h it might seem that in a fairly open country, composed of hills
and vales, it would be hard to hide a bunch of cattle, still Nort and
Dick, to their chagrin, did not find it difficult. They were
completely baffled, and the longer they searched the more puzzled they
were.

"Well, there's one thing about it," remarked Dick, when they drew rein,
"we shan't starve right away, and if we have to stay out all night we
have the same accommodations we have had before," and he tapped the
tarpaulin which formed part of his saddle pack.

"Oh, yes, we can camp out if we have to," agreed Nort, "and I shan't
mind that. But it's our failure to do the first job we tackled 'on our
own' that gets my goat. Bud will sure think we're tenderfeet for fair!"

"Yes, that is bad," agreed Dick. "But it can't be helped. I never did
see anything like the sudden way those cattle disappeared, and how we
got lost."

For that they were now completely lost, amid the low hills, was an
accepted fact to the boys. They had ridden here and there, until, in
mercy to their ponies, they pulled reins. Yet they had gotten no
farther on their way, nor had they seen sign of the cattle. It was
growing late, too, and they realized that soon they must find a camping
place for the night, unless they located the homeward trail.

Of course to Bud, or any of the older cowboys of Diamond X ranch, the
problem that puzzled Nort and Dick would have been easy to solve.
Knowing the country as they did, the cowboys could easily have sensed
which way to ride, even though the bunch of cattle might have eluded
them.

But the two easterners did not even know which way to head to get back
to their friends. They were completely lost and turned about, and
their situation was growing more desperate.

I say "desperate," yet that word is used only in a comparative sense.
They were in no immediate danger, for they were in the clean, open
country, and not in a tangled forest or jungle. There were no wild
beasts near, only peaceful cows and steers. They had coverings for the
night, and greasewood shrubs, as well as a tree here and there amid the
foothills, offered fuel for a fire. They had a small amount of "grub"
with them, and they had passed several springs of water, so they would
not thirst, and they had the means of making coffee, though no milk was
at hand. So, all in all, their situation was not at all "desperate,"
though it was perhaps annoying.

"Let's fire ou