capt. asbury drew a cigar from his pocket and lit it, first offering one to each of his companions. he puffed in silence for a minute or two, evidently absorbed in thought. he was a veteran of the civil war, and had learned to be cool in dangerous crises.
"hawkridge," he remarked, removing his cigar, "you are right in the main, although not wholly so."
"i await correction."
"doubtless it is all true what you say about the festive rustlers roaming up and down the land seeking whom they may devour, but you forget that, leaving out the quarter of a hundred from the lone star state, there are also other bands of stockmen abroad. now, if we could effect a junction with one or two of those companies, why, you'll admit, the aspect of affairs will be changed."
"unquestionably; but consider how slight the chance—"
"on the contrary, i think the prospect is good. now, if you'll be kind enough to level your glass to the eastward, possibly you will observe something interesting."
both young men quickly turned their heads in the direction indicated, and there, sure enough, was descried a body of horsemen, probably a mile distant, approaching on a gallop.
hawkridge levelled his glass. while thus engaged, capt. asbury signalled to his men to mount and be ready to move on a moment's call.
it was well to be ready for any emergency.
dick hawkridge studied the horsemen closely for some minutes without speaking. then, with his eye still at the glass, he repeated slowly, as if to himself:
"there are thirteen of them, and the spotted horse at the head i am sure belongs to ira inman; the whole party are rustlers."
he lowered the binocular and looked at the captain, adding:
"i suspected it; their party is but a little stronger than yours, for mont and i will stand with you, but it seems to me it would be foolish to risk a fight in the open."
"i am willing to retreat, but i don't intend to be run out of wyoming by all the rustlers between sheridan and cheyenne. i am willing, however," he added, with a smile, "to make a strategical movement to the rear until we strike some place where there's a show for defence; do you know of any such place?"
"my house is well fitted for that, and is not far off."
"all right; lead on."
by this time the rest of the party had ridden to the top of the hill, where the situation was quickly made clear to them. they looked off at the party of rustlers, and several expressed the wish that the captain would stay and fight them; but he replied that they were quite certain to get enough of fighting before they were many days older, and he followed hawkridge.
at sight of the flight, the rustlers uttered tantalizing shouts and discharged their winchesters in the air. at the same time they increased the speed of their animals; but, as they were no better mounted than the stockmen, there was little chance of overtaking them.
the surface was undulating, the ground being well covered with verdure even thus early in the spring. sometimes pursuers and fugitives were out of sight of each other for a minute or two, but not long enough to affect the situation.
the course was northwest, and hawkridge was hopeful that they would reach his ranch in an hour or a little more. and this they probably would have done had they not been interrupted, or rather checked, by the unexpected appearance of a third company of horsemen, almost directly in front of the stockmen.
"it may be they are friends," said capt. asbury, instantly bringing his horse down to a walk, as did the others.
but the hope was delusive. a brief scrutiny of the strangers through the glass by dick hawkridge left no doubt that they, too, were rustlers, probably engaged on the same errand as inman and his men.
this, of course, overthrew the plan of taking refuge at the ranch of hawkridge, with a view of defending themselves, for to push on insured a collision with the party in front. they seemed to be about as numerous as inman's company, and as the latter were sure to arrive before anything could be accomplished by the most spirited attack on the rustlers, it would have been folly to incur such a risk.
the most obvious course was to turn to the left, with no special object except to reach some place that could be used as a means of defence. in a country with such a varied surface it ought not to take long to find a refuge.
dick hawkridge, when leading the way to his home, acted as guide, and now that the change was made he continued to do so because of his familiarity with the country. beside him rode his friend, mont sterry, with capt. asbury and the rest following in loose order.
it was an interesting question as to how inman and the others would act upon meeting, and the stockmen watched for the junction.
at the moment the abrupt turn was made in the course of the fugitives the two parties of rustlers did not see each other, a precipitous ridge preventing. they must have been puzzled, therefore, to understand the cause of the sudden change in the line of flight.
the mystery, however, was speedily cleared up, and the rustlers greeted each other with ringing cheers, adding a few derisive shouts to the fleeing stockmen. they were seen to mingle for a short time only, while they discussed the situation. then the company, increased to more than a score, galloped after the cattlemen.
a fight was inevitable, for the flight and pursuit could not continue indefinitely. brave and confident, the rustlers were ardent for the opportunity, while capt. asbury and his men were equally eager to come upon some place which would do something toward equalizing the strength of the combatants.
it was humiliating thus to flee before the very men whom he had set out to arrest, but what veteran has not been obliged to do humiliating things in the course of his career?
"this flight can't continue much longer," quietly remarked monteith sterry to hawkridge, at his side.
"why not?"
"the men are dissatisfied and are unwilling to keep it up. we have let those fellows approach so near that their bullets come uncomfortably close.
"capt. asbury is growing impatient; i shouldn't wonder if he gives the order to stop and have it out with them. it will be warm work if we do, but over that next ridge i think we shall gain sight of a good place for making a stand."
something in the appearance of the surroundings was familiar to sterry, but he could not identify them.
just then two of the rustlers fired their guns, and the pinge of one of the bullets was plainly heard. sterry looked around and saw capt. asbury compress his lips and shake his head; he did not like the way things were going. a crisis was at hand.
the top of the ridge being attained, all saw a large structure below, and not far off.
"do you recognize it?" asked hawkridge, with a smile.
"no—why, yes; is it possible?"
"you ought to know it, for, if i am not mistaken, you are considerably interested in one member of the family."
"i never supposed we were so near fred whitney's home," was the amazed comment of sterry, who was in doubt whether, under the circumstances, he ought to be pleased or not.
"there's where we'll make a stand," called out capt. asbury, "and let the music begin."
