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The tramp cowboy swung Black Boyar half-round, and driving his unspurred heels into the pony's ribs, put him straight down the terrific slope of the mountain at a run. Tenlow's gun cracked. A spray of dust rose instantly ahead of Boyar. "Look! Look!" cried Louise.
The boy Collie, white and gasping, threw himself in front of Tenlow's horse. The deputy spurred the pony over him and swept down the meadow. Louise, angered in that the boy had snatched Boyar's reins from her as Overland shouted, relented as she saw the instant bravery in the lad's endeavor to stop Tenlow's horse. She stooped over him. He rose stiffly. "Oh! I thought you were hurt!" she exclaimed.
With a spring he was in the saddle and had slipped the quirt from the saddle-horn to his wrist. He would need that quirt, as he had no spurs. Round swung Tenlow, cursing. Black Boyar shot across the meadow, the quirt falling at each jump. The tramp glanced back. Tenlow's right hand went up and his gun roared once, twice....
"I dislike to use my influence. You know, I practically control Dick Tenlow's place at the elections." "That's just why he should be willing to let the boy go," said Louise quickly. "No, sweetheart. That's just why I shouldn't ask Dick to do anything of the kind. But I see I'm in for it. You have already interested your Aunt Eleanor. She spoke to me about the boy last night."
"Can he ride?" shouted Collie, grinning. But the grin died to a gasp. A burst of shale and dust shot up from the hillside. They saw the flash of the cinchas on the belly of Tenlow's horse as the dauntless pony stumbled and dove headlong down the slope, rolling over and over, to stop finally a patch of brown, shapeless, quivering.
"I'm going to make you eat that speech about any woman making things look smooth if she's interested." "You go on home or I'll break you in two," said Tenlow. Collie's reply was a flail-like blow between Tenlow's eyes. The deputy staggered, gritted his teeth, and flung himself at the younger man. The fight was unequal from the beginning.
Saunders, hiding back in the brush, cursed Tenlow's stupidity. To have let Collie go on and have followed him under cover would have been the only sensible plan. Rapidly approximating the outcome of this muddle, Saunders untied his pony and rode back toward the ranch, taking an unused and densely covered bridle-trail. From up in the cañon came the thunder of the racing-car.
"You're just flattering me, I know! But uncle, if you had seen the boy jump in front of Mr. Tenlow's horse when Dick shot at the tramp, and afterwards when the boy helped me with Dick and stuck right to him clear to his house, why, you couldn't help but admire him. Then they arrested him for what? It's a shame! I told him to run when I saw the doctor's buggy coming."
The deputy, angered out of his usual judgment, spurred his horse directly down the footless shale that the tramp had ridden across diagonally. "Look! He can't The horse ! Oh!" she groaned as Tenlow's pony stumbled and all but pitched headlong. "The other man knew better than that " she gasped, turning to the boy. "He waited till he struck rock and brush before he turned Boyar."
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