Page:Ritchie - Trails to Two Moons.djvu/291

 But the pulse beat of the hoofs sounded from the direction of the outlaws' roost up the valley!

Original whirled Tige around on his haunches and dashed back into the thicket of pines. He spoke no word when he came to the circle of seated men, but the look on his face sent Timberline and Hank leaping for their saddles. Original dismounted before the big tree against which Zang and the other prisoner were backed. He spoke to them very quietly:

"Boys, I don't make it a habit to be careless with a gun"—his weapon now was in his hand—"but for the next five minutes any conversation—even so much as a sneeze from either of you—is goin' to drop this hammer."

Now the noise of the approaching horses came to all. Zang's face lightened and an eager light played in his eyes. He grinned wickedly at Original, who stood over him, but the mute round mouth of steel so near his made silence infectious.

A tense moment wherein the hearts of the three invaders of the Spout's outlaw territory raced riotously; another, and the pound-pound of many galloping hoofs passed the pine thicket and grew less as the pursuers swept on down the valley. Blindly they were riding, with no