f them to take them in his
wagon to Crabtree, and then mounted his horse and started off ahead of
them. They were bound hard and fast, so they could give the farmer no
trouble.

"Terry," said he before he left, "you must see to the careful repairing
of the fence and keep a watch over everything. I am going to see if I
can find a good electrician to come out and electrify the wires in this
fence, so when they attempt to cut this fence again some of them will
get knocked off the face of the earth." So he put spurs to his horse and
started off. He knew he could reach Crabtree about two hours ahead of
the prisoners.

The party of rough fellows, farmers and cowboys, went along with the
wagon, and before they had gone three miles they took the prisoners from
the farmer and strung them up in some timber along the roadside; so when
the farmer reached Crabtree he had no prisoners, and he told a harrowing
tale to Fred of how the men had taken the prisoners from him and strung
them up.

"Well, well, well," he ejaculated. "I am sorry for that; not that I
don't think they deserved it, but I don't believe in that sort of thing.
Now, I want you to come with me to the sheriff and several responsible
citizens and tell that story to them, for I don't want to be accused of
having anything to do with the matter, other than capturing the
thieves."

The farmer told his story to the sheriff, which official, accompanied by
several citizens, as well as some deputies, rode down there to
investigate the matter.

Meanwhile Fred went in search of an electrician. There was only one in
the city, and he had charge of the city electrical lighting, so he
couldn't go down to the ranch and electrify the wires around the entire
range, for it wouldn't do to perform that feat unless some one was left
in charge of the city's plant.

Fred bargained with him to communicate with some competent electrician
in some other city and get him to come down to the ranch and stay for
one month, saying that he would pay him well for his services.

Fred rode down the other road that ran parallel with the railroad track,
reaching home, after hard riding, a little after dark.

Early the next morning when Fred went to the store he found some four or
five cowboys who had just arrived, having come in to put in applications
for employment as cowboys.

Said a big, brawny fellow, who measured six feet and two inches in
height:

"Mr. Fearnot, we hear that you have adde