ure
trip with a herd of fifty steers."

"I reckon the kid is right," said the owner of the Half-Moon after
the merriment this jibe evoked had subsided. "Even if the
'rustlers' didn't know we had started when they lifted the cattle
from the pool, they'd know something was up when all the boys were
away and that we could follow the trail to the mountains.
Consequently, they being only four, would take the shortest route
to join the main body."

"That argument would have been all right before the fire, Jim, but
things are different now," rejoined Bill.

"Certain. But the difference is the raiders will take more time in
driving the cattle in the thought that there's no one to pursue 'em
till the fact of the prairie fire reaches Tolopah."

"And then that bow-legged sheriff will set out," grunted Skinny.
"He couldn't catch a prairie dog. There's only one man I'd like to
see on the job besides the bunch we've got here."

"Name him," cried several of the cowboys.

"Shorty Jenks."

"Why, that's our friend!" exclaimed Tom and Larry.

"I don't know about his being a friend of yours, but there's
nothing on two or four legs he's afraid of. And he's great on
tricks. He'd think up a scheme in no time to land Megget."

"I think Tom's idea is the right one," said Mr. Wilder. "By riding
that trail we can reach the Lost Lode probably in a few hours,
while it might take days to find where the gang that set fire rode
into the hills. This rain has cooled off the ground, so we can
start right away."

No direct command to pack the food and saddle up did the cowboys
need and as day dawned they again entered the Elkhorn River.

Tom had been provided with an extra rifle Mr. Wilder had been
carrying and great care did he and the other lads take to keep
their arms and ammunition from getting wet a second time.

Arrived at the top of the bank from which they had leaped to
safety, the party beheld a long stretch of blackened ground. As
far as they could see, it stretched away to the north and in width
it was about four miles.

"Why didn't it burn everything, instead of cutting a sort of path?"
asked Larry after a survey of the scene.

"That's one of the things you can't explain," replied the owner of
the Three Stars. "It just don't, that's all. Of course, the wind
has to be right--that is, stay in the same direction as when the
fire was started. And when it does you can count on the fire's
following pretty close to its