cylinders were fully loaded, that the barrels were cold, and -that there was no odor of burnt powder to be detected at the -muzzles. - -“Stand ’em up against the wall and let’s have a look at ’em!” -commanded the rancher, and after this had been done, and one of the -cowboys had held a lantern up to their faces, Bindloss squinted at -them frowningly. “Any of you fellows know these critters?” - -Each cowpuncher stepped up and took a long, stern look at the faces -and shook his head. - -“I reckon you two bit off more’n you could chew, eh? Who are ye?” -demanded Bindloss. - -The captives, now sullen-faced, made no reply. - -“What happened that you two are hog-tied in my house?” - -“Ain’t no use fer to ask questions ’cause you ain’t goin’ to git no -answers,” growled one. - -“I’ll tell ye what happened,” spoke up the other captive. “We was -ridin’ by, an knowin’ thet you-all was down the range, seen -somethin’ was goin’ on in heah an’ we jest come up to look in, an’ -got a crack on the haid. Thet’s all.” - -“You’re a liar!” blazed Joe Bindloss, drawing back a clenched fist -as if to strike the man, but the fist slowly relaxed and his face -grew calm again. “You’ll talk before I git done with you, I promise -you that. When the man in there wakes up, if he ever does, I’ll hear -the truth. If he dies I’ll shoot every man in these ranges if I have -to do so to git the right ones, and I’ll begin with you, you -sneaking coyotes! Take ’em out and tie ’em in the barn. And, boys, -fix ’em so they can’t get away. If there’s any rough stuff to be -pulled off, I’ll do the pulling. Understand?” - -The cowpunchers nodded and picked up the prisoners. When outside the -door the man at the head of each prisoner dropped his burden and the -cowboy at the foot dragged his captive by the feet all the way to -the stable. Sam Conifer followed and stood gazing at the prisoners -as the cowmen were re-tying them. He was positive that he had seen -one of the ruffians before, but could not place him. - -While this was going on, Jim, who had procured a lantern and browsed -about the ranch, returned to the house. Bindloss was in the room -with Lieutenant Wingate at the moment, watching the Overland girls -work over him. Hearing Jim enter, he stepped out. - -“Oh! It’s you, is it?” - -“Yes. Boss, I been lookin’ ’round heah a little an’ I’ve diskivered -some things. Thar was seven men in that party. They went up to our -camp fust, but didn’t take nothin’. Then they come down heah an’ -tried to git in the corral. Thar’s some bullet holes in the posts -thar, which I reckon was made by Lieutenant Wingate’s rifle. Thar’s -a rifle on the floor thar. Whose is that?” - -“Mine,” exclaimed the rancher, picking up the weapon and examining -it. “The magazine is empty—fired off this evening.” - -“Jest so. Some of them bullets is in the stable now, an’ some more -of ’em hit them rough-necks, mebby killed ’em, I can’t say. -Leastwise they left some blood where two of ’em lay until they was -carried away on hosses. Thar’s tracks, too, that lead right up to -that winder thar.” - -“Good work,” complimented Bindloss. “What beats me, though, is how -two of them happened to be tied down in the house.” - -“Three of ’em I trailed up to the winder. One of ’em went away in a -hurry, but t’other two didn’t. I reckon mebby they aire the two -fellers that ye found heah. The party went south after they heard ye -comin’. I reckon that’s what started ’em away. I reckon they was -tryin’ to steal yer mustangs when Lieutenant Wingate put er crimp in -their little picnic. Eh, Boss?” - -“I reckon you’re right, Jim. He must have fought them single-handed -and when they were getting the worst of it they tried to set fire to -the ranch-house. I reckon we got here just in time.” - -“Yep. Things do work out queer-like sometimes,” agreed the old -guide. “Somebody’s comin’! They’re in a hurry, too,” he warned. - -A horse came to a sliding stop just outside of the ranch-house. A -rapid exchange of words followed between the rider and the cowboys, -then a dust-covered, breathless cowboy clanked in. - -“Gosh a-mighty! What’s broke loose now?” demanded the rancher. -“Don’t tell me something else has happened. Speak up! Are you -tongue-tied?” - -“The herd, Pop’s herd, has jest been stampeded an’ scattered into -the foothills, and Pop’s been shot. The fellers thet stampeded the -herd give him his’n. They aire bringin’ him in now,” answered the -rider excitedly. - -Bindloss snatched up his rifle and bolted from the door. His -cowpunchers already were in their saddles. - -“Grace, if I am not needed here, I’ll go, too,” urged Tom. - -“Yes, do,” answered Grace Harlowe. “Tell Jim-Sam to stay. Be -careful, Tom.” - -“Safety first,” called back the Overland Rider as he dashed out -after the rancher. “Jim-Sam, I hold you responsible for the safety -of this place while we are away.” - -“Come on if you’re going with me,” shouted Bindloss. - -“I’m with you,” answered Tom, and in an incredibly short time the -party was thundering down the valley. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -AN OVERLANDER IS MISSING - - -The vigil of the Overland girls lasted through the night. Along -towards morning Lieutenant Wingate’s breathing became more natural -and his heart action better. - -“I am inclined to think that he will regain consciousness soon,” -announced Miss Briggs. “If he does, it is not a fracture of the -skull. Have courage, Nora,” she added in answer to the appealing -look from Mrs. Wingate, who had sat holding the wounded man’s hand -all night long. - -“I’ve been trying to bring him back, and I’ve thought so hard that I -just knew he would have to come back,” murmured Nora. - -Grace kissed her and patted her cheek. - -“The imponderable quality lies deep in us all,” observed Emma more -to herself than to her companions. - -In the meantime Jim and Sam were prowling about, now and then -looking in to inquire how the patient was getting along, but -spending a good part of their time at the Overland camp which -commanded a fairly good view of the ranch buildings. - -Shortly after daybreak, Hippy stirred and began to mutter. A few -moments later he opened his eyes, blinked a few times, and smiled up -into Nora’s face. The Overland girl burst into tears. - -“If you don’t stop that at once out you go!” threatened Miss Briggs. -“Hippy must have absolute quiet. Which shall it be?” - -“I’ll be quiet,” promised Nora, conquering the sobs that rose to her -lips. - -There was instant silence in the room, and in a few moments Hippy -Wingate sank into a natural sleep, from which he did not awaken -until late in the morning. After some nourishment was given him, he -asked for explanations. - -The girls told him how they had found him, and asked him what had -occurred before he was put out by a bullet. Hippy related all that -he could remember of the occurrences of the previous night. They -then insisted on his going to sleep again, which he was quite -willing and ready to do. - -No one had been near the stable where the prisoners were held, -though Jim-Sam had made occasional tours of inspection about the -building throughout the night. The key to the stable was in the -pocket of Two-gun Pete, so, though the prisoners must be hungry, it -was plain that they would get nothing to eat until the return of the -rancher and his party. - -Bindloss, and those that had gone out with him, returned shortly -before noon worn and angry. Emma met them in front of the -ranch-house waving her hat and smiling. - -“It’s all right,” she cried in answer to a volley of questions about -Hippy. “He is sleeping now.” - -“Whoo—pe-e-e!” howled the boys. - -“Shut up! The man’s asleep!” rebuked Joe Bindloss, getting down from -his saddle and stamping about to get the kinks out of his legs, for -he had not been out of the saddle in many hours. - -At this juncture Grace appeared at the door of the ranch-house and -waved a hand at them. - -“The lieutenant is awake now and he would like to see you, Mr. -Bindloss,” she informed the rancher. - -Bindloss limped in, and the cowboys, not to be denied what they were -certain would prove to be an interesting interview, flung themselves -from their ponies and trooped in. They were crowded about the door -of the injured man’s room by the time Joe Bindloss gripped the -Overland Rider’s hand. - -Hippy sat propped up in bed, his head swathed in bandages, and he -grinned at the solemn faces of the cowpunchers. - -“I got mine again, fellows. Regular tenderfoot, eh?” - -The cowpunchers shook their heads. - -“Wal, now, tell me ’bout it,” urged the rancher. - -To save Hippy from another wearisome recital, Miss Briggs repeated -what he had already related of his experiences. The lines of the -cowboy countenances grew taut during the recital, but no word was -uttered. They were held by the words of Elfreda Briggs, spoken -without attempt at embellishment. - -“An’ you got two of ’em. Well, I’ll be struck dead if that ain’t the -limit. Boys, what do you think ’bout this outfit being tenderfeet?” -he demanded, turning brusquely to his men. - -The cowboys shifted uneasily and fumbled their hats. - -“Boss, I reckon we got to git somebody fer thet. What ’bout Pop? Is -he daid?” demanded Idaho. - -“No. He isn’t badly hurt. Shot through the shoulder, that’s all,” -smiled J. Elfreda. “He is in the bunk-house. Mrs. Gray fixed him up -and Sam has been looking after him. I shall go over again soon and -look him over. The lieutenant being the worse hurt demanded most of -our attention, though Pop has not been neglected,” Elfreda informed -them. - -“I think the prisoners may need attention by this time,” suggested -Grace. “They must be hungry.” - -Bindloss growled. - -“All right. Pete, see that they get something to eat. Find out if -they are ready to talk and let me know.” - -“Thank you,” said Grace smilingly. - -“Hippy, you’ve done me a big service. I don’t know what to say,” -resumed the rancher. - -“Don’t say anything. I had to fight to save my own skin,” answered -Hippy. - -“A good many folks would have hid in the cellar,” chuckled Bindloss. -“Catching those two rough-necks was the cleverest thing that’s been -done in Coso Valley, and I reckon the record will stand for some -time. Feel all right?” - -“Sore, but happy, Mr. Bindloss. Tell me what happened below. The -girls said there was trouble with the Number Six herd and that Pop -had been wounded.” - -Bindloss’s face contracted. - -“The miserable coyotes! I mean that mountain gang. Yes, they -stampeded the herd and run them into the foothills. They got some of -the stock, too, but I don’t know how many head. The whole bunch got -away before we got down there, though they left several snipers as a -sort of rear guard, and they took pot shots at us when the boys -tried to get on the trail of the stolen stock. We got the stock -rounded up, what was left of it, and drove it in with another herd. -The boys are finishing rounding up on that section today. I reckon -they can get along without me. Pete and the bunch are going back -later. We’ve got two of the thieves here, anyway, and they are going -to jail when we get ready to turn them over. I reckon they are going -to talk some first, though.” - -“Can’t your men trail the rustlers?” asked Miss Briggs. - -“Not far. You don’t know these mountains. They could hide up a bunch -of cattle for months and no one could find them unless he just -happened to stumble onto the hiding place. The best we can do is to -find out who the boss of that thieving outfit is and shoot him up. I -reckon that’s what’s going to be did, too. By the way, where’s your -fat friend, Stacy? It’s a wonder he isn’t around with some -suggestions to offer.” - -The Overlanders looked at each other with growing concern in their -faces. - -“St—acy!” exclaimed Nora. - -“Mercy! With all the excitement we have forgotten all about that -young man,” spoke up Emma. “Why, he didn’t return with us last -night, did he?” - -“He is all right. Don’t worry. You will find him with the punchers -rounding up steers and howling like an Indian,” soothed Lieutenant -Wingate. - -Bindloss strode to the door and shouted “Pete!” Two-gun came -running. - -“Whar’s Brown, Stacy Brown?” - -“I—I thought he was heah. Ain’t he?” - -“No. Was he with the men rounding up this morning?” - -Pete shook his head and a troubled look crept into his face. - -“When did you last see him?” - -“Le’ me see. It was last night jest before we got er call to come up -heah. He was ridin’ up towards the foothills on the east side, I -reckon to see what the boys was doin’ up thet way. As I recommember -thar warn’t any of the boys on thet side jest then.” - -“You are certain that he isn’t with the outfit?” urged Bindloss. - -“Daid shore, Boss.” - -“Then where is he?” demanded the rancher with a rising inflection in -his voice. - -Two-gun Pete shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair. - -“I reckon somethin’ has happened to thet feller,” he observed -solemnly. - -Tom Gray ran to the door and shouted for Jim-Sam. - -“We will start the guides out at once. Something has gone wrong with -Chunky, that’s certain, but if anyone can find him Jim-Sam can,” he -said. - -“I’ll send Pete and a couple of the others with them,” announced the -rancher, who was more disturbed than he cared to have the Overland -Riders see. “Pete! You know what to do. Get the boy, that’s all.” - -Jim-Sam were entering the ranch-house when Idaho burst in, thrusting -the guides aside at the door. - -“Boss! They’ve gone!” yelled Idaho. - -“Gone? Who’s gone?” - -“The critters thet the Dude caught last night. They’ve got clean -away. Somebody sawed a hole in the back of the stable and got ’em -out!” - -“Gosh a-mighty!” gasped Bindloss. “I ought to have done what I -wanted to do and shot ’em both. But I’ll do it yet! I’ll do it yet!” -he raged, stalking from the ranch-house on his way to the scene of -the escape. