CHAPTER VIII
THE ROUND-UP
Sam Tarbell suddenly arose from the bench where he had been sitting.But if he had any intention of starting after the old man on thedistant horse his resolution was better than his performance. For hehad to sink weakly back to his seat, and his face, that had assumed itsnatural color after the ammonia, now went white again.
"Take it easy!" advised Old Billee in soothing tones.
"Guess I'll have to," and Sam gratefully accepted a dipper of waterthat Nort handed him, getting the fluid from a pail that sat on a shelfoutside the bunkhouse.
"Do you want one of us to chase after that old man?" asked Bud, whileDick inquired:
"Did he have anything to do with knocking you out?"
"No, to both questions, boys," responded Sam. "You can chase that oldman for all of me, but I don't think you'll catch him. He's asslippery as an eel. As for his having anything to do with me beingknocked out in such a queer way, I can't honestly say he had anythingto do with it. I just happened to see him 'fore my horse crumpledunder me, and he was riding away when I started to stagger back here asbest I could. I hollered at him to give me a lift, but either hedidn't hear me or didn't want to. It was just a coincidence that hehappened along while I was telling you my story."
Wonderingly the outfit from Diamond X watched the old man slowly ridinginto the foothills, amid the woods of which he was soon lost to view.And the same thought came to all of them--the memory of the old man whohad aroused Dick that night, when, next morning, the mysterious warningwas found.
"Do you know that old man's name?" asked Bud.
Sam Tarbell shook his head.
"He's a stranger to me," he answered. "But I've seen him around offand on what little time I been here. I'm beginning to wish I'd nevertaken the job of puncher or foreman here at Dot and Dash. I've hadnothing but bad luck from the start."
"You mean being knocked out like you was dead?" asked Yellin' Kid who,now that there was no mourning to be done, had switched back to hisloud tones.
"Lots of things besides that," answered Sam. "I lost one good gun,lamed a good pony and got shook up bad when my other horse, the onethat died under me, stepped into a prairie dog's hole and throwed me.Nothing but bad luck. I'm through!"
"Don't blame you for wanting to quit," remarked Bud. "But I hopeyou'll stay a little longer. As I said you're not fit to traveland----"
"You're right there!" interrupted Sam. "I'm as weak as a new-borncalf. But after I get my strength I'm going to vamoose. This ranch isno place for a healthy man--or a sick one either, if you come to that.But I'll tell you what I started to, and give you all the help I can inrounding things up here. Then you can decide for yourselves whetherit's worth your while."
"This is Death Valley all right; ain't it?" asked Billee Dobb.
"You said it, stranger! There's been a lot of deaths here, so I beentold. I never would have come if I had known what I know now."
"Just what do you know?" asked Dick.
"Do you know what caused the deaths?" Bud inquired.
"No, I can't say I do," was the somewhat hesitant answer. "And that'sthe mysterious part of it. Only I know I came mighty near passing outand I don't want to do it again."
"Suppose you finish telling us all about it," suggested Bud, the whilehe looked in the direction taken by the old man who had disappeared.But the picturesque figure was out of sight.
"Well, as I was mentioning, I've been knocking around the country quitea bit," resumed Sam. "I'd have a job first on one ranch and then onanother. You fellows know how it is," he said, looking at Snake andYellin' Kid.
"Sure!" they murmured.
"Well, finally I ended up here and I must say Mr. Barter treated me allright, as he did his other hands. But when cattle began to be founddead all over the place, and when some men and their horses began topass out, I began to get worried. So did a lot of others and they leftso fast it was hard work to run the place with the few hands left.
"I was just getting ready to light out and look for another job when aman came to look the Dot and Dash over with a view, so Mr. Barter said,to buying it. Right after that Dolan, who had agreed to stay, quitsudden like, so I promised to stick and help the boss out and I did.The place was sold, and you say your dad bought it?" he asked, lookingat Bud.
"Yes, this is now part of the Merkel holdings," was the answer."Though my father didn't know anything about the queer deaths on theplace when he agreed to buy it. He didn't even know that this wascalled Death Valley."
"Not until he got back to Diamond X and I told him," put in Billee."Then he said he wasn't going to back out, 'specially after these boysbegged for a chance to chase the jinx."
"Well, they'll get all the chance they want," remarked Sam. "No, Idon't reckon Mr. Barter would tell the bad name his place had when hewas trying to sell it. I don't say it was right of him to hold backthe news, but lots of men would have done what he did. For myself, Inever had a chance to talk to your father, so I couldn't have put himwise if I wanted to. Dolan might have, but he didn't. And I guesseven Mr. Barter thought the thing would pass over."
"What thing?" asked Dick. "You mean the series of deaths?"
"That's it. They were mighty queer."
"I told 'em that," said Billee. "I used to work here myself yearsago," he added. "I thought maybe, after all these years, the bad luckmight have passed. But after what happened to you----"
"Just what did happen?" asked Bud. "We want to get down to brass tackson this thing if we can."
"'Twon't take long to tell you," said Sam. "As I mentioned, I agreedwith Mr. Barter to stay on here and look after what few cattle remaineduntil the new owner--that's your dad," and he looked at Bud--"couldcome along and take possession.
