Sudden Outlawed

"Hey, yu lady-slayer," he called. "yank some o' them bawlin' brutes over here an' don't keep me waitin'."

"They'll come so quick yu'll get dizzy," the young man promised. "I'll make yu think it's rainin' cows."

Sudden smiled at the boyish boast. While his was the more dangerous and tricky task, he fancied he could keep ahead of Sandy. But that optimist had helpers and soon the tie-man had his hands full. The rays of the rising sun quickly drove the chill from the air, and growing in intensity, added to the discomfort of the workers. Perspiration drenched their faces but failed to remove the grime from the ever-rising clouds of dust. Sweat caked on the flanks of galloping mustangs. Cows bellowed and frightened calves blatted as they were hauled . willy-nilly to the fire. The shouts and rough banter of the riders merged with the rattle of horns in the milling herd. Sudden, looking up in a moment of respite, found Eden watching him.

"Good work, Green," he said, and as Sandy with a whoop, rushed up another unwilling victim, roped and threw it, he added: "Yore friend seems to know his job too."

He rode off without waiting for a reply, and Sudden was glad ; the praise worried him. He stole a glance at Sandy--who was freeing his rope from the helpless steer--and was surprised to see that the boy's face was redder than even the fierce sun and his exertions warranted. He too had heard what the cattleman had said.

"yu boys have certainly made a hit with Sam," the foreman commented.

Sudden grunted an agreement. He liked the outfit and its owner, and he was there to help ruin him. He tried to tell himself that the world, having made him an outlaw, was to blame for any consequences, but he could not make the argument convincing. Fortunately, he had little time for reflection ; the cutters were doing their work well.

"Told yu I'd make yu hustle, didn't I?" Sandy said, a little later.

"'Pears to me some other fella fetches along a steer now an' then," Sudden replied, as he mopped his dirt-streaked features. "Say, I got an idea. yu swap jobs with me to-morrow an' yu won't have to worry 'bout shavin'."

"Nothin' doin'. Wouldn't change places with yu for a blue stack."

Sudden detected his involuntary glance over the plain to where Miss Carol was busy bunching the branded cattle into a separate herd, and his eyes twinkled understandingly. Sandy's work took him near that trim little figure.

"Shucks, I've done told Jeff yu can tie 'em two at a lick," he said teasingly.

"I'm goin' to tell him that as a liar yu got Ananias beat a mile before he opens his mouth," Sandy retorted, and to his horse, "G'wan, yu son o' sin, we'll give this fella suthin' else to think about."

He shot off towards the herd and had almost reached it when he saw something which made him swerve suddenly : a newly-branded steer, mad with rage and pain, was rushing full at Carol Eden, who, intent on her charges, did not see it. With a yell of warning, Sandy raced and swung his rope. The loop dropped over the brute's horns and with a flip, he sent the slack over the rump and spurred his mount to the left, jerking the hind legs from under the steer. As it crashed down, the girl became aware of her danger and jumped her pony away. The fall had taken the fight out of the steer ; as soon as the rope was removed it scrambled to its feet and lumbered off. Carol's face was pale.

"Thank you," she smiled. "I'm afraid you'll think I'm a tenderfoot to be caught like that."

Sandy's customary assurance had deserted him ; he was the picture of confusion. Also, he was finding breathing difficult, for it had indeed been a near thing ; had he missed his throw. ... He shuddered at what might have been ; the pony rippedup, the rider on the ground, at the mercy of those sweeping, sharp-pointed horns. Hat in hand, he stammered some commonplace, cursing himself inwardly for a tongue-tied fool. Her eyes rested on him kindly.

"you are Mister Green's friend, aren't you?" she asked. "He came to my assistance too, so I'm now obliged to both of you. I ought to be glad you joined the outfit."

"I'm hopin' yu will be," Sandy managed to say, and, as he saw his employer approaching, "Gosh, I'm forgettin' I got a job."

As he dragged a complaining calf on the end of his rope to the branding fire he communed with himself :

"What come over yu, yu lunkhead, to let a bit of a gal like that scare yu all up? She musts thought yu was dumb."

But his eyes were shining when he handed over his prisoner, and his sweaty, grimed face wore such an expression of content that Sudden could not help but notice it.

"yu look like yu was all lit up from inside," he said. "Havin' a good time, huh?"

"Never had a better," came the sober reply.

"It would do Rogue's heart good to see that bunch over there," Sudden said meaningly, nodding in the direction of the gathered cattle.

"yeah," Sandy snarled, whirled his pony, and was gone, leaving his friend in a thoughtful frame of mind.

Days passed, days made up of long hours filled with incessant, monotonous toil in the blistering heat, and steadily the herd increased. The weather remained fine, feed was plentiful on the plain, and the branded cattle gave no trouble.

"For which, thank the Lawd," Jeff said fervently. "If them critters took it into their fool heads to stampede, it'd be just merry hell."

Even when the herd was complete, much remained to be done. The big covered wagon, with its team of six mules, had to be overhauled and loaded with provisions, flour, bacon, coffee, New Orleans molasses--familiarly known as "blackstrap"--pickles, and a limited supply of dried fruits. The remuda had to be selected--five horses for each man--weapons and ammunition prepared.

Twelve men, including the rancher and the cook, were to accompany the herd, two older members of the outfit remain ing behind to "hold down the ranch." These preparations entailed constant effort, for Eden was eager to start.

Sudden had little chance of converse with his friend during these days of stress, for the brief hours of rest were too precious to be wasted, but he got more or less acquainted with the other members of the outfit and decided that Sam Eden was a good judge of a man. Rough, reckless, and shabby-looking, they were nevertheless capable. Only one he did not approve of--a newcomer like himself--a big, dark, be-whiskered fellow named Lasker, who was in charge of the remuda, a position which was poorly-regarded in a cow-camp. He knew nothing against the man but instinctively distrusted him.

"He's got mean eyes," he explained to Sandy.

"Well, I dessay the hosses won't mind," was the indifferent reply.

Sudden looked at him thoughtfully. The boy had changed since they had joined the S E ; his gay impudence had gone, to be replaced by a moody irritability. "He's pretty near played out, like the rest of us," was his unspoken reflection, but he knew it was not a satisfactory solution, for bone-weary as all the men were, enthusiasm prevailed, whereas Sandy appeared disgruntled, sick of the whole business.

"Jeff tells me we're all set for an early start to-morrow," Sudden offered.

"It'll be a relief to get away from this blasted plain," was all Sandy had to say.

When the rancher and his daughter made their appearance in the morning they were accompanied by Baudry. Together they inspected the herd.

"They look good to me, but surely you have some oldish stuff amongst them," the gambler commented.

"Oh, I reckon they'll pass with the rest," Eden said. "Yu remember what the foreman o' one o' the early drives told the buyer who made the same complaint? 'Strangers,' he says, 'if yu'd bin through half what them critters has, yu'd look twice yore age.' "

Baudry laughed. "Well, you know your business, Sam, and I wish you all the luck there is," he rejoined. "I'll be coming north myself and shall expect to see you. Hear of the killing at Littleton?"

This was a settlement some thirty miles distant, and the ranch having had no visitors was without news. Eden said as much.

"Coolest thing ever," Baudry went on. "A stranger steps into Greggs saloon just after dusk, shoots the dealer at the monte table, collects all the cash in sight and backs out. When the company comes to life again, he's clean away."

"Another o' Rogue's capers, I s'pose?" the rancher said.

"They say not, unless he's got a new hand," Baudry replied. "From his looks, and a remark he made, he was Sudden, the Fourways and San Antonio killer." A rider on a big black horse, waiting to assist in starting the herd, caught his eye. "Why, that might be the fellow, by the description," he finished.

"What, Green?" the cattleman grinned. "He's been tied to this camp pretty tight the last two-three weeks. No, Jethro, there ain't no murderers in his outfit ; Jim's all right."

The young man heard the words, but they brought him no satisfaction ; the gambler's harsh voice had also carried to where he sat and the bitterness he had been trying to blot out of his life had overwhelmed him again. Another crime had been unjustly placed to his discredit. The world was determined that he should be an outlaw. Very well, since there was no other way ...

He carne out of his dark musing to find that the word had been given and the herd was already on the move, the point riders leading the way, the swing and flank men stringing the cattle out into a long line. Two men looked after the "drag," and behind came the remuda, in charge of the horse-wrangler, and the wagon. The Great Adventure had begun.

Under the blazing sun the herd tramped steadily on. No great difficulty was anticipated until they crossed the Colorado River, the country south of that being familiar to most of the men. Nightfall found them camped near a little creek. From where the cattle were settling down came a somewhat cracked voice wailing the interminable verses of "The Cowboy's Lament" and one of the men squatting at the fireside laughed.

"Lucky cows ain't got no ear for music," he said. "The Infant's screech would start a stampede."

For Sudden, riding moodily round the herd, watching first one and then another sink down to sleep, the night brought only the opportunity to brood over his own troubles. Little more than hall a mile away he could see the gleam of the campfire ; if the men sitting round it knew who he was, they would hang him before dawn. And for this he had to thank Rogue, whom he was there to serve. Idly he wondered what the outlaw was doing, or about to do, and then swore savagely that he did not care. Which was not the truth.

Having watched the herd depart and waved an ironical farewell, Baudry turned his horse's head towards San Antonio. Five miles along the trail, squatting with his back against a spreading cedar, a man was waiting. Baudry got down, glad to avail himself of the shade.

"Well, Navajo, the S E drive has started," he said. "What are Rogue's plans?"

The half-breed grinned unpleasantly. "yu better ask him," he retorted. "His word was that he'd do the job--his own way."

The gambler's face reddened but he summoned a smile. "Suits me, so long as it's done," he replied. "Sam seems pretty confident."

"He ain't got a chanct," the other stated.

"I think he has," Baudry said coolly. "In fact, I have so strong a belief in my friend Eden's courage and determination that I'd be willing to wager that he'll take his cattle through and return safely to his ranch."

The ruffian laughed evilly. "Shore yu would," he sneered. "How much?"

"One thousand dollars."

"I'm takin' yore bet. Give it me in writin'--I got a shockin' memory." The jeer in the man's voice was insulting but Baudry chose to ignore it.

"you needn't worry, I always pay my debts," he said. Nevertheless, he wrote a few words in a notebook, tore out the page and passed it to the other. Navajo grinned as he tucked it away in a pocket.

"Money from home," he chuckled. "This ain't nothin' to do with Rogue, yu savvy? So long."

The gambler stood watching his receding form, his thick lips set in grim threat.

"There's more than one way of paying a debt, you scum," he snarled. "When you've served your purpose ..."

Chapter VIII

THE Colorado River had been reached without any untoward incident, and the S E drive was camped on the south bank waiting for daylight to make the crossing. So far, everything had gone well, and, with perfect weather, the herd had made good time. Supper was over, and 'the foreman, Sudden, and several others were smoking beside the fire, for, though the days were hot, the evenings were chill. There was a thicket to the right of the camp--the first timber they had seen for days--and the cook was busy chopping wood and loading it into the rawhide slung beneath the wagon, for his store of buffalo "chips"--the only fuel to be found on the plains--was getting low.

