Four Frightened Horses

The stagecoach thundered along the slippery boulder-strewn trail carrying its precious freight of gold. Stub Foster, veteran driver of the stagecoach, perched perilously on the top of fifteen thousand in gold coin, snapped his whip with a crack like a pistol shot over the heads of his flying horses.

With the suddenness of a thunderclap came a deadly volley of gunfire. Poor Stub never knew what hit him. He fell limply backwards, reins still gripped in his hands. His eyes staring sightless at the sky. Four frightened horses plunged and reared.

The bandits who carried out this daring hold-up did not mean to leave any eye-witnesses, but Tom Heelman survived to see that justice was done – a tough job and one that bristled with danger.