e trees. Dick
ran to him. The old man's face was twisted with pain, and he sank to
the earth.

"Dick--Dick--" he gasped, "they got me! They got me! I'm
down--and--out!"

CHAPTER XXI

CLOSING IN

Nort, Mr. Hawkins and Yellin' Kid rode as fast as they might toward the
Shooting Star. It was their intention to reach the ranch and return as
soon as possible, after having taken a bite to eat. The idea of
resting was given up as the hours flew by. It seemed no time at all
before the stars grew dull, and the gray fingers of dawn spread out in
the east.

"Have to hurry," Hawkins commented as he fumbled around in the dark
kitchen of the ranch. "Where in thunder is that lamp? Haven't you got
one out here?"

"Sure--I think so," Nort answered. "Have to hunt for it, though. I'm
not so certain of my ground here. It's all new to me, you know.

"Well, it's not in the corner, that's sure. Let's have another match,
Kid. Ah, here we are!" The soft illumination of an oil lamp flooded
the room. "Got any non-exploding sand in this machine, Nort?"

"What's that?"

"It's something the gold-brick artists used to sell to farmer's wives
to keep lamps from exploding. Nothing hut plain, ordinary sand, but
the directions that came with it said to always keep the lamp clean,
not to put too much oil in it, trim the wick, and so forth. Then put
the sand in and the lamp would never explode. Of course it wouldn't,
if the directions were followed. But the sand didn't help any. It was
the cleaning that did the trick. Yet the buyer bought peace of mind
and security for ten cents, so the game wasn't so bad as it sounds."

"Pretty good!" the Kid laughed. "Never heard of that trick before, but
a feller was out here last year sellin' an electric belt, guaranteed to
take off ten pounds. All you had to do was to live on bread an' water
for five days an' run two miles every morning, wearin' the electric
belt. Didn't do no business here, though, 'cause most of the boys
wanted to put on weight, not lose it."

"Some graft," Hawkins declared. "Well, that's neither here nor there.
Find that bread and meat, Nort?"

"Yep. Got it all fixed up. Say, by the way, I wonder where that Mex
cook of ours went?"

"That's so too!" exclaimed Hawkins, as they hurriedly ate a lunch.
"Forgot all about him in the excitement. No use looking for him now, I
suppose. He may turn up."

"Then again he may not," the Kid spoke grimly. "We'