CHAPTER XXIV

CHAPTER XXIVA NEW ARRIVAL

After the disappearance of Jarley Bangs the Rover boys and their chums continued their trip on horseback.

“Let’s move over the hill in the direction of the Bimbel ranch,” suggested Spouter. “I’d like to get a bird’s-eye view of that outfit.”

“Perhaps we had better not go too close,” advised Fred. “Bimbel may be getting out a shotgun for us.”

“I guess it isn’t as bad as all that, Fred. Those things might have happened years ago when the country was more sparsely settled and when there were more bad men around. I don’t take much stock in what Bangs said. Probably he and Bimbel have quarreled. He struck me as being a man who could get into a dispute very easily.”

“Oh, I was only fooling,” answered Fred. “I wouldn’t be afraid to ride right up to his door. That is, in the daytime. Of course, if we did it at night he might become suspicious.”

“Say, do you fellows know that it’s five minutes to twelve?” questioned Andy, after consulting his watch. “I move that we keep our eyes open for some place where we can take it easy and have lunch.”

“And I second the commotion,” returned his brother, joking in a way their father had made familiar to them.

The boys rode on for half an hour longer, and then reached the top of the hill they were ascending. Here they could look a long distance in all directions.

“Some view, I’ll say,” declared Jack, as he surveyed the panorama. “What a picture for an artist to paint!” and he pointed to the majestic mountains to the westward.

“Just look at the river—how it glistens and sparkles in the sunshine,” burst out Spouter. “See how it winds in and out like a silvery ribbon among the hills and brushwood and then comes out to cut the broad and fertile prairie in the far distance.”

“Spouter, you’ll have to write an essay about this when you get back to the Hall,” said Fred, with a grin.

“Gee, don’t mention school at a time like this!” burst out Andy. “I want to forget all about studying until it’s absolutely necessary to go backto it. And don’t forget it’s high time to eat,” he added.

They moved along slowly and presently selected a spot for their temporary camp. This was a short distance from the trail they had been following. It was at the edge of a patch of timber where they were sheltered from the rays of the sun which were now quite warm.

“We’ll be in the shade here, and yet just see the view we’ll have,” cried Gif.

“Suits me,” announced Spouter promptly; and the others agreed that the spot was a first-rate location.

It did not take the six chums long to give the horses their feed and then to empty the saddlebags and prepare their mid-day meal. They had brought along chicken as well as roast-beef sandwiches, hard boiled eggs, pickles, and a large cake, and also a bag of doughnuts which Hop Lung had learned to make from Mrs. Powell and of which the Celestial was justly proud. They also had with them a thermos bottle of hot cocoa and another of coffee, all fixed ready to drink.

“Well, Hop Lung certainly spread himself for us,” said Jack, as he took up one of the fat chicken sandwiches and surveyed it with satisfaction. Then he turned to the twins. “What are you grinning about?” he questioned quickly.

“Oh, I was only thinking about the trick we played on the Chink,” chuckled Andy.

“And I was thinking of the same thing,” put in his twin.

“It’s a wonder he didn’t try to get square with us for that,” came from Fred. “An American would be sure to try it.”

The long ride in the open air had made all of the boys hungry, and it was not long before they had disposed of a large part of the sandwiches, pickles and eggs, washing the meal down with cocoa and coffee and also with water from a regular water bottle Spouter carried.

“Now I guess it’s about time we passed around some of the cake,” remarked Jack, presently.

“I think I’ll start on a doughnut,” answered Gif.

The cake was in a square tin and had been cut ready for use. In a few seconds all of the boys were munching away lustily.

And then something happened! It was Fred who was the first to notice that the piece of cake he was devouring had a peculiar puckery taste. He rolled some of the cake around in his mouth, and then suddenly ejected it, and just as he did this Andy dropped the doughnut he was devouring.

“Oh my! What’s the matter with that cake?”

“Say, this doughnut tastes like fire!”

“Gee, my mouth is burning up!”

“Give me some of that water, quick! My tongue is getting blistered!”

“What do you suppose is in this cake, anyhow, and in the doughnuts?” demanded Jack, as he, too, made a wry face and stopped eating.

“Gracious me! do you suppose Hop Lung put the wrong stuff in the cake and in the doughnuts?” demanded Spouter anxiously.

“Oh, this is awful!” groaned Gif. “I’m burning up inside!” And he put both hands on his stomach.

“Maybe we’re poisoned!” suggested Randy. He made a wild dive for the water bottle, and this was passed around from hand to hand, each lad drinking eagerly in an endeavor to wash the burning taste from his mouth and throat.

“I know what’s the matter,” said Jack, after the most of the excitement was over. “Hop Lung doctored the cake and the doughnuts to get square with us for the trick we played on him.”

“I wonder if that’s so?” questioned Andy soberly.

“Sure, it’s so!” broke in Gif. “That Chink wasn’t as slow as you thought, Andy.”

“Gosh, my mouth burns yet!” grumbled Randy, taking a drink of cocoa. “That’s the worst doseI ever chewed. What do you suppose he put in the cake?”

