ttle patch of soil. Let's go take a look."

They went out guardedly, their eyes upon the rim-rock. Good Indian led
the way through the corral, into the little pasture, and across that to
where the long wall of giant poplars shut off the view.

"I admire courage," he grinned, "but I sure do hate a fool." Which was
all the explanation he made for the detour that hid them from sight of
anyone stationed upon the bluff, except while they were passing from the
stable-door to the corral; and that, Jack said afterward, didn't take
all day.

Coming up from the rear, they surprised Stanley and one other peacefully
boiling coffee in a lard pail which they must have stolen in the night
from the ranch junk heap behind the blacksmith shop. The three peered
out at them from a distant ambush, made sure that there were only two
men there, and went on to the disputed part of the meadows. There the
four were pottering about, craning necks now and then toward the ranch
buildings as if they half feared an assault of some kind. Good Indian
led the way back to the stable.

"If there was any way of getting around up there without being seen,"
he began thoughtfully, "but there isn't. And while I think of it," he
added, "we don't want to let the women know about this."

"They're liable to suspect something," Wally reminded dryly, "if one of
us gets laid out cold."

Good Indian laughed. "It doesn't look as if he could hit anything
smaller than a haystack. And anyway, I think I'm the boy he's after,
though I don't see why. I haven't done a thing--yet."

"Let's feed the horses and then pace along to the house, one at a time,
and find out," was Jack's reckless suggestion. "Anybody that knows us at
all can easy tell which is who. And I guess it would be tolerably safe."

Foolhardy as the thing looked to be, they did it, each after his own
manner of facing a known danger. Jack went first because, as he said,
it was his idea, and he was willing to show his heart was in the right
place. He rolled and lighted a cigarette, wrinkled his eyes shut in a
laugh, and strolled nonchalantly out of the stable.

"Keep an eye on the rim-rock, boys," he called back, without turning his
head. A third of the way he went, stopped dead still, and made believe
inspect something upon the ground at his feet.

"Ah, go ON!" bawled Wally, his nerves all on edge.

Jack dug his heel into the dust, blew the ashes from his cigarette, and
went on slowly to the gate, pas