The Pony Rider Boys in Texas; Or, The Veiled Riddle of the Plains

eman, glancing up at the gathering clouds.

d them. But there was no time now for the animals to satisfy thei

s were bedded down at night, they should be all of fifteen m

in motion, cowboys galloped along the sides of the line giving vent to their

ere detailed on each side, and in a short time the h

he leaders, and by riding forward and closing in occa

heir duty being to see that none of the cattle dropped out o

considerable intere

top to eat?" asked

e are doing so. It's a good rule to go by that you never should let your herd kn

rty seldom allowed it to get far away from them, and never, under ordinary circumstances, out of their sight. The d

is hot forenoon, never leaving his seat until the foreman, by a gesture, indicated that the herd was soon to be ha

others rode back to the rear of the line. In the meantime Pong had been preparing

is, a Chinaman beats anything in the world," la

grin at the compliment, even if

punchers were startled by a volley of revolver

manded Ned Rector a

the outfit had s

ung back the foreman, making

s, uttering sharp "ki-yis" and driving in the spurs while th

re not far behind the cowmen in reaching the

look his surprise and to direct an inquiring look at the Chinama

ng, making a succession of violent ge

s head wisely and wen

peacefully eating its noonday meal

rd was surging back and forth, bellowing and dashing in

not know what

g," decided Ned, riding

Tad. "It looks to me as if so

ha

n awful mix-up, whate

They are

ey ran toward each other, locked horns and engaged in desperate conflict. It was noticed, however, that the muleys kept w

What are they do

imagine what it is all about." Neither could Professor Zepplin, who had ridden up at

ht turn in and help

ere where the men are at work. We may find somethin

distance from the herd as they did so, and halting only when they had re

d as they came within hailing di

iving his pony into the thick of the fig

as I did before," announced Ned,

; I

n't find out what's going on here, pretty soon,

that must mean that a lot of cattle who don't belong the

But, if so, how can they tell one

branded with a capital D in the center of a diamond. That is the brand of Mr. Miller's r

ow, what do you suppose h

d his pony and was now riding toward the

left and drive straight at a bunch of cattle that the c

cket too loud, for their voices

n mind Tad Butler's achievement in driving back a bunch of st

ell as anybody," he told himself, bring

. A few moments more, and he had headed off the rapidly moving bunch, effectually turning the leaders, sendin

erve Stacy Brown's action, nor would they have known anything about it had not

umping his pony at the fleeing cattle

main herd before Tad succeed

s enough fo

had once more mingled and merged with his own

to the air as a signal to his

men do me a fa

r. Stallings,

at we can't do anything with the cows, anyway. You have some sense, but that's more than I can say for your friend, Brown. Of all the

Where did those c

e fence and let them out. That's the worst of the wire fence in the modern cow business. They can

o you think have g

re all of five hundred of

ng-drawn whistle

be able to separat

t it means a hot

, Mr. Stallings?

hole herd. Had it been night, our stock would have been spread over a dozen miles of territory by this time. Be

Tad and Walter going in one direction, while Ned Rector galloped off in

, though they understood what was in the mind of the forem

of the mix-up in voices loud with anger. But, upon discoverin

-that--" bellowed Lump

aw it," l

of a joke, eh?" roared Lumpy,

ny he rode slowly forward toward the angry cowpunche

sh to say to me, Mr. Bate

too great for speech. He cont

yself some day, and clean up o

t way I should prefer to have you do that rather than to try it on any of my comp

t-wh

and I knew that you and I would have to have an understanding before long. We might as

hreate

, and we propose to act like gentlemen. Every other member of the outfit, not excepting the Chinaman, has

ers were opening and

The whole bunch had

l drop that. Will you shake hands and forget your bad temper?"

then with a snarl he jerked his pony ab

nned Big-foot. "Better keep a weather eye on the cay

hing to him before it went too far. I knew he meant mischi

message and rode on t

g killed and trampled under foot, while others were so se

d at a time, until finally the entire herd moved off to the fresher ground that had not been tro

d, Stallings fired a shot as a signal for the c

nion as to whom the stray herd belonged to, none recog

t, which will be starting them back toward where they came from, wherever that may be. At the same ti

consolately on his pony near where the conference was being h

ioned him to ri

ry a message back to ca

hought

e eating done in this outfit till we have cut out that new bunch. Tell the driver to be ready

f importance to delive

coming out usually with his pony pressing against the side of an unwi

was cut out, the boys would ride in behind it and worry the steer alon

ch," Tad informed one of the cowpunche

after we get more of the bunch out," answ

drove out the few cattle that had stray

ing cowboys yelling, their ponies squealing under the terri

the Pony Riders had had little time in wh

over to the edge of the main herd and waited until the foreman dashed out with two re

some of the Diamond D animals

u can do

an t

don't turn back any of the other brands,

s face flushed, the dust standing out o

" he shouted. "I'm going to

to cut out, the pony went at the work with a will. Tad, triumphant and warm, rode out driving a Diamond D steer ahead

y taking no account of the narrow escapes both rider and pony we

e rest that he had cut out, and when once Tad had run him o

o itself, did not wish to return to its own herd. It fought every inch

r. He set his jaw stubbornly and

erstood what he had in hand, for the foreman had made the a

fter half an hour's struggle, when, despite all his effo

the last thing I eve

rope on other occasions, he did not consider himself an expert with it. He had w

moment Tad decide

high above his head, he dashed up to the running steer,

white animal as neatly as a co

y was, he found himself unable to take a hitch a

ope and Tad shot from his saddle sti