“Tasted to me like a combination of cayenne pepper, mustard, and a few things like that,” answered Jack.

“Then the whole cake and all the doughnuts must be no good.”

“That’s too bad! And I had my heart set on a nice doughnut,” answered Spouter. “Just the same, I can’t blame Hop Lung.”

“Well, anyway, let’s be thankful the sandwiches are all right and so are the eggs,” remarked Fred.

“Maybe some of the sandwiches that are left are doctored,” put in Andy suspiciously.

“No, they look all right,” announced Gif, after an inspection. “And he couldn’t do much with the eggs while they were in their shells,” he added.

While he was speaking, and while some of the boys were still taking drinks of various kinds to clear their mouths and throats of that awful burning taste, Spouter made an inspection of the paper bag containing the doughnuts.

“Hello! here’s another little bag at the bottom of the big one,” he cried. “Let’s see what it contains.”

He dumped out the doughnuts and drew forth the smaller bag. Opening this, the lads found itcontained six pieces of golden yellow pound cake, neatly wrapped in tissue paper.

“Gee! is that more of the doctored stuff?” questioned Fred.

“Maybe. But I don’t think so,” answered Spouter. “I think Hop Lung put this in for a peace offering, to be found after we had chewed on that other stuff.”

And in that surmise Spouter proved correct. The pound cake was delicious, and, having sampled it with caution to find that it was all right, the boys ate it to the last crumb with great satisfaction.

“We’d better dump all that other stuff away,” said Fred. “No use of carrying it if it isn’t fit to eat.”

“Maybe some of it is good,” returned Andy.

“Do you want to sample it and make sure?” questioned Jack, with a grin.

“Not on your life! I wouldn’t want that burning taste in my mouth again for a hundred dollars.”

The boys threw the highly-seasoned cake and the doughnuts away, repacked what was left of the other food, and then continued on their ride. The trail led through the patch of timber and then over some rather rough rocks and through some brushwood. Among the rocks they found a springwhere the water was clear and cold, and here they had a most refreshing drink and watered their horses.

“It’s queer this spring is away up here on the top of the hill,” remarked Spouter. “That water must flow underground from the mountains yonder.”

“What a lot of underground streams there must be!” returned Fred.

While moving along those in the lead had kept their eyes open for more snakes. But no reptiles appeared, for which they were thankful.

“But I’m sorry we didn’t see some sort of wild animals,” said Randy, in speaking of this. “I thought sure we’d see a bear or a deer or something like that.”

Even birds seemed to be scarce in that vicinity, and the only sound that broke the stillness as they advanced was their own voices and the clatter of the horses’ hoofs on the rocks.

The trail was a well-defined one, and they could see that it had been used only a short while before.

“Half a dozen horsemen have been this way within the last few hours,” declared Gif. “Most likely they were on their way to Bimbel’s ranch.”

“I wonder if that man Haddon has gotten here yet,” said Jack.

“More than likely,” answered Fred. “If you’ll remember, those men didn’t expect to stay in Arrow Junction very long.”

“I’d like to know more about that chap, and know exactly how he’s mixed up with Brassy Bangs,” went on the oldest of the Rover boys.

“I guess we’d all like to know that,” put in Randy.

Presently they came to a turn of the trail. Here they could see across a wide stretch of prairie to where there was a collection of low buildings, seven or eight in number. To the rear of the buildings was a corral for horses.

“It doesn’t look much different from lots of other ranches,” said Fred.

“Do you want to go any closer to it?” questioned Gif.

The boys talked the matter over, and while Andy and Randy were rather curious to get a more intimate view of the place, the others decided that they would not ride any closer on this trip.

“It’s now nearly two o’clock,” said Spouter. “And if we want to go any distance up the river it will take us until sundown to get back home.”

They turned back, and an hour or so later reached the point where they had parted from Jarley Bangs. Then they took a trail up the riverand followed this until the sun, sinking over the western mountains, warned them that it was time for them to head for home.

“Say, I’ve got an idea,” announced Andy, when they came in sight of the ranch house. “Don’t let on to anybody about that doctored cake. If Hop Lung or anybody else mentions it, just act as if nothing unusual had happened. Say the lunch was as good as any we ever had.”

“That’s the idea!” returned his twin. “We’ll keep that Chink guessing.” And it may be added here that the boys kept their word, and Hop Lung never knew how his little joke had terminated, although he felt sure in his own mind that they had received the full benefit of the trick he had played.

The six boys were still some distance from the house when they saw a man come out on the veranda and wave his hand to them. At first they thought it might be Sam Rover. But then, of a sudden, Jack let out a yell.

“Boys, what do you know about this! Do you recognize that man?”

“It’s Hans Mueller!” ejaculated Fred.

“Uncle Hans!”

“Who would have thought he was coming to the ranch?”

“Hans Mueller!” murmured Andy. “I’ll beglad to see him. He’s as full of fun as a stray dog is of fleas!”

