"We didn"t catch him--he vamoosed as soon as he heard us," reported Bud. "But we saw him boiling the stuff. Only we thought it was poison, on account of the dead cows."
"That"s so--you did mention dead cows!" exclaimed Billee. "So Death Valley is livin" up to its name. Let"s have the yarn, boys."
Bud and his cousins explained what they had discovered and the older cowboys looked anxious. Dr. Taylor listened attentively.
"I don"t believe old Tosh had any hand in it," he said. "He bears the name of being a harmless crank, always imagining every one is going to die who doesn"t take his herb medicine."
"I wonder if you could tell what those cows died of?" asked Bud.
"I could take a look at "em," said the medical man, "but unless signs of the poison--granting that it was poison--were very plain, I could not say what kind was used. It would require an autopsy and a chemical a.n.a.lysis. I"m not equipped for such work."
"Well, would you mind having a look at the bodies?" asked Bud. "I know it isn"t in your line----"
"Oh, I don"t mind," said Dr. Taylor, good-naturedly. "Anything to oblige. I"ll run out and go over the matter with you to-morrow. I"ve got to get back to town now. Not that my practice is so large," and he laughed, "but I"ve got to look after it. Your c.h.i.n.k cook will be all right in a little while," and he hurried off in his flivver, promising to return next day.
"How"d Fah Moo get the Elixer?" asked Bud when matters had somewhat quieted down and the Celestial was busy in the kitchen.
"Oh, I reckon he was snoopin" around and found where I hid the stuff in the cupboard," Billee answered. "If he"s going to be our regular kitchen canary, Bud, I"ll have to keep things better hid."
"I guess he"s had his lesson," said young Merkel. "And I guess he"ll be our permanent pot wrestler from now on. I left word for a man in Los Pompan to send me the first one he could get hold of, and Fah Moo is the result."
"And I"m glad he"s here!" voiced d.i.c.k. "I"m sick and tired of giving the dishes their bath." The others felt the same about it, so Fah Moo became a fixture at Dot and Dash.
Billee and the others were surprised at the news the boys brought back from their little expedition. The finding of the cave was not considered remarkable, as Billee said there were many such about the neighborhood.
"And it wasn"t strange that old Tosh, if that"s his name, skipped out when he saw you," went on the veteran puncher. "Likely he thought you were coming to steal his Elixer secrets. So I guess we don"t need to worry about him."
"Probably not," a.s.sented Bud and his cousins. "But," added Mr.
Merkel"s son, "it will be necessary to give some attention to the deaths of the cows."
"You"re right there!" declared Billee. "Looks like the same old trouble was starting up again."
However the mystery was not solved by Dr. Taylor who came to the ranch next day. He looked at the dead cows, but beyond saying that they had undoubtedly died from some sort of poison he could give no opinion.
And, because of the hot weather, it was not considered wise to cut up any of the bodies to send the inner organs away for a laboratory test.
"We"ll have to solve the problem some other way," Bud said.
So the unfortunate cows were buried and then, resolving not to be frightened in their operations by this streak of bad luck, the boys carried out Mr. Merkel"s ideas by completing the purchase of several score more head of choice animals and hiring additional cowboys to help with the work at Dot and Dash.
The new ranch was, by this time, quite an establishment, and though many croakers in Los Pompan predicted failure for it, as those who had gone before failed, Bud and his chums went on with their heads high and their hearts strong.
Fences were repaired, the herds were put out to graze, arrangements were made to ship away cattle at the most advantageous times and the work of Dot and Dash was now in full swing. Meanwhile nothing more had been seen or heard of the old hermit, as the boys called Tosh.
Bud and his cousins paid another visit to the Elixer Cave, as they christened it, but aside from the ashes of the fire they found nothing.
The cavern was too big for them to explore completely in the limited time at their disposal, though they resolved, after the fall round-up, to investigate it fully.
Fah Moo fitted well into the routine at Dot and Dash. He was a good cook and was popular with the punchers for that reason. But he was cured of any "snooping" habits he may have had. He would not touch a bottle of any liquid, no matter how openly it was left around. Two or three times some of the cowboys, having heard the story, laid traps for the Chinese. But he blandly pa.s.sed them by, murmuring:
"No can do!"
Mr. Merkel had been informed of the progress of affairs and though he expressed a little anxiety because of the fact that those five cattle had been found dead, he added that the animals might have eaten some poison weed which the others in the herd did not get at. And as since then nothing had happened, he expressed the hope that nothing would, and that his wisdom in buying Dot and Dash at a bargain would be demonstrated.
So matters went along for a few weeks. Every one was busy, things looked favorable for a good season and Bud and his cousins were getting ready to laugh at themselves for thinking there was a jinx.
But one afternoon, when the three had ridden over to mend a broken fence, and when they were returning home, as they pa.s.sed the entrance to what they still called Smugglers" Glen, d.i.c.k"s horse suddenly started, reared and then, after a fit of trembling, as though in fear, made a mad dash across the range. An instant later the steeds of the other boys did the same and three frightened horses were soon carrying their puzzled riders over the hills.
CHAPTER XIV
BUD DISAPPEARS
Excellent riders as were the boy ranchers, it took them some little time and effort to calm their ponies and bring the frightened animals to an easy canter which gave Bud and his cousins a chance to consider the matter.
"Whew!" exclaimed the ranchman"s son as he eased up on the reins and patted the neck of his mount. "That was some dash!"
"Not much _dot_ about it!" chuckled Nort.
"For a pun like that you ought to be forced to drink a bottle or two of Tosh Elixer!" retorted Bud. "How about it, d.i.c.k?"
"I"m with you! That was rotten--not much _dot_--I suppose that"s a play on the word _doubt_--not much _dot_ about it--that _dash_! Oh, somebody hold me!" and he shook his fist at his brother.
"I was thinking we"d soon need somebody to hold our horses," said Nort, not a little pleased at his own joking words, however nonsensical his two companions thought them. "What happened?"
"That"s what I want to know," chimed in Bud. "All of a sudden my pinto here started off as if there was a race."
"Same with me," went on d.i.c.k.
"Something must have frightened the ponies," said Nort.
"Yes, and we"ve got to find out what it was," declared Bud. "Come on back." He wheeled his mount as he spoke.
"Maybe we can"t get "em back," suggested d.i.c.k.
"Well, at the place where they begin to balk we"ll know the trouble started," suggested the ranchman"s son. "And we"ll know we have to look for the trouble right there."
"What do you reckon it could have been to make them bolt so suddenly?"
d.i.c.k wanted to know.
"Skunks, maybe," was the thought Nort offered.
"Not many skunks in this neighborhood, thank goodness," said Bud. "I wouldn"t say there aren"t any, but I"ve never heard of them."
"Or smelled them," added Nort.
"That"s right--smelled "em, either, and, what"s more, I don"t want to!
No, I don"t believe it was skunks."