"You mean Del Pinzo's old gang?" asked Dick.

"He's the worst of the lot--always was and always will be," declared
Bud.

"But how does he keep out of jail?" Nort wanted to know.

"That's one of the mysteries of it," went on Bud. "We've had him sent
up more than once, but he gets out again by some sort of lawyer's
trick. Either that or he breaks jail. The jails around here aren't
anything to boast of," he said with a laugh. "They're more a joke than
anything else."

"Do you reckon Del Pinzo is out now?" asked Nort.

"Shouldn't wonder a bit," Bud assented. "We can tell whether he had a
hand in this or not as soon as we hear dad tell what happened."

Musing on the wily, mean and desperate tricks of this renegade Mexican
half-breed, if such was his nationality, the Boy Ranchers and their
friends galloped along over the trail to Diamond X. On the way they
looked for signs of any cattle raids, but saw none. And these signs
are very plain when they do occur.

Generally they were in the shape of the half-eaten carcass of some
steer, for the raiders were generally desperate and hungry men, and
before driving off a bunch of cattle they would kill one and cut off
enough to roast over a hastily built fire.

But there were no indications of that now, and, in fact, there were
none of Mr. Merkel's cattle pastured in the section our friends rode
over to get to the ranch headquarters.

"Most of the herds are farther north," explained Billee, "an' I reckon
that's where th' rustlin' took place."

This proved to be the case when they arrived at Diamond X and had a
chance to get some information. Mr. Merkel was out at one of the
corrals, talking to some of his men, when his son and nephews rode up
with the cowboys from Spur Creek.

"What's the good word, Dad?" greeted Bud.

"Sorry there isn't any good word--it's mostly bad," was the reply. "I
didn't like to pull you off from down there," he went on, "but as you
didn't seem to be very busy, and as we needed you up here, there didn't
seem to be anything else to do."

"Oh, we were glad to come!" Nort hastened to say.

"What's doin'?" asked Billee.

"They're after us again--the rustlers," announced Mr. Merkel.

"Same old gang?" asked Bud.

"I reckon so," his father answered. "It looks like the hand of Del
Pinzo. You have to give that rascal credit for knowing just how and
when to strike."

"Then he's out of jail again?" asked Yellin' Kid.

"That's what so