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Another of the rustlers laughed "Say, can't he twinkle through the forest? I had four shots at him Harder to hit than a turkey runnin' crossways"

This facetious speaker was the evil-visaged, sardonic Soes

"Ellen, shore y'u ain't so daid white as y'u was," observed Colter, and he chucked her under the chin with familiar hand "Set down heah I don't want y'u stoppin' any bullets An' there's no tellin'"

Ellen was glad to coth, yet she still felt shaky She observed that their position then was on the edge of a ooded slope frorassy canyon floor below They were on a level bench, projecting out froed and pine fringed Soave careful attention to all points of the compass, especially in the direction fro trailed or circled or headed off, but did not er wiped his face with a grimy hand and counted the shells in his belt, which appeared to be half e neck like a vulture and peered down the slope and through the aisles of the forest up toward the canyon rim

"Listen!" he said, tersely, and bent his head a little to one side, ear to the slight breeze

They all listened Ellen heard the beating of her heart, the rustle of leaves, the tapping of a woodpecker, and faint, remote sounds that she could not name

"Deer, I reckon," spoke up Somers

"Ahuh! Wal, I reckon they ain't trailin' us yet," replied Colter "We gave them a shade better 'n they sent us"

"Short an' sweet!" ejaculated Springer, and he reh a buffet hole in the crown "Thet's how close I co, listenin' an' watchin', an' when I stuck my head up a little--zam! Somebody made my bonnet leak"

"Where's Queen?" asked Colter

"He ith me fust off," replied Soed thet big, red-faced, white-haired pal of Isbel's--"

"Reckon thet was Blaisdell," interrupted Springer

"Queen--he got tired layin' loent on Somers "He wanted action I heerd him chewin' to hirowled he was goin' to quit this Injun fightin' An' he slipped off in the woods"