f
the column had passed into the sheltering haven. The fight was won, and
to Dell's courage, in the decisive moment, all credit was due. The human
is so wondrously constructed and so infinite in variety, that where one
of these brothers was timid the other laughed at the storm, and where
physical courage was required to assault a sullen herd, the daring of
one amazed the other. Cattle are the emblem of innocence and strength,
and yet a boy--in spite of all that has been written to the
contrary--could dismount in the face of the wildest stampede, and by
merely waving a handkerchief split in twain the frenzied onrush of three
thousand beeves.

Dell recovered his horse, and the brothers rode back and forth across
the mouth of the pocket. The cattle were milling in an endless
merry-go-round, contented under the sheltering bluffs, lowing for mates
and cronies, while above howled the elements with unrelenting fury.

"We'll have to guard this entrance until the cattle bed down for the
night," remarked Joel, on surveying the situation. "I wonder if we
could start a fire."

"I'll drop back to the hackberry and see if I can rustle some wood,"
said Dell, wheeling his horse and following the back trail of the
cattle. He returned with an armful of dry twigs, and a fire was soon
crackling under the cliff. A lodgment of old driftwood was found below
the bend, and as darkness fell in earnest, a cosy fire threw its shadows
over the nook.

A patrol was established and the night's vigil begun. The sentinel beat
was paced in watches between the boys, the width of the gateway being
about two hundred yards. There was no abatement of the storm, and it was
hours before all the cattle bedded down. The welfare of the horses was
the main concern, and the possibility of reaching home before morning
was freely discussed. The instinct of the horses could be relied on to
find the way to their stable, but return would be impossible before
daybreak. The brothers were so elated over holding the cattle that any
personal hardship was endurable, and after a seeming age, a lull in the
elements was noticeable and a star shone forth. Joel mounted his horse
and rode out of the cove, into the open valley, and on returning
announced that the storm had broken and that an attempt to reach
home was safe.

Quietly as Arabs, the boys stole away, leaving the cattle to sleep out
the night. Once the hackberry was reached, the horses were given free
rein, when res