Hans Mueller was a man who in his boyhood days had been a boon companion of the Rover boys’ fathers. When he had gone to Putnam Hall with the Rovers he had spoken very broken English, and his improvement in speech had been slow and painful. But Hans had prospered in a business way, and was now the sole proprietor of a chain of delicatessen stores in Chicago. He was unmarried, and, having no family of his own, had insisted upon it that all of his young friends call him “uncle.”

“Hello der, eferypody!” called out Hans Mueller cordially, as he came down from the veranda to greet them, his fat face beaming genially.

“How are you, Uncle Hans?” cried Jack, leaping to the ground and shaking hands. “This is certainly a surprise.”

“Yes, Songpird tol’ me you wouldn’t know I vas coming,” was the answer. “How you been alreatty?”

“Fine as silk,” answered Andy gayly. And now all the boys clustered around to shake hands.

“You’re just the man we want here to help us enjoy our vacation,” put in Fred.

“Dot’s nice, Fred. I tink I vas going to haf a fine time alreatty. And I need him,” went onHans Mueller. “Since I come from de war back from Europe, where I fights for Uncle Sam, I work like a steam horse in mine delicatessen stores. But so soon like Songpird says come out here and meet dem Rovers and you udder friends, I say to my clerks, ‘you got to run dem stores by yourselfes alreatty yet awhile. I go oud to Pig Horn Ranch and git some fresh air mine lungs in.’”

“You’ll get the fresh air all right enough,” announced Spouter. “And we’re mighty glad you’re here,” he added, and then led the way into the house.

CHAPTER XXVPROFESSOR DUKE’S SECRET

The girls had already returned from the woods and met Uncle Hans, as they called him.

“I got somet’ing by mine trunk in for you young ladies,” said Hans Mueller, with a broad smile. And later on when his trunk arrived he presented each of them with a bottle of the highest grade of olives. He also had some olives for Mrs. Powell, for use on the table.

“I import dem olives myself alreatty yet,” he vouchsafed. “Nopody by Chicago has olives half so goot.”

“I knew you’d be surprised to see Uncle Hans here,” declared Songbird Powell. “And I knew an outing on the ranch would do him a world of good. He has been confining himself too closely to business since he got back from the war.”

“It was grand of you, Uncle Hans, to fight for Uncle Sam,” declared Martha.

“And vhy, I like to know?” demanded Hans Mueller. “Since I come by der United Statesover I been just such a goot American like anypody.”

“That’s the way to talk, Uncle Hans!” cried Jack, and slapped him on the shoulder.

The next day the young folks took great pleasure in showing Hans Mueller around the place.

“He vas chust like a farm, only different,” remarked the delicatessen man. “Dot iss a nice lot of cows you got, Songpird. I dink dos cows vould make apout a million pounds of frankfurters, not?” and at this remark there was a general laugh.

A few days later Jack noticed that Songbird Powell seemed to be worried over something. The owner of Big Horn Ranch held an earnest consultation with Joe Jackson, and then the foreman of the ranch rode off in hot haste, accompanied by two of his cowboys.

“What’s the matter—is something wrong?” questioned Jack of Spouter.

“Four of our best horses are missing,” answered Spouter. “The men are not sure whether they strayed away or have been stolen. Jackson and the fellows with him are going to ride along the river and see if they can find out.”

“Didn’t you say something about other horses being stolen before we got here?”

“Yes. But they didn’t belong to my father.They belonged to the men who formerly owned this ranch. They left them here, but at their own risk.”

“Were the animals now missing the horses we rode?” questioned Fred.

“No. They were the mounts used by Jackson and his men. That is, three of the horses were. The other was that beautiful black my father occasionally rode.”

“You mean Blackbird?” exclaimed Randy.

“Yes.”

“Why, I think Blackbird is the finest horse on the ranch,” declared Gif.

“He certainly is a splendid nag,” answered Spouter. “And my dad thinks a great deal of him.”

The horse in question was a three-year-old, shining black in color, with a peculiar diamond-shaped spot of white on his forehead and a similar spot on his chest. Because of these spots some of the cowboys often referred to him as Two-spot.

“I suppose those horses are worth some money,” remarked Fred.

“Indeed they are!” declared Spouter. “I heard my father say he wouldn’t take four hundred dollars for Blackbird. And the other animals must be worth at least a hundred and fifty dollarsapiece. You know they always had pretty good horses on this ranch.”

“I certainly hope they get some trace of the horses,” said Jack.

But this hope was not fulfilled. Jackson and those with him came back disappointed, saying that they had found no trace of the animals.

About a week later came another surprise. The young folks, including the girls, had gone off to the woods for the best part of the day, and when they returned, much to their astonishment, they saw seated in rocking chairs on the veranda Ruth and May.

“My goodness!” screamed Mary. “Ruth and May! Glory hallelujah! How in the world did you get here?”

“And you never let us know!” wailed Martha, as she bounced up the steps to embrace her school chums.

“We got started sooner than we expected,” answered May.

“Did you come alone?” questioned Jack, as he, too, came forward, his pleasure showing on his face.

