the
redskins heaped the brush around the scout's feet.

"Now the dirty white dog can die!" hissed Yellow Elk, as he advanced
with a torch. "He can pray, but the white man's Great Father cannot save
him! He must burn until his bones are as charcoal!"

And so speaking Yellow Elk thrust the torch into the dry brush and set
it on fire!

CHAPTER XIV.

DICK TO THE RESCUE.

"That man is going to shoot Jack Rasco!"

Such was the thought which rushed into Dick Arbuckle's mind as he heard
the fatal words spoken in the woods near the river bank.

He could not see either of the men, but he felt tolerably certain in his
mind that Rasco's assailant was Stillwater, the gambler, who had been
run out of Arkansas City by Pawnee Brown, Rasco, Clemmer and a dozen
others.

"Would you kill me?" came in Rasco's voice. The boomer was concerned and
was doing his best to gain time, in the hope that something would turn
up to his advantage.

"Kill you?" sneered Stillwater. "Do you think I'm going to put up with
the way I've been treated? Not much! I had a fine thing in Arkansas
City--something worth a thousand a week to me, and you and your friends
spoiled it all. I'm going to settle with you, and after that I shall
hunt up Pawnee Brown and the rest and settle with them, also."

"You'll have your hands full a-settlin' with Pawnee."

"Bah! I am not afraid of him. He had me foul over to the Golden Pick,
but I'll be careful when next we meet. But I'll not waste time with you
here, Rasco. I've got you alone and 'dead men tell no tales.'"

"Alone?" Jack Rasco began to smile. "You're mistaken. Look behind you."

Stillwater started, but did not look back.

"That's an old dodge, Rasco, but you can't work it off on me. I have you
alone and I'm going to end the business right here."

"Not yet!" cried a youthful voice behind Stillwater, and crash! down
came a heavy stick, hitting the gambler squarely upon the head and
sending him with a thud to the earth.

As Stillwater went down, Rasco leaped forward and came down upon him.
But this movement was useless. The rascal was more than three-quarters
knocked out and lay for several minutes helpless.

"I owe you one fer that, Dick Arbuckle!" cried Rasco, gratefully. "Yer
came in the nick o' time!" Now the peril was over the boomer dropped
back into his own peculiar manner of speech.

"I am glad I happened this way," returned Dick, as he drew a long
breath. "Gosh! what a lot of excit