Boys in New Mexico_," that the author described the events surrounding
the first real acquaintance that our lads formed with the little that
is left of the savage Indian to-day. It was here, too, that they
beheld the fire dance of the Saboba Indians in all its ancient fury.
The adventures of the young horsemen at this point became fast and
furious. Between prairie fire and fight they had the most exciting
time of their lives.

Later, after a rest at home, as described in "_The Pony Rider Boys
in the Grand Canyon_," the boys visited the wonderful region of the
Colorado. Here, as our readers will recollect, the lads were cut off
from their trail by the falling of great masses of rock during a
fierce storm. Apparently the boys were doomed to remain helpless on
a narrow shelf of rock; our readers recall how Tad Butler, at the
risk of his life, spent hours in the attempt to get them out of their
dangerous situation. The mysterious circumstances that followed the
boys all the way along on their journey through the great canyon form
a most remarkable series of events.

Now, from Arizona, Tad and his friends had journeyed onward and into
the Lone Star State. Here they looked forward only to a long,
healthful ride, full of pleasures, yet devoid of anything like
sensational excitement. Yet one never knows what the day may bring
forth, and these young travelers of ours, though they did not suspect
it, were on the threshold of the most exciting experiences that had yet
befallen them. The blue mountain ridge in the near distance was teeming
with the story that was to unfold before them. So far the ride had
been lonely. Of late rarely had they come in sight of a building of
any sort, for this part of the state was but sparsely settled. To meet
a horseman was an event. In fact they had not met one since the early