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -THE LOST TRAIL - - -“I am going back to the round-up, then over to see Malcolm Hornby,” -announced Joe Bindloss after returning from the stable, where he had -gone to see for himself how the prisoners had escaped. “I hate the -critter, but if we stock owners don’t get together and organize to -wipe out these thieves we shan’t have any stock left by the end of -the season.” - -“I’ll go with you,” offered Tom Gray. - -“Sure, if you like. Pete, you and Idaho are to ride with us, leaving -the rest here to protect the ranch. We mustn’t leave the place alone -again, but there’s got to be some better protecting than there was -last night,” warned Bindloss. “I’ll bet every steer on my ranch that -if Lieutenant Wingate had been on his feet they wouldn’t have got -away—alive!” - -“Tom, I am going, too,” announced Grace. - -“Rough riding, girlie,” reminded Tom. - -“Yes, I know. But I don’t mind. Elfreda will remain with Hippy who -will be all right if someone doesn’t fire more bullets into him. She -and Nora may be trusted to take good care of him. Perhaps Emma would -like to go, too, especially if that big cowboy Pete is to accompany -us,” added Grace laughingly. - -“Come along. You won’t be satisfied unless you do,” agreed Tom. “I -will speak to Bindloss about it.” - -Grace said that there was no need to do that, and suggested further -that she thought she might be of some assistance to the searchers, -but the Overland girl did not explain what she meant by her last -remark, nor did Tom think twice about it. His mind was troubled. - -Emma answered the question of her joining the party before it was -asked by announcing that she was going to ride with Two-gun Pete and -Mr. Bindloss. - -Arrangements were quickly made and after the situation had been -explained to Lieutenant Wingate, Nora and Emma, the rancher and -his party mounted their ponies, leaving Sierra in charge of the -ranch with another cowboy and Sam Conifer to assist him. - -“Do as well as ye did last night when ye let them fellers git away -an’ ye prob’bly’ll git yer fool haid shot off,” warned Sam as Jim -swung into his saddle. - -“That’s all right so long as we leave another wuss fool heah at the -ranch,” gave back Jim, and the party galloped away. - -It was a hard ride, especially for Emma and Grace, but both girls -stood up under it remarkably well. Only one stop was made and that -was at a spring to water the ponies, after which the journey was -resumed. The rancher and his party reached their destination about -the middle of the afternoon, where the same scenes were being -enacted as on the previous day. Cattle were milling and bawling, and -above the roar came the calls of the cowpunchers, clear and -distinct. - -The herd engaged in the milling was much smaller than before because -so many head had been cut out and sent to graze at another place, -there to be guarded by men who would see to it that they neither got -away nor were stolen, for these cattle soon were to be driven to -market. - -At Bindloss’s direction, the men of the party separated and rode out -to question the cowmen about Stacy, and after every man there had -been interviewed, the searchers returned to the knoll where the -girls were awaiting them. - -“He hasn’t been here since last night,” Tom informed them. “The last -seen of him was when he was riding up towards that knoll yonder -where you see the red bushes. Whether or not he came back, no one -seems to know.” - -“Then he possibly rode into the mountains and got lost,” suggested -Emma. “That would be just like Stacy.” - -“I wish I might believe that it was nothing worse,” answered Grace. -“What is your idea, Mr. Bindloss?” - -“That’s a fair question, and I’ll give you a fair answer. It is my -hunch that the bunch that attacked the ranch is concerned in this -case too. I’m going over to see Hornby, and you folks can either -wait here for me or return to the ranch.” - -Grace asked permission to accompany him, which was rather -begrudgingly granted, she thought. Emma elected to stay and watch -the herding, and more especially to watch Two-gun Pete’s antics with -his mustang and tell him he was the finest horseman in the world. -Emma had told that same thing to nearly every one of Old Joe -Bindloss’s punchers, and some day it was destined to result in a -lively man-to-man fight. - -The ride to Hornby’s ranch occupied less than an hour, and Grace -observed that Bindloss hailed the log cabin where Hornby lived, -while still some little distance away. Judy answered the call and -looked her amazement when she saw who the callers were. - -“Pap’s got an awful grouch on today. You’d better light out of here -hot-foot, Pap Bindloss.” - -“Judy, I’m going to see your father. Where may I find him?” - -“I reckon right heah! What do ye want?” The voice belonged to -Malcolm Hornby. - -Grace observed the man with keen interest. Hornby was short and -wiry, his eyes keen, but revealing a vicious temper, while his face, -probably from exposure to the open, was like wrinkled parchment. Yet -he was not an old man, perhaps not more than fifty, with a quick, -nervous manner that made one feel he would be a dangerous opponent -in a fight. - -“I want to talk with you, Hornby. Can we talk in private?” asked -Bindloss. “I want to talk with you about two things. The first is -about a young friend of mine named Stacy Brown who disappeared from -the round-up last night, pony and all. I want your judgment, too. -You know these hills better than I do.” - -“I don’t know nothin’ ’bout it. Why do ye come heah? Ye don’t think -I stole him, do ye?” The question was put with savage emphasis. - -“Don’t be foolish, Hornby. I need your advice, for I’m plumb locoed -on this business,” urged the rancher. - -“Is that all ye got to say?” - -“No. I have something else to say. Hornby, we’re neighbors, not very -good ones, but we’re neighbors just the same, and neighbors should -stand together. I suppose the rustlers have been at your herd as -well as mine.” - -“I reckon if they keeps on I won’t have a steer on four feet left,” -growled Hornby. - -“Then will you join in with me, turn your men over and make a big -drive with me to rid this part of the country of all those -critters?” - -“I reckon you an’ me couldn’t hitch up fer anything. We’d be for -shootin’ each other up ’fore we’d got out of the valley. You’ve got -a rotten temper, an’ when I’m riled up I ain’t no good company -either. Who be these folks that ye say is yer friends?” - -“They are my friends, and that’s all that need be said,” retorted -Bindloss with some heat, for he did not like the tone nor the -insinuation in Hornby’s reply. - -While the men were talking, Grace had dismounted and she and Judy -had strolled away and engaged in earnest conversation, during which -Grace told her all that had happened at the Circle O ranch. What -Grace especially wanted to convey was that, knowing the mountains as -she did, Judy might be able to assist them in finding out what had -happened to Stacy. Judy shook her head saying that she couldn’t. -Grace closed the subject instantly and walked back to Bindloss. - -“Man!” cried the owner of the Circle O. “The ruffians not only tried -to steal the ponies right out of my corral, but they shot my place -all up and hit my friend, Lieutenant Wingate. He caught two of them -and shot some others, I reckon, but the two got away later on with -the assistance of their friends. I’ve reached my limit, Hornby. The -next thing I know I’ll be killing somebody.” - -“Providin’ they don’t git ye first,” leered Hornby. “I said ye had a -rotten temper, and ye’ve proved it. Nope, Joe, you an’ me can’t -hitch up nohow. I’ll run my own shebang and I reckon ye can do the -same with yours or quit. I don’t give a dad-blasted rap which ye do. -And as fer thet Lootenant friend of yours, tell him he’d better -watch out and not git too handy with thet gun o’ hissen, fer thar’s -some rough fellers in these mountains thet’d make hash of him -instanter if ever they sot eyes on him. This ain’t no place for -dudes, Joe Bindloss, an’ ye knows it as well as I do. Thet’s all I -got to say to ye.” - -Malcolm Hornby turned on his heel and strode into the house, -ordering Judy to follow him. Judy, with lowered eyes, followed -obediently without another word to Grace. - -“How strangely that girl acts today, Mr. Bindloss,” wondered Grace -as she mounted her mustang and trotted away with the rancher. - -“Judy’s all right. The trouble is that old Hornby is wearing her -down with his ornery temper until she is ’bout ready to bust out. I -hope she doesn’t, because if she does it’ll be a bad day for Pap.” - -“Has she no mother?” - -“Mother died when she was a kid. That was ’bout the time I lost my -wife. But I don’t altogether understand what’s got into Judy. She’s -acting mighty queer.” - -Grace nodded. - -“There’s your man Jim up there,” said Bindloss, pointing to the -foothills where the Overland guide was seen working about. At -Grace’s suggestion they rode to him. “Find it?” called the rancher -as he and Grace approached. - -“I thought as I had, but thar’s been so many cattle an’ so many -hosses that it’s a lost trail. The fellers say that Stacy war seen -here’bouts. If he’s smart he’s left some sort o’ trail, but I’ll be -shot if I kin find it.” - -“He would not think of that,” answered Grace. - -The pair rode on into the valley, both silent and thoughtful, and -for the rest of the afternoon watched the work of rounding up. Just -before dark Grace joined by Emma rode over to the foothills to see -what Jim was accomplishing. He was now nowhere to be seen. Though -Emma wanted to ride up farther into the hills, Grace decided that it -would not be prudent, for night was coming on. - -They ate their supper with cowboys beside a little campfire, and -shortly after that started homeward, accompanied by Mr. Bindloss and -two of the men. Two-gun Pete was one of the party. - -All were pleased to learn, on their arrival at the ranch, that Hippy -had been sitting up and was coming along. Pop Skinner too, Elfreda -said, was out of danger. Even the ranch-house had improved under the -repairs that had been made that day. - -Sam Conifer they found pacing about restlessly. He was full of eager -questions about Jim, and seemed disturbed when they told him that -his partner probably had found a trail and was following it. - -On the following morning, with no tidings of the old guide, Sam -asked permission to go in search of Jim. Permission was readily -granted, and Sam was soon galloping away. - -Conifer did not return until the late afternoon of the next day. He -was riding hard when the Overlanders discovered him, and reeled in -his saddle as he rode up to the ranch-house. - -“Somethin’s happened to Jim!” he cried. “I found whar it happened, -and then I lost the trail. They’ve got him! They’ve got him, folks!” - -“Sam! Sam! You have been hurt!” cried Nora. There was blood on Sam -Conifer’s face, and the left arm hung limp at his side. Before they -could assist him, Sam essayed to dismount and pitched to the ground -in a dead faint. - - - - -CHAPTER XV - -CLEWS THAT WERE LOADED - - -It was found that a bullet had hit the fleshy part of the old -guide’s left arm, and that there was considerable laceration. First -aid was administered and the patient restored to consciousness. - -“Quite a hospital we have here, Mr. Bindloss,” observed J. Elfreda -after she had done all she could for Sam. - -“A-huh! What made the old fellow faint like that? He must be getting -old.” - -“Loss of blood made him faint. So it would you. He will shortly be -able to tell us how he got the wound.” - -“I’ll talk now. I’m so full of it I’ve got to talk. I’m an old -idiot! No mistake ’bout that,” rumbled Sam. “I must talk, fer -somethin’ has got to be did. They’ve got Jim, an’ I reckons they’ve -got the fat boy, too.” - -“Take it easy like,” urged the rancher. “No hurry at all. Does he -want something to eat?” - -“We are preparing something. Pete has killed a chicken and Nora is -making broth for him,” replied Miss Briggs. - -“Huh! Reckon you folks think you own this ranch, eh?” demanded the -owner, his eyes twinkling. - -“We might were we to sue for the damage we have sustained here,” -retorted Emma snappily. - -“Oh, ho! I reckon you’re right,” agreed Bindloss. “What’s on your -mind, Conifer?” - -“I found the trail!” - -“You did?” cried Tom Gray. - -“Yes, but that ain’t all. It was a fixed trail to make the finder -reckon that Jim had made it hisself so we could foller him. I -swallered the bait an’ the hook an’ the line too. I fust found whar -thar’d been a scrimmage, an’ I found Jim’s heel marks right thar. -Then they disappeared jest as if he’d gone up into the air. He’d -been boosted to the back of a hoss. Ye never seen no hoss track so -a-mighty plain. Well, I follered right on. Jim wouldn’t have made -that mistake. He’d jest kinder sneaked. Then I got mine.” - -“How far into the hills did you get?” interrupted the rancher. - -“’bout half a mile. Wal, as I was sayin’, all of a sudden I heard -somethin’ like someone had stepped on a stick back of some juniper -bushes. I didn’t like thet sound; I knowed thar was a gun behind it, -so I jest naturally got ready for trouble, but trouble got me first. -The feller shot, an’ I shot. The only difference was thet he had a -plain mark to shoot at an’ I didn’t. He hit me in the arm, an’ then -I shot thet Juniper bush so full of holes that it won’t make no -shade till next summer.” - -“Did—did you hit him?” questioned Emma eagerly. - -“I hit somethin’ that grunted, but the grunter got away from me. I -stalked him fer two hour, but couldn’t even find his tracks, though -I did find some blood thar, an’ if he’d a looked he’d found a heap -sight more blood whar I was. If thet feller hit what he shot at -thar’s only one man in this heah neck of the world thet could do it, -an’ he’s the feller I’m lookin’ fer. When I find him, one or t’other -of us’ll go down an’ stay down. Thet’s shore,” threatened Sam -grimly. - -“I don’t understand how Jim could have been caught in broad -daylight,” wondered Tom. - -“Thar’s only one way, onless they shot him, which I don’t reckon -they did, jedging from the look of the trail. Folks, they roped him -jest like they’d rope an old maverick steer. I reckon mebby that’s -what happened to Stacy.” - -“Yes. But why, why?” - -“Ye kin search me. I’ll be all right after I gits a few hours’ sleep -an’ some chuck; then I’m goin’ to hit the trail agin, and I’ll bet -ye this trail won’t be loaded. Leastwise, I’ll dodge the loaded -places.” - -“Samuel, you will not be hitting any trail just yet,” admonished -Miss Briggs. “I think you had better stop talking now. Your broth -will be ready in a few moments, after which you are going to sleep.” -Elfreda motioned to the others to leave, which they did, and half an -hour later Sam was sleeping soundly. Elfreda thereupon went out to -the front porch where Bindloss, Tom and the others of the Overland -party were awaiting her. - -Bindloss said they had been discussing the situation, and that not -only for their sakes, but for the sake of his business in the Coso -Valley, something must be done to check the outlawry that had been -going on and that was getting worse. - -“Have you appealed to the law?” asked Miss Briggs. - -The rancher laughed, but without mirth. - -“The sheriff has been after this gang for three months, but that’s -as far as the law has ever got. The law has never caught up with the -gang. There’s some fellow with a head bossing that gang, and they -ought to be getting rich judging from the stock they’ve stolen from -me.” - -“If you wish to make a drive and try to clean them up perhaps we can -assist you,” offered Tom. - -“I’ve been thinking of that,” replied Bindloss reflectively. “I -don’t reckon, though, that I want you folks to get mixed up in it, -for somebody is sure to get hurt,” he added. - -“It occurs to me that someone already has,” observed Miss Briggs -wisely. “You must remember that, having lost one of our party and -one guide, we are not wholly disinterested spectators, and should -Stacy not get back, we probably shall organize a drive on our own -hook.” - -“What are your plans, Bindloss? What have you in mind?” asked Tom -Gray. - -“’Bout that matter? I can’t do anything till we get finished with -the round-up. When that’s done we’ll turn some of our cowpunchers -loose, letting Pete lead them, for Pete is a natural leader and can -shoot, and he knows the mountains better than any other fellow on -the range. In the meantime, if Sam gets fit, we will ask him to -scout and see if he can find the hang-out of the ruffians. It will -be a ticklish job, but I suppose it can be done. Miss Briggs, when -do you think the old man will be able to start?” - -“He should lay up for a week, but I do not believe it will be -possible to hold him that long,” replied Elfreda. - -“Leave Stacy all that time without doing anything to help him?” -wailed Nora. - -Grace explained that all was being done that could be done, and that -a few days more or less probably would be none the worse for the -missing Overland boy. She said the delay would enable them to -perfect their plans for the proposed man-hunt, and that in the -meantime the ruffians might make a slip and place themselves in the -hands of the men of Circle O. Bindloss nodded his approval, and -there the matter was left. - -Conifer improved much more rapidly than Elfreda had thought possible -and two days later Hippy, on his feet again, was walking about, -limping ever so little, his head swathed in bandages and his face -lined and pale. - -“I’ve been down long enough,” he told Bindloss. “It is time that I -was out and looking for that nephew of mine, Chunky Brown. Conifer -declares that he is going out tomorrow and I’m going with him.” - -“You are not,” replied the rancher. “Man, it’ll kill you! Conifer -wasn’t hit like you and he has his right hand as good as ever. -There’s lots of fight left in the old man yet, and if we don’t let -him go he will worry himself and the rest of us to death. No, -Lieutenant, you keep your hosses staked down and get lazy for a few -days more. I promise you there will be plenty of excitement and -activity for you and the rest of us when we start that man hunt.” - -The Overlanders were as emphatic as Bindloss had been, and Hippy, -much against his will, submitted to their demand that he stay at the -ranch. Conifer, too, was ordered by Miss Briggs to defer his -departure, so that it was the latter part of that week before she -gave him permission to take the trail on the following day. - -That night, however, something occurred to change the plans of -Bindloss and his guests. Two-gun Pete, who had come in late