s, or something of the kind. A poor lot, anyway. Why, I'm
doing escort to them rather than they to me, if anything. Let's go down
and see what's the row, anyhow."

As the three, now mounted, made their way down to the scene of strife,
the shots, which had ceased for a few moments, rang out again with
renewed vigour. From the sound, it was evident that two parties were
engaged. Darrell laughed aloud over the delightful prospect of a
certain battle, and the stranger, who was unarmed, seemed just as eager
to be there as the other two.

"Lend us one of your six-shooters," he said. "I don't suppose they'll
come close enough to be hurt by that. Still they might."

This remark was addressed about equally to either. Roden, however, was
not over anxious to respond. If this fool chose to ride about without
weapons, it was rather too much to expect those who were less idiotic to
partially disarm themselves for his benefit. He'd see the fellow hanged
before doing anything so feeble, he thought. Darrell, however, handed
over his revolver.

Now they came upon the combatants--the white ones, at any rate. In a
small ravine, which ran down at right angles to the river-bed, four men
were lying behind stones and bushes. Opposite, puffs of blue smoke were
issuing from the dense scrub, and the whizzing screech of potleg or slug
hummed viciously over the beleaguered four, and unpleasantly near their
newly arrived allies.

Clearly, as the stranger had said, his men were not up to much, for, as
they lay there behind their scant cover, they were pumping in shots at
large, with the whole dense forest-clad slope for a target. For of an
enemy, beyond the jetting smoke puffs, and the very unpleasant screech
of the missiles overhead, there was no outward and visible sign.

"Cease firing, men!" sang out the strange. "Do you want to use up all
your darned ammunition at nothing at all?"

They looked round, evidently relieved at this fresh accession to their
very slender fighting strength. And now the firing from the opposite
bank suddenly ceased.

The three had secured their horses behind a clump of euphorbia, where
they would be protected from stray shots as much as possible. The
steeds of the others stood saddled and bridled beside their riders, for
the men had been suddenly fired on while advancing along the hillside,
and, acting upon their first impulse, had flung themselves from the
saddle and rushed into cover. The plac