Now, you can mighty easy understand that this was a fair sized, able-bodied, bite-and-kick consternation for us, if ever the’ was one in the world. Our look-out was behind a ridge which sheltered it complete from below, but left it as open from above as the straw hat which Stutterin’ Sam made the dude crawl through. Up above us, lookin’ down from the rocks in front of our camp was Ty Jones, grinnin’ as self-composed an’ satisfied as a cat which has just removed all evidence of there ever havin’ been any Canary birds; and truth to tell, we felt as indiscriminate and embarrassed as a naked man at a dance party.

All we saw was just Ty and his grin. We knew the’ was one other man with him, but that was all we did know; while our strength was as plain to them, as Tillte Dutch was the time he fell in love and used iodaform on his hair instead o’ perfume. We just stood and looked up at Ty, and then we turned our heads and looked at each other, and I never saw as many stupid expressions in one mess. We felt as though every minute was liable to be our next.

Whenever ol’ Tank Williams was surprised or puzzled or wrastlin’ with his own thoughts, he allus put me in mind of a picture I once saw of a walrus. The walrus was loungin’ up on a rock, and he looked as solemn and philosophical as though some young snip of a school boy had tested his intellect by askin’ him what two times one made. I never saw Tank look so much like the walrus as he did this time ’at Ty Jones surprised us. O’ course Tank’s teeth was different, but his mustaches stuck down in much the same way, and when I looked at him, I busted out laughin’, though I own up I was scared enough to stampede the moment before. When I laughed, it seemed to break the charm, and before I buttoned up my lips again, Horace had pulled up his elephant gun, and taken a blast at Ty’s grin. Ty pulled down his face behind the stone as soon as Horace aimed at him; but the range was long enough to strain even such a devil-tool as this half-grown cannon, so nothin’ came of it.

After my chuckle, I began to think in streams. The ground to the right of us—as we looked up towards Ty—was broken, and it occurred to me that he had been holdin’ us with his grin so as to give some of his men time to sneak down and cut us off, he and the balance were above us, the ravine to our left, and straight back of us the cliff. We couldn’t stick where we were again’ odds, and there wasn’t any water in the clump of rocks which faced the path where it come out of the ravine. As I ran over these details in my mind, I had as little temptation to laugh as I ever did have; but the second I thought of the clump o’ rocks facin’ the path, I saw that the path itself was the answer.

There was no reason to hurry, as far as I could see; they could not come to us without exposin’ themselves, and every moment we waited, the closer would come Dutch, Slim, and the four Simpson boys. To the right of us, as I said, the ground was broken, and here was where they would be most likely to sneak down on us. By goin’ in a diagonal direction, we could get to where we could see straight up the washes which made up this broken ground, and so know what we had to fight.

“Come on, fellers,” sez I, climbin’ up over the ridge.

“Where ya goin’?” sez Horace.

I sat down on top o’ the ridge. “Have you got any plan?” sez I calmly.

“No,” sez he, “I haven’t; but I’d like to know—”

“If you’re willin’ to take charge,” sez I, “why, go ahead, and I’ll obey orders; but I don’t care how small the body is, it can’t do quick work with more ’n one head, as you ought to know better ’n any of us—it havin’ been tried frequent in those Greek tales you’re all the time inflictin’ us with.”

Horace put his back up a little. “I’m willin’ to agree to anything reasonable,” sez he; “but I don’t see any sense in leavin’ this spot until we know where we’re goin’.”

I folded my fingers together, set my thumbs to chasin’ each other, and began to whistle. I wasn’t jealous of Horace; but it just occurred to me that I had handled men before he’d mustered up courage enough to stay out after seven o’clock P. M. without gettin’ his mother’s permission, and I wanted to test the others and see if they thought he had picked up more craft in three years ’n I had in a lifetime; so I whistled the tune to his song, and looked up at the clouds.

“What’s your idee, Happy?” sez ol’ Tank. I had nourished Tank on thought-food for a good long session, and I knew he’d feel mighty much like a lost calf if I left him to rustle up his own idees; so I just gave my hands a little toss and kept on with my whistlin’.

“Aw, don’t be so blame touchy,” sez Spider Kelley. I had pulled Spider through a number o’ tight places, also, and I knew he’d soon begin to feel trapped up and smothery, if I left him to sweat out his own idees for a few minutes longer; so I gave him the same gesture I had bestowed on Tank.

