not."

In half an hour the Inspector, Sergeant Crisp and Cameron, with the
three American citizens, were on their way to the Blood reserve.

Cameron had been given a horse from the stable.

All afternoon and late into the evening they rode, then camped and were
early upon the trail the following morning. Cameron was half dead with
the fatigue from his experiences of the past week, but he would have
died rather than have hinted at weariness. He was not a little comforted
to notice that Sergeant Crisp, too, was showing signs of distress, while
District Attorney Sligh was evidently in the last stages of exhaustion.
Even the steel and whalebone combination that constituted the frame
of the Inspector appeared to show some slight signs of wear; but all
feeling of weariness vanished when the Inspector, who was in the lead,
halted at the edge of a wide sweeping valley and, pointing far ahead,
said, "The Blood reserve. Their camp lies just beyond that bluff."

"Say, Inspector, hold up!" cried Mr. Cadwaller as the Inspector set off
again. "Ain't yuh goin' to sneak up on 'em like?"

"Sneak up on them? No, of course not," said the Inspector curtly. "We
shall ride right in."

"Say, Raimes," said Mr. Cadwaller, "a hole would be a blame nice thing
to find just now."

"Do you think there will be any trouble?" enquired Mr. Hiram Sligh of
Sergeant Crisp.

"Trouble? Perhaps so," replied Crisp, as if to him it were a matter of
perfect indifference.

"We'll never git them hosses," said Raimes. "But we've got to stay with
the chief, I guess."

And so they followed Inspector Dickson down into the valley, where in
the distance could be seen a number of horses and cattle grazing. They
had not ridden far along the valley bottom when Mr. Cadwaller spurred up
upon the Inspector and called out excitedly,

"I say, Inspector, them's our hosses right there. Say, let's run 'em
off."

"Can you pick them out?" enquired the Inspector, turning in his saddle.

"Every last one!" said Raimes.

"Very well, cut them out and get them into a bunch," said the Inspector.
"I see there are some Indians herding them apparently. Pay no attention
to them, but go right along with your work."

"There's one of 'em off to give tongue!" cried Mr. Cadwaller excitedly.
"Bring him down, Inspector! Bring him down! Quick! Here, let me have
your rifle!" Hurriedly he snatched at the Inspector's carbine.

"Stop!" cried the Inspector in sharp command. "Now, attent