CHAPTER V
HITTING THE TRAIL
Bud Merkel shook his head as Nort Shannon offered this possibleexplanation of the action of Professor Wright.
"Never's been any gold found in these regions all the years I've livedhere," he said.
"There's always a first time," countered Nort, while the cowboys gazedabout them, talking in low voices.
"It must be something else," said Bud. "This is a prospecting bunch,it's easy to see that, but they're not after gold. These twoprofessors are from some eastern college, I take it," he went on."They may be after specimens of plants, or stones. Using theirvacation this way. I've heard of it being done."
"That's right!" chimed in Dick. "Two of the professors from ourAcademy spent all one summer in the Adirondacks, getting material for anew geology book they were writing. Maybe that's what these professorsare doing," he suggested.
"Then why are they keeping so blamed secret about it for?" asked Nort,impulsively. "There's no crime in getting rock specimens, or in makingup a new geology, only I wouldn't want to do it," he finished with agrin. "I get enough of study all winter. We came out here to havefun!"
"And we've started in right!" declared his brother. "Fun andexcitement."
"I reckon we'll have to let these fellows have their way," murmuredBud. "They aren't on our ranch, and this is a free country. They mayhave permission from the Double Z people to look for specimens here."
"Is this Double Z land?" asked Dick.
"Right about here is," answered Bud. "Our line runs over there, andback where we came from," and he motioned toward the ranch buildings."Better be hitting the home trail too, soon," he commented. "It'll bedark in no time, and I'm as hungry as they make 'em!"
"You said something then!" declared Babe. "I don't see that we can doanything more here--they don't appear to want us overly much," he added.
Perhaps Professor Wright was aware that a little feeling had arisenover his hasty warning to Yellin' Kid, for he hastened toward theforeman and said:
"I shall be most grateful to you if you will send over something forthe two wounded men. I don't like to let them go to your place, hurtas they are, and I don't like to deplete my force. Those rascals mayreturn."
"That's right," agreed Slim. "Wa'al, I reckon we can accommodate you.I'll send one of the boys back with a bottle of antiseptic stuff rightafter grub. Wash out the wounds, pour some of this stuff on and bind'em up. The men'll be all right. Greasers don't mind a little thinglike a bullet through the arm or leg. You know 'em?"
"No, I only hired them three days ago to help with our camp outfit.Some of my men deserted, and I have reason to believe it was some ofthem who led the attack on us."
"Any special reason why they should shoot you up?" asked Slim. "Thatis if it isn't askin' a personal question," he added, mindful of thereception accorded Yellin' Kid.
"It is all due to a foolish mistake," said Professor Wright, with aquick glance at his assistant, Professor Blair. "We are here on ascientific mission, as perhaps Professor Blair told you, and a few ofthe deluded men I engaged to help me make some excavations imagine I amafter gold. That is far from the truth, for----"
"It is far more valuable than gold!" exclaimed Professor Blair.
"Eh--well, yes, in a way," said the chief, as Bud caught a look ofwarning flashed at the man who had ridden for help. "But that isneither here nor there," went on Professor Wright. "The point of thematter is that I had to discharge the leader of my uneducated helpersbecause he persisted in trying to find out what we were after. He tooksome of the men with him, necessitating the hiring of others. Then theclimax came this afternoon, when, unexpectedly, we were attacked. Inmy wanderings I had seen your ranch buildings, and I ventured to hopeyou would send us help when I dispatched my assistant to you."
"Wa'al, we did what we could," said Slim. "Of course you know your ownbusiness best, but I wouldn't take any chances with Greasers. They maycome back, if you have any valuables here."
"We have," said Professor Wright, with a glance at the tent, the flapsof which he had tightly closed. "But I do not fancy they will againattack us soon. We wounded some of them before you came, and we shallnow be on our guard. If I can have the antiseptics for those two men,I shall be grateful."
"I'll send 'em over later," promised Slim, and then he called to thecowboys: "Don't 'pear to be much further need of us, boys. Let's moseyback!"
And while the cavalcade was on the trail leading to Diamond X ranch,Bud's cousins had a chance to tell him how it was they had come West sounexpectedly.
They had long been promised by their parents that they might spend asummer in the great open, but, for one reason or another, the visit hadbeen postponed from time to time.
But about a week back Mr. Shannon found that his business called him toSouth America. He decided to take his wife with him, and this wouldbreak up their home for the time being.
"So he decided to let us hit the train for here," explained Nort, whosename, as you may have guessed, was Norton. "We didn't take time towrite--just packed up and came on," he added.
"We did telegraph," said Dick. "But we knew we could find you, whetheryou met us or not, Bud."
"I never got your message, and I don't believe dad did, either,"remarked the young rancher. "But he may have for all that. He's beenterrible busy lately, arranging for a big shipment of steers, and ourtelephone has been out of order, so maybe they tried to 'phone themessage to us and could not raise us, and it got laid aside. But I'msure glad you're here now."
"So are we!" exclaimed Dick.
"Do you mean to say you have a telephone?" asked Nort, with somethingof disappointment in his voice.
"Of course!" laughed Bud. "This is a big ranch, and we couldn't getalong without a 'phone. We're hooked up with other ranches, and wehave a private line of our own from one ranch to the other. We're onthe long distance, too. Oh, we couldn't manage without the wire."
"It doesn't seem like the wild west, if you have a _'phone_,"complained Nort.
