"Made it! Bronc, old boy, I offer you my sincere thanks! No, don't slow down just yet. A little more--" He kept up his fast pace until he was well beyond the water hole, then, with a final look behind him, he pulled down to a walk. "Guess we're O.K. now. What a chase! Say, bronc, it's too bad we didn't have a movie camera somewhere around. Hero being chased by the villains. Bang--bang--another Indian bit the dust! Anyway, I'm glad we're out of _that_ mess. What was the idea of the whole thing, anyhow? "Don't see what they wanted with me. And 'to-morrow night'! Evidently they figure on some sort of dirty work. Now that they know I've heard part of their plans they may not pull anything." Off in the distance Bud could now see the buildings of Shooting Star. As he rode up, the Kid was nailing a board to the lower part of the ranch house, and had his back to Bud. He turned swiftly as he heard the hoof-beats of Bud's horse. "Come in--come in!" he called. "Have a good trip? How are all the babies--and Aunt Sarah? You must be plumb worn out, ridin' all the way from Arken-saw on a hot day like this." "Quit your kidding," Bud answered with a smile. "When I tell you what did happen you'll think I have a good right to be worn out. First, though, is there any chuck left?" "What--they didn't even feed you? Well now, I thought you'd had a chicken dinner. Sure, Bud, come on in, an' we'll get Mex on the job." The best they could do in the culinary line on short notice was beans, but Bud filled up mightily on them. When the edge had been taken off his hunger he asked the Kid: "Where's the rest of the bunch?" "Town, most of 'em. Billee Dobb is at the back fixin' his saddle. Nort and Dick went on into town again after a load of grub came, to see if they could pick up that sheep-man Hawkins told us about, and to grab me off a pony. Where were you, Bud?" "Therein lies a tale," answered Bud, "and I don't mean maybe. Listen, Kid, and try to control your well-known faculties for humor 'til I get this off my chest." In as few sentences as possible, Bud related to Yellin' Kid the events of the morning. Contrary to his expectations, his story was taken as it was told, seriously. "Delton, hey? Didn't see my missin' bronc around, I suppose?" "No, I didn't, Kid. Saw enough besides that. Well, what's the dope? What do you think about it all?" "I think you were pretty lucky, for one thing," declared the Kid. "Another thing I think is that the plan they set for to-morrow night--whatever it is, will be carried out." "What makes you think that?" "Didn't you say you heard someone talk about 'even if Jake doesn't know about the Shooting Star'?" "Yes--I did hear that." "Well, that means they're going to take a chance on going through with their plan, because they can't get word to the other side that this place has changed hands. An' they won't stop because they caught you listenin'."