A SUSPICIOUS VISITOR
The three looked at each other in alarm.
"Golly, I never thought anything could happen to the Kid," Bud said
slowly. "He was brought up in this country, and always said he could
find his way about blindfolded."
"Perhaps the water hole was farther away than he thought," suggested
Nort hopefully. "It's easy for any man to go astray on a matter of
distance, you know."
"Well, maybe--but I doubt it. What I think happened is that his pony
stumbled into a hole and lamed hisself. Well--we'll have to go looking
for him, that's all. Nort, you and Dick branch out here to the right.
Bud, you take the left trail. I'll try straight ahead. Now remember
your trails, boys--we don't want no more accidents to happen. We'll
all meet here in one hour. If anything happens, fire three shots. Git
along there!" And Billee Dobb, together with the rest set out to find
Yellin' Kid who was so mysteriously and unaccountably lost.
Nort, who was riding with Dick, was the first to pick up a possible
clew.
"Looks as though someone passed here in a hurry," he said as he pointed
to a newly beaten path through some heavy brush. "Now if I was just
going along easy like I'd have ridden 'round that bush. The pony that
went through there got a few scratches."
"Wonder if it could have been the Kid?" Nort mused. "Though why he
should be in such an all-fired hurry I can't understand. Unless he was
chasing someone."
"Or being chased," Dick added.
"Perhaps he met a smuggler, Dick."
"Smuggler--'way up here? Not a chance! Say, Nort, you've got
smugglers on the brain. You seem to think they ride around with big
signs pinned on them--'I am a smuggler--shoot me.' Suppose the Kid did
meet a smuggler--how'd he know him from any other man?"
"That's right--guess he wouldn't," admitted Nort, a trifle
shamefacedly. "But you know what he told us about that marshal being
shot."
"Oh, yes, but marshals get shot nearly every day, somewhere--and maybe
it wasn't a Chink smuggler that shot him after all--maybe it was just
an ordinary gang of rustlers."
"Well, you can say what you like, Dick, but I'll lay odds we see some
excitement when we reach Roaring River."
"We'll see some excitement sooner than that, if we don't find the Kid.
See here--if he made this trail, he was going fast--and in this
direction. Let's get on our way."
"Better go back, do you think?" Nort asked as he looked up toward the
sun. "We've been gone at least an hour, and Billee said to return
within that time."
"Yes," Dick responded, a little sadly, for he and Yellin' Kid were
close friends. "I sure hope the Kid's all right. Perhaps some of the
others picked him up."
"Perhaps. Let's hope so. At any rate, we haven't had much
success--and I doubt even that the torn brush we saw was done by the
Kid."
"Can't tell, he may have ridden through there and then taken a sudden
turn to the right or left. Or back again, for that matter. Well,
let's get started."
As the two arrived at the agreed meeting place there was no need to ask
the others if they had had any luck. The Kid was nowhere in sight.
"We saw a trail through some bushes that might have been made by the
Kid, Billee," said Nort to the old rancher.
"Yes, and it might have been made by any number of other things, too,"
Billee declared, in a despondent tone. "Not that I am sure it _wasn't_
the Kid's trail. It _might_ have been--but that doesn't help us much.
No, I guess the only thing for us to do is to go right on lookin'--and
hopin' he's O.K."
It was almost dusk when the four gathered together again. The Kid was
still missing, and anxiety was written on the faces of all as they
prepared to camp for the night. Each man carried a blanket with him,
and also a small snack of food and a canteen of water. As darkness
settled down a fire was started, and huddled in their blankets the boy
ranchers prepared to make the best of it.
The silence of the night hung close over the four blanketed figures.
The firelight threw weird shadows about them, but above the stars shone
calmly on, quietly reassuring. A light breeze rustled softly through
the mesquite bushes. Now and then a coyote yowled in the distance.
Suddenly Bud jerked upright. He nudged Dick, who was lying beside him.
"Dick!" he whispered, so as not to disturb the others, "do you hear
anything?"
