ll three boys
started, and looked toward the upward slope of the mountain, down which
they had partly descended. For there came rolling toward them a mass
of dirt and stones, indicating the approach of some one.

CHAPTER IV

A STRANGE REAPPEARANCE

Characteristic it was of Bud Merkel, being a son of the west as he was,
that his hand instinctively sought the leather holster whence protruded
the grim, black handle of his .45. But he did not draw the weapon, nor
did Nort or Dick pull theirs, which they had started to get out when
they noted Bud's action.

For Bud smiled when he had a glimpse of the newcomer, and Buck Tooth,
who had glanced up from where he was making the fire, gave a grunt of
welcome.

"Babe!" exclaimed Nort, as he recognized the fat assistant foreman of
Diamond X ranch. "Babe!"

"Sure! Who'd you think it was?" came the smiling question. "Looks
like you had an idea it might be one of them rustlers that made trouble
when you fellers was here before! Eh?

"Glad t' see you two _ex_-tenderfeet," and Babe Milton grinned broadly
as he accented the _ex_, and held out a welcoming hand to Nort and
Dick. "They said you was comin' back to Diamond X, but I sorter missed
you--been out tryin' t' locate a bunch of strays," he confided to Bud,
"an' I didn't have no luck! Glad to meet yo' all, though, powerful
glad! 'Specially on account of that there coffee!" and he sniffed the
air as he caught the aroma of the fragrant pot Buck Tooth was putting
on to boil.

"But what are you lads doing so far from Diamond X?" Babe went on, when
they had moved over to the camp fire, the blaze of which was genially
warm this cool morning on the mountain.

"We aren't stopping there this trip," said Nort.

"We're 'on our own,'" proceeded Bud. "I'm raising cattle in the old
Buffalo Wallow Valley--Flume I call it now."

"Oh, yes, I did hear you were going to tackle that," spoke Babe.
"Didn't know you'd got stocked up, though. Well, I've been over at
Square M for so long I don't hear no real news no more. Gosh! But we
did have some excitement the time those professor chaps pulled that
_Trombone_ out of the ground; didn't we, Bud?" he chuckled.

"Triceratops, Babe! Triceratops!" corrected Bud, laughing at the
expression of the fat assistant foreman's face.

"I never could remember the name of them musical pieces, nohow!" sighed
Babe. "Fond as I am, too, of singing," and, taking a long breath, he
bellowed f