he thought he 'd stuck one of the men , and the girls were screaming again , and once he found himself in the roadway , choking on dust , but came up again before one of the bastards could kick him in the face ... and then there was a shout and the pounding of hooves , and he let go of the man whose arm he was gripping and whirled round to see rachel hunter on a mule , coming fast down the road , swinging her bonnet from its strings and shouting , `` uncle hiram !