The horsehair whip was heavy and long. It cracked ominously as the outlaw swung it once around his head and brought it down on the floor.

Val jumped as it snapped scarcely six inches from her ankle. Two high spots of color burned in her cheeks and her eyes were blazing. She was beginning to conquer her terror and to feel exasperated with the situation, it was so like a melodramatic “thriller” of the movies. She was sure these men wouldn’t dare use the whip on them, but--she glanced apprehensively at Pedro, and saw his knife once more between his caressing fingers. Darn the man! Did he always have to look so much like a--pirate? Mentally she decided that was just the appearance he gave, ragged, dirty, daring--a pirate who was ready to make his victims walk the plank. Val wished frantically that their friends would return and upset the outlaws’ plans. Of course they wouldn’t dare to harm Gale and her, but just the same she wanted to be rid of them.

Gale was not as confident of escape from injury as Val. She believed the men were determined to seek the revenge which they claimed. Their threatening appearance certainly did not belie their words. The sight of the whip curled in the leader’s hand was enough to convince Gale of their purpose. They intended to use the whip on the girls, and unless something happened to interfere----

Gale was glad Val was conquering her terror. It seemed after the first surprise and terror were over, Val rallied surprisingly. Now she was standing beside Gale, calm and haughty. If the two of them kept their wits about them, they might be able to find a means of escape from the situation. But how? They could not look for help from their friends because they were still miles away. It was up to them to either take the horsewhipping, or to rebel and overthrow the tyranny of these two bandits. With lightning glances, Gale looked about the room for something, anything that might help, for she was determined to fight.

The girls were standing before an open window. The night breeze faintly rustled the curtain. Before them was the lamp that lighted the room, standing on a table among books and magazines. At one end of the room, effectively blocked by Pedro, was the door to the dining room and the kitchen beyond. At the other side of the room was the front door by which the chief outlaw had entered. A dash to either of the doors would be useless.

Pedro watched with a pleased grin while his companion stepped closer to the girls. Instinctively the girls gave ground until they were flat against the wall--by the window.

“Val,” Gale whispered.

“Yes?”

“Can you jump out the window in a minute?”

“Half a minute,” Val said at once. “But what----”

“Get ready,” Gale murmured urgently.

Gale had an idea. True it was a long chance, but it might work. If the room was suddenly plunged in darkness, the outlaws would momentarily be nonplussed. That moment was all they needed. Once outside they might have a chance of outrunning or tricking their pursuers. If they stayed here in the room, the whip was bound to fall on them. As it was, the bandit was swinging it viciously and it took agility to avoid the stinging lash.

Obedient to Gale’s command to get ready to drop out of the window, Val half turned to face the wall.

“Don’t think you can get out that way,” the outlaw said. “We’ve got you now and we’re going to settle a few things!” He swung the whip and it descended with a crack on Val’s shoulders.

At the same time Gale launched herself forward and with one sweep of her arm knocked the lamp to the floor. With a ringing crash, the room was plunged into darkness. She heard Pedro shout to his partner as she saw Val’s figure outlined against the window when her friend climbed over the sill. It all happened in a split second and Gale sprang to the front door which the outlaw had deserted when he sprang after Valerie. But ere she reached the door Pedro was behind her and a heavy hand on her shoulder pulled her stumbling back into the room. She eluded him and sprang away. She had the advantage of the bandits, for she knew the Wilson living room and she knew what to avoid but the men didn’t. They thrashed about, stumbling over the furniture and muttering angrily. Sliding along the wall she reached the dining room door and slipped through while the men still sought her in the darkness.

She stepped into the silence of the other room and bumped into someone. She drew back with a stifled exclamation. Had the men stationed another of their friends in here?

“Gale?” a voice demanded.

“Tom! Quick, they’ll get away!” she said.

“How many are there?” he asked.

“Two. Oh, do be careful!”

“Phyllis and Val are outside, go out to them,” he said and pushed her to one side. He and Phyllis and Wong had met Valerie when she dropped from the window.

In quick strides he entered the living room and in another minute had flung himself on one of the men. Together they struggled in the darkness. Loo Wong had come up silently behind Gale and now he followed Tom into the confusion.

“They’ll kill each other,” Phyllis declared nervously as she and Val joined Gale.

“Tom has a hefty punch and I hope he uses it,” Valerie said determinedly. “I--oh!” A revolver shot had crashed through the sound of struggle and there was an accompanying groan.

“Tom?” Gale called uncertainly.

When there was no answer she crept forward and into the living room. Suddenly all had become quiet and she scarcely dared to press the switch to light the overhead lights for fear of what she might see. The light disclosed Tom swaying over the prostrate form of the chief bandit, while Loo Wong sat calmly on Pedro’s chest, brandishing his meat cleaver.

“You’re hurt, Tom!” Gale said running forward.

“Just a scratch in the arm,” he answered. “I reckon we got these fellows this time.”

“Alle same velly blad business,” was Loo Wong’s opinion.

