“We did,� the ranchman stated. “Teddy marked it in a ditch. Wasn’t hardly worth sweepin’ up. They’d stripped it clean and smashed the motor to pieces with a wrench. Bug Eye was seein’ red. He could hardly talk. By golly, if the same gang is doin’ all this dirty work, they’ve got an awful lot to settle for!�
“I’ll tell a maverick they have!â€� Roy declared hotly. “And they’ll settle, too! Froud made a mistake when he brought me over to Harver’s Gully. I’ve got an idea that the gang’s headquarters is around there some place. Teddy, you and I will have to take a ride over there soon. It’s right on a deep part of the river, you know, and we might get a few fish—though the kind of fish I’d like to get can’t be caught with a hook and line.â€�
It was eight o’clock before Roy threw himself upon his bed and gave himself over to the blissful luxury of complete relaxation. The others who had joined in the chase, including of course Mr. Manley and Teddy, were likewise catching up on some sleep. At twelve o’clock the ranch yard presented a strangely deserted appearance. When usually the cowboys would be yelling loudly for Sing Lung to hurry up with that grub, now from the bunk-house sounded only the snores of punchers sunk deep in slumber. Those who had not gone on the night ride stayed as silent as possible, out of respect for their fatigued brothers. But it would have taken a salvo of twenty-one guns to awaken those buckers.
At four o’clock Roy opened his eyes full upon a beam of sunlight that shot through his window and played upon his face. Automatically he turned upon his side, then saw that in the bed across from him Teddy still slept peacefully. Reaching over, Roy gently raised the window shade, so that the sun now shone upon Teddy. The boy moved restlessly, threw his hand over his eyes, then turned and saw his brother grinning at him.
“What time?� he asked in a monotone.
“Six-thirty! You going to sleep all day? I’ve been up hours. Had lunch and went for a ride with Curly.�
“Curly? You mean Nell?�
“No, I mean Ethel. Why?�
“Oh, nothing.� Then, when he saw the grin on his brother’s face, Teddy turned to the wall with a snort of disgust.
“Don’t be silly! You just woke up yourself. Six-thirty! Humph! I’ll bet it’s about twelve o’clock. Well—â€� as he looked at a watch on the chair beside him—“it’s only a little after four, anyway. I knew you were kidding.â€