from the -range, had discovered a man prowling about the stable. Pete hailed -him and the man ran, whereupon the cowboy fired six shots at him, -but in the darkness all his bullets went wild. - -The firing awakened the occupants of the ranch-house and the -Overland camp, and in a few minutes all hands were on the scene, -armed and ready for whatever might be required of them. Guards were -thrown out to protect the place from a surprise attack. The prowler -had disappeared, but he had left a plain trail to a point where his -mustang had been staked down. From there his tracks led into the -foothills, but the direction he took upon entering the hills was no -indication of his probable destination. - -“I found something,” shouted Idaho who had just come around the -corner of the corral with his lantern and passed down at the rear of -the stable. The Overlanders and Bindloss found him carrying a large -basket at arm’s length. Idaho plainly was suspicious of that basket, -and he proposed to take no chances with it. For all he knew it might -be full of rattlers. - -No one made a move to investigate the basket’s contents as Idaho put -it down on the ground and backed away. - -“Perhaps the man went away in such haste he forgot his luncheon,” -suggested Emma whimsically, which caused a laugh and relieved the -tension somewhat. - -“You are a lot of tenderfeet,” averred Hippy, limping over and -peering down at the basket. He gave it a gentle shake. - -“Oh, Hippy darlin’! Be careful,” begged Nora. - -“Be quiet! There is something alive in here,” warned Lieutenant -Wingate, giving the basket another shake, whereupon his companions -distinctly heard familiar sounds coming from it. - -“Birds! Well, what do you folks know about that? Someone has made us -a present of a basket of birds, perhaps blackbirds with which to -make a pie,” chortled Hippy. - -The basket cover was secured with a piece of wire, which the -Overlander unwound and cautiously peered within while Tom Gray held -a lantern to enable Hippy to see. He thrust a hand in and brought -out a bird, holding it up for the others to look at. - -“Bindloss, what do you think of our present?” he cried jovially. - -“Well, I’ll be shot!” exclaimed the rancher. “What fool is carrying -’round a basket of birds?” The rancher laughed uproariously. - -Tom Gray took one look at the bird and uttered an exclamation under -his breath, then after cautiously peering into the basket, being -careful that none of the other birds there made its escape, he got -up and faced his companions with a puzzled expression in his eyes. - -At this instant, Grace and Elfreda also discovered what both Tom and -Hippy already knew. - -“A carrier pigeon!” exclaimed Miss Briggs wonderingly. “Are they all -carriers?” - -“All carriers, and fully equipped for business,” Tom informed them. -“Are we back in France in the war?” - -Hippy turned the basket about so that the light would shine on the -other side of it, and made a fresh discovery, more important, even, -than the discovery of the carrier pigeons. They heard him utter an -exclamation and saw him remove something that was hanging to the -handle and tied to it with a leather thong. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - -THE CARRIER PIGEONS’ FLIGHT - - -“A letter!” cried Emma. “Isn’t this perfectly romantic?” - -“If it is a letter, it’s a crumby looking one,” observed Hippy. -“Tom, hold that lantern so I can see.” - -The Overlanders crowded up closer, with Bindloss in the forefront, -the cowpunchers peering over their heads and shoulders, as Hippy -began to unfold a sheet that had once been wrapping paper. One keen -look at it and Lieutenant Wingate uttered a yell and began hopping -up and down with most of his weight on one foot. - -“Chunky! It’s from Chunky,” he cried. - -“Read it! This suspense is killing me,” wailed Emma. - -“It is addressed to the Overlanders and to Joe Bindloss. He spells -it ‘Bindlass,’ and—” - -“Never mind the spelling. Read it!” urged Miss Briggs. - -“And it reads as follows,” continued Hippy. - -“‘Dear Folks: You’ll be surprised to hear from me, and more -so to hear that I’m in Dutch. I’m in the hands of a gang of -ruffians—gentlemen—’ The word ruffians has been crossed out and -the word gentlemen added,” explained Hippy. - -“You are the most aggravating person I ever knew. Will you please -read that letter or let me do it for you?” begged Miss Briggs. - -“‘They caught me with a rope when I wasn’t looking, down by the -round-up, and I’ve stayed caught. They know that I’m valuable and -they want a price for me,’” continued Hippy, reading Stacy’s scrawl -with considerable difficulty. “‘If they don’t get it they propose to -throw me off the mountain into the red gulch just back of the cabin -that I’m in. They want five hundred dollars for me and you’re to -send it by the birds that they are going to send with this letter. -Put only one bill on each bird’s leg because they’re union birds and -won’t carry a man-sized load. I don’t know how or where they got the -birds, but they’ve got ’em. I know because I’ve seen ’em. When they -get the money they are going to take me to the foothills and kick me -out, but if they don’t get it I’m to go out the way I told you. -Please hurry. I haven’t had a square meal since I got tangled up -with that fellow’s rope, but the scenery certainly is fine up here. -Help! Help! Help! - - “(Signed) ‘Lovingly, Stacy.’” - - - - -[Illustration: “It’s from Chunky!”] - - - - -“‘P.S. If you try to find me they say they will throw me over -anyway. If you haven’t big enough bills, for the love of heaven keep -on sending small ones so long as the birds hold out, but send them!’ - -“‘P.P.S. The beans they are feeding me on up here are awful, but the -coffee is worse. S.B.’ - -“‘P.P.P.S. They say they are going to send this by rural free -delivery, but if it’s as slow as it is back home I won’t need any -help by the time it reaches you. For heaven sake, feed the birds and -give them plenty of pepper, so they’ll have pep and hustle—’” - -The message broke off suddenly as if the writer had been -interrupted, at least that was the way the Overlanders construed it. - -“Gosh a-mighty! If that ain’t the limit!” exclaimed Bindloss. “How -can those birds carry money or anything else, and how will they get -back where the robbers want them to go?” - -Tom Gray explained that carrier pigeons carried messages in little -oiled paper tubes such as these birds had on their legs, and that -when released they got their direction quickly and flew straight -back to their cotes. - -“I know! I know,” exclaimed Bindloss. “A fellow over at Carrago had -a flock of ’em, but the government took ’em over after the war -started. They paid him five dollars a head for the birds, then, -after the war, what was left of ’em he bought back from the -government at twenty-five cents a head.” - -“There’s our clue,” interrupted Hippy. “Should we fail otherwise we -can find out who the pigeon man is. But I don’t reckon we shall need -to do that. Folks, what is your idea?” - -“I shouldn’t be in favor of paying five hundred dollars for Stacy,” -objected Emma. “If they keep him long enough to get really -acquainted with him they will be glad to take a bargain-counter -price for him.” - -Bindloss suggested that they go into the house, and Tom asked him to -invite Idaho and Pete to go in with them, which was done. Sam -Conifer met them on the porch, and his first question was whether or -not they had heard from Jim. The situation was quickly explained to -him. When informed that there was no news from the missing Jim, the -guide’s whiskers drooped. - -“I reckon Jim’s thar, but they wouldn’t let the boy writ ’bout it,” -he exclaimed, his whiskers suddenly bristling as of old. “I’ll git -’em! They’ve played a card into my hands now!” he raged. “I’ll -follow ’em now.” - -“Are you going to fly, Sam?” questioned Emma. “That is the only way -I know of to follow birds.” - -It was a poser. Two-gun Pete asked if he might make a suggestion. -His suggestion was that they liberate a bird and watch its -direction, then follow out that direction until they finally found -the hiding place of the rustlers. - -“Peter, you sure have brains,” complimented Hippy. - -“I love a man with brains,” bubbled Emma, amid smiles and nods, all -of which embarrassed Two-gun very much. - -“That’s the idea,” cried Tom. “Has anyone additional suggestions to -make?” - -“I have,” answered Miss Briggs. “Peter has given us something to -work from, and all it needs is elaboration. See what you think of -this. Give a bird five dollars and liberate him just after daylight, -as they used to do in France. Watch the course he takes, then let -our men take up positions on that course as nearly in line with the -bird’s flight as possible, lining up about a mile apart. At a -certain hour we will free a second bird, also with a five-dollar -bill. One of our men on the lookout will surely see it. The ruffians -may be a long way from here, but so long as the bird’s course can be -kept in sight, its home roost can be found.” - -“Good generalship,” agreed Tom, nodding. - -“Right you are,” approved Bindloss. “But five dollars! I don’t like -to give them robbers even five cents.” - -“Sam, do you feel equal to going with us?” asked Grace, turning to -the old guide. - -“I’m goin’, an’ I ain’t comin’ back till I gits Jim,” he answered -grimly. - -“Five dollars sent out with each bird won’t break us. That will make -sixty dollars if we send out the entire dozen, which is a pretty -high price to pay for Chunky,” declared Emma. - -The Overlanders rebuked her, and after further discussion it was -decided to liberate the first bird at daybreak and a second bird at -noon. As soon as the first carrier gave them the direction, the men -were to proceed singly into the hills, going with as much secrecy -and caution as possible, take up positions and await the noon bird. - -Miss Briggs suggested that the men arrange to get in touch with each -other at the end of the first hour following the passage of each -bird, and that the first to discover the hiding place of the -rustlers was to go back and wait for his companions so that they -might attack in force. - -“Gosh a-mighty!” cried Joe Bindloss. “Is there anything that you -folks can’t do?” - -“One bird every two hours after twelve and up to four, then send all -but two between that and six,” suggested Hippy. “Better keep two -over. Send a message with the last bird that the last two birds of -the lot will be liberated in the morning, as soon as the rest of the -money can be procured. Now who is going? I, for one, am going out.” - -Every person present volunteered, but it was finally settled that -Sam, Pete, Idaho, Tom Gray and Hippy should go. Sam insisted on -taking the lead, and the position was assigned to him. Bindloss and -some of his men were to remain at the ranch-house to guard against a -possible raid. - -The party soon thereafter turned in for what rest they could get, -but first the birds were put in a larger basket so that they might -be more comfortable and rest up for the journey ahead of them. - -The ranch-house inhabitants were astir before daylight next morning. -Food was given to the birds as soon as day dawned, and a tube packed -with a five-dollar bill and a brief message that the money would be -sent along as rapidly as possible was attached to a pigeon’s leg. - -The sun was rising when Tom Gray brought out the first pigeon that -was to make the flight. - -“The dove of peace! What?” chuckled Tom, tossing the bird into the -air. - -The carrier pigeon fluttered about with rapidly beating wings for a -few seconds, then began circling upwards, taking wider and wider -circles as it rose, every eye eagerly fixed on it. The Overlanders -had thought that its direction would be east, but suddenly the bird -straightened out, taking a course a little south of west, heading -for the Coso Mountains. - -“Everyone watch him!” urged Tom. - -Grace and Elfreda were following the flight with their glasses, but -the keen eyes of the ranchers needed no such aid, and readily -followed the flight until the bird had disappeared over a mountain. - -“I got it!” shouted Sam. - -“So hev I,” announced Pete. “Got the landmarks daid to rights. Be ye -ready, Sam?” - -Sam was, and after an uneasy half hour’s wait he rode off to the -south, jogging along slowly. He was followed after an interval by -Lieutenant Wingate, and following him were Tom Gray, Two-gun Pete -and Idaho in the order named. Each man knew that he might expect to -be shot from ambush, but the opportunity to meet up with the -mountain ruffians outweighed all other considerations. - -In a short time all were out of sight, and the party left at the -ranch settled down to wait for the hour when they were to liberate -another pigeon, and at the same time to listen with straining ears -for the sound of firing in the hills, which each one momentarily -expected to hear. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII - -STACY DECIDES TO LEAVE - - -The night that Stacy Brown was roped from his mustang he was put to -sleep with a whack applied to his head from the butt of a revolver. -When he awakened he found himself lashed to the back of a pony, -traveling over a rough mountain trail. The pony was being led and -there were men ahead and men to the rear. The fat boy could hear -them speak at intervals. - -It did not seem to be a long journey, and the party finally pulled -up before a cabin that Stacy observed was well hidden in a narrow -rocky pass that was approached on three sides by way of a steep -granite slope, while on the other side, as he later learned, a -precipitous gorge dropped away for hundreds of feet. - -The Overland boy was removed from the horse and carried to a lean-to -against the rear of the cabin in which horse equipment and weapons -were stored. He was unceremoniously dumped into this place and left -to his own reflections. For some time he heard men talking in the -cabin, then silence settled over the place. It was near noon of the -following day before food was brought to him and his hands were -freed. After eating he was subjected to a grilling examination as to -who he was and what his party were doing in the Coso Valley, and -when he answered in his characteristic independent way one of the -ruffians struck him a blow in the face that once more put the -Overland boy to sleep. - -At least twice each night thereafter he was asked the same -questions, and each time the interview ended in a blow or a violent -kick until Chunky was sore all over. - -Occasionally he was permitted to sit or lie outdoors, and at such -times Stacy used his eyes and ears to the best advantage. However, -there was little for him to see except the scenery that he mentioned -in his letter. - -His captors were away most of the time, though ordinarily there was -one man prowling about, principally engaged in surveying the -surrounding mountains from a vantage point on a rock. Then one -evening came the order to Stacy to write the letter to the Overland -party. He obeyed eagerly, for he was anxious to get away at any -price—so long as the price was paid by someone other than himself. -Stacy had slight hopes, though, that his companions would give so -great a ransom. - -It was early in the evening of the following night when he heard -more than the usual number of voices in the cabin. Voices now and -then were pitched high, sometimes in anger. Stacy cautiously rolled -close to the door communicating with the cabin and lay listening. -His hopes rose high when he learned that some of the birds had -returned with money. Two of the ruffians had come in with tidings -that four birds were still missing, which revealed to Stacy the fact -that the pigeons were not kept at the cabin. The one, however, which -carried the answer to the demand of the rustlers, and that most -concerned the men, had just come in, and its message was a subject -of discussion. One ruffian was of the opinion that either Bindloss -or the Overlanders were trying to play a sharp trick on them and -search out their hiding place. He was laughed at. - -“How kin anybody foller er bird flyin’ high?” demanded another, -whereat the ruffians laughed more uproariously than before. The feel -of the money that the pigeons had brought, outweighed