; it sorta hurts us to see
nice young girls dragged off by the hair."

Dorothy uttered a little cry and then became hysterical. Castleton for
once was fully aroused.

"By Gad! You and your partner are a couple of blooming cowards. Where
now is that courage you boasted of?"

Monty's dark face expressed extreme sarcasm.

"Dook, in my time I've seen some bright fellers, but you take the
cake. It's most marvelous how bright you are. Figger'n' me an' Nels so
correct. Say, Dook, if you don't git rustled off to Mexico an' roped to
a cactus-bush you'll hev a swell story fer your English chums. Bah
Jove! You'll tell 'em how you seen two old-time gun-men run like scared
jack-rabbits from a lot of Greasers. Like hell you will! Unless you
lie like the time you told about proddin' the lion. That there story
allus--"

"Monty, shut up!" yelled Stewart, as he came hurriedly up. Then Monty
slouched away, cursing to himself.

Madeline and Helen, assisted by Castleton, worked over Dorothy, and
with some difficulty quieted her. Stewart passed several times without
noticing them, and Monty, who had been so ridiculously eager to pay
every little attention to Dorothy, did not see her at all. Rude it
seemed; in Monty's ease more than that. Madeline hardly knew what to
make of it.

Stewart directed cowboys to go to the head of the open place in the
cliff and let down lassoes. Then, with little waste of words, he urged
the women toward this rough ladder of stones.

"We want to hide you," he said, when they demurred. "If the guerrillas
come we'll tell them you've all gone down to the ranch. If we have to
fight you'll be safe up there."

Helen stepped boldly forward and let Stewart put the loop of a lasso
round her and tighten it. He waved his hand to the cowboys above.

"Just walk up, now," he directed Helen.

It proved to the watchers to be an easy, safe, and rapid means of
scaling the steep passage. The men climbed up without assistance. Mrs.
Beck, as usual, had hysteria; she half walked and was half dragged up.
Stewart supported Dorothy with one arm, while with the other he held to
the lasso. Ambrose had to carry Christine. The Mexican women required
no assistance. Edith Wayne and Madeline climbed last; and, once up,
Madeline saw a narrow bench, thick with shrubs, and overshadowed by
huge, leaning crags. There were holes in the rock, and dark fissures
leading back. It was a rough, wild place. Tarpaulins and bedding were
then hau