“No, we didn’t come alone,” answered Ruth. “We came with Mr. and Mrs. Rover. They are inside with the others.”

“My mother and dad!” burst out Andy.“Where are they?” And he raced into the house, followed by his twin.

There followed a joyous reunion all around. Everybody was happy to see everybody else, and for a while it seemed as if all were trying to talk at once.

“We had a splendid trip over,” declared Mrs. Nellie Rover. “Not a single hitch all along the way. Tom had everything mapped out to the last detail.” And she gave her husband an affectionate glance.

“That’s what army discipline did for me,” answered Tom Rover. “I didn’t used to be so particular. But now I’ve got in the habit of walking a regular chalk mark.”

“Yes, I’ve walked me a chalk mark, too,” put in Hans Mueller. “I run mine delicatessen stores chust like they vas by army regulations alreatty. And it pays, belief me!”

“It’s a regular touch of old times to see you around, Hans,” said Tom, grabbing his former school chum by both arms. “How is that new pickling machine getting along?”

“Vot pickling machine you mean, Tom?” questioned Hans, looking at him blankly.

“Why, that machine you’re going to invent whereby you can grind up old oilcloth and automobile tires and make dill pickles of them.”

“I don’t vas got no machine like dot, Tom,” answered the delicatessen man in bewilderment. “I buy mine dill pickles by der barrel. Dem dill pickles grows, you can’t make ’em by no machine.”

“Oh! Then maybe it was a new sourkraut stamper,” went on Tom innocently.

“Oh, Tom, you vas joking chust like you alvays vas!” exclaimed Hans, a light breaking in on him. “Vell, I don’t care. You vas a pretty goot fellow anyhow,” and Hans smiled as broadly as ever.

“It sure is a touch of old times,” declared Songbird Powell. And then, unable to restrain himself, he burst out:

“From among the mountain tops

Where the brooklet flows,

There I love to linger long—”

“Counting up my toes,”

broke in Tom, with a twinkle in his merry eyes.

“Counting up my toes!” snorted Songbird. “Nothing of the kind! You always did knock my poetry endways, Tom. That last line was to read like this:

“Where the sunset glows.”

The young folks had a grand time that evening singing and dancing, and did not retire until the older heads had hinted several times that they had better do so.

“Oh, Jack, it’s a splendid place to come to!” said Ruth, when she was on the point of retiring. “I know I’m going to have the best times ever.”

“And to think my Uncle John owns the place!” put in May. “Isn’t it simply glorious?”

After that the days seemed to speed along swiftly. The boys and girls made up various parties up and down the river, and on the hills and in the woods. Once they got up a grand family picnic, and everybody attended.

During those days the boys often wondered whether Brassy Bangs would show himself. But Brassy kept out of sight, and for the time being they heard nothing further concerning him. But they did hear through Joe Jackson of Bud Haddon. That man had been met on the trail to Bimbel’s ranch in company with several other persons.

“They were a bum-looking bunch,” declared Jackson. “I wouldn’t give one of ’em house room on this ranch.”

“Haddon certainly didn’t make a very good impression on me,” declared Jack. “I’m frank to admit I think he’s a thoroughly bad egg.”

From time to time the boys had been sending letters to some of their other school chums, and a number of letters had come in return. One day Gif received a long communication from Fatty Hendry which he read in wonder.

“Here’s something that will interest all of you,” he declared, after he had finished. “I guess it clears up the mystery surrounding Professor Duke.”

“What is it?” questioned Fred eagerly.

“It’s a letter from Fatty Hendry. He’s been staying at a place named Ellenvale, which, as you know, is about thirty miles north of Haven Point. He says that Snopper Duke came from that place, and has an aged father living there.”

“Has Duke been taking care of his father?” questioned Jack.

“Yes. And his father has been very sick and has had to have several operations. It seems the operations cost a lot of money, and Duke wanted two of his younger brothers to help pay for them. But they wouldn’t contribute a cent.”

“Gee, that was certainly rough!” declared Randy. “No wonder the professor was grouchy at times.”

“That isn’t all of it,” went on Gif. “Fatty got interested and made a little investigation, and he found out that there was another brother, a littleolder than the professor, who had gotten into difficulties with the firm he was working for. That firm was on the point of having him arrested, so Fatty heard, but at the last minute Professor Duke came forward and settled up for him, so he wasn’t prosecuted.

“But Fatty adds in his letter that he heard this not only took every cent the professor had, but it also placed him in debt to Colonel Colby and some of his friends.”

“Well, that’s what I call hard lines!” declared Jack emphatically. “The poor professor must have been worried half to death.”

“Does Fatty say anything further about Duke’s father?”

“Yes. Since the last operation the old gentleman is feeling quite like himself again.”

“And what became of the brother who got into trouble?” asked Spouter.

“He disappeared, and Fatty says there is a report that he went to England, where the family originally came from. I suppose Professor Duke was glad to have him go.”

After this Gif handed around the letter so that all might read it. After its perusal Andy was the first to speak.

