"I reckon we've gone a mile." And as he turned to look back the signal sounded, and in a trice he saw the flames, set by his leader, leap in the air. "Quick, Gus has touched off!" he cried, then added as he felt in vain for any matches, "Gimme some of your fire-sticks, mine are all gone." Suppressing the smile that came to his face at the words, for Lawrence bad feared his companion might have obtained a supply from one of the others, he replied: "Can't. I haven't any." "What?" roared Red Ike. "You can't come any such game on me. You had plenty this afternoon. Hand 'em over--and be lively!" As he spoke the bully edged his pony closer to the other. Lawrence, however, only repeated his statement calmly. "You won't gimme them, eh? Then I'll take 'em myself." And like a flash his powerful fist shot out, striking his companion under the right side of his jaw with such terrific force that it lifted him from the saddle. Springing to the ground, Red Ike roughly searched the motionless body, and when he found that the tobacco pouch was indeed gone he realized the trick that Lawrence had played. For a moment the baffled raider glowered upon the man who had outwitted him. Then his attention was distracted by the sound of hoof beats and, turning, he beheld the two horses racing toward the hills, having taken fright at the flames leaping over the plains. And never thinking of the man he had unhorsed, Red Ike dashed after them. Advancing cautiously, the ranch owners and their men were beginning to wonder if they could have mistaken the direction of the signals when they heard the call again. "That's back of us," declared Pete. Instantly the others turned in their saddles, and as they did so the flames bounded into the air. "They fooled us good and plenty!" growled Nails, while all the boys glared at the foreman of the Three Stars Ranch. "They did," asserted Mr. Wilder grimly, "but it's no use talking about it now. We've got all we can do to get away from the fire." In terror the boy chums watched the flames spread as if by magic till in a few minutes a towering wall of fire was racing toward them. "Shall we start a back fire?" asked Bill. "No use," returned several of the cowboys, "the wind's in the wrong direction." "Then we've got to ride for it," asserted Snider. Well did the cowboys realize the danger, and with might and main they urged their ponies, each one bent only on saving himself. For a time the two brothers and Horace kept pace with them, but they were not skilled in the fine art of getting the most out of their ponies when the animals began to tire, and it was not long before they found themselves dropping behind. "Wait for us!" shouted Horace as he noticed the distance that separated them constantly increasing.