men who, as
rustlers, or otherwise, had endeavored to make trouble for the boy
ranchers. And the young managers of Dot and Dash did not shrink from
the coming conflict.

"Can do--sure!" was the bland reply of Fah Moo when asked if he could
get breakfast for the bunch in a hurry. "Sure can do!"

And he did.

Guns were looked to, extra ammunition was packed, hurried snatches of
food were the order of the day, and when baskets of grub had been
packed for the scouts left on guard, once more the cavalcade started
off.

On the way to Smugglers' Glen a sort of campaign was outlined and
agreed upon. It was decided to advance on foot against the men in the
cave, for the defile was so narrow, and the footing so uncertain
because of loose rocks, large and small, that horses would be a
disadvantage rather than a help in case of a fight.

"We'll leave the ponies at the entrance, same as Bud did his,"
suggested Old Billee.

"All alone?" asked Nort. "Some of those fellows may sneak up in our
rear and make off with our mounts."

"They won't be unguarded," declared Billee, who was too old a fighter
to make the mistake of leaving his rear open to attack. "I'll have a
couple of the hands stay with the horses."

"Not me you won't!" shouted Yellin' Kid. "Me, I'm goin' to _fight_!
I'm not goin' to be nurse-maid for a lot of cow ponies!"

"Me either!" declared Snake.

"Order in the ranks!" snapped Billee with blazing eyes. "I'm in charge
here, by the instructions of the boss, and I won't have anybody saying
what they will and won't do! You heard me!"

He was as different from the usual mild Old Billee Dobb as chalk is
from cheese. He was in his element and he knew it.

"No offense, chief," said Yellin' Kid, humbly and in subdued tones.
"But I do want to get a shot at these fellers!"

"I wonder if Del Pinzo can be back of this gang?" mused Nort as he rode
beside his brother toward the glen.

"I wouldn't put it past him," answered Dick. "But I thought he was in
jail."

"They don't seem to make, out here, the kind of jails that will keep
Del Pinzo behind the bars," commented Nort. "If he's around these
diggings he'd be the very one to engineer some dirty trick."

"Speaking of diggings," went on Dick, "what do you reckon it was Bud
saw those fellows digging out of the sides of the cave?"

"Give it up, for the time being. We'll find out when we get inside.
But in spite of the fact that Bud thinks he saw some que