"For instance?" suggested Dick, teasingly. "We're in for something good, now," he whispered to his brother, though not so low but that Bud could not hear. "Well, either Professor Wright knows Del Pinzo is a rascal, and takes to him in spite of that, or he doesn't know it--though how he can be ignorant I can't understand," declared Bud. "If he doesn't--he's the only one who knows the game who thinks Del is any better than a common, onery horse thief!" "Maybe something will happen, soon, to open his eyes," suggested Nort, as they rode on. When they reached the headquarters at Diamond X they found Sheriff Hank Fowler in earnest conversation with Mr. Merkel. "Anything doing, Dad?" asked Bud. "Yes. I'm summoned to court to prove my title to the Spur Creek land," was the answer. "Hank has just served me with the papers." "I'm tellin' him he don't need to worry none," said Mr. Fowler, with a genial grin. "He can easy prove his title." "Perhaps not so easy as you think," remarked Mr. Merkel, "since my papers are missing. If I could only get them back!" "And I think I have a plan that will get them back!" suddenly exclaimed Nort. CHAPTER XXIII IN DISGUISE All eyes were turned on the lad, but he did not seem abashed. "What's the idea?" asked Dick, who thought perhaps his brother was "joshing." "It just occurred to me, after I saw Del Pinzo at the professor's camp," Nort said. "It may sound foolish, but it's worth trying, I think." And when, a little later, he had explained to Mr. Merkel and Sheriff, they clapped the lad on the back heartily and said: "Go ahead! It's worth trying!" Nort needed several days to perfect his plans for a daring excursion into the enemy's country, so to speak. But before he had completed his arrangements Del Pinzo, through some rascally lawyers, had gotten in the first blow of the legal battle. As Mr. Merkel had said, he was summoned to court to defend his claim to the rich grazing lands of Spur Creek. If he had had his documents this would have been comparatively easy, but with the stealing of the deeds and other papers, the task was harder. Of course Mr. Merkel engaged a lawyer, but the first skirmish resulted in victory for the sheep men. As had been surmised, Del Pinzo did not directly appear in the matter, though he was in court consulting with the lawyers engaged by the herders. And, as might have been expected, some of the claimants to rights under the new open range law were legal citizens of the United States and, as such, entitled to take up a certain amount of land. "But they have no right to take Mr. Merkel's land!" said the ranchman's lawyer. "We grant that they have a right to pasture sheep, or even elephants, for that matter, on land they can rightfully claim. But they can't claim land already taken up and given over to the pasture of cattle. We recognize, Your Honor, that to the Court there is no difference between a sheep and a cow."