CHAPTER X
A MIDNIGHT ALARM
“Did you hear that?” asked Ned in a whisper of his two chums.
“Sure,” nodded Jerry.
“What about it?” Bob said. “Hasn’t he got a right to buy cattle wherehe pleases?”
“Yes, but that’s dad’s ranch--his and your father’s,” went on Ned inlow tones. “Maybe this man knows something about the stealing of thestock.”
“Well, don’t go up and ask him if he does,” returned Jerry, quickly,for Ned evinced a desire to approach the stranger.
“Huh! Think I’m as rash as that? But don’t you call it queer?”
“Hum! Well, maybe,” said Jerry, slowly. He was not prompt to jump atconclusions.
“But can’t we do something?” Ned demanded. “Wouldn’t it be great if wegot on the track of the thieves as easily as this?”
“It would be, only it’s too good to be true,” said Jerry. “But wait abit. As long as he’s talking as loudly as he is no one can call itimpolite if we stand here and listen. Just see if we need any of theserailway time-tables,” and he directed the attention of his chums toa rack of folders near the hotel desk. Taking out some of them, andpretending to look them over, gave a good excuse for lingering withinhearing distance of the flashily dressed man who had announced he was acattle buyer.
“So you’re going to get some of the Square Z stock; eh?” asked the manto whom the bediamonded one had spoken. “I do a little in that waymyself, but the Square Z prices are too high for me. I can do better inother markets.”
“Too high! I don’t call what I pay too high!” boasted the speaker andhe named a price “on the hoof” at which the other man exclaimed:
“Is that all you’re paying?”
“That’s all. I tell you it takes little ol’ Sid Munson to get the bestof a deal!” and he patted his inflated chest in satisfaction.
“Munson, eh?” mused the other. “So that’s your name. I haven’t heardof you in the cattle business before. My name’s Johnson--Ed Johnson,and I’m from Omaha. But I want to tell you one thing, Mr. Munson, and Isay it in all friendliness. If you’re only paying that much for cattlethere’s something crooked somewhere.”
“Something crooked? What do you mean?” and the voice of Mr. Munsonexpressed an amazement as great as was the surprise of the boys whowere listening near the time-table rack.
“Oh, I don’t mean you, so don’t get roiled,” was the quiet response ofMr. Johnson. “I mean that the price you mentioned is lower than thelowest market quotations on live cattle that I’ve ever known, and theremust be an African gentleman concealed somewhere in the fuel heap, asthe poet says. I mean, if they’re quoting that price to you they musthave an object in it. Maybe the cattle aren’t A, number one.”
“But they are!” exclaimed Munson. “I know, for I sold ’em at a goodprofit.”
“I should think you could, at the price you say you paid. Then ifit isn’t the quality of the beef it’s something else. They may bestringing you along to get the best of you in some other deal. I’dwatch out, if I were you.”
“Thanks. But don’t worry. I’ll take care of myself. It takes a prettyearly bird to get the worm if little ol’ Sid Munson is after it!” andonce more the man with the diamonds patted himself on the back, so tospeak.
“Did you hear that?” asked Ned in a whisper, as the two men moved away.
“Couldn’t very well help hearing it,” assented Bob.
“Sort of queer,” commented Jerry.
“More than queer!” declared Ned when they were in the dining-room.“It’s a clue, I think, to the cattle----”
“Hush!” exclaimed Jerry with a warning glance; and he spoke onlyin time for at that moment the two men who had been talking in thecorridor entered. They did not notice the boys but went to a table atthe far end of the room, whence came murmurs of their talk about thecattle business. But the three chums could overhear no more because ofthe general din around them.
“Don’t give yourself away to them,” advised Jerry in a low voice.
“That’s right, I should be more careful,” admitted Ned. “But don’t youthink there’s something in this?”
“Maybe more than we can tell at present,” agreed Jerry. “We’ll talk itover in our rooms.”
“It’s a clue, that’s what it is!” declared Ned when they were bythemselves. “Either this man is one of the thieves, or he’s buyingcattle from them. No wonder they can afford to sell below the marketprice when they don’t have to do anything to get their stock but run itoff dad’s ranch. We’ve got to follow this fellow.”
