"
The "chief," with an oath of disgust, dashed forward, and his band
surged after. Just below them, and scarcely fifty feet away, a
half-score of roughly clad, heavily bearded men were clustered in the
centre of the trail, two of their number lifting the unconscious form
of a fainting woman upon a horse.
"Cervera's gang, by gosh!" panted the leading savage. "How did they
git yere?"
"You bet! She's up agin the real thing," ejaculated a voice beside
him. "Let's ride 'em off the earth! Whoop!"
With wild yells to awaken fresh courage, the whole band plunged
headlong down the sharp decline, striking the surprised "road-agents"
with a force and suddenness which sent half of them sprawling.
Revolvers flashed, oaths and shouts rang out fiercely, men clinched
each other, striking savage blows. Lumley grasped the leader of the
other party by the hair, and endeavored to beat him over the head with
his revolver butt. Even as he uplifted his hand to strike, the man's
beard fell off, and the two fierce combatants paused as though
thunderstruck.
"Hold on yere, boy!" yelled Lumley. "This yere is some blame joke.
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