“It’s too bad,” he said, with a deep sigh. “I’m mighty sorry now that I didn’t treat the professorwith more consideration. That poor man certainly had as much of a load as anybody to carry.”

“We’ll have to make it up to him when we get back to Colby Hall,” declared Randy. “I’m going to show him just what I think of him,” he went on. “He certainly was a fine fellow to help his old father and to get his brother out of that hole.”

The boys were still discussing this matter when they suddenly saw Joe Jackson dash up to the ranch house on his horse and dismount in great haste.

“Hello, something is wrong!” declared Jack.

Songbird Powell and Tom and Sam Rover had seen the approach of the foreman, and men and boys ran out to listen to what he might have to say.

“Four more horses are gone!” declared Joe Jackson. “The best horses on the ranch! And, boss, I’m certain this time that they didn’t stray away. They were stolen!”

CHAPTER XXVITHE CATTLE STAMPEDE

“Four more horses gone!” cried Songbird Powell in consternation. “When did this happen, Jackson?”

“Less than half an hour ago, over on the three-tree range,” returned the foreman.

“And what makes you certain that they were stolen this time?”

“Because the horses had been left all properly tethered. Billy Brown and his crowd had ’em, and I know Billy is a very careful man. He’s positive they couldn’t have broken away.”

“This is certainly getting to be a serious matter,” declared Sam Rover. “Songbird, if these last four horses were stolen, it’s more than probable that the first four went the same way.”

“Any clue to the thief or thieves?” asked Tom Rover.

“The boys looked around and picked up a quirt that they say don’t belong to our outfit. But it’s a very ordinary quirt and might belong to almostanybody. Of course, they found a good many hoof marks, but they were so mixed up with the marks from the other horses they couldn’t tell one from the other.”

“I’ll ride over to the place with you and investigate,” returned Songbird Powell after a moment’s thought. “Perhaps we can get on the trail of the thieves.”

“Can we go along?” questioned Spouter quickly.

“No, Son. We want to use the horses. And, anyway, I think it would be better for you lads to remain behind.”

Songbird and the foreman hurried down to the horse corral accompanied by Tom and Sam. And thus the boys and girls, as well as the ladies of the household, were left by themselves.

“Gee! I’d like to go on a chase after those horse thieves,” burst out Andy.

“You might get a pretty warm reception if you did that,” remarked Fred. “Horse thieves and cattle rustlers are usually a bad bunch.”

“It isn’t likely they’ll get on the trail of the horses very quickly,” put in Jack. “Those fellows have too much of a start. The most they can do is to advertise the loss as widely as possible and trust to it that some one will recognize the horses, especially Blackbird.”

The boys had spoken about going fishing, and Ruth and May had asked if they could go along. As a consequence the young folks spent the remainder of the afternoon along the river. They managed to catch a good mess of fish, of which they were justly proud.

“And just to think! I caught two of the fish myself!” exclaimed Ruth. “I never knew I was going to be a fisherman.”

“You mustn’t say ‘fisherman;’ you must say fisherlady,” put in Andy mischievously.

The men did not return until ten o’clock that night. All were tired and hungry and glad to sit down to the meal which Mrs. Powell and the cook provided.

“It was a wild-goose chase,” answered Tom Rover in reply to a question from Andy. “We followed half a dozen clues, but they didn’t get us anywhere.”

“What are you going to do next, Dad?” questioned Spouter.

“We sent word to Arrow Junction and several other places, and they’ll post notices giving a description of the stolen animals,” answered Songbird. “And I’ve offered a hundred dollars reward for any information leading to the recovery of the horses.”

The next day one of the cowboys came in withmore information. This was to the effect that a ranch in that neighborhood, owned by a man named Cheltham, had suffered the loss of three horses, one a mare of considerable value.

“Say, this certainly is getting interesting,” said Jack, when the lads heard the older heads talking it over. “First thing we know, all the horses on the place will be gone.”

“Years ago they used to suffer from the cattle rustlers in this neighborhood,” said Spouter. “But horse stealing is something new.”

“I wonder if that fellow Bud Haddon had anything to do with it?” questioned Fred.

“I was thinking of that,” broke in Randy. “I think they ought to make an investigation.”

The boys spoke to the men about this, and there was a long discussion which ended when Songbird said he would ride over to the Bimbel ranch with his foreman and interview the men.

The visit to the Bimbel ranch occurred the next day, and the boys waited impatiently for the return of the two men to learn what Bimbel and Bud Haddon might have to say.

“Another wild-goose chase,” announced Songbird Powell, on the return that evening. “We saw Bimbel, and he seemed as much surprised as anybody to learn of the horses being taken.”

“And what about Bud Haddon?” asked Jack.

“We didn’t see Haddon. But Bimbel said he had been at the ranch house early in the morning and he was certain Haddon knew nothing about the loss. He said Haddon and the other men were out on a range to the westward, looking after the cattle. Of course, if Haddon was away out there he couldn’t have been here taking our horses.”

“And you didn’t see any trace of the animals?” asked Spouter.

“Nothing at all. They said they hadn’t heard of the theft nor of the loss of the horses over at Cheltham’s ranch.”

