hing; and they came
mighty nigh doing it," and he glanced anxiously down the canyon.
"They'll be due in about half an hour, I judge from what I overheard.
They were not calculating on any of you getting back so soon," and he
smiled grimly.

"But that other man? Where is that other man?" and Mr. Conroyal--by this
time all, even Mrs. Dickson, had made their way down the Big
Tree--looked anxiously around.

Rex started and glanced quickly toward the wall of the canyon, directly
under the opening to Crooked Arm Gulch; and then his face cleared.

"I reckon that's him," and he pointed to a huddled heap that lay on the
rocks. "I knocked him off the limb of the Big Tree. But, we had better
make sure he is where he can do no harm," and he hurried to the body.
"Dead as a stone. Neck broken," he declared, as he turned the corpse
over.

"Broken-nose! It's Broken-nose!" and Thure, who had hurried up with Rex,
started back, as the man's face came into view.

"Wal, th' world's better off by havin' one less scoundrel in it," and
Ham scowled down on the face of Bill Ugger, ugly and repulsive even in
death. "Now," and he turned quickly to Holt, "didn't you say that thar
Mexican skunk, Pedro, had gone tew git th' rest of th' gang?"

"Yes," answered Holt; "and we must be ready for them, when they get
here. They are camped down near the Devil's Slide; and I calculate it
will take them about half an hour yet to get here."

"An' the skunks are a-calculatin' on findin' th' camp unguarded?" and
Ham's eyes began to twinkle brightly.

"Yes, I heard Pedro tell the other fellow that he felt quite sure none
of us would be back for two hours or more; but, to make things safe,
Brokennose, as Thure calls him, said he'd climb the tree and knock the
head off anyone that tried to come through the narrow opening into
Crooked Arm Gulch. I reckon Rex got there just at the right moment to
spoil that little game."

"I certainly did," and Rex smiled grimly. "A minute later, and he would
have got me, instead of my getting him. But, we must be getting ready
for the return of Pedro," and his eyes glanced anxiously down the
canyon.

"Say," and Ham turned to Conroyal, "why can't we give them th' same kind
of a s'prise they was a-calculatin' on givin' us? They ain't expectin'
tew find us here, an' will come a rushin' up unsuspicious-like, an', if
we hide, we can give 'em a mighty warm reception a-fore they know what's
happenin'."

"Bully! Where'll we hi