“We jest quit. Thet’s all,” replied Monty, tersely. He was stern and somber; he could not stand still; his eyes roved everywhere. Castleton jumped up from the log where he had been sitting, and his face was very red. “Mr. Price, does all this blooming fuss mean we are to be robbed or attacked or abducted by a lot of ragamuffin guerrillas?” “You’ve called the bet.” Dorothy turned a very pale face toward Monty. “Mr. Price, you wouldn’t—you couldn’t desert us now? You and Mr. Nels—” “Desert you?” asked Monty, blankly. “Yes, desert us. Leave us when we may need you so much, with something dreadful coming.” Monty uttered a short, hard laugh as he bent a strange look upon the girl. “Me an’ Nels is purty much scared, an’ we’re goin’ to slope. Miss Dorothy, bein’ as we’ve rustled round so much; it sorta hurts us to see nice young girls dragged off by the hair.” Dorothy uttered a little cry and then became hysterical. Castleton for once was fully aroused. “By Gad! You and your partner are a couple of blooming cowards. Where now is that courage you boasted of?” Monty’s dark face expressed extreme sarcasm. “Dook, in my time I’ve seen some bright fellers, but you take the cake. It’s most marvelous how bright you are. Figger’n’ me an’ Nels so correct. Say, Dook, if you don’t git rustled off to Mexico an’ roped to a cactus-bush you’ll hev a swell story fer your English chums. Bah Jove! You’ll tell ’em how you seen two old-time gun-men run like scared jack-rabbits from a lot of Greasers. Like hell you will! Unless you lie like the time you told about proddin’ the lion. That there story allus—” “Monty, shut up!” yelled Stewart, as he came hurriedly up. Then Monty slouched away, cursing to himself. Madeline and Helen, assisted by Castleton, worked over Dorothy, and with some difficulty quieted her. Stewart passed several times without noticing them, and Monty, who had been so ridiculously eager to pay every little attention to Dorothy, did not see her at all. Rude it seemed; in Monty’s ease more than that. Madeline hardly knew what to make of it. Stewart directed cowboys to go to the head of the open place in the cliff and let down lassoes. Then, with little waste of words, he urged the women toward this rough ladder of stones. “We want to hide you,” he said, when they demurred. “If the guerrillas come we’ll tell them you’ve all gone down to the ranch. If we have to fight you’ll be safe up there.” Helen stepped boldly forward and let Stewart put the loop of a lasso round her and tighten it. He waved his hand to the cowboys above. “Just walk up, now,” he directed Helen.