time the lad's hands reached the drowning man. The long, yellow
arms twined themselves about the boy, and Tad felt himself going down.

With rare presence of mind the boy held his breath, making no effort to
wrench himself free from the Chinaman's grip. He knew it would be effort
wasted, and, besides, he preferred to save his strength until they
reached the surface once more.

Half a dozen cowpunchers had plunged their ponies into the river, and
were swimming toward the spot where Tad had been seen to go down, while
the foreman was shouting frantic orders at them. The wagon had been
ferried to the other side, and Stallings had run to his pony, on which
he was now dashing madly along the river bank.

"Look out that you don't run them down!" he roared. "Keep your wits
about you!"

"They're both down, already!" shouted a cowboy in reply.

"We'll lose the whole outfit at this rate," growled another. Yet, not a
man was there, unless perhaps it may have been Lumpy Bates, who would
not have risked his own life freely to save that of the plucky lad.

After going down a few feet, Tad began treading water with all his
might. This checked their downward course and in a second or so he had
the satisfaction of realizing that they were slowly rising. The current,
however, was forcing them up at an angle.

This, to a certain extent, worked to the boy's advantage, for the
Chinaman was underneath him, thus giving Tad more freedom than had their
positions been reversed.

"There they are!" cried Big-foot Sanders as the Chinaman and his
would-be rescuer popped into sight.

"Go after them!" commanded Stallings.

Urging their ponies forward by beating them with their quirts, the
cowboys made desperate efforts to reach the two.

Tad managed to free one arm which he held above his head.

"The rope! He wants the rope! Rope him, you idiots!" bellowed the
foreman.

Big-foot made a cast. However, from his position in the water, he could
not make an accurate throw and the rope fell short.

Tad saw it. He was struggling furiously now, ducking and parrying the
sweep of that long, yellow arm, with which Pong sought to grasp him.

A quick eddy caught the pair and swept them out into the center of the
stream, around a bend where they were caught by the full force of the
current. This left their pursuers yards and yards to the rear.

Tad saw that they would both drown, if he did not resort to desperate
measures. Drawing back his arm,