"Well, trail-drivin' suits me. Why, it won't be no trick a-tall to push the bunch into Kansas."

This from the gangling youth known as "Infant." The foreman surveyed him sardonically.

"Bein' a kid I s'pose yu gotta talk like one," he said. "If yu think it's all goin' to be like this yu got another guess comin'. An' that kind o' yap is shore unlucky. 01' Man Trouble allus camps on the tail of a trail-herd, an' we'll hear from him soon enough without askin' for it."

"That's so," agreed another, who, being reputed to be the biggest liar in Texas, was called "Truthful."

"I remember once--"

"Forget it twice," Jeff snapped. "What's come o' Sands? He ain't with the herd."

No one seemed to know. He had eaten with the rest of them and then slipped away. Sudden had seen him go and smothered an impulse to follow because he had a feeling that the boy had avoided him of late. He glanced round the camp, but there was no sign of the missing man. Against the dark background of the trees the little tent used by the women gleamed whitely. A few yards away from it, Sam Eden leaned on the wagon-tongue and chatted with the cook. Then, out of a thick tangle of bushes some forty paces from the wagon came a spurt of flame, followed by the vicious crack of a gun, and the sturdy figure of the rancher staggered and fell.

"Hell's bells!" Jeff cried, and ran to the stricken man.

The others followed, ail save Sudden, who raced tor the spot whence the shot had come. Noiselessly he searched, peering into the gloomy depths of the brush, listening for the snap of a breaking twig which would tell of a stealthy retreat, but he saw and heard nothing. Then came a careless footstep, a slouching figure swung into view and halted at Sudden's curt command.

"'Lo, Jim. What's the bright idea, stickin' up yore friends?" asked a familiar voice.

It was Sandy, and despite himself, a note of suspicion crept into Sudden's question, "What are yu doin' here?"

"Goin' back to camp ; what yu reckon?"

"Where yu been?"

"Pickin' flowers," came the ironic reply.

"Quit foolin'," Sudden said sternly. "Sam Eden was shot from 'bout here less'n a quarter of an hour back."

"Sam--Eden--shot?" Sandy repeated. "God! An' yo're guessin' I did it?"

"I ain't doin' any guessin'," Sudden told him. "I came to catch the skunk an' bump into yu. Come clean:"

"Is he hurt bad?"

"I didn't wait to see ; Jeff an' some o' the boys is there. yu ain't answered my question."

"I had nothin' to do with it, Jim," the boy said hoarsely, "but it's likely I saw the fella. Mebbe ten minutes or so ago, a mere shadow, slippin' through the bush. I didn't give it much attention--reckoned it was Lasker, goin' after his hosses--but it may not have been him a-tall. Hell! it'll break his gal's heart." Sudden's silence told him there was more to say. "yu hear an owl hootin' while we fed?" he asked.

"yeah, an' judged he was a pretty early bird," Sudden said.

The other nodded. "Overlookin' details like that'll land Rogue's neck in a noose some day," he remarked. "yeah, I ,;aw him."

Sudden's eyes narrowed. "When did he leave yu?"

"Pretty near half an hour back--I didn't hurry."

"Then he mighta done the shootin'?"

"Could have--he had time, but it don't fit with his plans."

"We better get back--it won't look too good for us to be absent, an' together," Sudden suggested. "We'll have a powwow later."

They had almost reached the camp when Lasker pounded en up wail a strung of night-horses. He stopped on seeing then "Heard about the 01' Man bein' bushwhacked, Lasker?" Sudden asked.

The man's surprise seemed genuine. "Hell, no ; who done it?"

"Yore guess is as good as mine," was the reply.

"With him cashed the drive ends, I s'pose," the wrangler offered.

"Who told yu he's dead?" Sudden asked quietly, and then, "Well, mebbe he is ; we'll soon know."

The camp was very still. The other men had sought their blankets but the foreman sat near the fire, rifle beside him, and his face a mask of worry. He looked up as the two friends approached ; the horse-wrangler was seeing to his charges.

"This is a turr'ble business, Jim," he said, and sensing the question uppermost in their minds, "No, Eden ain't cashed--yet. We got him bedded down in the wagon, an' I've tended the wound--it ain't the first time I've played doctor by a-many. The slug went clean through an' 'pears to have missed the vital parts. Plenty desperate, but it might be wuss ; he's got a fightin' chance."

"Then he'll make it," Sudden said confidently. "He's the fightin' sort."

"Beats me who the murderin' houn' could be?" Jeff pondered.

"I went to see if I could catch him but didn't have no luck." Sudden explained. "Sandy saw someone hot-footin' through the brush an' figured it was Lasker."

"Lasker, huh?" the foreman muttered. "Well, he's a new hand, but there ain't no reason. yu boys better turn in--l'll be needin' yu presently ; gotta have four men watchin' the herd to-night."

It was two hours later when Jeff's low voice awakened them --in those dangerous days it was unwise to arouse a sleeper by touching him. They approached the slumbering herd slowly, exchanged a few words with the men they had come to relieve, and separated.

Sudden was riding Nigger, for the night-horse has to be the surest-footed, clearest-sighted, most intelligent of the cowboy's string of mounts. Knowing that the black would give instant warning of anything wrong, the rider allowed himself to think. The cold-blooded attempt to remove Lden had brought him definitely to the parting of the ways. He had little doubt but that the outlaw chief had been concerned in it, and the thought of working with men capable of such a deed sickened him. The world had given him the name, but not the stomach, of a desperado.

Another point which worried him was the attitude of Sandy. "The girl has him spell-bound, an' yet he's runnin' with Rogue," he mused.

The two things did not seem to jibe and he resolved to clear the situation at the earliest opportunity. This came when, relieved in their turn, they were riding slowly back to camp.

"I'm puttin' a plain question," Sudden said. "Are yu workin' for Rogue, or ain't yu?"

"I'm given' yu a plain answer," Sandy replied. "To hell with Rogue, an' yu can tell him I said so. yu may be in his debt but I ain't. Sabe?"

Sudden's laugh was bitter. "I'll tell yu what I owe him," he said slowly.

Pacing side by side in the 'starlight, he could not see the listener's face, but the muttered exclamations the story evoked showed his interest. When it was ended, Sandy drew a deep breath.

"My Gawd, yu have shorely had a tough break, Jim," he said. "I reckon all that's due Rogue from yu is a slug o' lead."

"Well, he got me in a jam unmeanin' an' he certainly took a risk to get me out again--which some wouldn't," Sudden replied. "Anyways, it's past mendin' ; even if I could prove I didn't kill Judson, the San Antonio affair an' this other, would hang me. yo're ridin' with a shore-enough outlaw, Sandy."

"An' damn glad to be," the boy said impulsively, thrusting out a fist. "I'm with yu to the finish, Jim, whatever it may be." Sudden gripped the hand ; it did him good to feel that he had a friend who, knowing all, trusted him.

"I'm obliged," he said simply. "When I joined this outfit my mind was all twisty-ways an' I didn't know what I was goin' to do. Now, I've got things straightened out ; I'm on Sam Eden's pay-roll."

"That goes for me too," Sandy rejoined. "We'll beat that gang o' chaparral thieves yet."

Immediately after breakfast, the foreman called a meeting of all the men in camp to discuss what should be done. Lasker was the first to speak :

"Nothin' for it but to turn back, fur as I c'n see."

"Then yore eyesight ain't what it oughta be," Sudden put in. "I'm for goin' on ; the 01' Man'll want. that, I'm bettin'." Other opinions, for and against, were expressed and in the middle of the argument a hail from the cook apprised Jeff that his employer wanted him. From his bed in the wagon the rancher glared at his foreman.

"What's all the chatter about?" he asked in a weak but angry voice. "Why ain't yu startin' the herd?"

"We was sorta settlin' which way to go," the foreman excused.

"There's on'y one, yu ol' fool--north'ards," Eden snapped, and then, as comprehension came to him, "Yu wasn't thinkin' o' goin' back?"

Jeff looked uneasy. "Well, yu see, Sam, we figured yu oughta have proper medical attention," he explained.

The patient's pale face grew red with rage. "Medical attention, huh?" he sneered. "yu talk like a perfessor, an' a damn silly one at that. D'yu reckon I've never been shot afore? Pretty fine outfit I got if yo're goin' to turn tail an' run at the first bit o' trouble."

"That's not fair, Dad," Carol reproved. "They are thinking of you."

"yo're right, honey," Eden said. "I didn't mean that, Jeff, but yu can cut out the doctor-talk--I don't need no help to die. An' let me hear no more o' goin' back ; we'll take this herd through come hell or high water. Now, git them cows movin', or I'll be up an' see to it my own self."

"An', by Christmas, he'd 'a' tried it," Jeff said, when he reported the conversation to the others. "Stubborn as two mules, ol' Sam is, an' tough as rawhide. They say he once rode fifty miles with a busted leg--tied hisself to the saddle, knowin' if he fell off he'd never git on again."

The only man who did not seem pleased was Lasker. "It's a fool play," he said sullenly. "He'll never make the trip--we'll have to plant him."

"Awright, we won't ask yu to dig the hole," Jeff retorted. "Take care o' yor hosses--we're shorely goin' to need 'em." Sudden had a small investigation to make. In a patch of bare earth in the brush from whence the shot had come he found clear prints of a pair of moccasins, and scorched shrivelled leaves showed where the weapon had been fired through the foliage. With a strip of rawhide he measured the marks, making knots to indicate the width and length. His search for further footprints proved fruitless.

"Either made his getaway over grass or wanted them tracks to be seen," was his muttered conclusion.

Dismissing the matter for the moment he rode to the river, where preparations for crossing were in full swing. Conditions were favourable, shelving banks, and not much current. Already the cattle, grazed and watered, were being strung out and headed for the stream. Jeff, bawling orders right and left, was watching the operation.

The riders who had to guide the herd across the stream had stripped to the middle, also removing boots and saddles, and were shivering in the keen morning air. One of them had already made the trip, returning with the tidings that the bed of the river seemed fairly firm and the deep water not too extensive.

"Don't rush 'em, boys," the foreman instructed. "Haze 'em along gradual-like but keep 'em movin'. We want to be over before the sun gits too high, an' these damn streams is liable to rise mighty sudden."

There was little trouble ; the leading steers, when they felt the cold water sweeping beneath their bellies, tried to retreat, but the watchful riders, with quirts and the ends of their ropes kept them from turning and soon they took the plunge and swam steadily for the opposite bank.

The crossing took time but went without a hitch, and Jeff breathed a sigh of relief when the last steers climbed the far bank, shook themselves, and went to peacefully grazing. The remuda followed, and then the wagon came lumbering up, a sizable, trimmed tree-trunk lashed along each side. Drawn by its full team of six mules, it rocked and slithered down the slope to the stream. The leaders baulked at the water but the biting lash of the long whip stung their flanks and threw them into the collars again.

