he saved his fire. It was
not his idea to shoot the rustlers, but rather to capture them alive,
since the unwritten law of that lawless land decreed that shooting was too
merciful a death for horse- or cattle-thieves.

[Illustration: A moment later there was a stab of light in the dark and
the first shot rang out.]

But Larkin found, to his dismay, that the horse of the other was faster
than his own, and when they had galloped about a mile he had to strain his
eyes to see the other at all. He knew that unless he did something at once
the other would get away from him.

He lifted his revolver and took careful aim at the barely perceptible form
of the horse. Then, when the other fired again, Larkin returned the shot,
and almost immediately noticed that he was creeping up. At fifty yards the
fleeing man blazed away again, and this time Bud heard the whistle of the
bullet. Without further delay he took a pot-shot at the rustler's gun arm
and, by one of those accidents that the law of chance permits to happen
perhaps once in a lifetime, got him.

After that the rustler pulled up his failing animal to a walk and faced
him around.

"Hands up!" yelled Larkin, covering the other.

The answer was a streak of yellow flame from the fellow's left hand that
had been resting on his hip. The bullet flew wide as though the man had
never shot left-handed before, and Bud, furious at the deception, dashed
to close quarters recklessly, not daring to shoot again for fear of
killing his man.

This move broke the rustler's courage, and his left hand shot skyward.
His right arm being broken, he could not raise it. Larkin rode alongside
of him and peered into his face.

It was Smithy Caldwell.

Quickly Bud searched him for other weapons.

"What're yuh goin' to do with me, Larkin?" whined the blackmailer. "Don't
take me back there. I haven't done nothin'."

"Shut up and don't be yellow," admonished Bud. "If you're not guilty of
anything you can prove it quick enough, I guess."

"I saved your life once," pleaded the other. "Let me go."

"You saved it so you could get more money out of me. Think I don't know
you, Caldwell?"

"Let me go and I'll give you back all that money and all the rest you've
ever given me. For God's sake don't let 'em hang me!"

The cowardice of the man was pitiful, but Bud was unmoved. For years his
life had been dogged by this man. Now, an openly avowed rustler, he
expected clemency from his victim.

"R