“What are we going to do about it, Frank?” demanded the Kentucky boy, as usual depending on his chum to take the lead.
“First of all, let dad know,” replied Frank, promptly.
“And perhaps he’ll start out to take a closer look at every Mexican puncher on the place?” suggested Bob. “Say, won’t there just be some ‘high jinks’ when he finds Mendoza, and accuses him of wanting to burn the buildings, or something about as bad? Whew, the Mexican will be some surprised when he learns his mask is snatched off; eh, Frank?”
“All the same I don’t believe dad will do anything like that,” was the reply the other made. “In the first place, it would be dangerous. Father would be likely to hold back, just to see what the game of Mendoza might be.”
“Oh! now I get on to what you mean!” exclaimed Bob; “in legal language, or as the police would say, he’d be better satisfied to catch him with the goods, trying to set a fire, for instance. And let me say, Frank, your father would show what you’d call good, sound, horse sense if he did let the fellow have rope that way. But say, I hope he tells a few of the boys. I’d feel safer
if we had enough fellows handy to stop Mendoza, when he starts to get ugly.”
“Depend on it he will, Bob. Dad never takes chances on such things. He’s handled too many deals with tough customers to think of going to sleep. But we’re getting close in now, and we’d better act natural. If you look around at every Mexican we happen to meet, don’t be too suspicious. Try and forget that we suspect a snake is warming himself at the Circle Ranch fires this evening.”
“All right, Frank,” replied the other, cheerfully. “I’m on to what you say, and don’t worry about my giving it away. But the work is through for to-day; because I can see the boys gathering in bunches while they wait for Ah Sin to beat the gong for supper. But I want to be with you when you tell your father the story, Frank.”
CHAPTER XXI
SETTING THE TRAP
Just as Bob had remarked, the hard work of the first day of the grand round-up seemed to be done. The cowboys had taken their wearied mounts to the corral, and were themselves gathering in little knots, to talk over the exciting events marking the start of the regular Fall clean-up.