“Well, maybe not exactly that,” said Jerry, slowly, “but I think itmight be wise to pump him a bit. He’s made some advances to us, and itwon’t look suspicious if we come back at him.”
“You’re not going to gamble with him, are you?” asked Bob in surprise.
“I should say not! There are other ways,” and Jerry smiled. “I guess wehaven’t traveled around for nothing.”
But their plan of having further conversation with Mr. Sid Munson wasnot destined to be carried out just then. For when they looked for himaround the hotel he had gone, and the clerk said he had given up hisroom.
The man who had given his name as Johnson was in evidence, however, buta bit of judicious questioning by the boys, after they had scraped anacquaintance by asking directions for getting about the city, convincedthem that he knew no more of Munson, and the cheap cattle, than theythemselves had overheard in the talk.
“We might as well get on with our trip,” advised Jerry the nextmorning, when it became evident that staying in Des Moines would notadvance their case. “The sooner we get out to Square Z ranch and lookfor clues, the better, I think.”
“Same here!” agreed Ned and Bob.
The big automobile had been put in shape to make the rest of thetrans-continental trip, Professor Snodgrass was gently but firmlypersuaded to break away from his scientific friend, and once more themotor boys were on their way.
There was plenty of excitement along the route. Once they came within anarrow margin of toppling, car and all, over a high cliff while goingalong a narrow, perilous road. Again the professor went on a littleside trip after some queer bug and became lost. They were a day findinghim and he was quite exhausted and in great distress when he was found.So, taking it by and large, Ned, Bob and Jerry had plenty of adventuresto keep them awake on the trip.
“And isn’t it just one dandy little refrigerator though?” asked Bob forperhaps the fiftieth time as he took some cold chicken from it one warmafternoon and proceeded to make sandwiches. “How would you like to beeating hot roast beef now?” and he looked at the thermometer which wascreeping up toward ninety degrees in the shade.
“It’s certainly all right!” agreed Ned in a mumbly voice, for he wasjust then engaged in masticating one of the chicken sandwiches. “Youdidn’t make any mistake, Chunky. But I’m thinking we won’t need it muchlonger.”
“Why not?” asked Bob in surprise. “You’re not going to chuck it away,are you?”
“No, but we ought to be at Square Z in a day or so now, if our maps areany good. We’ll be in Medicine Bow by to-night, and it’s only about ahundred miles from there to dad’s place.”
“Good!” cried Jerry.
They reached Medicine Bow about supper time and put up over night.Early in the morning they were under way again, following thedirections given them for reaching Square Z ranch. But they didnot follow the directions closely enough and took the wrong trail.Consequently, when darkness was settling down they had not reachedtheir destination and they decided they would have to wait untilmorning.
“But that needn’t worry us,” said Bob. “We’ve got fine shelter, even ifit should rain, which it won’t. And the refrigerator----”
“Yes, one of us can crawl in there and sleep!” laughed Ned.
“Suppose we camp right here,” suggested Jerry, bringing the car to astop. It was on a sort of wagon road that r
an over a big grassy plain.
“This is as good as any,” agreed Ned. “I don’t see why we didn’t hitthe ranch, though.”
They made their preparations for spending the night, not exactly inthe open, for they had their shelter tent, but at least far from anyhabitation. There seemed no need of setting a watch and after an houror two spent around the campfire, they turned into their bunks and weresoon sound asleep.
It was still dark when Jerry was awakened by hearing a movementoutside the shelter curtains of their tent. It was as though some largebody were being dragged over the ground, and there was a distant humand murmur.
Then as the lad sat up on his cot to listen better he heard a voicesaying distinctly:
“It’ll be easier to drive them over to the north I reckon. There aren’tmany in this bunch and they’re quietin’ down.”
“Yes,” agreed someone else. “But for well brought up cattle these wereas ornery a bunch as I ever seen. They’re all right now, though, an’ wecan soon run ’em over.”
Jerry was out of bed in a hurry, and a second later had awakened Nedand Bob, but had prevented them from calling out by putting his handover their mouths.
“Not a word!” he whispered in their ears. “But get up and put on someclothes. Also slip a gun in your pocket.”
“What for?” demanded Ned.
“Cattle thieves outside!” murmured Jerry.