.

Neale thrilled as he looked. A few hundred rods in the rear rode a band
of Sioux, coming swiftly. A cloud of dust rose behind them. They had,
no doubt, been hiding in the vicinity of the grazing buffalo, lying in
wait.

As Neale closed in on Larry he saw the cowboy's keen glance measuring
distance and speed.

"We shore got to ride!" was what Larry apparently yelled, though the
sound of words drifted as a faint whisper to Neale. But the roar of
buffalo hoofs was rapidly diminishing.

Then Neale realized what it meant to keep close to the cowboy. Every
moment Larry turned round both to watch the Indians and to have a glance
at his comrade. They began to gain on Slingerland. Brush was riding for
dear life off to the right, and the Irishman, Pat, still farther in that
direction, was in the most perilous situation of all. Already the white
skipping streaks of dust from bullets whipped up in front of him. The
next time Neale looked back the Sioux had split up; some were riding
hard after Brush and Pat; the majority were pursuing the other three
hunters, cutting the while a little to the right, for Slingerland was
working round toward the work-train. Neale saw the smoke of the engine
and then the train. It seemed far away. And he was sure the Indians
were gaining. What incomparable riders! They looked half naked, dark,
gleaming, low over their mustangs, feathers and trappings flying in the
wind--a wild and panic-provoking sight.

"Don't ride so close!" yelled Larry. "They're spreadin'!"

Neale gathered that the Indians were riding farther apart because they
soon expected to be in range of bullets; and Larry wanted Neale to ride
farther from him for the identical reason.

Neale saw the first white puff of smoke from a rifle of the leader. The
bullet hit far behind. More shots kept raising the dust, the last time
still a few yards short.

"Gawd! Look!" yelled Larry. "The devils hit Pat's hoss!"

Neale saw the Irishman go down with his horse, plunge in the dust, and
then roll over and lie still.

"They got him!" he yelled at Larry.

"Ride thet hoss!" came back grimly and appealingly from the cowboy.

Neale rode as he had never before ridden. Fortunately his horse was
fresh and fast, and that balanced the driving the cowboy was giving his
mount. For a long distance they held their own with the Sioux. They had
now gained a straight-away course for the work-train, so that with the
Sioux behind they had only to hold