their caution. -This was easy money, and there was more of it coming. - -“We’ll git all we kin fer this feller, an’ then make a price on -t’other feller’s haid, an’ we’ll make er clean-up,” chuckled -another. “It ain’t the first time thet them birds has done us a good -turn, but never jest in this heah way.” - -At the mention of another captive on whose head a price was to be -set, the fat boy pricked up his ears. He wondered whom else the -ruffians had captured, and where the other captive was being held. -This was interesting, but what followed was more so. - -From the talk Stacy overheard he learned that, after the ruffians -had gotten all the money they could out of the Overlanders, the -prisoners were to be disposed of. - -“They knows too much to let ’em git away, especially thet fat -feller. He’s too fresh anyway,” averred one. - -“Best way is to take ’em out on a dark night, turn ’em ’round a few -times and head ’em fer the canyon, an’ tell ’em to git home -a-whooping. Ain’t no need fer us to do nothing more’n thet. They’ll -do the rest,” advised another. - -“Thet’s the ticket, Charlie!” complimented another. “We’ll make ’em -walk the plank, an’ the buzzards’ll do the rest.” The ruffians -roared. It would be great sport and it would make disposal of their -captives a most simple matter. - -Stacy Brown did not laugh. Instead, he swallowed hard, and a heavy -frown wrinkled his forehead. - -“That’s what I call a low-down trick,” he muttered. “Going to get -all the money they can for me and the other fellow and then send us -out to walk on air. Wow! Stacy Brown, I reckon it’s time for you to -leave.” He gazed out through the open door of the lean-to and -contemplated the possibility of rolling out and trying to escape. -That did not seem to be feasible, so he pondered, strained -cautiously at the ropes with which he was tied, and decided that he -must think of something else. - -“If I could get hold of a hunting knife I might manage it,” he -thought, but did not recall having seen any such thing among the -assortment of equipment in the lean-to. Then an idea occurred to -him. - -“The axe!” exclaimed the fat boy, and instantly began rolling -towards the door, just outside of which he had seen an axe that very -day. He found the axe and after several failures Stacy succeeded in -getting it between his knees blade up, and began sawing at the rope -that bound his wrists. The rope soon fell apart. Stacy could -scarcely repress a howl of delight. It was now the work of only a -moment to free his legs, and the Overland boy, still clinging to the -axe as a weapon in case of discovery, began considering his next -move. He knew about where the ruffians’ ponies were tethered, -because he had heard them stamping many times. - -“Now, if I had a gun I’d be—Sure I have!” He felt along the rear -wall of the lean-to, where among saddles and bridles hung holsters -with weapons in them, and ammunition belts, and rifles of quite -modern pattern hanging from nails in the wall. - -The fat boy quickly helped himself to two revolvers and a rifle, -each of which he found loaded. That gave him fresh courage. He might -be surprised, but it was his idea that the other fellow might be -more so. Stacy, armed and eager, crept from the lean-to and picked -his way cautiously towards the spot at the base of the granite slope -where he hoped to find the rustlers’ horses tethered. They were not -there, but he found them about a hundred yards to the left, all -saddled and bridled, ready for instant use in case of need. - -There appeared to be no one on guard, but, though he did not know -it, two men were stationed a short distance from the cabin on the -Coso Valley side of the mountain hiding place. Fortunately for him, -the fat boy was on the other side. - -Stacy selected a mount, and, finding a rifle in the saddle boot, he -threw away the one he had taken from the lean-to. - -“I wish I dared to shoot up that place,” he muttered, gazing off -towards the cabin which he could not now see. “I’ll come back and do -it.” - -Stacy led the mustang along carefully for a while, taking what he -believed to be an easterly course, and getting his bearings from the -stars so that he might not travel in a circle and bring up at his -starting point. - -There appearing to be no pursuit, the boy finally mounted and rode -away with increasing speed and rising spirits. He continued on until -towards daylight when he found himself descending into what he -believed to be foothills, but which proved to be grazing grounds in -the mountains. They were of vast extent, covering many acres, and -over this mesa Stacy wandered for hours trying to find a way out. He -was hungry, ravenously so now, and a search of the saddle-bags -revealed not even a biscuit. - -Noon came and, well-nigh famished, he turned the mustang into the -chaparral determined to find a new trail. The boy had gone in but a -short distance when he began to sniff the air. Even the mustang -lifted its head and snorted. - -“If that isn’t food smoke I never smelled any. Stacy Brown, follow -your nose, for your nose knows. Gid-ap, you lazy lout!” he cried. - -Perhaps the pony really knew, for it pricked up its ears with new -interest and seemed eager to go on, and a few moments later Stacy -discovered a shack ahead. The smoke odor was by now quite strong. - -The boy approached the shack with caution, and rode twice around it -before deciding to hail. When he finally did so there was no answer, -so he dismounted and entered. - -What he had come upon was a chuck-house where mountain herders got -their meals. - -That a meal had quite recently been eaten there was evidenced by the -soiled dishes still on the table, and the food that was simmering in -frying pans on the stove. - -“Eats! I don’t know who it belongs to, but I know when I am hungry,” -cried Stacy, helping himself to several slices of bacon from a -frying pan and eating them out of his hand. There was bread, too, -and coffee in the pots. Stacy tasted the coffee and made a wry face. - -“Worse than the rustlers made,” he complained. - -Had the Overland Rider not been so fully occupied with satisfying -his hunger, he probably would have been more observant. As it was he -did not see a horseman ride up, dismount and peer into the shack. -Nor did he see the fellow’s expression when he looked over Stacy’s -mount. The newcomer rode away quietly to a distance and then put his -pony to a run. - -Half an hour later while the boy was still eating, and just as he -was about to place a biscuit in his mouth, a voice out of the -silence arrested him. - -“Put up yer hands, young feller! I’ve got ye covered,” warned the -voice. - -The hand that held the biscuit was already raised to a level with -his mouth, and the other promptly went above his head. - -“Turn around, an’ let’s git a look at ye!” - -Stacy turned and found himself facing a weapon in the hands of a man -at the door. Just to the rear of the man with the gun were half a -dozen others. - -“Tough-lookin’ critter, all right. Who be ye?” demanded the hold-up -man. - -“Name’s Brown,” answered the fat boy, transferring the biscuit to -his mouth and beginning to chew on it. - -“Whar’d ye git that cayuse?” - -“Maybe I stole him,” answered Chunky thickly, for the biscuit was -large. “What difference does it make to you where I got him?” - -“It may make a lot of difference to ye, young feller. I reckon mebby -ye knows thet thet critter belongs to the Diamond Bar ranch, an’ -thet he was stole from thar three days ago. Turn round while I -relieve ye of some of thet hardware.” - -Stacy ceased chewing and stood with arms uplifted while his weapons -and cartridge belt were being removed, following which he was -roughly yanked around facing his captors. - -“You be careful, you rough-necks. You’ll find out that I’m a bad man -when I get riled,” warned Chunky boastfully. - -“I reckon ye be all of thet. Jest now ye ain’t, an’ ’fore long mebby -ye won’t be nothin’ ’tall. Yer under arrest!” announced the -spokesman. - -“Wha—at for?” gasped the Overland boy, his face losing some of its -color. - -“Horse stealin’! Thet’s all!” - -A strong hand was fastened on Stacy’s collar and he was roughly -jerked out of the cabin and thrown on the pony that he was accused -of having rustled. It began to dawn on Stacy Brown that he was in a -serious predicament. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII - -TROUBLE AT RED GULCH - - -The second bird was liberated at noon, and was quickly on its way, -observed eagerly by the girls of the Overland unit and their -companions of the Circle O ranch. The pigeon did not seem to deviate -a hair’s breadth from the line followed by the first bird. - -“Isn’t it wonderful to be a bird and go where the wind listeth?” -murmured Emma Dean. - -“It would be, but they don’t,” answered Miss Briggs laughingly. -“Wind is the pigeon’s enemy and unless it is with them they have to -fight it, and in doing so are frequently lost. I happen to know some -things about carrier pigeons, for I have seen them work and heard -much about them in France. Once a pigeon becomes lost and has to -come down, he loses his ambition, or his confidence, or -something—at least something seems to have gone out of him, and, -even if he returns at all, he seldom can be depended upon to make -another flight. I venture to say that not all the birds we are -sending out will reach their loft.” - -“So long as the boys see the majority of them we do not care,” said -Nora. “Oh, I hope they do.” - -The boys did—that is, Hippy, Sam and Pete saw the second bird going -over and watched it until it flew out of sight. Now they knew that -they were on the right trail. The five o’clock bird was the last one -seen by any of the men, and it was Lieutenant Wingate who discovered -it. The bird was flying so low that it seemed to be skimming the -tops of the slender mountain pines. Observing this Hippy hurried on -to join Sam Conifer, whom he found in about half an hour. - -“Go easy from now on, Sam,” he cautioned. - -“You know somethin’?” demanded the guide. - -“The bird that just went over was flying very low. That indicates -that he has located his cote and is reaching for it. I do not -believe it can be more than a mile or two away from here. Shall I -take the lead now?” - -“No! I’ll take it myself,” snapped the guide. Sam was irritable, but -Hippy laid it to the guide’s wound and his weakened condition. As a -matter of fact it was neither. Sam’s nerves were on edge and his -rheumatic fingers were “crinkling,” for he could almost feel the -feel of a gun in his right hand. - -“Very well. I shall keep up close to you, just the same,” announced -Hippy. “If you come upon something you’ll need assistance. The men -at the rear are instructed not to shoot until they are positive -about what they are shooting at, so there is not much danger of -their firing at us.” - -Sam answered with a grunt and started on. Half an hour later he -halted to wait for his companion to come up to him. - -“What is it?” whispered Hippy. - -“I got er whiff o’ smoke. Mebby it’s the makin’s o’ a forest fire, -an’ mebby ’tain’t. We’ll leave the ponies heah an’ go on afoot. Ye -better wait an’ tell ’em so they don’t blunder on an’ spoil the -game.” - -The “game”! What a game it was, a game of life and death, thought -Lieutenant Hippy Wingate, as he tethered the mustangs at one side of -the trail and sat down to rest and wait. - -It was about this time that Stacy Brown was taking his departure -from the cabin of the mountain ruffians, not dreaming that a friend -was so near at hand. In the meantime Sam had begun moving forward -slowly, making scarcely a sound, so light were his footsteps, the -right hand nervously twitching over the protruding butt of his -revolver. - -The guide brought up sharply with his whiskers standing out at an -angle, and listened attentively. He had heard a human laugh, and Sam -knew quite well that it could not be behind him, for his companions -were not in a laughing mood that evening. He picked his way forward -a little farther and again halted and listened. - -A shout startled him and his muscles tensed. It was a shout of -anger, at first sounding as though from a distance, then all at once -near at hand. Stacy Brown’s escape had been discovered, and the -mountain ruffians were running about in search of him, but by this -time the boy was some distance away. When it was discovered that one -of the ponies was missing the rage of the rustlers knew no -restraint, and each was seeking for an excuse to place the -responsibility on his companions. - -“Somethin’ goin’ on over thar, but I’m dad-busted if I knows what -it’s all ’bout,” muttered Sam. - -Two shots rang out almost as one, and the old gunman knew what that -meant. Two rustlers had fired, but one had been a fraction of a -second quicker than the other, and one probably was out of the -fight, for there were no more shots, and the voices of the rustlers -became more subdued. - -Sam Conifer moved up a little closer. Lieutenant Wingate, too, had -heard the shots and was growing restless, but dared not leave his -position until Tom, Two-Gun and Idaho came up. - -By this time Conifer had discovered the cabin. Fortunately for his -purposes, all the rustlers were now in the cabin excitedly -discussing the escape of their prisoner, and considering what they -had better do. It was the opinion of the wiser ones that Brown never -would be able to find the place again, which was probably true, and -that the other prisoner was still in their possession. It was -decided, therefore, to keep a sharp lookout and collect all the -money from the Overlanders that they possibly could, then dispose of -the man they still held. It would not do to let that man get away. - -As it developed later the two rustlers who had shot at each other -had missed, whereupon their companions intervened and peace was -restored, as Sam Conifer learned a few moments later from such -snatches of conversation as he could catch. - -The old guide crept up the granite slope a noiseless shadow, and as -he neared the open door of the cabin he crouched with every faculty -on the alert, his right hand twitching, eyes slowly searching the -faces of the men under the light of a lantern swinging from a beam -in the center of the room. Sam raised himself erect and glided -noiselessly to the door. There he stood for a full minute, his gaze -shifting from one to another of the men gathered there and finally -coming to rest on the dark, swarthy face of one who looked to be a -Mexican, and whose attitude and peremptory speech plainly showed -that he was the leader of the party. - -“I’ve been thinkin’. The boy’ll be home prob’ly some time in the -morning, but he can’t be ’lowed to git thar. We’ve got to put a man -on his trail with a light, bad as it be to do thet, an’ run him down -afore he gits thar. Bad-Eye, it’s up to you to do the job, an’ if ye -do it right, the boy’ll be a dead dude by mornin’. If he ain’t I’ll -go git him myself, fer he ain’t no good.” - -“I reckon ye lie!” - -It was a thunderbolt, hurled at them by Sam Conifer from the -doorway, and half a dozen hands flew to as many revolver holsters. - -“Put ’em back!” - -The command was uttered with an incisiveness that cut like a -keen-edged blade, and the hands of the mountain ruffians sagged away -from their holsters ever so little. - -“I’ve got somethin’ to say to ye cayuses fust. After I gits finished -ye kin shoot. Ye’r a fine bunch of mavericks, ain’t ye?” drawled -Sam. