it was a dignified proceeding on the part of monteith sterry, and the rustler possessed enough gentlemanly instinct to appreciate the feelings of the young man, who had attested his courage too often for any one to question it. but at the moment of wheeling his mare to ride off both caught the sound of approaching horsemen, and sterry checked his animal.

"who are they?" he asked, glancing at the rustler.

"how should i know? they may be some of your folks."

"they are as likely to be yours. i don't think, duke, it is wise for us to stay here where we offer such inviting targets, for whoever the party may be, one of us is sure to be an enemy."

monteith sterry moved away from the area of illumination as he spoke, vesey keeping close to his side.

"is it understood, duke," asked the younger, "there's a truce between you and me?"

"of course; if you know anything about duke vesey, you know he's square. if they happen to be some of our boys, i won't take any advantage of you, nor let them, if i can help it."

"and if they are capt. asbury and others, i will reciprocate."

enough was said. enemies though the men were, no bosom friends could have been more in unison for the time. ready to shoot each other on sight less than an hour before, and as they were liable to be within the following hour, they were equally ready to risk their lives, if necessary, to carry out the pledge just exchanged.

they had to ride but a short way when the gloom became deep enough to protect them against the sight of the horsemen who were approaching from the opposite direction.

six men rode into view, halting on the spot vacated by the couple just before, the one at the head being recognized in the glow of the burning ruins as capt. asbury, with whom the affray had taken place a short time previous. sterry knew each, as did his companion.

"all the party do not seem to be there," remarked sterry.

"they are not," replied vesey; "three are missing."

"i wonder if anything can have happened to them?"

"accidents are liable to take place in this part of the world—"

"hands up!" was the startling command that broke upon the couple at that moment, from a point directly behind them.

the truth was, sterry and vesey had been seen by the horsemen as they stole away in the gloom. capt. asbury, suspecting they were rustlers, sent three of his men out beyond them on foot, and they did their part so well that they came up without alarming either of their horses, who ordinarily would have detected them.

"i've been trapped!" muttered vesey, savagely, glancing at the figures, standing but a short way off in the moonlight, with their winchesters levelled.

"never mind," said sterry, quickly, "up with your hands, as i do, or we'll both catch it; i'll stand by you."

the rustler was wise enough to obey, with only a momentary hesitation. had he not done so, he would never have had a second chance, for the stockmen were very much in earnest.

the footmen came forward with their weapons at a level, for they were too prudent to give their prisoners a chance.

"how are you, hendricks?" asked sterry, with a laugh, as the trio joined them.

the man addressed peered closely in his face, suspecting, and yet not convinced of his identity until after a minute or two.

"well, i'll be hanged!" he exclaimed; "is that you, mont?"

"i have a suspicion that it is," was the reply of sterry, laughing quite heartily as he lowered his hands.

"who is your friend?" he asked, moving around to gain a better view of the rustler.

"ah, that's the man we're looking for," added hendricks a moment later; "he's duke vesey, the partner of the late jack perkins."

"you are right," sterry hastened to say, "but he is under the protection of a flag of truce."

"a flag of truce!" repeated the other; "where is it?"

"i gave him my pledge to shield him against you folks, as he agreed to do if your party had proven to be his friends."

"well, that's a queer state of affairs," laughed the other, not forgetting to keep guard of the prisoner, who was permitted to lower his hands. the other stockmen were equally alert, now that there was but one man to watch, so that vesey was really as helpless as though deprived of all his weapons.

"i do not see what is so queer about it," replied sterry, warmly; "we heard you coming and moved off out of sight. before doing so vesey pledged himself to stand by me against any of his friends, if it became necessary, and i promised to do the same for him. the issue shows that it is my privilege to keep my promise—that's all."

it was plain that hendricks felt himself in a quandary. he had been sent out to capture the two men under the supposition that they were rustlers. it was proved that one of them was the very individual whom capt. asbury was anxious to secure. to release him after taking him prisoner would place his captor in anything but a pleasant situation with his leader.

suspecting his dilemma, sterry said:

"you can readily arrange it by taking me in as prisoner and allowing vesey to go."

"that is all well enough, but it will put me in a hole that i don't intend to be put in. capt. asbury is the boss of this business; you two can ride up to him and make your report; that will place the responsibility where it belongs."

this seemed reasonable, but sterry felt uneasy. he knew the violent temper of capt. asbury, and feared he would refuse to acknowledge the agreement as binding upon him. on the other hand, sterry was determined to stand by his pledge to the last.

"i can't consent to that," he said.

"you've got to," replied hendricks; "it is idle to suppose that any such bargain as you may choose to make can be binding on others who were not present when it was made, and therefore were not parties to it."

"that is one way of putting it, but the promise is binding on me, and as true as i am a living man i will fight to the death against you and the whole party before this person shall suffer because of his faith in my word."

"very well, then, fight it is; he has got to surrender to capt. asbury and await what he is willing to do with him."

"duke," said sterry, turning to the rustler, "it's two of us against three, and you and i have been there before."

but on the verge of the explosion the rustler came to the rescue.

"there's no need of any row, sterry; i'll surrender and take my chances."

and to settle the dispute he struck his horse into a gallop, and before the surprise was over rode up to the group, who were gazing wonderingly off in the gloom, whence came the sound of voices.

sterry and the footmen were but a brief space behind them. while the astonished captain and his companions were looking around for an explanation, mont sterry made it in as brief and pointed words as were at his command.

capt. asbury fixed his gray eyes upon the handsome countenance of the young man during the few minutes he was speaking, and sterry saw, despite the forceful terms in which he stated the agreement, that the leading stockman was angry.

"i've no objection," he remarked, striving to control his voice, which was tremulous with anger, "if you choose to play the woman, but i don't see what i've got to do with it."

"vesey surrendered under my promise that he should be protected; had he not believed that promise he would not have surrendered."

"but would have been shot down where he sat in the saddle. had he been beyond reach and come in under such a pledge, the case would have been altogether different; but as it is—"

the fateful words were interrupted by a rush and dash. attention had been diverted for the moment from the prisoner to the one who was pleading for him and to him who held his fate in his hands. the observant vesey saw the inevitable trend of events, and, taking advantage of the chance, was off like a thunderbolt.

the parting glimpse showed him leaning forward on his horse, who was plunging at utmost speed straight away in the gloom. a half dozen shots were sent after him and something like pursuit was attempted, but brief as was the start gained it was sufficient, and he was soon beyond all danger.