CHAPTER V
ARRIVAL AT THE RANCH
Another report rang out, and a bullet went singing overhead. By thistime guns were out ready for action. From behind a small knoll, aboutone hundred and fifty yards away, hazy smoke could be seen arising.
"Dick, you stay here and keep me covered," said the Kid in a low voice.The boys were all hugging the ground in the shelter of the brush. "I'mgoin' to sneak around an' see if I can't connect with the onery skunkthat's doin' the shootin'."
"Take it easy, Kid," Dick cautioned. "You can't tell how many menthere are over there."
"Right! Now you pass the word to the others to keep that hill pepperedwith lead. As soon as you see a sign of life, let ride. If you cankeep whoever's doin' all this out of sight, I'll have a chance. Solong!"
Yellin' Kid had started. With a simple "so long" he was off on amission which might--and very likely would--end in his death. Men whospend their lives on the prairies have no time for heroics. They dotheir job--and say nothing.
Slowly the Kid crept forward. The hidden gunman seemed to bewithholding his fire. In the brush by the water hole lay the fivewatching men--Billee Dobb and Joe Hawkins with long-barreled Coltsready for action, Dick, Nort and Bud squinting along the barrels oftheir shorter guns. Closer, closer, the Kid crawled. Seventy-fiveyards! Seventy! Now, Kid--now----
"Well, by the ghost of my aunt Lizzie's cat!"
The Kid was standing upright, his mouth open, his gun hanging looselyby his side.
Not a soul was in sight!
A quick look about verified this. The country beyond the knoll wasperfectly flat, and for over five hundred yards was bare of even thesmallest bush. Whoever the mysterious shooter was, he had, apparently,vanished into thin air.
"Hey, you guys, come over here!" yelled the Kid. "We been blazed at bya ghost!"
One by one the men by the water hole got to their feet.
Dick was the first to reach the Kid's side.
"He's right, boys!" called back Dick, as he saw the empty space behindthe little hill. "Nobody here. But let's have a look at the ground.We can tell if it's been disturbed, anyway."
A careful search revealed not only the traces of someone having laindown on the loose earth, but also two empty shells.
"That makes me feel a little better!" cried the Kid as he saw this. "Idon't hanker to be shot at by someone I can't see. Now the thing to dois to find out what happened to our late playmate."
"He's gone, ain't he?" asked Billee Dobb incredulously, as he cameshuffling along. Off his horse Billee was a bit awkward.
"You don't say! Well, now, I never noticed that! Say, Billee, you ade-tect-a-tive by any chance?"
"Go on, laugh, Kid! You spent enough time sneakin' up on a whole lotof nothin', didn't ye?"
"What do you think about this, Mr. Hawkins?" Bud asked of the deputy,who was looking around quietly.
"Not much, youngster, not much! Seems mighty funny to me. Doesn'thardly appear likely that a man could get away in this flat countrywithout us seeing him. But that's what happened all right. Never knewa cowpuncher to have that much sneakin' ability in him."
"Maybe it wasn't a cowboy," Nort suggested. "Maybe it was a--Chink."
"Never knew a Chink to use a forty-four in my life," the Kid declared."These here shells come from a gun big enough to knock a Chinee cleanoff his slippers. Nope, this here job was done by a puncher--or--" andhe stopped a moment--"or a Greaser."
"A Mexican!" cried Bud. "Say, Dick, remember the conversation we heardin Dad's new bunk house? Maybe it was the same Mex that did theshooting!"
"What's this all about, boys?" asked Joe Hawkins. "Anything I ought toknow?"
"It might help you," offered Dick. "It was two nights ago." And hetold of hearing the voices in the shack.
"Well, I don't know. I don't mind telling you that the crowd we'reafter for the smugglin' is Mexican--at least we're pretty sure theyare. Think you'd recognize the voices if you heard them again?"
"Certain sure I could tell that Greaser's tones in a million," Dickdeclared. "I'll never forget him."
After another survey of the terrain, it was decided to start for theShooting Star ranch. Joe Hawkins said he would ride to Roaring Riverwith them and make his report, and see if anything had developed intown. So, filling their canteens, the six set off.
On the way the Kid offered a tale of a tarantula fight. These boutswere carefully arranged by the cowboys, the scene being set in a deepwashbowl. Two females were the combatants, and the one who firstamputated all the legs of the other was declared the winner.Occasionally a particularly vicious spider would forsake his naturalenemy and leap high at one of the spectators, inflicting a painful,though not necessarily dangerous, bite. Hence these contests were notwithout excitement.
