CHAPTER XXII--AFTER THE THIEVES
Digby was strongly disgusted with himself. He felt that, to a degree, hewas to be blamed for both raids upon their camp.
"The first time I fell plumb asleep," he said. "And now I went away fromthe fire for a foolish reason. Just for a drink! But I declare, Chet, Idon't believe I would have done it if I'd known there was any reason tosuspect a return of those thieves."
"I blame myself, Dig. I should have told you," admitted Chet.
"Just the same, maybe I wouldn't have believed you. To think of a man'scoming right into the camp and taking those papers out of your shirt!"
"I reckon I sleep mighty hard," said Chet thoughtfully. "I know motherhas hard work to wake me up in the morning, sometimes. A good hunterought to sleep lightly."
"There are no medals on either of us," commented Dig. "Those followsmust be laughing at us."
"We'll make them laugh on the other side of their mouths if we catchthem!" declared Chet, with anger.
"How?"
"I'm very sure they are not so well mounted as we are. Poke and Hero aretwo of the best horses owned in Silver Run--you know that."
"Sure!"
"And it stands to reason the thieves are not so well armed as we are."
"Whew! you don't mean to chase them and shoot them, Chet?" demanded thestartled Digby.
"Of course not! But I'm glad to know that we've got rifles that willprobably shoot a good deal farther than any weapons they may carry."
"Huh!" said Dig, scarcely understanding. Then he inquired: "Do yousuppose, Chet, that these were the chaps that startled that wolfyesterday, and spoiled our buffalo hunt?"
"I shouldn't be at all surprised," said Chet.
"Ho! then let's catch and hang 'em," grinned Digby. "No punishment istoo bad for them."
But neither boy could extract many smiles from the situation. As itchanced, the thieves had overlooked their remaining piece of deer meat.Their pocket drinking-cups were left them, too. They toasted the meatover the fire and washed it down with water, thus making an early andfrugal breakfast.
It was growing faintly light in the east by this time, foretelling anearly summer dawn. Dig brought in the horses and watered them, whileChet filled the canteens.
There was not much remaining of their outfit to make ready fordeparture. The thieves had not left them a single cooking utensil; butthey had coffee, condensed milk, pepper and salt.
"That blamed Tony Traddles is just mean enough to do a thing like this,"Dig declared. "But we'll get square yet!"
The boys had an idea as to which direction the two midnight raiders hadheaded. It was at the western end of the pool that Dig had seen the onein the saddle waiting for his comrade.
"If they intend to make any use of those deeds father intrusted to me,"Chet said, "they will hike out for Grub Stake."
"Good-bye to the buffaloes, then," sighed Dig. "We won't see themagain."
"I don't suppose so," returned his chum. "But getting those deeds to Mr.John Morrisy is of more importance than shooting the big bull. Fathertrusted us to do his errand, and we've got to do it."
"How'll you make those fellows give up the deeds, Chet?" queried Dig, inwonder.
"I don't know; but I'll find a way when we catch up with them, don't youfret."
When the horses were saddled and ready, Chet went ahead, leading Hero,and found the place where the second man had mounted and the two ridershad wheeled and galloped away from the camp they had robbed.
Chet Havens was quite a sensible lad for his age, and he secretlywondered why the thieves had been so afraid of two boys. It scarcelyseemed reasonable that they should be so fearful.
"Unless it was Dig's rifle shot that scared them off," he thought."Perhaps the men are not prepared to face rifles. Yet, I am quite surethey were stalking the buffaloes as well as we. They could not expect toshoot such beasts with pop-guns."
It was easy to follow the trail left by the riders for some miles. Thehoofs of their horses cut the sod sharply, and threw up bits of turf asthe animals scurried over the ground.
The route the thieves had followed was across a range quite unfamiliarto the chums from Silver Run. It led almost due west, and the trail waspossibly parallel with the trace leading to Grub Stake.
It puzzled Chet at first why the men had not struck out immediately forthe Grub Stake trail. But after riding for about five miles, and findingthat the trail was very plain, he suddenly discovered the meaning of it.
The thieves had ridden down the sloping bank of a wide but easily fordedstream, in the shallows of which the trace disappeared.