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX - -A DUEL IN THE DARK - - -Ordinarily long before this every gun in the room would have been -trained on the intruder, but something restrained them. Perhaps it -was the easy, confident manner of the man in the doorway. Then -again, they well knew that a man who would voluntarily face that -assemblage, and expect to get away with it, must have supreme -confidence in himself. Whether or not that confidence was well -placed, they proposed to find out sooner or later. - -“I been lookin’ fer ye fellers,” announced Sam. “Now that I’ve found -ye we’ll have a little confab, so don’t git smart an’ feel fer yer -guns, ’cause somethin’ might happen. This heah right hand o’ mine, -though it’s all crinkled up with the rheumatiz, now an’ ag’in gits -mighty nervous, an’ it might throw a gun afore I could stop it. Jest -like this”: - -His heavy Colt revolver flicked into Sam Conifer’s hand as if by -magic, and lay trembling there in his palm. Then it slipped smoothly -towards his finger tips as if doing so of its own volition, spun and -slid without an apparent movement of the arm, always moving, now -like a flash of light, then with slow easy grace, but, as it was -observed by the keen eyes of the watchers, with the muzzle ever -pointed towards him of the swarthy face. - -As the weapon slipped back into its holster, and the rheumatic hand -of the old guide lay trembling on its butt, a look of relief passed -over the face of the dark mountaineer. - -The others in the cabin looked their amazement, for few there had -ever seen a gun handled as this old, stoop-shouldered intruder -handled his. It was a revelation, though not a pleasant one. It was -a warning as well, but they were watching him—watching and waiting -for that moment when the old man’s alert, shifting glances should -wander from some of them for a few golden seconds. - -“Say, ye feller! Who be ye?” demanded the dark man. “What do ye mean -by holdin’ up a bunch o’ honest prospectors?” - -Sam Conifer grinned sardonically. - -“Honest, did ye say? You don’t know the meanin’ o’ that word. Them’s -queer words comin’ from the lips o’ Mexican Charlie.” - -The dark man started, flushed and reached for his weapon, but -thinking better of it, permitted his hand to slip back to its former -position. - -“I wants to know whar the boy is? Mex, I ask ye, whar is he?” - -“I don’t know.” - -“Ye lie, Mex! Yer too yellow to draw at thet word. Whar’s my pard, -Jim?” - -“I tell you I don’t know nothin’ ’bout what yer talkin’,” flung back -Mexican Charlie. - -“Ye lie twice, but yer too yellow to draw at thet word,” reiterated -Sam. “I knows thet the boy got away, but whar did he go?” - -“Don’t know nothin’ ’bout it. Who be ye?” - -“Leavin’ the lie fer the moment, ye ought to know me, Charlie. You -an’ me has met afore, but a long time ago an’ times has changed me, -but yer the same low-down houn’ thet ye always was. I’ve growed some -fresh whiskers since ye last seen me, an’ fer reasons. Look sharp, -Mex! Look under the whiskers and mebby ye’ll see a scar thar,” urged -the old guide, lifting his whiskers with the left hand. “Do ye see -it, Mex?” - -The mountaineer nodded, but he was puzzled. That scar seemed to -bring back the past, but Mexican Charlie plainly could not fix the -thing in his mind. - -“Mex! Ye put thet scar thar. It was up in the Klondike years ago, -and ye give it to me when I wasn’t lookin’. Ye got away then an’ ye -know why, cause my hand wasn’t all crinkled up with the rheumatiz -like it is now. But listen, Mex! I’ve been waitin’ fer ye, knowin’ -thet some day you an’ me would meet up with each other an’ then we’d -talk it all over nice an’ friendly like. I didn’t recognize ye when -ye come to our camp t’other night an’ told us ye come from Malcolm -Hornby with orders fer us to git out ’cause we was on his property. -Ye lied then, too, jest as you’ve been doin’ tonight. Mex, I’m Sam -Conifer!” - -The announcement was like a blow in the face to Mexican Charlie. Mex -knew his torturer now. To the others the announcement meant nothing -except as they saw how nervous it had made their leader. - -“Do ye know what I’m goin’ to do now, Mex?” purred Sam. - -“Yer goin’ to git out o’ here afore somebody shoots ye up!” shouted -the mountaineer. - -“Shore I be, but not yit. Fust, I’m goin’ to give ye the same kind -o’ scar that ye give me up in the Klondike. Turn yer head round -sideways jest as I was doin’ when ye give it to me,” urged Sam -gently. - -“Yer wrong, pard. I ain’t the man ye think I be. I never seen ye -before,” protested Charlie. - -“I’m speakin’ to ye, Charlie! Be ye goin’ to turn yer head or must I -turn it fer ye after I’ve put ye in condition to turn?” - -“I’ll kill ye fer this!” hissed the mountaineer. “Yer a coward, an’ -ye wouldn’t dare talk to me like thet if things was equal. - -“No, things ain’t equal, eh? Heah ye be, six of ye an’ I only one -man; each of ye armed an’ lookin’ fer a chance to kill me, but not -darin’ to try it, though I ain’t got a gun in my hand no more than -ye fellers has. No, things ain’t equal. Draw, ye sneakin’ coyote! -I’ll not touch my gun till your’n is out o’ the holster. Draw, you -coward!” - -Enraged beyond further endurance, and taking advantage of the -visitor’s apparent relaxation, Mexican Charlie snatched at his gun, -fumbled it in his nervous excitement, then jerked it free. - -Like a flash of light the nervous hand of Sam Conifer flicked his -own weapon out and two guns roared, one a fraction of a second ahead -of the other. Mexican Charlie clapped a hand to his neck, as his -weapon fell to the floor. - -“Steady, fellers! We ain’t finished our little talk yit,” warned -Sam. “Mex’s got it right whar he give it to me an’ he don’t like it. -Neither did I. Tie yer handkerchief ’bout yer neck, Charlie, an’ -we’ll finish what we got to say to each other, an’ this time ye’ll -talk right out in meetin’ cause thar’s some things I’ve got to know, -among them, who is bossin’ this heah gang o’ rustlers, an’ hoss -thieves, an’ fellers thet—” - -Sam did not finish his sentence. A rifle somewhere outside of the -cabin roared, and the lantern swinging overhead crashed to the -floor, leaving the room in sudden darkness. - -Revolvers began to bark, weapons aimed at the spot where Sam Conifer -had been standing. The firing was fast and furious for a moment, -then the voice of Mexican Charlie was heard above the uproar. - -“Git out! On the jump!” he shouted. - -The rustlers made haste to obey, some going out by way of the door, -others taking to the rear and out by the lean-to in which Stacy -Brown had been held a captive. - -A moment later Sam Conifer rose from the floor where he had thrown -himself on the instant when the light went out, and stole out. Sam -did not go far, only to the base of the granite slope, at one side -of which he crouched down and waited. Sam could not understand that -shot. Why, if it were a friend of the rustlers, did the fellow not -shoot him instead of shooting out the light? After a time a light -began to dawn on the old guide. He uttered a low whistle signal that -had been agreed upon between himself and his companions. - -The signal was properly answered. - -“Come heah, but do it keerful like,” ordered Conifer. - -After a few seconds a voice called out softly. It was the voice of -Two-gun Pete. - -“Thet you, Sam?” asked Pete. - -“Yes. Whar’s that bunch o’ ruffians?” demanded the guide. - -“They’ve hit the trail on their ponies, an’ some of ’em had to be -helped into their saddles, I reckon. Our fellers aire back heah in -the bushes. They was waitin’ till I sized things up an’—” - -“Look heah, Pete! Be you the critter thet shot out the light jest -when I was holdin’ a friendly conversation with thet bunch? Be you -him?” - -Pete admitted that he was the man. - -“Thar was a feller in thar thet had his gun out and was gittin’ -ready to let you have it,” explained Pete. “I reckoned thet I didn’t -want to kill the critter. Somehow I don’t like to let go at a feller -when he ain’t lookin’. It ain’t good sport; so I jest shot out the -light, knowin’ thet you’d be out of range instanter if things went -off thar, which they did.” - -“Thet’s what I calls a low-down trick, Pete. No gent would butt in -when another gent is holdin’ a private conversation, but I forgive -ye. Lead me to our bunch. Be they all heah?” - -Pete said they were, and conducted Sam to them. Tom, Hippy and Idaho -eagerly plied the old guide with questions, all talking at the same -time. They conversed in low tones, for no one knew at what moment -they might be overheard by mountain prowlers, for none had great -faith in the flight of the men that Sam Conifer had held up. They -were expected to return seeking for revenge. - -Sam was troubled, though the Overlanders were happy in the thought -that Stacy had escaped. They reasoned that by this time he must be -well on his way to the Circle O ranch. Sam, on the other hand, was -worried about Jim. He believed that Jim must be somewhere about, -and, after a few moments’ further conversation with his companions, -started for a prowl about. In the meantime Two-gun and Idaho kept -watch to guard against surprises. - -The old guide’s search lasted for more than an hour. Upon his return -he announced that he couldn’t find the slightest trace of Jim, and -that he could do nothing more until daylight. The night passed -without the party being disturbed, and with daylight all hands were -out before breakfast continuing the search. - -The cabin was the first object of their inquiry. After searching it -and finding nothing of interest, except the message that Hippy had -sent by one of the pigeons, they proceeded to the lean-to. The first -object to interest them there was Stacy Brown’s hat. - -“I reckon the fat boy went away in a hurry,” suggested Pete. - -“An’ somebody cut the ropes thet held him,” added Idaho. - -“He cut ’em hisself with the axe,” averred Sam, whose eyes had taken -in every detail in one sweeping glance. “I knowed the kid would fool -’em if he got half a chance. But whar’s Jim? If they’ve done fer him -I’ll foller thet bunch till I gits every one of ’em, if it takes me -all the rest of my life. But Jim ain’t daid. I’ll tell ye, Cap’n -Gray, and all the rest of ye, I love thet pard o’ mine like I never -didn’t love no one else.” - -“Then why do you fight each other all the time?” questioned Hippy -laughingly. - -“Why, ain’t thet the way? What t’other way could a couple of fellers -show thet they love each other? Ye wouldn’t expect ’em to git mushy, -would ye? No. Ain’t no t’other way ’cept to arg’fy an’ fit it out. -Why, Jim an’ me have got so het up now an’ ag’in thet we drawed guns -on each other, an’ one time Jim shot at me, but thet critter never -could shoot. All he kin do is to foller a trail, but thar ain’t a -man lives thet kin beat him at thet. The time he shot at me, I was -so all-fired tickled to think I’d riled him till he drawed, thet I -jest chucked my gun an’ grabbed him an’ hugged him till we both got -to laughin’. Thet’s the only time we ever come nigh gittin’ mushy -like a couple o’ gals,” finished Conifer, who stroking his whiskers, -turned and strode out to the edge of the gulch that dropped away at -the rear of the lean-to. - -Hippy looked at Tom and Tom looked at Hippy, then both burst into -laughter. - -“Can you beat it?” chuckled Hippy. - -Tom Gray agreed that he could not. Sam was out of range of both -their words or their laughter, absorbed in his study of the -surrounding mountains and gorges. His forehead wore a heavy frown, -and, as he looked he thought, with all the concentration that he -could summon, trying to evolve a theory to find a solution of the -mystery of his companion’s disappearance. No answer came to him. - -Two-gun Pete, who was listening to the conversation of the two -Overland men, suddenly reared his head attentively. - -“Did ye hear it?” he demanded. - -The Overlanders nodded. The distant report of a rifle had been heard -by all, but as there was no repetition of it they again fell to -talking. - -“Wha—at!” cried Lieutenant Wingate, springing to his feet when, a -moment later, Sam Conifer came staggering in. “In the name of Mike, -what’s happened?” - -The old guide’s face was covered with blood from the forehead down, -which served to accentuate the pallor that showed in the narrow -strip above it. - -“Sam! What is it?” begged Tom Gray. - -“Nothin’ much ’cept—” The words ended in a moan, and old Sam -Conifer, staggering forward a pace, crumpled down to the floor and -lay still. - - - - -CHAPTER XX - -STACY WIELDS A CLUB - - -Stacy Brown’s face wore a serious expression as his captors started -away with him. His pony was free, but there were men ahead of and -behind him, men whose faces were stern and threatening. The rifle -had been taken from the boot of his saddle and his revolvers were -gone. He was as helpless as a child, but the fat boy was watching -for an opportunity to escape. - -“Where are you taking me?” he demanded after they had galloped on -for the better part of an hour. - -“You’ll see when you git thar,” was the brief reply. - -“You don’t say,” retorted Chunky, whereupon he was ordered to keep -silent. - -Soon after that a collection of ranch buildings was seen nestling -below in the foothills, which were regarded with interest by the -Overland boy as his captors headed for them. As they neared the -ranch, a few men appeared and with shaded eyes watched the approach. -When the captors finally pulled up before the ranch, a thin, tall, -bronzed man came out and bent a keen gaze on Chunky. - -“What have you got heah?” he demanded. - -“Feller we caught with the mustang thet was stolen the other night,” -replied one of the captors. - -“So? A hoss thief, eh?” - -“I’m not!” objected the fat boy indignantly. - -“So? Mebby he is your horse, eh?” - -Stacy admitted that it was not his horse. - -“Where did you get him?” snapped the rancher. - -“I helped myself to him—took him because I wanted to get away from -a bunch of ruffians.” - -“Where was that?” - -Stacy said he didn’t know, but that it was in the mountains on the -edge of a red gulch, and further admitted that he didn’t know much -about the country there and would feel fully as well satisfied if he -didn’t know as much as he did. - -“What’s your name?” - -“Name’s Brown. What’s yours?” - -“I am William Crawley, the owner of this ranch, and the pony you are -on is my property. I don’t suppose there is any use in questioning -you, for a fellow who will rustle horses will lie as well as steal. -I’ll hear what you have to say, however.” - -“If you don’t mind, suppose you untie me and let me get down. I -don’t like to be hung up this way ’cause it gets tiresome.” - -“I reckon you will have plenty of time to rest, young fellow,” -answered the rancher, grinning sardonically. “Let him down. Has he -guns on him?” - -A member of the party said that they had taken his weapons from the -boy, and explained in detail how they happened to discover him -helping himself to food in the chuck-house up on the range, to all -of which Rancher Crawley listened attentively. He turned to Stacy -again. - -“Tell me what you wish about yourself and I’ll listen,” he said. - -“What’s the use? You won’t believe me,” protested Stacy. - -“As you wish. It doesn’t make much difference what you say. You will -have to tell your story to the sheriff at Carrago, for we’re going -to send a man for him today.” - -“I belong to the Overland Riders. We ride somewhere every summer,” -began Stacy hurriedly. “This summer we chose the Bad Lands in the -Cosos, but I reckon that, had we known how bad they are, we should -have stayed away. We have been hanging out with Joe Bindloss, and -the rest of my party is over there now. We have a camp pitched just -back of his house where the garden ought to be, but isn’t.” - -“How about it, Skip?” interrupted the rancher, turning to one of his -men. “You was over there this morning.” - -The man replied that there was no camp back of Bindloss’s house, and -that, further, no one was there when he dropped in. - -Bill Crawley smiled sarcastically. - -“You see! A hoss thief can’t tell the truth,” he reiterated. - -“Neither can some other people,” flung back Chunky heatedly. “I’m -telling you the truth, and I don’t care whether you believe me or -not, but if you are half so smart as you think you are you will know -that I am telling no lies. I don’t have to be a horse thief. I’ve -got money, I’d have you know.” - -“Most hoss thieves have,” agreed one of the cowpunchers. “What were -you doing in the mountains alone?” - -Stacy, though weary and out of patience with all this, explained -that while out with Bindloss’s men on the round-up, he was roped and -carried into the mountains where he was held prisoner while a gang -of rustlers tried to get his companions to pay a ransom for him. He -told about the carrier pigeons, and the money that the ruffians had -collected by means of the birds. As he talked the grins on the faces -of the cowpunchers grew broader. They had never heard a fairy tale -quite so ingenious. Bill Crawley’s face wore an