knew. Suddenly above him on the top of
the steep bluff across the torrent a man loomed up against the clouds,
peered intently and then waved his sombrero to an unseen companion. A
puff of smoke flashed from his shoulder and streaked away, the report of
the shot lost in the gale. The fugitive's horse reared and plunged into
the deep water and with its rider was swept rapidly towards the bend,
the way they had come.

"That makes th' fourth time I've missed that coyote!" angrily exclaimed
Hopalong as Red Connors joined him.

The other quickly raised his rifle and fired; and the horse, spilling
its rider out of the saddle, floated away tail first. The fugitive,
gripping his rifle, bobbed and whirled at the whim of the greedy water
as shots struck near him. Making a desperate effort, he staggered up the
bank and fell exhausted behind a bowlder.

"Well, th' coyote is afoot, anyhow," said Red, with great satisfaction.

"Yes; but how are we going to get to him?" asked Hopalong. "We can't get
th' cayuses down here, an' we can't swim _that_ water without them. And
if we could, he'd pot us easy."

"There's a way out of it somewhere," Red replied, disappearing over the
edge of the bluff to gamble with Fate.

"Hey! Come back here, you chump!" cried Hopalong, running forward.
"He'll get you, shore!"

"That's a chance I've got to take if I get him," was the reply.

A puff of smoke sailed from behind the bowlder on the other bank and
Hopalong, kneeling for steadier aim, fired and then followed his friend.
Red was downstream casting at a rock across the torrent but the wind
toyed with the heavy, water-soaked _reata_ as though it were a string.
As Hopalong reached his side a piece of driftwood ducked under the water
and an angry humming sound died away downstream. As the report reached
their ears a jet of water spurted up into Red's face and he stepped back
involuntarily.

"He's some shaky," Hopalong remarked, looking back at the wreath of
smoke above the bowlder. "I reckon I must have hit him harder than I
thought in Harlan's. Gee! he's wild as blazes!" he ejaculated as a
bullet hummed high above his head and struck sharply against the rock
wall.

"Yes," Red replied, coiling the rope. "I was trying to rope that rock
over there. If I could anchor to that, th' current would push us over
quick. But it's too far with this wind blowing."

"We can't do nothing here 'cept get plugged. He'll be getting steadier
as he rests from hi