is
cartridges. Some one was hurt behind his car and he crawled out to see.
A villager named Schmidt had been wounded in the leg, not seriously, but
bad enough to disable him. He had been using a double-barreled
breech-loading shot-gun, and he wore a vest with rows of shells in the
pockets across the front. Kurt borrowed gun and ammunition; and with
these he hurried back to his covert, grimly sure of himself. At thought
of Glidden he became hot all over, and this heat rather grew with the
excitement of battle.

With the heavy fowling-piece loaded, Kurt peeped forth from behind his
protecting wheel and watched keenly for flashes or moving dark figures.
The I.W.W. had begun to reserve their fire, to shift their positions,
and to spread out, judging from a wider range of the reports. It looked
as if they meant to try and surround Olsen's band. It was
extraordinary--the assurance and deadly intent of this riffraff gang of
tramp labor-agitators. In preceding years a crowd of I.W.W. men had been
nothing to worry a rancher. Vastly different it seemed now. They acted
as if they had the great war back of them.

Kurt crawled out of his hiding-place, and stole from car to car, in
search of Olsen. At last he found the rancher, in company with several
men, peering from behind a car. One of his companions was sitting down
and trying to wrap something round his foot.

"Olsen, they're spreading out to surround us," whispered Kurt.

"That's what Bill here just said," replied Olsen, nervously. "If this
keeps up we'll be in a tight place. What'll we do, Dorn?"

"We mustn't break and run, of all things," said Kurt. "They'd burn the
village. Tell our men to save their shells.... If I only could get some
cracks at a bunch of them together--with this big shot-gun!"

"Say, we've been watchin' that car--the half-size one, there--next the
high box-car," whispered Olsen.

"It's full of them. Sometimes we see a dozen shots come from it, all at
once."

"Olsen, I've an idea," returned Kurt, excitedly. "You fellows keep
shooting--attract their attention. I'll slip below, climb on top of a
box-car, and get a rake-off at that bunch."

"It's risky, Dorn," said Olsen, with hesitation. "But if you could get
in a few tellin' shots--start that gang on the run!"

"I'll try it," rejoined Kurt, and forthwith stole off back toward the
shadow. It struck him that there was more light then when the attack
began. The fire had increased, or perhaps the I.