"Wall, I don't like him bein' so confounded long 'bout it," the first voice growled.
"Aw, yer always a stewin' 'bout somethin' or other. Why don't yer take things easy like I do?" a third voice broke in.
All the time the boy was creeping nearer until finally, peering out from behind a thick clump of bushes, he could see the men sitting beneath the limbs of a large tree while their tired horses were hobbled only a few feet away. To his disappointment there was no sign of any place which would serve as a hiding place for stolen cattle. He watched for a few minutes and then, judging that he had probably learned all that he could and that he would have barely time to get back to the ranch before dark, he got carefully to his feet and was about to start when, suddenly a pair of powerful arms were thrown about him and he was borne to the ground. He realized at once that it would be useless to resist, so he kept quiet and after a moment the man seized him by the collar and jerked him to his feet.
"So it's you, eh," he said roughly.
"It would seem so," Bob replied quietly.
"Perhaps yer won't be quite so fresh in answerin' my questions now."
Bob made no reply and the man asked:
"What yer doing here?"
"I guess it's plain enough," Bob replied.
"It's plain enough ter me that you were spying on us."