lpless condition in which he had left
Dalton, stretched upon the ground, within a rod of one another.

Then he threw off his disguise, and shifted his revolvers to his side
pockets.

"Now for yonder house, Patsy, and to see what the remainder of this gang
are at," said he. "Come with me, and have your guns ready."

"I'm with you," cried Patsy, coolly. "Guns and all."

A dash up the gravel walk brought them to the front door, which Venner
had left partly open.

There they paused and listened.

Not a sound came from within the house; but overhead the tempest now was
breaking, with frequent crashing peals of thunder, and flashes of
lightning that illumined all the landscape. Rain, too, now began pelting
down on the veranda roof.

"We'll steal in and see what we can find," whispered Chick, drawing one
of his revolvers.

"Go it, then."

He led the way, and Patsy followed. The silence in the house mystified
them at first. It appeared to have been entirely deserted.

When they reached the door of the dining room, however, Chick discovered
on the floor the disguise which Nick had discarded.

"I have it, Patsy," he cried, softly. "They have nailed Nick, just as he
expected, and have taken him somewhere to confine him."

"Perhaps in the cellar," suggested Patsy.

"I hardly think so, yet we'll have a look."

Moving as quietly as shadows, they entered the kitchen and easily
located the cellar door. It was closed and locked, with the key
remaining.

"Evidently they're not down there," whispered Chick.

"Let's try the upper floors," suggested Patsy. "They may be laying for
us up there, but I reckon we're good for them."

"We'll take the chance, surely. Come on."

They crept through the hall again, and then mounted the broad stairway,
which led to the next floor.

There the utter silence and the semidarkness quickly convinced them that
they were on the wrong track.

"The stable," muttered Chick, suddenly. "We'll try the stable."

"They certainly have vamosed this ranch," remarked Patsy.

"Plainly. Come on, then, and we'll try the stable."

Together they started downstairs.

A moment later Kilgore, Pylotte and Matt Stall came flurrying into the
house by the rear door.

In the bright light of the broad hall each party discovered the other
at precisely the same moment, and Kilgore instantly guessed the truth.

With a cry of rage, he whipped out his revolver and fired point-blank at
the two men on the sta