CHAPTER IV
A NIGHT ALARM
"Well, Dick, how they coming?"
Bud Merkel urged his pony up alongside the mount of his cousin and gaveyoung Shannon a friendly poke in the ribs.
"Oh, everything's fine, Bud," responded Dick.
"How about you, Nort?"
"I'm sitting pretty," was the response from the other boy rancher.
"That's good," and Bud began to whistle a lively air. "Thought maybeyou were getting tired of the trip."
"What, so soon? And we've only been on the trail three days!"exclaimed Nort. "What do you think we are--tenderfeet?"
"Sure not!" replied Bud. "But this is one of the longest trips we'veever taken without something happening, and I thought maybe you twowere getting discouraged."
"Nothing to it!" chuckled Dick. "As you say, nothing much has reallyhappened, but we've been having a fine time since we started out fromDiamond X."
"And there's still plenty of time for things to happen before we get toDot and Dash and see what Death Valley looks like," suggested Nort.
"You said it, kid!" exclaimed Snake Purdee who, with Old Billee Dobb onone flank, and Yellin' Kid on the other, was trailing the three boysalong the rough and dusty trail. "There's plenty of time yet forthings to happen."
It was their third day of travel since Mr. Merkel had sent the boys andthe older ranch hands off to take possession of his new placeconcerning which Billee had told such sinister tales. The first daywas uneventful if you eliminate the fact that the pack of one of theled horses came loose, spilling the outfit on the ground. But it waseasily salvaged though it took some little time to pursue and rope thehorse who seemed inclined to take a holiday.
The first night saw the travelers camping under the glorious stars andthough, as a matter of precaution the boys insisted on standing guard,it was not necessary. Aside from the distant howling of coyotes, not asound disturbed their slumbers.
They traveled on the next day, stopping to cook their dinner over anopen fire and the boys declared they had even beaten Ma Merkel at thecooking game. Though Billee Dobb was heard to complain that the beans,which Dick passed to him, somehow lacked the home ranch flavor.
They were now on their third day of travel, after two uneventful nightsspent in the open, and, so far, nothing had happened. Truth to tell,Dick and Nort were beginning to get a bit discouraged. They had heardmuch about the great and glorious west before coming to live at DiamondX and the things that happened shortly after they arrived were quite"up to sample," as Dick used to remark. And in the succeeding seasonsthey passed with Bud, riding fence, helping at the round-ups and at thecutting out of cattle for shipment, enough had taken place to satisfyany reasonable lad.
So it was not without reason that Dick and Nort expected somethingstartling to happen after they had started on this expedition.Especially after what Billee Dobb had told them concerning Death Valley.
"But we haven't had any trouble since that one load was spilled,"complained Dick as he and his brother and cousin rode along together.
"Are you looking for trouble?" chuckled Bud.
"Well, I'd like enough to keep from getting lonesome," was the reply."You take it now----"
Dick's remarks were suddenly interrupted for, at that moment, his ponyfelt its left forefoot slipping into the burrow of a prairie dog. Andin shifting and struggling to keep from going down the pony neatlyshook Dick from the saddle and deposited him in a heap alongside thetrail.
"Ride 'im, cowboy!" shouted Yellin' Kid.
"Say, this is no rodeo!" chuckled Bud.
"Are you hurt?" Nort anxiously inquired, spurring to his brother, whowas scrambling to his feet. The pony, after running on a little way,came to a stop for the reins slipped down over its head and this wassufficient signal to cause a halt.
"Hurt? Shucks, no!" cried Dick. "'Tisn't the first time I've had afall." Nor was it. Suddenly leaving the saddle was something a cowboymust count on any time of the night or day. And there are ways offalling off gracefully, and without damage, just as there are insubmitting to a football tackle. Dick and Nort had learned how toprotect themselves.
"Well, something happened then all right!" chuckled Bud as he rode onto capture Dick's pony and lead him back to the unseated ranch lad.
"Thanks, but I don't care for just that kind of happening," and Dicklaughed as he vaulted into the saddle and the travelers kept on theirway. Because of the fact that they had with them several led horses,carrying packs containing food and other supplies, their progress wasnecessarily slow.
