of
an animal regarded as dead or useless, spurred on again, drawing closer
together, and along the chord of the arc made by Mr. Connors' trail.
Evidently the fool white man was either crazy or had original and
startling ideas about the way to rest a horse when hard pressed, which
pleased them much, since he had lost so much time. The pleasures of the
war-trail would be vastly greater if all white men had similar ideas.

Hopalong, the light of fighting burning strong in his eyes, watched them
sweep nearer and nearer, splendid examples of their type and seeming to
be a part of their mounts. Then two shots rang out in quick succession
and a cloud of pungent smoke arose lazily from the edge of the arroyo
as the warriors fell from their mounts not sixty yards from the hidden
marksman.

Mr. Connors' rifle spat fire once to make assurance doubly sure and he
hastily rejoined his friend as that person climbed out of the arroyo.

"Huh! They must have been half-breeds!" snorted Red in great disgust,
watching his friend shed sand from his clothes. "I allus opined that
'Paches was too blamed slick to bite on a game like that."

"Well, they are purty 'lusive animals, 'Paches; but there are
exceptions," replied Hopalong, smiling at the success of their scheme.
"Them two ain't 'Paches--they're the exceptions. But let me tell you
that's a good game, just the same. It is as long as they don't see the
second trail in time. Didn't Buck and Skinny get two that way?"

"Yes, I reckon so. But what'll we do now? What's the next play?" asked
Red, hurriedly, his eyes searching the sky-line of the hills. "The rest
of the coyotes will be here purty soon, an' they'll be madder than ever
now. An' you better gimme back that gun, too."

"Take yore old gun--who wants the blamed thing, anyhow?" Hopalong
demanded, throwing the weapon at his friend as he ran to bring up the
hidden horse. When he returned he grinned pleasantly. "Why, we'll go on
like we was greased for calamity, that's what we'll do. Did you reckon
we was going to play leap-frog around here an' wait for the rest of them
paint-shops, like a blamed fool pair of idiots?"

"I didn't know what _you_ might do, remembering how you acted when I met
you," retorted Red, shifting his cartridge belt so the empty loops were
behind and out of the way. "But I shore knowed what we ought to do, all
right."

"Well, mebby you also know how many's headed this way; do you?"

"You've got me stumped the