that distance, for me. The next thing I knowed was that
half of 'em was coming my way as hard as they could ride, an' I lit
out instanter; an' here I am. I can't get that sight outen my head
nohow--it'll drive me loco!" he screamed, sobbing like a child from the
horror of it all.

His auditors still moved around the room, growing more and more
vindictive all the while and more zealously endeavoring to create a
still greater deficit in one Apache war-party. They knew what he had
looked upon, for they themselves had become familiar with the work of
Apaches in Arizona. They could picture it vividly in all its devilish
horror. Neither of them paid any apparent attention to their companion,
for they could not spare the time, and, also, they believed it best to
let him fight out his own battles unassisted.

Holden sobbed and muttered as the minutes dragged along, at times acting
so strangely as to draw a covert side-glance from one or both of the
Bar-20 punchers. Then Mr. Connors saw his boon companion suddenly lean
out of a window and immediately become the target for the hard-working
enemy. He swore angrily at the criminal recklessness of it. "Hey, you!
Come in out of that! Ain't you got no brains at all, you blasted idiot!
Don't you know that we need every gun?"

"Yes; that's right. I sort of forgot," grinned the reckless one, obeying
with alacrity and looking sheepish. "But you know there's two thundering
big tarantulas out there fighting like blazes. You ought to see 'em
jump! It's a sort of a leap-frog fight, Red."

"Fool!" snorted Mr. Connors belligerently. "_You'd_ 'a' jumped if one of
them slugs had 'a' got you! Yo're the damnedest fool that ever walked on
two laigs, you blasted sage-hen!" Mr. Connors was beginning to lose his
temper and talk in his throat.

"Well, they didn't get me, did they? What you yelling about, anyhow?"
growled Hopalong, trying to brazen it out.

"An' _you_ talking about suicide to me!" snapped Mr. Connors, determined
to rub it in and have the last word.

Mr. Holden stared, open-mouthed, at the man who could enjoy a miserable
spider fight under such distressing circumstances, and his shaken nerves
became steadier as he gave thought to the fact that he was a companion
of the two men about whose exploits he had heard so much. Evidently the
stories had not been exaggerated. What must they think of him for giving
way as he had? He rose to his feet in time to see a horse blunder into
the o