e worth. Then when I say
fire, every man shake out his rifle, but shoot high. We don't want to
hit anybody unless we have to. We'll make those fellows think the
whole troop of Rangers is turned loose on them. Understand?"

"Good! Excellent head work, Tad. I'm proud of you. But I do hope none
of you gets hit."

"If you are afraid, drop back to the rear, Professor," suggested Stacy,
whereat chuckles were heard from the others.

The bandits had not discovered the advancing horsemen in the darkness,
though had they been less interested in seeking to kill Lieutenant
Withem they might have observed the little band that was now sweeping
down on them.

"Now! Whoop it up, fellows!" Tad raised his voice to an exultant shout.

Chunky's piercing voice punctured the atmosphere in a blood-curdling
shout, a wild warwhoop.

"Yip! Yip! Hiyi! Hiyi! Kyaw! Kyeeaw! Yip! Yip!"

Despite the seriousness of the situation and the real desperateness of
their position the Pony Rider Boys laughed so that they were unable to
yell for a full minute. Then they let go their voices, to which the
professor added his own. But his voice was almost wholly lost in the
blood-curdling shouts of his young charges.

"Ready---Chunky, aim at the moon or you'll be puncturing some of us.
Now fire!"

A volley of shots followed Tad's command. Five rifles crashed out,
but their leaden missiles went high, followed by another series of
wild yells, whoops and scattering shots.

About this time the Border Bandits discovered the oncoming party of
horsemen. All at once they turned their rifles on the Pony Rider Boys.
At the first shot in the direction of the boys Tad turned in his saddle.

"Lie low!" he yelled. "Keep whooping and keep shooting. Look out that
you don't hit any one. Ride straight at them. They'll give ground."

"I hope to goodness they do," shouted Ned Rector.

"If they don't it's me for the tall timber," cried Stacy, who had
overheard Rector's remark.

The bullets sang so close to the boys that the lads could hear them
plainly. Had the light been more certain some of them must have been
hit, for those men out there knew how to handle rifles much better
than did any of the Pony Rider Boys.

With wild whoops and yells, keeping up a continuous fusillade, the
plucky band kept straight on.

"It's the Rangers!" They heard the words plainly, uttered by one of
the bandits.

"Yip! Yip! Kyeeaw!" screamed the fat boy.

"Yip! Yip! H