With a couple of riders on either side steadying it with their ropes, the wagon proceeded slowly but majestically across, to be greeted with a cheer when the dripping team hauled it safely up the bank.

The foreman, who had followed the vehicle over, poked his head through the flaps at the back. "How d she go, Sam?" he asked anxiously.

"Fine--never jarred me none," the invalid lied stoutly. "Get agoin' soon as yu like ; it does me good to feel we're movin'." Jeff was not deceived ; he knew quite well that the orossing must have caused intense pain to the wounded man, but he also knew Sam Eden. As he turned away, Carol jumped down lightly from the wagon.

"Jeff, you're a dear," she said impulsively. "Of course it hurt him terribly although we did all we could to spare him the jolts, but he bore it without a murmur. We must push on ; he'll fret himself into a fever if we delay."

The foreman made unintelligible noises in his throat and was obviously glad when Sandy rode up leading Carol's pony. "Thought yu'd mebbe like a ride after the boat-trip, ma'am," he grinned.

She thanked him, swung into the saddle, and loped along the trail. The cowboy's eyes followed her, until a slight cough from his companion recalled his wandering thoughts.

"She shore can ride," he remarked hastily, and then, "How's the 01' Man makin' it?"

"Pretty good, considerin'," the foreman told him, "an' liable to raise Cain if that wagon ain't on the move pronto." Sandy took the hint and found himself a job.

Chapter IX

THE long straggling line of men and beasts moved like a sluggish stream over the apparently unending area of brown, sun-dried earth, cracked and fissured by the fierce heat, and covered, for the most part, by short curly grass which, the colour of hay, needed only rain to transform it into a carpet of brilliant green. No tree, save an occasional thicket of stunted mesquite or live-oak, was to be seen.

Uneventful days had slid by since they crossed the Colorado, and the outfit was making the most of an easy time. Lolling in their saddles, the riders had little to do save check the ambition of any steer who seemed disposed to stray too far. Even the foreman's lined, leathery countenance wore an un wonted smile as he rode to Sudden's side and nodded at the surrounding scene.

"All like this an' it'd be easy, but it ain't goin' to be," he remarked. "We got most of our troubles ahead of us."

"Yu can say that any time, any place," the cowboy grinned. "How's the 01' Man?"

"He's a flamin' merricle," the foreman replied. "It's a wonder that bullet didn't bounce off'n him." Then his voice sobered. "I'd like to know who done it. Got any ideas?"

Sudden told of the moccasin marks and mentioned the Indian who had escaped when he rescued Carol. Jeff shook his head.

"Might be, o' course, redskins is vindictive devils, but I don't think it an' neither do yu," he said shrewdly.

To this the other made no reply. He was studying the broad, trampled track they were following.

"Yu figure this is Chisholm's trail?" he asked.

"I'm hopin' so. Anyways, she's good goin' an' pointin' north, which is all we want," Jeff told him. His gaze travelled forward along the line of cattle to where Sandy and Carol were riding together, and his eyes twinkled. "Yore friend is cuttin' yu out."

Sudden looked at him amusedly. "That was a mighty poor throw, ol'-timer," he said. "I've got somethin' to do before I think o' wedded bliss. Ever hear o' fellas called Webb an' Peterson?"

"No, but names ain't nothin' in these parts," Jeff replied. "yu wantin" 'em special, Jim?"

"I'm hopin' to run across 'em," Sudden said, and though there was no threat in the words, the cold, passionless tone sent a chill down even the hardened spine of the foreman.

That evening, before supper, Sudden drew Sandy apart.

"If yu can get yore mind off that lean, hatchet-faced female yu been ridin' with all day" he commenced.

"Jim, she's an--angel," Sandy interrupted.

"Shore she is," his friend agreed dryly. "Likewise, she's the daughter of a big rancher, an' yo're just an--outlaw."

"D'yu think I need remindin' o' that?" the boy asked, so bitterly that Sudden's heart smote him.

"After all, what's the odds?" he consoled. "I'll bet her dad blotted a few brands in the early days--most o' the old settlerswas afflicted with defective eyesight when they happened onon a cow what looked lonely."

This did not have the effect he intended ; Sandy flared up instantly. "Don't yu dare say it," he cried. "Sam Eden never stole a cent's worth in his life."

Sudden saw that he was really angry, his face flushed, and fists clenched. "Shucks," he said placatingly. "I ain't sayin' he did ; they usen't to call it stealin'. Besides"--he smiled disarmingly--"she ain't really his daughter, yu know."

The boy's belligerent attitude vanished. "Sorry, Jim. I'm a plain fool to lose my wool like this," he apologized. "yu wanted to ask me somethin'?"

"yeah, what did Rogue tell yu of his plans?"

"Nothin' definite, but I gathered that he aimed to hold up the herd, get what coin he could outa Eden, bust up the drive later on, an' collar the cows. It's a-plenty."

"Shore is," Sudden said soberly, and then his eyes twinkled. "I'm takin' it yu still don't propose to help him in them projects?"

"yo're damn right," the boy returned hotly, "an' the sooner he knows it the better."

"That's somethin' we'll let him find out," Sudden decided. "Our hand'll be hard enough to play without showin' it."

Cheerfulness was in evidence at supper that evening ; the easy going and the improving health of the wounded man had put everyone in a good humour. The men chaffed one another, told tall stories, and kept Peg-leg busy.

Early on the following morning the camp had visitors, six mounted men, well-armed, and range-riders by their rig. One, who appeared to be the leader, signed to the others to halt, and rode forward. Peg-leg was busy loading his vehicle for the day's march. Carol, who had just mounted her pony to join the herd, halted at a word from Sudden, the only other man in camp.

"Tell Jeff to fetch in some o' the boys," he told her. "I ain't likin' the look o' these hombres."

The girl nodded and rode away. Sudden waited, his fingers concerned with a cigarette, but his eyes taking in the new-comer. A dark, evil-faced fellow this, with lank black hair and a straggly, ill-kept beard which only accentuated a cruel mouth. His narrowed eyes were arrogant, provocative.

"Mornin'," Sudden said laconically.

at his gun. He got it clear of the holster, but before he could press the trigger there came a flash and a roar from Sudden's side. Dale dropped his weapon and clutched a ripped forearm.

Thrusting his smoking gun into its sheath Sudden stepped forward, and before the ice-cold fury in his face the other man fell back. For the lust to take his life was there and Dale knew that only by a miracle had he escaped the fate for which he had asked. Sudden knew this too. For a few terrible seconds he had been possessed by that cruel craving to slay for the sake of slaying ; he had wanted to shoot this man ; to see him writhing in the agonies of death at his feet. Then the evil moment passed and though his face was granite-hard, the old satirical note was in his voice.

"yu ain't hurt much an' yu got another gun. If yo're wishful to try the left hand ..."

The Double O man looked at him, stark hatred in every line of his face. He was nearly mad with pain and humiliation, and for an instant, it seemed he might take up this second challenge. The cowboy had an idea.

"I'm advisin' yu not to," he said quietly. "Further south, they call me `Sudden.' "

The fellow's eyes widened and something very like fear took the place of the ferocity in them. He picked up his pistol, and grabbing the horn of his saddle with his left hand, hauled himself up.

"We'll be meetin' again an' mebbe I'll be lucky," he growled. "yu've been lucky this time," Sudden replied. "Keep on thinkin' that. Now, roll yore tail, an' take that bunch o' trail-robbers with yu."

Watching them ride away, he became aware of Jeff at his elbow asking what it was all about. The foreman's face when he heard the particulars was a picture of puzzlement.

"Mebbe we have got some o' their cows," he suggested. "Shucks, then we can turn over what they fetch," Sudden argued. "Any o' yu boys seen the Double O brand?"

Not one of them had. "Me neither, an' I've been lookin' pretty constant for strays," Sudden went on. "I'd risk a little that there ain't such an iron hereabouts--his hoss warn't wearin' it. No, sir, it was a plain hold-up."

"If they'd combed the herd an' hadn't found any ..." the foreman speculated. "Why should they want to hang up our drive?""I ain't a wizard, Jeff," Sudden told him.

"I'm not so shore, seein' the way yu got that gun goin'," was the smiling reply.

The shrill voice of Aunt Judy came from the wagon. "Hi, Jeff, yo're wanted."

They found the invalid anxious and irritable. "What's the shootin'?" he barked.

Sudden explained, and Sam Eden's frown deepened. "yu done right, Jim," he commended. He was silent for a while, thinking deeply. "I was warned o' this," he went on. "There'll be other damn thieves further along the trail, waitin' to try the same game. We've got precious little coin, an' I won't hand over a cow, so that means fightin' our way through."

His fierce eyes carried a question and the little foreman answered it without hesitation :

"We're all willin' to do that, Sam, but there ain't too many of us to handle the herd as it is. What yu think, Jim?"

"Well, these hold-up gents will be watchin' the used trail," the cowboy pointed out. "S'pose we was to bear away to the west for a spell an' then strike north again, nosin' out a road for ourselves ; wouldn't that razzle-dazzle 'em?"

"By the Devil's teeth, he's hit it, Jeff," the cattleman swore. "It'll mean a longer an' harder drive, but that'll be better than losin' men scrappin', an' it's possible Chisholm didn't pick the best path after all. Now, go an' get them steers started. Jim, I'm obliged to yu."

Notwithstanding his employer's approval, Sudden did not feel too comfortable. The step he had suggested was dangerous and might well plunge the expedition into all kinds of difficulty. On the other hand, there was the chance that it would dislocate Rogue's designs on the drive, and this had been his main reason. That Dale was one of the outlaw's men he felt sure, and he was relieved by the thought that he had now declared himself.

Chapter X

THE new plan was not to be put into operation immediately, and dusk found them camped again on the trail they had been following. Straight across the dreary, brown expanse it ran. a road some hundreds of yards in width, carved out of the plain by the sharp hooves of hordes of cattle. Throughout the day no tree broke the monotony of the sky-line.

They had another visitor that evening. The herd had been bedded down, four men left in charge, and the others were grouped around the fire awaiting Peg-leg's intimation that supper was ready, when a figure materialized out of the gloom and came towards them, right hand raised, palm foremost.

"Evenin', folks," greeted a high, reedy voice. "Saw yer fire an' it made me feel kind o' lonesome."

"Step right up, friend," the foreman called out.

The man came on, moving with the easy, tireless stride of a redskin. The firelight showed him to be an oldish fellow, thin but wiry, with long grey hair and beard and bright eyes which seemed never to be still. His tattered doeskin garments, raccoon-skin cap, and moccasins proclaimed that he was a trapper.

"Sit an' eat," the foreman invited.

"Thankee," the stranger replied. "But I pay my footin'."

He lifted the long gun from his shoulder and proffered the carcass of a small deer slung upon it. Jeff protested, but the visitor would not listen.

"Sho, I'm tired o' totin' it," he said. "Mebbe a change for yu fellas, but a hunk o' good beef to me is wuth all the game that ever ran or flew."