"Well, I was left pretty much alone here, but I didn't mind that, forI'm used to rustling for myself. Mr. Barter left when he got hismoney, I s'pose, and the cattle wasn't much trouble. There's only asmall herd left, and I didn't bother much with 'em--just rode out nowand then to see they wasn't being run off. Which they wasn't. Butthis morning I thought I'd ride to the far end of the range to see ifthere was any fences needed fixing, so's I could tell the new owner.
"I was riding along when, all of a sudden, my horse began acting queer.Then, 'fore I knew it, he just sort of crumpled up and I just had timeto jump or he'd have fallen with me under him. And as I went down Ibegan to feel sort of queer myself. One of the last things I rememberseeing in the distance was that old man riding along. Then I went downand out.
"That's all I remember, but I must have had sense enough to starteither to walk or crawl back here, and evidently I arrived, for youfound me. That's all I know."
"But what knocked you out?" excitedly cried Bud. "And what killed yourhorse?"
"You can search me!" was the frank answer. "I didn't look the horseover after he died, to see what bit him. As for me, I don't know whatailed me."
"Maybe the old man shot you and the horse," suggested Nort.
"I wouldn't swear the horse hasn't a bullet in him, for I didn'texamine him," stated Sam. "But I didn't hear any gun, and I know I gotno holes in me."
"Then it was bad water!" said Snake.
"What's that?" Sam inquired, not comprehending.
"You and your horse must 'a' drunk from some poisoned spring," went onSnake, explaining how this theory had been advanced among hiscompanions to account for the mysterious deaths at Dot and Dash.
"Bad water; eh?" murmured Sam. "Well, I certainly did take a drink ata spring, and so did the horse. But it's a spring I always havepatronized, so to speak, and it's mighty queer if it would be all rightyesterday and poison to-day. Mighty queer!"
"The old man----" began Nort.
"He wasn't nowhere near the spring," interrupted Sam. "I don't believeyou got the right dope."
"Well, there's something queer around here, that's sure," declared BudMerkel, "and we're here to find out what it is! We'll b
e glad to haveyou stay and help us solve the mystery. We need some ranch hands andI'd be glad to take you on."
"Thanks. I've got to stay, anyhow, a few days until I get to feelingmore like myself. After that we'll talk business. But I warn you it'sdangerous here."
"We knew that before we came," said Bud, quietly.
Much puzzled, and not a little alarmed over the strange story, themembers of the outfit from Diamond X now began putting things to rightsabout the ranch house in preparation to taking over Dot and Dash.While Snake and Yellin' Kid began to repair the corral fence, Bud, hiscousins and Old Billee brought their food and supplies into the ranchhouse and began to arrange for supper, since it was now late afternoon.A look in the bunkhouse showed it to be clean and in good shape.
"I'll take charge out there, with Kid, Snake and this new hand," saidOld Billee, referring to Sam Tarbell who had been put in a bunk thebetter to regain his strength. "You boys'll stay here," and heindicated the ranch house.
"It might be a good idea to divide our force up that way," agreed Bud."Then, in case the jinx comes it won't get all of us at once."
"According to the stories," said Billee, "nothing ever occurs inside.It's all out of doors. Well, we'll see what happens."
In spite of the sinister cloud of fear that hung over the place, theadventurers managed to make a good meal, and when the horses had beenturned into the repaired corral preparations were made for the night.Both parties--the one in the bunkhouse and the boys in the mainbuilding--decided to keep watch all night.
But their precautions were not needed. Nothing happened. The sun rosebright and warm over Dot and Dash next morning and Sam Tarbell said hefelt like a new man after his sleep.
"The first thing to do," decided Bud after matters had been talked overat the breakfast table, "is to have a sort of round-up. I want to seejust how many head of cattle are left, and what the chances are forgetting more. Also we want to give the whole ranch the once-over."
"That's right," agreed the veteran Billee.
"Shall we all go on the round-up?" asked Dick.
"No," said Bud after a moment of thought, "we'll have to leave some onehere in charge. But in time each one of us must know all there is toknow about Dot and Dash--I mean just how it's laid out, where thewater-holes are, what shape the fences are in and all that. It willtake a little time, but this first round-up will tell us some things weought to know."
"The boy's right!" fairly shouted Yellin' Kid.
Accordingly, when it was decided to leave Snake, Nort and the stillsomewhat invalid Sam at the ranch house, the others started out.
Nort made the best of being obliged to stay. The choice had fallen tohim by lot, as it was decided this was the fairest way of making adivision of forces, since other things were equal.
"But you got to tell me everything that happens when you get back!"Nort stipulated to his brother and Bud as they rode away.
"Sure!" they promised.
The three who were left in charge of the ranch buildings watched theothers ride off over the hills and then, as there was plenty to do incleaning up the place, and getting it ready for a number of new handsthat must be hired, the two from Diamond X got busy. Sam was able tohelp with light work.
It was while Nort was busy making a checkup of the household articleson hand that he heard the sound of a horse out near the corral, and,going to the door, saw dismounting, the same old man to whom Sam hadcalled attention the night before.
"Howdy, stranger!" the ancient one greeted Nort, cheerfully.
"How are you?" responded the boy, courteously. "Are you looking forsome one?"
"Yes," was the answer. "I'm looking for the boss. I want to warn himand all with him to get away from here as quick as they can! You don'tknow the danger you are in. You had better leave quick!" And then,though it seemed to take from the force of his words, the old manstrode over to the water pail and took a long drink.