“It is his job,” Old Heck interrupted, “I don’t understand—­something must have gone wrong,” he added excitedly as the stallion with his double burden drew near.  “Carolyn June’s all wet and she’s lost her hat.”

Turning his horse toward the house, when he reached the end of the lane and with but a glance at the trio standing at the barn, the Ramblin’ Kid rode straight to the back-yard gate.  Old Heck and the cowboys hurried across the open space and reached the gate just as Carolyn June rather stiffly dismounted from the little roan.  Her hair was disarranged, her riding suit soiled and wet from the sand and water, but her eyes were bright, cheeks flushed, and she showed only a trace of nervousness.

“What’s the matter?” Old Heck asked uneasily, “what’s happened?  Where’s Skinny?”

In a few words, while the Ramblin’ Kid sat silently on the back of Captain Jack, Carolyn June told of the ride across the river; the meeting with Pedro and the message he brought that the cattle were out and some had been killed by lightning; of sending Skinny with the Mexican to help with the steers; of her return alone toward the ranch, the struggle in the quicksand and the death of the horse she had been riding.

“Poor Old Blue—­poor old fellow!” she finished with a little catch in her voice.

Old Heck’s cheeks whitened as he listened.

“Good lord,” he half-groaned, “you had a close call!  It’s lucky th’ Ramblin’ Kid saw you coming toward the upper ford—­if he hadn’t—­you’d never got out!  But go on into the house and get some dry clothes on.  Boys, we’ll have to hurry up and eat dinner and then go help get them steers back.  I wish Parker was here—­we’ll need all the help we can get.  You’d better catch up another horse,” he continued, speaking to the Ramblin’ Kid, “Captain Jack is probably worn out from chasing that Gold Dust maverick last night, and if you ain’t too tired yourself, go with us—­”

“I ain’t too tired,” the Ramblin’ Kid replied quietly, “I’ll go—­an’ ride Captain Jack—­he ain’t done up.”  He took the broncho to the corral, removed the saddle and turned him in with the outlaw mare.  After giving the horses fresh hay—­there was water in the corral, supplied by a small ditch that was fed from the larger irrigation canal and which ran under one side of the fence—­he joined the others at dinner.

An hour later Old Heck, Bert, Charley and the Ramblin’ Kid rode away from the ranch to help Chuck, Skinny and Pedro round up and return to the big pasture the cattle that had broken out and were rushing toward their old range on the Purgatory.