to shield you."

Randy did not reply. He staggered into the tent and rolled over in
helpless mirth.

"It--it was--a salt cartridge," he finally was able to gasp. "I
had--three or four of them. I read how to make them--in a book. Didn't I
pepper their legs nicely though.

"I don't care what it was," exclaimed Ned angrily. "You ought to be
ashamed of yourself. You'll break up this trip yet with your
foolishness."

Randy sobered down in a moment or two, and when he joined the others
outside the tent he was disposed to take a less humorous view of his
smart performance. A light was visible at the mouth of the brook, and
four figures could be seen around it.

Joe had evidently joined his brother. The conversation that was carried
on was for the most part inaudible, but now and then a threatening
sentence could be heard, or a few words of entreaty.

"Serious trouble will come out of this," said Ned. "For half a cent I'd
deliver you over to those fellows, Randy. The worst of it is that they
were going away when you fired."

"Dodging behind trees, that's all," replied Randy.

"Not a bit of it," exclaimed Ned angrily. "They were running toward the
creek."

As Clay stoutly backed up this assertion, Randy lapsed into sullen
silence. He was more frightened than he chose to let appear.

After what seemed a painfully long interval to the waiting boys, Batters
came softly out of the gloom and stood before them.

"I reckon there ain't no more danger," he said. "It wasn't Bug what was
hit; the other fellow. He's sittin' down thar on the stones now, a
pickin' lumps of salt out of his legs with a knife blade. He's mad as
blazes too, an' me an Bug had all we could do ter keep him from comin'
back here.

"I tole Bug how you saved my life, an' when he heard that he put his
foot down an' swore you chaps shouldn't be harmed. Bug ain't bad at
heart, he ain't. As soon as the other fellow gits all the salt out
they're both going away. They hev a camp somewhere's down the creek."

"But who are these men, Batters, and what do you know about them?" asked
Ned.

The lad hesitated for a moment.

"I reckon I might as well make a clean breast of it," he said in a
pitiful tone. "Don't you-uns think bad of me an' Joe though, cause we've
been brung up different, 'deed we have--."

"Look here, Batters, you needn't tell us if you don't want to,"
interrupted Ned sympathetically.

He had an inkling of the true state of affairs, and wishe