could see
blood streaming from a cut on his head. The boy bent over and grasped
the man's arm. His face was within an inch of the other's.

"Delton!"

The boy's cry was involuntary. Here, under his very hands, was the man
who was the cause of their misfortunes--who had committed crimes, no
telling how many, and who had perhaps shot one of their comrades. And
yet Bud was risking his life to save this creature. Was it fair to
ask----?

A low moan came from the wretched figure. Bud looked for a long moment
at the blood-stained face. Then with a sudden heave he lifted him and
staggered to the door.

"I'll take him!" he gasped to the Kid, who had reached for the burden.
"See if there are any more!"

He heard Yellin' Kid smashing against the walls in an effort to locate
other senseless figures. Then he followed Bud.

"Can't find any more. Ask the Mex how many----"

The cook heard the inquiry and flung his arms wide, indicating that the
rest had made their escape. The Kid, gasping, plunged out into the
open.

As he gulped in great mouthfuls of the welcome fresh air the Kid heard
a sudden crash. He turned quickly. A shower of sparks and flames shot
into the air, like the eruption of a volcano. There was another roar,
and the next moment the building was in ruins. The walls had
collapsed, and nothing remained of the structure but a pile of embers.
With horror written on his face, the Kid looked wildly about him.

"Bud!" he almost screamed. "Bud--is he in there? Get him out--get
him----"

"All right, Kid--all right--" said a voice by his side. It was Bud.
The Kid stared at him for a long minute, with a suspicious moisture in
his eyes. Then he laid his hand on Bud's shoulder.

"Thought--you were--" he said in a husky voice. And he did a strange
yet a boyish thing. He withdrew his hand from Bud's shoulder and
planted it hard under the other's ribs.

"Baby!" he exclaimed. "We sure did clean up that place! Threw them
out like bags of corn. Anybody hurt bad?"

The two, their faces blackened and with clothes torn, walked toward the
group of men gathered about the injured. They saw the forms stretched
on the ground, and for a moment feared that their rescue work had been
in vain.

The boy ranchers looked at the figure upon the ground. The man groaned
and opened his eyes. He stared straight into the eyes of Bud. For a
moment hostility glared out at the boy, then Delton half closed his
eyes a