,
with his Colts ready, he saw Red sitting on a stump, a huge grin
extending over his features. He replaced the weapon, said something
about fools and dismounted, kicking aside the bundle of grass his friend
had thrown.

"Yore shore easy," remarked Red, tossing aside his cold cigarette.
"Suppose I was Trendley, where would yu be now?"

"Diggin' a hole to put yu in," pleasantly replied Hopalong. "If I didn't
know he wasn't around this part of the country I wouldn't a rode as I
did."

The man on the stump laughed and rolled a fresh cigarette. Lighting it,
he inquired where Mr. Trendley was, intimating by his words that the
rustler had not been found.

"About thirty miles to th' southeast," responded the other. "He's
figurin' up how much dust he'll have when he gets our cows on th'
market. Deacon Rankin is with him, too."

"Th' deuce!" exclaimed Red, in profound astonishment.

"Yore right," replied his companion. Then he explained all the
arrangements and told of the camp.

Red was for riding to the rendezvous at once, but his friend thought
otherwise and proposed a swim, which met with approval. After enjoying
themselves in the lake they dressed and rode along the trail Hopalong
had made in coming for his companion, it being the intention of
the former to learn more thoroughly the lay of the land immediately
surrounding the camp. Red was pleased with this, and while they rode
he narrated all that had taken place since the separation on the Plain,
adding that he had found the trail left by the rustlers after they had
quitted the desert and that he had followed it for the last two hours of
his journey. It was well beaten and an eighth of a mile wide.

At dark they came within sight of the grove and picketed their horses at
the place used by Pie and Hopalong. Then they moved forward and the same
sight greeted their eyes that had been seen the night before. Keeping
well within the edge of the grove and looking carefully for sentries,
they went entirely around the camp and picked out several places which
would be of strategic value later on. They noticed that the cabin used
by Slippery Trendley was a hundred paces from the main collection of
huts and that the woods came to within a tenth part of that distance
of its door. It was heavily built, had no windows and faced the wrong
direction.

Moving on, they discovered the storehouse of the enemy, another tempting
place. It was just possible, if a siege became necessa