expression of -weariness. - -“Young fellow, I’ve heard some liars in my time, but you win!” he -declared. “Take him over to the hay barn and lock him in. If he -tries to get out, shoot him!” - -“If you were alone with me you wouldn’t dare say that, you bluffer!” -retorted Chunky, his cheeks flushing with anger. - -“What’s that you say?” demanded the rancher, taking a step toward -the boy, his chin thrust out belligerently. - -“Oh, nothing much,” muttered Stacy. “I reckon I was talking in my -sleep.” - -“Lock him up. And, Skip! Get a bite to eat, then hit the trail for -Carrago. You ought to get back some time tomorrow forenoon, but -bring the sheriff with you. We’ve got one of the rustlers that have -been stealing stock from us this summer, and, young fellow, we’re -going to send you to jail. You’re lucky that you aren’t shot!” was -Crawley’s parting word. - -Stacy was yanked nearly off his feet by a cowpuncher and hauled -protesting to the barn, a structure that was built with the idea of -keeping thieves from stealing from it. He was thrown violently to -the floor as his jailer hurled him into the place, and the door was -slammed behind him and locked. - -There were tears of anger in the eyes of the fat boy as he sat up -and rubbed himself. - -“I wish I had a gun! Oh, I wish I had a gun!” he raged. - -After the peak of his rage had been passed, Stacy began to take -account of his surroundings. On either side of him were huge mows of -hay already laid up for the stock that would have to be wintered on -the ranch, but finally, weariness overcoming him, the Overland boy -stretched out on the barn floor and went to sleep. He did not awaken -until twilight when a boot, coming into violent contact with his -person, brought him up, once more in a belligerent mood. - -“Heah’s yer chuck,” announced the cowpuncher. “I hope it chokes ye!” -added the man, backing out and locking the door. - -The sight of food made Stacy forget his troubles for the time being, -and he helped himself freely of the liberal meal. Upon second -thought, the boy stowed part of the food in his pockets, thinking it -might be useful later on, for he had hopes of making his escape. - -After finishing his meal he climbed the ladder to the top of the hay -loft and floundered about in the faint light for some time, hoping -to find a window. There was none. Getting down, he tried the mow on -the other side of the barn, but with no better results, whereupon -Chunky returned to the floor and sat down, head in hands. - -“Tomorrow, if I am here, I’ll be on my way to jail,” he reflected. -“Of course it will all come out right. They won’t keep me there -long, but I don’t like the idea of going to jail when there is so -much going on over in the valley. Besides, a fellow doesn’t get very -good food in these western jails, so I’ve heard. I’ve got to get out -of here. That’s flat!” - -The Overland boy got up and leaned against the hay wagon that stood -on the barn floor. One hand came in contact with one of the pins, -oak pins about a yard long, that keep the hay on the rack when -loading. He pulled the pin out and felt over its entire length. It -was smooth, worn so from long usage, and the feel of it was good to -Stacy Brown. It was something that might be used for a weapon as -well as a tool. With it he tried to pry open the barn door, but the -door would not budge. Once more the fat boy was at the end of his -resources, but as he stood leaning against the door, he heard some -one fussing with the lock. - -Stacy was instantly on the alert as some one opened the door. - -“Hey, ye hoss thief! Whar be ye? The boss reckons as I’d better -start for Carrago with ye now so as to git thar in the mornin’ an’ -git back in good season.” - -“All right,” replied the lad, yawning. - -“What you doin’ heah by the door?” demanded the man. - -“Maybe I was trying to get out. What?” laughed the fat boy. - -“I don’t reckon as you’ll be gittin’ out till ye go with me, an’ -don’t ye try any monkeyshines, ’cause I’ve got er gun in my hand an’ -I’ll use it on ye, ye cheap rustler. Git ’round in front of me whar -I kin see ye!” - -“I’ll bet you I get away,” answered Chunky, “and I’ll have the law -on this outfit for what it has done to me!” - -Whack! He brought the oak stick down on the head of the cowpuncher. - -The fellow went down in a heap, whereupon Stacy Brown stepped out, -closed and locked the door behind him and walked calmly away. - -“When I get riled I’m a pretty bad man,” admitted the Overland boy, -chuckling to himself. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI - -JUDY BRINGS TIDINGS - - -At first the two Overland Riders in the mountain cabin thought Sam -Conifer had been mortally wounded, but after they had pulled -themselves together, washed his face and examined his wound, they -decided that it might not be so serious after all. A bullet had laid -about four inches of the forehead open, but did not seem to have -done the skull injury. - -Sam was placed on blankets in the cabin, and the two Overlanders -worked over him until he regained consciousness. While they were -doing this Two-gun Pete and Idaho, rifles in hands, skulked about -outside, trying to discover the man who had fired the shot that got -Sam. Not knowing what position the old guide was standing in when -hit, they were unable to determine the direction from which the -bullet had come, and were about to return to the cabin to see if Sam -had come to, when Pete uttered a yell. - -“Git down!” he shouted. - -At the same instant, Idaho heard the report of a rifle and threw -himself down. Pete was already on the ground, hat in hand, and -looking at it ruefully. He held it up for his companion to see. - -“Put er hole plumb through it,” he growled. “Thet miserable cayuse! -I hope I git a squint at him over the sights of my rifle. But, man, -he shore kin shoot!” - -“Whar do ye think it come from?” asked Idaho Jones. - -“From t’other side of the gulch. Must be usin’ a telescope rifle, -for no man with open sights could make two shots like thet. He might -do it once, but not twice. I call thet some shootin’. No wonder he -got old Sam. Ye keep watch. I’m going in to tell the Dude an’ Cap’n -Gray ’bout this heah,” announced Pete, making a run for the -protection of the rocks about the cabin. - -He found Sam awake. The Overlanders had heard the shot, and met Pete -with a quick inquiry about it. Two-gun Pete exhibited his hat as the -answer to their question. - -“I come in to ask ’bout Sam. I reckoned as mebby you’d like to have -somebody go down to the valley an’ git help fer him.” - -“Not unless you wish to get away from here, which I don’t believe -you do,” replied Tom Gray. - -“I reckon I don’t—not onless it’s to save a pard’s life. Is he bad -off—goin’ to pass in?” - -“No, I ain’t, you miserable galoot!” answered Sam Conifer heatedly. -“I’m goin’ out purty soon to hunt fer a man, an’ when I finds him—” - -“Not today, Samuel,” differed Hippy. - -“I be!” insisted the injured man. - -“I reckon what the Boss says goes ’round heah,” reminded Two-gun -Pete. “I’ll git out an’ keep watch.” - -Soon after that Conifer, his head bandaged up as best the two men -could do it, went to sleep, and the Overlanders fell to considering -what they ought to do. They decided, in the first place, that Idaho -and Pete should go out and make further search for Jim, following -the direction taken by the outlaws when they rode away in such -haste. Hippy thought that he and Tom could protect their camp and -care for Sam at the same time, and perhaps, by the following day, -there would be help from the Circle O ranch. - -Tom reminded him, that, not knowing where they were, no assistance -could be looked for from that direction. This had not occurred to -Hippy. - -Pete and Idaho did not return until just before dark. They had found -not the slightest trace of the other guide, but they were delighted -to see Sam sitting up. Nothing had been seen of the rustlers, but -Two-gun Pete advised that the party move out of the cabin and go -into camp farther up in the mountains, as otherwise they were more -than likely to be attacked before morning. - -Hippy and Tom moved Sam with some misgivings, but the old guide -stood the ride without admitting the slightest suffering because of -it. That night they made camp without building a fire, and lay down -in the open, deciding that in the morning they would return to the -cabin and again make it their headquarters while continuing the -search for Jim. - - * * * * * - -In the meantime the long absence of the party was beginning to cause -the Overland girls and Bindloss some worry, for not knowing where -their companions had gone, it was not possible to get into -communication with them. - -By the following morning worry had grown into genuine alarm, and -ways and means for doing something were discussed by the rancher and -his guests. No conclusion was arrived at, but shortly after luncheon -their hopes were raised by a dust cloud down the valley. The cloud -soon grew into a horse and rider, and as it neared them the rider -was recognized as Judy. She was coming fast—her mustang running at -top speed. - -“Judy’s excited about something,” said Bindloss, a frown wrinkling -his forehead. - -The same thought was in the mind of each Overland Rider. Perhaps -Judy was bringing news from the party that went in search of Stacy -and Jim. - -The mountain girl indulged in no fancy horsemanship that afternoon. -She rode straight up to the porch of the ranch-house and threw -herself from the saddle. - -“Give me a drink of water. I’ve swallered a quart of dust,” was her -greeting. - -“Is—is anything wrong?” begged Nora. - -“Mebby everythin’ is. Hello, Pap Bindloss. Ain’t grown any better -lookin’ since I was here, be you?” - -“What’s the matter, Judy?” he asked, ignoring her fling at him. “I -know something is wrong.” - -She gave him a quick flashing look. - -“You see too dad-gasted much for an old man. Ah-h-h-h! That water -tastes good. Where’s yer folks, Miss Gray?” she asked casually, and -emptied the glass of water. - -“They went into the mountains to look for Stacy Brown and Jim. We -haven’t seen them since, and we are worried,” replied Grace. - -“A-huh! How’d they know whar to go?” - -No one answered, and Judy gave them a quick searching look. - -“Tryin’ to hide up on me, eh? Wal, I don’t reckon as it’s any good -for you to do so, ’cause mebby I can tell ye some things that may be -good fer ye to know.” - -“You know something about them, Judy?” demanded Miss Briggs. - -“A-huh. Did they go up to Red Gulch?” - -“Yes, yes!” cried the girls in chorus. “Judy, do you know where that -place is?” questioned Emma. - -“Reckon I could find it if I tried, but I don’t reckon whether I -want to try or not. It’s a long, hard hike up thar, and thar won’t -be no picnic when you get thar. My Pap says it ain’t a fit place fer -folks to be, but Pap was mad with me afore he went away this mornin’ -and threatened to give me a punch in the jaw, but he changed his -mind when I pulled my gun and told him to try it. Wal, Pap didn’t. -He went away madder’n a busting bronco. Said he wouldn’t be back fer -a few days. He said some things ’bout ye folks that I don’t ’low -nobody to say ’bout my friends, an’ I said so right out in meetin’, -and added a few other things, and that started the row. Say, I got -some news fer you folks.” - -“Then for heaven’s sake tell it!” begged Emma. “You are killing us -with suspense.” - -“I reckoned that way,” nodded the girl. “Wal, I heard it this -mornin’ fer the first time, ’bout your folks goin’ up in the -mountains, and why they went thar and all ’bout it. Funny, wasn’t -it, that I should hear it? I ain’t going to tell you whar I heard -it, but I did. You don’t reckon anythin’ happened to them, do you, -Pap Bindloss?” - -“Judy, I think you can answer that question, and that you have come -here to help my friends,” replied the rancher. - -“Fer why do ye think that?” - -The rancher pointed to the rifle in Judy’s saddle boot. - -“Are you going hunting, Judy?” he asked significantly. - -Judy flushed and turned to the girls. - -“I reckon I better tell ye now what I come heah to say—what I heard -this mornin’. Wal, it was this way: Your folks and some rustlers had -a fight in the mountains last night. It warn’t much of a fight, but -I heard that Sam Conifer had been killed and thet Miss Gray’s -husband and Hippy had been shot and that there was liable to be -trouble at Red Gulch, and I reckoned that I was your friend and that -you folks needed a friend right now, and that’s why Judy Hornby is -heah.” - -Nora Wingate, uttering a moan, toppled over in a swoon, the other -Overland girls gazing at the mountain girl in a stunned sort of way, -while Judy fumbled awkwardly with her sombrero. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII - -RIDERS OF THE NIGHT - - -No heed was given to Nora Wingate’s faint, and for several seconds -no one spoke. - -“Gosh a-mighty!” exploded Joe Bindloss. - -“Judy, are you positive that your information is correct?” asked -Grace in a voice well under control. - -“Ain’t positive of nothin’. Be you?” - -Grace shook her head and smiled faintly. - -“Mr. Bindloss, of course we shall have to go. None of us can stay -back now. Judy, will you guide us to the Red Gulch section?” - -“That’s what I’m heah for, Miss Gray. I reckoned as you’d be doin’ -jest that. If I had a man I’ll bet I’d hit the trail fer him when I -heard he was in a mess. How did yours ever git up to Red Gulch?” - -“He followed the pigeons,” answered Grace. - -“A-huh!” - -Joe Bindloss, at this juncture, announced his intention of -accompanying the Overlanders into the mountains. He did not know -where Red Gulch was, but if Judy said she knew, that settled it. The -girls brightened at his suggestion, and Nora sat up pale and -trembling, asking what had happened. - -She was told that she had fainted. Grace turned to Judy and asked if -they were to start at once, but the mountain girl shook her head. - -“We got to wait till night and make a night ride,” she said. “Pap -Bindloss knows why.” - -“Oh, I can’t wait!” wailed Nora. - -“Judy is right,” spoke up the ranchman. “Besides, we have some -things to do here. I can’t spare any men from the range, so we shall -have to do the work ourselves. We must break your camp and store -your equipment, for the rustlers will discover, after we leave here, -that the ranch is unguarded and come down on it. Understand?” - -Grace nodded. Judy tethered her pony and announced that she would -assist them, and the work of striking the Overland camp began. The -equipment was packed for moving, but instead of being lashed to the -backs of mustangs, Joe Bindloss carted it to the ranch-house on his -buckboard. The work took a good part of the afternoon, following -which the rancher rode out to his nearest grazing grounds where he -acquainted one of his foremen with the situation. - -Judy Hornby not only did her share of the work, but kept up the -spirits of her companions with quaint sayings and sharp-witted -replies to questions. - -Food sufficient for their needs was packed, and by supper time all -was in readiness for the start. Before leaving, the mountain girl -and the rancher held a brief consultation, at which she told him of -her plan. Bindloss agreed to it. Up to this time Judy had given her -friends no further information as to the source of the news that had -come to her, though occasional attempts had been made by Grace and -Elfreda to draw it from her. - -The start was made shortly after dark, the riders setting out in -pairs at some little distance apart. Judy kept to the base of the -foothills where the mountains cast a heavy shadow so that the -movements of the party could not be seen from the valley in the -light of the new moon. Instead of riding directly into the hills, -the mountain girl rode parallel with them for fully five miles. -Grace asked her why she did this instead of taking the direct line -that had been followed by the carrier pigeons. - -“Mebby that trail is watched,” answered Judy. “We got to go ’round -and come up by a longer way. You folks leave that to me. I ain’t -sayin’ that we ain’t goin’ to be caught, but if we are we got rifles -and I knows how to use mine.” - -“So do we,” returned Grace. “I hope it may not be necessary, -though.” - -Finally