leary-eyed paint, if you don't swing wide I'll skin you
alive! You, Pete!"

A rattling buckboard popped into view like the presiding genius of a
jack-in-the-box.

"It's our friend from town--from the store!" Nort exclaimed.

"Yes, and look who's with him!" Bud yelled. "It's Dad! Yea, Dad!
Golly, I'm glad you came! You're just in time!"

CHAPTER XXV

YELLIN' KID FINDS HIS BRONC

The wagon came to a sudden stop, and Mr. Merkel jumped out.

"Hello, son! Howdy, boys! Say--what happened here? Bud--how did you
get burned? You hurt?" There was a note of anxiety in the father's
voice.

"Not a bit, Dad! Just blackened up a little. Had a fire, and we had
to pull some men out. Look at that!"

The boy pointed to the mass of embers that was once a house. The fire
had died down until now there was only glowing bits of wood left. It
had started quickly and ended as suddenly.

"Anybody seriously burned?" Mr. Merkel looked at his son keenly, as
though to satisfy himself that he was uninjured. The father's glance
evidently convinced him that Bud was all right, for he turned quickly
and said to the others:

"Where's Billee Dobb? I don't see him."

"Billee is the one who is really hurt, Uncle," Nort answered. "He's
got a piece of lead in his shoulder. He's asleep now--be all right
later, I think."

"Shot! The rascals! They'll suffer for that! You want to get Billee
to a doctor as soon as possible, before infection sets in. We'll bring
him back in the wagon."

"How did you happen to come here, Dad?" Bud asked curiously. "I didn't
think you knew where we were."

"I didn't, exactly. I have a confession to make, Bud. You weren't
sent out here to herd sheep. You were sent to do just what you did--to
capture the smugglers."

"But--but why didn't you tell us?"

"I couldn't, Bud. I gave my word to the government that I'd not let on
the reason I was sending you out here. You see, no one could tell just
what would happen. If you knew that you were sent to go after
smugglers, and you went after the wrong gang, things would be in a
pretty mess. So they concluded that it was best to leave you in the
dark. I'll admit I favored telling you, boys, but as it turned out,
the other way may have been best. Even as it was, I let slip something
about it. And when you weren't at the ranch I figured you might be in
this direction. I sort of suspected this place. Well, all's well that
ends well. No