unning as he leaped out of bed.

"What woke you?" asked Laddy.

"Sol. He came whistling for Dick. Didn't you hear him before I called
you?"

"Hear him! He came thunderin' right under my window. I jumped up in
bed, an' when he let out that blast Jim lit square in the middle of the
floor, an' I was scared stiff. Dick, seein' it was your room he blew
into, what did you think?"

"I couldn't think. I'm shaking yet, Laddy."

"Boys, I'll bet Sol spilled a few raiders if any got hands on him,"
said Jim. "Now, let's sit down an' wait for daylight. It's my idea
we'll find some of the hosses runnin' loose. Tom, you go an' get some
clothes on. It's freezin' cold. An' don't forget to tell the women
folks we're all right."

Daylight made clear some details of the raid. The cowboys found tracks
of eight raiders coming up from the river bed where their horses had
been left. Evidently the Papago had been false to his trust. He few
personal belongings were gone. Lash was correct in his idea of finding
more horses loose in the fields. The men soon rounded up eleven of the
whites, all more or less frightened, and among the number were Queen
and Blanca Mujer. The raiders had been unable to handle more than one
horse for each man. It was bitter irony of fate that Belding should
lose his favorite, the one horse more dear to him than all the others.
Somewhere out on the trail a raider was fighting the iron-jawed savage
Blanco Diablo.

"I reckon we're some lucky," observed Jim Lash.

"Lucky ain't enough word," replied Ladd. "You see, it was this way.
Some of the raiders piled over the fence while the others worked on the
gate. Mebbe the Papago went inside to pick out the best hosses. But
it didn't work except with Diablo, an' how they ever got him I don't
know. I'd have gambled it'd take all of eight men to steal him. But
Greasers have got us skinned on handlin' hosses."

Belding was unconsolable. He cursed and railed, and finally declared
he was going to trail the raiders.

"Tom, you just ain't agoin' to do nothin' of the kind," said Ladd
coolly.

Belding groaned and bowed his head.

"Laddy, you're right," he replied, presently. "I've got to stand it.
I can't leave the women and my property. But it's sure tough. I'm sore
way down deep, and nothin' but blood would ever satisfy me."

"Leave that to me an' Jim," said Ladd.

"What do you mean to do?" demanded Belding, starting up.

"Shore I don't know