te PA | i CHAPTER XI—Continued Jee “Of course there is. He's ten miles from the border and he can't possibly get there with thirty thousand sheep under two days; when he gets to the river he'll find sixty of my men be tween him and the farther shore. How- ever, it will entail some loss en route and far heavier losses getting the sheep back on the range again. Bobby, I've got to stop that procession at the first water-hole, scatter Dingle and his men and put my own brave boys in charge. Meanwhile, we'll ride down to that dust cloud and make a recon naisance.” They did, keeping to the backbone of the western fringe of foothills. An hour of hard riding brought them to the crest of the slate-colored hills. Be- low them a plain sloped gently into the bluish haze; faintly to them came the continuous bleating of sheep: a dirty gray blur indicated the flock. At Its rear and on the flanks, little black dots, that were herders and sheep dogs, urged the weary animals along. Don Jaime counted the largest dots. “Twenty herders,” Roberta heard him remark, half to himself. “Hum m-m! It doesn't iook as if it would be quite safe to give Bill Dingle his walk- ing papers tdday. He is not in a mood to accept them.” He eased his binocu- lars, whirled his horse and, without even a look at the girl beside him, started back the way they had come. “What are you going to do, Jimmy?" she asked anxiously, spurring up along- side of him, “We're going back to the motor- ear, Bobby. I'm going to send Aurelio back to Valle Verde for reinforce ments.” “Will there be a fight? “I think so, Bobby. Dingle has twenty herders. Six, with the dogs, should be ample to maneuver those sheep. So it looks as if he had pre- pared for trouble, and when men pre pare for trouble it's a pretty good sign they will not avoid It.” “I don’t want a fight,” the girl cried passionately. “You and some of your men may get hurt-—killed.” “Quite likely. 1 have no intention of making this anything but a slaugh ter.” “Oh, Jimmy, please listen to me. This is not your fight. It's mine and I'd rather every head of those awful sheep than have anybody killed defending them. Send to Los Alg dones for the sheriff and a posse head Dingle off. This is the sherifl” business, not yours.’ “A good plan for weaklings plied curt! “Yo even members of a expendable. Bobby, open season on thieves zen, catching a thie help himself to the s; of his desires and his ammuni always been the en try for men to pre from thieves ™ “I forbid you to 1 in the protection of my. 1 can anything happen never forgive myself” He smiled across at her “And If I ever fell so low as lose * he re 1 See stom in this coun should benignly. to let a “Twenty Herders,” Roberta Heard Him Remark, Hall to Himself, hief escape In daylight I'd never for. ve myself, Bobby. I'd lose caste in my own country.” ’ “But those sheep are mine,” she ed desperately, “The affair Is none pf your business, Jimmy--please lis. en to me.” He glared at her. “I'm ashamed of wou. I thought you had courage. You haven't—s0 now It seems 1 must tell ou something, Those sheep are not yours. They're mine! Don Prudencio had an offer for the lot from a man named Blodgett. The price was right and Prudy and I decided you should pill, The court agreed-—and we sold. Yesterday the buyer decided he had made a mistake-—and sold the shéep to ime at a lower price. I didn't intend p tell you about this, of course, but recumstances compel me. What 1 1 keep—and I'll always fight for own, Now Is your conscience ed?” "” Roberta commenced to sob, “Oh, Jimmy, I'm afraid-—terribly afraid! I have a presentiment you'll be killed.” “Would that matter so very much to you? His hand closed over her arm. “Look at me, Roberta. Would it matter so very much?’ She nodded an affirmative, unable to trust herself to speak. He said something in Spanish. Ro- berta suspected it was an oath! “I'm the picture of bad luck,” he com- plained. “I don't want this fight, but I just can't afford to let Dingle get away Into Mexico with a quarter of a million dollars’ worth of my property. The loss might put me into the hands of a recelver—so, much as I would like to oblige you, Bobby, I must inform you that about sunset h—I's going to pop over yonder.” The tears coursed down her cheeks. She was beyond words now. “Don't feel bad, Bobby,” he urged. “We'll open the fight at long range. Ken and I are absolutely deadly up to a thou- sand yards. Those herders are mostly Mexlcans—riff-raff—and at ranges be yond three hundred yards their shoot- ing Is sloppy. 1 know, Bobby, [I've been through a dozen with them.” “Oh, Jimmy! Please—please, my sake” He pulled up his horse and glow- ered at her. “My dear girl,” he erled sharply, “you're trying to make a quit- ter out of me. When a man permits a woman to rob him of his strength he might as well get killed and have his shame over with, Is that under- stood ™ Roberta nodded miserably, What argument of hers could prevall above this logic? And yet, beneath her cold fear there burned a wild pride that he had made his decision so, and deep down In her rebellious, belligerent heart she knew that, what might, she would not have It otherwise now. CHAPTER XII Cantering where brushes for come the ground per mitted, moving at a fast running walk where It did not, Roberta and Don Jalme reached the waiting truck and motorcar In thirty minutes. out the journey (following announcement of his inflexible purpose to fight Bill Dingle wy his herders before sunset) no word had passed be- tween the two, Don ahead, occasionally looki 100K ® that all was well with Through- her host's Jaime rode back to girl: for con have dispensed At least hts. nor subse. Qo the seemingly, in his flict, he would gladly with her society if he conld Roberta thus read his ras she far wrong, as his first CAZOTHORS thorne juent words proved “Bobby, this job Al arelio your horse into it you will be good enough to take the motorcar and drive it home for me I debtor™ “No,” answered horse and the motors here. 1 might need gome wounded Los Algodones or so the morgue. When tiled I'll know what to do bay e to be told” “The objection you ralse is a logleal one. Have It your own way." He gave Aurelio his orders in Spanish and when the latter had departed with the truck, Don Jaime gat down on the run. ning board of the motorcar and mo tioned to Roberta to dismount and sit beside him. “Drop your reins. Your horse will tie to the breeze,” he sug. gested. “Let's have 1 smoke. Sooth- ing to the nerves” “It probably would be-