ung with all his might.

The next moment with an exultant cry the man sprang from his horse upon
the prostrate Pratt.

"Get off him! Go away!" cried Frances, pulling Molly around.

But the brush was too thick, and the pinto got tangled up in it. Fearful
for Pratt's safety, and never thinking of her own, the girl sprang from
the saddle and ran back.

This was what Pete was expecting. Pratt was safe enough--senseless and
moaning on the ground.

When the girl came near Pete leaped up, seized her by the wrists, jerked
her toward him, and held her firmly with one hand while he produced a
soiled bandanna, with which he quickly knotted her wrists together.

No matter how hard she fought, he was so much more powerful than she
that the ranchman's daughter could not break his hold. In five minutes
she was tied and thrown to the ground, quite as helpless as Pratt
himself.

Pete left her lying where she fell and picked up Pratt first. Him the
fellow carried back to the campfire and tied both hand and foot before
he returned for Frances.

All the time the man uttered the most fearful imprecations, and showed
so much callousness toward the injured young man that the girl begged
him, with tears, to do something to ease Pratt.

"Let him lie there and grunt," growled Pete. "Didn't he chuck me into
that fire? My back's all blistered."

He pulled on a coat, for his clothes had been quite torn away above his
waist at the back when he was putting out the fire.

Frances suffered keenly herself, for the man had tied her wrists and
ankles so tightly that the cords cut into the flesh whenever she tried
to move them. Beside, she lay in a most uncomfortable position.

But to hear Pratt groan was terrible. The blow on the head had seriously
hurt him--of that there could be no doubt. When she called to him he did
not answer, and finally Pete commanded her to keep silence.

"Ye want to make a fuss so as to draw somebody down here--I kin see what
you are up to."

Frances had a wholesome fear of him by this time. She had seen Pete at
his worst--and had felt his heavy hand, too. She was bruised and
suffering pain herself. But Pratt's case was much worse than her own
just then and her whole heart went out to the young man from Amarillo.

Pete sat over his little fire and smoked. He was evidently expecting
Ratty M'Gill to return; but for some reason Ratty was delayed.

Doubtless the two plotters had proposed to themselves that Captain