me a signal.
There was a sound of swift footsteps, and the next instant the
astonished man was gazing into the muzzle of a heavy pistol.

"Hands up!" cried the voice of the leading half-breed. One of his
followers had similarly covered the half-awakened Jake.

Without a word of remonstrance two pairs of hands went up. Astonishment
had for the moment paralyzed speech on the part of the rudely awakened
sleepers. They were only dimly conscious of their assailants. The
compelling rings of metal that confronted them weighed the balance of
their judgment, and their response was the instinctive response of the
prairie. Whoever their assailants, they had got the drop on them. The
result was the law of necessity.

In depressing silence the assailants drew their captives' weapons. Then,
after binding their arms, the leader bade them rise. His voice was harsh
and his accent "South-western" American. Then he ordered them to march,
the inexorable pistol ever present to enforce obedience. In silence the
two men were conducted to the bush where the first capture had been
made. And here they were firmly tied to separate trees with their own
lariats.

"See hyar," said the tall half-breed, as the captives' feet were bound
securely. "There ain't goin' to be no shootin'. You're that sensible.
You're jest goin' to remain right hyar till daylight, or mebbe later. A
gag'll prevent your gassin'. You're right in the track of white men, so
I guess you'll do. See hyar, bo', jest shut it," as Jim Bowley essayed
to speak, "cause my barker's itchin' to join in a conversation."

The threat had a quieting effect upon poor Jim, who immediately closed
his lips. Silent but watchful he eyed the half-breed's face. There was
something very familiar about the thin cheeks, high cheek-bones, and
about the great hooked nose. He was struggling hard to locate the man.
At this moment the third ruffian approached with three horses. The other
had been busy fixing a gag in Jake Bond's mouth. Jim Bowley saw the
horses come up. And, in the now brilliant moonlight, he beheld and
recognized a grand-looking golden chestnut. There was no mistaking that
glorious beast. Jim was no tenderfoot; he had been on the prairie in
this district for years. And although he had never come into actual
contact with the man, he had seen him and knew about the exploits of the
owner of that perfect animal.

The half-breed approached him with an improvised gag. For the life of
him Jim