“Let me fix your arm, Tom,” Gale said.

“It’ll be all right,” he assured her.

But Gale insisted and after cutting away the bloody sleeve cleansed and wrapped the wound in clean bandages. As he had said it was not severe, but it was better that they should take no chances.

After Gale’s first-aid treatment was over, Tom and Loo Wong locked the two desperadoes with their partner in the bunkhouse and there they stayed until the Sheriff returned.

The others returned to the ranch house to set the living room to rights. It was a wreck, table overturned, lamp broken, magazines torn, and chairs upside down.

“It looks as though a cyclone had hit the place,” Phyllis declared.

“I’ll send your Mother a lamp when I get home,” Gale promised Tom. “It was my idea to put the place in darkness.”

“You don’t have to bother,” he said laughingly. “You’ll probably get a reward for capturing those fellows. We’ll let the Sheriff buy the lamp.”

“You and Loo Wong deserve the reward,” Val put in. “We didn’t do a thing.”

“You captured them that time in the cabin,” Tom said. “That’s what the reward is for. I don’t want any money. You can have every bit--to find some new adventures with,” he added laughingly.

By the time the others arrived home some semblance of order had been restored but much of the furniture still showed signs of rough usage. “It was all a wild goose chase,” Janet greeted them, sinking into the first convenient chair. “I wish I had stayed home with you. Is there any fudge left?”

“Plenty,” Valerie said. “Didn’t you have any excitement?” she asked sweetly.

“Nary a crumb,” Carol declared. “For once Janet’s sixth sense was totally wrong.”

“You mean it led in the wrong direction,” Phyllis said. “You didn’t need to chase off after the excitement. It came to the ranch.”

“What are you talking about?” demanded Madge.

“What happened to Tom?” Virginia continued as her brother and the Sheriff and Mr. Wilson left the ranch house and walked toward the bunkhouse.

“Did he fall off his horse?” added Janet.

“He was shot,” Phyllis said innocently, gleefully noting the sensation her words created.

“What’s this?” Carol asked, rousing herself from a comfortable position. “Did I hear aright? Shot? How? By whom? And why?”

“Haven’t you noticed the living room is slightly awry?” Gale demanded.

“We thought maybe you were having football practice or something with the lamp,” Carol commented. “What happened?”

“Well, you see it was this way,” Valerie began mischievously, to keep them in suspense. “I was making fudge in the kitchen and you know how fussy Loo Wong is about his kitchen.”

“Don’t we!” Virginia agreed. “Did he catch you?”

“Yes, he did,” Gale laughed.

“And asked me to teach him to make fudge,” Valerie added.

“But what has that to do with mussing the living room?” Janet demanded. “I don’t see the point.”

“Oh, yes, I forgot to tell you, it was after that that the bank robbers called on us,” Valerie said nonchalantly.

“The bank robbers called on you,” Carol said slowly. “Are you joking?”

“No,” Gale assured her. “You’ll find three of them carefully subdued and locked in the bunkhouse.”

“One of them shot Tom,” Virginia said rather than asked.

“Exactly,” Phyllis agreed. “That was during the fight.” “Fight? Don’t be so aggravating!” stormed Janet. “Give us the details!”

“All right,” Valerie said laughingly, “we’ll tell you, and maybe next time you will stay with us for your excitement.”

Phyllis told of her and Tom’s arrival at the ranch house and Gale and Valerie took turns describing what had happened at the ranch house. The other girls were half glad and half sorry that they had been absent. They were glad they had not had to face the two bandits, but at the same time sorry because they had missed the excitement.

“Gosh,” mourned Janet, “nothing happens when we are around.”

“Never mind,” consoled Valerie, “Tom says we will get a reward and you can help us spend it.”

“Hurrah! How much do you get?” demanded Carol brightly.

“I don’t know,” Gale answered. “Anyway, we shall probably have to wait until the prisoners are safely in jail. That means we won’t be able to go home day after tomorrow.”

“Oh well, if we stay another day or two it doesn’t make any difference,” Madge said, dismissing that subject abruptly. “What do you propose to do with your reward?”

“We hadn’t thought about it,” Valerie said. “We shall all have to put our heads together and think of something--not anything crazy!” she said with a glance at Janet and Carol.

“Do you insinuate that anything crazy might come from our heads?” the latter two demanded crisply.

“I have known such times,” Val laughed.

“My friend, you wound me deeply,” Janet said with mock tears. “My thoughts are always for the betterment of humanity.”

Carol coughed loudly over a smothered giggle. “Quite so,” she agreed. “But that doesn’t settle the question of what to do with the reward.”

“Perhaps we better wait and see if there really is a reward,” Gale suggested dryly.

“Meanwhile, let’s eat,” Carol proposed and the rest were unanimous in agreement.

They all trooped to the kitchen, but there found Loo Wong already in the throes of making a late lunch and there was nothing they could do to help him so they went back to the living room to wait and to talk.