there without being seen by the light of the fire.

The fire was built up against an old dead log, which, being dry and well
seasoned, burned readily, and in some places blazed up some ten feet or
more high. Some of the cowboys, seeing the light of the fire a half mile
away, came down to see what it meant.

Fred and Terry recognized them and they waited to watch their movements.
One of them went up and talked with one of the men who was bound to the
tree.

Both of them suspected their loyalty, but they proved to be true.

They looked around to find Fred and Terry, and several times used the
signals that Fred had given them.

When Fred and Terry returned their signals they came toward them,
looking carefully for them.

When they found them one of them asked:

"Boss, did you tie up those fellows?"

"Yes," said Terry, "and there's another one lying back there in the
grass with a broken head, but all the same we tied him by his hands and
feet to keep him from getting away."

Just then they heard the man groaning and calling to his pals, and the
two cowboys followed the sound of his voice and soon found him, he
having recovered consciousness. They picked him up and brought him down
near the fire.

There all four of them denied that they had done anything wrong.

Each claimed that he had nothing to do with cutting out the wire, denied
that he was driving the cattle and, of course, claimed to be innocent of
any wrong-doing.

"Well," said Fred, "I hope you will be able to prove your innocence in
court, for that is where you are going."

Then Fred turned on the two cowboys and asked them why they had left
that corner of the ranch unguarded.

"Boss," one of them said, "there wasn't enough of us to reach down so
far, and we thought that it would be safe to let it alone and to-morrow
report it, but as soon as we saw the light we came down to investigate
it."

Both of them thought that that excuse was reasonable, and Fred told them
that they were expected to be vigilant in the discharge of their work
and that they would employ more cowboys.

"Now you two can lie down here and sleep while we keep watch."

"Boss, we'll watch while you sleep," was the reply.

"No, we are going to keep watch ourselves. At daylight I want one of you
to make your way back to the barn and hitch up a team, bring down a coil
of wire and the necessary tools to repair this gap and then take the
prisoners back to town.

"Fred," said Te