The Boy Ranchers in Camp; Or, The Water Fight at Diamond X

ete drinking troughs where thirsty cattle congregated, and some to distant meadows where it supplied moisture for the grass on which the steers of Diamond X Second

ck Tooth, the Zuni Indian, grunted somet

reservoir to the group of tents that was to form the home of himself

to raise these steers, has petered out," answere

pped for good

as a break in it somewhere, and it will have to be fixed right away-that is, if I'm to keep these cattle here," and he looked down the valley whe

the bat!" remarked Dick, as he picked up

and help the queer professors," added Nort. "But we're ready t

ng off up the hill under which the big pipe ran to the distant Pocut River on the other side of the mountain. And as Bud and Buck Tooth looked, and as the gaz

Buck? See him

Billee, mebby!"

, and I don't like strangers sneaking around my ranch-especially when there's a b

megaphone of his hands and directing it at the figure on the back of th

r saw him raise his quirt, or short whip, and bring it down savagely on the back o

it high above the man's head, in order to shoot over him, horse and rider went down i

nged him!"

o see about it now! Come on!" he cried, and he ran down the side of the reservoir to whe

n down more leisurely. "No water-man s

than right. Big times

ir ponies, to ride up the side of Snake Mountain, and seek the man Bud had shot, I shall have a chance t

Mrs. Thornton Shannon, and their home was in the cast. When Mr. Shannon, the summer previous, had been obliged to make a trip to South America, wi

involved in a strange mystery. A call for help came, and they took part in the rescue of two college pr

you will find set down at length in the first volume. Sufficient to say, here, that Nort and Dick, as i

and "gun," as the .45 revolvers were universally called. They learned, also, how to "ride herd," "ride line" and how to l

so named because that brand was used on the cattle from it. He had

ft, promising to return as soon as their summer vacation should arrive, for they

uncle's ranch, to be met by Bud, as arranged, at the water-hole. For betwe

falo Ridge on the west, was another valley, well sheltered from the wintry blasts. This valley was owned by Mr. Merkel, and though part of it was timbered, and some scattered sections produced an exce

put to use raising cattle long before this had Mr. Merkel been able to get any water there for

water, but also those of Double Z and Circle T, the respective holdings of Hank Fisher and Thomas Ogden. But though Pocut River gave plenty of water to

d water course, connecting with Pocut River, and when this had been partly tunneled, re-opened at places where it had caved in, and a big iron pipe laid part of the way, water came g

o the reservoir that had been built to hold it in reserve,

ode out with Old Billee that day. Old Billee was one of the Diamond X cowboys, and he might have been made a foreman, except that he had no executive ability. He could do as he was told, and t

Diamond S ranch, there was no time, yet, to construct ranch houses in Flume Valley. Tents

just like ca

moment of their coming, there had begun the first act

ride up to where the unknown man had collapsed after Bud had fired. "You stick around! Old Billee, or so

ered the Indian. "You catch

s trotted off up the trail, which wound a

y had seen the lone rider emerge from the bushes, spurring his horse up t

as he reined in his steed, for which the

on, I think,"

nd began to scan the ground. "Here's where his horse slip

ou hit him all r

ots on the stones. Bud reached

d wing him-or the horse-but I don

at had, obviously, been hard pressed. "See, the sign goes right up to thi

mly. "But it's getting too dark to see w

this up, and see what had happened

g, and I'd like to have Buck Tooth along. He's a shark on following a blind trail. Come on, we'll go back to camp, get some grub and then

g slightly from his exertions, for he

though, the way he rode off. And if he wasn't up to

hing to do with the break

s western cousin. "We'll have to ma

king his red-stone Indian pipe, and gazing off in the darkening

around, Buck

answer. "You c

ve got to find out what's the matter with the pipe line. There's only a few days' sup

he boy ranchers, with the old Zuni Indian, started on a night ride over the mountain trail, in t

ning to happen in Flume Valley. There w