a sharp turn into the mountains was made, and for a mile or -two Judy followed a gash in the hills. - -“We got to climb now,” finally announced their guide, and it proved -to be a real climb. A brief halt was made to rest the animals, after -which the journey was resumed. The going from there on was over -rough ground, and it was a marvel to the Overland Riders how Judy -Hornby picked her way in the darkness and kept in the right -direction. - -As a matter of fact Judy was using the stars for her guide, which -enabled her to follow the general direction in which she wanted to -go. - -Another halt was made at midnight. The girls were shivering, and -Emma asked if they could not build a fire and warm up. - -“No! You’ll git warmed up before you git through with this,” -answered Judy. “Might git warm most any time now.” - -No halt was made from that time until just at break of day. Then -Judy left the party for half an hour to take an observation. She -returned briskly and announced that they could make a small fire and -have coffee, but she built the fire herself, being careful not to -make enough smoke to attract attention. - -“Folks, we aire within a mile of the Red Gulch, and I reckon you -better keep your eyes open from now on. I’ll ride on ahead, so watch -me. Pap Bindloss, you watch the sides and the trail behind. Nobody -do any loud talkin’,” advised Judy, after they had warmed their -hands by the little cook-fire, and drunk their hot coffee. All -mounted and rode away much refreshed, and with a gentle glow now -suffusing their bodies. - -The Overlanders now observed that Judy had unlimbered her rifle, so -they did the same, carrying their weapons resting across their -saddles, gun butts to the right. Judy wound in and out among the -rocks and trees, sometimes being out of sight for a moment or two, -then coming into view again, until finally she held up her hand and -sat listening. The others halted near where her pony stood nibbling -at the green leaves within its reach. - -“You all stay right heah. I’m going on to scout ’round a little. -Pap, you stay with the girls.” Judy tossed her bridle-rein to him -and slid from her saddle, taking her rifle with her. She was out of -sight in a few moments, and the Overland Riders sat in uneasy -silence straining their ears for warning sounds. - -When Judy returned her face wore a perplexed expression. - -“Folks, they ain’t there.” - -“Aren’t where?” asked Miss Briggs. - -“Whar they was supposed to be. I got a good look at the cabin, but -couldn’t see nobody, an’ couldn’t find any ponies anywhar ’bout, -though I see whar they’d been tethered. Would you folks know the -tracks of yer horses?” - -Grace said she did not think they would, not having had these -animals long enough to be familiar with them. - -“I can pick ’em out,” volunteered Bindloss. - -“Good! Come with me. You folks kin ride up so you kin see the place -whar the cabin is an’—” - -“What cabin?” questioned Emma. - -“One of the places whar the rustlers hang out, an’ whar I reckons -that battle was fought. But you got to keep quiet.” - -Bindloss dismounted and followed the girl, leaving the Overlanders -alone and very much worried. The couple were gone for some time; -then the Riders saw them returning, the rancher striding rapidly -along, Judy following him thoughtfully. - -“They’ve gone, folks!” he announced. “Neither hide nor hair of them -left. I got into the cabin, and there was bullet holes, fresh ones, -showing that there had been some shooting there. I reckon there was -blood on the floor. It looked like it.” - -“Anything else?” asked Grace, regarding him keenly. - -“Nothing like what you mean,” answered Bindloss understandingly. “I -found the tracks of my ponies, and we ain’t far from their trail -right this minute. It looks to me as if your party has headed for -home, and Judy agrees with me. There was five ponies in that bunch -and they was all mine. That looks mighty queer to me.” - -“Is it not possible that it was not our friends who were riding the -animals?” asked Miss Briggs. - -“I reckon so,” returned the rancher absently. “However, there’s only -one thing for us to do, and that is to follow the tracks and watch -out.” - -While he was speaking, Judy had started off on foot. She was gone -for some time. Upon her return she announced that she had picked up -the trail, and mounting, she directed her companions to fall in -behind her. Bindloss rode a little to one side of the mountain girl, -and in a few minutes she pointed out the trail to him. He got down -to examine it, and said the faint hoof-prints were those of ponies -from his corral. - -From that time on fairly rapid progress was made, until the trail -grew more difficult to follow. There were straggling cedars about -them and on beyond a forest of pines that formed a great green -canopy. The season had been dry and the long mountain grass under -the sun’s rays had burned to a dull brown, but the grass was tough -and traveling through it made it necessary for the ponies to lift -their feet high, giving a jolting effect to the riders that was -extremely trying. - -Bindloss suddenly halted. - -“I hear shooting!” he exclaimed. - -“So do I,” agreed Grace. - -The reports sounded far away, but Bindloss and Judy knew that the -firing was not so far away as the Overlanders believed. - -“Do you know where you are—do you know the mountains here?” asked -the rancher. - -Judy shook her head and said she had never been so far into the -mountain country before, but that she had a general idea of where -they were. Suddenly she wheeled her pony and started away towards -the scene of the firing, as well as she was able to locate it. The -others followed, each with straining ears and tingling nerves. They -were soon rewarded by the realization that they were rapidly -approaching the gunfire. Bindloss halted them with a gesture, and -sat listening. The party was only now at the edge of the pine forest -along which they had been skirting, but there were pines to the -right and left of them, beautiful, fragrant pines, nodding to the -stiff mountain breeze that was blowing. The wind died down, then -sprang up again from a different direction. - -Judy’s mustang whirled, threw up its head and snorted, and the pony -ridden by the rancher began to buck under the restraining grip on -the bridle-rein and sundry jabs from the spur, while the mounts of -the Overlanders showed signs of panic. - -A moment more and every mustang in the party was sniffing the air -and snorting. Bindloss, leaning forward in his saddle, gazing back -over the ground that they had covered, saw that a curtain of bluish -shade had been drawn over their late trail. The curtain was -quivering, punctuated here and there by faint spurts of red. - -Judy Hornby’s mustang uttered a whistling blast of fear, and reared -on its hind legs. - -“Fire!” cried the mountain girl. “They’ve set the grass on fire!” - -“Ride!” yelled Joe Bindloss. “It’s coming fast!” - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII - -RACING WITH DEATH - - -None knew better than the rancher and the mountain girl the peril -that lay behind that waving, quivering blue haze. The only avenue -open to them lay by way of the dark aisles between the pines, for -the blue haze, as they quickly discovered, had crept up on either -side as well as to the rear of them. - -“Into the forest!” shouted Bindloss, giving his pony rein, while -Judy held in her bucking mount until her companions got under way. - -The Overland girls were too frightened to start, but their mustangs, -taking matters into their own hands, lunged forward and were in -amongst the pines a few seconds later, dodging here and there to -avoid trees, until their riders were clinging with knees and hands -to keep from being unseated. - -A thin streak of yellow smoke wriggled overhead, followed by a -crackling, hissing sound, and the wind whipping in the tree tops -carried the smoke on ahead. The fire had overtaken them, had run up -the trunks of the trees at the edge of the forest, and was leaping -from tree to tree over the heads of the Overland Riders, while here -and there to the rear great pines exploded with terrifying sounds. - -The Overland Riders, despite their torturing fear, were thrilled. -The blood beat in their temples and their hearts were pounding. They -began to understand what this race meant—it was a race with death, -and its long arms were waving above them waiting to swoop down and -enfold its victims. - -“Faster!” Judy’s shrill command was plainly heard above the roar. -She turned in her saddle and beckoned to her companions, not certain -that they had heard. It was then she saw that the haze was -enveloping them and that the outlines of horses and riders were -growing fainter. Judy reined in her mount and waited. - -“Ride faster! Use the spur! Drive ’em! Drive ’em!” she yelled as the -girls swept past her, each one now urging on her mount with sharp -cries. The riders now plainly felt the heat, the breath of the fire -on their cheeks. So did the horses feel it, and they were frantic. - -The tough little mustangs as they swept on needed no urging. They -were giving all that was in them to save their own lives, but it -seemed to be an unequal battle. The Overland Riders were not -panic-stricken, but a great fear was in their hearts, yet not one -gave way to her feelings. Perhaps it was because they had no time to -do so, for it required close attention to prevent being unhorsed as -their ponies made sudden swerves to avoid fallen trees or low -hanging branches. The Overland girls were thus kept fully occupied, -and it was plain to Judy Hornby that they were in no danger of -losing their heads. - -Above the noise, she and Bindloss again heard the crack of rifles. -It was a scattering fire, but it was fast. Occasionally an interval -would occur, during which the firing seemed to cease, to be resumed -again a moment later. - -“They are riding ahead of us. Look out!” shouted the rancher, -swerving close to the mountain girl. - -Judy nodded, and spurred on until she was abreast of the racing pony -of Elfreda Briggs, who had lost her hat, and whose hair was whipping -in the air behind her. - -“Something going on ahead! Watch out! Watch me fer orders. Tell the -others. I got to git ahead ag’in,” directed Judy. - -Elfreda shouted the message to Grace, and Grace passed it to the -girl nearest to her, which proved to be Emma. Nora was too far to -one side to be reached, but her pony could be trusted to follow the -others if any radical change of direction were taken. - - - - -[Illustration: “Ride Faster! Drive ’Em!”] - - - - -Daylight suddenly showed faintly through the haze—the light of an -open space. Joe Bindloss uttered a yell, hoping that they might -there find rock footing and an end of the fire. Instead, his mustang -burst out into a vast brown field, a grazing ground many acres in -extent, from which rugged passes branched out in the distance. - -As the riders emerged close on the heels of the rancher and Judy, a -scene met their gaze that thrilled them anew. - -Two bodies of horsemen, like themselves, were fleeing from the fire, -which for some unknown reason had not yet leaped into the brown -grass of the grazing range, and as they rode, both bodies of men -were shooting. - -It was a battle, a running battle with rifles. - -Judy in one quick glance comprehended the situation and she saw more -than did any others of her party. She knew the men off there were -part of the band of rustlers who for so long had been a thorn in the -side of all honest ranchers in the two great grazing valleys of the -Cosos. She saw more than that—the verification of suspicions that -she had harbored for some time, but that had crystallized only -twenty-four hours before. - -At about the same instant the Overlanders also made a discovery. The -party of horsemen directly in front of them were quickly identified. - -“It’s the boys!” screamed Nora. - -“Ain’t dead, neither,” cried Joe Bindloss. - -The Overland Riders pulled down their ponies. - -“Keep going!” roared Bindloss. - -“If we do we shall be shot!” wailed Nora. - -“If you don’t you’ll be roasted!” retorted the old ranchman. - -It was a difficult choice. To go forward meant that the Overland -party would place themselves directly in the line of fire of the -mountain ruffians, but to hold back meant that the forest fire in a -few moments would be sweeping over the field. They decided to go -forward, and in a moment their ponies were racing towards Tom Gray -and his companions. - -The fire was now roaring across the brown meadow. The Overland men -saw it and began drawing in on the rustlers, driving at them in an -oblique line, firing as they put their ponies at top speed. The -girls followed at one side of the line of fire, hoping thereby to -escape being hit. - -A rustler toppled from his saddle. At the same instant Idaho Jones -swayed uncertainly in his, but quickly recovered and again began -working his rifle. Those who saw his hesitation knew that he had -been hit. - -The rustlers were now in a thick haze, and were giving ground as the -ranchmen and Overland men bore down on them, pouring a heavy rifle -fire into the closely bunched outlaws. They saw the rustlers whirl -about facing their assailants to make a stand, but the firing was -too hot for them and they fled. A mighty yell rose from the rustlers -as all but two of them suddenly disappeared from sight as if the -earth had swallowed them. It was then that the pursuers discovered -that their adversaries had gained rocky ground. No forest fire could -reach them there. - -The two men who were still in view pulled their ponies to their -haunches and swung about facing each other. The pursuers were amazed -to see both men draw their weapons and begin shooting at each other. - -The Overland men and ranchmen instantly ceased firing, but continued -on at full speed, for the flames were rapidly sweeping down on them. -They had not yet discovered the presence of Judy and the Overland -girls, but Judy had discovered that safety from the fire lay at the -far side of the field, so waving a hand for her companions to follow -she headed towards the scene of the savage duel. - -“Oh, it is awful!” cried Emma as her pony streaked past Miss Briggs -and Grace. - -Judy was laying her crop over the flank of her mustang and uttering -shrill cries to urge him on, and the first intimation that the -ranchmen had of the presence of the Overland girls was when Judy -flashed by them towards the duelists. - -“Kill ’im, Pap!” she yelled. - -“It’s Mex!” shouted Sam Conifer. - -At this juncture the Overland girls caught up with the pursuers and -dashed to safety on the rocky ground. As they reached it Miss -Briggs’ pony went down and Grace’s mustang leaped clear over her and -her mount before she could check him. Tom Gray hurried to the rescue -of Elfreda. - -“You here?” he cried. - -The roar of the fire, as it swept past over the brown meadow, -smothered the words. - -One duelist, at this juncture, was seen to sway in his saddle, and -at the same instant the other plunged headlong to the ground. The -first man’s pony jumped and he too was unhorsed, then both duelists -laboriously raised themselves to their elbows, and the duel was -resumed. At the second exchange of shots, one sank back and lay -still. - -Judy jumped her pony forward, and throwing herself from the saddle -ran to the living man and pillowed his head in her lap. - -“Gosh a-mighty!” roared Bindloss. - -The men of the ranch party were on the scene in a few seconds, but -still being ignorant of the cause of the sudden disappearance of the -body of rustlers kept their weapons at ready. Some of them now rode -cautiously forward to see what had become of the missing men. - -“Stop!” shouted Two-gun Pete. “I know whar they’ve went to. The gang -forgot ’bout the gulch thar, if they knowed ’bout it at all. -Leastwise, they didn’t see it in the smoke till it war too late, an’ -over they went. They won’t rustle no more steers, I reckons, bad -luck to ’em.” - -The whole party was now gathered about the mountain girl. The dead -man, those who now knew him, was identified as Mexican Charlie. - -“It’s Pap,” said Judy when they peered down into the face of the man -whose head lay in her lap. She gazed up at the Overland girls with a -pitiful look in her face. - -Hornby opened his eyes, recognized her and began to speak. - -“That’s all right, Pap. Don’t say it,” begged Judy. - -“I got ter talk, Kid. I’m sorry I made ye mad yesterday. I told ye -thet them friends of yours war shot at Red Gulch ’cause I knew the -rest of their gang would be up heah, an’ we’d git ’em all. I wish we -had! I wish we had, but the boys got looney ’cause your friends -could shoot better’n they could, and ran over the edge.” - -“Why did you an’ Mex fight, Pap?” asked Judy. - -“’Cause he said I’d double-crossed him, an’ sent his gang to death -to git rid of ’em, too. Then we fit. He set the fire, but I told him -to.” - -“Oh, Pap! How could you? These folks ain’t never meant you no harm. -They ain’t done nothin’ but fight when you made ’em,” protested the -mountain girl. - -“Yes, they did! They come up heah lookin’ fer trouble. They wanted -to drive us out er business. I know ’cause I had it from a feller -who knowed. An’ ye helped ’em, Judy!” he exclaimed, blazing up into -her face with something of the old fire in his eyes. - -“You bet I did, Pap. My friends is my friends, an’ I’d do it ag’in,” -she answered calmly. - -“I don’t bear ye no grudge fer thet now, Kid, ’cause it’s too late. -I got mine this time, an’ I’m goin’ out the way I always reckoned I -would, with my boots on an’ facin’ the crack o’ the guns.” - -As he talked, Hornby’s voice grew halting, and there were pauses of -a few seconds between words. It was plain to all that he was -weakening fast. - -“May I try to do something for him, Judy?” begged Miss Briggs -gently, as she bent over the wounded rustler. - -“_No!