“I’ll sit on the bank above the cave and watch ’em,” announced Lee.

“An’ what if they mistook you for one of us?” asked Prince dryly.

“They can’t, with me wearing a red coat.”

“You’re bound to be in this, aren’t you?” His smile was more friendly than the words.  It admitted reluctant admiration of her.

The party on the other side of the river was in plain sight now.  Jim counted four—­five—­six of them as they deployed.  Presently Prince threw a bullet into the dust at the feet of one of the horses as they moved forward.  It was meant as a warning not to come closer and accepted as one.

After a minute of consultation a single horseman rode to the bank of the stream.

“You over there,” he shouted.

“It’s dad,” said Lee.

“You’d better surrender peaceable.  We’ve come to git you alive or dead,” shouted Snaith.

“What do you want us for?” asked Prince.

“You know well enough what for.  You killed one of my punchers.”

Clanton groaned.  “Only one?”

“An’ another may die any day.  Come out with yore hands up.”

“We’d rather stay here, thank you,” Billie called back.

Snaith leaned forward in the saddle.  “Is that you over there, Lee?”

“Yes, dad.”

“Gone back on yore father and taken up with Webb’s scalawags, have you?”

“No, I haven’t,” she called back.  “But I’m going to see they get fair play.”

“You git out of there, girl, and on this side of the river!” Snaith roared angrily.  “Pronto!  Do you hear?”

“There’s no use shouting yourself hoarse, dad.  I can hear you easily, and I’m not coming.”

“Not comin’!  D’ye mean you’ve taken up with a pair of killers, of outlaws we ‘re goin’ to put out of business?  You talk like a—­like a—­”

“Go slow, Snaith!” cut in Prince sharply.  “Can’t you see she’s tryin’ to save you from murder?”

“We’re goin’ to take those boys back to Los Portales with us—­or their bodies.  I don’t care a whole lot which.  You light a shuck out of there, Lee.”

“No,” she answered stubbornly.  “If you’re so bent on shooting at some one you can shoot at me.”

The cattleman stormed and threatened, but in the end he had to give up the point.  His daughter was as obstinate as he was.  He retired in volcanic humor.

“I never could get dad to give up swearing,” his daughter told her new friends by way of humorous apology.  “Wonder what he’ll do now.”

“Wait till night an’ drive us out of our hole, I expect,” replied Prince.

“Will he wait?  I’m not so sure of that,” said Jim.  “See.  His men are scattering.  They’re up to somethin’.”

“They’re going down to cross the river to get behind us just as you said they would,” predicted Lee.

She was right.  Half an hour later, from her position on the bank above the cave, she caught a glimpse of a man slipping forward through the brush.  She called to Prince, who crept out from behind the tumble weeds to join her.  A bullet dug into the soft clay not ten inches from his head.  He scrambled up and lay down behind a patch of soapweed a few yards from the girl.  Another bullet from across the river whistled past the cowpuncher.