tent that he aimed and
fired. The first Greaser huddled low, let his carbine go clattering
down, and then crawled behind the rim. The second and third jerked
back. The fourth seemed to flop up over the crest of lava. A dark arm
reached for him, clutched his leg, tried to drag him up. It was in
vain. Wildly grasping at the air the bandit fell, slid down a steep
shelf, rolled over the rim, to go hurtling down out of sight.

Fingering the hot rifle with close-pressed hands, Gale watched the sky
line along the high point of lava. It remained unbroken. As his
passion left him he feared to look back at his companions, and the cold
chill returned to his breast.

"Shore--I'm damn glad--them Greasers ain't usin' soft-nose bullets,"
drawled a calm voice.

Swift as lightning Gale whirled.

"Laddy! I thought you were done for," cried Gale, with a break in his
voice.

"I ain't a-mindin' the bullet much. But that choya joint took my
nerve, an' you can gamble on it. Dick, this hole's pretty high up,
ain't it?"

The ranger's blouse was open at the neck, and on his right shoulder
under the collar bone was a small hole just beginning to bleed.

"Sure it's high, Laddy," replied Gale, gladly. "Went clear through,
clean as a whistle!"

He tore a handkerchief into two parts, made wads, and pressing them
close over the wounds he bound them there with Ladd's scarf.

"Shore it's funny how a bullet can floor a man an' then not do any
damage," said Ladd. "I felt a zip of wind an' somethin' like a pat on
my chest an' down I went. Well, so much for the small caliber with
their steel bullets. Supposin' I'd connected with a .405!"

"Laddy, I--I'm afraid Thorne's done for," whispered Gale. "He's lying
over there in that crack. I can see part of him. He doesn't move."

"I was wonderin' if I'd have to tell you that. Dick, he went down hard
hit, fallin', you know, limp an' soggy. It was a moral cinch one of us
would get it in this fight; but God! I'm sorry Thorne had to be the
man."

"Laddy, maybe he's not dead," replied Gale. He called aloud to his
friend. There was no answer.

Ladd got up, and, after peering keenly at the height of lava, he strode
swiftly across the space. It was only a dozen steps to the crack in
the lava where Thorne had fallen head first. Ladd bent over, went to
his knees, so that Gale saw only his head. Then he appeared rising
with arms round the cavalryman. He dragged him across the hole