middle of the afternoon when Nort, who had gone down
the stream a little way, looked across Spur Creek and saw hanging in
the hazy air a cloud of dust.

"Wonder if that's a wind storm," he mused. But as there was not a sign
of vapor in the clear blue sky he gave up that theory. "Guess I'd
better let 'em know," he thought, turning back toward the fort.

And when the others came out to look at the cloud of dust, on the
Mexican side of the river--a cloud which had grown larger--Bud
exclaimed:

"Sheep, I'll bet a hat!"

CHAPTER XIV

THE SHEEP ARRIVE

Among the saddles, horse-gear, weapons, grub and other equipment that
had been put in the fort at Spur Creek was a telescope. Remembering
this, Bud rushed in to get it, while his companions stood in front of
the place, gazing across the stream at the ever-increasing cloud of
dust.

"Something's comin' on, anyhow," observed Yellin' Kid.

"Can't be cattle," remarked Snake Purdee. "They ain't spread out
enough for cattle."

This was one way of telling, for, as the cowboy said, cattle, meaning
by that steers or a herd of grazing horses, separate much more than do
sheep, which stick in a bunch as they feed. Still there was no being
certain of it until Bud should take an observation through the glass.

"Might be another bunch of Greasers--or rustlers," said Snake, musingly.

"There's plenty of both kinds down there," agreed Nort, with a wave of
his hand in the general direction of Mexico, the border of which
misruled, unhappy and greatly-misunderstood country was not far away.

Bud came running out with the telescope, pulling shiny brass lengths to
their limit before focusing it.

"We'll soon tell now," he said, as he raised the objective glass and
pointed it at the cloud of dust, while he squinted through the
eye-piece. A moment later, after he had made a better adjustment of
the focus, he cried: "It's sheep all right! A big bunch of 'em!"

"Any men with 'em? No, I shouldn't call 'em men," hastily corrected
Dick. "No decent man would raise sheep."

In this, of course, he was wrong. Sheep are needful and many a rancher
is making a fortune out of them, but at this time, and in this part of
the west, a sheep herder was despised and hated by his fellows.

"Yes, there's a bunch of Greasers or some one hazin' 'em on," reported
Bud. "Here, Kid, take a look," and he passed the glass to the older
cowboy.

The latter could but confirm what Bud had seen a