eel of the cruel spade bit. The next second she reared
high and crashed to the ground carrying her rider with her. With a loud
cry the Texan sprang to his feet and started for the girl, and at the
same moment the horse-thief that the big blue roan had knocked senseless
among the rocks rose to his feet and levelling his gun at the running
man, fired. At the sound of the report the Texan staggered, turned
half-way round and fell sprawling among the rocks. Purdy leaped to his
feet and, gun in hand, started for the prostrate Texan. The rock-ribbed
valley became a roar of noise. Janet, one leg pinned in the stirrup,
fired across the body of her horse. Fired swiftly and accurately. The
running Purdy staggered this way and that, drew himself stiffly erect,
threw his hands high above his head and spun around like a top, and as
the sound of the girl's last shot died, pitched forward and lay very
still.

From the rock buttress to the left, Janet saw men running toward her.
She could not tell whether they were friends or foes--it mattered
not--her gun was empty. At thought of her gun, she gave vent to a
pitiful little cry and covered her face with her hands. Then the men
were at her side pulling at the body of her horse. Her leg was freed and
someone stood her upon her feet. She lowered her hands and stared into
the bearded face of Cass Grimshaw!

"Good shootin', sis!" he patted her shoulder gently, "why, what's the
matter? D'ye think you missed him--look!" he pointed to the body of
Purdy.

"Oh--oh!" moaned the girl and covered her eyes again. "I've--I've
_killed_ a man!"

Grimshaw looked puzzled: "No, sis--you ain't killed no _man_! Not by no
stretch of imagination he ain't no man!"

"But--he's a human being--and--I killed him!"

As the horse-thief stood looking down upon her heaving shoulders the
puzzled look in his eyes gave place to a decided twinkle, which an
instant later changed to a look of mild reproach: "Say, sis, who do you
think you be? Claimin' _you_ killed Purdy! Why, there ain't no more
chance you killed him, than there is that I didn't." He extended his
hand in which an automatic pistol of large calibre lay flat in the palm.
"This here gun shoots jest twict as swift as yours. Agin your eight
hundred feet of muzzle v'losity, I've got almost two thousan'--an' I'd
got in two shots before you begun! Then, too, if you'll take a look
around, you'll see that some other folks has got pretty fair claim on
him. Take