"WHAT DOES IT MEAN?"
Mutual recognition, followed by half suppressed and surprised
exclamations, followed the advent of Professor Wright on the scene. He
had been pursuing his way, whether peaceful or otherwise the boy
ranchers could not determine, until he unexpectedly stumbled on Bud,
Nort and Dick riding herd--said herd being the bunch of Diamond X
cattle some one had tried to haze away.
"Oh!" murmured Professor Wright, as the growing illumination, caused by
the moon coming out more clearly, revealed him to the boys and them to
him. "Were you--er--looking for me?" he asked in his usual cultured
tones.
"Not exactly," replied Bud. "We were just over to your camp, to leave
the stuff for the men, and you weren't there."
"No, I had to leave," said the professor, smoothly. "I am going back
now. I am sorry I missed you."
"You didn't!" Bud said grimly to himself. And then the scientist
seemed to realize this for he added:
"I mean I am sorry I was not there to thank you. It was very kind of
you to help the men. I'm sorry this trouble occurred."
"Oh, we're always glad to help," spoke Bud. "Out west you never know
when you're going to need help yourself, so it's always a good plan to
have a balance in your favor."
"Yes, I should say that was so," spoke the professor thoughtfully.
"You found everything all right, at my camp?" he asked, rather than
stated.
"All right--yes," answered Bud. "We left the stuff with Professor
Blair. He said you were out."
"Yes, I had to make a little trip. But aren't you off your road?" he
asked the boys. "I mean doesn't your ranch lie over there?" and he
pointed in the proper direction.
"It does," assented Bud. "But we've got to look out for these cattle."
"Oh, I see. You are 'riding herd,' as I believe it is called."
"In a way--yes," spoke Bud and then he went on boldly: "Some rustlers
tried to haze this bunch over the river, but we caught 'em!"
"Caught them?" repeated the professor quickly.
"Well, our assistant foreman is after 'em now," Bud explained. "We're
waiting here for him to come back. We thought you were Babe as you
came along, but as soon as I heard your horse I knew it couldn't be
him. He doesn't ride--er--just that way."
"I realize that I shall never become a horseman," said the professor
dryly, and with a little half smile, visible in the moonlight. "But I
can ride enough for my purpose."
Bud, as well as Nort and Dick, found themselves wondering just what the
professor's "purpose" was. However he did not seem inclined to
disclose it, for he pulled up his horse, which was idly cropping the
grass, and said:
"Well, I must be going. Thank you, again, for your kindness. I hope
we may meet again. Good-night!"
He urged his animal onward, and a moment later was lost in the
darkness, as a thicker cloud than any that had yet obscured it, covered
the moon.
For several seconds the three boy ranchers remained, looking off in the
gloom which had swallowed up the mysterious scientist. For that he was
mysterious none of the lads could deny.
"Wonder where he had been?" mused Bud in a low voice, for in that
silent, dark open place voices carried almost as clearly as across
water, and he was cautious.
"Search me!" declared Nort.
"Guess he didn't expect to see us," added Dick.
"Say!" suddenly exclaimed Nort, urging his horse against Bud's in his
eagerness and excitement, "maybe he was one of the cattle rustlers,
Bud! He circled around and rode back after he found he couldn't get
away with the steers, and that Babe was on his trail. That's what it
is!"
"No," spoke Bud, quietly. "There's something queer about that
man--Professor Wright as he calls himself--but he isn't the kind that
rustles cattle. Cattle thieves don't make a permanent camp. They're
wanderers--mostly Greasers, Indians and half breeds, with a bad white
man mixing in--and they don't stay long in one place."
"Don't you think he had anything to do with trying to drive off your
cattle?" asked Nort.
"Well, you can't be altogether sure of anything in this world," half
drawled Bud, "but it doesn't seem reasonable."
"But he came from the direction to where those men ran that were
driving away the cattle," said Dick. "Wonder if he met Babe?"
"You can ask him," said Bud. "Here comes Babe now."
The two other lads were not aware of the approach of the assistant
foreman of Diamond X, but Bud's quick ears had caught the faint sound
of the horse's feet approaching, and in another moment Babe rode up
from a little clump of greasewood shrubs, which growth, to the eastern
lads, had resembled sumac at first.
"Find 'em, Babe?" asked Bud in a low voice.
"Nope! They razzled off 'fore I could get up to 'em. All right here?"
he asked, though a look convinced him there had been no serious
trouble, at least.
"All serene," answered Bud. "Did you meet the professor?" he inquired.
"The professor?" Babe's tone of voice, indicating surprise, was answer
enough. But Bud went into particulars, telling how the scientist had
ridden up on them a little while before.
