"They came mighty near getting us that time," exclaimed Pete, looking back over the still glowing plains.
"Too near," assented Mr. Wilder. "But Megget's men will suffer for this trick, never fear."
"They'll sure be surprised when they see us," chimed in the owner of the Three Stars.
"That's just it," returned Mr. Wilder. "Of course, they think we have perished in the flames, and when they see us riding in on them they will be so scared it will take all the fight out of them."
None the worse for their experience, the cowboys were eager to be under way again that they might exact satisfaction upon the raiders for their unwilling flight. But Mr. Wilder curbed their impatience by saying:
"It's all right to want to get on the trail again, but if we should start now, while the plains are still hot, we run the risk of crippling some of our ponies. We'll eat breakfast here and then in an hour I guess we can start. What do you think, Jim?"
"It will be all right to take grub and we can tell about the ground when we've eaten."
Fate, however, was still on the side of the ranchers, for while they were at their meal it began to rain.
With a shout the cowboys greeted the first drops, but their masters grew serious.
"This rain will make it mighty hard to pick up the trail," observed the owner of the Three Stars.