Coyote Pete glanced about him, as if looking for some means of escape. The turn of the road that they hoped to make was still some distance ahead, but the road itself lay stretched, like a white, dusty ribbon, just before them. In the darkness, it showed clearly, and, as his eyes fell upon it, Coyote Pete's mind was made up. "Take to the road," he cried, "there's a gulch just a little way up ahead of us." In fact, the plainsman's watchful eye had detected, a short distance ahead, a black void in the surface of the hillside, which he guessed to be a deep arroyo. Their horses' hoofs clattered in an unpleasantly loud manner, as they reached the hard highway, and began to hammer down it, still bearing due east. Behind them now they could hear distinctly the yells and shouts of the pursuers. They were still some distance off, however. "Let 'em howl," remarked Coyote Pete. "The lung exercise is all they'll git. With this start, we ought to beat them out easy." "Look! Look!" cried Ralph, suddenly pointing ahead. "What's that?" They all saw it at the same moment--two big lights, like eyes. Seemingly, the astonishing apparition was coming toward them at a good speed. The shafts of light cast forward cut the darkness like fiery swords. The fugitives paused, bewildered. What did this new circumstance betoken? "What do you make her out to be, Pete?" asked Jack. "Why, boy, if it warn't thet we're down in such a benighted part of ther country, I should say that yonder was a gasoline gig." "An automobile!" exclaimed Walt. "It does look like one, for a fact." "And, to my way of thinking, a naughtymobile is jes' about the ticket fer us, right now," grunted Pete. "Hark!" There was no doubt now that the two shimmering bright lights ahead were the head lanterns of an auto. They could hear the sharp cough of her engines, as she took the hill. "She's a powerful one, too," commented Ralph, listening. The Eastern lad knew a good deal about motor cars. His face bore an interested expression. "I don't know who'd own one of them things down here but an American," went on Pete, as if he had been in a reverie all this time, "and if it is a Yankee, it means that maybe we are out of our difficulties." "Well, what shall we do?" demanded Jack. "Meet it, or take to the woods?" As he spoke, from far behind them came the sound of shots and shouts. That settled it. "We'll take a chance, and meet them," declared Pete, riding forward. Followed by the others, he deployed across the road, and an instant later the bright glare of the car's headlights enveloped them. From the vehicle, there came a sharp hail as the driver ground down the brakes. "Say, you fellows, can you direct us to the camp?" "They're nothing but a bunch of greasers," came another voice from behind the lights; "drive ahead, Jim." "Hold on thar, Buck," hailed Coyote Pete. "I'd like ter hev a word with you." "Say, are you chaps Americans?" demanded an astonished voice.