talking, and hardly had
the echo of Old Billee's words died away on the hot, dusty air than he
was gently patting the neck of the pony he rode.

"Did dad say you were to help me over in Flume Valley?" asked Bud, as
he slowed down the pace of his animal to keep alongside that of the
older cowboy.

"Yes, he said I was to be your helper. And first I sorter hated to
leave Babe, Slim, Snake and the rest of the bunch. But if you say your
cousins are coming out, and if we can raise better cattle there than on
the home ranch, why, mebby it won't be so worse."

"Of course it won't!" cried Bud. "Why, even in the short time the
steers have been in Flume Valley, Billee, they've improved."

"You say there's stock there now?" asked the old man, for he was
gray-haired, "Well, if they've been thrivin' by themselves so far,
what's the good of you an' your cousins campin' there to watch 'em eat?"

"Lots of reasons," answered Bud, as he and his companion started up a
hill, on the other side of which they would reach the water-hole, where
the main trail from Diamond X came in. "For one thing this is
something new, and dad wants it watched carefully. Then, too, the
water pipe and reservoir will need looking after. But, more than
anything else, it's Del Pinzo and his gang of rustlers."

"Those scoundrels didn't get what they deserved for tryin' to run off
our stock last year!" complained Billee. "Now they're raisin' ructions
again; be they?"

"They sure are!" declared Bud. "It wasn't that they didn't get what
they deserved, for they were sentenced to long terms. But the trouble
was they didn't stay in jail where they were put."

"I reckon they look at it just the other way!" chuckled Billee.

"Yes," agreed Bud. "But it's going to make trouble for dad and all the
other cattle raisers around here having that bunch of Mexicans and
Greasers loose. That's one reason why we've got to watch out at Flume
Valley, where we're going to try to raise some cattle that will beat
those at Diamond X. I'm glad you're going to be with me, Billee."

"Hum! You don't care what sort of trouble th' old man gits into; do
you, Bud?" and he smiled a toothless smile at his employer's son.
"Well, it's all in th' day's work, I reckon. But I'm not expected t'
come with you to-night; am I? Slim said I was to report t' him at the
main buildin's."

"No, you don't have to come right away," replied Bud. "I'm to meet
Dick and Nort at the water-hole