When the raider changed his direction, and turned off the trail on to the open prairie, the horrors of the prisoner’s position were intensified a hundredfold.  Alone, there was insufficient room for the suffering man in the limited space of the “carryall,” but beside him sat, or rather crouched, a burly Breed, ready at a moment’s notice to quash any attempt at escape on the part of the wretched money-lender.

Thus he was borne along, mile after mile, southward towards his own ranch.  Sometimes during that terrible ride Lablache found time to wonder what was the object of these people in thus kidnapping him.  Surely if they only meant to carry off his cattle, such a task could have been done without bringing him along with them.  It seemed to him that there could be only one interpretation put upon the matter, and, in spite of his present agonies, the great man shuddered as he thought.

Courageous as he was, he endured a period of mental agony which took all the heart out of him.  He understood the methods of the prairie so well that he feared the very worst.  A tree—­a lariat—­and he saw, in fancy, a crowd of carrion swarming round his swinging body.  He could conceive no other object, and his nerves became racked almost to breaking pitch.

The real truth of the situation was beyond his wildest dreams.  The significance of the fact that this second attack was made against him was lost upon the wretched man.  He only seemed to realize with natural dread that Retief—­the terror of the countryside—­was in this, therefore the outcome must surely be the very worst.

At length the horses drew up at Lablache’s lonely ranch.  His nearest neighbor was not within ten miles of him.  With that love of power and self aggrandisement which always characterized him, the money-lender had purchased from the Government a vast tract of country, and retained every acre of it for his own stock.  It might have stood him in good stead now had he let portions of his grazing, and so settled up the district.  As it was, his ranch was characteristic of himself—­isolated; and he knew that Retief could here work his will with little chance of interference.

As Lablache was hoisted from the buckboard and set upon his feet, and the gag was removed from his mouth, the first thing he noticed was the absolute quiescence of the place.  He wondered if his foreman and the hands were yet sleeping.

He was not long left in doubt.  Retief gave a few rapid orders to his men, and as he did so Lablache observed, for the first time, that the Breeds numbered at least half-a-dozen.  He felt sure that not more than four besides their chief had traveled with them, and yet now the number had increased.

The obvious conclusion was that the others were already here at the time of the arrival of the buckboard, doubtless with the purpose of carrying out Retief’s plans.

The Breeds moved off in various directions, and their chief and the money-lender were left alone.  As soon as the others were out of earshot the raider approached his captive.  His face seemed to have undergone some subtle change.  The lofty air of command had been replaced by a look of bitter hatred and terrible cruelty.