The Boy Ranchers on the Trail; Or, The Diamond X After Cattle Rustlers
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