ething to weep about purty
d----n soon! And I shore hope they don't get tired and quit chasing me."

He stopped and waited when he had gained a screened position from where
he could look back over his trail, and he had not long to wait, for soon
he saw five cowboys galloping hard in his direction. Another look to
the southeast showed him that the war party was now riding slowly toward
him, not knowing of his presence, and they would arrive at his cover
at about the same time the cowboys would come up. Neither the Indians
nor the cowboys knew of the proximity of the other, while The Orphan
could see them both. He glanced at the thicket to the west of him and
saw that it was thin, being a connecting link between the two larger
chaparrals.

"I don't know how you are on the jump, bronch," he said to his mount, "but
I reckon you can get through that, all right."

The cowboys disappeared from his sight behind the northern chaparral,
and as they did so he sunk his spurs into his horse and rode straight at
the prickly screen and, going partly over and partly through it, galloped
westward as the war party and the ranch contingent met. The shots and
yells were as music to his ears, and he bowed in mockery and waved his
hand at the turmoil as he made his escape. The timber wolf had won.

CHAPTER IX

THE CROSS BAR-8 LOSES SLEEP

Sneed was angry, which could be seen by the way he talked, ate, moved and
swore. He had many cattle to care for and they were strewn over six
hundred square miles of territory. The work was hard enough when he had
his full dozen punchers, but now it forced groans from the tired bodies
of his men, who fell asleep while removing their saddles at night, and
who worked in a way almost mechanical. The extra work was not conducive to
sweetness of temper, and he was continually quelling fights among the
members of the outfit. Where only argument formerly would have arisen
over differences of opinion, guns now leaped forth; and the differences
were multiplied greatly, and getting worse every day. Things which
ordinarily would have provoked no notice, or a laugh at most, now caused
hot words and surliness. And the reason for the extra work was the
continued absence of five cow punchers.

Sneed, tired of cursing the missing men and of offering himself
explanations as to why they had not returned, fell, instead, to
planning an appropriate reception for them on their return to the ranch.
He needed no re