trousers and an old boiled shirt.

"By an'-by, by all that's bad!" yelled Hopalong. "Th' measly coyote! An'
me a-fillin' his ornery hide with liquor. Well, they'll have to find
him all over again now," he complained, astounded by the revelation. He
fired into the chaparral to express his pugnacious disgust and scared
out a huge tarantula, which alighted on Skinny's chaps, crawling rapidly
toward the unconscious man's neck. Hopalong's face hardened and he
slowly covered the insect and fired, driving it into the sand, torn
and lifeless. The bullet touched the leathern garment and Skinny
remonstrated, knowing that Hopalong was in no condition for fancy
shooting.

"Huh!" exclaimed Hopalong. "That was a tarantula what I plugged. He
was headin' for yore neck," he explained, watching the chaparral with
apprehension.

"Go 'way, was it? Bully for yu!" exclaimed Skinny, tarantulas being
placed at par with rattlesnakes, and he considered that he had been
saved from a horrible death. "Thought yu said they wasn't no bugs over
here," he added in an aggrieved tone.

"They wasn't none. Yu brought 'em. I only had th' main show--Gilas,
rattlers an' toads," he replied, and then added, "Ain't it cussed hot up
here?"

"She is. Yu won't have no cinch ridin' home with that leg. Yu better
take my cayuse--he's busted more'n yourn," responded Skinny.

"Yore cayuse is at th' Cross Bar O, yu wall-eyed pirute."

"Shore 'nuff. Funny how a feller forgets sometimes. Lemme alone now,
they's goin' to git By-an'-by. Pete an' Lanky has just went in after
him."

That was what had occurred. The two impatient punchers, had grown tired
of waiting, and risked what might easily have been death in order to
hasten matters. The others kept up a rapid fire, directed at the far end
of the chaparral on the knoll, in order to mask the movements of their
venturesome friends, intending also to drive By-and-by toward them so
that he would be the one to get picked off as he advanced.

Several shots rang out in quick succession on the knoll and the
chaparral became agitated. Several more shots sounded from the depth
of the thicket and a mounted Indian dashed out of the northern edge and
headed in Buck's direction. His course would take him close to Buck,
whom he had seen fall, and would let him escape at a point midway
between Red and Skinny, as Lanky was on the knoll and the range was very
far to allow effective shooting by these two.

Red saw him leave the c