_” Hornby put all the strength that he could summon into that -one word. “Ye been lookin’ fer the man who war the leader of the -rustlers. Heah he is! I’m thet man, and as it’s my dyin’ words, I -beat ’em all at the game. Git ba—ack thar!” The rustler groped with -uncertain fingers for his weapon, whereupon Judy laid a firm hand on -his arm. - -“No, Pap! You’ve done enough,” rebuked the girl. “You’ve said -enough, too, an’ Judy Hornby never again kin hold her head up nor -look honest folks in the face. They’ll say her Pap was a rustler -an’—an’—” - -“Judy! Please don’t,” begged Grace. “He is dying!” - -“I—I reckon you’re right.” Judy fell to stroking the outlaw’s hair. -“That’s all right, Pap. You’re my Pap. Miss Gray is right.” - -“No! I got ter tell ye while I can. Judy, I ain’t yer Pap. Nor yer -mother warn’t yer mother. I stole ye when ye war a little thing -cause the man who was yer Pap had done me dirt. We raised ye, an’ -Judy, we havin’ no children of our own, begun to like ye fer yerself -an’ we kept ye, though at first we didn’t reckon on doin’ jest that. -We reckoned on gettin rid—” - -“No—ot my Pap?” stammered the girl. “Who, then—who is my Pap?” -cried Judy. “Tell me! Ye got ter tell me! Who is my Pap?” Her voice -rose threateningly, then sank almost to a whisper. “Pap, dear! Who -is my real Pap?” - -“He—he—he war—” - -The voice grew faint, and though the girl bent her ear close to the -lips of the dying man, she failed to catch the whispered words, and -the secret that Malcolm Hornby had kept for so many years died with -him there by the scorched meadows of the Cosos over which, like a -shroud, hung a suffocating pall of yellow smoke. - -Old Joe Bindloss lifted the little mountain girl to her feet, and, -with hands on her shoulders, brought her face to face with him. - -“I ain’t got no Pap now,” she murmured. “I ain’t got no friends, no -nothin’ that a girl wants so much.” - -Grace Harlowe slipped an arm about her. - -“Yes, you have, Judy. We are your friends, now and always,” said -Grace gently. “And I think you have a Pap that you haven’t reckoned -on,” she added, nodding towards Joe Bindloss. - -For a moment the old rancher and the mountain girl stood gazing into -each other’s eyes, then he drew her, unresisting, to him and lightly -touched her forehead with his lips. - -“Oh, Pap!” sobbed Judy, her arms slipping about the neck of Old Joe -Bindloss as she buried her head on his shoulder. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV - -FAREWELL TO THE COSOS - - -The Overland Riders and the men from the Circle O ranch walked to -the edge of the precipice and looked down. The girls shivered and -quickly turned, facing the other way, while the men gazed solemnly -into the abyss. - -“How’dy, folks,” greeted Jim. “Ain’t seen ye fer a week o’ Sundays. -Ye see that no ’count pard o’ mine got his’n,” he chuckled, nodding -at Sam, whose head was still swathed in bandages. - -“Yes, but what happened to you?” questioned Emma. “It would appear -that you too got something.” - -Jim explained that he had been roped from his pony, carried into the -mountains and secreted in a cave where the pigeon cotes were -located. It was the wire-covered pigeon-yard just outside of the -cave, well masked with foliage, that the Overland men and the -ranchers, in their hunt for Jim, had stumbled upon, and that led to -finding the missing guide. That was where the outlaws caught them, -and, had not the men from the ranch been on the alert, would have -made a quick finish of them. - -Tom told the Overlanders of Sam’s battle with the rustlers in the -mountain cabin, of the further search for Jim, and of the -culminating experience when a running battle with the rustlers was -engaged in. - -“Stacy!” cried Nora in sudden recollection. In the excitement of -that memorable morning she had forgotten about the fat boy. - -“He got away the night we come up heah,” Sam Conifer informed her. -“I reckons he’s got home afore this, an’ that he’ll stay thar. They -was goin’ to drop him into Red Gulch, an’ I reckon he thought it war -time to leave.” - -At this juncture, Miss Briggs asked permission to look at the wounds -of the party. Sam’s wounds were doing well, but needed professional -care, which Elfreda gave to them on the spot. She next dressed Idaho -Jones’ arm, which was bleeding from a bullet wound. Barring a few -slight flesh wounds where bullets had narrowly missed doing serious -injury, the other fighters were unharmed. - -“You now have the whole story,” announced Tom Gray, as she finished. -“The rustlers, thanks to their own carelessness, have taken a bad -job out of our hands.” - -“What a terrible death!” breathed Grace. “What about these?” she -added, pointing to Mexican Charlie and Malcolm Hornby. “Shall I -consult Judy about—about her fa—about Hornby?” - -Tom shook his head. - -“You girls go on and take care of her. We will do all that is -necessary to be done,” he made reply. - -The Overland girls returned to Bindloss and the mountain girl, who -was clinging to the hand of the old rancher, a deep pallor showing -under the tan on her face. Emma slipped a hand into hers, and Judy -turned a wan face to the little Overland girl, but the face wore a -faint smile. - -“It’s all fixed, Emma,” she said, nodding. “I’m Judy Bindloss now. -Leastwise I’m goin’ to be as soon as my new Pap kin git the papers -made out. I don’t see no reason fer doin’ that, do you?” - -Miss Briggs, as a lawyer, tried to explain to her why it was very -necessary, but the mountain girl shook her head. - -“He’s my Pap. It seems like he always was and no papers can’t make -him more so. Pap, let’s go home.” - -The ponies were led along for some distance, to give them rest while -the party were talking, and for the further purpose of giving the -men back there opportunity to do their work and join the Overland -Riders. - -The party finally being complete, Pete led the way across the -blackened landscape to the old cabin. Reaching there, they laid up -for a rest, and after luncheon Judy told them the story of her -father, Malcolm Hornby, so far as she knew it. - -Certain recent occurrences had made her suspect that Hornby was in -league with the rustlers, but the night before she brought warning -to the Overland girls that Tom and Hippy were wounded, she heard a -conversation between her father and Mexican Charlie in which her -suspicion became a certainty. From that conversation she learned -that much stock had been stolen from Bindloss, and that by making a -“Q” out of the Circle O ranch brand and adding another “Q,” the -marking conformed with Hornby’s brand, after which the stolen cattle -were added to his own herd. He had, with the assistance of the -mountain ruffians, carried on wholesale thievery in two great -valleys for several years and made money. His reward had been reaped -that day, and it had been coming for some time, because Mexican -Charlie and he were rapidly nearing the breaking point just before -the last attack on the Overland Riders, who were the indirect cause -of breaking up the gang of mountain ruffians. - -That there were others of the gang still at large the ranchmen knew, -but Judy could give them no information on this point. It was -decided, therefore, to ask the aid of the sheriff and his deputies, -as well as that of other ranchers, to form a big party and comb the -mountains for the other ruffians, who, now that the backbone of the -band had been broken, could be driven more easily from that region, -and perhaps some of them captured. - -In the early afternoon the journey home was begun. Judy did not -accompany them all the way, saying that she wished to stop at her -former home and get some personal belongings, she promising to ride -back to the Circle O ranch on the following morning. Judy wished to -be alone that night, and the Overland girls, at least, understood. - -Circle O was reached before dark, and Stacy Brown, who had gained -entrance to the ranch-house, which he had reached only a few hours -before, met them at the door. The “fat boy” was thin, there were -hollows in his cheeks, and a livid mark on the left cheek where a -bullet had left its trail. - -Stacy had been hunted all the way across the mountains, and shot at -on several occasions, but had always outwitted his pursuers until -finally they gave up the man-hunt and returned to the Diamond Bar -ranch. Hungry and worn out and after considerable suffering he -finally reached Circle O only to find it deserted and the Overland -camp broken up. - -Now, however, that the opportunity was at hand to glorify his own -achievements, Stacy Brown made the most of it, and out in the yard -in front of the ranch-house, he declaimed loudly on his own prowess -in fooling his pursuers. - -Stacy was still engaged in this before an interested audience when a -rider approached from the valley, but no one gave heed to him, -believing him to be one of Bindloss’s men. The rider dismounted at -the stable and walked towards the group, his eyes fixed on Chunky. -He halted just behind the boy and stood regarding him frowningly. - -“Well, sir, what is it?” demanded Joe Bindloss sharply. - -Stacy, in the midst of a loud boast, turned to look at the man -behind him. The words died on his lips as he came face to face with -the newcomer. It was Skip, the fellow on whose head Stacy had -brought down the wagon stake at the Diamond Bar ranch. - -The Overland boy’s face grew a shade paler, and he made a move as if -to run, but the pressure of a revolver against his stomach sent the -shivers up and down his back and literally froze him. - -“Here! Here!” roared Joe Bindloss. “What do ye mean?” - -“This feller’s a hoss thief. We kotched him on a hoss that had been -rustled from the Diamond Bar ranch. He got away by cloutin’ me over -the haid. We follered, but he was too slippery fer us. I been -lookin’ fer him ever since, an’ now I’ve got him!” - -“Put down thet gun, pard!” drawled Sam Conifer, and Skip found -himself gazing at the muzzle of the old guide’s weapon. “Put it -down, I says!” - -The caller shoved his weapon into its holster, and Stacy Brown drew -a long breath of relief and then quickly stepped back a few paces. - -“This man is no more a thief than you are!” exploded Bindloss. “He -is one of my friends, and that’s all there is to it.” - -“I got to take him back,” persisted Skip stubbornly. - -“Listen to me, young fellow!” commanded Bindloss, who thereupon -repeated the story that Chunky had told them, adding further -information of his own. - -“Thet’s what the critter told us back at the ranch. We reckoned he -lied, an’ I reckon so too.” - -“Drop thet talk!” warned Sam Conifer. - -Joe Bindloss after some farther argument told the visitor that he -would write a letter to Bill Crawley, owner of the Diamond Bar -ranch, fully explaining the matter, but in no circumstances would -Skip be permitted to take Stacy with him. - -“And that’s flat!” finished the rancher sternly. - -“Thet’s all right, Boss, but what ’bout this?” he demanded, -exhibiting the lump that Stacy had left on the top of his head. “I -got ter have satersfaction fer thet, I reckon.” - -“I’ll hit it again if you say so,” offered Stacy, but the boy met a -quick rebuke from his companions. - -“Look here, my man! How much do you want for satisfaction?” -interjected Tom Gray. - -“Wal, I reckon ’bout two bucks’ll satersfy me,” answered Skip, -tenderly caressing the lump. - -“Stacy, shell out! Give the man two dollars,” ordered Lieutenant -Wingate. Stacy demurred, but there was no avoiding payment. He tried -to borrow the money, but not one of the Overlanders would give him a -cent, so Stacy Brown reluctantly parted with two silver dollars. - -The letter was written by Grace at Bindloss’s dictation, and half an -hour later Skip headed back towards the Diamond Bar ranch, not only -with the letter and two silver dollars in his pocket, but with a -request from Bindloss that Bill Crawley and his men join with the -Circle O men in making a final drive on the rustlers. - -It was early to bed that night at the Circle O, for all hands were -worn out. On the following morning the girls had a long talk with -Joe Bindloss. It was decided that the Overlanders should remain at -the ranch while the ranchers drove out the last of the rustlers. - -Judy came in in time for luncheon that day. The girls saw that she -had been weeping, but made no comment. It was then that they -broached the subject that had been discussed with Judy’s new “Pap.” -Grace and Elfreda wished to take her back east with them and show -her some of the world that she had so often dreamed of seeing. - -At first Judy was obdurate, but the thought grew and Bindloss urged, -so, before the departure of the Overlanders two weeks later, Judy -had said “yes.” - -The drive of the ranchers proved successful in ridding the Cosos of -rustlers, though only one man was captured. The others had fled, -following the disaster to Hornby and his immediate gang, and the -drive of the ranchers. - -The journey of the Overland party, following the recovery of Hippy -and Sam from their wounds, lasted until mid-September when the great -day in Judy’s life arrived. The Overland Riders had returned to the -ranch to pick her up, and to arrange for returning Joe Bindloss’s -ponies to him at the railroad station, and, after a day’s rest at -the ranch-house, they set out for the east—and home. Judy wavered -at the last moment, but finally rode away with her friends, waving -her sombrero to the rugged old rancher, and trying to laugh through -her tears. The world that Judy had so yearned for lay just before -her, and after a winter with the Overland girls she was destined to -return much benefited in every way, but with a fuller realization -that her duty to herself and to her new “Pap” lay in the beautiful -Valley of the Cosos. - -There was still a large measure of adventure before Grace Harlowe -and her young friends, and to which every member of the party was -already looking forward for the coming season. The story of these -adventures will be related in a following volume entitled, “Grace -Harlowe’s Overland Riders Among the Border Guerrillas,” where, in -the Guadalupe Mountains, they encounter experiences that make the -story replete with interest that cannot fail to hold the undivided -attention of the reader. - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GRACE HARLOWE'S OVERLAND RIDERS AT -CIRCLE O RANCH*** - - -******* This file should be named 62743-0.txt or 62743-0.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/6/2/7/4/62743 - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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