Part 2 (2/2)

It was aout of the darkness dick stopped the horse, and presently made out the form of a man on horseback, a cavalryan the youth, when the cavalry ?

Tucker, Ross, come here! I've collared one of the horse-thieves!”

In a h the ti and decidedly ugly-looking United States cavalryuard the Oklahoma territory from invasion

”A boy and a boomer!” ejaculated the fellow named Tucker ”I saw the kid over near Arkansas City a couple of days ago And riding Chester, too!

Git off that hoss, before I kick you off!”

And riding up he caught dick by the collar and yanked hiround

In an instant he was beside the boy and had produced a pair of reservation handcuffs

”Out with your hands, sonny, and be quick about it”

”What for?” asked dick, somewhat bewildered by the uncere handled ”I didn't steal that horse”

”Too thin, sonny All you boo our hossflesh is the rarest kind of a joke Out with those hands, I say, and consider yourself a prisoner of Uncle Sam

You've nearly ridden Chester to death and for two pins I'd take the law intoyou up to the nearest tree Take that!”

And having handcuffed dick the cavalrye slap that sent the helpless youth headlong at his feet

The blow aroused all of the lion in the youth's makeup As quickly as he could he leaped up

”You brute!” he cried ”Why don't you fight fair? Take that, and that and that!”

Each ”that” meant two blows, for dick could not separate his hands, and therefore struck out with both at a time--two in the chest, two on the chin and the final pair on either side of Tucker's big and reddish nose

The cavalrye and pain

”You imp!” he screamed ”To hit a man in uniform! I'll show you what I can do! How do you like that?”

With incredible swiftness he drew his heavy Sabra and leaped upon dick

The boy tried to retreat, but slipped on the wet ground and went down

On the instant Tucker was upon him, and, with a fierce cry, the infuriated cavalryman raised his blade over dick's head

CHAPTER III

A CAVE AND A CAVE-IN

Let us go back and see what happened to pawnee Brown at the ti down into what seemed bottomless space