The Boy Ranchers Among the Indians | Page 4

nerve. "Those
Yaquis are nothing more than a lot of Greasers, anyhow. They'll turn
home at the first sight of a few of the sheriff's posse. I don't believe I'll

worry after all."
"That's right!" shouted Yellin' Kid. "No need to worry when the bunch
from Happy Valley joins with the Diamond X outfit! We're a match for
all the Yaquis that never washed!"
"Let's don't be too sure of that, boys," cautioned Mr. Merkel. "What
more did you hear, Billee Dobb? Is it at all serious? How many of the
imps broke loose?"
"That I don't know, there's enough of 'em to make the government take
action. Some of the regular troops have received orders to move, and
they're on their way now. If there were only a scattered few of the
Yaquis, Uncle Sam wouldn't be so anxious. They've raided one Arizona
town, I heard."
"They have!" cried Nort, Dick and Bud in a breath.
"Why this must have happened several days ago," exclaimed Mr.
Merkel. "The Yaquis are quartered some distance from here, and news
doesn't travel as fast as all that. How do you account for it, Billee?"
"Well, the fellow who told me got his information from one of those
scavengers," explained Billee.
"Scavengers!" cried Bud.
"Yes, you know--one of them fellers that go up in flyin' machines,"
explained the old cow puncher.
"Oh, you mean aviators!" exploded Bud, trying not to laugh.
"Well, something like that, yes," admitted Billee. "Word of the rising of
the Indians was sent out by wireless, and some of the flying machines
were ordered to the border. One of 'em who was flying around here had
tire trouble, or something like that, and had to come down. It was from
him the boys back in town got some of the news, and the deputy sheriff
gave out the rest.

"Oh, the Yaquis are risin' up all right, and they may come out here. I
rode over like a prairie fire to let you folks know. We've had trouble
enough here at Diamond X and I didn't want any more."
"Much obliged to you, Billee," said Mr. Merkel. "Did you happen to
hear what town it was in Arizona that the Yaquis raided?"
"It was La--La--wait a minute now. It was one of those crazy Spanish
names. I'll tell you--La--La--La Nogalique--that's it!"
"La Nogalique!" cried Mr. Merkel, and he looked at the letter from
Rosemary.
"That's her!" affirmed the cowboy.
"Why--why!" exclaimed the ranchman, "that's the way they were
coming--in their auto! La Nogalique! They might have been there--"
"Who were coming?" asked his wife quickly.
"Rosemary and Floyd; They'd be there just about--when was that raid,
Billee Dobb?" cried Mr. Merkel.
"Last Friday!"
The ranchman whistled.
"That's bad!" he murmured. "Bad!"
"Would Rosemary and her brother have reached there by then?" asked
Mrs. Merkel.
"Just about," her husband replied slowly. "Just about! This looks bad!
Boys, we've got to do something! Those Yaquis may just be off on a
little harmless jamboree, or they may be excited by a lot of their
Medicine Men, or whatever they call 'em! Once let 'em get on the
rampage, half Mexicans as they are, and we won't know what to expect!
It looks bad! I'm glad the round-up is over. It gives us time. Boys, I
think--"

But what he thought Mr. Merkel did not disclose--at least for the time
being. The attention of all was again attracted by the sound of rapid
hoofbeats, and, looking toward the trail that led to town, a horseman
was seen riding toward Diamond X. By the manner of his approach it
was easily assumed that he came on no ordinary errand.
"More news of the Indians, or I miss my guess!" murmured Bud.
And while the solitary horseman is rapidly approaching, I will
endeavor to imitate his speed in acquainting my new readers with a
little of the past history concerning the boy ranchers as they have
played their parts in the previous books of this series.
The initial volume is entitled "The Boy Ranchers," and tells how Nort
and Dick Shannon went to visit their cousin, Bud Merkel, on the ranch
of the latter's father. This ranch, Diamond X, was in a western state, not
far from the Mexican border. And, as you know, the Yaqui Indians
were, in the main, a tribe of Mexican Redmen, who made their home
partly in the Land of Montezuma and partly in Arizona, as best pleased
them. Efforts were made by the Mexican Government to keep the
Yaquis on a reservation, but the efforts were not always successful.
Mr. Merkel was a ranchman of experience, and planned to have his son
follow in his footsteps. This Bud was eager to do, and when his cousins
came he saw a chance