The Boy Ranchers on the Trail; Or, The Diamond X After Cattle Rustlers

Produced by Joshua Hutchinson, Tiffany Vergon, Charles
Aldarondo, Charles Franks and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team.
The Diamond X After Cattle Rustlers
By WILLARD F. BAKER
Come on, Nort! It's your turn to cut out the next one!
S'pose I make a mux of it, Bud!
Shucks! You won't do that! You've roped a calf before!
Yes, but not at a big round-up like this. If I make a fizzle the fellows will give me the laugh!
What if they do? Everybody knows you haven't been at it long, and you've got to make a start. Besides, anybody's likely to make a mistake. That's why they put rubbers on the ends of pencils. Ride in now and snake out the next one, Nort!
All right, Bud! Here goes!
Blaze, the pony Nort Shannon was riding toward the bunch of cattle gathered at Diamond X ranch for the big, spring round-up, leaped forward at the sound of his master's voice, and in response to the little jerk of the reins and the clap of heels against his sides. Into the herd of milling, turning and twisting cattle the intelligent animal made his way, needing hardly any guidance from Nort. The lad, by a mere touch, corrected the course of Blaze slightly, and in a moment he was heading for a calf which bawled loudly.
Get him, Nort! cried a voice from among the cowboys looking on.