the trail with every nerve strung to meet any danger which might confront him.  He had an idea where he would be halted, if halted at all, and it was a lonesome spot in a valley, the very place for a deed of crime.

As he drew near the spot he was on the alert, and yet when two men suddenly stepped out from among the shrubs and confronted him, it gave him a start in spite of his nerve.  They had him covered with rifles and brought him to a halt with the words:  “Hold!  Hands up, Pony Express Bill, for we know yer, my boy, and what yer carries.”

        “I carry the express; and it’s hanging for you two if you
        interfere with me,” was the plucky response.

        “Ah, we don’t want you, Billy, unless you force us to call in
        your checks; but it’s what you carry we want.”

        “It won’t do you any good to get the pouch, for there isn’t
        anything valuable in it.”

        “We are to be the judges of that, so throw us the valuables
        or catch a bullet.  Which shall it be, Billy?”

The two men stood directly in front of the pony-rider, each one covering him with a rifle, and to resist was certain death.  So Cody began to unfasten his pouches slowly, while he said, “Mark my words, men, you’ll hang for this.”

        “We’ll take chances on that, Bill.”

The pouches being unfastened now, Cody raised them with one hand, while he said in an angry tone, “If you will have them, take them.”  With this he hurled the pouches at the head of one of them, who quickly dodged and turned to pick them up, just as Cody fired upon the other with his revolver in his left hand.

The bullet shattered the man’s arm while, driving the spurs into the flanks of his mare, Cody rode directly over the man who was stooping to pick up the pouches, his back turned to the pony-rider.

The horse struck him a hard blow that knocked him down, while he half fell on top of him, but was recovered by a touch of the spurs and bounded on, while the daring pony-rider gave a wild triumphant yell as he sped on like the wind.

The fallen man, though hurt, scrambled to his feet as soon as he could, picked up his rifle, and fired after the retreating youth, but without effect, and young Cody rode on, arriving at the station on time, and reported what had happened.

He had, however, no time to rest, for he was compelled to start back with his express pouches.  He thus made the remarkable ride of three hundred and twenty-four miles without sleep, and stopping only to eat his meals, and resting then but a few moments.  For saving the express pouches he was highly complimented by all, and years afterward he had the satisfaction of seeing his prophecy regarding the two road agents verified, for they were both captured and hanged by vigilantes for their many crimes.

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