“It may make a lot of difference to ye, young feller. I reckon mebby ye knows thet thet critter belongs to the Diamond Bar ranch, an’ thet he was stole from thar three days ago. Turn round while I relieve ye of some of thet hardware.”
Stacy ceased chewing and stood with arms uplifted while his weapons and cartridge belt were being removed, following which he was roughly yanked around facing his captors.
“You be careful, you rough-necks. You’ll find out that I’m a bad man when I get riled,” warned Chunky boastfully.
“I reckon ye be all of thet. Jest now ye ain’t, an’ ’fore long mebby ye won’t be nothin’ ’tall. Yer under arrest!” announced the spokesman.
“Wha—at for?” gasped the Overland boy, his face losing some of its color.
“Horse stealin’! Thet’s all!”
A strong hand was fastened on Stacy’s collar and he was roughly jerked out of the cabin and thrown on the pony that he was accused of having rustled. It began to dawn on Stacy Brown that he was in a serious predicament.
CHAPTER XVIII
TROUBLE AT RED GULCH
The second bird was liberated at noon, and was quickly on its way, observed eagerly by the girls of the Overland unit and their companions of the Circle O ranch. The pigeon did not seem to deviate a hair’s breadth from the line followed by the first bird.
“Isn’t it wonderful to be a bird and go where the wind listeth?” murmured Emma Dean.