id the ride will be a little too long for you."

"Never mind, Martha and I will take a little ride of our own," declared
Mary. "We can go up to the edge of the woods and pick some wild
flowers."

"Let's do it!" answered her cousin quickly. "One of the cowboys tells me
there are all sorts of wild flowers up there near one of the springs."

Hop Lung was told to prepare a lunch which the boys might take along with
them, and set to work immediately. As he got the things ready the
Celestial had a faraway look in his eyes and once or twice he stuck out
his tongue suggestively.

"One flishee--two flishee--lot flishee," he murmured to himself. "Hop
Lung fixee boys," and he smiled in his own peculiar way.

The day dawned bright and clear, and immediately after breakfast the boys
leaped into the saddle and with good-natured shouts swung the sombreros
they were wearing, and started off on their ride. Each had equipped
himself with a pistol, although they expected to do no shooting, and
several carried small saddlebags containing their food and drink, the
latter placed in a couple of thermos bottles. They also carried feed for
the horses.

"Whoop-la!" shouted Andy gaily. "Come on, fellows! let's put distance
between ourselves and the ranch."

"Better take it a little easy at the start, Andy," remonstrated Gif.
"Remember we expect to cover quite a few miles, and we don't want to wear
out the horses at the start."

"We'll let Spouter set the pace," announced Jack, for he had not
forgotten that they were all guests of the lad mentioned.

They had questioned the foreman regarding the lay of the land, and he had
drawn up a rough map for them which Jack carried. Inside of half an hour
they reached the fording place he had mentioned, and there crossed the
stream, coming out on the side of a small hill.

"I wonder if we'll come across any wild animals," remarked Fred, as they
pushed along a well-defined trail leading to the top of the hill and
through a small patch of scrub timber further westward.

"From what Joe Jackson said, I don't think there's very much left in this
immediate vicinity," answered Spouter. "You see, the cowboys have scared
most of the animals away. Of course, they occasionally come across a
bobcat or a mountain lion, and then we might come across a wolf or a fox
or some jackrabbits, or even a bear."

"Well, please don't let 'em come at us in a bunch!" cried Randy, with a
grin. "One at a time, please."