They remounted their broncos and rode them across the tracks several times, then followed the lateral up, one on either side of the ditch, their eyes fastened to the ground to see any evidence of a horse having clambered over the bank. They drew in sight of the ranch house without discovering what they were looking for. Lee's heart was in his mouth, for he knew that he would see presently what his eye sought. "I reckon the fellow went down instead of up," suggested Norris. "No, he came up." Lee had stopped and was studying wheel tracks that ran up from the ditch to his ranch house. His face was very white and set. He pointed to them with a shaking finger. "There's where he went in the ditch, and there's where he came out." Norris forded the stream, cast a casual eye on the double track, and nodded. He was still in a fog of mystery, but the old man was already fearing the worst. He gulped out his fears tremblingly. For himself, he was of a flawless nerve, but this touched nearer home than his own danger. "Them wheel-tracks was made by my little gyurl's runabout, Phil." "Good heavens!" The younger man drew rein sharply and stared at him. "You don't think----" He broke off, recalling the sharp, firm little foot-print on the edge of the ditch some miles below. "I don't reckon I know what to think. If she was in this, she's got some good reason." A wave of passion suddenly swept the father. "By God! I'd like to see the man that dares mix her name up in this." Norris met this with his friendly smile. "You can't pick a row with me about that, old man. I'm with you till the cows come home. But that ain't quite the way to go at this business. First thing, we've got to wipe out these tracks. How? Why, sheep! There's a bunch of three hundred in that pasture. We'll drive the bunch down to the ditch and water them here. _Savez?_" "And wipe out the wheel-marks in the sand. Bully for you, Phil." "That's the idea. After twelve hundred chisel feet have been over this sand I reckon the wheel-tracks will be missing." They rode up to the house, and the first thing that met them was the candid question of the girl: "Have you heard, Daddy?" And out of his troubled heart he had answered, "Beats me, 'Lissie." "They've sent for the officers. Jack Flatray is on the way himself. So is Sheriff Burke," volunteered Alan gloomily. "Getting right busy, ain't they?" Norris sneered. Again Lee glanced quickly at Norris. "I reckon, Phil, we better drive that bunch of sheep down to water right away. I clean forgot them this mo'ning." "Sure." The younger man was not so easily shaken. He turned to McKinstra naturally. "How many of the hold-ups were there?" "I saw only one, and didn't see him very good. He was a slim fellow in a black mask." "You don't say. Were you the driver?" Alan felt the color suffuse his face. "No, I was the guard." "Oh, you were the guard."