The Boy Ranchers in Death Valley: or, Diamond X and the Poison Mystery

"How'd Fah Moo get the Elixer?" asked Bud when matters had somewhatquieted down and the Celestial was busy in the kitchen.

"Oh, I reckon he was snoopin' around and found where I hid the stuff inthe cupboard," Billee answered. "If he's going to be our regularkitchen canary, Bud, I'll have to keep things better hid."

"I guess he's had his lesson," said young Merkel. "And I guess he'llbe our permanent pot wrestler from now on. I left word for a man inLos Pompan to send me the first one he could get hold of, and Fah Moois the result."

"And I'm glad he's here!" voiced Dick. "I'm sick and tired of givingthe dishes their bath." The others felt the same about it, so Fah Moobecame a fixture at Dot and Dash.

Billee and the others were surprised at the news the boys brought backfrom their little expedition. The finding of the cave was notconsidered remarkable, as Billee said there were many such about theneighborhood.

"And it wasn't strange that old Tosh, if that's his name, skipped outwhen he saw you," went on the veteran puncher. "Likely he thought youwere coming to steal his Elixer secrets. So I guess we don't need toworry about him."

"Probably not," assented Bud and his cousins. "But," added Mr.Merkel's son, "it will be necessary to give some attention to thedeaths of the cows."

"You're right there!" declared Billee. "Looks like the same oldtrouble was starting up again."

However the mystery was not solved by Dr. Taylor who came to the ranchnext day. He looked at the dead cows, but beyond saying that they hadundoubtedly died from some sort of poison he could give no opinion.And, because of the hot weather, it was not considered wise to cut upany of the bodies to send the inner organs away for a laboratory test.

"We'll have to solve the problem some other way," Bud said.

So the unfortunate cows were buried and then, resolving not to befrightened in their operations by this streak of bad luck, the boyscarried out Mr. Merkel's ideas by completing the purchase of severalscore more head of choice animals and hiring additional cowboys to helpwith the work at Dot and Dash.

The new ranch was, by this time, quite an establishment, and thoughmany croakers in Los Pompan predicted failure for it, as those who hadgone before failed, Bud and his chums went on with their heads high andtheir hearts strong.

Fences were repaired, the herds were put out to graze, arrangementswere made to ship away cattle at the most advantageous times and thework of Dot and Dash was now in full swing. Meanwhile nothing more hadbeen seen or heard of the old hermit, as the boys called Tosh.

Bud and his cousins paid another visit to the Elixer Cave, as theychristened it, but aside from the ashes of the fire they found nothing.The cavern was too big for them to explore completely in the limitedtime at their disposal, though they resolved, after the fall round-up,to investigate it fully.

Fah Moo fitted well into the routine at Dot and Dash. He was a goodcook and was popular with the punchers for that reason. But he wascured of any "snooping" habits he may have had. He would not touch abottle of any liquid, no matter how openly it was left around. Two orthree times some of the cowboys, having heard the story, laid traps forthe Chinese. But he blandly passed them by, murmuring:

"No can do!"

Mr. Merkel had been informed of the progress of affairs and though heexpressed a little anxiety because of the fact that those five cattlehad been found dead, he added that the animals might have eaten somepoison weed which the others in the herd did not get at. And as sincethen nothing had happened, he expressed the hope that nothing would, and that his wisdom in buying Dot and Dash at a bargain would bedemonstrated.

So matters went along for a few weeks. Every one was busy, thingslooked favorable for a good season and Bud and his cousins were gettingready to laugh at themselves for thinking there was a jinx.

But one afternoon, when the three had ridden over to mend a brokenfence, and when they were returning home, as they passed the entranceto what they still called Smugglers' Glen, Dick's horse suddenlystarted, reared and then, after a fit of trembling, as though in fear, made a mad dash across the range. An instant later the steeds of theother boys did the same and three frightened horses were soon carryingtheir puzzled riders over the hills.

CHAPTER XIV

BUD DISAPPEARS

Excellent riders as were the boy ranchers, it took them some littletime and effort to calm their ponies and bring the frightened animalsto an easy canter which gave Bud and his cousins a chance to considerthe matter.

"Whew!" exclaimed the ranchman's son as he eased up on the reins andpatted the neck of his mount. "That was some dash!"

"Not much dot about it!" chuckled Nort.

"For a pun like that you ought to be forced to drink a bottle or two of

Tosh Elixer!" retorted Bud. "How about it, Dick?"

"I'm with you! That was rotten – not much dot– I suppose that's aplay on the word doubt– not much dot about it – that dash! Oh, somebody hold me!" and he shook his fist at his brother.

"I was thinking we'd soon need somebody to hold our horses," said Nort, not a little pleased at his own joking words, however nonsensical histwo companions thought them. "What happened?"

"That's what I want to know," chimed in Bud. "All of a sudden my pintohere started off as if there was a race."

"Same with me," went on Dick.

"Something must have frightened the ponies," said Nort.

"Yes, and we've got to find out what it was," declared Bud. "Come onback." He wheeled his mount as he spoke.

"Maybe we can't get 'em back," suggested Dick.

"Well, at the place where they begin to balk we'll know the troublestarted," suggested the ranchman's son. "And we'll know we have tolook for the trouble right there."

"What do you reckon it could have been to make them bolt so suddenly?"

Dick wanted to know.

"Skunks, maybe," was the thought Nort offered.

"Not many skunks in this neighborhood, thank goodness," said Bud. "Iwouldn't say there aren't any, but I've never heard of them."

"Or smelled them," added Nort.

"That's right – smelled 'em, either, and, what's more, I don't want to!

No, I don't believe it was skunks."

"Rattlesnakes, maybe," was Dick's next contribution. "Horses areafraid of rattlers all right."

"Yes, and with good reason," Bud said, "though I don't know as I everheard of a horse dying from a side-winder's bite. It may happen, but, personally, I can't prove it. All the same I don't believe it wasrattlers, though there are plenty in this region."

"Why couldn't it have been snakes?" asked Dick.

"Well, if any rattlers had sounded their warning, and they always dorattle before they strike, we would have heard them as well as thehorses would, and I didn't hear anything."

"No, I didn't, either," Dick and Nort admitted in turn. "But what wasit, then?" Nort asked.

"It was something the horses smelled!" declared Bud with conviction."They got a whiff of something they didn't like and they lit out likeall possessed."

"Do you mean a bear?" asked Dick.

"Bear what?" came from Bud who had urged his pony somewhat ahead of themounts of his cousins.

"Did the horses smell a bear, do you think?" went on Dick. "You know abear, even a tame circus one, will set a cow pony off quicker thananything else."