After that a week passed swiftly, during which time the young folks enjoyed themselves thoroughly, not only in tramping and riding around and in fishing, but also in other sports around the ranch home. With so much level ground available, a tennis court had been laid out, and also a croquet ground, and the boys and girls enjoyed these games immensely. The lads also pitched quoits, a sport which at times had been popular at Colby Hall.

One day the boys accompanied Joe Jackson on a round-up of some cattle far down the river. This was a day full of excitement, for some of the cattle broke away and Andy and Fred happened to be separated from the rest of the crowdand got directly in line with the runaway steers.

“Hi there! Hi there! Ride out of the way!” yelled Joe Jackson at the top of his lungs.

Andy and Fred were looking in the opposite direction and did not notice the cattle until the beasts were within a hundred yards of them. Then they heard the foreman’s cry and also the beating of the hoofs on the prairie.

“My gracious!” gasped Fred. “Look what’s coming!”

“We’ve got to get out of the way and be quick about it,” returned Andy, and struck his horse on the flank.

The steeds the boys were riding needed no urging, for the sudden rush of the cattle filled them with alarm. Away they bounded across the grassy plain with the maddened cattle thundering after them.

“Let’s ride to one side and let ’em pass!” gasped Fred, who was badly shaken by this sudden turn of affairs. He had not dreamed that the herd of cattle would head for them in this fashion.

But to get out of the way was not easy. To one side of the plains was a series of rough rocks, while to the other side there was a brook flowing into the river, and here the ground was soft and treacherous.

“Don’t go that way!” cried Andy, as he saw hiscousin heading toward the brook. “You’ll get stuck and you’ll never get out.”

“I’d rather get stuck than be trampled under foot by those beasts,” panted Fred.

“No, no, Fred! Turn this way! I’m sure we can get up on the rocks somehow!” declared Andy.

The boys continued to advance with the thoroughly frightened cattle not far behind them. While being rounded up both cattle and cowboys had come upon a nest of small rattlesnakes. These had, of course, frightened the beasts, and they were still more frightened when the cowboys had begun to shoot at the reptiles. Then a few of the cattle had started the stampede, and the rest, terrorized by the pistol shots, had followed.

As the two lads galloped on, they looked anxiously to the side where the rocks were located. Most of the places they passed were too steep to ascend. But presently Andy caught sight of a point where there was something of a trail leading upward.

“Come on this way!” he yelled to his cousin. “I think we can get up on the rocks here!”

In the meanwhile Joe Jackson and his men, followed by Jack and the others, were doing their best to get the cattle to turn back to the pointfrom which they had started. The best herd riders were circling the edge of the rushing animals, shouting at the top of their lungs and firing their pistols. But so far this demonstration had had little effect.

“Oh, Jack! do you think they’ll be run down?” gasped Randy.

“I hope not.”

“They’re on a pair of good horses; they ought to be able to outrun the cattle,” came from Gif.

“Don’t be so sure of that,” cried Spouter. “A mad steer can go some, believe me.”

“Who ever thought they would start off like that?” went on Randy.

“It was firing at those rattlesnakes did it,” declared Jack. “Of course, I can’t blame the cowboys for doing that.”

Andy and Fred found the rocks anything but easy to ascend. They went up a few feet, and then the horses began to slip and were in danger of rolling over, carrying their young riders with them.

“Look out!” screamed Fred. He had to catch his horse around the neck to keep from being flung headlong.

But the horses were as anxious to escape the maddened cattle as were the lads, and the steeds continued to scramble upward until they reacheda ledge of rock where the footing was comparatively level.

“Do you think we’ll be all right here?” panted Fred, when he could catch his breath sufficiently to speak.

“We shall be unless some of those steers take it into their heads to climb the rocks the same way we did,” answered Andy. He was suffering from a slight bruise on his left leg where he had brushed some of the roughest of the rocks.

The horses were still alarmed, and continued to snort and stamp their feet, and the two lads for a few seconds had their hands full quieting the animals. They looked below them and saw the cattle coming on in a great mass. Some had already passed, but others were huddled close to the rocks as if on the point of making an ascent.

“I really think they’ll try to come up,” said Fred.

“Come ahead! We’ll see if we can’t get a little higher up,” answered Andy. “I don’t think the steers will follow us very far, even if they do come. We can shoot at them if we have to,” he added, for each of them carried a pistol.

Beyond the ledge were more rough rocks, and here the two lads had to proceed with caution for fear one of their horses might slip and perhaps break a leg. As they advanced they lookedback and saw that the cowboys were coming closer and were beginning to drive a part of the cattle to the rear.

“Oh, if only they can drive them back!” sighed Fred. “Just look at ’em, Andy! There must be a hundred of the steers directly below us! And see how angry that big black fellow looks! He acts just as if he’d like to come up here and gore us!”

“Listen!” ejaculated Andy, pulling back on the rein. “What’s that funny noise?”

Both listened, and, mingled with the murmurs of the cattle at the foot of the rocks, came to their ears a peculiar whine or growl that was entirely new to the lads.

