Suddenly one of the cattle turned in their direction, and one of the men ran around to head him off. He ran almost over Fred, who sprang up and dealt him a blow on the side of his head that caused him to sink down unconscious.
CHAPTER VIII.
FRED AND TERRY CAPTURE CATTLE THIEVES.
Terry heard the blow that Fred gave the cattle thief and he knew what it meant, for the fellow sank down without uttering a word.
The thief's pal, seeing that the cow that had strayed off was not being turned around, went to the assistance of his confederate and he ran up against Terry.
Terry rose up and gave him a crack on the head with his heavy revolver. He saw more stars than he probably ever thought had a home in the skies, and down he dropped.
"Now, Terry," whispered Fred, "let's see if there are any more of them," and as quick as possible they bound the two unconscious thieves hands and feet and continued to follow the cattle.
They walked straight up on their feet, knowing that the confederates, if there were any, would mistake them for their pals if they saw them.
After a few minutes they saw two other fellows advancing toward them, and one of them came up to Fred and asked in a low tone of voice:
"What's the matter?"