"I"m a Ranger, too," confided the visitor.
"What, you a Ranger?" exclaimed the professor.
"Of Captain McKay"s band?"
"You"ve hit it, pard."
"Well, well, this is indeed a pleasure. We have not had the honor of meeting Captain McKay as yet, but we hope to do so, ere long. He had promised to meet us last night, but I understand was called away on some business pertaining to his calling."
"You would like to meet Captain McKay?"
"Indeed I should. I understand he is a most remarkable man, that he has performed many deeds of valor."
"Pray stop!" laughed Conway. "You actually make me blush."
The outfit gazed at the visitor inquiringly.
"Now that you have said so much I am going to confide another little secret to you. I"m McKay."
"What? Not Captain McKay, the leader of the Rangers?"
"The same."
Professor Zepplin thrust a brown hand across the table, grasping the hand of their visitor.
"Well, this is indeed a surprise. I can"t begin to tell you how glad we are to see you," answered the professor with enthusiasm.
"Same to you, pardner," grinned the captain. "You see I didn"t want to open up too freely until I was sure to whom I was talking. Of course if you and Withem are cahoots, it"s all right."
"It certainly is all right. We had the pleasure of being of some service to Lieutenant-----"
"Ouch!" howled Stacy. Tad had tipped the pot of hot coffee into the fat boy"s lap, and for a few moments confusion reigned.
"Don"t talk too much," whispered Butler leaning over to brush away some drops that had fallen on the professor"s shirt.
"Eh? Eh? What"s that?"
Tad was embarra.s.sed. He began speaking of something else. Professor Zepplin did not repeat his question.
"I understand my men picked up a fellow named Dunk Tucker a night ago?"
asked the captain.
"Yes, yes, indeed. Mr. Butler there is the one who is really responsible for the capture of Tucker, however."
"You don"t say!" wondered the visitor.
"Exactly. Tad, will you tell the captain how you came to capture the man Tucker?"
"If you will pardon me, I would rather not."
"He"s too modest. I"ll tell you about it," chimed in Stacy Brown.
Stacy, once wound up, would continue to operate until he had run down.
He told the whole story from beginning to end, including the fact that he himself had been wounded twice, ere he stopped.
"Fine, fine!" The captain leaned back and laughed uproariously. "You are a funny boy. I wish I had you with me. I could teach you a lot about dodging bullets."
"I"m a pretty good dodger already or I shouldn"t be here at this minute," answered the fat boy pompously.
"Where did they take the prisoner? Are you informed as to that?" asked the captain.
"They took him to El Paso, I believe," replied Professor Zepplin. "I thought you were aware of what had been done."
"I got wind of something of the sort. You see I have been away in another part of the state on a secret mission for the Governor."
"Exactly."
"Did my men say where they were going before they left you this morning?"
"No. As I have said, they left most mysteriously."
"Which direction did they take?"
"We do not know that either. They disappeared utterly."
"Just like Withem," nodded the guest, smiling. "But I"ll pick him up some time to-night. I suppose they are on the track of some of the fellows who have been raising trouble around these parts of late."
"Yes, that"s what the lieutenant said. They are after what they call the Border Gang. But I have no need to tell you about it. You surely are familiar with the subject."
"I reckon I know all about it, Professor. Was it some of my men who shot up the bandits the other night and---"
"No, that was us fellows," interjected Stacy suddenly. "We did give them the run. And they thought it was the Rangers too. Oh, that was a good joke. I nearly laugh myself sick every time I think about that funny sc.r.a.pe. We bluffed them and they ran away."
For the briefest part of a second the eyes of the visitor darkened.
They grew almost filmy, then the old sparkle came into them and a grim smile appeared on the face of their owner.
"You sure are a fine crop of youngsters. You probably will be claiming the reward for the capture of Tucker, eh?"
"Not at all, not at all," protested Professor Zepplin. "My young men are not looking for rewards. It is reward enough that they were able to serve the authorities in the capture of a very bad man. We shall do whatever we can in our small way to help the Rangers round up the rest of this disreputable gang."
"Of course, of course," answered the captain reflectively.
Tad had taken no part in the conversation. He did not like this freedom of speech on the part of the professor. What they had learned were better kept to themselves according to Tad Butler"s reasoning.
Then again there was a faint suspicion in the mind of the Pony Rider Boy, that he could not clearly explain to himself. What did strike him as peculiar was that so much of the Rangers" movements should be unknown to their commanding officer. McKay had ever since coming into their camp been seeking information. Still, as he had said, he had been away. Tad knew that the Rangers took long rides, sometimes hundreds of miles, using relays of horses and making almost as good time as they could have done going by trains.
The lad decided that he was unduly suspicious. Suddenly, as McKay was talking, a shot sounded somewhere off on the plains. The Ranger sprang to his feet, his eyes darkened.
"Is---is something wrong?" stammered the professor.
"There may be. I must investigate. You will say nothing about having met me," commanded the stranger sternly.