e go that way we're sure to beat
the others to the trail.' Then I saw them slip away quietly back of the
house, and later they disappeared over a rise due west."

"Then that's where we must look for them. Forward, fellows. We're going
to find Bud and Stella."

"Do you think it is necessary for all of us to go?" asked Kit.

"No, I don't. The ranch must have a guard of some sort. About half of
you turn back to the lines, and two of you ride to the ranch house to
see that all is well, and guard it."

Ben sorted out the fellows who were to go back to the ranch, keeping all
the broncho boys to start on the hunt for the missing ones.

No one felt exactly uneasy for the safety of Stella and Bud, but it was
proper, under the circumstances, to see that they were safe.

"As before, we will split up into couples to search for Bud and Stella,"
said Ted. "You better come with me this time, Ben."

To the west of the line of the Long Tom Ranch the land became more
broken. At first the hills ceased to be rolling and broke off into
canons, more or less deep, with sometimes sides that assumed the dignity
of precipices.

The sides of the foothills were clothed in small tracts of scrubby pine
timber, and altogether it was not a pleasant country to travel over in
winter.

* * * * *

When Bud and Stella left the ranch house, Stella was bubbling over with
joy at the prospect of being in the hunt for the Indians, and the
prospect of Bud teaching her the mysteries of the trail, particularly
the war trail.

"Don't say a word," said Bud, with a wink, "an' we'll fool 'em all. Them
Injuns never went nowhere except inter ther east. I throwed out a blast
o' hot atmosphere erbout them goin' west. That wuz ter fool ole nosey
Ben, who had his neck stretched out like a spring chicken's ter hear
what was bein' said, an' git ther advantage o' my sooperior knowledge.

"Well, when I see that I thort I'd give him somethin' ter chase, so I
hands out the west p'int, when I mean ter go ter ther east. When we
start out we'll ride ter ther west until we come ter ther first draw,
then foller it ter ther south until we come ter a break leadin' east,
then foller that, an' we'll be fust onter ther red man's tracks."

"All right," laughed Stella. "That will be a good joke on Ben. He didn't
like it because he couldn't go with us."

Now it will be seen that Bud's little fiction in the hearing of Ben was
not the proper thing