up a splattering fire. Their guns winked
red flashes.

Lefty's man had shown fight, Lefty had bowled him over with a double
trigger pull, and Lefty came racing back to help Red with the two
rustlers at the camp fire.

There were fireworks, and plenty of them! The herd, mad with fear,
started moving away--a frantic rush that became a wild stampede. Their
plunging bodies milled about, and with uplifted tails and tossing
horns, they were on the run northward toward the home range--the
Diamond D!

Although it was a case of shoot or be killed now, The Kid was aiming to
cripple. A leaden slug burned a flesh wound just below his left
armpit, as he opened up on the two rustlers. His gun hammers stuttered
down, throwing bullets on both sides of him, as he drove Blizzard
between his two enemies at full tilt. One, raked with lead through
both shoulders, thudded from his pony to the ground. The other leaned
over his saddle and dropped his Colt. Two bullets, a few inches apart,
had nipped his gun arm.

The two rustlers at the fire were giving trouble. They had dashed out
of the dangerous firelight and had opened up on Lefty and Red. Kid
Wolf's heart gave a little jump. Red was down! Lefty and one of the
bandits were engaged in a hand-to-hand scuffle, for Warren's horse had
been shot under him. The other outlaw had lifted his gun to finish
Red, who was crawling along the ground. The range was a good fifty
yards, but Kid Wolf fired three times. The rustler standing over Red
dropped. Lefty broke away from his man, just as The Kid rode up with
lariat swinging.

"Don't shoot!" the Texan sang out. "I've got him!"

The rope hummed through the air, spread out and tightened. The last of
the outlaws went off his feet with a jerk.

"One of 'em's runnin' away!" yelled Lefty, pointing to the man Kid Wolf
had shot through the arm. He was making a hot race in the direction of
Skull.

"Let him go," said The Kid. "We don't want him. See how bad Red's
hurt."

Outlined against the eastern sky were three riders now, far away and
becoming rapidly smaller. The two north riders were making their
get-away, also. The victory was complete.

To their relief, Lefty and The Kid found that Red had received only a
flesh wound above the knee.

Kid Wolf tied the man he had caught with his lariat, then caught Red's
horse and one of the loose outlaw ponies for Lefty.

"Now yo' ought to be able to ease those Diamond D cattle on