“It’s a wild animal of some kind!” cried Fred, as the growl was repeated.

“Where did it come from?”

“I don’t know. But it was close at hand.”

Thoroughly scared, both boys looked on all sides. Then, of a sudden, Fred let out another exclamation.

“There it is! Right on the shelf of rocks yonder! Oh, Andy, it’s a mountain lion!”

CHAPTER XXVIITHE MOUNTAIN LION

It was a time of extreme peril, and both of the Rover boys realized it. The shelf of rock was not over twenty feet ahead of them, and on this rested the mountain lion, crouched as if for a spring.

Fred had scarcely spoken when both horses began to snort and stamp their feet as if wanting to turn and run away.

“Look out!” screamed Andy, “or the horses will take us right back among those mad cattle.”

With the discovery of the mountain lion, that lay close to the rocky shelf with glaring eyes and tail that swept nervously from side to side, the boys had noted that the animal was as much penned in as they were themselves. Beyond the shelf was an overhanging cliff, so that further progress in that direction was cut off completely. Had this not been so, it is more than likely that the mountain lion would have turned and slunk away, for like all wild beasts they do not fightunless they think it is necessary to do so.

“Come on—give him a shot!” exclaimed Fred, as soon as he could recover from his astonishment.

His weapon was handy, and in a moment the pistol rang out sharply, and this shot was followed by one from his cousin.

Had the two boys been on the ground their shots might have been more effective. But it was another task to aim from the back of a restive horse that was threatening every instant to bolt, and so both bullets merely grazed the mountain lion’s side.

But these shots, mingled with those coming from the plain below, had one good effect. The cattle had been stopped in their mad flight and now they turned back in the direction in which the cowboys wanted them to go.

As the pistols rang out the mountain lion gave a scream of commingled pain and rage. Then it crept forward several feet and made a movement as if on the point of leaping for Fred and his steed.

“Back up! Back up, Fred!” yelled Andy, and fired a second time, and his cousin did likewise.

This time the aim of the boys was better, and the mountain lion was hit in one of the forelegs and in the flank. It made a sudden leap, but thewound in the leg made it fall short, and it fell down between the rocks directly in front of where Fred’s horse was standing.

As the mountain lion went down in the hollow the horse uttered another wild snort and an instant later leaped directly over the wild beast, coming down at the foot of the rocky ledge beyond. The steed Andy rode backed violently until some other rocks stopped its retreat.

“Hi there! What are you shooting at?” came a cry from below, and the two boys recognized the voice of Joe Jackson.

“It’s a lion!” called back Andy.

“Then plug him! Plug him quick!” yelled Jackson. “Plug him before he gets a chance to get at you!”

There was no need for this advice, for Andy was already taking aim. This time the bullet passed through the body of the lion and the beast leaped up, turning over and over convulsively. Then Fred managed to steady his mount for a moment, and he, too, fired, this time catching the mountain lion in the ear. Then the beast gave a final leap and tumbled down the rocks almost at the feet of the astonished ranch foreman.

“Are you hurt?” demanded Jackson anxiously, as he gave a glance at the lion to make certain that it was breathing its last.

“No,” came from both of the boys. But it must be confessed that their voices were trembling. They had all they could do to quiet their horses, the steeds showing a great inclination to leap over the rough rocks and run away.

By the time that Fred and Andy managed to descend to the plain below them the stampede of the cattle, which had been only momentary, was coming to an end, only two steers having run away for parts unknown.

“But they’ll come back, Boss,” said one of the cowboys to Jackson. “They always do. You can’t hire ’em to herd by themselves. They’ll sure be back.”

“A mountain lion! What do you know about that!” exclaimed Jack, as he came riding up, followed by the other boys.

“Did he hurt you at all?” questioned Spouter quickly.

“He didn’t get a chance,” answered Fred, just a bit proudly. “Andy and I let drive at him almost as soon as we saw him.”

“A pretty powerful beast, I’ll say,” remarked Gif, as he made an examination of the lion that was now dead. “I don’t think I’d like to face such a creature.”

“We had to fight him,” declared Andy. “He was right up on that rocky shelf yonder, and hecouldn’t back out. If he had had the chance he’d have leaped right on us.”

“Well, you’re the prize hunters of this crowd,” declared Randy.

“You can’t put that down to hunting,” answered his twin promptly. “That was simply a case of necessity.”

“Anyway, you’ve got the lion, and that skin will make some rug,” declared Spouter.

“I wonder if there are any other mountain lions around?” remarked Gif. “I’d like to get a shot at one of them myself.”

“They often travel in pairs,” answered Joe Jackson. “But if you’re going after lions you had better arm yourselves with rifles. It was only good luck that brought this beast down with pistol bullets.”

“The pistols were good enough at close quarters,” answered Andy. “Just the same, I’d rather shoot the next mountain lion from a distance,” he added dryly.

Of course, when the boys rode up to the ranch home with the carcass of the dead lion there was a good deal of excitement among the older folks and the girls, and Fred and Andy had to tell their story in detail.

