"Takes you to look away ahead," declared Jack; "now, like as not, I'd have tossed both birds away and then wished I hadn't later on. An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure, they say. The fellow who can think ahead takes the cake." "Then I'm goin' to get busy and be that feller," Jimmy assured them, "because I always did like cake." The forward march was resumed, with the three burros plodding along after their accustomed slow method of travel. They had to be urged frequently, with the tickle of a whip. The only times they showed traces of eagerness were when approaching places where water could be had, and then they almost ran. As the afternoon wore along, the scouts knew that they were drawing near a cattle ranch. Many things told them this pleasing news. They found tracks of droves all about them on the grassy plain, and three times had they glimpsed a feeding herd in the swale, where some low hills joined the more level ground. "I can see houses among the trees ahead there!" announced Ned, after he had had the field glasses up to his eye for a short time. All of them wanted to take a look, then, and great was the rejoicing when it was found to be true. "About two miles more of this weary hiking, and then good-bye to it!" Jack gave as his opinion, in which the other joined. They took a fresh start after that, and it was not long before Jimmy declared he could see a bunch of riders starting out from the trees and heading toward them. "They've sighted us," asserted Ned, "and, of course, wonder who we can be; because Harry here thought to take his uncles by surprise and didn't tell them when to expect us, except to say, we'd probably drop in on the ranch if down this way." "You see," Harry went on to explain, "when I wrote last, it was from Los Angeles; and, about that time, I didn't feel so sure we'd ever get through alive." "First time I knew you felt worried," Ned told him. "All of you seemed so dead set on carrying out the programme that I couldn't say what I thought." "You must mean," Jack said, "that it looked silly and foolish to think we could cross the deserts and mountain canyons in that old rantankerous automobile?" Ned laughed. "Never mind what I thought," he remarked. "It's too late now to cry over spilt milk. We got through, didn't we? And we've had experiences that will always stay with us. That's enough. And, at last, we can see our goal just ahead." "Hurrah for the Double Cross Ranch!" exclaimed Jimmy. The half-dozen cowboys came whirling toward them, shouting, swinging their hats, and riding as only punchers on the plains can. "Remember, everybody," warned Ned, "not a word about that hawk and pigeon episode." "We understand what you mean, Ned," Harry replied. Presently the mad riders came galloping up in a cloud of alkali dust.