ot to include him or his cowboys
in the raid.

But others from adjoining' ranches assembled at Diamond X on the
morning selected for the start, and by this time saddles and bridles
had been provided for Blaze and Blackie, and Nort and Dick sported new
guns in their holsters.

"Now do be careful, won't you?" pleaded Mrs. Merkel, as the cavalcade
started off, with none of the usual whooping and yelling that marked
many cowboy affairs. This was thought too serious to be decorated with
horse play.

"We'll be careful," promised her husband. "But I don't imagine
there'll be any serious trouble. We'll surround the place and if those
fellows have any sense they'll give up and take what's coming to them."

"Look out for the boys!" she said in a lower voice, nodding toward her
own son, and Nort and Dick.

"I will," promised Mr. Merkel. "But from what I've seen," he added,
with a twinkle in his eyes, "they're middlin' well able to look after
themselves. Paregoric for that Greaser! That's pretty good!" and he
chuckled as he rode off with the others.

The plans had been carefully made and each cowboy knew what he was to
do. The idea was to surround the camp, if possible without arousing
the suspicions of the inmates, and then make a sudden rush on it from
all sides. This would be comparatively easy to do, since the camp was
in the valley, with hills all around it. It was simple enough to
follow the trail to the point where Nort and Dick had been met with as
they were escaping. And when this point was reached, it was left to
the two young ranchers themselves to say which way to go, since the
camp was not in sight, nor were there any known trails leading to it.

"Well, as near as I can tell this is the way we came," said Nort, after
studying over the matter a bit, and consulting with Dick.

"All right," decided Mr. Merkel. "You lead a party that way, and I'll
take Dick, and bear off more to the south. It may be you haven't just
hit it, and this will give us two shots at it. We'll keep within sight
of one another as long as we can, and the first one who sights the
right trail, leading in, will build a fire and send up smoke puffs."

This much settled, two parties rode off, Nort leading one and Dick the
other.

They were closing in on the mysterious camp.

CHAPTER XXIV

THE FIGHT

The boy ranchers, meaning this time Nort and Dick, as distinguished
from Bud, felt that they were on their mettle--that th