"Oh, Del Pinzo and Hank Fisher had pull enough to get him out of
jail, after he'd served only part of his term for infecting our
stock," said Bud. He had reference to something which is
explained in the volume immediately preceding this. Del Pinzo was
a notorious Mexican half-breed who, more than once, had made
trouble for the boy ranchers. Hank Fisher was the owner of Double
Z ranch, adjoining that of Square M, one of Mr. Merkel's, and
also adjoining Happy Valley. Pocut Pete was believed to be a tool
of these two unscrupulous men, and Del Pinzo had at his command
Several Greasers who slipped back and forth over the Mexican
border, not far from which were located the holdings of Mr.
Merkel and the boy ranchers.

"Well, this is a stethoscope all right," went on Nort, as Bud
turned toward his pony, with the evident intention of mounting.

"And I'd give a lot to know what it's doing here, and who dropped
it," spoke Bud. "Let's look around a little more. I'm not at all
satisfied with this. I sure saw, some one here, and this proves
it," and he stuffed the doctor's instrument into his pocket.

"It doesn't prove that the man you saw--or thought you just saw--
sneaking around here dropped it," spoke Nort. "We've been away
for a week, and it may have been dropped any day within that
time."

"Yes," agreed Bud. "But who was monkeying around here as we rode
back to camp? That's what I want to know!"

However, search as the boy ranchers did, they found no midnight