"Hold on!" called Dave, but Phil was so eager to get to the house first that he paid no attention to the words. Not until he had reached the very piazza of the building did he pause to stare around him. "Why, it's not Mr. Endicott's place at all!" he exclaimed. He had made considerable noise ascending the piazza, and now a door was flung open, letting a stream of light flood his face, momentarily blinding him. "Hello! what do you want?" demanded a man Phil had never seen before. "Why--er--what place is this?" stammered the youth, and as he asked the question Dave came up behind him. "This is the Triple X Ranch," was the man's answer. "What! Mr. Merwell's place?" stammered Phil. "That's it. Want to see him? Why, say, you're all out of wind,--anything wrong?" "I--I didn't know this was the Merwell place," murmured Phil. He knew not what else to say, he was so taken back. "Who is that, Jerry?" asked another voice, and a moment later Felix Merwell stepped into view. As he saw Dave he scowled slightly. "Why, Mr. Merwell, we--er----" commenced Phil, and then he looked at Dave. "We were out and we lost our way in the darkness and got on the wrong trail," said Dave, quickly. "Will you be kind enough to direct us to the trail to Mr. Endicott's ranch?" "Endicott's ranch is a good bit from here," growled Felix Merwell. "But, Dave----" interrupted Phil, when a meaning look from his chum silenced him. "Haven't you got no hosses?" asked the man who had first come to the door. "No, but we don't mind that," said Dave. "We can walk." "Jerry, show them the trail," said Mr. Merwell, shortly, and turned his back on the boys. The ranch hand came out without waiting to get his hat or coat, and walked to a point back of the corral. "It's a long, lonely way," he said, kindly. "You ought to have horses." "How many miles?" asked Dave. "About one and a half." "Oh, that is not so far." "Got caught in the storm, eh?" "Yes." "Link is out too and the old man is kind of worried about him. He sent Hank Snogger out to look for him." "Then Link didn't come back this afternoon?" said Dave, quickly. "No, he's been out since early morning. You met him, eh?" "Yes, but that was about the middle of the forenoon. He was over in the woods." "It was such a blow the old man is worried, thinking Link might have got caught under a tree in the woods, or something like that. There's your trail. Keep to that and it will take you right to the Endicott corral." "Thank you," said both boys, and a moment later they and the man had separated. The ranch hand watched them out of sight, then returned to the house. "Dave, why didn't you tell them about the horse-thieves?" asked Phil, as soon as he deemed it safe to ask the question. "I didn't want to ask any favors of Mr. Merwell, that's why," was the reply. "I don't believe he'd want to go after them, and I didn't want to borrow any horses from him."