ameron had saluted as Raven. "Fit
as ever," a hard smile curling his lips as he noted Cameron's omission.
"Hello, Hell!" he continued, his eyes falling upon that individual, who
was struggling with the restive ponies, "how goes it with your noble
self?"

Hastily Hell, leaving the bronchos for the moment, responded, "Hello,
Mr. Raven, mighty glad to see you!"

Meantime the bronchos, freed from Hell's supervision, and apparently
interested in the strange horse who was viewing them with lordly
disdain, turned their heads and took the liberty of sniffing at the
newcomer. Instantly, with mouth wide open and ears flat on his head, the
black horse rushed at the bronchos. With a single bound they were off,
the lines trailing in the dust. Together Hell, Cameron and the doctor
sprang for the wagon, but before they could touch it it was whisked from
underneath their fingers as the bronchos dashed in a mad gallop down the
trail, Moira meantime clinging desperately to the seat of the pitching
wagon. After them darted Cameron and for some moments it seemed as if
he could overtake the flying ponies, but gradually they drew away and he
gave up the chase. After him followed the whole company, his wife, the
doctor, Hell, all in a blind horror of helplessness.

"My God! My God!" cried Cameron, his breath coming in sobbing gasps.
"The cut bank!"

Hardly were the words out of his mouth when Raven came up at an easy
canter.

"Don't worry," he said quietly to Mandy, who was wringing her hands in
despair, "I'll get them."

Like a swallow for swiftness and for grace, the black stallion sped
away, flattening his body to the trail as he gathered speed. The
bronchos had a hundred yards of a start, but they had not run another
hundred until the agonized group of watchers could see that the stallion
was gaining rapidly upon them.

"He'll get 'em," cried Hell, "he'll get 'em, by gum!"

"But can he turn them from the bank?" groaned Mandy.

"If anything in horse-flesh or man-flesh can do it," said Hell, "it'll
be done."

But a tail-race is a long race and a hundred yards' start is a serious
handicap in a quarter of a mile. Down the sloping trail the bronchos
were running savagely, their noses close to earth, their feet on the
hard ground like the roar of a kettledrum, their harness and trappings
fluttering over their backs, the wagon pitching like a ship in a gale,
the girl clinging to its high seat as a sailor to a swaying mast.
Behind,