they heard Bud's cry for help, and rescued him by
driving the snarling pack from his heels.

When they had heard his story about the man with the silver face and his
crew, and the fact that they had taken Stella away with them, the boys
waited only long enough to make a fire to thaw out Bud, and to make some
coffee, and took up the broad trail.

When they came to the deserted camp they were almost sure that Stella
had gone on with her captors, and were about to follow the trail.

Had they done so, Stella would have perished in the woods. But Ted had
one of his "hunches" that Stella was not far away, and rode around the
camp in a wide circle.

He was soon rewarded by finding the prints of Stella's shoes in the
snow, and, concluding that she had in some manner escaped from her
captors, he called the boys together and started on her trail.

They had not gone far when they, too, heard the howls of the wolf pack,
and knew that Stella was in great danger.

Presently they came upon Stella's message in the snow and obeyed her
injunction to hurry.

They had been compelled to leave their horses at the camp, for the
forest was too dense to permit them to ride.

When Stella told them of her adventure and about Silver Face and the
stolen cattle, they decided to push forward on the trail, and, if
possible, regain their stolen property.

At the camp they remounted, and, having to ride double where Bud and
Stella were concerned, made but slow progress.

But the trail was broad and good, and they made good time as compared
with a slow cattle drive.

Early in the afternoon Ted became conscious, in that remarkable way of
his, that not far ahead some one was on the trail.

Stella was riding behind him, for the boys had taken turns in carrying
her so as not to burden any one horse too much, and he transferred her
to Kit's pony, and, telling the boys to move forward slowly, rode on
ahead to scout.

Ted wanted to see for himself this wonderful Silver Face, who was
impervious to bullets, and who could fire them from his chest with no
apparent effort on his own part.

Ted was also affected as the others had been who had seen him; that is,
by the mystery of the creature.

He had ridden quite a distance ahead of the party, and had just entered
into the pass of a canon which seemed to broaden out into a respectable
valley farther on, when he was brought to a halt by the scream of a
rifle ball close to his head.

This was warni