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

By this time nearly all the other members of the searching parties hadbeen gathered near Smugglers' Glen, the more distant ones having beensignaled to by shots previously agreed upon. And from the leaders ofthese squads it was learned that no raid had been made during thenight. The whole range had been pretty well covered.

"Well, that's good," said Bud when the welcome news had been conveyedto him.

"Do you think these rustlers were responsible for the deaths here inthis valley?" asked Nort. "Have they been setting off this gas – orsome even worse – and killing cattle, men and horses?"

Billee Dobb shook his head.

"Death Valley got its name a long while back," he said. "Long beforethese fellers could have been operating. This is some new dodge, takemy word for it."

"It's a queer way to rustle cattle – kill 'em with gas," said Yellin'

Kid.

"Oh, they keep the gas for humans that might try to catch 'em, Iguess," Billee went on. "That's just something to cover theiroperations. And it doesn't solve the other deaths that took placehere."

"You say you saw those men digging away in the cave, cracking rocks andthe like of that?" asked Snake.

"That's what I think I saw," spoke Bud. "Of course I don't know what

I really saw and what I may have dreamed, half unconscious as I was.

But it's easy to find out if any digging has been done in the cave. We can take another trip back there and – "

"That's just what we'll do!" cried Nort

"And we'll catch these fellows an' string 'em up!" cried Sam Tarbell."They killed my best horse and I'm going to have revenge on 'em. Areyou with me, boys?"

"Sure!" cried half a score of cowboys, their hands going to their guns.

"We'll revenge Bud, too!" exclaimed Dick.

"That's the talk!" shouted Yellin' Kid. "Let's get at these hombresan' chase 'em out of the country!"

Eager and excited, angry, and justly so, the crowd was ready foranything. They would have rushed at once into the defile but thatBillee Dobb held up a restraining hand.

"We want to go at this thing calm and cautious like," he said. "Wewant either to catch these scamps or drive 'em out. At the same timewe want to find out what their game is."

"That's right," agreed Bud. "The more I think of it the more I'm sureI didn't dream I saw 'em digging something out of the sides of thecave. They really did it."

"Diamonds, maybe!" exclaimed Snake, eagerly.

"Be yourself, boy!" chuckled Yellin' Kid. "Diamonds don't grow outhere."

"All right – have it your way," mildly assented Snake.

"So it would be a good thing to see what these birds were up to," wenton Bud. "I'm still so sort of knocked out that I can't do much. I'vegot to get back and rest up. But if you boys want to go back up thereand see what you can find, and do, I'm willing."

"We sure will!" cried the crowd as one man.

"Let Billee be the leader," suggested Bud.

And in a few minutes the avengers had formed a sort of plan of battleor attack which, they hoped, would solve some of the mystery of Death Valley.

CHAPTER XVIII

DRIVEN BACK

Bud was to go back to the ranch with some of the cowboys and remainthere while the main body of punchers moved up into the glen tocapture, if possible, the mysterious men with their more mysterioustank of strange gas. And, after a second consideration of the affairin hand, it was decided that it would be best if the main body ofavengers could have one of Fah Moo's hot breakfasts before starting inon what might be a strenuous day's work.

"But if we all go in," objected Nort when this plan was outlined,"those fellows up in the glen may escape, if they haven't alreadyskipped away to stay."

"I've thought of that," stated Old Billee who was sort ofcommander-in-chief. "We'll send some scouts up to watch and see whathappens. Who'll volunteer?"

There was no lack on this score, for though the men were all tired fromthe night's vigil, on edge from lack of sleep and hungry into thebargain, Billee had three times as many as he needed for scouts.

Cow-punchers are "he-men," and little things like loss of sleep anddelay in getting breakfast do not bother them. It was arranged thatwhen the main body returned, after a session with the Chinese cook, they would bring a "snack" for the scout volunteers.

"And some hot coffee in thermos bottles," added Bud, who knew how thatwould be appreciated. "We have some thermos bottles at the ranch. Ionly hope I'll feel able to come back and help fight."

"Do you think there'll be a fight?" asked Yellin' Kid, eagerly.

"It's likely," said Billee.

"Whoop-ee!" roared the loud-voiced one and his joyous sentiment wasechoed on all sides. Bud looked a little glum that he could not be "inon the fun," as he called it later. But he was more done up than heimagined, for he had gone through a strenuous time, though he had notactually been mistreated.

So while some of the cowboys more recently engaged were sent into theglen as scouts, the main body, with Bud riding on a spare horse whichhad been brought along for just such an eventuality, went back to theranch.

There things soon began to "hum," as Nort and Dick expressed it. Theyhad had experience before with desperate and unscrupulous men who, asrustlers, or otherwise, had endeavored to make trouble for the boyranchers. And the young managers of Dot and Dash did not shrink fromthe coming conflict.

"Can do – sure!" was the bland reply of Fah Moo when asked if he couldget breakfast for the bunch in a hurry. "Sure can do!"

And he did.

Guns were looked to, extra ammunition was packed, hurried snatches offood were the order of the day, and when baskets of grub had beenpacked for the scouts left on guard, once more the cavalcade startedoff.

On the way to Smugglers' Glen a sort of campaign was outlined andagreed upon. It was decided to advance on foot against the men in thecave, for the defile was so narrow, and the footing so uncertainbecause of loose rocks, large and small, that horses would be adisadvantage rather than a help in case of a fight.

"We'll leave the ponies at the entrance, same as Bud did his,"suggested Old Billee.

"All alone?" asked Nort. "Some of those fellows may sneak up in ourrear and make off with our mounts."

"They won't be unguarded," declared Billee, who was too old a fighterto make the mistake of leaving his rear open to attack. "I'll have acouple of the hands stay with the horses."

"Not me you won't!" shouted Yellin' Kid. "Me, I'm goin' to fight!

I'm not goin' to be nurse-maid for a lot of cow ponies!"

"Me either!" declared Snake.