ove ground, they looked about at the surroundings. Off in the
distance the cyclone could be seen whirling along, gradually growing
smaller and smaller as it departed. As they watched the terror
disappear, a prayer of thankfulness was in the heart of each. It was
indeed a near-miracle that had saved the ranch from complete
annihilation.

Bud was the first to speak. His utterance was not exactly fraught with
elegancy, but it expressed the feelings of all.

"Whew!" he said with a long, drawn-out sigh.

"And then some!" cried Dick. "What a show that was!"

"Boy!" Billee Dobb breathed. "I'm sure glad we got missed! When I saw
that ole baby comin', I says 'raise yore sights, buster, raise yore
sights! You got the wrong range!' An' blamed if she didn't raise,
too!"

A laugh started--the kind that relieves the soul after a tense and
dangerous moment. Bud broke out in a loud guffaw. Then the Kid let
loose--and for two minutes the air re-echoed with the shouts of glee of
the five ranchers. Nothing really to laugh at; this laughter was not
exactly in appreciation of Billee's remark. It was more in the nature
of a celebration.

"Whusch!" cried Bud weakly, when he could get his breath. "You crazy
coot! So you're the one that lifted the cyclone, hey? Well, you sure
did a good job of it!"

The ranchers made their way over to where the horses had been tied.

"O. K.!" Dick yelled as he came up. "They're all there. Not a hair on
'em touched. Bet they thought it was the end of the world, though!"

"Sure!" assented Nort.

"Now, now, old hoss!" Dick said soothingly as he stroked the nose of
his pony. "Scared, eh? Well, I don't blame you a bit. Look at this
one shake! Take it easy, boy--it's all over. Easy, there! Feel
better now? That's the stuff--walk around a bit. Do you good.
Steady! Steady!"

The horses were quickly calmed. Assured by the presence of their
masters that they were safe, they soon stopped quivering, and breathed
easier. A good horse trusts implicitly in his rider.

"I'll take 'em over nearer the house," declared the Kid. "They'll feel
better when they get movin'. By the way--wonder what happened to our
cook? Last time I saw him he was fryin' bacon. Take a run to the
kitchen, Dick, and look, will you?"

"Sure. Say, there's one shack down," Dick said as he pointed to the
wreck of a small building.

"Probably was a bunk house. We won't need one of those for a while,
anywa