CHAPTER XII

EXPLANATIONS

For a moment Ned and his chums did not know whether or not to accept the word of the cowboys. They feared a trick. But, as the one called Hinkee Dee had said, the boys themselves might justly be regarded with suspicion, so explanations were in order.

Ned brought out the letter of introduction he carried to the foreman, Dick Watson, and when Hinkee Dee and the others had examined this, and heard the story of the young men the cowboys felt they had made a mistake.

“And I guess you did the same thing,” observed the one called Parson. “You took us for rustlers, eh? Well, maybe it does look queer, driving cattle off at night this way. But we wanted to avoid the heat, and then, too, the boss is in a hurry to have ’em shipped away. You’ll find we’re all right.”

“Oh, I’m sure of it,” said Ned. By the light of one of the electrical flashes he had made out the Square Z brand on some of the cattle that had strayed up toward the big automobile. “You see we’re strangers here, and----”

“So I decimated,” observed Hinkee, who seemed to have a queer fondness for using the wrong word, whether from ignorance or a sense of humor the boys could not decide.

“And so you come all the way out here to catch the cattle rustlers?” asked the cowboy called Gimp.

“To have a _try_ at the mystery,” corrected Jerry.

“Well, it sure is a mystery all right, but I don’t reckon you can solve it.”

“There’s no harm in them tryin’,” added the Parson, who seemed to be more friendly than the others.

“No, I reckon not,” agreed Hinkee Dee. “Well, what’s to be done? If these tenderfeet are lost I s’pose it’s our duty to set ’em on the right trail. Tell you what,” he went on. “Gimp, you stay with ’em and see that they get to Square Z in the mornin’. The Parson and I can manage the steers. You ride back with the boys and show ’em how to keep on the trail.”

“All right,” agreed Gimp. As he spoke the flaps of the tent erected at the rear of the automobile parted, and the face of Professor Snodgrass peered out.

“Are we there?” asked the little man. “If we are I want to get up early, Jerry, and see if I can capture that specimen of a moth that only flies in the morning hours. I wish----”

The professor suddenly stopped talking and fairly sprang from the tent. Then it was observed that he was clad only in his pajamas and slippers. He made a dive toward Gimp, who quickly aimed his gun at the advancing figure, and then, though evidently fearing an attack, but seeing the professor was unarmed, the weapon was lowered, and Gimp murmured an apology.

“Oh, what a beautiful specimen!” exclaimed the scientist, gazing at something on the saddle in front of Gimp. “It is the largest I have ever seen. Where did you get it?”

“Get it? Get what? Oh, you mean _Lizzie_!” and he picked up a big horned toad. “Yes, she’s quite a pet of mine. A friend sent her to me from Arizona, and in warm weather she goes everywhere with me in my pocket. Guess she crawled out now to see what all the rumpus was about. You like horned toads?” he asked.

“I like anything in this line,” said the eager scientist as he picked up the unpleasant, but harmless creature and stroked its back. “So you call her Lizzie?”

“It’s a bit easier than _Iguanidae Phrynosoma_,” said Gimp.

“Oh, you know the Latin name?” beamed the professor, probably unaware of the queer figure he presented.

“That’s all the Latin I do know, so don’t tackle me on any more,” laughed the cowboy. “I wouldn’t have known that only it was writ on the box Lizzie come in, an’ I set up three nights learnin’ to say it without gettin’ a cramp in my tongue. Then I called her Lizzie for short.”

“She is a beautiful specimen,” murmured the scientist. “I see you have a love for nature.”

“Well, you might call it that,” assented Gimp. “I beg your pardon for gettin’ the drop on you just then.”

“You didn’t get anything on me,” the little bald-headed man said.

“He means covered you with his gun,” translated the Parson. “He had it aimed at you. He sure thought you was coming at him I reckon.”

“That’s what,” said Gimp. “’Tain’t healthy, out here, to jump at a man lessen he knows you some. But it’s all right.”

“I saw the toad and didn’t think of anything else,” explained the scientist. “I want to see if the markings correspond with those illustrated in Professor Bowden’s book.”

“This is Professor Snodgrass,” introduced Jerry, nodding toward him.

“Pleased to have met up with you,” said Gimp.

“Well, I guess introductions are in order,” commented Hinkee, as he handed back the letters. “From the outside these seem to be all right, boys, and if you turn out to be so, we’ll beg your pardon for bothering you. But we sure have to be careful. Now my name’s Jim Felton, and I’m assistant foreman, commonly known as Hinkee Dee. This here is Sam Jones, otherwise known as the Parson ’cause he’s so suburban like, and Tod Henderson never answers to anything but Gimp because he’s such a good dancer. Now you know us.

“Well, as I say, it may be all right,” went on Hinkee, “but for the sake of the ranch we’ve got to be careful. We sure did take you for cattle thieves when we saw your buzz wagon and camp over in this swale, though we couldn’t make out how in the world you used it to run the steers off the range. However, that’s all right now.”

The rest of the night was not long, and it was passed by the boys in quietness as the herd moved away, driven by the cowboys. In the morning, after breakfast, the start for the ranch house was made.

“Reckon I’ll ride with you lads,” said Gimp, as he untethered his horse. “I’ll let him amble home alone. I don’t want to push him too much as he’s been ridden hard lately. And I don’t often get this chance,” he added, as he glanced admiringly at the large automobile.

“But won’t somebody steal your horse?” asked Ned.

“I’d like to see ’em try. Blaze won’t let nobody but me come nigh him and he’ll find his way home all right. Cut along, Blaze,” he called as he removed saddle and bridle and patted the horse on the flank. The intelligent steed gave his master one look and then trotted slowly off. The automobile soon passed him, and for a time Blaze tried to keep up, evidently knowing his master was inside. But he soon gave it up and trotted at his own gait.

If the boys expected Gimp to make any observations on their elaborate traveling car they were disappointed. He said little or nothing on the trip.

“Here we are!” he exclaimed as they topped a little rise, and the boys looked down into a valley divided by a small stream and holding a collection of dull red buildings which they rightly guessed to be the Square Z outfit.

“Well, I see you got here!” was the greeting of foreman Dick Watson as the big car came to a stop.

“Then they’re all right?” asked Gimp, plainly a little surprised at this welcome, without the letters being read.

“Sure. Didn’t you think so? By the way, how comes it you’re not with the bunch?”

Gimp explained.

“Huh!” chuckled the foreman. “Took ’em for cattle thieves, eh? Yes, I been expectin’ ’em for some time. The boss wrote me as how they was comin’. If I’d a thought you fellows would ’a met-up with ’em, I’d ’a tipped you off. But it’s all right. I never seen you before, but I guess I can call you by name right off the bat,” and he did, to the no small amazement of Gimp.

“Your dad sent me pretty good descriptions of all of you,” he went on, speaking to Ned. “Well, you can tie your hosses---- Oh, shucks! I forgot you come in an automobile!” he laughed. “Well, we have a few out here but the crop ain’t very big yet. Come in and make yourselves comfortable.”

Frankly, the boys were just a bit disappointed by their reception and arrival. They had not created the furor they expected, and when dinner time came and half a score of cowboys flocked in to eat there was no curious crowd about the big automobile, as at least Ned had half expected. In fact, the arrival of the boys created very little impression.

“But wait until we get to work on the mystery!” murmured Ned.