The hoof-beats ceased, so far as he was able to hear, and silence settled over the valley, broken now and then by the howl of a hungry coyote. Somehow this sudden silence got on the nerves of Lieutenant Hippy Wingate, and getting up he hobbled into the ranch-house and strapped on his revolver holster. Bethinking himself of Bindloss’s rifle he got that, examined the chambers and, as he expected, found it fully loaded.
“Now we are all set,” he muttered. He had reached the ranch-house door when he halted sharply and gazed into the night over which the stars shed a faint light, making objects within the range of his vision stand out in unreal and fantastic shapes. Hippy, however, did see something moving, something that was quite real. This something was a man, and as he gazed other figures were discovered.
“I wonder if that’s some of the boys?” he muttered. Upon second thought he decided that the cowpunchers would not be moving about so quietly. Three appeared to have come from the direction of the Overland camp at the rear of the ranch-house, and Hippy then knew that all was not well at the Circle O ranch. He stepped back, softly closed and bolted the door, and took his place at a window that had been pulled down from the top. From that vantage point he watched with straining eyes.
The men appeared to be investigating, undoubtedly for the purpose of learning whether or not there were anyone about the place. One finally turned his attention to the ranch-house, first cautiously trying the door, then peering in through the window. Hippy had stepped aside as the man approached him, and a few seconds later he saw a face pressed against the pane.
After a moment of peering, the fellow carefully raised both windows from the bottom and thrust his head in.
Hippy pressed his body against the wall and grasped his revolver by the barrel. The fellow’s shoulders were thrust in and the watcher saw that he was about to climb in.
Lieutenant Hippy Wingate took instant advantage of the opportunity and brought the butt of his revolver down with full force on the intruder’s head. The whack was so loud that the Overlander thought the others must hear, and, without an instant’s hesitation, he grabbed and dragged the unconscious man into the room.
“I hope I haven’t killed the ruffian!” A hand placed over the man’s heart told Hippy that he had not. Hippy, knowing that there was a lasso hanging in Bindloss’s room, in fact that there were several there, hobbled in, and fetching the rope, hog-tied the man, after which he put a handkerchief gag in the fellow’s mouth.
“Good! This is like taking candy from babies,” he chuckled, going over to the window and replacing it as it was before. This enabled him to stand up and look out, and also gave him free range in case he found it necessary to use his weapons. Bethinking himself of other windows, Hippy made a circuit of the lower floor and closed and locked them. For a man to get in now would necessitate breaking a window, which he surely would hear.
The watcher had no more than returned to his open window than he suddenly ducked to one side, for he discovered that a second man was about to peer in. Unlike the first caller this man walked away and went around to the rear of the house, but he was back in a few moments, this time accompanied by a companion. They were whispering, and at this instant the man on the floor gave a kick with his heel that stopped the whispering instantly.