d they crept away through the tall grass.

Only Frederic Caruthers and Stella and the Japanese girl remained in the
house.

Skirting the house grounds, the boys were soon out on the prairie,
giving their enemies a wide berth.

Raising his head slightly from behind a tuft of grass, Ted took stock of
the position of the enemy.

In the shadow of the house beneath the windows of the living room he
could see the still darker shadows of the Gray Wolves.

Leading the boys into a semicircle from which at a word of command they
could rush the house, Ted passed this word along the line:

"If they enter the house, as they probably will, we will close in
quietly, rush the house, and capture them inside. Let none of them
escape, and make no noise."

They had not many minutes to wait before the Gray Wolves began to get
uneasy.

Evidently they expected some movement within the house, and the
continued silence puzzled them.

But suddenly, like the scream of a tempest, the still air was shattered
with wild yells and pistol shots, followed by the crash of breaking
glass.

The Gray Wolves had stormed the house, breaking in the windows, smashing
in the front door, and making all the noise they could, with the object
of frightening the inmates into a condition where they would be unable
to defend themselves.

Stella, with young Caruthers and Itsu San, had locked themselves into a
back room, which they could defend for a few minutes at least against
all comers.

As the Gray Wolves attacked the house Ted gave the word to advance, and
they moved forward as one man, crouching behind the grass tufts to be
out of sight of any guard the Wolves might have set.

It took not more than a minute or two to reach the side of the house,
and look through the windows.

Inside the living room men could be seen running back and forth,
searching for the broncho boys and the treasure.

Finally a wild yell told Ted that the safe had been found.

"That's good," said Ted to Bud. "They're at the safe. It will take all
their attention for a while. They don't know, poor fools, that the
treasure has been carried out and buried elsewhere. There's where we'll
bag most of them. When we get in, boys, look out for Mowbray. Don't let
him escape."

At a signal the boys climbed into the living room, which was now
deserted, for the Wolves had scattered all over the house. Most of them
were in the major's room working on the safe.

They had tried to mov