"Buck! You consarned old ventriloconquest!" shouted Summers, vastly relieved as Bellew burst into a roar of hearty laughter.
"Forgot I used to be ventriloquist with a medicine show, eh?" chuckled Bellew, rolling about in his saddle. "Come in handy sometimes, don't it?"
"Waal, next time yer goin' ter practice, jes' let us know in advance."
Summers' face held rather a sheepish grin as he spoke. The black-mustached man looked even more foolish.
"Make a good signal, wouldn't it?" asked Bellew presently.
"Yes. By the way, reckon you could imitate a coyote, Buck?"
"Easy. Listen!"
A perfect imitation of a coyote's yapping, hyena-like cry rang out.
"Great. Maybe we can use that sometime."
How soon that cry was to be used, and to what disastrous effect on our little party of adventurers, we shall see as our story progresses. But the next time Buck Bellew gave that thrilling, spine-tightening cry, was to be under far different circumstances, and with far different results—results fraught with great importance to our young adventurers.