find 'em if we wanted to," said Bud. "An outfit like
that can't travel along in a ranch country and not leave a trail like
an old buffalo wallow. But will it be worth while--that's the
question? We'll soon be busy with the round-up at Diamond X, and no
time for trailing mysteries."

"Well, the round-up won't last forever," said Nort, "and when it's over
we can see what all this means. It'll be a pack of fun!"

"It sure will!" agreed his brother, "and we can stay here till snow
flies."

"And then you'll want to hit the trail for home," laughed Bud. "Though
we don't get as severe storms as they do farther north, nor do they
come so early. But it's bad enough, sometimes."

"What's that?" suddenly asked Dick, rising in his stirrups and pointing
to two or three figures of horsemen, down in a little swale, or valley.
They were evidently engaged in some lively occupation, for they were
riding rapidly to and fro, and from a fire, about which knelt three
figures, a curl of smoke arose.

"They're stealing some of your cattle now!" cried Nort. "Come on!
We'll capture 'em!"

He spurred his horse forward, an act instinctively followed by his
brother. Bud, too, rode after them at a fast pace, but there was a
smile on his countenance.

"Keep your shirts on, fellows!" he advised. "That's only some of the
Diamond X outfit branding stray calves they come across. But it'll
give you a chance to see how it's done."

Riding rapidly across the open plains, where, here and there as they
topped little hills the boys could see cattle grazing, the boy ranchers
approached the group in the swale. After a quick inspection of the
oncomers, the cowboys about the fire went on with what they were doing.

Two of them held down on the ground a struggling calf, while the
cow-mother of the little beast, lowing and shaking her head, endeavored
to break past two other cowboys who were heading her away from the
scene of the branding operations.

For that is what was going on. Some of the Diamond X cowboys had come
upon an unbranded calf with its mother as they rode across the
prairies. As they were on their employer's land they knew the unmarked
animal must belong to him, and it ought to be at once permanently
identified as Mr. Merkel's property.

It was the work of but a moment for one of the cowboys to lasso the
little bawling creature, and drag it to where he wanted it.

While some of the cowboys held the calf, not taking the tim