"I'm obliged," the cowman said. "We've got a invalid who won't subscribe to them sentiments."

"Sick folk is finicky," the other agreed.

He dumped his pack--the crackling of which suggested dried skins--on the ground, placed his gun upon it, and sat down. When the food arrived, he ate so wolfishly that even in a land of large appetites he knew it must be remarked.

"yu gotta excuse me, friends," he said, "but yu have one damn fine cook, an' I've bin livin' on straight meat an' water for most a week ; run right outa meal, salt, an' coffee."

"I guess we can fix yu up," the foreman said. "Goin' fur?"

"Makin' for the nearest settlement to trade my pelts for supplies," the stranger explained. He sighed contentedly as he finished his fifth mug of coffee. "That's the best feed I've put under my belt for many a day." He produced a battered pipe and regarded it ruefully. "I went shy o' smokin' too."

Several hands shot out, and when he had filled, lighted, and taken a long draw, he smiled whimsically at the company. "I figure yu boys'll be wondering' over me."

They were, but not one of them would have admitted it. He nodded understandingly and went on--as he put it--to explain himself. His name, it appeared, was Tyson, and his story a common one enough in those days. Just a tale of a ravaged cabin, a murdered wife and children, and another blood-debt to the shrieking painted devils who had wrecked his llfe. He told it quite simply in his high-pitched voice, without passion, but in his eyes smouldered a hatred which only death would quench.

"Since then I've bin a sort o' missionary," he concluded grimly. "yes, sirs, me an' `Betsy' "--he patted the stock of the rifle at his back--"has converted quite a few war-whoops."

The cowboys smiled at this. They too held the cynical view that the only "good" Indian was a dead one. Therefore the knowledge that their guest was a "still-hunter"--one who tracked down and slew the redskin on foot--aroused no feeling of repulsion. The foreman questioned him regarding the country for which they were heading, and the chances of getting the herd through.

"Middlin' slim," he said bluntly. "yu'll have a man-size job to make it. Steers is bringin' real money at the rail-head, an' it's knowed that herds is comin' up from Texas. The Nations is lousy with bad men, hide-hunters, rustlers, outlaws of every sort, an' they ain't likely to overlook a bet o' that kind. Then there's the Kiowas an' Commanches from the headwaters o' the Red River ; they're watchin' the trail mighty close."

"S'pose we turned west for a piece an' then cut our own road north?" Sudden queried.

Tyson grinned. "She ain't a bad idea--might diddle 'em," he admitted. "But yu gotta mind yu don't hit the Staked Plain --no water an' as hot as Hell's gridiron--an' if yore cows git tangled up with a herd o' buff'ler yu can wish 'em good-bye. Allasame, I'd say it's yore best bet."

Soon after midnight, Sudden, having done his turn of night-herding, returned to camp and sought his blankets. He had not fallen asleep when he heard the low, musical but melancholy hoot of a dwarf-owl. Since there were no trees or bushes in the vicinity, the presence of the bird was sufficiently remarkable to call for investigation. Slipping from beneath his covering he crawled cautiously in the direction from which the sound had seemed to come. At the side of a small hummock he stood up, drew his gun, coughed slightly, and instantly moved.

"That yu, Sandy?"

"No, it's Green."

A shadow detached itself from the side of the hummock.

" 'Lo, Jim, I was wantin' a word with one o' yu," Rogue said, and then, abruptly, "Why for did yu* shoot up my man, . Dale?"

"How in hell was Ito know yu owned the Double O brand?" Sudden retorted.

"I don't," the outlaw chuckled, "but yu mighta guessed how it was. Bad luck he had to bump into yu."

"I'd say he was plumb fortunate," Sudden retorted. "Next time he starts to pull a gun on me he won't get off with just a busted arm."

"It looks like yu mean to double-cross me, Jim," Rogue said harshly.

"Double-cross nothin'," was the reply. "I never joined yu, an' I don't owe yu anythin' but a bad name an' a prospect o' swingin' for a crime yu committed."

The savage intensity of his tone seemed to impress the other and when he spoke again the rasp had gone from his voice:

"That's so. I got yu in bad, but short o' givin' myself up, I did what I could to get yu clear. I liked yu, Jim, an' when yu consented to join the S E I reckoned it meant ..."

"That I was ready to be what yu had made me--an outlaw," Sudden finished bitterly. "Well, it mighta been--I was undecided--but when it came to shootin' old men from cover ..."

"I had nothin' to do with that, Jim."

"yu were around when it happened."

"I'd gone. I knew afterwards, but it was no part of my plan."

"Then who did it?"

"I don't know who fired the shot, but Navajo fixed it. I had trouble with him over that--an' other things. He's gettin' uppity."

The cowboy was silent, considering. Somehow he believed Rogue was telling him the truth. Ruthless ruffian he undoubtedly was, yet he possessed a streak of something--bravado, it might be--which made him scorn a lie as the resort of a coward. He had been frank over the killing of Judson, when he need not have been. The husky voice broke in on his thoughts:

"Must be gettin' tired holdin' that gun, Jim ; there ain't no manner o' need."

Shame swept over Sudden as he slipped the revolver back into its holster. "Sorry, Rogue," he said. "I warn't noticin'."

"Shucks," the outlaw said, and there was a weariness in his tone. "I don't blame yu for playin' safe, boy. I'm takin' it I can't count on yu an' Sandy?"

"That's correct," Sudden told him. "We ain't neither of us bitin' the hand that feeds us." An impulse stirred him. "Why don't yu cut away from that gang, Rogue? yo're too good a man..."

The outlaw laughed. "Sorry for me, Jim?" he gibed. "Well, yu needn't to be. I went wrong with my eyes open because the world treated me mean an'"

"It's done that to me, but I'm goin' to forget it," Sudden cut in.

He could not see the pitying smile on the older man's face. "yu never will, boy ; the faculty o' forgettin' what yu don't want to remember is one o' God's greatest gifts an' few has it," Rogue said bitterly, and then his voice grew harsh again. "I'm gettin' mushy. Bite on this, boy: I've passed my word to bust Eden's drive an' I'm goin' to do it."

"An' I'll fight yu till hell freezes," Sudden smiled, and shoved out a fist. "No hard feelin's, Rogue, but that don't go for yore followin'. Sabe?"

The bandit gripped the hand heartily. So this strange compact between men who were to war, one against the other, was sealed. The intruder melted into the shadowed plain and Sudden crept back to the camp, his mind full of the man he had just left. For the interview had surprised him. He had gone to it expecting reproaches, threats, even attempted violence, and found none of them. He had given his promise to his employer and would do his best to fulfil it. As to whom this might be, Sudden could make no guess Sam Eden's bluff, outspoken nature and quick temper would earn him enemies enough.

His thoughts veered to the dark, sinister face of Navajo, the man who--according to Rogue--had "fixed" the attempted murder of the cattleman. Was it a misguided effort to help his leader, or was the fellow playing a hand for him self? The stars, paling in the sky, warned him that the night was passing, and he turned over to snatch an hour's sleep before sunrise.

In the morning, the guest, after packing his spare frame with bacon, beans, and coffee, went on his way, rejoicing that --thanks to the generosity of his hosts--he would again be able to "feed like a Christian."

"I figure yu'll be all right till yo're over the Red River," he added. "Then make yore pass west. Adios."

Gun on shoulder and pack on back, he swung off southwards along the trail, moving swiftly but unhurriedly. Several of the men stood watching the gradually diminishing form.

"A queer little cuss," Jeff commented. "One time them devils will catch him an' then--he'll want death a hell of a while before it comes."

"Well, he's sent some to wait for him," Jed remarked. "Did yu notice the nicks on the stock o' that gun? I didn't count 'em, but I'll bet there was mighty near two score."

During the morning, Sudden made an opportunity to tell Sandy of his meeting with Rogue.

"I'm relieved he took it that way," the boy said. "An odd mixture, Rogue. At times, a fiend from the Pit itself, an' yet, he can be real folks. Navajo now, he's bad all through, an' he hates Rogue. I'm glad to be clear o' that crowd, Jim."

Sudden regarded him sardonically. "yo're tellin' me news."

"yu know what I mean," Sandy replied.

Sudden did. He had already noted that his companion's gaze was never long away from a certain graceful figure riding ahead. His eyes twinkled with mischief as he said gravely:

"Shore I do, but what's worryin' me is"--he paused, and Sandy looked up expectantly--"does she like red hair?" He was yards away before the boy realized the significance of the question and then it was too late to do anything but swear softly.

"yu damned pirut," he smiled. "But Gosh! I'm mighty pleased I met up with yu."

Chapter XI

THE days oozed by, days of long, lazy hours in the saddle under a scorching sun, for the fine weather held. Jeff was too good a cowman to hurry the herd but he took care that the animals were healthily tired and ready for sleep when they reached a good average.

They had crossed the Brazos River without much difficulty, being fortunate in finding it low, and, as Tyson had predicted, no "trouble" had materialized. Moreover, the wounded man was progressing favourably, so that the outfit generally was in high good humour. Only the foreman refused to join in any jubilation.

"Everythin' is goin' too slick--it ain't natural," he grumbled, pacing behind the wagon as it bumped its way over the cracked and rutted surface of the plain. "Just when yo're feelin' careless an' contented is the time Lady Luck chooses to give yu a kick in the pants."

The cattleman pulled a wry face. "If yu was lyin' here yu wouldn't think it was all so hunky, yu of death's-head," he replied. "How're the new men pannin' out?"

"Green an' Sands is awright but I don't like Lasker," Jeff said bluntly. "Does his work but ..." He did not finish. "Wish I knowed who put that pill in yu, Sam."

"yu ain't thinkin' it was one o' the outfit, are yu?"

"I'm in the dark," the foreman admitted. "Sands or Lasker could 'a' done it--they weren't in camp or with the cows."

"Forget it," Eden said irritably. "I'm here, ain't I? Why should any o' the boys want to crab the drive? I figure it was a war-whoop, the one that got away from Green, likely ; Injuns never let up when it's a case of evenin' a score."

"Dessay yo're right, but I'm wonderin'," Jeff insisted. "Then stop it, yu fool," his employer told him. "All yu gotta worry about is the cows ; they're goin' through if we have to carry 'em one at a time. yu sabe?"

In his excitement he raised both his voice and his body, only to sink back with an oath. Instantly the hard-faced woman on the driver's seat thrust her head through the canvas flaps. "yu, Jeff, pull yore freight, pronto," she ordered. "Ain't there critters enough out there to pester but yu gotta come here an' git my patient all het up? If yu didn't wear a hat yu'd have no use for yore head."

The foreman made no reply ; he knew better than to engage in verbal warfare with the lady. Sam Eden, however, promptly protested:

"Jeff's doin' his duty, reportin' to me, Judy," he said. "It ain't his fault if I'm restive, lyin' in this damn wagon day after day." He looked at her slyly. "Mebbe, if I could have a smoke ..."

