The cook grinned and disappeared. Half an hour later the “come an’ get it” signal was sounded, and the men sat down to their third meal on the range, to which they did full justice. Evening had settled upon the land when the punchers rested from the joyous labor of conveying food from pan to mouth. Satiated, they lit cigarettes or pipes and wandered about, talking, or sat and played cards in the waning light. Teddy and Roy stood near the corral talking to their father and watching the milling beasts within. “Plenty of work to-morrow,” said Mr. Manley. “I can spot some cows in there now that aren’t ours. Look--there’s a deer! See him?” He pointed, and the boys saw a brown form flash past. The deer had been caught in the rush of animals and had been driven into the corral with the steers. “Probably be more than one,” Roy commented. “Say, Teddy, how tired are you?” “Not very. Why?” “Like to take a little ride?” “Sure. Where to?” “Oh, over toward the southwest part of the range.” “Uh-huh. All right, Dad?” “Yep. Go to it. Don’t stay too long, though. You’ve got a long ride to-morrow to Red Rock.” Teddy nodded, and went to saddle Flash. The night was cloudless, and when the two brothers started the full moon gave them ample light to see by. They rode slowly, enjoying the tang of the fall air and the beauty of the scene. Somehow, the prairie seemed soft, more friendly than it had under the hot sun. “Any special reason for this little jaunt, Roy?” Teddy asked, after some minutes. “Well, there might be, and then, again, there mightn’t. I’d like to get a look at that herd we’ve got to take Peterson. Maybe it’s shifted.” “Perhaps. Good idea to find out, anyhow. Wonder if we’ll ever see the Lefton boys again?” “Hope not. I’ve had my fill of them. They’re with Mob Jamisson, some place, I suppose. Thought they had us sewed up tight, did they? They’ve got another think coming.” Teddy looked thoughtfully at his brother. “So you think they’ve given up whatever plans they had?” “I don’t think anything. I decided long ago that I did too much of that. We’ll take things as they come. All we’ve got to do now is to get that herd to Red Rock, and we’ll be finished. Maybe what that professor heard didn’t apply to our outfit at all.” “You mean about having us sewed up?” “Uh-huh. But he didn’t say that. He said he heard our name mentioned, and then came the rest of it. At least, as I remember, that’s what he told us. It’s easy to think they--I mean the Leftons and Mob Jamisson--were talking about us, then changed the subject and that stuff about sewing up tight--or cold, or whatever it was--had nothing to do with us at all.” “Sure, you can figure that way if you want to. Just as logical. Say, look down that way. Do you see a light?” Roy pulled rein, and stared.