as he urged his animal forward in a

el. "I saw 'em dodge back out of the light." Then, raising his voice

e any one,"

l have to look into this. There was trouble enough with getting water to stay in

ere a big iron pipe, sticking out under the mountain like the head of some great serpent, brought from the distant Pocut River a st

rt, as his pony scrambled up bet

n rustling our grub while we were o

imals had been driven from Happy Valley over to Diamond X. Later such as were not shipped away, and many

ud, as he again urged his pony forwa

ke this opportunity to present, more formally than I have yet had a chance to do, my new readers to the b

amond X ranch, with his wife and daughter Nell. Some time before this present story opens Bud's cousins from

ys of the west, and in the first volume of this series, "The Boy Ranchers," I was p

strange, ancient animal. But it would not be fair to my ne

season. But this time there was a change. As related in the second volume, "The Boy Ranchers in Camp," Mr. Merkel had, by utilizing an

attle, and also used to irrigate the land, it enabled a fine crop of fodder to be grown. With the bringing of the water to Buffalo Wallow, or Flume Valley, as Bud called the place, it was possible to do what had never been done befor

erious stoppage of the flow of water, which

and how the strange mystery was solved, is the story in the second volume, and I absolut

n order to better guard this vital necessity, Mr. Merkel had the entrance to the tunne

ared, in. ancient times, to have been used by the Aztecs, or some Mexican tribes, for hiding their store of gold

f course, lost in the dim and ancient past. But that it was the Aztecs, or

boy ranchers, and great copper levers that operated the hidden water gate

stern lad had, as he thought, seen some one sneaking about the forbidden ga

torage supply of water. The reservoir was a great semi-circular ba

ierce the gloom and shadows into which the face of the tunnel

," add

t was a man, as sure as snakes, and he s

b of other planks and boards that closed the reservoir end of the tunnel

to be gone," observed Nort "Ma

my expense, they're mistaken," declared Bud with emphasis. "Sheep men have to be, I reckon, but they

creaking of the damp saddle leathers, was the splashing of

rved Bud, thrusting his

Nort. "Maybe your eyes are full of dust

d Bud. "Might 'a' been one of Buck Toot

t something on the ground. It was something that glittered and shone in the m

addle and picked up the object w

rancher, as he held up a curious instrume