acked by a
posse sufficient to overpower them. He had not the manner of a man
taking a desperate chance. The situation was as dramatic as life and
death, but the voice that had come down to them had been as
matter-of-fact as if it had asked some one to pass him a cup of coffee
at the breakfast table.

The temper of the outlaws' metal showed instantly. Dixon dropped his
rifle, threw up his hands, and ran bleating to the cover of some large
rocks, imploring the imagined posse not to shoot. Others found silently
what shelter they could. Healy alone took reckless counsel of his hate.

Flinging his rifle to his shoulder, he blazed away at the figure on the
ledge--once, twice, three times. When the smoke cleared the ranger was
no longer to be seen. He was lying flat on his rock like a lizard, where
he had dropped just as his enemy whipped up his weapon to fire. Cold as
chilled steel, in spite of the fire of passion that blazed within him,
Healy slid to the ground on the far side of his horse and, without
exposing himself, slowly worked to the loose boulders bordering the edge
of the canon bed.

The bawling of the cattle and the faint whimpering of Dixon alone
disturbed the silence. Healy and his confederates were waiting for the
other side to show its hand. Meanwhile the leader of the outlaws was
thinking out the situation.

"I believe there's only two of them, Bart," he confided in a low voice
to the big fellow lying near. "Keller must have heard us when we talked
it over at the shack. I reckon he and Phil hit the trail for here
immediate. They hadn't time to go back and rustle help and still get
here before us.

"We'll make Mr. Keller table his cards. I'm going to try to rush the
cattle through. We'll see at once what's doing. If they are too many for
us to do that we'll break for the gulch and fight our way out--that is,
if we find we're hemmed in behind, too."

He called to the rest of the bandits and gave crisp instructions. At
sound of his sharp whistle four men leaped into sight, each making for
his horse. Dixon alone did not answer to the call. He lay white and
trembling behind the rock that sheltered him, physically unable to rise
and face the bullets that would rain down upon him.

Keller, watching alertly from above, guessed what they would be at. His
rifle cracked twice, and two of the horses staggered, one of them
collapsing slowly. He had to show himself, and for three heartbeats
stood exposed to the fi