r supply of light wood was
placed near the fire in readiness to throw on and produce a quick
blaze, in case of another alarm, the others retired to their blankets
and Dick was left on guard.

Once more the silence of the night settled over the camp, a silence
broken only by the occasional howl of a distant coyote. Dick made
himself as comfortable as possible and at first he was able to keep
widely awake. Then as the fatigues of the day manifested themselves in
a desire to go to sleep once more he found himself wishing that the
intruder would come back again to furnish excitement to keep him awake.

But nothing like that happened. The night continued quiet and in due
time it came the turn of Bud to relieve Dick. Later Nort relieved Bud
and finished the night watch which came to an end when a rosy tint in
the east announced, the coming of a new day.

"Well, you didn't catch anybody I see!" chuckled Billee as he sauntered
down to the water hole to wash for breakfast.

"No, nothing happened while I was on duty," announced Bud.

"He knew better than to come while I was sitting up waiting for him,"
added Nort.

"You didn't see anything; did you, Dick?" asked Yellin' Kid of the
remaining sentry. "I mean after the first scare."

"No, nothing. He didn't come back--whoever he was."

"Wonder what he came for, anyhow?" mused Bud who had started to follow
Billee to the water hole.

Suddenly Nort, who was walking near his cousin, stooped and picked
something up off the ground. It was a soiled bit of paper, evidently
part of what had once been a grocery bag.

"Maybe he came to leave this!" suggested Nort as he turned the paper
over.

"Came to leave that--what is it?" asked Bud.

"It's some sort of a warning, I guess," was the answer. "Look!"

He held the soiled scrap out to the others. The writing was large and
straggling, but it was plain. The warning said:

KEEP AWAY FROM DEATH VALLEY
IF YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR YOU.
S. T.

CHAPTER VI

AT DOT AND DASH

Silently the little circle of ranchers, young and old, gazed at the
ominous warning Nort had picked up. Yellin' Kid was the first to
speak, following the reading of the message on the dirty piece of bag
paper.

"Well, I'll be horn-swoggled!" voiced the Kid in his usual loud tones.

Billee Dobb looked sharply from Nort to Dick and then at Bud.

"This any of your doin's?" he asked.

"Our doings! What do you mean?" challenged Bud.