d Sam. "As I mentioned, I agreed
with Mr. Barter to stay on here and look after what few cattle remained
until the new owner--that's your dad," and he looked at Bud--"could
come along and take possession.

"Well, I was left pretty much alone here, but I didn't mind that, for
I'm used to rustling for myself. Mr. Barter left when he got his
money, I s'pose, and the cattle wasn't much trouble. There's only a
small herd left, and I didn't bother much with 'em--just rode out now
and then to see they wasn't being run off. Which they wasn't. But
this morning I thought I'd ride to the far end of the range to see if
there was any fences needed fixing, so's I could tell the new owner.

"I was riding along when, all of a sudden, my horse began acting queer.
Then, 'fore I knew it, he just sort of crumpled up and I just had time
to jump or he'd have fallen with me under him. And as I went down I
began to feel sort of queer myself. One of the last things I remember
seeing in the distance was that old man riding along. Then I went down
and out.

"That's all I remember, but I must have had sense enough to start
either to walk or crawl back here, and evidently I arrived, for you
found me. That's all I know."

"But what knocked you out?" excitedly cried Bud. "And what killed your
horse?"

"You can search me!" was the frank answer. "I didn't look the horse
over after he died, to see what bit him. As for me, I don't know what
ailed me."

"Maybe the old man shot you and the horse," suggested Nort.

"I wouldn't swear the horse hasn't a bullet in him, for I didn't
examine him," stated Sam. "But I didn't hear any gun, and I know I got
no holes in me."

"Then it was bad water!" said Snake.

"What's that?" Sam inquired, not comprehending.

"You and your horse must 'a' drunk from some poisoned spring," went on
Snake, explaining how this theory had been advanced among his
companions to account for the mysterious deaths at Dot and Dash.

"Bad water; eh?" murmured Sam. "Well, I certainly did take a drink at
a spring, and so did the horse. But it's a spring I always have
patronized, so to speak, and it's mighty queer if it would be all right
yesterday and poison to-day. Mighty queer!"

"The old man----" began Nort.

"He wasn't nowhere near the spring," interrupted Sam. "I don't believe
you got the right dope."

"Well, there's something queer around here, that's sure," declared Bud
Merkel, "and we're here to find ou