. Then as he did not answer, but
continued to stare in the direction of Athens, she cried impatiently:
"What are you looking at? Tell me now--this minute!"

Scott took a pair of field-glasses from a case on his saddle. He handed
them to the girl.

"Does that look to you like Juan Pachuca's car down by the store?"

Polly looked. "It does, doesn't it?" she said. "But it's too far to be
sure. Who do you suppose those men are on horseback?"

"I don't know," said Scott, shortly, as he took the glasses and looked
again. "But I don't like the looks of it. Let's whip up and get to that
arroyo that runs back of the camp. We'll ride the rest of the way in it."

They descended into the arroyo which was a deep one with sheltering sides
that rose above them fully ten feet.

"It doesn't go all the way," objected the girl, who was beginning to know
the geography of the place already.

"I don't want it to," replied Scott. "It turns off and runs at an
angle--just above the dining-room. I'm going to leave you and the horses
there out of sight."

"Leave us!"

"You didn't think I was going to turn tail and run when the boys were
being held up, did you?"

Polly's eyes shone with a mixture of fear and excitement.

"Do you mean it's a real hold-up?" she gasped.

"Haven't the least idea, but it sure does look like one, especially if
that's Pachuca, himself, on that sorrel. Then, again, it may be the
Federal Government quartering men on us. In either case ladies and
horse-flesh are better out of the way."

"But I'm not afraid," cried the girl, her teeth chattering with
excitement. "At least, I don't think I am--much. Anyhow, I'll be lots more
scared down here in this hole alone."

"You won't be alone; you've got two good horses to take care of. Thank the
Lord, Hard is out of it--that's three horses we can save."

Hard had ridden to Conejo the day before and had not returned.

"I'm going to leave you this." Scott took his revolver from the holster
and handed it to the girl, who took it reluctantly.

"I'm more afraid of it than I am of Juan Pachuca," she pleaded.

"You've no call to be," was the reply. "Don't be a baby--brace up and stay
here with these horses. They're not looking for you and they'll never come
down here. These are the two best horses we've got and I'm cussed if I'm
going to hand 'em over to a bunch of greasers."

"Oh!" Polly gasped again. No one had ever spoken to her quite like this
before. "You can't go