Before the lads could get the lassoes, however, Mrs. Wilder called them to get ready for dinner.

As the two visitors took their seats at the table a Chinaman, clad in white, glided noiselessly into the room and took his place behind Mr. Wilder’s chair, ready to serve.

“Hop Joy, this is Mr. Larry and this is Mr. Tom,” said Mrs. Wilder.  “Whatever they ask you to do, you must do it.”

The celestial, who was cook, washman and general factotum on the Half-Moon Ranch, bowed gravely to each of the boys.

“That sounds very fine,” laughed Mr. Wilder, “but you must be careful what you ask Hop Joy to do.  If you disturb him when he’s cooking he’s apt to throw a pail of water at you.”

“Hop’s all right, father,” declared Horace loyally.  “He only throws water when the boys try to steal his doughnuts.  Um—­m, but Hop can make doughnuts!  You two just wait till you’re riding all day and then see if they don’t taste good.”

“So that explains the reason you keep on the right side of Hop Joy, eh?” answered Mr. Wilder, smiling.  “I’ve often wondered why you were so willing to help him when the boys are home.”

After the laughter this sally evoked had subsided Mrs. Wilder asked the boys about their journey.

In amazement the Wilders listened as the experiences were related, 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.

And their anxiety was not lessened when Mrs. Wilder asked: 

“What became of Hans?  Did you call him?  Did his brother meet him?”

“No, he didn’t,” said Larry.  Then, determined to get the matter settled at once, he continued:  “Mr. Wilder, I’m afraid I have imposed on your kindness, but I asked Bill and Horace to let the German boy come to your ranch until we could decide what he should do.  He’s so—­so scared, I did not like to leave him alone in Tolopah.”