“Who’s Jim Jeffreys?” demanded Larry of Horace.

“He’s one of our neighbors, if it’s him.”

“Well, don’t you know?  Can’t you recognize him?”

Having recovered from his fright, the boy stared at the man who had caused it and then announced: 

“Yes, it is Jim.”

“It’s a pity you couldn’t have recognized him before!” snapped Tom as he and his brother lowered their rifles.

CHAPTER XVI

WHAT JEFFREYS KNEW

Jeffreys, as soon as he understood his identity had been established, leaped his pony toward the boys and was soon beside them.

“You are a fine lot to be packing rifles!” he snorted, his anger rising as the danger passed.  “You may think it’s a good joke to cover anybody you meet on the plains, but some one may turn the joke on you by firing before you get your aim.  You aren’t what you call ‘quick on the trigger.’”

“Which is fortunate for you—­in this case,” declared Larry, resenting the manner and tone of the stranger.

The sight of the two serious-faced boys, whose eyes showed them to be keen and alert, brought Jeffreys to his senses.

“I reckon you’re right,” he exclaimed.  “But what’s up, Horace?  If you and your friends are out for a little excitement, just take my tip and turn your attention to jumping a coyote or you may——­”

“We are not after excitement,” retorted the boy from the Half-Moon Ranch.  “We don’t have to go looking for it.  We’ve got all we want.  Some of Megget’s gang have raided our herd.”

“No?  It must have been them I saw over near the hills early this morning.”

“Where were they?” “Which way were they going?” “How many were there of them?” demanded the lads, each one asking a question.

“It was just after sun-up.  I was too far away to recognize the cattle, but I counted four men.  As they only had about fifty head with ’em, I sort of suspected something was wrong, so I got out of sight before they could see me.  Leastways, if they did, they didn’t make any move to get me.”

“Where have you been?”

“I’ve been up in the hills for a few days prospecting.”

“Did you find the mine?” inquired Tom, forgetting the raid and pursuit in his eagerness to learn about the Lost Lode.

“No, I didn’t.  I just learned another trail, which isn’t the right one.”

Larry, however, was more interested in the cattle thieves and brought the conversation back to them.

“Were the men near the hills when you saw them?” he asked.

“About a quarter of a mile away.”

“Then come on.  We must get to the hills so we can find their trail,” declared Horace.

“You kids sure ain’t going after ’em alone?” exclaimed Jeffreys incredulously.

“But if there are only four of them?”

“To you three, and they are men, don’t forget that.”