"Well, that's good," said Bud when the welcome news had been conveyed to him.
"Do you think these rustlers were responsible for the deaths here in this valley?" asked Nort. "Have they been setting off this gas—or some even worse—and killing cattle, men and horses?"
Billee Dobb shook his head.
"Death Valley got its name a long while back," he said. "Long before these fellers could have been operating. This is some new dodge, take my word for it."
"It's a queer way to rustle cattle—kill 'em with gas," said Yellin'
Kid.
"Oh, they keep the gas for humans that might try to catch 'em, I guess," Billee went on. "That's just something to cover their operations. And it doesn't solve the other deaths that took place here."
"You say you saw those men digging away in the cave, cracking rocks and the like of that?" asked Snake.
"That's what I think I saw," spoke Bud. "Of course I don't know what
I really saw and what I may have dreamed, half unconscious as I was.
But it's easy to find out if any digging has been done in the cave. We
can take another trip back there and——"
"That's just what we'll do!" cried Nort
"And we'll catch these fellows an' string 'em up!" cried Sam Tarbell. "They killed my best horse and I'm going to have revenge on 'em. Are you with me, boys?"