ts. With the gun shots a confusion of
shouts through the heavier notes of which rose one voice, as high
pitched as a woman's.

In the barn lofts the flames were spreading in a thousand directions,
each dry stalk serving as a duct of destruction. The fire shot upward
and the roof blossomed in red flames. Bruce groaned and cursed and
prayed wildly for a glimpse of one of the devils who had done this for
him. Big clouds of smoke drifted upward across the stars, shot through
with flying sparks. Swiftly the lurid light spread until the white
walls of the house stood out distinctly and the forms near the corrals
were no longer vague. They were running cattle, Bruce's choice forty
cows; Kendric saw the fine bred Hereford bull's horns glint, heard the
snort of fear and rage, made out the big bulk crushing a way to the
fore among his terrified companions. There were horses, too, running
wild, the animals from the stables and the near corral. And behind
them, shouting and now and then firing into the air to hasten the
laggards, were many horsemen. How many it was impossible to estimate,
a dozen at the least, perhaps fifty.

As the black mass of frightened beasts gathered forward headway and
shot through the area of light, Kendric saw one horseman clearly. On
the instant he threw up his rifle. Already his finger was crooking to
the trigger when, with a mutter of rage, he lowered his arm. There was
no mistaking that great white horse and he thought that there was as
little mistaking its rider, a slender, upright figure leading the rush
of the raiders, calling out sharp orders in the clear ringing voice,
sweeping on recklessly. He cursed her but he held back his fire. Of
women he knew little enough and for women there had been no place
reserved in his life; but, for all that and all that Zoraida Castlemar
might be and might do, he had not learned to lift his hand against her
sex.

But there was nothing in what Bruce saw to restrain him. He fired
while his rifle was rising to his shoulder and again and again with the
stock against his cheek.

"Damn the light!" he growled, and fired again.

Through the tumult Kendric heard her laughter. None other than Zoraida
could laugh like that. Again the suspicion flashed into his quickened
brain that the girl was mad. He heard several shots behind him;
Bruce's men were taking a hand. Then, close behind the white mare came
a second horseman and Kendric thanked God for a m