"Yes, we got out of that mighty lucky," chimed in d.i.c.k. "What"s become of Pocut Pete?" he asked, referring to a scoundrel of a cowboy.
"Oh, Del Pinzo and Hank Fisher had pull enough to get him out of jail, after he"d served only part of his term for infecting our stock," said Bud. He had reference to something which is explained in the volume immediately preceding this. Del Pinzo was a notorious Mexican half-breed who, more than once, had made trouble for the boy ranchers. Hank Fisher was the owner of Double Z ranch, adjoining that of Square M, one of Mr. Merkel"s, and also adjoining Happy Valley. Pocut Pete was believed to be a tool of these two unscrupulous men, and Del Pinzo had at his command Several Greasers who slipped back and forth over the Mexican border, not far from which were located the holdings of Mr.
Merkel and the boy ranchers.
"Well, this is a stethoscope all right," went on Nort, as Bud turned toward his pony, with the evident intention of mounting.
"And I"d give a lot to know what it"s doing here, and who dropped it," spoke Bud. "Let"s look around a little more. I"m not at all satisfied with this. I sure saw, some one here, and this proves it," and he stuffed the doctor"s instrument into his pocket.
"It doesn"t prove that the man you saw--or thought you just saw--sneaking around here dropped it," spoke Nort. "We"ve been away for a week, and it may have been dropped any day within that time."
"Yes," agreed Bud. "But who was monkeying around here as we rode back to camp? That"s what I want to know!"
However, search as the boy ranchers did, they found no midnight visitor. All was quiet at their camp, save for the distant howl of a coyote, and the splash of the water into the reservoir. All the stock had been driven away from Happy Valley to the big round-up at Diamond X, but soon the fertile glade would again be dotted with hungry cattle.
"Well, I reckon we"ll have to give up," said Bud, when a thorough search had been made, and no one discovered.
"The tunnel door doesn"t show any signs of an attempt having been made to bust it; does it?" asked d.i.c.k.
"Not as far as I can see, in this light," Bud replied. "We"ll take a stroll up here in the morning," he went on as he thrust the stethoscope into his pocket. "Now for a little grub, and then to hit the hay. Oh, boy! But I to tired!"
So were the others, and after rummaging among their camp stores, and eating some crackers and canned peaches, the boys, having picketed their horses, turned in, rolled up in their blankets, and were asleep almost as soon as their heads were on the pillows, which were, as a matter of fact, stuffed with hay.
An examination, next morning, disclosed nothing more in the neighborhood of the tunnel entrance than their own and, their ponies" feet marks, until Bud, with an exclamation, pointed to several cigarette stubs on the ground, and a number of half-burned matches.
"Some one was here last night--or yesterday!" he declared. "And they stood in this one spot for some time--either resting or spying."
"What would they be spying on!" asked d.i.c.k.
"Search me!" frankly admitted Bud. "But since we had that water fight I"m suspicious of everything. Those cigarette stubs are fresh, and were dropped last night, or yesterday. None of us use "em, and though some of our cow punchers do they haven"t been here lately enough to have left this fresh evidence. The stubs are new ones."
"Well, maybe there was some one here last night," said d.i.c.k.
"I"m positive of it!" declared Bud. "Let"s take another look at the big door lock."
Even a close inspection, however, failed to disclose any signs of the great portal, or its heavy padlock having been tampered with.
Nor were there any marks tending to show where an effort had been made to force boards off the frame in which the door was set.
"Well, we"ll just have to wait," said Bud, as he turned to go back down to the tents. "h.e.l.lo," he suddenly added, as he gazed off up the valley. "Here comes somebody, riding like all possessed, too!"
The boy ranchers watched the approach of the solitary horseman, and, as he drew nearer Bud exclaimed:
"It"s Buck Tooth!"
It was, in fact, that same Zuni Indian, who had been engaged as a sort of camp cook and ranch hand by Bud"s father, later being transferred to Bud"s service. Buck Tooth was devoted to the boy ranchers.
"What"s matter, Buck! What for you ride so _p.r.o.nto_ fashion!" asked Bud as the Indian, a superb horseman, drew rein close to the boy ranchers. "You race, maybe, Buck Tooth!"
"Yep--race tell you bad news!" half-grunted the Zuni.
"Bad news!" faltered Bud. "Is it my mother--dad---"
"Them all well," said Buck Tooth. "But got bad news all same. You see anybody out here?" and he slipped from his saddle to rest his almost winded steed.
CHAPTER IV
THE SCRATCHED SAFE
Eagerly the boy ranchers gathered about Buck Tooth. The Indian, as if rather ashamed of the hurry and emotion that had possessed him, grew quieter as he threw the reins down over his pony"s head, as an intimation to the animal not to stray. Then the Zuni turned toward Bud and his cousins.
"This is the second time you gave me bad news, Buck," remarked the western lad. "Remember?"
"How?" asked the Indian sharply.
"I say this is the second time you"ve brought news of something bad. You were the first to tell me about the water stopping in the reservoir. And from then on we had some rousing times; didn"t we, fellows?" asked Bud, turning to his chums.
"That"s right!" a.s.sented Nort.
"But what"s going on now?" d.i.c.k wanted to know.
"You said it!" exclaimed Bud. "I should let Buck Tooth tell it, instead of keeping him ga.s.sing away about the past. What"s the row, Buck?"
"Robbers!" was the Indian"s answer.
"Robbers? At Diamond X?" cried Bud.
"Did they get anything?" d.i.c.k wanted to know.
"Anybody hurt?" asked Nort.
"Get some money--n.o.body hurt only Babe--him get broken leg,"
half-grunted the Indian.
"Babe has a broken leg in a fight with robbers?" gasped Bud.
"Shoot it along a little faster, Buck! I"m sorry I didn"t let you ride harder at first. How much did they get? Was it rustlers, and I"ll bet a cookie with a raisin in that Del Pinzo and his gang had a hand in the fracas! Did Babe shoot any of "em?"
"Babe him try--but too fat," said the Indian, with as near to a chuckle as ever he achieved, "Fall down--bust leg. Your _padre_ no can tell how much money gone, but big iron box not opened."
"Oh, they didn"t get to the safe, then!" exclaimed Bud with relief in his voice. For he knew, at this season of the spring round-up, that many thousands of dollars, from the sale of cattle, were often kept in his father"s safe. "But go ahead, Buck! Tell us more about it. Step on her! Give her the gas! Open the throttle!"
"Hu?" grunted the Zuni, questioningly. "I step on somet"ing?"
"You"re only mixing him up!" declared Nort "Let him take his own time, Bud."
"If I do he"ll be until noon giving us the facts. And if the robbers looted dad"s office, even if they didn"t get the safe open, they may have lit out with a tidy sum, and we ought to take the trail after "em. That"s what Buck came here for, likely! To get us on the chase from this end. Go ahead! Shoot!" he requested, meaning a verbal fire, not actual.