“We’ve got to find out for sure whether it’s somebody on our trail or just some one that is hunting,” declared one of them, who, if the two brothers could have seen him, they would have recognized as Gus Megget.

“Considering we’ve waited more than two hours and no one has showed up, I say we ought to push onto the Lode, Gus,” asserted another.

“How can we drive cattle over this trail in the dark?” growled the chief of the raiders.  “You ought to have more sense, seeing the trouble we’ve had to get them as far as this in the daylight.”

“So long as we can’t drive, we might just as well go back and find out who’s been shooting.”

Realizing that it was futile to urge their leader to change his mind, the other raiders sullenly acquiesced, and, emerging from their places of concealment, went into the woods to get their horses and were soon riding stealthily back over the trail.

Though they dared not refuse to go, the men, however, were not backward in expressing their disapproval of the move, declaring that they were tempting disaster by returning when they had made so successful a start.

But Megget paid no attention to their grumblings and soon his companions lapsed into silence.

Fate, however, which had saved the two brothers and the young rancher from stumbling into the ambush, was still favoring them.

For when the raiders reached the edge of the prairie Megget ordered a halt that they might eat, and when again they resumed their ride the boys were far on their way toward the spot where they met their friends.

Not long did it take their pursuers to discover the place where the three had eaten and then to find the direction in which they had departed.

“What’s the use of following any farther, Gus?” demanded one of them.  “So long as they have ridden to the south, and there are only three of them, anyhow, we are in no danger.”

But with a blind obstinacy the leader of the cattle thieves persisted in continuing the pursuit, and set the pace at a fast gallop.

In due course of time, as the boys before them, they discovered the glare from the camp fire.

“We’ll ride into the mountains, dismount and then find out who it is that has the fire,” declared Megget.

“You’re playing with trouble, Gus,” protested his companions.  “From what I know of Wilder, he won’t let a bunch of his cattle be lifted without doing something.  That may be his fire.”

“All the more reason why we should go to it—­to make sure,” snapped the leader of the raiders.  “Wilder is a fool or he wouldn’t leave his herd unguarded at the Witches’ Pool.”

“You’ll find he’s smarter than you think.  I’ll bet all my share of these raids will come to that the only reason the herd was alone was because his whole outfit is on the trail from the bottoms,” asserted another.

“Well, the boys can take care of ’em if they are.  I said I was going to find out who built that fire, and I’m going to.”  And without more ado, the leader of the raiders dashed into the woods.