"Eh? What? What's that? You speak to me?" Dick muttered sleepily.
"Listen! Can't you hear a noise like a horse walking?"
Dick sat up, now wide awake.
"Say, I believe I do! Wait a minute--" and he tossed some wood on the
fire--"let's have a look!"
"Kid?" Bud called hopefully.
The approaching pony gave a sudden leap forward.
"Yea boy!" yelled its rider. "Home again!"
"It is the Kid!" Dick cried exultingly.
"Nort! Billee! The Kid's back!"
In a moment Yellin' Kid was surrounded by the four who shot questions
at him as fast as they could talk.
"Where in the name of the spread eagle have you been?"
"What happened?"
"Did you get lost?"
"Are you all right?"
"Hey, hey! Not so fast! Gimme time! Wait 'til I get down off this
here pony. Oh, baby--that feels good." And the Kid stretched long and
high. "What a ride! Say--got anything to eat?"
"Sure! Sink your teeth in this," Billee said, handing him a cold beef
sandwich from his kit. "And here's some water. Are you all right,
Kid?"
"Me? Sure! Except tired and hungry. Been ridin' most of the day an'
night. S'pose you-all would like to know what it's all about, hey?"
"Well, if you haven't anything to do at present, you might let us in on
the secret. We looked all over Texas for you," Dick said, grinning,
happy now, that their lost comrade had returned.
"Just a second while I put this little paint pony of mine over with the
others. Old boy--you sure had some journey to-day!" and the Kid rubbed
the horse's nose. "Stood up well, too. To-morrow I'll give you a big
feed--what you need now is rest--like me. Well, boys, guess I'll turn
in."
"You'll what?"
"You will not--not until we hear what happened!"
"He'll turn in--well for the love of Pete!"
"All right boys--all right!" the Kid laughed. "Seems you want to hear
something about my trip, hey? Well, to start from the beginning, the
day dawned clear an' bright. The wind was ticklin' my ears as I
rode----"
"Cut it out!"
"Let's have the story, you locoed dust-raiser!"
"All right, we'll cut the kiddin'. Tell you what really happened. I
found the water hole where I thought it would be, and I found something
else, too. There was a horse standin' near it, and by the side of the
horse was a Chink--on his hands an' knees, crawlin' around on the
ground. Thinks I, here's a crazy man. So I rides up slow, and when I
got up close I asks he Chink what he's lookin' for. He don't pay no
attention to me whatever. I gets off my horse and says it again. Then
the crazy Chink looks up at me and says "Chock Gee." That's all. Just
"Chock Gee." Me, not knowin' Chinese, I can't tell what he's after.
But I see it won't do no good to insist on knowin' so I starts to help
him up, thinking maybe he's hurt. Soon as I touched him, what does the
crazy Chink do but jump like a cat for his saddle, give my paint a
terrible crack with his quirt, and set off like a scared rabbit, my
pony after him, leavin' me stranded, high an' dry!"
The Kid looked at his eager listeners and grinned.
"That new pony of mine--she's sure got some speed. She was out of
sight in two seconds. An' then, boys--I had to depend on the ole legs!
So I went huntin' for her. Caught her about four miles from where her
an' me parted company. Then I went huntin' for you-all, but you was
nowheres to be found. And from then 'til now, I was ridin' around,
lookin' for you."
"And the Chink--what happened to him?"
"Blessed if I know! But if I ever see him again I'll give him
something to remember me by."
"So that's where you were all that time! We thought you'd been blown
to Dallas on a cyclone. Anyway, we're glad you're back. Reckon you
could stand a little sleep, eh?" Bud said.
"You bet. I'll sling my blanket down by you, Dick, and we'll get
started for Roarin' River as early as possible. It's still a good ways
ahead. Good night, boys!"
"Hey, you men!"
From the darkness came a sudden voice. All five turned swiftly, five
hands reaching for revolvers together. Into the firelight rode a tall
horseman.
"Hey, boys!" he called again. "Any of you see a Chink wanderin' around
here?"