"No, he didn't come nigh me!" declared Babe. "Mighty funny, too," he
went on.
"Could he be one of the rustlers?" asked Nort, eagerly.
"Oh, he _could_, I reckon," admitted Babe. "But it doesn't seem
reasonable. Guess he wouldn't head back this way if he'd tried to run
off some Diamond X stock. I'd like to know where those fellows slipped
to," he said, musingly.
"Well, they didn't get anything, anyhow," declared Nort.
"Not much, that's a fact, son," drawled Babe, as he eased himself down
off his pony, for he wanted to stretch his legs. "Course I don't know
how many there ought to be in this bunch," and he looked over the small
herd that had now settled quietly for the night. "But they didn't get
away with much. You fellows might as well ride on back, and send out
some of the boys," he added. "Your ma'll be wondering about you, Bud."
"Yes, I reckon she will, 'specially as I have some tenderfeet with me,"
and he laughed good-naturedly.
"Don't go back on our account!" exclaimed Nort. "We can camp out here
all right."
"It'll be pretty dry camping," chuckled Babe, "an' there's no need of
it. Slim will be wanting to know how we made out, and he may get a
report on the rustlers, not knowing that we headed 'em off. So it's
just as well for you lads to go back. You can send out some of the
night men, and I'll follow you as soon as I'm relieved," he added.
This seemed the best plan and back toward the ranch headquarters rode
Bud, Dick and Nort, leaving Babe in charge of the small herd, a task
easy to fulfill now, as the animals were quiet.
The weird howls of the coyotes followed the lads almost to the ranch
houses, and the advent of the three, with the story they told, created
no little excitement. Cattle rustling was not common enough to be a
regular part of the day's work.
"Zing zowie!" exclaimed Slim Degnan as he heard the particulars. "You
fellows landed feet first right into some doin's!" he added, looking at
Nort and Dick.
"We sure did!" exclaimed the city lads, much pleased in spite of being
weary.
A little later, while Bud and his cousins were eating what might be
called a midnight lunch that Mrs. Merkel set out for them in the cozy
living-room of the ranch house, two cowboys rode off to relieve Babe.
"And now it's time for you tenderfeet to turn in," said Mrs. Merkel to
Nort and Dick. "I told your mother I'd look after you as I would Bud,
if she'd let you come out, and, now you're here, I'm going to keep my
word. Turn in, all three of you!"
And, for once in their lives, the boys were glad to go to bed without
arguing, for the tenderfeet, at least, were dog tired.
No further trace of the cattle rustlers was discovered, if indeed there
had been any. All the evidence there was lay in the sight Bud and the
others had caught of a stray bunch of steers being hazed over toward
the river, across which lay open range. The cowboys who relieved Babe
reported nothing out of the ordinary as having happened during their
night vigil.
Mr. Merkel came home that day, the second of the eastern boys' stay at
Diamond X ranch, and the cattleman warmly welcomed his nephews.
"We'll fit you out to be regular ranchers!" he declared, and in less
than a week Nort and Dick felt that they were, indeed, on their way to
this enviable goal.
They were provided with sheepskin chaps, such as Bud and the other
cowboys wore--chaps being in the nature of overalls, and affording much
needed protection to the legs when riding amid a bunch of milling
steers.
The eastern lads were given complete outfits, from the rather awkward
high-heeled boots to the broad-brimmed range hats, and they wore their
handkerchiefs, or "neckerchiefs," most proudly.
These neckerchiefs were more than ornaments. In the choking dust,
often strongly alkali, the squares, pulled up over nose and mouth, gave
needed relief and protection.
"Suppose we ride over and see if there's been any more trouble at the
professor's camp?" suggested Nort to Bud one day.
"Good idea!" declared Dick.
"All right, if you want to," assented Bud. "Dad was sort of mentioning
that he'd like to hear how the shot men were getting on. We can make
it easy before supper."
Together the boy ranchers trotted over the gently rolling land toward
the foothills, in the midst of which the camp lay. As they drew near
Bud scanned the horizon for a sign of smoke, such as he and Slim had
observed once before. But there was no trace.
"Shouldn't wonder but what they'd vamoosed," he said.
"Lit out, you mean?" asked Nort.
"Yeppie! There doesn't seem to be any signs of life."
And as they rode into the site of the camp the reason for this became
plain. The camp was deserted. The tents were down, and all that
remained were emptied tin cans, broken boxes and the cold ashes of the
fires. But over on the side of the hill, where there was an
outcropping of red sandstone, curious marks showed. They were the
marks of digging and excavating on rather a large scale, and as Bud
caught sight of these mute evidences of operations he uttered a low
whistle of surprise.
"What does it mean?" asked Nort.