"Sam Eden, yo're plumb crazy," she snapped. "Here's yu with yore innards all tore up an' yu want baccy. Where'd yu be if it makes yu cough an' starts a bleedin'?" She looked at Jeff. "Beat it," she added.

The foreman obeyed, leaving them wrangling, but there was a smile on his face. Riding beside the wagon he stooped and peeped through a hole in the cover. The patient had a pipe in his mouth and his nurse was striking a match.

"Pure gold, that woman," Jeff murmured. "But her tongue cuts like a bowie."

Quickening his pace, he rode after the herd. As he passed the remuda, he spoke to Lasker:

"We must be near Injun country now. Best not let yore hosses stray far to-night. yu can have help if yu want it." The wrangler nodded sullenly. "I can manage," he said. "Been this way afore?" Jeff asked.

"Nope, it's new to me," the man replied.

Two or three miles were covered and their eyes were gladdened by the sight of trees in the far distance. For days past they had seen no timber--for the sparse scrub-oak and stunted mesquite could not be so designated--and they knew the line of foliage indicated a river.

"Reckon that'll be the Red," Sudden remarked to Sandy. "She'll be high," Sandy predicted.

Their fears proved to be well founded, when, a little later, Sudden and the foreman--who had ridden ahead--halted on the bank of the river. Jeff's face fell as he surveyed the swift-moving, eddying torrent, murky with the red sediment which stained the timber and driftwood along the banks and gave the river its name. He shook his head.

"She's all of six hundred yards acrost an' with the drift thatmeans swimmin' near twice as fur, an' she's carryin' too much sand," he said. "We'll never make it as the cards lie."

"Better play it safe, ol-timer," Sudden agreed. "These streams, I've heard, rise an' fall in a day."

He was studying the ground ; there were cattle-tracks in plenty but his experienced eye told him that they had not been recently made.

"S'pose them jaspers in front of us beat the floodwater, but I'm guessin' they didn't cross here," he remarked.

"They may still be this side--further downstream," the foreman suggested. "The trail forked a few miles back. Well, we gotta wait, whether Sam likes it or not."

The wagon was drawn up beneath some tall pines, and the cook was busy with his pots and pans when a horseman rode in from the gloom. Sudden, watching the leaping flames of the big fire, stepped forward.

"This Sam Eden's outfit?" the new arrival queried, and then, peering from his saddle, "but of course it must be, unless you're riding for someone else. Isn't your name Green?"

Sudden did not reply. Directly the rider had come within the circle of firelight he had seen that it was Jethro Baudry, and, for some reason he did not attempt to track down, the aversion he had experienced on first meeting the man returned.

"And where is Sam? Not working while his men warm their hands, I hope?" Baudry went on, with clumsy facetiousness. "yu'll find Mister Eden in the wagon, seh," the cowboy said stiffly, and walked away.

The gambler's eyes followed him and their expression was scarcely amiable. "Starchy, eh?" he muttered. "Odd about Sam though."

He rode over to the wagon, got down, and looked in. By the light of a hanging oil-lamp he saw the invalid, pale and haggard, but obviously on the mend.

"Hello, Sam, what's the meaning of this?" he greeted. "Howdy, Jethro," the cattleman responded. "Come right in an' I'll tell yu."

Squatting on a sack of meal, chewing a black cigar, the visitor listened in silence to the story and then gave his opinion :

"Looks like redskins ; who else would want to lay you out?"

"yu can search me. But how come yu here, Jethro?"

"Meeting a man at Doan's Store--some way down the river.

Got news of a herd arriving and suspicioned it might be the S E. you're making good time, Sam."

"Barrin' this," Eden tapped his chest, "we've been lucky. Mebbe all our troubles is to come."

"Likely enough, and that's one reason I wanted to see you," Baudry said. "I've been told there's some pretty tough gangs haunting the trail, waiting for herds, and I thought I'd warn you to be on the lookout."

"Mighty good o' yu, Jethro," the rancher said warmly. "I've had word a'ready to the same effect but"--his eyes twinkled--"if they wait for the S E they're liable to get tired o' the job." Baudry looked puzzled.

"We're aimin' to turn west and cut our own trail," Eden explained triumphantly.

"you're a sly old fox, Sam," the gambler said. "But isn't it risky? you may euchre the rustlers but you'll certainly run into the redskins."

"I figure them varmints will be watchin' the trail too," the cattleman argued. "As for bein' risky, the whole damn drive is that. Seen anythin' of another herd this way?"

"yes, they crossed some miles lower down--just beat the flood. The river's dropping--you'll get over tomorrow, I'd say."

"Hope so. I fair hate hangin' about. Comin' with us, Jethro?" The gambler shook his head, and rose. "Have to wait for my man," he said. "I'll be seeing you later. Good luck to ye, Sam."

He was about to mount when he saw Carol talking to one of the outfit and walked towards them, leading his horse. The cowboy turned away when he saw the newcomer. The girl asked the inevitable question and got the same explanation her father had received.

"Of course, I had no notion of Sam being hurt," Baudry said. "He's not looking too bad."

"His recovery is wonderful," Carol agreed.

The man's eyes dwelt on her, absorbing the straight slimness of her figure and the healthy freshness of her young beauty. She stirred him, and there was warmth in his usually cold voice when he said :

"He's had a wonderful nurse."

There was a mischievous gleam in Carol's eyes. "He certainlyhas. If ever you fall sick, Mister Baudry, I can recommend Judy."

The gambler's lips tightened. Was the girl playing with him? But a man who depends upon cards for a living must learn to mask his emotions and Jethro Baudry was no novice.

"you have some new faces," the gambler remarked. "I don't recollect the young fellow you were talking to."

"Oh, you mean Sandy--the boys call him that," she added rather hastily. "He's a friend of Mister Green."

Baudry had a black moment ; the use of the cowboy's nickname did not please him, the less so since he knew it had been involuntary.

"Looks a likely lad," he said carelessly.

But the girl was on her guard. "We've a good outfit," was her reply.

"Well, the hardships of the trail seem to suit you. Never seen you look so bonny." Again there was warmth in his tone and it made her flush a little.

"I love it," she replied, and with a smile, "Dad always says I ought to have been a boy."

"I can't agree with Sam on that, and he won't find another man that will," the gambler said gallantly. "There's plenty boys but only one Carol Eden."

With a wide sweep of his hat, he hoisted himself into the saddle and rode away, leaving her pondering. She did not like the man, though she could have given no reason. He was a friend of her father, who was under a considerable obligation to him, and to her he had always been courteous and respectful, and yet .. .

The river next morning showed an appreciable fall, but there still was a vast volume of reddish, sand-laden water sweeping swiftly between the bluff banks, and to the group of men studying the swirling currents it was clear that the crossing would be a difficult and perilous undertaking. Danger to themselves would not deter them ; they were thinking only of the herd.

"I guess we gotta take a chance, boys," the foreman decided. "What's yore opinion, Jim?"

"Me an' Sandy '1I try her out," Sudden offered.

Stripped to the waist and riding bareback they entered the stream at a point where the bank shelved. In a few moments the horses were swimming, Nigger's black head in the lead. Progress was slow, for the current was strong and the crossing had to be made in a long slant. The soupy state of the water and floating driftwood which had to be avoided added to the task, but at length the riders emerged on the opposite bank and turned to wave to their watching comrades. A short rest and they again plunged in for the return journey.

"She's a gamble, with the odds against us," was Sudden's verdict. "But we've played in luck, so far."

The foreman had already made up his mind and presently the leaders of the herd appeared, trotting briskly, for in view of the crossing they had been kept thirsty. At the sight of the turgid flood, however, they baulked and would have turned but for the riders on both flanks, who drove them into the water. There they stood, knee-deep, snorting and bawling with fright, the force of the stream almost sweeping them from their feet. Beyond this they would not budge until Sudden splashed in, roped the foremost steer round the horns, and slipping the other end of his lariat across the broad breast of Nigger, headed for the far bank.

Willy-nilly the captive was dragged headlong into the flood and struck out lustily, seeing which--after a brief hesitation --those behind followed. In a few moments, a steady string of horned heads was moving across the river. Sudden, having pulled his victim up the far shore, removed the loop, and grinned at the disgruntled-looking brute, which seemed disposed to go "on the prod."

"G'wan," he said, and slapped it over the nose with the end of his wet rope. "What yu gotta belly-ache about? yu had the easiest trip of any, an' yu'll be Big Chief Show-'em-how to them four-footed friends o' your'n from now on."

For a while he sat watching the curving line of black blobs in the water, shepherded by horsemen on the downstream side.

After drying himself in the, warm sun, he recrossed the river. The foreman met him, his face beaming.

"Jim, that was a daddy of an idea," he said. "yu shore know cows."

"Shucks," Sudden smiled. "The critters is like humans--give 'em a lead an' they'll go most anywheres. It warn't nothin'."

"No?" Jeff said. "Allasame, I'm damn glad we got yu in the outfit, son."

Chapter XII

"SAY, Jim, do yu figure we've razzle-dazzled Rogue?" Sandy asked.

"Mebbe, but he's a foxy fella an' now he knows we ain't workin' for him he's probably trackin' us," Sudden replied. "But I expect we've put one over on other gents watchin' the trail."

They were riding some five hundred yards ahead of the herd, for being in Indian territory, scouts were deemed necessary, and, since they were no longer following a used trail, the easiest route had to be selected. More than a week had passed since they left the Red River and during most of the time they had travelled westwards before turning north again. Not one of the outfit had more than a vague notion of their location, for save to the Indians and a few trappers and buffalo hunters, this was unknown country. Moreover, wide detours to avoid difficulties had been made, and they had only the sun and stars to guide them.

"Plenty lonesome in these parts," Sandy remarked presently. "We ain't seen a soul since the Red."

"Suits me," his friend replied. "Anybody we met would likely be hostile. What yu think o' Lasker?"

"I don't," Sandy grinned. "Not never."

"Huh! I'm forgettin' that yu got a single-track mind these days," Sudden said gravely. "Allatime it circles round a certain hatchet-faced"

"Shurrup, yu idjut ; here's Carol a-comin'."

Sudden's eyebrows lifted at the familiarity, but before he could offer any comment, the girl reined in beside them.

"Jeff sent me for you, Sandy," she said. "I'm to take your place for a spell."

The boy's face fell. "Shore it wasn't Jim he wanted?" he asked.

Carol's eyes twinkled teasingly. "Quite sure," she told him, and when he had wheeled his mount and loped back towards the herd she murmured, "He seemed to just hate leaving you."

"yeah," Sudden said. "Wonder if Jeff wants him bad?"

She saw the little crinkles at the corners of his eyes and laughed herself. "I'm afraid he doesn't," she confessed. "You I te. Jeff I'd like to ride ahead for a while and he said, Send Sandy back ; a fellow scouting needs his eyes in more than one place.' Now what did he mean by that?"

