"I—I'm afraid not," faltered Alice.
And then, just in the nick of time, there came riding around one side of the stampeding cattle a group of the Rocky Ranch cowboys. They had succeeded in reaching the head of the bunch of steers, and now had a chance to turn the excited cattle to one side—to mill them again.
"Hi—yi!" yelled the cowboys.
"Hi—yi!"
Bang! Bang! boomed the revolvers.
"Shoot right in their faces!" cried Buster Jones, as he fired point blank at the steers.
Most of the cowboys had blank cartridges in their pistols for the purpose of making a noise. But others had real bullets, and with these some of the wildest of the steers were killed. It was absolutely necessary to do this to stop the rush.
And this was just what was needed, for the fallen cattle tripped up others and soon there was a mound of the living bodies on the ground, offering an effectual barrier to those behind.
The cattle were now almost at the hill where the four young ladies stood in fear and trembling, but with the advent of the cowboys new hope had come to them.
"Now we're all right!" cried Alice, joyfully.