ties, Nort and Dick decided to form a partnership with
their cousin Bud, and they located on a ranch in "Happy Valley" which
Bud's father bought for them.

In the several volumes following was related how the boy ranchers went
to camp, and how they took the trail, and the exciting times they had
in rounding up a band of Yaqui Indians who had escaped from their
reservation and were raising havoc with the neighboring territory.
Following this the boys went to Spur Creek, where they had many
startling adventures among the sheep herders. The book immediately
preceding this present one is called "The Boy Ranchers in the Desert,"
and tells of the difficulties they had in their search for some lost
gold.

After the first wild dash, the five travelers pulled their ponies into
that long loping stride which carries the cowboy for days and days over
many miles. Bud and Dick were in the lead, with Nort and Kid and Old
Billee Dobb following close behind.

"Say, Kid," Bud called back, after a while, "what would you do if you
saw a smuggler come along now with a herd of Chinks with him?"

"Tell you what I'd do, Bud," Yellin' Kid replied, "I'd stop the Chinks
and find out what happened to a shirt I sent out to be washed the last
time I was in Dallas!"

"You mean that shirt with the yellow dots on, Kid?" Dick asked with a
grin. "If that's the one, I can tell you what became of it. They
thought it was an oil painting that got in the wash by mistake, and
they had it framed and hung up in the picture gallery!"

"Never you mind about the color of that shirt, Dick--it was a shrinking
violet compared with the vest you bought over to Alamito. Purple and
green--wow! First time I saw it it was three o'clock in the afternoon,
and I had to look at a watch to make sure it wasn't morning. Thought
the sun was comin' up."

"Got you that time, Dick!" Nort laughed. "That's one you owe him.
Say, is that a new pony you're ridin', Kid?"

"Yep! What do you think of her?"

"Looks good. How far can she go on a gallon?"

"Twice as far as yours can--and twice as fast!"

"Think so? Try it--see that bush up ahead? Race you to there!"

"Right! Let's go!"

"Hey, hey! Wait a minute, you fellows! We're not goin' on a picnic,
you know. We've got a good long ride before us. Take it easy." This
from Billee.

"What's the matter, Billee? Gettin' old?" asked Bud mischievously.

"Old? Who, me? Say, young feller, I can give you a head