out the deaths here."

"If he does he isn't telling," decided Nort.

"Well," said Snake slowly, "I'm not superstitious, but as long as I
bought this stuff I might as well sample it."

He pulled the cork from the bottle, and was about to take a drink when
Nort, with a quick motion, knocked the flask down, almost sending it to
the ground.

CHAPTER X

DEAD CATTLE

"What's the idea?" spluttered Snake, for he had his mouth set for a
drink, and did not appear to like being balked.

"Better wait until you find out what's in the bottle before you sample
it," advised Nort.

"Why, didn't the old gazaboo tell us what it was--Elixer of Life? Some
sort of tonic, I reckon, and, believe me, boy, I need something right
now!"

"What you need is grub!" broke in Sam. "I'm in the same boat. I'm
getting my appetite back," he added with a look at Nort, whose turn it
was to get the dinner.

"Well, maybe this will give me an appetite for baked beans," suggested
Snake.

"More likely to take your appetite away," went on Nort. "This may be a
good, safe stomach medicine, and, again, it may be deadly poison. I
want it analyzed by a chemist before I take any of it. And, even then,
I don't believe I'll try any though it may be safe. I don't need it."

"Poison; eh?" mused Snake. "Do you think----"

"No, I don't think this harmless, crack-brained old man had anything to
do with the deaths that are said to have taken place at Dot and Dash,"
interrupted Nort, guessing at Snake's implied question. "But a crank
is a dangerous man to have mix your drinks. He may have brewed this
from honest herbs, or it may be an extract of toadstools. I'm going
slow at it."

"Well, I guess I'd better, too," agreed Snake, ruefully, "I'm glad you
didn't let me sample it, Nort."

"It's better to be sure than sorry," said the boy. "Is there a chemist
in Los Pompan," and he nodded in the direction of the town that lay
nearest to the ranch.

"I don't believe there is," Sam answered. "But there's a doctor and
maybe he can tell whether this stuff is safe or not," and he gazed at
one of the Elixer bottles he had picked up off the bench where Nort had
set them.

"Safe or dangerous, we don't need it," went on the boy. "I only bought
it to lead the old man on. But we didn't get much out of him."

"No," assented Snake. "His answers were crazy enough. Guess we'll
have to wait until Billee and the others come back to find out what's
the re