CHAPTER V
THE BROKEN BOTTLE
Bud's opinion, expressed with such conviction, coupled with thefact that Nell, his sister, was sure the safe had not beenscratched the day before the robbery, made it look as though menpracticed in the evil art of burglary had been at work.
"When I saw the fellow, bending over my safe," said Mr. Merkel,"it appeared to me he was only trying to work the combination. Ihave a hard job, myself, remembering how to do it, account of thesafe being a new one. And I was so surprised, at first, that Ijust stood there, like a locoed steer, watching him. Then I letout a yell, told him to throw his hands up, and things began tohappen."
"But, instead of just trying to open your safe, by working thecombination, same as I've heard of burglars doing by filing downtheir fingers with sandpaper to make 'em sensitive, he wasgetting ready to blow it open," declared Bud.
"Does look so. She sure is clawed!" commented Mr. Merkel again.
"Mercy! It's a wonder we weren't all blown up in our sleep!"exclaimed Bud's mother. "You boys'll stay to dinner," she added,as if glad to change the subject.
"We aimed to," said Bud with a grin at his cousins. "We managepretty well most times, with what we cook, and what Buck Toothhands out in the grub line. But we sure do like a home-feed oncein a while."
"Or twice!" added Nort, while Dick nodded his agreement.
But though it was evident that some professional burglar hadendeavored to open the Merkel safe, that was all the conclusionwhich could be arrived at. No additional clues were found and,for a time, matters settled down into the ordinary run at DiamondX.
Summer was coming, with its heat, and Bud was glad there would beno interruption in the water supply that flowed into Happy Valleyfrom the Pocut River, coming through the ancient undergroundpassage.
"For we'll need plenty of water in hot weather," he told Juscousins.
At Diamond X Second, as the outfit of the boy ranchers was oftencalled, was now a goodly herd of animals eating the rich, Johnsongrass and other fodder, getting fattened in readiness for sale inthe fall, when there would be another round-up.
Besides Bud, Nort and Dick, there was now, at the camp in thevalley, Buck Tooth the Zuni Indian, Yellin' Kid and Snake Purdee,two efficient and veteran cow punchers who had been transferredfrom Diamond X First, meaning by that the main ranch.
While Bud was a true son of the west, and while Nort and Dickhad, some time ago, passed out of the tenderfoot class, still Mr.Merkel felt that his son and his nephews needed the aid andguidance of cattlemen older than themselves. So the "outfit," asthe aggregation at a ranch is called, was quite a happy family.
"If we could only catch those burglars, and get back your dad'smoney, I'd feel better, though," declared Snake Purdee, as herode in from the Diamond X ranch one day, to announce, amongother news items, that Babe, the fat assistant foreman, was ableto be about again.
"Yes," agreed Bud. "It isn't so much the money loss, as it is theknowledge that such a bunch of men is loose in a neighborhood.Del Pinzo and that Hank Fisher bunch are bad enough, but I don'tbelieve they had a hand in this."
"I wouldn't put it past them!" stated Yellin' Kid in his usual,loud tones. "Th' skunks!"
"But dad said he didn't recognize the fellow he surprised at hissafe," spoke Bud. "Of course he didn't have much chance. But ifit had been Del Pinzo--"
"Don't worry!" broke in Snake Purdee. "That Greaser wouldn't do ajob like that himself; or Hank Fisher, either. They'd get someone else to take the risk. However, what's th' use gassin' aboutit? I guess the money's gone for good. But I'm glad they didn'tget th' safe open!"
"So'm I," chimed in Bud. "Some of our cash would have vanishedthen." For he and his cousins had a share in the money receivedfrom the sale of steers at round-up time.
So, following the robbery at Diamond X, matters quieted down. Budstill kept the stethoscope, and word of the finding of thestrange instrument traveled to other ranches. It was called bysuch a variety of names (the cowboys having twisted the originaland proper one) until the boy ranchers had difficulty, at times,in understanding the reference when they were asked about it.
But no one claimed it, and no trace was found of the person who,it was presumed, had dropped it the night our heroes saw some onedisappear near the boarded-up entrance to the ancient tunnel.
"Come on, let's try a bit of shooting!" proposed Nort oneevening, when grub had been served at the camp, and he and hisbrother were left with Buck Tooth. Snake and Yellin' Kid hadridden off on an all-night tour of duty, to a distant part ofthe ranch. A choice bunch of steers had started to wander fartheroff than Bud thought it was wise to let them. They were,evidently, in search of another variety of fodder, but that couldnot save them from some passing band of Greasers, or other cattlethieves.
"Haze 'em back this way," Bud had requested his two cowboys."They'll be safer over here."
So Yellin' Kid and Snake had ridden away as the early eveningshadows were falling and, to pass the time until the hour forseeking their bunks, the boy ranchers sought some amusement.Shooting at a mark was one form, and Nort and Dick wereendeavoring to become as expert as their western cousin in theuse of the .45.
"Shooting suits me," agreed Bud. "I'll soon have to cut down myhandicap if you fellows keep on the way you're going," for in thetests of skill Bud had always discounted his own ability in orderto be fair.
"Well, don't scale it down too much," begged Dick. "Nort hasn'tgot me skinned, but I'm not up to you."
"Well, let's see how you'll do," suggested Bud.
As a mark a bottle was stuck on a stick which was thrust into theground at the foot of the sloping bank which enclosed thereservoir. Shooting against this earthen bank insured that nowild bullets would injure any one.
"You go first, Bud," suggested Dick. "We want to get a line onyou."
Accordingly Bud walked to the marked-off place, drew his heavyrevolver, raised it and brought it down on the mark--the bottleon the stick. There was a sharp crack, followed instantly by thetinkle of glass, and that bottle was no more.
"Busted it clean!" cried Nort. "I wish I could do that!"
Another flask was provided, and Nort shot at this. His aim wasfairly good, but he was allowed to go five feet nearer than Budhad stood, that distance being the western lad's handicap. ButNort only chipped away part of the bottom of the bottle with hisfirst shot, and it took three to shatter it completely.
"Watch me do better than that!" cried Dick, as he took his placewhere his brother had stood, and raised his gun. "I'll crack itfirst shot!"
His weapon was still in the air, and he had not brought it to alevel with the bottle when there sounded, from somewhere out inthe valley back of where the boy ranchers stood, the sound of ashot.
The bullet zipped viciously over their heads, and, as theyinstinctively ducked, they heard the crash of the broken bottle.