“Yes. But what about our ponies?” cried Grace.
“Not a hide nor hair of ’em left,” answered Bindloss. “The critters took ’em all, and one had the nerve to ride yours, Mrs. Gray, almost over to the ranch-house. You better look around and see if they got anything else,” suggested Bindloss amid a tense silence. “Jones and some of the others chased ’em into the hills and are after ’em now.”
“The ponies stolen!” howled Stacy Brown.
“It’s your fault, consarn ye!” raged Sam Conifer, addressing his companion. “I told ye to stay here an’ watch things.”
“It ain’t! It’s your fault. If you’d had any brains in yer empty head you’d stayed an’ watched this camp. You need somebody to watch you, an’ that’s no lie!” yelled Jim at the top of his voice.
The Overlanders burst out laughing, some of them a little hysterically.
CHAPTER VI
RUSTLERS ARE HARD PRESSED
“The mules is still heah,” cried Jim.
“Of course they aire, an’ I’ll bet my mule scared them fellers off. Thar ain’t a man livin’ that can git away with that cayuse of mine,” declared Sam.
“Leastwise when he has mine to frighten them off,” added Jim.