It was no secret--half the
people around Palmo knew what Mr. Merkel had done, though they had not
heard the sinister reports of Death Valley.

"To Los Pompan, eh?" murmured the puncher, looking at the cloud of dust
which hovered over the cavalcade of the boy ranchers. "Los Pompan,"
and he seemed unusually interested.

"Know anything about it?" asked Babe.

"Who, me? Not a thing!" and, putting spurs to his mount he was off and
away.

"I don't want to be impolite," murmured Babe as he watched the puncher
disappear in a cloud of dust, "but I think you're a liar!"

Meanwhile the boy ranchers were on the trail. What they would find in
Death Valley not even Billee Dobb could tell.

CHAPTER IV

A NIGHT ALARM

"Well, Dick, how they coming?"

Bud Merkel urged his pony up alongside the mount of his cousin and gave
young Shannon a friendly poke in the ribs.

"Oh, everything's fine, Bud," responded Dick.

"How about you, Nort?"

"I'm sitting pretty," was the response from the other boy rancher.

"That's good," and Bud began to whistle a lively air. "Thought maybe
you were getting tired of the trip."

"What, so soon? And we've only been on the trail three days!"
exclaimed Nort. "What do you think we are--tenderfeet?"

"Sure not!" replied Bud. "But this is one of the longest trips we've
ever taken without something happening, and I thought maybe you two
were getting discouraged."

"Nothing to it!" chuckled Dick. "As you say, nothing much has really
happened, but we've been having a fine time since we started out from
Diamond X."

"And there's still plenty of time for things to happen before we get to
Dot and Dash and see what Death Valley looks like," suggested Nort.

"You said it, kid!" exclaimed Snake Purdee who, with Old Billee Dobb on
one flank, and Yellin' Kid on the other, was trailing the three boys
along the rough and dusty trail. "There's plenty of time yet for
things to happen."

It was their third day of travel since Mr. Merkel had sent the boys and
the older ranch hands off to take possession of his new place
concerning which Billee had told such sinister tales. The first day
was uneventful if you eliminate the fact that the pack of one of the
led horses came loose, spilling the outfit on the ground. But it was
easily salvaged though it took some little time to pursue and rope the
horse who seemed inclined to take a holiday.

The first night saw the travelers camping under the