"Well, we're half way there, I guess, aren't we, Billee?" asked Budwhen, late that afternoon, they reached a place in a grove of treesamid the foothills where it seemed a good place to make camp for thenight.
"Leetle more'n half way," admitted the old puncher.
"That's good!" sighed Dick. "I'm anxious to see what we'll find inDeath Valley."
"Do you know, Billee, I've got another idea," remarked Bud as thehorses were picketed and preparations begun for cooking supper. "Imean about the mysterious deaths of men and cattle you say you sawwhile you were a hand on Dot and Dash."
"Yes, I seen 'em all right!" declared Billee with more force thangrammar.
"I'm not doubting that," admitted Bud. "Though you don't know whatkilled 'em. But I got an idea."
"What?" chorused Nort and Dick.
"A poison spring!" exclaimed Bud. "I mean bad water. You know there'sa lot of it out this way, and especially as we get into the mineraldistrict, where dad's new ranch is located. Maybe there were poisonsprings on Dot and Dash, Billee, and the men you saw lying dead, andalso the cattle, might have drunk from them. Couldn't it happen thatway?"
"Yes, it _could_," admitted Billee with an emphasis which showed hisdoubt. "But I never heard tell of no bad water on Dot and Dash."
"But maybe we can find some," went on Bud.
"Find bad water--poison springs! Sufferin' horned toads, what you wantto do that for?" roared Yellin' Kid.
"To prove my point," answered Bud, "and to locate such places and fence'em off so there won't be any more deaths. If dad is going to developthis ranch he doesn't want bad water on it."
"You're right! I didn't think of that," admitted the cowboy. "The kidmay be right, Billee," he went on.
"Yes, he _may_ be," admitted the veteran with that same emphasis ofdoubt. "And it's true enough the Boss wants to develop this new ranch.He said, if we could get it going, he'd buy a big herd and raise cattledown there. But first Death Valley has got to be cleaned up, andthat's certain!"
"And cleaning up Death Valley and solving the mystery is just what weare going to do!" declared Bud. "How about it, boys?" and he turned tohis cousins.
"We're with you!" echoed Nort and Dick in chorus.
After the meal, and as darkness began to fall, the travelers sat aboutthe campfire, the dancing flames of which cast flickering shadows overtheir faces. The men were smoking and the boys talked amongthemselves, speculating over the mystery and occasionally listening tothe conversation of Billee, Snake and Yellin' Kid.
"Well, I'm goin' to turn in!" Billee announced at last as he rose andstarted for his blankets. As the air was warm and dry they had noterected the small tent which was carried.
"Shall we stand guard?" asked Nort.
"What in the name of Tunket for?" asked Snake. "What good did it doyou to have sentry-go the other nights?"
"None," admitted Bud. "Guess there isn't much sense in it."
"What do you say, Billee?" asked Nort.
"Anybody what wants to stay awake all night listenin' to them peskycoyotes has my permission!" chuckled the old man. "As for me, I'mgoing to pound my ear," and he prepared to crawl into his bed.
"We'll let it go," Bud decided and his cousins were not at all averseto this, for it was no fun for one member of the trio to lose even afew hours' sleep while waiting to call his relief to take the nesttrick.
Accordingly, a little la
ter, all six of the travelers were peacefullyslumbering, while the restless horses moved about the length of theirpicket ropes, picking what herbage they could reach.
It happened to be Dick who was suddenly awakened at what he judged tobe the middle of the night. And the manner of his awakening was this.He seemed to be dreaming that he was buying a new pair of shoes and,after having tried on several tentative pairs in a shop, the salesman,who was attired in the full regalia of a cowboy, gave Dick's left foota sharp kick as if to indicate that he should remove the shoe from it.
This kick was so realistic that it awakened the youth and he sat up,his eyes barely open, but feeling a distinct pain in his left foot.
"That was some vivid dream," Dick was murmuring to himself when hesuddenly became aware that some one was moving away from him--a darkfigure barely seen in the shadows of the night--shadows cast by theflickering embers of the fire. And then, in a rush, there came to theyoung rancher the meaning of this night alarm. It had been partly adream and partly an actual happening.
Some one had stepped over him as he lay in his blankets and had kickedhis foot, causing the dream to merge into reality.
"Who are you?" cried Dick sharply, reaching for his gun.