ut of repair for
several years. Most of the windows were gone, and the front door stood
wide open. As was to be expected, the four rooms the house contained
were empty save for some straw on the floor and a pile of half-burnt
sticks on the open hearth.

"Some thieves must have come along and taken whatever there was of
furniture," observed Jack.

"Yes, and somebody has been using it for a place to bunk in," added
Fred. "But I don't believe they have been here within the last few
days," he added, with a look at the ashes on the hearth.

From the house the boys proceeded to look around the farm, or ranch, if
such it might be called. It was irregular in shape, one corner running
over a hill and down towards a small brook. Here, to their surprise,
they saw a pile of oil-drilling machinery, and a number of posts had
been set up. On one of the posts was a placard reading:

_The Carson Davenport Claim. Keep off._

"What do you know about this!" cried Jack, his eyes blazing.

"Let's knock the sign down," suggested Fred quickly.

"No, we won't do that--at least not yet, Fred. We'll wait until my
father comes with those papers from Wichita Falls."

In the soft soil they could see numerous tracks of automobiles and
wagons which had passed that way. One of these tracks was fresh.

"I'll bet that auto with Tate and Jackson was here just before we came!"
cried Randy. "Those fellows are certainly on the job. They probably
believe that 'possession is nine points of the law.'"

"And it may be down here," said Jack, his face clouding. "The
authorities haven't things under their control in a wild country like
this as they have in and around the big cities."

There were no oil wells near the Spell tract, and to get to the nearest
the lads had to tramp over another hill, a distance of more than a
quarter of a mile. Here they found several wells in operation, the
combined flow of which, they were told, amounted to about four hundred
barrels per day.

"Not so bad, when you consider this oil is worth about two dollars and a
half a barrel," remarked Jack.

"That makes a thousand dollars a day," returned Fred. "Gee, just think
of taking in that much every twenty-four hours!"

The boys were told that another well was to be shot off that afternoon.
This was located about half a mile away, and they resolved to visit the
place, first, however, stopping by the roadside for lunch. They were
told where they could get a drink of wat