The pony was gone. What had caused its sudden sinking the lad could not imagine. There was no time to speculate--not an instant to lose if he were to rescue the drowning cook. Throwing himself forward, headed downstream, Tad struck out with long, overhand strokes for the Chinaman. Going so much faster than the current, the boy rapidly gained on the victim. Yet, just as he was almost within reach of Pong, the latter threw up his hands and went down. Tad dived instantly. The swollen stream was so muddy that he could see nothing below the surface. His groping hands grasped nothing except the muddy water. The lad propelled himself to the surface, shaking the water from his eyes. There before him he saw the long, yellow arms of the Chinaman protruding above the surface of the river. This time, Tad was determined that the cook should not escape him. Tad made a long, curving dive not unlike that of a porpoise. This time the lad's hands reached the drowning man. The long, yellow arms twined themselves about the boy, and Tad felt himself going down. With rare presence of mind the boy held his breath, making no effort to wrench himself free from the Chinaman's grip. He knew it would be effort wasted, and, besides, he preferred to save his strength until they reached the surface once more. Half a dozen cowpunchers had plunged their ponies into the river, and were swimming toward the spot where Tad had been seen to go down, while the foreman was shouting frantic orders at them. The wagon had been ferried to the other side, and Stallings had run to his pony, on which he was now dashing madly along the river bank. "Look out that you don't run them down!" he roared. "Keep your wits about you!" "They're both down, already!" shouted a cowboy in reply. "We'll lose the whole outfit at this rate," growled another. Yet, not a man was there, unless perhaps it may have been Lumpy Bates, who would not have risked his own life freely to save that of the plucky lad. After going down a few feet, Tad began treading water with all his might. This checked their downward course and in a second or so he had the satisfaction of realizing that they were slowly rising. The current, however, was forcing them up at an angle. This, to a certain extent, worked to the boy's advantage, for the Chinaman was underneath him, thus giving Tad more freedom than had their positions been reversed. "There they are!" cried Big-foot Sanders as the Chinaman and his would-be rescuer popped into sight. "Go after them!" commanded Stallings. Urging their ponies forward by beating them with their quirts, the cowboys made desperate efforts to reach the two. Tad managed to free one arm which he held above his head. "The rope! He wants the rope! Rope him, you idiots!" bellowed the foreman. Big-foot made a cast. However, from his position in the water, he could not make an accurate throw and the rope fell short.