"I ain't a notion," was the mendacious reply, and then, with a sly smile, "Mebbe he figures Sandy ain't very dependable." The girl bridled instantly. "Then I think it's too mean," she cried. "Dad said something of the sort last night. Just oecause Sandy is gay and light-hearted" She stopped, and her cheeks went red beneath their tan as she saw the quirk of amusement on his lips. Then she smiled also. "That was too bad of you," she accused.

"I'm askin' yore pardon, ma'am," Sudden said. "yu see, Sandy is my friend ; he can have anythin' I got, an' there's no limit."

"you have known him long?"

"That don't follow. Friendship is a funny thing ; it ain't a matter o' time. yu know one fella for years an' in the end he'll disappoint yu ; yu know another for hours an' yu can gamble on him."

So he closed the subject. In those wild days a person's past was his or her concern and it was neither polite nor prudent to probe into it.

The foreman having agreed to call it a day, camp was made near a thicket of oak and mesquite, while the cattle were bunched on the flat top of a swell not far away. There was no water but the animals had had a sufficiency the night before, and the long-horn could travel forty-eight hours without drinking. Nevertheless, the lack of it made the herd restive and Jeff anxious. Sudden, giving the cook a hand with his team, offered a word of advice:

"I'd hobble them critters an' keep 'em handy, Peg-leg. This is Injun territory an' them red devils would ruther eat mule-meat than prime beef."

"All a matter o' taste, I reckon," the cook replied.

"More a matter o' teeth, I'd say," the cowboy grinned, as he swung into his saddle and went to help with the herd. Some hours later Sandy came to relieve him and even in the darkness Sudden could see that the young man was not his usual bright self ; slouched in his saddle, head down, he appeared moody and depressed.

"yu look as happy as a wet hen," was the greeting he received. "What's bitin' yu?"

"I dunno, Jim, an' that's a fact, but I got a feelin' trouble is comin'."

"Trouble allus is comin' an' worryin' won't stop it. Get such fool notions outa the thing that holds yore hat up, an' keep a close eye on them durned cows ; half of 'em ain't even dozin' yet."

Riding back to the camp he heard the mournful, weird howl of a coyote and a moment later came an answering cry. He pulled up in doubt ; to his trained ear they did not sound just right. Smiling sardonically at the reflection that Sandy had made him nervy, he nevertheless circled to approach the rear of the timber behind the camp, whence the cries had seemed to come. This took some time, for the thicket was larger than he had thought and it was incumbent to move cautiously. Reaching the trees, he sat listening the indistinct mutter of a voice came to him. Slipping from his saddle, he crept into the undergrowth. It was nervous work ; once he put a hand on a clammy, writhing form and heard a sharp hiss as the reptile slithered away. Sudden shivered.

"Fools for luck," he murmured. "If rattlers didn't have to coil afore they can strike...."

He did not pursue the unpleasant reflection, but pulled a gun and felt ahead with it before making a move. The voice was nearer now, only a few yards distant, but he could see nothing of the owner.

"Make a good job of it an' the two-fifty is yourn. yu'll have a clear field when the cows start runnin'--which'll be soon now. Them hombres will have suthin' else to occupy 'em." The eavesdropper stiffened ; he knew that voice. Navajo ! He could not hear the mumbled reply, but a cracking twig told him that the men were moving--away from him. As silently as speed would permit he retraced his steps, his brain busy with the problem so abruptly presented. Rogue's men were to stampede the herd and something was to be tried. It was not difficult to guess what this was. He hurried to his horse, leapt into the saddle, and raced for the camp.

The sight there drew an oath from his lips. Seated round the cook's fire were Sam Eden, Jeff, and the two women ; blanketed forms at the other fire were preparing for their turn of night-riding ; they were doomed to have their rest rudely interrupted. Sudden strode up to the foreman.

"Jeff, I've just got wind of a plot to run off the cows--right now," he cried. "Get busy--no time to talk." He turned to his employer. "Yu didn't oughta be here, seh," he went on. "Yu. .

An outburst of gun-fire and wild yells from over the plain, with the drumming thunder of thudding hooves cut him short. "God! they've done it!" he exclaimed.

Stooping swiftly, he seized the seated cattleman by the shoulder and thrust him sideways to the ground. Almost at the same instant, a jet of yellow flame punctured the gloom surrounding the camp and a bullet buried itself in the log against which the invalid had been leaning. Sudden's gun barked viciously, twice, and the reports were followed by the breaking of dead wood, as of a body falling among the bushes and then--silence. Half-crouched, his smoking weapon poised, the cowboy waited for one tense moment.

"Guess I got him," he said quietly. "Saw the glint o' the fire on his gun-barrel--just in time."

"What th' hell?" Eden began, as he struggled back to an upright position.

"Explanations'll have to wait," Sudden told him. "yu'd be better in the wagon, seh. That whelp over there had friends." Though the foreman was at first stunned by the abruptness of the calamity his natural sturdiness soon reasserted itself. The awakened sleepers were sent to the rope corral for mounts, the cattleman, vehemently cursing his helplessness, was lifted back into the wagon, and the women ordered to stay in it also.

"We'll have to leave yu in charge o' Peg-leg, Sam," the foreman pointed out. "Mebbe we can git back some o' the cows."

"Damn the cows," the old man exploded. "Let daylight into the dirty thieves what rustled 'em. Now, gimme a gun an' get agoin'."

Sending the others on, Jeff and Sudden turned towards the spot whence the bushwhacker had fired. Sprawling in the undergrowth was the body of a man. Sudden turned it over and struck a match.

"Lasker!" the foreman breathed. "Well, I'm damned."

Leaving the corpse in the bushes, they rode to the bedding-ground. Jeff was puzzling over this latest development.

"Lasker, huh? Never did cotton to him, somehow," he mused. "Likely he was planted on us, an' mebbe we've binfollered right along." He looked curiously at the man beside him. "How did yu git on to it, Jim?"

Sudden told of the coyote calls and the fragment of conversation he had overheard, but did not reveal that he recognized one of the voices. He had just finished when a limping figure, carrying a saddle, loomed up out of the gloom. It proved to be Sandy.

"Yu hurt?" Sudden asked, observing that the boy staggered. "Bullet burned my ribs--nothin' broke," was the reply. "What happened?" This from the foreman.

"yu can search me. First we knowed was the fireworks an' the shoutin'----they musta crept up on us. An', believe me, them steers didn't wait to ask questions none whatever. I tried to head 'em off an' some jasper started slingin' lead--got my hoss too, blast his soul."

"Which way was the herd travellin'?" Jeff asked. "West--must be damn near the Pacific Slope by now," was the bitter retort. "Gawd, what a mess! "

"How many of 'em?"

"Couldn't say. It was as dark as the inside of a cow. I on'y saw the fella who creased me. Fancy I nicked him--heard him cuss."

Sandy having assured them he could make the camp unaided the other two rode on. Mile after mile was covered without a trace of the missing herd save the hoofprints which showed that they were following at least a portion of it. At length, in the dim, grey light of the dawn, they saw two riders, driving a bunch of about a hundred steers. They were less than half a mile distant and not hurrying, apparently deeming themselves safe from pursuit. Sudden pulled his rifle from the sheath.

"Hold on, Jim, they may be our fellas," Jeff warned. "They wouldn't be headed west," Sudden pointed out. "That's so," the foreman admitted, "but I'd ruther be shore than sorry. I'll give 'em a hail our boys would reckernize. They can't outrun us with the cows."

His voice rang out in a shrill cowboy call, familiar on many ranges, but with variations Sudden had not heard before. The result dispelled their doubt effectively. The riders' heads jerked round and then their right arms rose and fell as they vigorously plied the quirt. Sudden's face was grim as he levelled his weapon.

Of *

"Steady, boy," he said to his horse, and pulled the trigger.

They saw the pony on the right stumble and fall, throwing its rider headlong. The other man, with no more than a glance at his companion, spurred his mount furiously and soon left the herd behind. Sudden sent an unavailing shot which only served to hurry his movements. A few moments brought them to the fallen man and one look at the oddly-twisted, huddled form told them what had happened.

"Kruk his neck," Jeff said. "yu got the hoss. Damn good shootin' too, at that range an' from the saddle. yu don't know the gent, I s'pose, Jim?"

The reply in the negative was not all the truth, for Sudden had seen the fellow during his sojourn with Rogue.

"Well, let's git after them cows," the foreman said, adding harshly, "This ain't my day for buryin' cattlethieves."

The stolen steers had not run far and the S E men soon had them rounded up and pointed east again. The foreman's expression as he regarded the recovered remnant of his charge was savagely morose. Sudden too was feeling the same. To have the patient endeavour and strenuous labour of many weeks so wantonly wrecked was a bitter bullet to bite on. So they rode in silence for an hour, and then, from the mouth of a shallow arroyo--a mere crack in the face of the plain--a horseman emerged and hailed them joyfully :

"'Lo, Jeff. So yu got some too?" It was Dumpy, and as he spoke, his sweaty, dirt-laden features broke into a tired grin of welcome. "Where's the rest o' the outfit?"

The foreman raised his shoulders. "yu alone?" he asked.

"Jed's in there"--Dumpy pointed to the arroyo--"Can't lose that fella nohow, an' say, we got near three hundred cows. She's a dandy place, plenty feed, a pond, an' the way in is the on'y way out."

"See here, Jeff, why not fetch the wagon an' camp in the arroyo?" Sudden suggested. "Two men could hold the herd in there while the rest of us comb the country."

"yo're right, Jim," the foreman agreed. "She's our best bet."

Having driven the beasts they had brought through the narrow entrance to the gully, they again rode east, taking Dumpy with them. As they approached the spot where the stampede had taken place the sight of cattle and encircling riders brought a lighter look to Jeff's face."We'll make a herd yet, boy," he said.

"Shore we will," Sudden rejoined.

All the rest of the outfit were there with the exception of Truthful, of whom no one had any tidings save that he had been with the herd when it began to run. The other men, unable to stay the tide of terrified brutes, contented themselves with following bunches of them and, when the scare died out, driving them back. In this way they had salvaged over four hundred and a dozen horses.

At the camp itself they found Sandy and Peg-leg sitting by the wagon with rifles. The women were inside with the invalid, who listened silently to his foreman's report.

"We've got around eight hundred an' I guess we can search out enough others to go on," Jeff concluded.

The old man glared at him. "yo're damn right we'll go on," he rasped. "Get this, an' get it straight: I said I'd make this drive an' I'll do it, if there's on'y one blasted cow to take into Kansas."

"That goes with me, an' with all of us, I reckon," the foreman said quietly, and went on to tell of Sudden's suggestion to move camp.

"Sounds a good idea," the cattleman agreed. He looked at the cowboy. "Young fella, I figure yu saved my life-though I shore thought yu'd gone loco. That lead pill went in just where my head had been, an' I'm thankin' yu. What had Lasker against me, Jeff?"

"We've bin framed, Sam ; they just waited their chance. Jim got one of 'em."

He related the passing of the unknown rustler and the old man's eyes glowed with savage approval.

