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CHAPTER XXV
THE END OF DEATH VALLEY

Hurrying along, some of the men in their saddles, others stumbling onfoot, not having taken the time to mount, the whole party rushed out ofthe defile. It was not until they had reached open country, somedistance removed from the entrance to Smugglers' Glen, that the olderscientist thought it safe to call a halt. And he did not do this untilhe had looked around, with his assistant, to make sure there were noearth fissures near, and had also ascertained the direction of thewind. He tested the air by breathing deeply of it and said:

"We're safe for a time. But there's no telling how long. This is amost remarkable natural phenomenon – one of the most remarkable I haveever happened upon."

"Very remarkable," agreed Professor Snath.

"But what's it all about?" asked Bud. "We've seen those earth cracksbefore."

"And near the place where there were dead cattle," added Nort.

"We heard running water down below, too," was Dick's contribution tothe general information.

"Those cracks go down to the bed of an underground stream," explainedProfessor Dodson. "The subterranean river, brook or whatever it is, must flow a long distance under this ranch," and he looked over theexpanse of valley, hill and plain. "Now an ordinary underground streamis not dangerous. In fact where it comes to the surface, as many do,it provides valuable water. But the stream below here is impregnatedwith a deadly gas." He gave it a long Latin name. "At least if it isnot always deadly," he went on, "and it may not be so at all times, owing to dilution, it is risky to breathe it. I think that is theexplanation of the deaths of your cattle," he said to Bud. "And youmen who were rendered unconscious," he indicated Sam and his guards,"you must have breathed a modified form of the gas."

"But those fellows had gas in tanks!" cried Nort.

"No question about that!" added Billee. "Did they bottle up this stuffyou gave such a long name to, Professor, and shoot it out at us?"

"No," was the answer. "I am inclined to think these unknown men used avery different kind of gas against you – probably a comparativelyharmless vapor discovered during the war activities. I think there aretwo puzzles here and that they are both in the way, now, of beingsolved."

"It looks so," murmured Bud. "But how is the poison gas generated andhow does it come up out of cracks in the earth to kill cattle and knockout our men?"

"The explanation is probably very simple," said the scientist. "Theremust be, somewhere near the head of the defile we just left, a depositof the mineral or ore from which this gas I speak of is generated. Itis somewhat like carbon monoxide, but more powerful even in the openair."

"Water, flowing over a bed of this mineral, liberates the gas in theform of an almost invisible vapor. It is swept forward in a cloud bythe wind, some of it is carried along above the course of theunderground stream, and as soon as it reaches an opening in the earth, like a fissure crack in the rock or ground, the gas rises and whoeverbreathes it dies or is rendered unconscious for a time, according tothe strength of the vapor. At one time the underground stream may bestrongly impregnated with the dissolved chemicals that generate thegas. At another time the emanations may be comparatively weak. That,I think, is the explanation of happenings here in Death Valley, as youcall it."

"Then the men who thought they had a gold mine in the cave had nothingto do with killing the cattle?" asked Nort.

"I can't say for sure, but I think not," the professor replied. "I aminclined to believe that they got these tanks of gas to use in drivingaway any who might try to get at their secret – a useless secret as itproves now. But the accidental deaths, both of cattle and men, fromthe underground gas must have been going on here a long time," thescientist suggested.

"They have!" declared Old Billee. "Several years back. That's why Iquit here. But we didn't know what the cause was. Some said poisonedwater, others poison loco-weed. Some said it was the souls of Indianswho were driven out of this valley years ago."

"And all the while it was just a natural gas liberated by anunderground stream running over a bed of chemicals," stated Bud.

"That's what I think," said Professor Dodson. "It remains to be provedconclusively, but that is what I think will be found."

"Then this means the end of Death Valley," went on Bud, gloomily. "Wecan't afford to stay here and raise cattle to be killed off by gas."

"No," agreed Professor Dodson. "But do not form a hasty decision.

Science can do much these days. It may be possible to neutralize this gas and so make your ranch safe. In that case it will be the end of

Death Valley but in a better way. It will be Life Valley then."

"Do you think it can be done?" eagerly Bud asked.

"I don't know. But it's worth trying. You say you have gas masks?

They will be needed I think."

"Plenty of 'em!" cried Bud. "Come on back to the ranch where we stillhave them. We may win yet!" he said to his cousins. "If the gold minepeters out, as it has done, we'll get rich raising cattle in one of thebest valleys of the west – providing the poison gas can be done awaywith."

"There's always an if in the road," murmured Nort.

But when, a little later, the scientists, the boy ranchers and some ofthe men, wearing gas masks, penetrated to the far end of the defile, they found conditions which were distinctly encouraging. ProfessorDodson located the mass of mineral which, when wet, gave off the vaporthat caused death or disablement according to its strength.

"All that needs to be done," he said, indicating the stream which ranfor some distance in the open before plunging underground, "is to builda small dam, change the course of this little river and send it downoutside the defile, instead of through it. Keep this streamentirely in the open and you will do away with the poison gas. It isreally a not very difficult problem in engineering and irrigation. Itwill not cost much to do this."

"Then it's going to be done, and it means the end of Death Valleyforever!" cried Bud. "I mean a happy ending," he added. "For we'll doaway with all danger."

"Thanks to you gentlemen and to Old Tosh," said Nort. "For he helped, didn't he?"

"Indeed he did," agreed Professor Snath.

"And when the course of the stream is changed," went on his chief,"there is no reason why the old herb doctor cannot resume work in hiscave if he wants to. It will be safe then."

"Guess he'll be glad to hear that!" chuckled Nort. "He's been like alost dog these last few weeks. Then those fellows, with their gastanks, didn't have anything to do with killing our cattle?" hesuggested.