"I used to have a pet tarantula I called Jenny," told Yellin' Kid."She was absolutely the meanest critter I ever see! She could justabout straddle a saucer, that's how big she was. Had a coat of hairlike a grizzly. She won five fights for me, and I was all set to matchher against a spider some puncher brought all the way from Oklahoma,when she took a sudden likin' to Jeff Peters, and her ca-reer wasbrought to a sudden close. I cried fer near a week--but Jeff, he wasmore sore than what I was. She got him good before he killed her!"And the Kid chuckled rememberingly.
By this time the riders had come in sight of Roaring River. They hadall been through the town, if it might be so dignified by a name, andof course Joe Hawkins lived there, so it was no new sight to them. Butit was a change from the surroundings the Boy Ranchers had been usedto, and when they remembered that it was here all the smuggling wasgoing on, all were conscious of a feeling of excitement. They decidedto feed-up in town before going to the ranch, which lay about threemiles out.
They headed for "Herb's Eating Place," the one and only restaurant withtables. The meals they ordered would have done justice to a hungrybear.
"We have arrived!" cried Bud, when he swallowed sufficiently to allowhimself to talk. "After a long and hazardous journey through thebad-lands of Texas, we finally came to this little gem, nestling amongthe hills, resplendent in----"
"Roas' biff, roas' pork, and lem'," Nort finished. "How do you getthat way? Food always do that to you? Look at the Kid here. Notsaying a word."
"Good reason for that," laughed Bud. "He couldn't talk if he wantedto. Hey, Kid, they serve supper here, you know."
"Yea? But I'm takin' no chances! This place may not be here to-night.Wow! What a meal! Help me up, boys! Help me up!" And the Kidstruggled slowly to his feet. "Guess that'll hold me for a while," hesighed.
"How about some more pie, Kid?" asked Dick with a grin on his face.
"Pie? More pie? Well, now--what kind is there left?"
"Apple, and apple, and--apple."
"Huh! Don't like them. Guess I'll take apple. Yes, a small piece ofapple would just about finish me off."
Billee Dobb put down his fork and gazed up at the Kid.
"Did I understand you to relate that you was goin' to eat some morepie?" he asked carefully.
"You did--why?"
The veteran rancher arose and, walking over to another table, he seizeda bunch of artificial flowers that were set in a vase. Carrying themover to the Kid, he held them reverently out before him.
"My little offering," he murmured, "to one who will be with us nolonger."
The diners in the restaurant, all of whom were observing the scene, letout a roar of laughter. It was so ludicrous to see the old puncherindulge in a joke that it seemed twice as funny as if anyone else haddone it. Billee Dobb certainly scored heavily.
As the ranchers were leaving the restaurant they passed a Mexican whowas coming in. Dick looked sharply at him. Something about the shapeof his back seemed vaguely familiar, and the boy was about to saysomething when Joe Hawkins, who was the last out, exclaimed:
"Did you see that Greaser just going in Herb's? One of the worst menin t
own. I'm telling you because he works on the next place to yours.If I were you I'd leave him entirely alone. Not that you'll havetrouble with him--but forewarned, you know. Well, boys here's where Ileave you. Got to get back to the office, and see how things are. Ireckon I'll see you right soon, as you're so close, and anything I cando for you, let me know ime-jit! Think I'll take a run out to yourplace within the next week, and see how you make out. Well, _adios_,boys. Good luck!"
With a wave of his hand he was off. The boys were sorry to see himleave, for he was very pleasant company.
"I have an idea he'll be a good friend," declared Nort as they rodetoward the ranch. "And if anything turns up, we may need a couple ofsuch friends."
"He's regular, all right," the Kid agreed. "Looks as though he couldhandle himself in a fight, too. Doesn't talk much, but when hedoes--he says something. Yep, he suits me to a T."
"Good thing we met him," Dick said. "Well, boys, here we are!"
In front lay the ranch. As the five drew closer, they could see thatthe houses were well built. It was indeed in good shape.
"Say, here comes somebody that's sure in a hurry," Billee Dobb saidsuddenly. "Wonder what he wants?"
Riding toward them, dust raising under his bronco's feet, came a lonehorseman.