"One skulking thief less, anyways," he grated. "I'm thankin' yu again, Jim."

As they left the wagon, Peg-leg handed each of them a steaming mug and hurried away in search of his beloved mules. Jeff took a big gulp of the liquid and nodded at the retreating figure.

"Peg used to ride hisself an' he knows that `coffee at any time' makes a cook the boys will swear by instead of at," he remarked.

The foreman went to give some instructions to the men and Sandy strolled up.

"I'm owin' yu somethin', Jim," he began, and noting his friend's look of surprise, added, "For downin' that rat, Lasker."

I'm beginnin' to suspect that fella warn't popular," Sudden said. "Why gratitude from yu?"

"Hell's bells, didn't he try to bump off the 01' Man?" Sandy demanded.

"0' course, daddy-in-law to be, huh?" Sudden nodded comprehendingly. "But why ain't yu in the hospital, swappin' pains with him?"

"For the same reason yu ain't in a home for the half-witted --neither of us could qualify," came the swift retort. "yo're sufferin' from the wrong nurse," Sudden said shrewdly. "C'mon. What yu want is work, an' it's shorely waitin' for yu."

They reached the herd=whither Jeff had preceded them--just after the missing rider, Truthful, had arrived, proudly escorting a score of steers. Ringed in by the rest, he was telling his story :

"When the mix-up started, my hors went loco ; he's as strong as Satan's breath, that roan is, an' I couldn't hold him. Where he took me I dunno but we rode around for"

"Days," Silent suggested.

"Weeks," corrected the Infant.

"Hours, I was gain' to say, though it seemed like days," the narrator said. "When dawn arrove I found I was in the middle o' the plain--"

"Oh, bury me out on the lone pra-i-rie," chanted the Infant, and was promptly promised that fate if he opened his face again.

"There warn't nothin' in sight but a clump o' scrub, mostly mesquite, an' while I'm lookin' at this out steps one solitary steer, an' who'd yu think it was?"

"The Bull o' Bashan," Sandy offered.

"Never heard o' the brand," the tale-teller retorted. "No, gents, it was ol' Show-'em-how, shore as I'm standin' here."

"yu ain't standin'--yo're lyin', Truthful," sniggered Dumpy. Even Jeff laughed at this, and then commanded silence."Go ahead, boy," he said. "I wanta hear how yu rounded up them cows."

"I didn't," Truthful replied. "When of Show-'em pops out I remarks aloud, `What's th' use o' one damn cow anyways?' Well, that moss-head looks at me solemn for 'bout a minitan' then stalks back into the brush. I figure 1 shorely hurt his feelin's, but presently, out he comes again with eleven more along, sorta lines 'em up, an' cocks an eye at me. I points to the scrub.

" degGood for yu, ol-timer,' I sez. `Fly at it--fetch 'em all out. Sic 'em.'

"Shore enough he heads in again ; the steers start to foller but he lets out one beller an' they stops, mighty abrupt. It's mebbe half an hour before he shows up again with eight cows.

" `Ain't there no more?' I asks, an' I wish I may die if he didn't shake his head. Then he trots off across the plain, the rest tailin' after, an' here we are."

One by one the audience stepped forward, grasped the narrator's right hand, shook it vigorously and retreated without a word. Truthful endured it with widening eyes until all but the foreman had taken part, and then: '

"Jeff, they think I'm stringin' 'em," he cried.

"Don't yu care, son," was the reply. "I'm believin' yu, but" --there was a grin on the leathery face--"not until frawgs grows feathers."

Chapter XIII

WITH the cattle and camp safely hidden in the arroyo, which two men could guard, the remainder of the outfit were free to scour the surrounding country in search of the scattered long-horns. This meant a repetition of the work done when the herd was got together, many hours of hard riding, the routing of beasts out of brush-choked gullies and thorny chaparral. Despite the difficulties, additions to the herd dribbled in and with each one the foreman's face grew less sombre. On the fifth day, however, some of the searchers returned empty-handed, though still nearly half the oattle were missing.

"They musta got away with over a thousand head, reckonin' they'd lose some we ain't found," Jeff said. "We might as well push on ; we won't find many more."

"Hold on for another day," Sudden advised, "an' let me an' Sandy have Jed an' Dumpy to-morrow."

The foreman agreed without question ; he was beginning to realize that this cool, capable young cowboy usually had a reason for anything he said or did.

On the following morning the four men set out. Jed, as ever, had his grumble: "Waste o' time. Betcha we don't git a cow a-piece."

Sandy grinned at his friend. "Don't tell 'em," he whispered. "Shore not," Sudden said. "Besides, the nest may be empty ; the joke would be on us then."

It had been on the first day that the pair of them, returning after a fruitless foray through a broken patch of country some twelve miles from camp, halted abruptly on the edge of a wide swathe of cattle-tracks. The fact that the beasts had been bunched together, and the prints of shod horses alongside, told that they had been driven. The S E men followed the trail to a small, hidden valley, rock-rimmed the narrow entrance to which was masked by a great boulder and further defended by a rude fence of poles lashed together with rawhide, two of which could be moved to permit passage. Riding through, they found a grass-covered basin in which some hundreds of cows were feeding. There appeared to be no one in charge, and they had no difficulty in getting near enough to read the brand on the nearest beast.

"S E," Sandy cried exultantly. "Jim, our luck has shorely changed ; here's a sight that'll make Jeff's eyes stick out like they was on stalks. Do we round 'em up?"

Sudden shook his head. "Here's how I figure it," he explained. "Rogue's men couldn't hold the herd no more'n we could. They're combin' the country too an' bringin' 'em here as they gather 'em. I'm bettin' that if we call again in a few days' time we'll find twice as many."

Sandy let out a whoop. "Jim, yo're a great man," he said. "The notion o' lettin' them skunks collect cows for us hits me where I live."

So they had left the valley undisturbed and for the ensuing days had ridden in other directions. It had been a gamble, and they were now on their way to learn if they had lost or won. If the rustlers had removed their plunder... .

They reached the spot, and leaving Sandy on guard outside, the others rode into the valley. One glance told Sudden that he had guessed correctly ; the herd had more than doubled ; roughly he estimated it at nearly a thousand head, with a sprinkling of horses. His companions yelped gleefully.

"Seems we might git a cow a-piece arter all, Jed," the fatman remarked. "Wish I'd took that bet. Why didn't yu take him up, Jim?"

"They might not 'a' been here," Sudden smiled. "We'll have one fine job handlin' 'em ; I didn't expect so many."

"What about sendin' to Jeff for help?" Jed asked.

"Too risky--the rustlers may be showin' up any moment. We'll go while the goin's good."

For the next few hours all four riders were far too busy to think of anything but the work in hand. It was a big bunch for so small a crew, and the cattle--loth to leave the peaceful, sheltered valley, made frequent efforts to break back. By the time the arroyo was reached the men were limp, drenched with perspiration, and utterly profane.

They found the foreman and Carol at the entrance to the arroyo, and the little man's slitted eyes widened when he saw the cattle pouring through.

"Christ-opher Columbus!" he ejaculated, remembering just in time that his employer's daughter was present. "Whose ranch yu bin raidin', Jim?"

But the girl had seen the brand. "They are our own cows, Jeff," she cried. "Won't Dad be pleased!"

"I'll say he will," the foreman grinned. "This'll do him more good than all the nussin'. How come, Jim?"

Sudden told the tale, while Jeff swore delightedly to himself as he listened.

"Yu shore got nerve, boy," he commented. "Lettin' them thieves collect our cows for us was one great scheme."

"Seemed fair to me," Sudden smiled. "They scattered 'em."

Jeff's eyes had been busy and as the last of the herd trotted by he slapped his thigh joyously. "Damn near a thousand head," he said. "Why, we won't be more'n three-four hundred shy after all, an' we owe it to yu, Jim."

"Shucks," Sudden said lightly, and jerked a thumb at his friend. "There's the fella yu gotta thank."

"I was meanin' both," the foreman replied. "It was shorely a good day for the S E that brought yu boys along." Sandy cared nothing for the little man's praise ; the look of gratitude the girl gave him as she rode away to tell her father the news was all the reward he wanted.

"We'll be all fixed to take the trail in the mornin'," Jeff went on. Sudden's eyebrows rose and he shot a whimsical glance at the sun overhead. The foreman read it. "yo're figurin' we oughta start now?" he asked.-

"Think it over," the cowboy replied. "We don't know how soon them hombres will discover their loss, but yu can bet they won't waste no time high-tailin' it after us--follerin' the cattle won't be no trick a-tall, we couldn't blind our tracks. Any lead we can get will be all to the good."

"yo're damn right," Jeff agreed. "We want to be plenty absent when they arrive. Sandy, go tell the boys we'll be settin' out pronto."

In less than an hour the herd was again on the move, heading away from where they conjectured the rustlers to be encamped. Despite the disaster, cheerfulness reigned. The loss had proved far less than had seemed likely, and the riders, with the optimism born of their hardy natures, had already transformed the incident into a victory ; they had "put one over" the cattle-thieves. Pebbles expressed his satisfaction in song:

"Roll yore tails an' roll 'em high, We'll all be angels by an' by."

The foreman's face creased in a smile. "Hark to him," he said. "He's wore to a frazzle--as we all are---his clothes is sca'cely decent, an' he ain't got a dollar to his name, but he's happy. Yu can't heat them fellas."

Chapter XIV

SUDDEN reined in his horse on the top of a broken-backed ridge and surveyed the surrounding scenery ; the indentation between his level brows denoted that he was not entirely pleased with what he saw. Since the stampede and the events which followed it, day after day had passed in wearying but satisfactory monotony.

For the last day or so Sudden had been wondering whether, in their search for easy going, they had veered too much to the west. Now, it was clear that the surface of the prairie was changing, the grass was becoming sparse and sand was taking its place. Ahead of him, a giant cactus, its candelabra-like armscurving upwards, stood like a warning sentinel. Far away, almost on the horizon, a swarm of black dots moved slowly nearer. He rode back to the herd.

"Desert ahead," he said briefly. "Ain't drifted on to the Staked Plain, have we?"

The question put a perturbed expression on the foreman's lined features.

"Hell, Jim, I can't say," Jeff confessed. "That cussed stampede throwed us right out, an' I dunno nothin' about this blame' country. Mebbe we're on'y on the fringe of it."

"Better swing to the east anyways," Sudden advised.

Jeff gave the necessary instruction to the point men and then rode ahead with Sudden after the herd. When they sighted it, Jeff bit on an oath ; the cattle were floundering through a sea of sand, hummocks, ridges, and long rolling swells stretched out unendingly until they merged with the pale blue of the cloudless sky. As they were about to pass the wagon, Peg-leg jerked a thumb backwards.

"The 01' Man has been askin' for yu, Jeff," he grunted. "Wanted to know what we was doin' in this fry-pan? I done told him it was better'n bein' in the fire, but he on'y cussed me."

