ned and faced outward to view the darkening valley, whence had come the sound of that shot.

out lad. "What'd you want to go

it!" asserted

ed the long and fertile valley, over which the purple evening shadows were fallin

two after the firing of the strange shot that had shattered the bottle, only the heads of the boy ranchers showed

t fired might shoot

it?" as

t to find out," answe

riding back and breaking that bottle over our hea

have broken that flask from the distance it was broken. But they wouldn't throw a scare into us t

the bottle was buste

ck wante

t it had force enough to break the glass, and would have damaged us if it hit us. I tho

ught of it. But whoever it was does

ce, during which no other menacing crack of a we

movement of horse or rider was to be observed. And silence once more settled down on Happy Valley-not quite so happy as it had bee

y straws, showing which way

ot?" asked Dick, raising himsel

r the bottle, over our heads," dec

have glanced, could it

d Bud. "Why, no one h

new bottle on t

somebody took the bullet out of my gun,

e shooting at-us?" ask

ment, and when he did it was

g on my own account!" He had his gun in his hand, for he had so held it since he ha

emerged from their recumbent positions in the g

mall herds of their cattle. Back at the camp tents Buck Tooth was performing his evening duties, or "chores," as Bud called them. The Indian paid no attent

ssing cowboy who, from a distance, seeing the bottle on a stick, could not resist a chance to "take a crack" at it. And yet this last theory would

up," remarked Nort at

k for 'em before it g

n! Let's get

ut to look for some one who may hav

k. You take a risk, every time you ride at more than a foot-pace, of your pony stepping into some prair

agreed

rs may stampede, and before we can get 'em to milling, they may rush o

, I reckon going after this unknown sh

you!" excl

le light of day remained. They headed, as nearly as they could ascertain it, in the direction whence the single shot h

, as he and his cousins returned to camp when darkness had completely fallen

s it

ranchers asked them

rbance among the cattle, and no midnight visitors invaded the camp. But, for all this, t

n, early on the morning of the ne

ud!" shouted the cowb

re aft

and his cousins came o

e's a lot of your steers missin' from