“Losing things! What do you mean, Uncle Jarley?” questioned the nephew quickly.
“What do I mean?” stormed the ranch owner. “Do you know what has happened since you went away?”
“No.”
“Well, then, I’ll tell you! Two of our best horses have been stolen! Right out of the stable, too!” exclaimed Jarley Bangs wrathfully. “Duster and old Whitehead!”
“Stolen!” came from all of the boys simultaneously.
“Yes, stolen! Nobody saw ’em taken, but they’re gone, and not a man on the ranch was near ’em!”
“I’ll wager that’s more of Bud Haddon’s work,” declared Jack quickly.
“But he wasn’t here—he was over at the caves,” returned Fred.
“Well, if he didn’t do it, then some members of his gang did,” put in Randy.
“I’m going to have the law on somebody for this!” stormed Jarley Bangs. “Too many horses in this neighborhood have been stolen. I’m going to visit some of the other ranchmen and notify the sheriff, and see if we can’t raise a posse to run down the rascals.”