CHAPTER XI
JOE HAWKINS'S VISIT
"Can you beat that!" Nort ejaculated when Bud finished reading."Nerve--that Delton certainly has his share of it!"
The feeling which the note aroused was not just one of disappointment.The Kid seemed highly amused at the turn events had taken. Billee Dobbassumed an "I-told-you-so" expression which sat comically on hisgrizzled features. The rest looked slightly bewildered.
"Got away, didn't he?" Dick asked in a flat tone of voice. "Throughthe window, I guess. Yep. Slid down the rain water leader. Well----"
"An' he took with him your wireless and your new bunch of cattle," theKid remarked sardonically. "Never count the chickens before theyscratch. Mr. Delton is a slicker article than we figgered on."
"Let's see the note a minute, Bud," Nort said. "Huh--'bed toohard--couldn't sleep!' Wise sort of a bird; isn't he? Say, he musthave written this as soon as we left the room."
"Why?"
"Because if he waited too long he couldn't have seen to write--toodark. That means he's far away by this time. He probably----"
"The horses! Ten to one he grabbed one of them an' beat it!" Yellin'Kid cried.
Without further parley the boys and men filed from the room and madefor the corral. The horses had been tied to a pole nearest the house,and they were not long in reaching them. They could be easily seen inthe moonlight which now flooded the prairie.
"Mine's there!" Bud yelled as he came within view of the animals."Guess you're wrong, Kid. Seems like there's--no there isn't, either!Only four! Whose mount is missing?"
"You might know it," the Kid said disgustedly. "The coot tookmine--out of all that bunch to pick from, he had to rustle my newbronc! By golly, if ever I set eyes on you again, you old----"
"Take it easy!" laughed Bud. "Could be a lot worse. He might haveturned the rest of 'em loose, too."
"No use beefin' about it," said Billee Dobb. "All over now. He'sgone--an' so's the Kid's bronc. Talk about it in the morning. Me, I'mtired!"
The night passed uneventfully. At sun-up the Kid appeared at the doorof Bud's room and grinned in at him.
"Ready for work?" he cried.
"You mean trailin' your horse, Kid?" Bud asked mischievously.
The grin left Yellin' Kid's face and his eyes flashed.
"No," he said shortly. "I'll leave that for later. When I got sometime on my hands that I want to use up in enjoyment. Then I'll goafter your friend Delton."
"He's no friend of mine," retorted Bud. "But let's not chop about ituntil after breakfast, anyway. Think that Mexican cook is on the job?"
"Heard him movin' around a while ago, Bud. Let's go down an' see.Billee is downstairs, and I guess Nort an' Dick are too."
When they reached the dining room they found the others waiting forthem.
"Sleep good, boys?" Dick asked.
"Sure did. Felt like I'd never wake up. Say, steak this morning!"Nort cried as he saw the table loaded with food. "We got _some_ cookhere!"
"Don't it strike you all kind 'a funny that the Mex has got so muchstuff on hand?" Billee Dobb wanted to know. "Course it _might_ be thatthis Delton feller had just stocked up before we came. Hey, Mex!" heyelled into the kitchen. "_Aqui_! _Pronto_!"
The Mexican strolled calmly to where the five sat waiting.
"Where you get all this?" Billee pointed to the plates of meat.
The Mexican shrugged his shoulders and motioned toward the kitchen.
"Boss leave it here?"
Another shrug.
"Now listen, Mex. You know what I mean. You nod or shake your headwhen I ask you questions." Yellin' Kid walked over and stood beforethe Mexican.
"First, did you work for this guy Delton?"
A nod.
"Then when he beat it, you stayed here, hey?"
A nod.
"Why?"
"He can't answer that with his head, Kid," Nort broke in.
"I know it, but maybe he can tell us by motions. Hey? Why you no gowith Delton?"
The Mexican pointed toward himself, then to the kitchen. His handssimulated the job of peeling potatoes. Then he flung both arms wide,and moved his head in a semi-circle, eyes opened as though he werelooking for something.
"So he went when you were in the kitchen, hey, an' didn't say nothin'about it. Well, that sounds logical."
"Kid, for Pete's sake, let's eat!" Bud interrupted. "You didfine--give you a badge as a special detective. All right, Mex,outside. Gee, you certainly are curious, Kid!"
"I just want to know a few things, that's all," Yellin' Kid protested."I don't want to get poisoned. Can't tell who that Mex is--for all weknow he may be one of Delton's men left here to watch us."
"Say, I was thinking the same thing," Dick put in. "But his graphicexplanation as to why he's here seems to be at least plausible. If, asBillee suggested, Delton cut out when he found there was a price on hishead it doesn't seem reasonable that he'd bother taking the cook along.How about it, Billee?"
"Ain't makin' no statements," the veteran rancher replied slowly."Want to think things out a few minutes first."
"Billee's going to solve the great mystery for us!" Nort laughed."Never you mind, ole horse, you knew your stuff when you grabbed thatbill-head from Hawkins's office. The trouble with us was, we were tooslow."
The conversation hit on the topics of the night before as the ranchersmade a healthy breakfast. When they had satisfied their hunger Budleaned back in his chair and said:
"Well, what's on the program this morning, Kid? Beckon you better takecharge for a while. Then Dick can be head boss, and so on--'til we getthe sheep in. O. K.?"
"All right with me, Bud," the Kid agreed. "One of us wants to take aride into town and see about gettin' hold of a sheep-man. I got to getme a pony, too."
"I'll go," offered Nort. "Think I'll look up Hawkins. He might liketo know what happened."
The five walked slowly into the yard. The meal seemed to change theirideas, and set them quietly to thinking. Bud was leaning against theside of the ranch house. The Kid strolled over to the corral andlooked longingly at the four horses tethered there. Billee Dobb wasseated on the steps smoking his pipe, when he noticed a cloud of dustin the distance.
"Rider," he said, more to himself than to the others. "Got a hunch whoit is."
The dust cloud grew quickly nearer, and from it emerged the figure of aman on horseback.
"Someone coming," Dick called.
"Who is it?" Bud asked. From where he stood he was unable to see.
"Don't know yet. Looks familiar, though. Here he comes."
"It's Joe Hawkins!" exclaimed Bud, as the horseman rode into view."Hi, Joe--Mr. Hawkins, I mean."
"Joe'll do, son," the deputy said with a smile as he dismounted."Looks like you was havin' a convention here."
"Just thinking things over," the Kid, who had walked up, explained."Glad you came, Mr. Hawkins."
"Thought that was you," Billee Dobb said, rising to his feet andremoving the pipe from his mouth. "Seen you way off, and says tomyself, bet that's Joe Hawkins."
"You got good eyes," laughed the deputy.
"Oh, it wasn't exactly my eyes. I had a hunch."
"Billee Dobb is our official detective," Bud said with a grin. "Tellhim about the hand-bill you copped, Billee."
Explanations were in order, and with continuous interruptions thedeputy finally heard the story of the cyclone and what followed. Hequestioned the boys as to the appearance and talk of Delton, and atlast confessed that he must be the man wanted.
"Though I didn't think they knew just who he was," Hawkins added. "AllI knew was that the reward of two thousand was for the head of thesmuggling system. So they got him spotted, have they? That means wewon't have to work in the dark. It's a wonder the central officewouldn't give a man the whole story when they're about it, instead oflettin' it trickle through. Well, boys, it's time you knew what thissmuggling is all abou
t, hey?"