reports and yells as would have
terrified a stone image.

The cow pony (which of all horses loathes a bad rider) showed the whites
of his eyes wickedly, laid his ears back into his mane and bucked madly
with fright. The Chinaman, chattering like a monkey, described a perfect
parabola and alighted right side up on the only tuft of grass within ten
yards.

In an instant he bounced to his feet, took one look at the surrounding
society, and made a bolt for the cook-wagon, the one place that was
familiar to him.

At the door he encountered the sheepmen's regular cook coming out to see
what the trouble was, and the next moment witnessed the near-annihilation
of the yellow peril.

Sims and Jimmie Welsh pulled the burly cook off in time to save the
Oriental, and the latter sat up with a dazed, frightened air.

"Yah! Makee much damee hellee!" he announced.

"Too much damee hellee," said Sims sententiously. "John, you good fighter.
Me like you. What you do here?"

"Me bling message," and he reached into his blouse and drew out a piece of
paper folded and pinned.

This he handed to Sims, who promptly opened it and started to read. In a
minute he stopped and yelled for everyone who was not in the immediate
circle to gather round and listen. Then, haltingly, he read aloud the
following:

Dear Sims:

Ah Sin who brings you this is a bang-up cook, and I am sending him to
you to get a job. Pay him fifty dollars on the spot in advance for
his first month. I told him you would. He was the Bar T cook, I am
sorry to say, but there was no other way of getting a message to you
than to send him.

For the last few days I have been a prisoner in the "guest room" of
the Bar T ranch-house. This is the middle room on the northwest side.
After a certain row here I was clapped into confinement, and the
Chinaman had to do the honors for me at all meals. I got friendly
with him and found he was getting only thirty a month.

When he told me he owned one of the horses in the corral the whole
thing was easy. I offered him fifty, gave him exact directions how to
find your camp, and told him the best time to start.

If he ever reaches you, you will know where I am, and I want some of
you to come and get me out of this. The cattlemen from all over are
here, and they accuse me of standing in with the rustlers. What will
happen to me I don't know, but I'm sure of this, it won't be
healthy.

I should t