Grace Harlowe's Overland Riders on the Great American Desert

seconds, then, with a sudden turn of the

foot, catching the pony fairly on the nose. As he hastily withdrew his head, she took adva

were observed with intense inte

lled Hi Lang in

beat to the task of discovering what

aight up. One moment she felt that they were both going to fall over backwards, and was about to clear

his feet touched the ground than he leaped clear of it, coming down stiff-legged with a jolt that jarred Grace Har

," warned the stead

strong enough to get the black bronco's head up so he could not carry out his intention. There followed

t by the hoofs of her mount. The jolting she was getting was almost more than she could endure and sharp pains were shooting through her body. Th

!" yelled

runt from him. In the cloud of dust the spectators thought that Grace had been caught under the horse and

Lang, who had sprung forward to g

side of the saddle, free of the body of the horse, but breathing heavily. Her quickness

t her crop down on his rump with a vicious whack. It stung. Like a flash th

tant the pony felt the smart of the crop. How the dust

howled Hippy Wingate.

ed that the time had arrived when she must do a little fighting for herself, and not leave it all to th

ng forward in another series of savage bucks. Grace jerked the animal's head to one side, broug

ge of tactics, whirled and started away at a run, driving straight through the assembled cro

as he had started, stopped stiff-legged, braced himself a

orsed her. As it was she fell forward on the neck of the bronco, but, recovering herself before the animal co

t few minutes pony and rider went like a black streak across the landscape, the Overland girl giving the pony no tim

raced for the corral, driving and urging the pony with crop and word, bound

d with white foam, the cowboys broke loose. Shrill cowboy yells, whoops and cat

toward the bronco as he saw Grace wavering on he

e. She had fought and won a battle with an "outlaw" pony that many a hard- muscled cowboy had fought only to lose. Now tha

s had sprung to her assistance, but it wa

I'll catch y

er head and t

ups and slipping limply until her feet touched the ground. For a moment she stood l

rful that the pony might spring to one

led herself to his head. Fumbling in her pocket, she drew forth a piece of c

med a cowboy. "A bronc' eatin' outer a lady'

s the shorest thing I know," decla

s, and the Overland girl slipped down under the pony's neck in a dead faint. The bronco, merely by lif

own and nosed her with the nearest approach to affect

rl up cautiously and carried her to

stand back and give

" said Elfreda Brigg hu

as Grace regained consciousness Elfreda bathed her fa

hing for me do," muttered Gra

hat wild animal, I ag

Bri

. What will these

ng. "Bud, come here," he called, beckoning to one of the wranglers. "This little lady wants

painfully under his tan,

t the leather," declared Bud. "Any feller thet sez you ain't, is a liar and a h

nting condition. Getting up rather unsteadily, she offered her hand to the cowboy, who, in his

. We double cinch what

lled a co

s much higher praise than I deserve," she rep

on goin', Miss?" questi

ey had planned to cros

a diamond mine or an iron mine down in the Specter Rang

" drawled Bud. "If you all need help any old time, Ah r

im and said she

t black bronco, are you!" questione

our start this afternoon, unless Mr. Lang advi

through, you'd be wishing to lay up for

ible course to follow,"

-that is what I shall call my pony-and not to be cross with him? I do not wish the little fellow stirred up. I have him temporarily under co

d his back on them and walked away to give Grace's

that all of you turn in for a beauty sleep. You will need it, for we shall have a hot, dusty ride between here and the mountains, which we shall not reach until some time this evening. If you have any furth

leep, fortifying themselves for the experiences before them, experiences that were destined