dn't say that of."

"For instance, the gentlemen who stole our horses."

"It makes me mad whenever I think of that little transaction," said
Bradley. "As for that braggart, Mosely, he'll come to grief some of
these days. He'll probably die with his boots on and his feet some way
from the ground. Before that happens I'd like a little whack at him
myself."

"I owe him a debt too," said Ben. "His running off with my mustang cost
me a good many weary hours. But hark! what's that?" said Ben, suddenly.

"What's what?"

"I thought I heard a cry."

"Where away?"

"To the left."

Jake Bradley halted and inclined his ear to listen.

"Ben," said he, looking up, "I believe we're on the scent. That cry came
either from a Chinaman or a cat."

Ben couldn't help laughing, in spite of the apprehensions which the
words of his companion suggested. "Let us push on, then," he said.

Three minutes later the two came in sight of poor Ki Sing, chafing in
his forced captivity and making ineffectual attempts to release himself
from his confinement.

"That's he, sure enough," exclaimed Jake Bradley, excited. "The poor
fellow's regularly treed."

The Chinaman had not yet seen the approach of his friends, for he
happened to be looking in another direction.

"Ki Sing!" called Ben.

An expression of relief and joy overspread the countenance of the
unfortunate captive when he saw our hero and Bradley.

"How came you here, Ki Sing?" asked Bradley. "Did you tie yourself to
the tree?"

"No, no," replied the Chinaman, earnestly. "Velly bad men tie Ki Sing."

"How many of them bad men were there?" queried Bradley.

"Two."

"That's one apiece for us, Ben," said Bradley. "There a job ahead for
us."

At the same time he busied himself in cutting the cord that confined the
poor Chinaman to the tree, and Ki Sing, with an expression of great
relief and contentment, stretched his limbs and chafed his wrists and
ankles, which were sore from the cutting of the cord.

"Now, Ki Sing, tell us a little more about them men. What did they look
like?"

The Chinaman, in the best English he had at command, described the two
men who had perpetrated the outrage.

"Did you hear either of them call the other by name?" inquired Bradley.

"One Billee; the other Tommee," answered Ki Sing, who remembered the way
in which they addressed each other.

"Why, those are the names of the men who stole our horses!" said Ben, in
surprise.

"That's so!"