irs, and it stayed pleasantly with me till I fell asleep in
spite of the pain in my arm.

About nine o'clock I was awakened by a knock on the door. Philips had
brought me dinner on a tray.

His eye would not meet mine. He was ashamed because he had shown the
white feather in the scrimmage.

"I--I've got a wife and three little children, sir," he blurted out
before he left.

I nodded pleasantly at him.

"You're going to see them again. But you must help us beat those
ruffians. You see we can do it. We've done it once."

"Yes, sir. I--hope to do better next time."

"I'm sure you will, Philips."

We shook hands on it.

I must have fallen asleep again almost immediately. When I opened my
eyes it was day. I pushed the electric bell. Philips presently appeared.

"All well?" I asked him.

"Yes, sir. No more trouble. The yacht is still on her course. Doing
about nine knots I should judge."

"Heard from Dugan this morning?"

"He isn't doing just what you could call first rate, sir. I think he is
delirious. Miss Wallace and Miss Berry are taking care of him by turns."

"And Morgan?"

"Quite all right, sir. Your arm must be stiff. Shall I shave you this
morning? I used to be a barber, sir."

"Thanks. If you have time."

Breakfast was served in the English fashion, for it was necessary to
keep some one on guard all the time. The Arizonian was making play with
a platter of bacon and fried eggs when I joined him.

"How d'ye do? Ready for the round-up again?" he asked cheerfully, with
his mouth full.

"My arm's stiff, and when I move there's a pain jumps in it. Otherwise
I'm fit as a fiddle. Anything new in the way of trouble?"

"Not a thing. We've arranged a code of signals with our friends at the
wheel. You'll find the code pasted up in the saloon. Say, what do you
think? That girl slipped out with breakfast for Cap. Blythe and Alderson
while I wasn't looking."

"Crossed the deck with it?"

"That's whatever, and sauntered back as cool as you please. Two or three
of them were on the forecastle deck, but they didn't lift a hand to hurt
her."

I drew a long breath.

"We mustn't let her do it again."

"Not while I'm in the game. She's an ace-high trump just the same.
Wonder if she would have any use for a maverick rancher from the alkali
country? I got a pretty good outfit in the Flying D."

"Better ask her."

"I'm going to," he answered coolly. "Drift that butter down this way,
will you?"

"Where