"It's our friend from town--from the store!" Nort exclaimed.

"Yes, and look who's with him!" Bud yelled. "It's Dad! Yea, Dad!

Golly, I'm glad you came! You're just in time!"

CHAPTER XXV

YELLIN' KID FINDS HIS BRONC

The wagon came to a sudden stop, and Mr. Merkel jumped out.

"h.e.l.lo, son! Howdy, boys! Say--what happened here? Bud--how did you get burned? You hurt?" There was a note of anxiety in the father's voice.

"Not a bit, Dad! Just blackened up a little. Had a fire, and we had to pull some men out. Look at that!"

The boy pointed to the ma.s.s of embers that was once a house. The fire had died down until now there was only glowing bits of wood left. It had started quickly and ended as suddenly.

"Anybody seriously burned?" Mr. Merkel looked at his son keenly, as though to satisfy himself that he was uninjured. The father's glance evidently convinced him that Bud was all right, for he turned quickly and said to the others:

"Where's Billee Dobb? I don't see him."

"Billee is the one who is really hurt, Uncle," Nort answered. "He's got a piece of lead in his shoulder. He's asleep now--be all right later, I think."

"Shot! The rascals! They'll suffer for that! You want to get Billee to a doctor as soon as possible, before infection sets in. We'll bring him back in the wagon."

"How did you happen to come here, Dad?" Bud asked curiously. "I didn't think you knew where we were."

"I didn't, exactly. I have a confession to make, Bud. You weren't sent out here to herd sheep. You were sent to do just what you did--to capture the smugglers."

"But--but why didn't you tell us?"

"I couldn't, Bud. I gave my word to the government that I'd not let on the reason I was sending you out here. You see, no one could tell just what would happen. If you knew that you were sent to go after smugglers, and you went after the wrong gang, things would be in a pretty mess. So they concluded that it was best to leave you in the dark. I'll admit I favored telling you, boys, but as it turned out, the other way may have been best. Even as it was, I let slip something about it. And when you weren't at the ranch I figured you might be in this direction. I sort of suspected this place. Well, all's well that ends well. Now what, boys?"

"If we can get that wild buckboard man to drive slowly, we have a load of pa.s.sengers to take back. Oh, say, Dad, do you know Mr. Hawkins? I don't know whether you--" Bud paused suggestively.

"Yes, indeed," Mr. Merkel said with a smile. "We're old friends. He came to me long ago and arranged most of this scheme. Sorry we had to do it, boys--but the government seems to know its business!"

"I'm glad you look at it in that light, Mr. Merkel," the agent said as he shook hands. "We have to be very, very careful--and a slip that may seem trivial to others may mean success or failure to us. But let me say that these boys have more than come up to expectations. I have never seen a better----"

"Hey, hey, take it easy!" the Kid laughed. "It might go to our heads.

But one thing, Mr. Hawkins. It's about----"

"I know--the reward! And you get it, too, boys. As soon as we get to town I'll give you a check that's in my office safe. You have certainly earned it."

"Now we can get a new bunch of longhorns!" shouted d.i.c.k gleefully.

"Great stuff! That's worth going without a night's sleep for!"

"And the radio," Nort broke in. "We get that, too!"

"You and your sparkin' outfit," Yellin' Kid scoffed. "You want music with your grub, I guess!"

"Say, Mr. Hawkins, what's the penalty for smuggling in this state?" Bud inquired. "I just wondered----"

"Ten years," the agent answered briefly. "Delton's due for quite a long stretch. He'll have time to think over his errors."

"Ten years," Bud said musingly. "Ten years in jail! Mr. Hawkins, if we testified that Delton wasn't so bad as he's supposed to be, and that----"

The boy stopped. Hawkins looked at him long and hard. Then he walked over and held out his hand.

"Son," he said simply, "that's the whitest thing I've ever seen a man do. I'll try to fix it up for you. We'll do what we can to lighten his sentence."

"Thanks," Bud said gratefully.

"Well, when do we start?" Mr. Merkel asked. "If you men are hungry, we'd better get going. Did I understand you to say we'd have a load going back, Bud?"

"And then some! Now let's see how we can arrange this. Billee Dobb goes back in the buckboard. And so do the others who are badly hurt.

How many do you think can ride, Kid? You know we've got their horses at the back, and some can come along on them."

"Figure Delton and two of those other guys should go in the wagon. The rest can fork the broncs. They're able. Well, let's get those fellers that are going along with this wild man in the wagon. Think you can take it easy a short spell?" Yellin' Kid asked the grinning driver.

"Sure! Like an am-bu-lance. They'll never know they're ridin'."

"All right. Now about these c.h.i.n.ks. Guess they'll have to get along on the ponies."

"But maybe they can't ride," Nort suggested.

"Maybe they can't--but they're gonna take a lesson right now! Their first an' last. Let's get hold of Billee an' lift him in the wagon.

Still asleep?"

"Yep. Easy now. That does it----"

As they raised the form of the old rancher he stirred uneasily. Then he opened his eyes.

"Boss!" he exclaimed. "What do you think of me bein' carried around this way. Wait a minute, boys, I can walk. I want to----"

"You're to lay right still," admonished Yellin' Kid. "Think we want you bleedin' all over the landscape? Now go slow, an' Mr. Merkel will shake hands with you when we get you in the wagon."

"How are you, Billee?" the cattle owner asked warmly. "Heard you had an accident! Well, we'll feed you up good for a couple of days and you'll soon be on horseback again."

"Sure will! Can't say I like this lyin' down idea. But the boys won't let me get up."

The buckboard carrying Billee and the other injured men went first, and the rest of the procession followed, with Mr. Hawkins and d.i.c.k in the extreme rear, to see that everything went well. And thus they started for town.

They had scarcely gotten under way when all heard the sound of a horse behind them. They turned and saw a riderless pony galloping toward them.

"What the mischief--" Bud cried out as he saw the horse nearing them.

"He wants to visit! Look--his halter has been broken. Must be a runaway. I wonder----"