“The cattle are running!” cried Connie. “The boys never will be able to hold them in this storm!”

“We must get out there and help,” Enid shouted grimly.

This time Connie did not refuse her aid. Before she could saddle Silvertail, Enid vanished into the night. Cecil and Helena, awakened by the sudden downpour, called to Connie, but she paid no heed. Pulling on her slicker, she leaped into the saddle and followed Enid.

The rain was coming down in torrents and another brilliant flash of lightning momentarily revealed a surging mass of steers. The terrified animals were running away from the camp toward the canyon. The earth shook under the pounding of their hooves.

All thought of the important revelation which Enid had been upon the point of making at the time the storm broke, had been swept from Connie’s mind. But she felt warmed by the girl’s generous offer of aid. Enid really was her friend after all. In this emergency, any feeling of resentment had been forgotten. The stampede called for quick action and courageous riding.

Connie did not need to dig in the rowels of her spurs for Silvertail knew what was expected of him. She could feel his mighty heart pounding against her legs as he raced to overtake the leaders of the herd.

Connie bent low over Silvertail’s neck, trusting that there were no fences or badger holes ahead. Should her horse stumble she would be badly injured if not crushed to death.

Through the rain the girl saw someone riding ahead of her. She could not tell who it was, but a man turned in his saddle and shouted something at her. She did not distinguish a word above the roar. Farther away a rider was firing his revolver into the air, trying to stem the tide.

Connie, Alkali, and the boys from the Slocer Ranch outdistanced the leaders of the herd, fighting valiantly to turn them. The cattle had run less than a half mile when they began to circle.

“They’re starting to mill!” Connie shouted.

“We’ll hold ’em!” yelled Alkali.

Connie could hear the crackling of horns rubbing together. Each flash of lightning revealed the cattle churning into a tighter circle.

A cowboy rode close to Connie, rain spouting from his sombrero. She saw that it was Lefty.

“Look out for another break!” he shouted. “They’re millin’ too close!”

Suddenly two dark forms dashed out of the herd.

“Get ’em, Silvertail!” Connie cried.

She jumped her horse at the animals, sending them scurrying back into the churning mass.

The rain had slackened and Connie was hopeful that the cattle would quiet down. They were not milling so closely now. The riders were getting them well under control.

Then from the other side of the herd a revolver cracked, spitting a trail of fire into the black void.

“Who did that?” cried Lefty angrily. “Someone’s shootin’ straight into the herd!”

Connie heard the cowboy shout Cecil’s name, but she did not believe that any of the dudes had been responsible for the shot. She was quite certain neither Helena nor her brother were armed, and she doubted that they had ridden out to help stop the herd. One of her own men was trying deliberately to start another stampede!

Already the mischief had been accomplished. At the point where the revolver had been discharged the herd swerved and broke apart. The cattle had started to run again.

Determined to learn the identity of the person who had started the stampede, Connie spurred Silvertail. Near the spot where the revolver had been fired she caught a glimpse of a rider. It was too dark to see his face clearly.

Then a ragged streak of lightning brightened the sky. With a start Connie recognized her foreman, Forest Blakeman. She could not believe that he had been guilty of such a low, contemptible act. But even as she was assailed with doubt, she saw him raise his revolver and shoot again—straight into the herd.

A great fury took possession of Connie. In a flash everything became clear to her. She understood now what Enid had intended to tell her.

From the very first Forest Blakeman had plotted to gain control of Rainbow Ranch. That was why he had not favored the roundup, knowing that if she succeeded in marketing her cattle, he would never be able to force her to sell at his own terms.

“How stupid and blind I have been,” she thought.

Connie rushed her horse straight at the foreman. He turned in the saddle and saw her coming. As a flash of lightning illuminated the sky, she knew that he recognized her.

“Drop that gun!” she shouted furiously. “Drop it, you traitor!”

Blakeman wheeled his horse and disappeared into the darkness.

Connie did not pursue him. She could not have done it had she wished for Silvertail was running with the herd. A shiver ran down the girl’s spine as the realization came to her that they were heading straight toward the canyon.

At this particular point the cliffs were unprotected by fences or trees. And there was a sheer drop of several hundred feet to the valley below. The canyon could not be more than a quarter of a mile away. Blakeman deliberately had stampeded the cattle in that direction, hoping that the animals would run over the precipice and be killed. Unless she could turn them in time, her entire herd would be lost!