Sam Hogg nodded and hurried through the store. Outside he found Tad Hicks. He ordered him to follow and hurried down the dark, deserted street. He explained a little to Tad, and the two crouched down in some bushes opposite the judge's and settled themselves to watch. Jim Hogg was still spluttering with wrath when he burst into the judge's house. Although the hour was late he found the judge's family still up. Ace Cutts and Kennedy were with them. "We got news of Snippets!" roared the storekeeper. "An' I want yuh to order Tom Powers to gather every blessed man in town and search them lava hills, 'cause that's where they got her." "What do you mean? How do you know? Is she hurt?" The judge fired rapid questions. "Jim Allen tole me. He says they got her over there and that he knows part of the trail and is goin' to pick out the rest to-morrow, but by that time the gal will be over the border," Jim attempted to explain. "Wait a minute, Mr. Hogg," Kennedy spoke quietly. "Let's get this straight. You say that Allen insists that Snippets is being held captive in the lava beds? And he's going by himself to trail her?" "That's exactly what I said. The dam little runt----" "It's sense to me," Ace Cutts interrupted. "Three men in those lava beds can hold off a hundred. Allen has a better chance by himself," he insisted. The judge, Mrs. Ransom, and even Mary joined in the discussion as to the best way to rescue Snippets. "I think Allen is right," Kennedy said. "But then I'm an Eastern dude and don't know anything about it. Good night, folks. I'm riding out to my ranch to-night, so I won't see you to-morrow." "I'm going with yuh," Ace Cutts stated. The two went out and hurried toward the Red Queen. Sam Hogg arose from his hiding place and growled: "The dirty skunk!" "Who? Him or tother?" Tad asked. Ten minutes later Kennedy and Ace Cutts rode down the street. The moment they had passed the judge's house they put their horses into a wild, scrambling run. Sam Hogg smiled grimly, then, drawing his gun from his holster, he fired three times in the air. CHAPTER VIII KIDNAPED The attack had come so suddenly that Snippets McPherson hardly realized what was happening before she was roughly seized and hoisted to a horse in front of a masked man. She had uttered only one shrill scream, for common sense told her it was better to obey her captor than to risk his carrying out his threat of choking her. She realized that the single shot--the one which hit Dutchy--would raise the alarm. So she remained passive. The thing that worried her more than her own situation was Dutchy's fate. She was sure he had been badly hurt, for she knew the old gunman would never cease firing as long as he had strength to pull a trigger.