"I'm with you," said Charley. "We better stick together or we'll mebby get to shootin' each other; an' I'm frank in sayin' I'm shootin' quick tonight, an' by ear. There ain't no honest human ridin' around out here, day _or_ night, that don't belong here; an' them that does belong ain't over there, lightin' cigarettes nor nothin' else. That lightnin' bug don't belong, but he may _stay_ here. Look! There she is again--_this_ side of where I saw it last!" "Same place," contradicted Holbrook, pushing on. "Same place yore hat!" "Bet you five it is." "Yo're on; make it ten?" "It is. Shut yore face an' keep goin'. Somethin's happenin' over there." Minute after minute passed and then they swore in the same breath. "It's south!" exulted Charley. "You lose." "He crossed in front of us, cuss him," said Holbrook. As he spoke an answering light flashed where the first ones had been seen and Holbrook grunted with satisfaction. "_You_ lose; there's two of 'em. We was bettin' on th' other." "They're signalin', an' there's mebby more'n two. What's th' difference? Come on, Pete! We'll bust up this little party before it starts. But what are they lightin' lights for if they're rustlin'? An' if they ain't rustlin' what'n blazes _are_ they doin'?" "Head over a little," said his companion, forcing his horse against his friend's. "We'll ride between th' flashes first, an' if there's a herd bein' collected we'll mebby hit it. Don't ask no questions; just shoot an' jump yore cayuse sideways." South of them another puncher was riding at reckless speed along the chord of a great arc and although his section lay beyond Holbrook's, he was now even with them. When they changed their course they drew closer to him and some minutes later, stopping for a moment's silence so they could listen for sounds of the enemy, they heard his faint, far-off signal and answered it. He announced his arrival with a curse and a question and the answer did not answer much. They went on together, eager and alert. "Heard you drummin' down th' ridge--you know that rocky ground rolls 'em out," the newcomer explained. "Knowed somethin' was wrong th' way you was poundin', an' follered on a gamble till I saw th' lights. Reckon Walt ain't far behind me. I'm tellin' you so you'll signal before you shoot. He's loose out here somewhere." When the light came again it was much further west and the answering flash was north. The three pulled up and looked at each other. "There ain't no cayuse livin' can cover ground like that second feller," growled Holbrook. "He was plumb south only a few minutes ago, an' _now_ will you look where he is!" "Mebby they're ghostes, Bob," suggested Charley, who harbored a tingling belief in things supernatural.