“All right! All right!� Teddy said easily. “Then it isn’t! You can’t get me sore,� he smiled amiably.
“What isn’t?â€� demanded his brother. “You mean to tell me you’d speak of a picture in our school auditorium in the same breath with—with—â€� and Roy flung out his arm in a mute and helpless gesture of finality.
“All right, I said! Go easy with that arm of yours! You made General jump then! But look! Isn’t the air clear? You can almost count the horses down at 8 X 8!�
“So you can. Well, we’d better be on our way. Dad won’t want to be kept waiting. He’ll be anxious to climb aboard General again, after a week of walking and flivvers in the city.�
“My boy, that’s just what I’ve been thinking. You show remarkable powers of perception. As soon as you can wake up that cayuse of yours, we’ll be moving.�
CHAPTER II
A DISHEARTENING LOSS
Clucking to their horses, the Manley boys proceeded toward Eagles. The road led downward now, and the going was easier.
“Speaking of the 8 X 8, did you hear what happened there?� Teddy asked, as he pulled gently on General’s leading rein.
“Yep! Twenty head of short-horn Durhams stolen; wasn’t it? Pete ought to put better men to riding his cattle.�
“Now, I don’t know,â€� Teddy replied slowly. “They’ve got some good punchers over on the 8 X 8. Way I figure it, those rustlers are mighty clever. They ride into a herd at night, cut out as many head as they can handle, and drive ’em away before the riders can get to them. But, by jinks, they’d better not try to get away with any of the X Bar X cattle! They’ll have one sweet fight on their hands if they do;â€� Teddy looked down at the side of his saddle where the insignia X—X, burned in the leather, could be plainly seen. The X Bar X was proud of its mark. It stood for many years of upright, square dealing.