e_ set his fangs into you.
Anyhow I'm glad we haven't anything worse than rattlers and copperheads
around here."

"They're bad enough!" affirmed Slim, as he gave a backward glance
toward the still writhing form of the big rattler, which was now past
all power of doing harm.

The incident seemed to cause the foreman to forget what he had been
about to say when his horse shied, and the boy ranchers, by which title
is indicated Bud, Nort and Dick, did not attach enough importance to it
to cause them to question their companion. Yet what Slim had been
about to say was destined to have a great influence on their lives in
the immediate future, and was to cause them to ride forward into
danger. But then danger was nothing new to them.

"Well, things are right peaceful since we got rid of Del Pinzo and his
gang of greasers," observed Slim, as he rode on with the boys down the
trail that led to Diamond X ranch, the property of Bud's father.

"But I'm always worrying for fear they'll come back, or we'll have some
sort of trouble with our cattle," observed Dick. "It doesn't seem
possible that over at our Happy Valley ranch we'll be let alone to do
as we please."

"Don't cross a bridge until you hear the rattling of the planks!"
paraphrased Nort to his brother. "We're all right so far."

"Yes, things are sittin' right pretty for the present," declared Slim.
"Well, here we are," he added, as a turn of the trail brought them
within sight of the corrals and other parts of Diamond X ranch. "And
there's your folks," he added, as a woman and girl, standing in the
yard of a red ranch house, began to wave their hands to the boys.

"I see Dad!" exclaimed End.

"Where?" asked Nort.

"Over by the pony corral, talking to Yellin' Kid. Looks like Kid just
came in with the mail."

"He started after it when I rode out to look for a couple of strays,"
said Slim. "Beckon he jest come back. You boys'll hear more
partic'lars now, I reckon."

"Particulars of what?" asked Nort. "Was that what you started to say
when Bud shot the rattler?"

Slim did not answer, the reason being that a moment later he was
surrounded by a knot of laughing, pushing, jostling and shouting
cowboys, who seemed to want the foreman to settle some disputed point.

Bud and his two cousin chums rode on and greeted Mr. Merkel and his
wife, who was "Ma" to every cowboy within fifty miles, and Nell, who
was Bud's pretty sister.

"Hello, Dad! Hello, Uncle H