"Not a thing," declared Professor Dodson. "It was a war against natureyou were fighting."

"We've only just begun to fight her!" cried Bud.

Mr. Merkel was not much disappointed when he learned that the cave minehad petered out.

"I never took much stock in it," he told his son over the telephone."But I'm glad you've solved the mystery of Death Valley. I'll sendsome engineers over, we'll change the course of that stream and go infor cattle raising. That's our business, anyhow, not mining."

In a few weeks the dam was constructed, the stream, where it ran in theopen, was shifted several hundred feet and there was no longer anydanger of it dissolving the chemicals and carrying the deadly gasunderground, to send it up out of fissures to the detriment of man andbeast. While the work was going on, all cattle were removed from thevicinity of the defile, which was found to be the only danger spot onDot and Dash.

The boys recalled the time when, in riding over the range, their horseshad taken such a sudden fright. They could not determine whether atthat time some poison gas might have seeped out, alarming the sensitivebeasts, or whether it was something like a snake which might havestartled the ponies. It was one of the things that remained unsolved, but it was a minor phase of the main problem which had been brought toa successful conclusion.

And so, in this comparatively simple manner, was the mystery solved andan end put to Death Valley, though it retained that name for many years.

Some time after all danger was removed, when cattle roamed freely overthe range, as near the defile as they cared to go, and when Old Toshwas again allowed to brew his Elixer in the cave, a man was arrested inLos Pompan for horse stealing. He was convicted and it developed hewas one of the men who had used the poison gas tanks against the boyranchers. He was one of a gang.

They had nothing to do with and knew nothing of the emanations ofnatural gas in Death Valley. They had heard the sinister reputation ofthe place, but that did not keep them out, and they discovered the caveand at once jumped to the conclusion that it contained gold. Theyfrightened away Old Tosh and when Bud stumbled on their operations theyadopted the sinister form of defense they used later. One of the menin the gang had served in the chemical warfare division of the A.E.F.overseas. He was an expert chemist and developed a gas that wouldknock a man out but not kill him. Thus Bud was made a prisoner, escaping when the men left him for a time.

The gang had taken considerable of the yellow ore out of the cave, and, doubtless after the battle in which they were worsted, they discoveredit to be valueless. So they had no reason to return to the territory.The gang dispersed. None of them, it appeared, had ever suffered fromthe effects of the natural gas.

Soon after the course of the stream was changed, Dot and Dash ranch wasa busy place. Several new herds were bought and pastured and more menwere hired. There was no trouble, now, in getting men from near by, for the story of the passing of the menacing gas was told all over.

Old Tosh was kept busy making his Elixer, for though the men knew itwas comparatively useless as a medicine, some of them thought it didthem good, and they rather liked the root beer taste it had.

"Why don't you put your full name on your labels?" asked Nort of thequeer old codger one day, when the boys were visiting him in his, or, rather, their cave, which he had fitted up to live in while he did hisbrewing. "You just call it 'Tosh Elixer.'"

"That's enough for a name," he chuckled. "But my first name, if youwant to know it is Simon. I don't fancy it so I seldom use it."

"Simon Tosh!" murmured Bud. "S.T. Why," he cried, "those were theinitials signed to that warning we received while we were on our wayhere. Did you come to our camp and leave that note?"

"Yes, I did," was the answer. "I heard a new crowd was coming to DeathValley and I thought I'd save their lives if I could warn them not tocome. I knew there was something with a queer smell, coming out of theearth, that killed men, horses and cattle. But I couldn't find outwhat it was. But I knew enough to get out of my cave and the glen whenI caught the first whiff of the queer perfume. It didn't get me."

"No, but it did for enough poor fellows, and for too many of our stockbefore we found out what it was," said Nort.

"I never could understand, though," said Mr. Tosh, after he hadidentified the two warning notes which Bud produced from his wallet, "Inever could understand why the gas came at some times and not atothers. You never knew when to look for it."

"Professor Dodson explained that," stated Bud. "It was due to theheight of the underground stream, and also the stream in the open. Atlow water there wasn't enough fluid to cover the bed of chemicals, andso no gas was generated. When the water rose, the gas was given off."

"Science is wonderful," murmured the old man.

The boys left him brewing his kettle of herbs. He insisted on givingthem a bottle of the Elixer though he knew they would not swallow anyof it.

"Give it to Fah Moo," suggested Mr. Tosh. "But tell him not to drinkit all at once."

"We will," promised Dick with a chuckle.

The boys rode home over the rolling plains, dotted with cattle. Nolonger need they look for lifeless forms. Death Valley, as such, wasno longer in existence.

"And we'll make almost as much money out of stock raising as if we hada gold mine," said Nort.

"Surest thing you know!" agreed Bad.

They put their horses in the corral and went in to supper.

"Smells good – whatever Fah Moo is cooking!" commented Dick. "What isit, Fah?" he asked as the Chinese cook came shuffling in.

"Melican man tulky," was the smiling answer.

"American turkey, what does he mean?" asked Nort.

"Roast pork and apple sauce," chuckled Bud, and he was right.

"Here, Fah," said Dick, handing the cook the bottle of Elixer. "Toshsent this to you."

The celestial gave one look at the flask, raised his hands to cover hismouth and ran from the room, squeaking in his falsetto voice:

"No can do! No can do!"

"He'll never open another bottle here as long as he lives!" chuckled

Bud.

And then, as the sun began to sink behind the western hills and fromthe various stations on the ranch the cowboys filed in to supper, theboys gathered at the table for the bountiful meal and were very happy.They had solved the poison mystery and made Death Valley a place oflife.

THE END