CHAPTER III
ON THE TRAIL
Leaving Zeb Tauth to look after his own steed and that of ProfessorWright, Bud and his cousins ushered the scientist into the living-roomof the ranch house, whither Mr. Merkel and his fellow ranchmenreturned, followed by his wife and daughter. Slim Degnan also entered,having turned his horse over to Babe, who, with the other cowboys, wentto the corral.
"Now let's get the straight of this," suggested the owner of Diamond Xranch, when the party was again sitting down, and Professor Wright hadbeen made welcome. "Slim, you saw what happened outside. Suppose youtell us about that."
"Seems to me that something more important happened in here," spokeBud. "If your papers were stolen, Dad, why----"
"They sure were, _son_," interrupted Mr. Merkel, "but I have an ideathat what went on outside had a very important bearing on what tookplace 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. "Iwas sitting outside the corral with the boys, sort of planning up thework for to-morrow. We were talking about this new move of thegovernment, opening the Indian lands, and we were sort of guessing howsoon the onery sheep men would bust in on us, when one of theboys--Snake Purdee I reckon it was--said somebody was coming up thetrail that leads to Happy Valley.
"First we didn't pay much attention to them, thinking they was some ofBud's boys, but they acted so funny that I hailed 'em, and instead ofanswering like they should, they fired. Course I fired back--up in theair--and then we boys got busy and took after 'em."
"Yes, I can understand it from there on," said Mr. Merkel. "But youdidn't get the ones you went after; did you?"
"Apparently not," admitted the foreman with a grim smile. "It waspretty dark and we must have missed 'em. But finally we did see twohorses streaking it over the plains, and we took after 'em, only tofind 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 wassaddlin' 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 todraw us off, so someone else could sneak in and rifle the safe?" heasked quickly.
There was a moment of silence, to give the idea time to filter throughthe minds of all present, and then Mr. Merkel said:
"Son, I believe you've struck it! That was a game to draw our fire onthe front, while they sneaked up in the rear to frisk my safe! And theprofessor----"
"I hope you don't think I had anything to do with your unfortunateloss!" exclaimed the scientist.
"Of course not!" said Mr. Merkel quickly. "I was about to remark thatyou being on the scene was purely a matter of accident, though it mayhave had the effect of drawing Slim and his bunch farther away from thereal 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 weregoing. But as soon as we picked up the professor and his friend wetook after them. Probably this gave the real rascals the chance theywanted."
"Perhaps I had better explain how I happened to be in thisneighborhood," said Dr. Wright. "Our discoveries of the prehistoricfossils, at which you helped us so much," he added, nodding toward theboy ranchers, "our discoveries gained us such scientific honors that Ihave been asked to come back and search for more bones. I had no timeto write and tell you I was coming, and that I hoped you would allow myparty to make some location on your ranch our headquarters," he said toMr. Merkel.
"You will be very welcome," the ranchman remarked.
"I am glad to know that," resumed Dr. Wright. "Well, I hurriedly got aparty together, taking as my personal helper Zeb Tauth, the janitor ofpart 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 theranch. We heard shots and saw a party of horsemen riding after us, andZeb at once concluded we were going to be held up and made the victimsof horse thieves. So we did our best to get away."
"You rode mighty well, Professor! Yon rode mighty well!" complimentedSlim Degnan.
"But what's the next thing to be done?" asked Bud, as there came apause 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 somevaluable papers--documents that prove my claim to land along SpurCreek--land that is the key to the situation in this new tract thegovernment 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 Iam the real owner of the land, and that I owned it before thisgovernment opening took place," answered Mr. Merkel.
"It must have been someone interested in sheep herding who knew aboutthe papers, who knew you had them here and who wanted them," commentedDick.
"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 afterthese 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 hisfather.
"Why not?" demanded Bud. "The longer we wait the better lead they'llhave 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 packus 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 alittle while, unless we get on the trail of these chaps and run 'emdown. While the grub is being packed, Dad, tell us just how they gotin and frisked your safe."
"Well, they just naturally got in the back door while we were all outin front watching you boys ride off after those who put up a game todraw us out," was the answer. "When we went back in the house, afteryou'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--notmuch--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 ranchersstarted on the trail after the thieves, for much depended on theirsuccess and an early start was essential.
Bud and his cousins had not ridden far beyond the corral when theyheard behind them shouts of:
"Wait a minute! Wait! Come back!"
"What's up now?" questioned Bud, drawing rein.