The trio were Bill Masterson and his two cronies, Sam Higgins and Eph Compton.

“Well, here we are, Eph,” said Bill, as they watched the boys drive off.

“Yes, and here they are, too,” grunted Eph.

“I’m glad we’ve got here at last, though.  Keeping out of sight on that train was beginning to get on my nerves.”

“Same here,” said Sam Higgins, stretching himself.  “But I guess we succeeded in keeping ourselves hidden all right.”

“Sure,” rejoined Masterson.  “They haven’t a notion we are here.”

In the meantime the lads found accommodations till the next day at the small hotel on a back street where Zeb had insisted on their coming so as to escape observation.  Yuma is full of prospectors and miners, and every stranger in town is suspected of having some sort of a scheme, he explained, and as a consequence is closely watched.

Zeb’s first care, therefore, was to circulate a story that the professor, a noted savant and geologist, was going into the desert with his party to collect specimens.  This appeared to satisfy the landlord, who was at first inclined to be curious.

The professor had hardly been shown his room before he was out again with his hammer and satchel and his attention was almost at once attracted by a big stone that held up one corner of the barn at the back of the hotel.  The boys knew nothing of what he was doing till they heard a loud, angry voice crying: 

“Hey, you in ther preacher’s suit!  Quit tryin’ ter pull thet thar barn down, will yer?”

“But, my dear sir,” came the professor’s voice, in mild expostulation, “are you aware that you have built your barn on the top of a splendid specimen of primordial rock?”

“Don’t know nuthin’ about a prime order of rock,” came back the other voice.

The boys looked out of the window.  They saw the landlord of the hotel, a surly-looking fellow, with a big black mustache and tanned cheeks, striding across the yard to the professor, who had blissfully resumed his chipping.

The landlord reached out one brawny hand to grab his guest, when something happened that made him temporarily cease hostilities.  A big chunk of rock suddenly flaked off under the professor’s assault.  It flew in the air and the next instant a yell of pain apprised them that the landlord had got it right in the eye.

The professor looked round as the man emitted a bellow of rage.

“Bless me, where did that bit of rock go?  Ah, there it is!  Right at your feet, sir,” and he darted forward with a smile of satisfaction and, picking up the chunk of rock that had struck the indignant landlord, placed it in his satchel.

“Thank you very much for stopping it, sir,” he said, with a bow, and then, before the thunderstruck landlord could say anything, the scientist strolled off under his umbrella in search of more specimens.  The boys fairly choked with laughter.