“What do you think we’d better do, Olaf?” sez Horace.

Olaf looked all around but did not see anything. “They have come up the ravine, took the path up the other side, through the clump o’ trees, made a wide circle and got to our camp,” sez Olaf. “If we try to get away, they cut us off. If we stay here, we die for want of water. If we rush up the hill, they shoot us from behind the rocks. All I can see is to wait until night, and then make a rush for it.”

“Well, that don’t look like much of an idee to me,” sez Horace. I kept on whistlin’.

“I move we foller Happy,” sez Spider Kelley.

“I second the motion,” sez Tank.

“I’m willin’ to,” sez Olaf, and Oscar nodded his head. This was about all Oscar ever used his head for except to hang his hat on; but he was a good boy and sizey.

“All right,” sez Horace. “Now then, Happy Hawkins, the responsibility is on you.”

“Now, be sure you mean this,” sez I; “for my plan is a foolish one, and I don’t care to explain each step. I don’t claim ’at my scheme is the best; but my experience has been, that a poor plan carried out beats a good plan which never came in. Climb up here, and we’ll walk off in that direction without lookin’ behind us.”

They couldn’t see any sense in this; but they follered me without chatterin’, and I was satisfied. Horace had the field glasses in his pocket; so when we had reached the place I thought would do, I set him to lookin’ across the crick careful to see if he could see anything. All the others watched him, and I got behind and looked up the slope. I saw several men hidin’ in the washes, and I said in a low tone: “Keep on lookin’ across the hill, Horace. Now, you others get out from behind him. Now, Horace, whirl and examine the washes up the slope and see how many men you can count.”

Horace whirled, as did all the rest of ’em, and we found seven fellers in sight. We figured ’at there must be at least fifteen Cross-branders in the neighborhood, and probably more, and the ones we were able to see in the washes convinced me ’at Ty had staked everything on gettin’ us cornered. They didn’t have enough to split up, so I felt sure they would leave the ravine open, not thinkin’ it likely we’d try to go down there.

“Now,” sez I, “let’s go to that clump o’ rocks and hide.” They all came along; but didn’t seem enthusiastic, because the washes led down close to the rocks—we, ourselves, havin’ sneaked down ’em while we were waitin’ for the woman that day. We couldn’t see the path the boys would take in comin’ up to our camp from across the crick, while the Cross-branders could see ’em a good part o’ the way, and this fretted me a lot; though I hoped they had heard Horace’s elephant gun.

After a time, Horace, through the glasses, saw a feller’s head watchin’ us from our old look-out; so we knew they had crept up along the back o’ that ridge. Then we heard consid’able shootin’ off to the right, and knew the boys had got back. There were several good places for ambush, and we felt purty blue at what had most likely happened; but they were on hossback, and would be on their guard after knowin’ ’at the Cross-branders were up to some trick; so we hoped for the best.

This clump o’ rocks we were in was composed of one big crag and a lot o’ little ones. The big one shut off our view, and finally Horace said it would be a good plan to get on top of it, as the chances were we could get a good view in all directions. It was fifteen feet up to where the’ was footin’, and we didn’t see how it could be done; but he said it was simple; so we let him try it. He made Olaf and Tank face the rock, holdin’ on to each other. Then I climbed to their shoulders and they passed up Horace. I handed him up as far as I could reach, and it was as simple as peelin’ a banana. The signal was for him to drop a pebble when he wanted to come down.

In about two moments a stone the size o’ your fist fell on Oscar’s head; which was a good thing, for it might otherwise have hurt a head we had more use for. We laddered ourselves again’ the rock, and Horace came down without missin’ a single one of our ears. When he reached the level, he put his finger on his lips, and said he had seen ten men sneakin’ up toward the rock and only a few hundred feet away. Oscar was still holdin’ to the lump on his head, so Horace explained ’at the’ hadn’t been any pebbles on top the crag.

“Now, what ya goin’ to do?” asked Horace to me.

“You, Olaf, and Oscar go around the rock to the left,” sez I; “and Tank, Spider, and I’ll go around to the right. Each fire only once, and then run around the rock again and make for the path leadin’ down into the ravine. Keep close together all the way.”

“The ravine!” exclaimed Spider.

“Sure,” sez I.