“You really must be more careful in the future, boys,” declared Mrs. Sam Rover. “Why, youmight have been trampled under foot by the cattle, as well as chewed up by this mountain lion!”

“I didn’t know there was any danger of the cattle stampeding,” put in Mrs. Tom Rover.

“Oh, Jackson assures me that the stampede wasn’t of much consequence,” remarked Songbird Powell. “But, of course, the boys shouldn’t have gotten in front of the animals. But this question of facing a mountain lion is another story.”

“Py chimminy! you don’t vas cotch me facin’ no mountain lions,” declared Hans Mueller emphatically. “I did me dot years ago, ven I go oud mit your faders. But I ton’t do him no more alreatty.”

“Oh, Fred, you must be more careful!” protested May to the youngest Rover, when she got the chance. “Suppose that lion had jumped right on top of you?”

“Believe me, May, I didn’t want to get so close,” he answered. “When we discovered the beast he wasn’t over twenty feet away.”

“And they told us there weren’t very many wild beasts around here!” came from Martha. “After this I guess we had better be careful how we roam through the woods and along the river.”

“Oh, they’re not likely to harm you unless you corner them,” said Songbird Powell. “They’ll sneak away from you if you give them half achance. It’s only when they’re cornered or when they’re needing food that they are really combative.”

The mountain lion was skinned and the pelt taken away by the ranch foreman to be cured, and then Fred and Andy took it easy for the rest of the day.

“Isn’t it queer that Brassy Bangs has never showed himself around this place?” remarked Spouter that evening. “Wouldn’t you think he’d at least ride over to see what sort of an outfit we had here?”

“More than likely he’s afraid of his welcome,” said Jack. “He knows that none of us care for him.”

“I’d like to know if he really started that auto,” put in Fred.

“Gosh, what a sour fellow that Jarley Bangs was!” exclaimed Andy.

There had been an indication of a storm, but this had passed away, and one day found the Rover boys and their chums off on a trip along a trail which led across the river and to the mountains westward, a trail which they were informed by Jackson led between the ranches owned by Jarley Bangs and Bimbel.

“I’d like to get a better view of Bimbel’s ranch and also of Bangs’ place,” declared Jack. “Andmaybe we’ll see something of Bud Haddon and his crowd.”

All of the boys were now on good terms with Hop Lung, and he had prepared for them a substantial lunch and also something extra in case they should remain out after the supper hour.

“Now you lads take good care of yourselves,” admonished Tom Rover, when they were ready to depart on their day’s outing. “No more rattlesnakes or mountain lions!”

“Or mix-ups with runaway cattle,” put in Sam Rover.

Spouter and Jack carried small rifles, and the others were armed with pistols. They, however, were not going out to hunt, but thought best to provide themselves with the firearms in case any game presented itself.

It did not take the boys long to cross the river, and then they followed a trail which led up a long hill and through a somewhat dense forest.

They had journeyed along the best part of two hours when they noticed the sun going under a cloud. This caused the trail under the trees to become dark.

“Gee! I wonder if we’re going to have a storm?” remarked Randy.

“Oh, maybe it’s nothing but a wind cloud,” answered Spouter.

They continued to move along the trail, and presently reached a small opening where there was a spring.

“Halt!” called out Jack, who was riding ahead with Spouter.

“What’s the matter?” questioned Gif quickly.

“Look there! Isn’t that a wolf?” asked Jack. He pointed with his rifle, which he had already unslung, and all the boys looked in the direction pointed out.

“Maybe it’s a dog,” put in Fred quickly.

“You don’t want to shoot somebody’s pet,” admonished Gif.

The animal had slunk away behind some brushwood, and now they saw it trying to retreat, pulling something through the dead leaves as it did so.

“It’s a wolf! I’m sure of it!” declared Jack, and, raising his rifle, he took quick aim and fired.

As the echo of the firearm died away the lads heard a snarl and a yelp, and an instant later a gaunt wolf showed himself, his fangs gleaming dangerously as he came closer.

Several shots rang out, for all of the boys had their weapons ready. The wolf was hit in three places, and gave a single leap into the air and then dropped lifeless.

“Hurrah! We’ve got him!” yelled Randy, with satisfaction.

“Be careful! Don’t go too close before we’re sure,” warned Jack. “Better reload first.”

But the wolf was past doing further harm, and having assured themselves of this the boys looked at what he had been carrying away.

“It’s the side of a calf!” exclaimed Spouter. “Isn’t this the limit? I’m glad we brought him down!”

“He must have been raiding some cow yard,” said Jack.

“No ranch cow yard,” said Gif. “This half of a calf was skinned by some person. I’ll bet he stole it out of some ranch larder.” And later on it was learned that the calf meat had been stolen from Jarley Bangs’ place the night before.

The boys had become so interested in bringing down the wolf that they had paid no attention to what was taking place overhead. But now they noticed that the sky was more overcast than ever. The wind began to blow through the woods, and of a sudden there came a downpour as surprising as it was dismaying.

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