The Boy Ranchers in Camp; Or, The Water Fight at Diamond X
, Bud! Look out
ishes! What's the ide
s the trail almost under his feet and then, when the animal came to a sudden st
n a great measure, to break the force of the catapult over his pony's head. And
the petrified prune p
as black as gunpowder! Yo' shor
ng Sock," and the lad looked anxiously at his pinto, being re
bb. "I never see a black jack shoot in fron
e girths were tight. "Black jack! First one I ever saw," and he looked off in the distance toward a streak of
stars!" exclaimed the old cowboy.
ack in the ground!" laughed Bud, as he looked at his companion's greater
come that-a-way," cr
p yourself! Hump yourself, you old soap-footing specimen of
uthin' of a hurry, t' hear you talkin' that-a-way t' your critter," r
ahead of his companion on the dusty trail. "I reckon you'd be in a rush, too, if your cousins that you hadn't seen since last fa
n' out to Diamond X ag'in
y helped get rid of Del Pinzo and his cattle-rustling gang, and did their share in solving the
ep pace with Bud's. For the pinto, responding to the spur of voice and heel, had shot ahead. "I sorter forgot y
st bunch of steers you ever hazed to the stock yards, and Nort and Dick are going to help me. I'm r
h Bud Merkel was the son of the man who owned Diamond X, and other important western r
er through the tunnel-flume from Pocut River, but now it grows the best gra
in' suthin' about putting me over there, but I didn't pay much attention to
on the deal, and can raise steers on the grass that's grown since the water was let in, why, I'm to have it
sharply to his animal, pulling the pony quickly up as it stumbled. "There aren't any
r treatment of the animals. It was just their picturesque, western manner of talking, and hardly had the echo
ley?" asked Bud, as he slowed down the pace of his
nake and the rest of the bunch. But if you say your cousins are coming out, and if we
n in the short time the steers have been i
y-haired, "Well, if they've been thrivin' by themselves so far, what
hole, where the main trail from Diamond X came in. "For one thing this is something new, and dad wants it watched carefully. Then,
tryin' to run off our stock last year!" complained B
what they deserved, for they were sentenced to long terms. Bu
t it just the other w
t bunch of Mexicans and Greasers loose. That's one reason why we've got to watch out at Flume Valley, where we're
oothless smile at his employer's son. "Well, it's all in th' day's work, I reckon. But I'm not e
m to meet Dick and Nort at the water-hole-they were due a
he old cowboy. "I don't take much to new-fang
is part of the country for raising cattle was water. Now, since dad had the big pipe flume put in from Pocut Rive
ou all good luck, Bud, I'll help all I can. I'll be over to-night
ort and Dick will be with me, but we'll be on the lookout for you to-morrow. Bring what thi
asked Billee
ung rancher beat a tattoo with his heels on the sides of his steed, and raced down the slope toward two other lads who, l
maybe I can do something yet! Only I don't like that black jack-I shore don't! Never heard
oad-brimmed hat into the air, and catching it on the end
n't 'a' made it better!" joyously declared
et?" asked the other lad, who was ra
off?" a
eated Dick. "Last
"Oh, but I'm glad you fellows are here! Have a good trip? Are you hungry? Did
otion pretended to mop his face free of some imaginary perspirat
, Bud?" he begged. "One at a
ather said we were to ride out and meet you here at the water-hole. We've got as much of our outfi
that up there?" he asked, pointing to the figure of a
ellin' Kid,"
o be with us out at Flume Valley. Did dad tell
have been quite a trick to brin
round water course for part of the way. Then it was easy. And say-you ought to see what
s to see it
e," added Dick. "Just think! We're going t
at time!" cried Bud. "We
back over the way the latter had come. As they rode up the hill O
u a bit later over at your own ranch!" he added, and then, with a friendly wave
een his two eastern cousins, who had again come to sp
year we sure will have a ban
tling and digging up animals ten million years old," laug
d Nort and
later," pr
engthen they rode down into a triangular valley, at one end of which a rude dam could be
some slick pla
Nort. "And is this where w
h house yet. But we've got a tent-there it is," and he
nd better!" yelled Dick, a
resented by two or three tents grouped together, there e
d Buck Toot
d the easte
he best herd-riders you'd want, and he and I are great friends. Wonde
im. Nort and Dick also halted their ponies. But Buck Tooth rode to meet them at great speed, sitting i
tance. And then Nort and Dick could see why he was called that. A large, yellow-st
e so pronto like?" demanded
r in guttural tones. "You no
ater? I should say not!" c
k Tooth waved his hand toward the reservoir made by a dam th
d Bud. "This is strang
semi-desert it had long been. Dismounting, they climbed the slope and saw that from the great i
e. "The water has taken another course! Th