ds. Nort and Dick, also, were shocked by the intelligence. But Bud quickly recovered. Perhaps it was because of his

was steadier than Yellin' Kid or Snake Pur

Yellin' Bad. "We rounded u

d up the rustlers?"

alone-that is, just us two, if we'd had a run-in with the rascals. We didn't see 'e

hey were partners with him on this venture of trying to raise cattle in Happy Valley-which wo

bout it,"

ere, to haze back th' steers as you; told us, Bud. But when we'd rounded up th' herd, drivin' 'em in from where a lot of 'em had strayed, we saw, r

nce?" excl

een there a day before we arrived. They probably cut out a good b

Bud. "Do you mean that we have a

n a few," said Sna

ere they'd been blu

nd X

that; are they?"

n' iron. No marks on it, like there was on the other," he said, referring to the time one of the irons from Double Z had been

after they'd blurred th' brand. There wasn't much left. What th' rustlers didn't take th' buzzard

on cattle, so that the original one can not be made out. Then the animal may be claimed by whoever has it. Blurring a brand, t

ought them by the two cowboys. The next thing to decide on was

. "Likely we could 'a' picked it up. But as long as there had been a raid we decided th

do you think they

bably they blurred th' brands on th' others an' drove 'em off-an' I shouldn't be a bit s'pr

r; eh?" exc

ke. "Anyhow, they got away with a bunch of your steers, Bud, an' now wha

s get this straight. I wonder why they didn't d

rked Yellin' Kid. "An' then, too, they might not '

was scared off

ve been so. Somethin' may have scared th' rustlers. But if I get a chance at 'em, I'l

hich way they w

a certain point,

ean?" the boy

valley up to that low place between the hills-a s

repeat

f 'em than if they'd been lifted up in one of them flying machines a

other queer things a

that bottle

at?" asked S

Bud. "I'll tell you about it as soon as we get the straight of th

e song was one of the usual cowboy refrains,

t on the track of a mountain lion which had been killing cattle. But a glance showed the approaching singer, who was also a rider, to be a stranger. H

eflected on their lens. On came "Four Eyes," singing as he advanced, until, when he came within hail

ce of a j