ked swiftly through the
door.

She was almost past the table before they recovered from their surprise.
Then the chimpanzee man put out a huge arm and caught her by the wrist.

"'Ere, what's this?"

"Let me go."

He grinned maliciously.

"I _should_ say. Why, I've jest won you!"

She struggled in vain in his iron grip.

"Git back to thet room!" he ordered, and flung her towards the door.

It was the first time any man had laid hands on her, and it aroused the
devil. Her face and neck went crimson. Some of the fear vanished under
this storm of violent repugnance. She noticed a naked hunting-knife on a
ledge by the window. She flew to it and gripped it menacingly.

She came nearer and raised it to strike any obstructors. Then Connie's
lean figure leapt forward. The knife rattled to the floor and her wrist
ached from the blow he had dealt it. He took her by the shoulders.

"Cut that! Tom's won you, and you'd better get wise to that."

"You brutes! Do you think you can----"

Her voice petered out as she saw the horrible expression in Tom's eyes.
There was no hope of mercy there. Words were lost on this monster. All the
evening he had dwelled with rapture upon the object of the gamble. He took
her from Connie and held her fast in his arms. Connie laughed.

"You allus had the luck. Wal, perhaps she'll transfer her affections
later!"

"Let me go!" she cried, now thoroughly panic-stricken. "Oh, God!--let me
go!"

The chimpanzee-man merely gurgled in his throat. He lifted her from the
ground and made for the inner room. One of her hands became free. She
seized a bunch of his hair until it was wrenched from his hard scalp.

"Ugh!" he grunted. "Go on--it's my turn in a minnit."

"You monster!"

"Good-night--boys!" he cried mockingly.

"Happy dreams!" sneered Connie. "Don't forget we start----"

The third man, a silent, morose individual, suddenly gave a gasp as the
outer door was flung open. The others turned and saw the enraged face of
Colorado Jim behind a big six-shooter.

CHAPTER X

ANGELA MEETS A FRIEND

"Hands up!" snapped Jim.

Connie and the silent man obeyed. Tom, clasping his prize, looked
thunderstruck.

"Did you git that, you human gorilla? Put 'em up."

Tom let Angela slip to the floor.

"What's all this?" he growled.

Jim gripped the deal table with one huge hand and flung it across the
room. He advanced on Connie and slapped the latter's pockets.

"No guns? Good!"

Co