CHAPTER XVIII
THE BOILING SPRING
"What's that?" asked Bud suddenly, his voice seeming almost asloud as that of Yellin' Kid's. The horses had been reined to ahalt as soon as the shot sounded, and there was stillness whichmade the boy rancher's exclamation appear more vociferous thanwould otherwise have been the case. "What's that?" asked Budagain.
"Some one fired," answered Nort.
"Brilliant!" chuckled Dick. "Bright answer!"
"Almost as bright as my question," conceded Bud, who was willingto admit when he had "pulled a bloomer," as some Englishmen mightterm it. "It was a shot, though," he added. "I wonder if we'llhear any more?"
They all paused, in listening attitudes; the boy ranchers, thecowboys associated with them in the Happy Valley venture and theothers sent with Slim to help run down the rustlers, on whosetrail they now were.
But no further firing followed in the three or four minutes theywaited there in that lonely gorge, the only sounds being thosecaused by the restless movements of the steeds.
"I wonder if some one shot at us, or if that was a signal!"remarked Nort, as Bud gave the sign to advance.
"I didn't hear any bullet singin' out this way," drawled Slim."Not that I'm hankerin' to," he quickly added.
"Then it might have been a signal," went on Nort.
"What makes you say that?" Bud questioned.
"Because it would seem that if the rustlers are ahead of us,trying their best to get far enough away, or to get to somesecret hiding place, that they might leave some behind, on thetrail, to give warning when we show up," went on Nort.
"Yes, that might be so," slowly admitted Bud. "In fact I think itwas, probably, a signal, and it may have been given by the sameone who gave signals before."
"What do you mean?" asked Dick.
"I mean Four Eyes, and the lantern flashes we saw from the watchtower that night we rode in," Bud answered. "I believe Four Eyeswas and still is, in with the rustlers, and that he gave a signalto show that everything was ready for the raid."
"But the raid didn't take place until some time after we sawthose flashing lights," said Dick.
"It takes some time to get a cattle-rustling gang together,"declared Bud. "I wish we could find Four Eyes."
His gaze roved the sides of the lonely gorge, and sought topierce the maze of the trail ahead. But as it wound in and out,following the windings of the defile, he could not see far inthat direction.
"If it was Four Eyes, he played his game mighty slick!" declaredYellin' Kid. "He fooled us all, includin' your paw, Bud!"
"Well, if we get on his trail, and can connect him with therustlers, which it won't be hard to do, I'm thinking, he won'tplay any more tricks," declared the western lad vindictively andwith righteous anger. "But if that was a warning shot, and that'swhat it seems it must have been, we'd better take some precautionsourselves."
"Such as what-like?" asked Slim, willing to let Bud take thelead, as the search for the rustlers was distinctly an affair ofthe boy ranchers.
"We ought not to go ahead, all in a bunch," decided Bud. "We mayrun into a bunch of Greasers at some turn of the trail, and if wehave scouts out we can handle the situation better."
"I was going to suggest it," said Slim, "but I thought you'dthink of it yourself, Bud, being as you're your paw's son."
Bud was pleased at the implied compliment, and, a little later,as they advanced, they were divided into three small parties,with rear and vanguard, to insure against a surprise in back,which might easily happen.
And so they advanced through the defile, keeping watch on bothsides of the trail. There were still evidences that a herd ofcattle had been driven along the rocky defile, but because of therocky floor, if such it may be called, the signs were faint, andonly an experienced westerner could have picked them up. But theboy ranchers were accompanied by experienced cow punchers, whoknew every trick of the trail.
Bud had insisted that it was one of his rights to ride in theadvance guard, with Yellin' Kid, and it was while they wereperforming this duty, of watching for a surprise, that they saw,just around the bend of the trail, some wisps of white vaporfloating up.
"There they are!" exclaimed Bud in a hoarse whisper, pointing."They've stopped there--or some of 'em have. Or maybe it's theperson who fired the warning shot."
"Might be," admitted Yellin' Kid, toning his voice down somewhatto suit the occasion. "Better let me get off and crawl ahead,Bud. I'm used to that. You hold the horses."
Bud realized the sense of this proposition, and he held the reinsof the Kid's horse, while that cow puncher slipped from thesaddle, and, on all fours, crept toward the wall of rock whichrose abruptly at a turn of the trail shutting off a view beyond.
Bud watched Yellin' Kid closely, the lad's hand on the butt ofhis .45, and occasionally he glanced back to catch the firstglimpse of the main party, so he might warn them. He saw thewisps of vapor rising and floating toward him.
"Not much smoke," mused Bud. "They're using very drywood--regular Indian trick. I wonder----"
A moment later he heard Yellin' Kid shout, and it was such a cryas indicated pain. Yet Bud had heard no shot.
"I wonder if they knifed him?" was the thought that flashed intoBud's brain. He cast caution to the winds and galloped forward,making a great racket, and casting loose the reins of the Kid'ssteed.
The sight that met Bud's eyes was enough to startle him, thoughit was not what he expected to see.
For he beheld Yellin' Kid standing in front of a pillar of whitevapor, or, rather, the cowboy was dancing about, holding one handin the other, and using excited slang at a rate that soon wouldexhaust his vocabulary, Bud thought.
But, more strange than anything else, was the fact that there wasno sign of a fire, to cause the white vapor, nor was there anyindication that anyone besides Yellin' Kid and Bud were in theimmediate neighborhood. No rustlers had started the blaze whichcaused the white clouds to drift upward.
"What's the matter, Kid?" asked Bud, as he saw that something hadhappened. "Where's the fire?"
"Under there!" and the cowboy pointed to the ground. "Keep awayfrom it. Don't go near that spring, an' whatever you do, don'tput your hand in. I did, an' I'm sorry for it!"
"Spring! Fire! What is it, anyhow!" asked Bud, as he slid fromthe saddle and ran forward.
"It's a boilin' spring, that's what it is!" declared Yellin' Kid."Boilin' hot an' it near took th' skin from my hand! What you seeis steam--not smoke! Horned toads and hoop-skirts! It's as hot asBuck Tooth's tea kettle! Look out for the boilin' spring!"