Of course some did go to his aid--Mr. Carson and several of the less busy punchers. And, to do justice to the others, not a man but, would have rushed to help Dave had he been in a position to do so. But the work of the ranch must go on--and it did. Long before Mr. Carson reached the scene, or, for that matter, before any of the others were in a position to help Dave, a movement was observed in the tangle of pony, rider and steer. Just who, or which, was doing the moving it was hard to determine, as the haze of dust still overhung everything. "Can a person live after that mix-up?" asked Mr. Bellmore, speaking aloud, unconsciously. "Oh, him plenty mluch alive!" glibly replied the Chinese cook. "Dave he plenty mluch hab fall, an' he come up smilin'." "Oh, he does; eh?" asked the Chicago man. "Sure!" was the answer, given with a bland grin. "He clum' up smilin'." "Well, I hope he does," was the comment. By this time it could be seen that Dave was at least alive. Out of the haze of dust he limped, But the steer lay prone. Mr. Carson jumped from his horse, and an instant later had the young cowboy in his arms. "Dave! Dave!" he cried. "My boy! My boy! Tell me you're not hurt!" As the other cowboys rode up one of them gave a look at the prostrate steer. "He's done for," he commented. It needed but a look at the curiously and grotesquely twisted neck of the animal to tell that it was broken. "Dave, are you hurt?" gasped the ranchman. "Well, I've felt better," Dave answered, slowly, making a wry face as he limped to one, side. He leaned heavily on the arm of Mr. Carson. Then, as if remembering something he had forgotten, Dave looked toward his pony. To his great relief he saw Crow rise to his feet, shake himself and run off a little way, seemingly little the worse for his adventure. "Thank goodness!" murmured Dave, and there was a prayer of gratitude in his heart. "I thought he was a goner." "And we thought you were," put in Tubby Larkin, as he strode up. "That was some fall--believe me!" "Must have got tangled up in the rope," commented Pocus Pete, who had finished a task he was at, and who now spurred forward. "That's what happened," Dave explained, as he rubbed the back of his head and threw out one leg as if to test whether or not it had been knocked out of joint. "I didn't see the trailing lasso, and it got around Crow's feet." "Yes, that's how it happened," said Mr. Carson. "But I certainly thought both steer and pony fell on you." "I managed to roll out of the way," said Dave, grimly. "Lucky for you," commented Pocus Pete. "That's one of the biggest and worst steers on the ranch, and he weighs something, too." "His own weight broke his neck," said Tubby, reflectively. "Well, we was needin' some beef an' now we've got it." "I'm sorry he had to go," remarked Dave, as he walked off toward his pony, having made sure that none of his bones was broken.