r pursuing him
a few yards in the direction of the creek, she suddenly changed her
mind, and charged on Randy and the small boy, who were standing by the
edge of the pool. The latter escaped by dodging nimbly to one side, but
Randy was not agile enough, and as the cow brushed by him her revolving
tail lashed him smartly over the face, and tumbled him into the pool.

He emerged dripping wet, and mad as a hornet, just in time to see the
cow retreating in the direction she had come, with the small boy in
pursuit.

"Look here," cried Randy, "what do you mean by letting a vicious animal
like that run loose? Look at that tent, and look at the condition I'm
in. For half a cent I'd get my gun and shoot the brute."

The boy stopped at the edge of the bushes and looked back. He was quite
a little fellow, with sunburned legs and face.

"That cow has more right here than you-uns," he said sullenly. "My uncle
Dan owns this land. He knows you-uns are here, and he's comin' down
pretty soon, too. He says you-uns will be sorry you shot that calf afore
he gits done with you."

Randy stared at the lad in amazement, and then a sudden light broke on
his mind.

"That explains the bear story," he muttered, and then added to Nugget,
who had just ventured to come forward: "You fellows have got us in a
pretty mess. It was a calf that Clay shot last night. I'm glad it's not
my fault this time."

"A calf!" exclaimed Nugget. "I don't see how it can be possible. It had
shiny eyes."

"The calf was shot, anyhow," said the boy. "It got astray yesterday
afternoon, and our hired man found it this morning. It ain't hurt very
bad, an Uncle Dan thinks it'll get well. That's the reason the cow is so
cross, 'cause she can't have the calf with her. She broke the fence down
this morning an' got into the woods. I'll have a hard time gittin' her
home again."

"You say your uncle is cross about the calf?" asked Randy.

"He's hoppin' mad," said the boy. "He's going to give you all a
lickin', an' then hev you locked up for trespassin'."

"But suppose we explain to him that it was all a mistake, and offer to
pay the damages," continued Randy, "wouldn't that satisfy him?"

The boy shook his head.

"Uncle Dan ain't that kind. When he gets mad nobody kin stop him, I
reckon he'll lick you chaps pretty hard."

"I reckon he won't," said Randy, decisively. "Not if we know ourselves.
Pitch in and help, Nugget; we must light out of this as quick as
possible