That was evident, for even as he spoke Del Pinzo, the last of the outlaws, disappeared around a turn in the defile. He was "hazing" his men along to some other hiding place, it appeared. And he and his rascally followers seemed to know their ground, for they rode at break-neck pace, without fear of what lay beyond and unseen. It is likely they had traveled that route before. Another advantage lay with the rustlers. Their horses were fresh, for from the negligent attitudes assumed by the men when Dick had discovered them, it was evident they had been at ease for some time, whereas the pursuers had been on the trail a long time, and the way had been rough and stony. So it is nothing to the discredit of the boy ranchers that they and their friends were distanced in the first wild rush following the discovery and alarm. "Come on!" cried Bud. "Come on!" and he and Dick for the moment were in the lead, the canyon being wide enough, here, for several to ride abreast. "We've got to get 'em!" "And we won't stop until we do!" added his cousin. But they reckoned not with the roughness of the way, the start the rustlers had, their fresher horses and the fact that Del Pinzo and his crowd were more familiar with the trail than were the boy ranchers. So though our heroes rode on as fast as they could go with comparative safety, they did not, for some time at least, again come within sight of the enemy. "Wait there! Hold on a little!" finally called Slim to Bud, Dick and Nort, who, in their youthful and natural eagerness, had forged to the front in a bunch. "Pull up! This isn't a hundred yard dash! It's going to be a long race!" Bud was beginning to believe this, and some of his first exuberance was disappearing. He was getting more cool-headed. "Let's take it a bit easy," he said to Nort and Dick. "I guess we've got a long trail to follow." "But we've got to get 'em!" declared Dick. "You got rid of something that time!" commented his brother, meaningly, if slangily. "We're going to make 'em give back our cattle!" "Say!" suddenly cried Bud. "That's the queer part of it! Where are the steers?" And for the first time it occurred to the minds of the boy ranchers that of that quarry they had come most in search of they had had not a glimpse. Not a steer was in sight! Something of the amazement they felt must have been depicted on their faces, for when Slim rode up to where the boy ranchers had halted he asked: "What's the matter?" "Where are the cattle?" asked Bud, shouting almost as loudly as Yellin' Kid would have done. "Did you notice they didn't have a one with them, Slim?" "Yes. Are you just waking up to that, Bud?" "I reckon I am. But what does it mean?" "It means that there's a deeper game being played than we have any idea of, son. We've got to go some to get to the bottom!" CHAPTER XXII BUD'S DISCOVERY