and when Larry finished the account of his mix-up with the
cow-punchers Bill exclaimed:

"And here Horace and I have been making fun of you for tenderfeet.
The joke seems to be on us."

"That's what it is," asserted their father. "There are not many
men, let alone lads, who can say they have faced Gus Megget and got
the best of him."

It was the chums' turn to be surprised as they heard this statement.

"Then you know him?" queried Tom.

"I know of him," corrected the ranchman, and the boys noted that
the kindly expression of his face disappeared as he spoke. "Gus
Megget is a very bad man. He hasn't done an honest day's work for
five years. People say he is a train robber, and I've always
believed he was a cattle thief, too. From what you tell me, that's
Shorty Jenks' opinion. If the truth were known, I think Megget
would prove to be the head of a gang of cattle thieves."

And how true were Mr. Wilder's suspicions, they were all destined
to learn.

The recital of their adventuresome journey recalled to the boys
that they had entirely forgotten to tell about Hans' coming.

Each of the four apparently thought of the timid German boy at the
same time and looked at one another uneasily.