George heard the men dismount on the porch, and presently heavy steps sounded in the hall. He caught the words “Ackerman’s,” “regular nest of horse-thieves,” “get my hands on that rascally boy who sent us so far out of our course,” and then the closing of a door shut out the voices. After a few minutes’ silence, during which George could plainly hear the beating of his own heart, footsteps once more sounded in the hall, the door was unlocked and Mr. Gilbert came in. He shook his finger warningly at George, and, without saying a word, seized his haversack and hurried out again. In about five minutes he came back, and George could see that there was something in the haversack. “You’ll have to eat your supper as you go along,” said Mr. Gilbert, in a cautious whisper. “I have tried to reason with them but it is of no use. Somebody has told them that Ned has been shooting cattle, and they declare that they are going to make an example of him.” “What do you suppose they will do?” asked George. “Haven’t even the shadow of an idea. The least they can do with him is to put him in jail as a receiver of stolen property; but they act as though they were going to take the law into their own hands, and for that reason I think you had better get Ned out of the way. As soon as they have eaten supper I am going to send a man to guide them to your house, so you’ll have to ride fast. I’ll delay them in every way I can, but they are very impatient. Your horse is at the porch on the other side of the rancho. Keep me posted as to your movements, and I’ll keep you posted in all that goes on in the settlement. Good-by, and good luck to you.” George slung his haversack over his shoulder, shook Mr. Gilbert warmly by the hand and hurriedly left the office. He found the horse at the end of the porch, saddled and bridled, and Bony was cropping the grass a little distance away. Both the animals recognised and welcomed him, one uttering a low whinny and the other a suppressed bray, and the man who was holding the horse nodded his head vigorously and patted George on the back as if to say that he knew all about it. “I am to show them the way,” whispered the herdsman. “Them trails twist an’ turn about a good deal, an’ mebbe I’ll get lost: I’m a’most afeard I will, ‘kase it’s so dark.” “There’s one thing about it,” said George, to himself, as he mounted his horse and rode slowly away from the rancho after taking a cordial leave of the herdsman. “If I have no other friends in the settlement, I have some here at Mr. Gilbert’s. They are all on my side. So Ned has been shooting cattle! He always said he’d like to see a ‘neighborhood row,’ and now I’ll see whether or not he has the pluck to face the consequences of his foolish act.”