"They've taken to the water, but we don't know which way they've gone,"cried Dig, in disgust.
"It's a fact that we don't know for sure," Chet returned thoughtfully."But I think it's a trick."
"Of course it's a trick--and one meant to throw us off the track. We'llhave a nice time searching along these banks to find the place wherethey came out of the water."
"That's right--if we searched," answered Chet, as Hero drank his fill.
"What do you mean? You going to give up?"
"Not much!" exclaimed the other young trail hunter.
"What you going to do, then?" demanded the puzzled Dig.
"I'm going to fool them. I don't know where they left the stream, and Idon't care. There is one thing I am sure of."
"Huh?"
"They're going to Grub Stake. I bet they want to get there before we do.That man--whoever he is--is planning to make some use of those deeds hestole from me. So, take it from me, boy, they are not going far out ofthe straight way to Grub Stake."
"Whew! that's reasonable, old man."
"Then we'll cross here and keep right on. We'll bear off graduallytoward the regular trail to Grub Stake. I bet we pick up the trace ofthese two rascals before long."
"Long head! Long head!" declared Dig admiringly. "Come on! these horseswill drink so much water they'll be water-logged and can't travel. Hikeout o' there, Poke, you villain!"
The boys cantered through the shoals and out upon the other bank. Whenthey reached the upper edge of the river bank Chet rose in his stirrupsand swept the plain all about for some sign of moving objects. Thethieves had not taken his field-glasses, for they had been in the pocketof his saddle.
A little to the northwest, but far, far away, the boy saw two blackspecks. They did not look bigger than buzzards, but Chet Havens thoughtthey were the mounted men. He passed the glasses to Dig.
"Look at them, old man," he said. "We don't want to chase way over therefor nothing."
"Whew!" quoth Dig. "We couldn't go for nothing, Chet. Either they arethe men we are after, or it's game that we need. Don't overlook the factthat we've got to eat. Chewing dry coffee, nor yet drinking condensedmilk, doesn't appeal to me."
"I don't know but you're right," agreed Chet. "Much as I want toovertake those miserable thieves, we must not overlook the fact that wehave to eat to live."
"That sounds good," grinned Dig. "Mother says I just live to eat. Thereis a difference."
The boys rode on, but the two objects they had seen disappeared in acoulie. Later they saw them and identified them as two grazing animals.
"Of course, not the buffaloes," said Chet doubtfully.
"Why! they went the other way!" Dig declared. "Isn't that so?"
"We suppose so. Hard to tell what a frightened bunch of animals will do,though I supposed they would continue to graze northeast."
"Never mind. We'll see what those things are if they'll let us get nearenough."
It wasn't long before the boys identified the moving objects (of whichthey caught sight now and then as they cantered over the rollingprairie) as a pair of elks. The spreading horns of the male were quiteeasily seen.
"If we get one of those, boy, it's going to be no cinch," declared DigbyFordham. "That's a big buck."
"We'll try, at least," said his chum. "If you don't at first succeed,you know--"
"O
h, yes! I know," returned Dig. "Suck eggs! But I'm not fond of 'em inthat way. Take it from me, I don't care to 'try, try again' for thoseelks. We're soon going to be just as hungry as ever Robinson Crusoe was.Fix it so I get a shot at one of 'em from a rest, Chet."
"Well! don't rest the butt of your rifle against your forehead again,"advised Chet, glancing at the smear of blood that had oozed through thehandkerchief Dig had bound about his brow.
"Watch me!" growled Dig. "I won't shoot this old gun again without beingmighty sure that she isn't going to kick me."
When they came to the next water-hole he dismounted and bathed the woundon his forehead. It was a bad gash, and the forehead was sore andbruised all about the wound.
"Talk about being wounded in the war," said Dig grimly, as Chet tied thehandkerchief again. "I ought to get a pension. My uncle carried this oldrifle for three years in the war, and I bet I'm the only one that's everbeen wounded with it."
"And that at the wrong end," chuckled Chet. "But didn't your uncle evershoot at the enemy?"
"I don't believe so. He was too tender-hearted. It's a family trait,"said Dig gravely.
