his time the top of the hole was gained
without much difficulty.

"Now you're out, how am I ter make it?"

It was easy to ask this question, but not so easy to answer it. Rasco
tried to run up the spongy incline and sank to his knees.

"Ain't no use; I'll try a new game," he growled.

Fortunately, Rasco was in the habit of carrying, in cowboy fashion, a
lariat suspended from his belt. This he now unwound and with a dexterous
throw caught the outer loop over a sturdy bush growing over one of the
perpendicular sides of the opening.

Testing the lariat, to make certain it was firm, he began to ascend hand
over hand. This was no light task, yet it was speedily accomplished, and
with a sigh of relief he found himself safe once more.

But in the meantime the horse had trotted off, alarmed by a black snake
in the long grass. Rasco saw this snake a minute later, but the reptile
slunk out of sight before he could get a chance to dispatch it.

The trail of the horse led again back to the ravine, but not in the
direction of the cave. Bound to secure the animal before rejoining
Pawnee Brown, Rasco loped along in pursuit.

He was in the ravine, and had just caught sight of his steed once more,
when he heard several pistol shots coming from a distance. These were
the shots fired by Pawnee Brown at the wildcat. He listened intently,
but no more shots followed, and being below the level of the surrounding
country, he was unable to locate the discharge of firearms.

"Something is wrong somewhar," he mused. "Can thet be Pawnee shootin',
or is it Dick an' the others?"

He secured the horse and began to ascend out of the ravine, when a
murmur of voices broke upon his ears. One of the voices sounded familiar
and he soon recognized it as that of Louis Vorlange.

Instantly dismounting, he tied his animal fast to a tree that the
creature might not wander away again, and worked his way noiselessly
through the brush. The voices came from a nearby clearing, and
approaching, Rasco saw on horseback Louis Vorlange and half a dozen
cavalrymen, among them Tucker, Ross and Skimmy, the trio who had sought
to detain Dick as a horse thief.

"I feel certain they will come this way," one of the strange troopers
was saying. "I saw at least two boomer spies along yonder ravine."

"They will come to Honnewell," answered Vorlange. "It may be that
instead of making a rush they will try to sneak in during the night, one
at a time."

"We'll be rea