egin checking up on some of the
things we've heard the better I'll like it," remarked Bud.

"I guess we all will," echoed Nort.

"I only hope we'll find something tangible, and not a lot more
mysteries," spoke Dick.

"It'll probably turn out to be poisoned springs or bad water,"
suggested Yellin' Kid. "That's the most reasonable explanation."

"Um!" was all Billee Dobb would reply to that.

They made rather good time that day, as the trail was now downward for
they had passed the range of low hills outside of the valley. And when
night came, and they were once more camped out, they knew that the
following day would see them at Dot and Dash ranch.

"What about standing guard to-night?" asked Bud of his cousins when
camp was established and a good supper had been eaten.

"'Twon't do any harm to have sentry-go," agreed Dick.

"But the chances are a hundred to one against anything happening to
disturb us," said Nort. "That fellow isn't likely to come back."

"I agree with you," said Bud. "But, all the same, I think we'll all
sleep sounder if we stand watch and watch."

"It'll be our turn," declared Snake. "We three old gazaboes will take
turns. You kids had last night. This is ours."

It was no more than fair and the boy ranchers were glad enough to let
the men act as sentries. So Billee, Snake and Yellin' Kid arranged it
among themselves, leaving the night to uninterrupted slumber for the
three boys.

"That is, we'll sleep if nothing wakes us," said Bud.

And nothing did. Nor did any of the cowboys, who took turns staying
awake during the night, report any untoward occurrences. But in spite
of that fact when Bud went to the grub box to get out some bacon he
found, stuck in a pack, a folded brown paper, like the one on which the
other warning was written. And this message was of like import with
the other. It said:

DON'T GO TO DOT AND DASH.

However there was no signature to this. But none was needed to make it
certain that it was from the same hand.

"Well, what do you know about that!" cried Nort when he saw what Bud
had found.

"How'd he get in camp to leave that warning without being seen or
heard?" asked Dick.

"Guess it's up to us," admitted Billee with a sheepish smile. "We old
geezers must 'a' been asleep at the switch. No tellin' which one it
was," he went on, "'ceptin' I'll swear nobody slipped past when I was
on guard."

"And nobody came into camp while I was sentry,"