"I bet you don't show any of that tenderness of heart if we come withinshooting distance of those elks," said Chet, climbing back into thesaddle.
"Now, aren't you just right?" proclaimed Digby.
They galloped on, seeing the elks from the next rise not more than threemiles away. How the graceful creatures had come out here on the plainwas something of a mystery--especially without more of their tribe.
Now Chet took the lead and governed the approach to the feeding place ofthe elks. There were no thickets, but there were several mounds behindwhich the young hunters could screen themselves.
Yet none of these shelters was near enough to enable the boys to getwithin easy rifle shot. They tried one mound, dismounting and lyingflat, to rest the barrels of their guns over the top of the rise.
But the distance was too great. Dig wanted to try it, but Chet forbadehim to shoot.
"The elks are travelling away from us. If you wounded one, it wouldgallop farther and farther away. Then we'd likely lose the gameentirely. If we could get around ahead of them it would do to risk along shot. But of course they are feeding up wind."
"What will we do, Chet? Don't forget that starvation stares us in theface."
"Pull in your belt a little more," grinned Chet.
"Whew! if I pull it in much tighter," declared Dig, "I'll cut myself intwo. I've got a waist like a wasp already. My stomach thinks my throat'scut. I tell you, boy, we've got to eat!"
Dig was much in earnest. It was pressing close to noon and theirbreakfast--and the previous evening's meal--had not been verysatisfactory. Chet was just as earnest in his desire to kill game; yet,he would not have started this way had he not at first thought that theelks were mounted men.
Being on the ground, however, he set his wits to winning out against thecunning of the game. He and Dig rode around several mounds and finallycame to a shallow valley between two of the small eminences, and throughwhich they might ride right out upon the little prairie on which theelks grazed.
"And that's the best we can do, Dig, I believe," Chet declared. "Wecouldn't possibly steal up within sure rifle shot, afoot. Got to trustto our horses being quicker on their feet than the elks for the firstfew jumps. And don't let your rifle smash your face again!"
"Let's get down and cinch up," said Dig nervously. "If our saddlesshould slip--"
"Hold on! hold on, boy!" advised Chet, under his breath. "Don't you havean attack of elk fever at the critical moment."
"Stop talking, and come on," urged Dig, pulling up on Poke's strapsuntil the black mustang squealed. "Do hush, you black abomination! Don'tyou give us away."
Into the saddles again, and the boys looked at each other. It was to bea race of a quarter of a mile or more before they came within riflerange of the feeding elks. Chet nodded and Dig returned it. Then theygave their mounts free rein, and Hero and Poke dashed forward.
They went through the cut between the hills with a rush, their quickfeet padding lightly on the sod. Out upon the prairie they debouched,gradually separating so as to have a better chance at the elks.
The latter kept their heads down, feeding. The patter of the horses'hoofs upon the sod was almost soundless. The boys were coming up behindthe elks and in another minute--
Dig began to raise his rifle slowly; Poke was running with free bridle,for his master could guide him by the pressure of his knees as well asby pulling on the bit.
But Dig was too early. They were not to come so easily upon the elks. Ofa sudden the grazing animals jerked up their heads and glanced around.It did not seem as though they could have seen the hunters; but theycaught the vibration of the pounding hoofs.
They were off like darts, swerving from the direction the boys came,stretching out to reach the swell of the nearest hillock.
"Come on!" yelled Chet, and pounded Hero in the flank with his heels.
The horses seemed to enter into the spirit of the chase. They thunderedup the rise at the heels of the elks. Dig wanted to shoot at once; butChet begged him not to.
"You'll be shooting right into the air as we go up hill!" he shouted."You'll shoot clean over their heads, Dig."
"I don't want to lose my chance as I did with those buffaloes," returnedDig, much worried.
"Wait till we're over the rise. Then we can shoot down on them--"
But Chet was mistaken. The elks flew over the rise. It would have been along shot had they tried it then. On rushed the bay and the black, bothas eager in the chase as their young masters.
Chet fairly rose in his stirrups to see over the round top of the mound.He saw the tossing horns of the bigger elk; and then--he saw somethingelse!
"Dig! Dig! they're here!" he gasped, and almost fell out of his saddle,he was so amazed.