Boy Ranchers on the Trail; Or, The Diamond X After Cattle Rustlers

by Frank V. Webster

  CHAPTER XIV

  FOUR EYES--NO EYES

  Thudding along, their ponies seemingly as eager to reach theranch camp as were the boys themselves, Bud, Nort and Dick racedtoward the mysterious light. For that it was mysterious they allagreed, and that it was flashing from the top of the watch towerthey had built to spy for rustlers was another conclusion.

  "Do you s'pose it can be Old Billee, or Yellin' Kid signalling tous?" asked Nort, as he galloped between Bud and Dick.

  "They wouldn't know we were coming," Bud answered. "I said wemight not be back until to-morrow."

  "That's so. But who do you think is signalling?" asked Dick.

  "And who are they signalling to?" Nort wanted to know. "That'swhat we've got to find out," spoke Bud, grimly. "And it's whatwe're going to find out in a short time! Come on, Sock!" hecalled to his pony. "This is only exercise for you!"

  Indeed the animals had not been hard pressed, and this burst ofspeed was rather a relief than anything else. Together the boyranchers hastened toward their camp.

  For some time the lantern--it was evidently that and not atorch--was waved to and fro, parallel to the horizon, and again upand down. It was so evidently a signal, or a series of them, that theboys no longer questioned this theory.

  But who the signaller was, and to whom he was flashing hismessage in the dark night--those were other questions. And theywere questions that needed answering.

  "It must be one of our men," remarked Bud. "No one else could getinto camp and climb the tower without a row being raised."

  "How do you know there hasn't been a row?" asked Dick.

  "What do you mean?" countered Bud.

  "I mean there may have been a fight," Dick went on. "Maybe therustlers have surprised our camp, put Yellin' Kid and the rest ofour bunch out of business and are signalling to the main crowd tocome up and drive off the cattle. I might as well say that asthink it," he added. "And that's what I've been thinking the lastfew minutes."

  This dire suggestion struck Bud and Nort silent for a moment. Andthen, more because he did not want to believe it, than because hedid not believe it possible, Bud exclaimed: "I don't believe anysuch thing!"

  "I don't want to believe it!" said Nort. "But of course there mayhave been a fight."

  "If there was, there's a lot of dead Greasers and rustlersscattered around, you can depend on that!" declared Bud, grimly.

  "Yes, I reckon Old Billee, Snake and the rest would give a goodaccount of themselves," asserted Dick.

  "And they wouldn't be taken by surprise, either," added Nort.

  "Not likely," affirmed his cousin.

  Again they directed their gaze toward the flashing signal on thetower. Once more they saw it slowly raised and lowered, and thenswept from side to side.

  "Are they spelling out a message in Morse or Continental code?"asked Bud.

  "It does look like the Morse," said Nort. "We learned that whenwe were Boy Scouts. I can make out some letters, but they don'tspell anything that has any sense to it."

  "Maybe it's in Spanish," suggested Bud, who was not familiar withthe method of spelling words by flags or lanterns. "There's a lotof Greasers around here who don't know anything but Spanish."

  "That's so," agreed Nort. "I didn't think of that. I'll try andcatch what the next word is, and maybe you'll know it, Bud," forthe western lad understood some of the language of Mexico.

  But just when Nort was directing his attention to the signalflashes Dick, who had ridden on a little ahead, suddenly called:

  "Is that a fire?"

  They looked to where he pointed and, for a moment, thought it wasanother blaze in the dried grass. For the eastern skyline thathad been only dimly seen was now outlined in a red flare.

  "It is a fire!" asserted Nort.

  "It's the moon rising!" said Bud.

  And so it proved. The moon was coming up, big, round and red,and, when below the horizon, cast a reflection not unlike a fire.The boys laughed with relieved spirits as they rode on. But whenNort next directed his attention to the flashing lantern it wasno longer signalling. In the direction of the watch tower therewas only blackness, for the moon's rays had not yet reached it.

  "Looks as if they'd quit," said Dick.

  "Maybe they thought the moonlight would give 'em away," suggestedNort.

  "We'll soon know about it," declared Bud, with grim meaning.

  They were now within a short distance of the tents, gleamingwhite in the moonbeams. From one of the larger canvas sheltersshone a ruddy light, showing dark figures within. And then wasborne to the ears of the boys the sound of laughter.

  "That doesn't seem to indicate a raid or fight," spoke Nort.

  "You can't be sure," Bud remarked. "We'd better be careful. Let'sdismount and go on foot."

  They left their ponies, throwing the reins over the heads of theanimals, and cautiously approached the tents of the cow puncherson foot. This tent was, practically, the "bunk house," theassembling place of the men after their hours of work. But beforethe boys reached this their approach was evidently heard. For afigure came to the flap and a challenging voice called:

  "Who's there?"

  "Old Billee!" cried Bud, as he and his chums recognized thetones, and with the recognition came a sense of relief.

  "Oh, you're back; are you, Bud?" asked the veteran cowboy. "Ithought I heard some one."

  "Who's up on the watch tower with a lantern?" called Bud, once itwas certain that no disaster had occurred.

  "Watch tower?" repeated Yellin' Kid, coming to the flap to standbeside Old Billee.

  "Lantern?" added Snake.

  "Somebody's signalling," went on Bud.

  "You'd better come out and we'll have a look. Are you all here?"

  "All of us," answered Old Billee. "Come on, Four Eyes!" he cried."Tumble out of your bunk. There's somethin' doin'!"

  "Four Eyes must have gone to bed early," said Bud to his cousinsas they stood outside the tent. For Billee's call indicated thatthe spectacled cowboy had retired.

  "Hi! Four Eyes!" shouted Yellin' Kid, in a voice that would haveawakened the proverbial Seven Sleepers. "Turn out!"

  There was a moment's pause, during which Buck Tooth came up tothe bunk tent from his own special nook for sleeping. And then,the voice of Snake Purdee announced:

  "Four Eyes isn't here!"

  "Isn't here!" repeated Billee. "Why, I saw him turn in a whileago, when we started t' play cards."

  "He isn't here now," declared Snake. "His bunk is empty, and hedidn't go out the front way, I'll wager on that. There'ssomething queer going on all right!"