Teddy nodded, and touched his heels to the pony’s sides. As they raced over the prairie both boys drew their revolvers and held them in readiness. “You take the left, I’ll circle around!” Roy panted. “Make sure you don’t miss him. Once he gets very deep into the brush, he’s gone for good!” Swiftly the riders dashed toward the brush wherein the animal had disappeared. Wolves were most uncommon on the ranges of this country. This one had probably been driven down by hunger from the mountains. “The one who shoots him gets the pelt!” Teddy yelled. “Let’s go!” The two brothers swung apart. About three hundred yards from the mesquite stood a group of quakermasts, and they wanted to cut the animal off from this protection. Even as they neared the brush, however, they saw the wolf dart toward the trees. Crack! Teddy’s gun spoke, and a spurt of dust arose behind the running animal. Roy fired. The beast faltered, and dropped to his haunches. From his throat came a peculiar wailing cry. “You got him!” Teddy shouted. “He’s--” The sentence was never completed. As if in answer to a call, another wolf leaped from the grove of quakermasts. Then another, and another--almost tumbling over each other in their efforts to reach their fallen comrade, a full pack of snarling, yelping, savage wolves! The horses, squealing in terror, planted their forefeet in the turf and came to a back-jerking stop. Wildly they swung about, their riders unable to control them in the face of this charging death. “Don’t shoot--no time--get away!” Teddy yelled. “There’s hundreds of ’em--” Glancing swiftly around, Roy saw that this was scarcely an exaggeration. The pack seemed to increase every second. As they reached the wounded beast, a few stopped, but the rest came on. Foam was dripping from their jaws in huge flakes. “They’re mad--crazy with hunger!” Roy gasped. “They’re starved! If they catch us--” He bent low over Star’s back. There was but one thing to do--ride, and put their faith in their broncos. In the steel-like muscles of Star and Flash lay the boys’ only hope of safety. CHAPTER II RESCUE With necks outstretched, flesh quivering, and eyes white from fear, the ponies flashed across the prairie. Direction was forgotten in the mad rush to escape those dripping fangs now so close. The ground was uneven, treacherous, and each rider knew that a single misstep would send his horse crashing to earth, the only hope, then, being that the fall, and not the teeth of the ravenous animals, would bring death. Desperately the boys sought to guide their mounts so as to avoid the frequent badger holes. In a single moment, it seemed, they had left the group of quakermasts behind, and were mounting the side of a small hill.