Judy was laying her crop over the flank of her mustang and uttering shrill cries to urge him on, and the first intimation that the ranchmen had of the presence of the Overland girls was when Judy flashed by them towards the duelists.
“Kill ’im, Pap!” she yelled.
“It’s Mex!” shouted Sam Conifer.
At this juncture the Overland girls caught up with the pursuers and dashed to safety on the rocky ground. As they reached it Miss Briggs’ pony went down and Grace’s mustang leaped clear over her and her mount before she could check him. Tom Gray hurried to the rescue of Elfreda.
“You here?” he cried.
The roar of the fire, as it swept past over the brown meadow, smothered the words.
One duelist, at this juncture, was seen to sway in his saddle, and at the same instant the other plunged headlong to the ground. The first man’s pony jumped and he too was unhorsed, then both duelists laboriously raised themselves to their elbows, and the duel was resumed. At the second exchange of shots, one sank back and lay still.
Judy jumped her pony forward, and throwing herself from the saddle ran to the living man and pillowed his head in her lap.
“Gosh a-mighty!” roared Bindloss.
The men of the ranch party were on the scene in a few seconds, but still being ignorant of the cause of the sudden disappearance of the body of rustlers kept their weapons at ready. Some of them now rode cautiously forward to see what had become of the missing men.