here's his gun--he
used it to weigh down the copy when he raced away after the whirlwind.
Run for the horses. We'll get after him and get the original away from
him, if he gets it. Then, if Hank gets Filer--which he certainly
will--we'll have the only copies in existence!"

Pete, the bosom friend of Tehachapi Hank, turned about and ran up
toward the fringe of junipers that concealed their horses, brought down
the day before from the mountains. Drummond, while he waited, gazed
after the strange chase, and noted that the fleet black mare was
steadily overtaking the moving funnel of dust which represented the
whirlwind.

"By golly, if he can ride into the thing and break it, or keep up with
it till it breaks itself, he'll get the sheepskin!" Drummond muttered.
"But he won't keep it. He's left his gun. He's our meat now!"

Then Pete rode up rapidly, leading Drummond's mount, and next moment
they were on the dead run in pursuit of Hiram.

Time and again, as they drew nearer, they saw Hiram deliberately riding
the mare through the whirlwind, trying to break it. The thing seemed a
devil, alive and diabolically bent on eluding him. It changed course
from right to left, but the cow pony was as quick as it was; and it
seemed to the racing spectators that she enjoyed the game. Hiram was
so intent on his task, so frequently blinded by the whirlwind, while
his ears were filled with its roar, that to ride almost upon him
without his knowledge of it was an easy task for Pete and Drummond.

They were very close to him, then, when at last the mare's lunges broke
the whirlwind, and a scattered cloud of dust hid horse and rider.
Whether or not Hiram had rescued the paper they could not tell, but
they spurred their horses on.

The dust settled, and close at hand they saw Hiram, dismounted. At the
same instant he seemed to hear the thunder of hoofs, and glanced their
way. He took a couple of steps and grasped his mare's bridle, and was
standing unconcernedly at her head When they raced up, both training
sixshooters on him.

"Stick 'em up, Hooker!" ordered Drummond. "This means business at
last."

Totally unarmed, Hiram grinned and slowly elevated his hands.

Watching him closely, Drummond and Pete dismounted, and, still keeping
their sixes trained on Hiram's stomach, approached him.

"Well, Hooker," Drummond said sneeringly, "we meet again, don't we?
You see, we've showed our hand at last--and it's a pretty good one,