Sam Eden, propped up inside the conveyance, greeted them peevishly ; with returning strength, he was beginning to chafe at inaction, as a sick man will. The foreman set out the situation.

"At least we've dodged the redskins an' mebbe this sand ain't but a strip," he finished. "yu got the best of it in here, Sam ; the air outside would choke a wooden image." The cattleman's reply was a wholesale condemnation of the Indians, the desert, the wagon, and the man who was responsible for his being confined to it. Though he spoke in a low voice, one of the women sitting beside the driver heard and promptly parted the curtains which screened the front of the vehicle.

"Make tracks," Judy ordered. "How'n hell am I to git that fella fit if yu come around upsettin' him? Take yore damn troubles somewhere else."

"He's here 'cause I wanted to see him," the invalid said. "Then yu got no more sense than he has," the lady retorted. "Did I hear yu cough?"

"No," Eden replied quickly, and clutched his cherished pipe.

He knew the threat behind the question. With a feeble grin at his foreman, he added, "Better fade, Jeff ; she's the doc, yu know, bl--ess her."

Mile upon mile under the pitiless sun they crawled, both men and beasts choking in the clouds of dust churned up by thousands of tramping feet. On all sides lay the arid waste of bleached sand, the powdery particles of which covered them with a coating of dirty white, invaded eyes, mouth, and nostrils, and getting between the skin and clothing, caused intolerable discomfort. Progress was painfully slow, for the cattle sank knee-deep in the soft surface and riders had to tie their ropes to the wagon in order to pull it up the slopes. Here and there a bare shoulder of rock, a stunted mesquite, or a cactus, its spines gleaming frostily, broke the soul-sickening sameness of the scene. The sand flung the sun's rays back in their faces and they seemed to be wading through a lake of shimmering heat.

The cool night air brought some slight mitigation of their sufferings but instead of being baked they were nearly frozen. Some of the cook's cherished fuel and a few dead mesquite branches supplied a poor fire, round which those not watching the herd huddled in humorous discontent. The two barrels of water slung to the wagon were all of the precious liquid they possessed ; the horses were given a bare swallow apiece but the cattle had to go thirsty. One mug of coffee was the allowance for each man.

"D'j'ever see such a durned country?" Jed complained, as he ruefully finished his drink. "Fella told me once that more'n two-thirds o' the earth is covered with water an' we gotta come to a bit where there ain't enough to rust a nail."

At the first glimmer of grey in the east they arose, shivering, swallowed a scanty breakfast, and set out ; the foreman was anxious to get as far as possible ere the sun's rays attained their full force. The day proved to be a repetition of the preceding, the discomfort intensified by the fact that even the miserable ration of water they had then enjoyed was no longer available ; a quart or so, reserved for the invalid and the women, was all that remained.

By mid-day it was evident the cows could not go much farther. Already a few had fallen and had, perforce, to be abandoned ; the rest still staggered weakly on, tongues protruding, sullenly lowing, and many of them nearly blind. Theforeman ranged up beside Sudden, who was leading the herd. His voice was little more than a whisper:

"Jim, if we don't git outa this Devil's oven mighty soon it's our finish. That black o' yores 'pears to be in better shape than any o' the hosses ; ride on an' take a look-see."

Sudden nodded and forged ahead, quickly leaving the labouring herd behind, though his own pace was no more than a walk. He had covered about a mile when a flat hummock of rock attracted his attention and he rode to the top of it. From there he had a more extended view. Wiping the bitter alkali dust from his smarting eyes he stared unbelievingly. Was it a mirage, that maddening mockery of the desert, or did he really see a dark, irregular line between the sky and the sand? He gazed again, intently, but the vision persisted. He tried to utter a whoop but his swollen tongue and parched throat produced only a hoarse cackle. When the herd came in sight, a straggling string of grey ghosts he waved an arm and Jeff joined him. The foreman's squinting eyes followed the pointing finger, and he managed to articulate:

"If them's trees, it means runnin' water. Ride on, Jim, there may be Injuns about."

Sudden departed, taking his own and Jeff's empty canteens. Gradually, as he approached it, the dark line thickened and presently took the form of foliage. The trees were but half a mile distant now, a long wall of them, pine, oak, cottonwood, with a close undergrowth of thorny bushes. The nearness of them put new life into both horse and rider. In a few moments they saw the river, a sluggish stream less than a hundred yards across, passing between wide sloping banks. Sudden drank sparingly, dipped his head in the water, and then dragged his unwilling mount away from it.

"yu've had enough, for now, yu old soak," he admonished. "Wanta give yoreself a colic or somethin'?"

The black rubbed its wet, silken nostrils against his shoulder and gave in. At the top of the bank, Sudden mounted and rode back to carry the good news. The foreman's face brightened, and when he had moistened his aching throat and sent the canteens back down the line, he looked at the stumbling beasts beside him, and said:

"They'll just about make it--we'll lose some, mebbe, but that can't be helped. They's perkin' up a'ready. See of Show'em-how there ; he can smell that damn water."

At the head of the herd the big long-horn was striding gallantly along, nose up, nostrils distended, and from time to time he gave vent to a feeble bellow, as of a leader encouraging, his followers.

"We'll have to rest 'em up for a day or so," the foreman continued. "She ain't much of a river, yu say?"

"That's so, but I'd rest 'em the other side," Sudden advised. "She's low now, but come a storm, she'd be a rip-roarin' devil. Get 'em over, pronto, ol-timer."

"Any special reason for sayin' that, Jim?" Jeff inquired. "Them steers is plenty tuckered out for swimmin'."

"There ain't much o' that an' they'll feel different after a swill," Sudden told him. "See here, Jeff ; the water is risin'on'y by inches yet--but that means more to come."

The other nodded agreement ; he knew how quickly a stream showing a mere trickle of water could become a raging torrent. They had almost reached the river when Sudden's restless eyes lighted on the remains of a fire, almost hidden behind a big cactus. They rode to the spot.

"Injuns?" the foreman inquired, indicating a moccasin track.

Sudden shook his head. "The sticks is laid criss-cross an' burned in the middle, white man fashion ; a redskin lays 'em all pointin' to the centre an' burns the ends." He searched the surrounding ground. "Ain't no hoofprints. What's a white man on foot doin' in these parts?"

"I got riddles enough a'ready," Jeff said dryly. "Best git that cussed wagon an' hosses over first, I s'pose."

So the herd was held back till this was done. Fortunately the bed of the stream was firm, and--as Sudden had guessed --there was not, as yet, much deep water, so the unwieldy vehicle was transported without undue difficulty. The remuda followed, and then came the cattle. Tumbling pell-mell down the bank the parched brutes staggered into the water and stood there as though rooted. It was Sudden who saw the solution. "Keep on pilin' 'em in, Jeff," he cried.

The plan worked. The pressure of the thirsty ones behind forced the leaders into deep water and soon they were swimming for the other bank. The foreman breathed again, but his troubles were not yet at an end. The crossing was only nearing completion when a warning came from Sandy:

"Hurry 'em up, Jeff ; she's risin' rapid."

It was true ; the span of the river was twice what it had been, and the outfit, recognizing the danger, made desperate efforts to hustle over the rest of the herd. Sluggishly, as it seemed, the jaded long-horns fought their way through the deepening water and climbed the opposing slope, reluctant to leave the liquid they had for forty-eight hours been without.

"We'll make it," Jeff said, relief in his tone.

He spoke too soon. The last of the "drag"--consisting of the weaker animals--in charge of Jed, was little more than half-way across when a dull booming sound which grew louder every moment sent all eyes up-stream. There, at a narrow bend where the banks rose steeply, they saw a sight to make the bravest quail. Piled up between the bluffs was a great wall of water twenty feet high, the foaming crested lip of which bristled with driftwood, great branches and even whole trees, torn up bodily by the torrent.

The cowboy saw the danger, and leaving his charges to fend for themselves, spurred his mount in an endeavour to reach the bank. But the peril was advancing too swiftly. With a thunderous crash the avalanche of water broke upon the struggling forms and swept them from sight. Cursing in their helplessness, the rest of the outfit watched their comrade go to his doom. All save Sudden, who, at the first glimpse of the threatening deluge, had raced his horse to a jutting point in the bank and, at the risk of being swept away himself, had swung his rope. The loop dropped over Jed's shoulders just as the limb of a tree struck him from his saddle and buried him in a seething welter of tormented water.

Feeling that the rope, already tied to the horn, was taut, Sudden backed his horse slowly away from the river. A cheer greeted him when it was seen that the limp figure of the cowboy was at the end of the lariat. Willing hands carried him to a dry spot and sought for injuries ; beyond a scratch or two, there was none. Dumpy, who, with a strangely pale face, had been feeling anxiously for broken bones, gasped with relief when the rescued man opened his eyes and sat up.

"So yu ain't drowned?" he said fatuously.

"Course I am, yu chump," Jed retorted. "My insides is, anyway. Damn this country, there ain't no reasonableness in it ; yu either gits too much or none a-tall o' most things. yu needn't look so glad I ain't gone neither."

Dumpy, fearing he had shown too much so licitude, promptly went to the other extreme.

"I mighta knowed yu couldn't drown'd a fella born to have his neck stretched," he retorted.

"Well, yo're safe thataway, seein' yu ain't got no neck," his friend grinned. He stood up and held out a hand to Sudden. "Jim, I'm rememberin' it," he said. "When yu pitched yore rope I was wonderin' if playin' a harp was difficult."

"Huh!" Dumpy grunted. "Shovellin' coal is what yu wanta practise."

This restored the normal atmosphere of a cow-camp and made them all feel more comfortable, The foreman answered Jed's question:

"yeah, we lost the cows an' yore bronc an' got off light at that. Wonder if this cussed country has any more surprises for us?"

The "cussed country" had, as they were to discover ere long.

Chapter XV

THE days that followed seemed like a dream after the rude experience of the desert. The character of the country had changed ; there were still stretches of grass-covered prairie but they were not so extensive, and varied by hills and dales, some of them thickly wooded. Creeks were frequent, and with abundant feed and water, the cattle quickly recovered, and, being thoroughly "trail-broke," gave little trouble. Beyond the certainty that they were still in Indian territory and were heading north, they had no knowledge of their position. This did not trouble them ; in their own phrase, "Time to ford a river is when yu come to it." Sandy shared in the general optimism.

"That little of desert done us a good turn after all," he remarked, as he paused for a moment beside his friend. They were rounding up tHe herd for the day's drive. The slanting rays of the rising sun were dispersing the haze over the bedding-ground, a little savannah of rich grass entirely shut in by timber and brush. The camp was at the far end, some half-mile distant. "We've shook off Mister Rogue."

"Someone's been smilin' at yu," Sudden replied, with gentle sarcasm, and then, "Rogue knows where we're makin' for--he don't have to follow us. What's worryin' me is not seein' any Injuns."

"Well, that's a misfortune I can bear easy," the boy returned lightly. "Mebbe we've just been lucky."

Sudden declined to accept this view. "I've a hunch we're bein' watched," he said.