ys had themselves experienced, it looked as if the proposition
would be a successful and paying one. Fah Moo was a jewel of a cook
and there was soon established quite a happy little family at Dot and
Dash.

Then, without warning, another blow fell.

It was decided that some of the original herd, purchased with the
ranch, could now be sold, as cattle on the hoof were bringing good
prices. And, talking it over one night, Bud and his chums planned to
cut out a number of fat steers and ship them away.

"I'll ride over to that range in the morning," Bud told his cousins at
the conclusion of the conference, "and give the bunch the once-over.
Then you two can do the cutting out for I've got to go to town the next
few days to sign up some papers for dad. So I'll leave the shipment to
you."

"It will be our first from here," said Dick.

"Yes," agreed his brother. "And I hope they don't die before we get
'em to the loading chutes."

"Not much danger, I guess," Bud remarked. "This jinx seems to be
passing us up. Guess it got tired of the way we came back at it.
Well, I'll go over the first thing in the morning and next day you can
begin to round up and cut out."

"When'll you be back?" Nort asked his cousin when Bud slung his leg
over the saddle next morning. The two Shannon boys were to be busy at
some duties about the ranch during their cousin's absence.

"Oh, I'll be back by noon," was the answer.

So Bud rode away, singing the Cowboy's Lament, and idly flipping the
end of his lariat.

Noon came almost before Nort and Dick realized it, so busy were they,
and when Fah Moo cried: "Klum an' glit it!" which was the signal for
dinner, Nort exclaimed:

"Bud isn't back yet!"

"No," said Dick. "Maybe he found the herd farther off than he counted
on. But he'll be along before we finish."

However, Bud did not show up, and when all the cowboys had eaten, and
the afternoon began to wane without the return of the ranch owner's
son, his cousins looked at each other with anxious faces.

"Where do you reckon he is?" asked Dick.

"That's hard to say, but----"

"Say, let's ride out that way!" interrupted Dick. "We've finished here
and----"

He did not complete the sentence, but his brother knew what was
implied. Accordingly a little later, saying nothing to the other
hands, the two saddled their ponies and started out on the trail to
that part of the ranch situated near Smugglers' Glen, where the
original bun