Produced by Jim Ludwig
The Pony Rider Boys with the Texas Rangers
or
On the Trail of the Border Bandits
By Frank Gee Patchin
CHAPTERS
I. Excitement on the West Fork
II. A Mysterious Attack
III. In a Bad Man's Power
IV. Tad Butler Makes a Discovery
V. When the Tables Were Turned
VI. The Camp in an Uproar
VII. Receiving a Late Visitor
VIII. A Much-Wanted Desperado
IX. Showing Good Generalship
X. The Pony Rider Boys Initiated
XI. Bag-Baiting the 'Possums
XII. Insects Win the Battle
XIII. An Inquisitive Visitor
XIV. When the Air Grew Chill
XV. Making a Starting Discovery
XVI. Joining Out With the Rangers
XVII. Fun on the Mountain Trails
XVIII. One Hiss Too Many
XIX. Surrounding the Enemy
XX. Learning Some Fancy Shots
XXI. A Hole in the Mountain
XXII. The Cave of the Bandits
XXIII. In a Perilous Position
XXIV. Conclusion
Leaving the main branch of Delaware Creek, a broad, sluggish stream thatslowly made its way toward the muddy Pecos River, a party of horsementurned up the west branch.
Horses and men alike were wearied, dusty, perspiring and sleepy underthe glare of a midsummer Texas sun. Little had been said for sometime. None felt like talking. For hours they had been working southby west, urged on by the green of the foliage that they could see ashort distance ahead. At least it had seemed a short distance for thelast five hours, but the green trees now appeared to be just as faraway as when the party had first sighted them early in the morning.
At the head of the line rode a grizzled, stern-faced man, sitting onhis pony very stiff and erect. Just behind him was a young man,slender, fair haired and smiling, despite the discomfort his red faceshowed him to be suffering. Still back of them rode three other youngmen, the last in the line being a disconsolate fat figure of a boy whoslouched from side to side in his saddle, each lurch threatening toprecipitate him to the ground. The boy's pony was dragging alongwith nose close to the earth, the bridle rein slipping lower and lowerover the animal's neck. The fat boy was plainly asleep. He had beenslumbering in the saddle for more than an hour, and occasionalmutterings indicated that he was dreaming.
"Professor, don't you think we had better make camp and take a rest?"asked the first boy in the line, addressing the grizzled leader.
Professor Zepplin cast a critical glance down the line of jaded horsesand riders, a faint smile twitching the corners of his mouth.
"All tired out, eh, Tad?" he questioned.
"Yes, I'll confess that I am for once. Of course I can stand it aslong as the next one, but there's no use in wearing out the stock,"answered Tad Butler. "Chunky's asleep. Ned and Walter will be in afew minutes more."
"Very good; call a halt. We will ride into the bushes over there onthe other side of the stream. The water cannot be deep. Some hotcoffee will wake us all up."
"Hoo—-oo!" cried Tad, interrupting the professor. "Wake up, fellows,and make camp!"
"Wha—-what's up?" demanded Ned Rector, straightening in his saddle.
"Nothing's up, except ourselves, and we'll all be down in a minute.
We're going to ford the stream and mak