“Doubtless it is all true what you say about the festive rustlers roaming up and down the land seeking whom they may devour, but you forget that, leaving out the quarter of a hundred from the Lone Star State, there are also other bands of stockmen abroad.  Now, if we could effect a junction with one or two of those companies, why, you’ll admit, the aspect of affairs will be changed.”

“Unquestionably; but consider how slight the chance—­”

“On the contrary, I think the prospect is good.  Now, if you’ll be kind enough to level your glass to the eastward, possibly you will observe something interesting.”

Both young men quickly turned their heads in the direction indicated, and there, sure enough, was descried a body of horsemen, probably a mile distant, approaching on a gallop.

Hawkridge levelled his glass.  While thus engaged, Capt.  Asbury signalled to his men to mount and be ready to move on a moment’s call.

It was well to be ready for any emergency.

Dick Hawkridge studied the horsemen closely for some minutes without speaking.  Then, with his eye still at the glass, he repeated slowly, as if to himself: 

“There are thirteen of them, and the spotted horse at the head I am sure belongs to Ira Inman; the whole party are rustlers.”

He lowered the binocular and looked at the captain, adding: 

“I suspected it; their party is but a little stronger than yours, for Mont and I will stand with you, but it seems to me it would be foolish to risk a fight in the open.”

“I am willing to retreat, but I don’t intend to be run out of Wyoming by all the rustlers between Sheridan and Cheyenne.  I am willing, however,” he added, with a smile, “to make a strategical movement to the rear until we strike some place where there’s a show for defence; do you know of any such place?”

“My house is well fitted for that, and is not far off.”

“All right; lead on.”

By this time the rest of the party had ridden to the top of the hill, where the situation was quickly made clear to them.  They looked off at the party of rustlers, and several expressed the wish that the captain would stay and fight them; but he replied that they were quite certain to get enough of fighting before they were many days older, and he followed Hawkridge.

At sight of the flight, the rustlers uttered tantalizing shouts and discharged their Winchesters in the air.  At the same time they increased the speed of their animals; but, as they were no better mounted than the stockmen, there was little chance of overtaking them.

The surface was undulating, the ground being well covered with verdure even thus early in the spring.  Sometimes pursuers and fugitives were out of sight of each other for a minute or two, but not long enough to affect the situation.

The course was northwest, and Hawkridge was hopeful that they would reach his ranch in an hour or a little more.  And this they probably would have done had they not been interrupted, or rather checked, by the unexpected appearance of a third company of horsemen, almost directly in front of the stockmen.