Bud, Nort and Dick were together, leaping, crawling, crouching and
stumbling. Suddenly Dick, who had gone a little ahead of his two chums,
looked through an opening of the rocks. What he saw caused him to gasp
in surprise, and as he pointed he cried:

"Del Pinzo! Del Pinzo and his crowd! It isn't the Yaquis at all! It's
Del Pinzo!"

CHAPTER XII

FORWARD AGAIN

Time was when the mention of Del Pinzo's name would have brought forth
a yell of anger from the cowboys of Diamond X ranch. He was an enemy
at once to be feared and loathed, for he did not fight fair, and he was
of the detested, half-breed Mexican type.

But now, when the cry of Dick apprised the others of the presence of
this ruthless cattle rustler, thief and all-around bad man, there was
no answering shout. One reason for this was that caution was
necessary, so that the presence of the skirmishing party be not
disclosed, and another was that the information that it was Del Pinzo,
and presumably his gang who had ambushed our friends, came as a great
surprise.

"Del Pinzo?" half gasped Snake Purdee as he ran to Dick's side.

"Yes, there he is! See!"

The boy rancher pointed to a figure standing near a stunted bush.

There was no doubt about it--Del Pinzo it was, and at his usual
business, firing on some one, for he had a rifle raised, in the act of
taking aim.

"I'll spoil one shot for him, anyhow," announced Snake.

He whipped out his .45, there was a sharp crack, and the gun of the
Mexican half breed dropped to the ground, discharging as it fell, but
harmlessly. And then the outlaw, with a yell of rage, gripped his
right hand in his left. For Snake had fired at the man's trigger
member, thus disabling him for the time.

And, as he turned, and beheld who had thus "winged" him, Del Pinzo gave
another cry--as filled with surprise as had been the exclamation of
Dick on beholding the Mexican renegade who, it was supposed, was safely
locked up in penalty for many crimes.

"That your bunch down there?" called Del Pinzo to Snake, and he waved
his uninjured hand toward the camp amid the rocks.

"You said something, Del Pinzo," grimly answered the cowboy. "What you
all up to now? Be careful--I have you covered!" he warned. "And if
your men want to bask in the sweet sunshine of your presence from now
on, tell 'em to chuck down their guns. Also, up with your hands!"

There was a stinging menace in the tones that Del Pinzo knew well