. Asbury
signalled to his men to mount and be ready to move on a moment's call.

It was well to be ready for any emergency.

Dick Hawkridge studied the horsemen closely for some minutes without
speaking. Then, with his eye still at the glass, he repeated slowly,
as if to himself:

"There are thirteen of them, and the spotted horse at the head I am
sure belongs to Ira Inman; the whole party are rustlers."

He lowered the binocular and looked at the captain, adding:

"I suspected it; their party is but a little stronger than yours, for
Mont and I will stand with you, but it seems to me it would be foolish
to risk a fight in the open."

"I am willing to retreat, but I don't intend to be run out of Wyoming
by all the rustlers between Sheridan and Cheyenne. I am willing,
however," he added, with a smile, "to make a strategical movement to
the rear until we strike some place where there's a show for defence;
do you know of any such place?"

"My house is well fitted for that, and is not far off."

"All right; lead on."

By this time the rest of the party had ridden to the top of the hill,
where the situation was quickly made clear to them. They looked off at
the party of rustlers, and several expressed the wish that the captain
would stay and fight them; but he replied that they were quite certain
to get enough of fighting before they were many days older, and he
followed Hawkridge.

At sight of the flight, the rustlers uttered tantalizing shouts
and discharged their Winchesters in the air. At the same time they
increased the speed of their animals; but, as they were no better
mounted than the stockmen, there was little chance of overtaking them.

The surface was undulating, the ground being well covered with verdure
even thus early in the spring. Sometimes pursuers and fugitives were
out of sight of each other for a minute or two, but not long enough to
affect the situation.

The course was northwest, and Hawkridge was hopeful that they would
reach his ranch in an hour or a little more. And this they probably
would have done had they not been interrupted, or rather checked,
by the unexpected appearance of a third company of horsemen, almost
directly in front of the stockmen.

"It may be they are friends," said Capt. Asbury, instantly bringing
his horse down to a walk, as did the others.

But the hope was delusive. A brief scrutiny of the strangers through
the glass by Dick Hawkridge left no doubt that they,