"Oh, you will find it wild enough!" declared Bud. "Didn't you get yourfill on Tartar, and haven't you seen a real man-fight first crack outof the box?"
"Yes, I had all I wanted on Tartar," confessed Nort with a smile. "Ihope your dad won't think I was too fresh, getting on one of his horseswithout having permission," he said.
"Tartar was the one who was fresh," laughed Bud. "But the boysshouldn't have allowed you on him."
"That was my fault," confessed impulsive Nort. "As I told you, Dickand I arrived at the station without being expected by you, as it nowturns out. We scouted around, and found one of your wagon outfitsthere, and of course the driver was decent enough to bring us in.
"I saw that corral full of ponies first shot, and as I can ride--alittle----" he quickly qualified his statement, "I just hopped aboardthe liveliest pinto in the pack."
"You sure did pick a lively one!" chuckled Bud. "I don't see how youstayed on as long as you did. Tartar is next door to an outlaw. He'sa bucker and a roller, and they do say he killed a man once. I don'tsee why dad keeps him. There aren't two men around here who can ridehim."
"Well, I'm not going to qualify," declared Nort. "But, as I said, whenDick and I arrived we didn't stop to do any thinking. We hit thecorral, and though some of the men did warn me, I was foolish enough totry and stick on that wild colt. You came along just in time."
"Yes, there might have been trouble," agreed Bud. "You'll have all theriding you want if you stick around here. We don't know what walkingmeans on Diamond X, though dad does talk of getting a flivver. I wishhe would."
"There's lots of level country around here," observed Dick.
"Plenty, and the other kind too," added Bud nodding toward the hills attheir backs. "Well, we sure will have good times."
"We want work, too," declared Nort. "We want to learn to be ranchers."
"You'll have that chance, too," declared his western cousin.
"But nowlet's lope along a little faster. If we don't get to the table thesame time as the boys there won't be a smell left. Supper's going tobe late to-night."
For a time the pace forbade conversation. The only sounds were thebeating of hoofs on the ground, the clatter of buckles and the squeakof damp leather. Then the cowboys, and the young ranchers, trotteddown the slope that led to the corral, and Nort and Dick had a glimpse,in the doorway of the ranch house, of their aunt.
A quick survey of the party told Mrs. Merkel that there had been nocasualties, and, with a satisfied sigh, she went back in the house, andbegan to put the supper on the table, with the assistance of Nell andtwo women workers.
"The boys'll eat us out of house and home to-night," she remarked toNell.
"It's lucky we have plenty," commented Bud's pretty sister.
And plenty there was, as Dick and Nort amply testified to a littlelater, as they drew chairs to a long table at which they sat with theranch hands, who had made hasty toilets after their fast ride.
For a time there was heard only the rattle of table utensils, but, withthe sharp edge of appetites dulled, talk and joking retort ran aboutthe board. Bud took his part, but the two easterners were silent,preferring to listen and learn. And they picked up many a gem of slangfrom the repartee that flashed forth.
"Any of you boys ever see that outfit before?" asked Bud's mother, whenan account of the professor's camp had been given.
No one had, but "Snake" Purdee, so called because of his deadly fear ofrattlers that were occasionally met with, remarked, after disposing ofa mouthful of biscuit:
"Some of the Double Z boys was tellin' me of a locoed tenderfoot whowas grubbin' for diamonds, or suthin' like that, an' I reckon this ishim."
"Shouldn't wonder," commented Mrs. Merkel. "You say you're going tosend over some liniment?" she asked the foreman.
"I was aimin' to do it," he answered. "That is if you----"
"Oh, of course!" interrupted Mrs. Merkel. "One of the boys can rideover this evening. I don't want anybody to suffer when I can help."
Nort nudged Bud under the table.
"Can't we go, too?" asked the city lad.
Bud hesitated a moment and then answered:
"Why, yes, I reckon so." To his mother he said: "I'll ride over, too,with Nort and Dick."
"Will it be safe?" asked Mrs. Merkel, with a quick look at the foreman."I wish Mr. Merkel would come."
"Oh, it'll be _safe_ enough," the foreman answered. "Those Greaserswon't come back, especially after dark. They'll lay low. I'll sendBabe over with the boys."
"Oh, joy!" murmured Nort, and the eyes of Dick sparkled. This wasliving life as they had dreamed it--a night ride to a camp that hadbeen attacked by savage men!
"Get on some other clothes," suggested Bud to his cousins, as they leftthe table. "You'll spoil those in no time, on a horse."
"All right," agreed Dick, and soon he and his brother had made thechange. If not exactly attired as were the cowboys, their outfits weresufficiently practical for the time being.
"Can't we have guns?" asked Nort, while some of the ranch hands weresaddling ponies for the little party that was to take the antisepticsto the wounded men.
"Know how to shoot?" asked Babe, who felt his responsibility at takingtwo tenderfeet on the trail at night.
"A little," admitted Nort, and Dick nodded in agreement.
"Wa'al, I don't reckon you'll have any use for 'em," said the assistantforeman, "but it's just as well to pack 'em. I'll get you a coupleguns," and he started toward the bunk house while Bud and his cousinsmounted their ponies and prepared to take the trail.
"They'll do," Babe said to Bud in a low voice, after passing to Dickand Nort the guns. "Lots to learn, but they've got the grit, and theyain't too much set up. They'll do."
Then they hit the trail.