"Things are movin' so fast you better send for Buck," Lanky suggested. "Hell'll be poppin' down here purty soon." "I'll tell him what's going on, but there ain't no use of bringing him down here till we has to," Hopalong replied. "We can handle 'em. But I reckon Johnny had better go up an' tell him." "Johnny ought to be riding this way purty quick; he's coming from th' hills." "We'll meet him an' get him off." They met Johnny and when he had learned of his mission he protested against being sent away from the line when things were getting crowded. "I don't want to miss th' fun!" he exclaimed. "Send Red, or Lanky." "Red's too handy with th' Winchester; we might need him," Hopalong replied, smiling. "Then you go, Lanky," Johnny suggested. "I'm better'n you with th' Colt." "You're better'n nothing!" retorted Lanky. "You do what you're told, an' quick. Nothing will happen while you're gone, anyhow." "Then why don't you want to go?" "I don't want th' ride," Lanky replied. "It's too fur." "Huh!" snorted Johnny. "Too bad about you an' th' ride! Poor old man, scared of sixty miles. I'll toss up with you." "One of you has got to ride to Red an' tell him. He mustn't get caught unexpected," Hopalong remarked. "What do you call?" asked Johnny, flipping a coin and catching it when it came down. "All right, that's fair enough. Heads," Lanky replied. "Whoop! It's tails!" cried Johnny, wheeling. "I'm going for Red," and he was gone before Lanky had time to object. "Blasted Kid!" Lanky snorted. "How'd I know it was tails?" "That's yore lookout," laughed Hopalong. "You ought to know him by this time. It's yore own fault." "I'll tan his hide some of these fine days," Lanky promised. "He's too fresh," and he galloped off to cover the thirty miles between him and the bunk house in the least possible time so as to return as soon as he could. CHAPTER VI MEEKER IS TOLD When Antonio had covered half of the distance between the line and the H2 bunk house he was hailed from a chaparral and saw Benito ride into view. He told his satellite what had occurred in the valley, gave him a message for Shaw, who was now on the mesa, and cantered on to tell Meeker his version of the morning's happenings. The H2 foreman was standing by the corral when his broncho-buster rode up, and he stared. "Where'd you get that welt on th' face?" he demanded. Antonio told him, with many exclamations and angry gestures, that he had ridden through the valley to see if there were any H2 cows grazing on it, that he had found a small herd and was about to return to his own range when he was held up and struck by Hopalong, who accused him of having driven the cattle across the line. When he had denied this he had been called a liar and threatened with death if he was ever again caught on that side of the line. "By G-d!" cried the foreman. "That's purty high-handed! I'll give 'em something to beller about when I finds out just what I want to do!"