come out o' there!"

"And we're givin' yuh all the chances yo' want," replied Kid Wolf, "to
come and get us!"

For answer, the horsemen--two dozen strong--charged! In a breath, they
had struck and had been driven back. So quickly had it happened that
nobody remembered afterward just how it had been done. The Texan's two
Colts grew hot and cooled again. Three riderless horses galloped about
the corral in circles, and the thing was over!

It had been sheer nerve and courage against odds, however. Three of
the attackers fell from their horses before the stone walls had been
gained, and three others had met with swift trouble inside. The rest
had retreated hastily, leaving six dead and wounded behind. Only
Caldwell had been hit, and his wound was a slight one in the shoulder.
The defenders cheered lustily.

"Come on!" Tip shouted. "We're waitin'!"

Kid Wolf, however, was not deceived. The attacking party was made up
largely of half-breeds and Indians. The Texan knew their ways. That
first charge had been only half-hearted. The next time, the outlaws
would fight to a finish, angered as they were to a fever heat. And
although the defenders might account for a few more of the renegades,
the end was inevitable. Kid Wolf did not lose his cool smile. He had
been in tight situations before, and had long ago resigned himself to
dying, when his time came, in action.

"Here they come again!" barked Scotty grimly. But suddenly a burst of
rifle fire rang out in the distance--a sharp, crackling volley. Two of
the outlaw gang dropped. One horse screamed and fell heavily with its
rider.

The five defenders saw to their utter amazement that a large band of
horsemen was riding in from the east at a hot gallop, guns spitting
fire. As a rescue, it was timed perfectly. The rustlers had been
about to charge the corral, and now they reined up in panic, undecided
what to do. Two others fell. And in the meantime, the newcomers,
whoever they were, were circling so as to surround them on all sides.

"It's the law!" Kid Wolf smiled.

"The what?" Caldwell demanded. "Why, there ain't no law between here
an'----"

But the Texan knew he was right. He had seen the sun glittering on the
silver badge that one of the strange riders wore.

The rustlers themselves were outnumbered now. The posse included a
score of men, and they handled their guns in a determined way. The
outlaws fired a wild shot or two, then signified