ON THE TRAIL
Leaving Zeb Tauth to look after his own steed and that of Professor
Wright, Bud and his cousins ushered the scientist into the living-room
of the ranch house, whither Mr. Merkel and his fellow ranchmen
returned, followed by his wife and daughter. Slim Degnan also entered,
having turned his horse over to Babe, who, with the other cowboys, went
to the corral.
"Now let's get the straight of this," suggested the owner of Diamond X
ranch, when the party was again sitting down, and Professor Wright had
been made welcome. "Slim, you saw what happened outside. Suppose you
tell us about that."
"Seems to me that something more important happened in here," spoke
Bud. "If your papers were stolen, Dad, why----"
"They sure were, _son_," interrupted Mr. Merkel, "but I have an idea
that what went on outside had a very important bearing on what took
place in here. That's why I wanted to hear Slim's account first."
"Well, there isn't an awful lot to tell," said the ranch foreman. "I
was sitting outside the corral with the boys, sort of planning up the
work for to-morrow. We were talking about this new move of the
government, opening the Indian lands, and we were sort of guessing how
soon the onery sheep men would bust in on us, when one of the
boys--Snake Purdee I reckon it was--said somebody was coming up the
trail that leads to Happy Valley.
"First we didn't pay much attention to them, thinking they was some of
Bud's boys, but they acted so funny that I hailed 'em, and instead of
answering like they should, they fired. Course I fired back--up in the
air--and then we boys got busy and took after 'em."
"Yes, I can understand it from there on," said Mr. Merkel. "But you
didn't get the ones you went after; did you?"
"Apparently not," admitted the foreman with a grim smile. "It was
pretty dark and we must have missed 'em. But finally we did see two
horses streaking it over the plains, and we took after 'em, only to
find they were the professor here, and his friend."
"Then the other parties, whoever they were, got away," commented Mr.
Merkel.
"Must have," said the foreman. "They'd 'a' had time while we was
saddlin' up. But what their object was I can't guess."
"And then we come back here to find you've been robbed," commented Bud.
"Say, doesn't it look as though those first parties came around just to
draw us off, so someone else could sneak in and rifle the safe?" he
asked quickly.
There was a moment of silence, to give the idea time to filter through
the minds of all present, and then Mr. Merkel said:
"Son, I believe you've struck it! That was a game to draw our fire on
the front, while they sneaked up in the rear to frisk my safe! And the
professor----"
"I hope you don't think I had anything to do with your unfortunate
loss!" exclaimed the scientist.
"Of course not!" said Mr. Merkel quickly. "I was about to remark that
you being on the scene was purely a matter of accident, though it may
have had the effect of drawing Slim and his bunch farther away from the
real thieves than was desirable."
"Shouldn't be a bit surprised," admitted the foreman. "It was so dark,
before the moon came out, that we couldn't tell much where we were
going. But as soon as we picked up the professor and his friend we
took after them. Probably this gave the real rascals the chance they
wanted."
"Perhaps I had better explain how I happened to be in this
neighborhood," said Dr. Wright. "Our discoveries of the prehistoric
fossils, at which you helped us so much," he added, nodding toward the
boy ranchers, "our discoveries gained us such scientific honors that I
have been asked to come back and search for more bones. I had no time
to write and tell you I was coming, and that I hoped you would allow my
party to make some location on your ranch our headquarters," he said to
Mr. Merkel.
"You will be very welcome," the ranchman remarked.
"I am glad to know that," resumed Dr. Wright. "Well, I hurriedly got a
party together, taking as my personal helper Zeb Tauth, the janitor of
part of the college building where I am stationed. I know Zeb's ways,
and he knows mine.
"We rather lost our way in the darkness," continued the scientist,
"and, leaving the main party, Zeb and I journeyed on to look for the
ranch. We heard shots and saw a party of horsemen riding after us, and
Zeb at once concluded we were going to be held up and made the victims
of horse thieves. So we did our best to get away."
"You rode mighty well, Professor! Yon rode mighty well!" complimented
Slim Degnan.
"But what's the next thing to be done?" asked Bud, as there came a
pause in the conversation. "Did they take everything out of the safe,
Dad?"
"Well, I didn't have much money in it, luckily, but they did get some
valuable papers--documents that prove my claim to land along Spur
Creek--land that is the key to the situation in this new tract the
government is opening, or, as a matter of fact, has already opened."
"It means the sheep herders can come in then; does it?" asked Nort.
"Practically that, unless I can get back those papers and prove that I
am the real owner of the land, and that I owned it before this
government opening took place," answered Mr. Merkel.
"It must have been someone interested in sheep herding who knew about
the papers, who knew you had them here and who wanted them," commented
Dick.
"Yes, that's probably true," assented the ranchman.
"Well, there's only one thing to do," declared Bud.
"Get after 'em!" cried Nort and Dick.
"That's it!" exclaimed their cousin. "We must take the trail after
these sheep-herding thieves and get back Dad's papers!"
Bud started from the room.
"You aren't going to take the trail to-night, are you?" asked his
father.
"Why not?" demanded Bud. "The longer we wait the better lead they'll
have on us."
"I know, but you can't do anything in the dark."
"Yes, we can!" cried Bud. "Come on, boys!" he called to his cousins.
"It won't be the first time we've ridden a trail at night. Please pack
us up a little grub," he called to his mother and sister.
"Oh, Bud, I hate to have you go," said Ma Merkel.
"Can't be helped!" he laughingly assured her. "We'll be back in a
little while, unless we get on the trail of these chaps and run 'em
down. While the grub is being packed, Dad, tell us just how they got
in and frisked your safe."
"Well, they just naturally got in the back door while we were all out
in front watching you boys ride off after those who put up a game to
draw us out," was the answer. "When we went back in the house, after
you'd gone, I saw my safe open and a lot of papers scattered about.
The combination is very simple. What little money was in it--not
much--was taken, and the Spur Creek deeds."
"Well, we'll get 'em back!" cried Bud. "On the trail, fellows!"
And catching up bundles of hastily prepared "snacks," the boy ranchers
started on the trail after the thieves, for much depended on their
success and an early start was essential.
Bud and his cousins had not ridden far beyond the corral when they
heard behind them shouts of:
"Wait a minute! Wait! Come back!"
"What's up now?" questioned Bud, drawing rein.