acious!" gasped Fred. "Look what's coming!"

"We've got to get out of the way and be quick about it," returned Andy,
and struck his horse on the flank.

The steeds the boys were riding needed no urging, for the sudden rush of
the cattle filled them with alarm. Away they bounded across the grassy
plain with the maddened cattle thundering after them.

"Let's ride to one side and let 'em pass!" gasped Fred, who was badly
shaken by this sudden turn of affairs. He had not dreamed that the herd
of cattle would head for them in this fashion.

But to get out of the way was not easy. To one side of the plains was a
series of rough rocks, while to the other side there was a brook flowing
into the river, and here the ground was soft and treacherous.

"Don't go that way!" cried Andy, as he saw his cousin heading toward the
brook. "You'll get stuck and you'll never get out."

"I'd rather get stuck than be trampled under foot by those beasts,"
panted Fred.

"No, no, Fred! Turn this way! I'm sure we can get up on the rocks
somehow!" declared Andy.

The boys continued to advance with the thoroughly frightened cattle not
far behind them. While being rounded up both cattle and cowboys had come
upon a nest of small rattlesnakes. These had, of course, frightened the
beasts, and they were still more frightened when the cowboys had begun to
shoot at the reptiles. Then a few of the cattle had started the stampede,
and the rest, terrorized by the pistol shots, had followed.

As the two lads galloped on, they looked anxiously to the side where the
rocks were located. Most of the places they passed were too steep to
ascend. But presently Andy caught sight of a point where there was
something of a trail leading upward.

"Come on this way!" he yelled to his cousin. "I think we can get up on
the rocks here!"

In the meanwhile Joe Jackson and his men, followed by Jack and the
others, were doing their best to get the cattle to turn back to the point
from which they had started. The best herd riders were circling the edge
of the rushing animals, shouting at the top of their lungs and firing
their pistols. But so far this demonstration had had little effect.

"Oh, Jack! do you think they'll be run down?" gasped Randy.

"I hope not."

"They're on a pair of good horses; they ought to be able to outrun the
cattle," came from Gif.

"Don't be so sure of that," cried Spouter. "A mad steer can go some,
believe me."

"Who ever thought they