Wid Gardner knew perfectly well what drove Sim Gage on.
But the car soon came to a sudden halt.

A couple of hundred yards on ahead lay an open glade.

At the left of the trail stood a great wall tent.
In an instant, every man was out of the car, the three ranchmen, like hounds on the scent, silently trotting off, taking cover from tree to tree.

A few moments, and the four of them, rifles at a ready, had surrounded the tent.

As they closed in, they all heard a high, clear voice--one they would not have suspected Sim Gage to have owned--calling out: "Throw up your hands, in there!" Actually, Sim Gage was leader! There came an exclamation in a hoarse and broken voice.