"Ovair yondair--not on de ridge," replied Laguerre. "That's what I thought. Maybe--there she goes again. Two of 'em." The rifles on the ridge snarled angrily. But no bullets struck the breastwork. The barking of the deputies' rifles became irregular, drifted southward, then ceased altogether. A few minutes later five horsemen and a led horse crossed the draw a mile to the south. "Two of 'em hit bad," declared Loudon. "Yuh bet yuh," said Laguerre. "See dat! One of 'em tumble off." "They're gettin' him aboard again. Takin' our hosses along, the skunks! There goes our friend out yonder." The man who had been watching the rear of the breast-work galloped to meet his friends. Five minutes later they all disappeared behind one of the western hills. "Hey, you fellers!" bawled a voice from the shelter of the ridge across the valley. "Where are yuh, anyway?" "That's Red Kane," laughed Loudon, and stood up. "Here we are!" he yelled. "C'mon over! We're all right. Not a scratch!" Red Kane and Hockling, leading three horses, appeared on the crest of the ridge. CHAPTER XXIII THE SMOKE OF CONFLICT "Found him hid right pretty in a gully," said Hockling, indicating the extra horse. "Yore hoss, Marvin?" queried Loudon. Marvin nodded surlily. He had had his share of the water in the rescuers' canteens, but he was no happier. "It's shore providential, yore happenin' down this way," said Loudon. "We'll do as much for you some day." "Yo're welcome, but it ain't none providential, Tom," denied Hockling. "Me an' Red was fixin' the corral fence at the camp when up come Kate Saltoun on the jump an' says how yuh was standin' off six men opposite Box Hill. 'It's them deputies!' shouts Red, an' ropes a hoss immediate. Well, we come along, the three of us, an' that's all. It was long range, but I think I drilled one deputy. Red creased one, too." "Yuh bet I did!" cried Red Kane. "I seen his arm flop when I fired." "What's that about the three o' yuh comin' along?" said Loudon. "Why, Kate, she was with us. She changed her saddle to one of our fresh hosses. She wouldn't quit nohow till she heard yuh say yuh was all right. Then she started off home. Funny, she was ridin' a 88 pony when she struck the line-camp." "That's odd, but it don't matter none. I'll--I'll see Kate later." "Shore," said Hockling, wondering at the lack of warmth in Loudon's tone. But Western etiquette forbids the questioning of another's motives. "Say," remarked Red, hastening to break the awkward silence, "say, won't Block feel happy when he finds we've done ventilated his deputies?" "Yeah," replied Loudon, "an' the funny part of it is, they ain't got no right to arrest me. That warrant has been pulled in."