“All right,” sez Spider, draggin’ out the “all” until it would do for “I told ya so,” in case we got pocketed.

It worked fine; we flew around, surprised ’em, shot a volley into ’em, made ’em seek cover, and then we flew for the head o’ the path. Ol’ Tank, with his damaged prop, was as nimble as a one-legged Norman hoss, and Horace was loaded down with elephant ammunition; so that it was wise to have all the time we could get. Ty and five others jumped up from our look-out, and tried to head us off; but they had to go twice as far as we did. Ty and two others had rifles, and they stopped and took shots at us, but nothin’ came of it.

“Hurry on to the ranch buildin’s,” I called as we went down the path. Then I turned back, to see what they were doin’.

“Let me take a shot at ’em,” sez Horace’s voice at my elbow.

“Why didn’t you go on with the rest?” sez I. “I can give you half way and beat you runnin’.”

“Let me take just one shot,” sez Horace, so I gave in and let him. Two fellers were runnin’ at a long angle toward the mouth o’ the ravine to head us off, and get a shot from above; so I told him to try for one o’ them. He fiddled with his hind sight as calm as though shootin’ for a Christmas turkey, and hanged if he didn’t topple one over. The other stopped, and then ran back with his head ducked low to the ground, while the wounded one crawled behind a rock.

“Now dust for the buildin’s,” sez I; “and don’t try any more nonsense. Let me carry the weapon, and you won’t be so overloaded. I’ll start after you in a jiffy.”

When I looked back, I saw that all of ’em had slowed down consid’able, out o’ respect to the elephant gun; but I could still count seventeen, so we hadn’t seen ’em all before. When they started towards the head of the path again, I took a shot at Ty Jones; but I didn’t savvy the rear sight, and all it did was to make ’em slow down once more. Then I slid down the path and hot-footed it down the ravine. I saw signs o’ hosses, so I knew they had rode most of their trip, and would be in a position to circle around all they wanted to.

I soon caught up with the others, and Tank was puffin’ purty freely. All the rest were runnin’ easy, and we came out o’ the mouth o’ the ravine without seein’ a single soul. Now, we hardly knew what to do. It was about the same distance from the mouth o’ the ravine to the first curve in it, as it was to the woman’s cabin; so I told Spider to stay at the corner o’ the cabin, and watch that curve.

Then we went around and found the door locked. We called twice to the woman, but the’ was no reply; so Olaf picked up a big stone and knocked off the lock. We made a quick examination; but the’ was no one there. I posted Horace and Spider in this cabin to watch the mouth o’ the ravine through the window facin’ it, and to shoot into ’em, should they foller us close.

We next went to the big house, where we had more trouble as everything was fastened with bars on the inside, except the front door which had an immense padlock on the outside. We finally broke it off, and out dashed three o’ their confounded dogs. We killed ’em, and went inside; but the’ was no one else there. Next we went to the workshop, and after breakin’ off the padlock, we found the Friar and Promotheus gagged and tied. The Friar was sad, and Promotheus was mad. We sent ’em up to the cook-shack to get on speakin’ terms with food again, and rummaged the rest o’ the buildin’s; but could find neither the woman nor the Chink, and by the time we were through, it was gettin’ along towards dark.

I set Tank to cookin’ a meal while the rest of us carried logs and piled ’em in the mouth o’ the ravine. It would be moonlight up to ten o’clock, and after that I intended to have a fire to see by. We also set up some logs at each o’ the two fords. After supper we divided into two equal groups o’ four each, to stand guard, each man to watch two hours, one at the window of the new cabin, the other from the porch of the old one, where a view across both fords could be had.

The Friar was purty downcast at our not bein’ able to find the woman, and at our still bein’ in a state o’ war; but he didn’t kick none. He promised not to go over and surrender himself any more, and said he would stand guard careful, and warn us the first thing ’at happened. We decided ’at they would probably attack us that night, and we finally chose the old shack, as it had water piped into it from a spring a hundred yards above. I figured ’at they’d be most apt to come down the ravine, so I picked out the Friar, Olaf, and Tank to help me watch it, and the others to take turns watchin’ the fords.

About half past nine, we lit the fires and turned in, with Oscar on the porch, and Olaf at the window of the new cabin. I thought they wouldn’t come before two o’clock, and had it arranged so ’at the last ford watches would be held by Spider and Promotheus.