l cattle thieves to understand that they can't steal any of our
cattle with impunity."

That night, after singing and playing at the house with the girls, the
boys mounted their horses and started for the lower end of the ranch.

When they reached there they dismounted, hitched their horses in the
timber and started down the line on foot. They found the cowboys that
they had stationed along the line in their respective places. They were
very prompt in exchanging signals, and they spoke in whispers so that
their voices might not be overheard.

By and by in the starlight they saw about a score of cattle going
through the grass as though they were being driven by somebody.

Fred and Terry crouched down in the grass and watched them.

They both became fully satisfied that some one was driving them, and
they ran along with the cattle in order to ascertain where they were
going, and why. They were very near the corner of the fence, for, as the
reader doubtless remembers, they had enclosed only twenty of the forty
thousand acres, as they thought that was about as much as they would
have need for inside of the next two years.

Suddenly Terry tapped Fred on the shoulder and whispered:

"Down, Fred," and Fred dropped down on his knees.

Terry motioned with his hand and pointed out on his right where they
could both see the figures of two men moving cautiously and closely
behind the cattle, and they both wondered if another panel of the wire
had not been cut just ahead of them.

Suddenly one of the cattle turned in their direction, and one of the men
ran around to head him off. He ran almost over Fred, who sprang up and
dealt him a blow on the side of his head that caused him to sink down
unconscious.

CHAPTER VIII.

FRED AND TERRY CAPTURE CATTLE THIEVES.

Terry heard the blow that Fred gave the cattle thief and he knew what it
meant, for the fellow sank down without uttering a word.

The thief's pal, seeing that the cow that had strayed off was not being
turned around, went to the assistance of his confederate and he ran up
against Terry.

Terry rose up and gave him a crack on the head with his heavy revolver.
He saw more stars than he probably ever thought had a home in the skies,
and down he dropped.

"Now, Terry," whispered Fred, "let's see if there are any more of them,"
and as quick as possible they bound the two unconscious thieves hands
and feet and continued to follow the cattle.

They walked straigh