The Boy Ranchers; Or, Solving the Mystery at Diamond X

y nearly all of their lives, though with the usual city lad's dreamings of adventures in th

brother as they galloped along side by side. "We haven't

mmented Dic

e Bud grimly, as his pony worked in between the two bro

d Nort eagerly, as his hand

ld enough, yet, to mix up in a man-sized fight. Maybe he's r

d then, can't we?"

e caught now, and they may run for it. They can't get away with the steers, anyhow, without a figh

through the night, following the trail of the now running steers. If there were ru

representative of the Diamond X ranch knew the trail. "Rustlers are just men who take other folk's cattle, drive 'e

g off your dad's cat

eers from one of dad's distant ranches the other day. They're being taken over to the railroad to be shipped. Not the station where you

steers, like they do colle

have the round-up-that's when the cattle owners send their cowboys to collect the animals that have been feeding on the open range during the ye

estion, even though considerable excitement seemed just in

hazed over to his range all cattle that weren't branded. Every cow, calf or steer that didn't have a brand on was called one of Maverick's, and so we call, now, any unbranded animal a 'maverick.' Anybody who finds it can brand it and

ould they be

me of the cattle. Look out you don't run into '

other instant, they found themselves among the tail-end

haze of clouds over the moon now, and a sort of f

our cattle?"

ash light. Bud carried one of these mighty handy pocket articles, which are much more effective than matches for making observations at night. In th

Bud, as he flashed his torch on others in th

a tense whisper, and his hand sought the ho

d. "They may have ridden

instant Bud had switched off his pocket electric light, and then in the half hazy light of the partly obscu

you hear me," ordered Bud.

d of his horse's feet pounding hard on the turf. He seemed to b

ud's animal, and when a beam of misty moonlight flashed out from beneath a

note of disappointment in his voice because t

ny of 'em?" as

ight. "But I heard some one riding off down the gully, and if it was any of our boys, or any of the fellows around here, they wouldn't

ud, while Nort and D

You fellows stay here, and if I don't get back i

me?" asked D

teers, and I can deal with those rascals better'n you boys-though I may need your

s a world of meaning in those few words

tell the boss," spoke Babe simply, as if

was the son of the owner of Diamond X ranch, in th

ght, leaving the boy ranchers to guard the cattle. The animals, after their run, were content to remain quiet now, moving about

et any of 'em?"

Babe generally does get what he goes

he boy ranchers waited-waited for they knew not what. And then, a

the crescendo effect ending in a peal of weird yells that were like th