"You can't lose us," Sue panted close at his heels.
"'And Jack came tumbling after'," Jack added cheerful even in the face of danger.
"Do you know which way we're going?" Sue asked a few minutes later.
"I'm pretty certain that we're going in the opposite direction from the ranch."
"Then perhaps we'd better turn off to the left," Jack suggested.
"Too risky," Bob advised. "We'd be almost sure to run into one of those fellows. I think we'd better keep on even if we are going away from the ranch."
"I think so too," Sue said and added: "We seem to be distancing them."
Bob had begun to feel a bit easier as he had noticed that the sounds made by their enemies were farther off than when they had started and, for the first time he really dared hope that they would get away. Then suddenly there was a crashing of underbrush just to their right and, almost before they had time to think, a beam of light struck Bob square in the face and the form of Red Hains loomed up behind it.
"So it's you, eh?" he growled as he took a step forward.
Bob afterward declared that had he stopped to think he would never have dared attempt what he did. As the man stepped forward it happened that the boy was standing on a bit of a knoll and, almost without thinking, he lunged forward dashing his fist with all his strength into the man's face. The action was so sudden and entirely unexpected that the man had no time to protect himself and the blow caught him fairly on the point of the chin. He went over backward without a sound save the crackling of the brush as he struck the ground, the torch falling from his hand as he fell. The light was switched on and Jack quickly sprang forward and grabbed it up.