e, nothing of great moment had taken
place.

"Your dad hasn't heard anything about his stolen papers, has he?"
inquired Billee.

"Nary a thing," answered Bud in the vernacular of the west, "and he's
beginning to wonder if anything is going to happen down here."

Almost as Bud spoke there came a hail from one of the cowboys who was
on the watch, and his cry was instantly taken up with the shout:

"Somebody's coming!"

At once there was an exodus, and as our heroes and their cowboy friends
lined up in front of the shack, they saw, coming toward them on the
opposite side of Spur Creek, several horsemen, and at the sight of one
rider Bud cried:

"It's Professor Wright!"

CHAPTER IX

A CALL FOR HELP

This announcement, calling attention to the approach of the scientist,
rather overshadowed other matters for a moment. But the interest was
made more intense when the identity of the men accompanying the
professor was made known.

"He's in with a bunch of Greasers!" cried Snake Purdee.

"And look who one of 'em is!" added Nort. "It's the _spy_!"

Without doubt one of the approaching party was the same Mexican who had
so airily bidden our friends "_adios_," on the occasion of his first
visit.

"Well, what do you know about that!" exclaimed Bud.

"What do you reckon the professor is doing, or was doing, over there?"
asked Nort.

No one answered him, but Bud turned toward Old Billee.

The veteran cow puncher had spoken of "suspicions." Bud wondered if
they were along a line that might connect with the professor. But if
Old Billee had anything to say he was keeping it to himself. Though
there was a quizzical look on his face as he observed the approaching
horseman, of whom Professor Wright appeared to form the nucleus.

"If those fellows think they can cover up their game by getting one of
our friends to accompany them, they've got another guess coming," said
Bud grimly.

"That's right--don't let 'em cross!" cried Dick.

But the "spy," as he was called for want of a better name, and his
Mexican companions, seemed to have no intentions of fording Spur Creek
which, though rather wide, was not very deep in some places. Reining
in their horses when yet several hundred feet from the southern bank of
the stream, the Mexicans halted, and the one who had ridden up alone
several days before, waved his hand toward the waiting cowboys, and
then motioned to the professor as if saying:

"There are your fri