"Something wuz ther matter, so I couldn't turn ther water on," he said.
"An' now they've got ther door down!"

"But Oi bate 'em off!" shouted the Irish lad, triumphantly.

"They'll come in when ther water fails."

Barney had not thought of that, and his feeling of triumph turned to
anxiety and dismay.

"Pwhat kin we do?"

"Where is Gilson?"

"Th' spalpane run whin the dure wur broke."

"We might fight, but what if we did shoot down a few o' ther critters?
It w'u'dn't stop 'em, an' we'd hev killed somebody. Stay hyar--hold 'em
back long as yer kin."

"Pwhat are ye goin' ter do?"

"Git ther prisoner up onter ther roof. Mebbe we kin hold 'em back from
gittin' up thar."

"All roight. Oi'll do me bist here."

Kildare ran back along the corridor and disappeared.

Of a sudden rocks began to whistle about Barney's head, and then one
struck him, knocking him down. The nozzle of the hose fell from his
hands, and he lay prone and motionless on the floor.

Wild yells of savage delight broke from the mob.

Then, with a clatter of hoofs, a band of masked horsemen came tearing
down the street, whirled into the open space before the jail, and began
shooting into the mob. The horsemen were dressed in black, and every man
was masked.

"It's Black Harry's Braves!" screamed a voice that was full of fear.

Twenty voices took up the cry, and the mob, utterly demoralized, broke
and ran in all directions.

Some of the masked horsemen sprang from their animals and dashed into
the jail, springing over the prostrate body of the unconscious Irish
lad.

Kildare was removing Frank from his cell when those masked men came upon
them. In a moment the boy had been torn from the sheriff, and the men
whirled him away.

Out of the jail rushed Black Harry's Braves, the boy was placed astride
a horse, and away they went, with him in their midst.

Frank had believed them lynchers, and he thought them lynchers as they
bore him away.

"It's all up with me," he mentally said.

But his hands were free, and he was watching for an opportunity to
escape. He meant to make one more effort for life, if given an
opportunity.

Through the town tore the wild horsemen, yelling like so many fiends,
shooting to the right and left.

Out of Elreno they rode, and then the man on the right of Frank leaned
toward the boy, saying:

"We came just in time, chief. If we'd been ten minutes later, the
lynchers would have had you sure."

"The lynch