CHAPTER XIV
CONCLUSION
Day was dawning when the two, after a trying journey, reached thecabin of the ranger. Tad uttered a long drawn "Hoo-o-o-o-e-e-e,"which brought Jim Coville to the door of his cabin. He recognizedDunkan at once, and invited the two in. Jim had another guest, a manwho was introduced as Rodman, and whom Tad Butler decided was a verykeen, resourceful man.
The callers, when they said they had something of importance thatthey wished to say to Coville in private, were informed that theymight speak freely before Rodman. Tad then told his story, watchingand noting its effect on Rodman. He saw that worthy start when hementioned the sparking up near the tree tops.
"Young man," cried Rodman after Tad had finished, "you have done abig thing, and for which you have earned and will receive the thanksof the United States Government. I am Dave Rodman, United StatesSecret Service, and I am here to find a supposed, or rather suspected,gang of swindlers in these mountains. I have covered the Ridge and Ihave found nothing. Your eyes and your scent were keener than mine.What is your plan?"
"That we go there in force tonight."
"I'll have to send for help. That will take nearly two days."
"I reckon you will have all the help you need," spoke up Jim Dunkan."There are four in my party and there's five of the Pony Rider outfit.I'll stake that crowd against any twenty men in these mountains. Youturn these boys loose on their own hook and they'll bring back everyone of these traitors, dead or alive--probably alive."
"I am inclined to agree with you," replied the Secret Service manafter a brief consideration of the subject, during which he regardedTad Butler shrewdly. "If the others are from the same piece that youare, young man, I don't need any other assistance. I will go withyou now."
"No, that will not be wise," objected Tad. "You must not be seen inour company or you will frighten away the men you are after. If Imay offer a suggestion, keep under cover right here until after dark,then take the trail for our camp. I will start out early in theevening and get on the trail of the gang, meeting you at a certainagreed-upon point, where you will go with my party. I shall thenknow what to tell you about the situation."
"All right. I'll be there at nine o'clock. Thank you," he added,rising and giving Tad's hand a quick, firm pressure.
Coville made his visitors sit down and have breakfast with him beforethey started out on their return journey. They left him about nineo'clock that morning. Reaching their camp, Tad, saying that he wastoo sleepy to talk, turned in for a long sleep, from which heawakened about four o'clock in the afternoon. He then detailed tohis companions what his plans were, and named an hour and place wherehe would meet them that evening, then, shouldering his rifle, the boysauntered from the camp as if he were out to hunt game for his outfit,and was seen no more that day.
It was eleven o'clock at night when the mournful hoot of an owl in agulch about half a mile from Stillman's cabin brought an answeringhoot, after a proper interval. A few moments later the party of PonyRiders and prospectors, headed by Dave Rodman, were startled to seeTad Butler standing before them. Though they knew he was to meetthem at that point, he had slipped in among them so cleverly that itseemed as if he had suddenly grown out of the ground.
"You're a wonder," complimented Rodman. "What is the news?"
"Your men are at the wireless station right now, and some hoursbefore they were supposed to be there. There are five of them.Beach is with them. It is to be their last meeting at the cabin, forthey seem to have discovered that they are being looked for, andpropose to make a getaway to-night."
"Who are the other three?" demanded Rodman sharply.
"Besides Beach, there are Smoke Griffin and the wireless man, whosename is Hans Gruber, and one other. I think we had better be goingor we may be too late," suggested Tad.
Dave Rodman uttered an exclamation under his breath.
"I reckon you're right," agreed the Secret Service man. "For yourinformation I will tell you that I have heard of Gruber before. Hewas under suspicion of being a German spy during the war, and was oneof three men who blew up a munition factory in a certain place. Theothers were caught, but Gruber got away. Uncle Sam is still lookingfor him. Shall we move?"
"Yes," answered Tad. "I suggest that we go cautiously and keepquiet. All ready."
In due time Tad halted at the point where he and Ned had firstdiscovered the cabin. He directed his companions to wait there whilehe did a little investigating. Rodman was willing to leave thearrangements to Butler, realizing that the lad was keen, and that,knowing the ground, he would be likely to avoid pitfalls. Tadreturned half an hour later.
"The men are all in the cabin," he said. "They aren't working thewireless tonight, but they are working their jaws, at times havingquite a heated discussion over the division of the funds. Theyexpect a victim to come up here tomorrow with one of their fellows,to buy that salted-down gold mine, but they aren't going to wait forhim. There is a light in the cabin. You can't see it from herebecause they have hung a blanket over the window."
"Do you know if the wireless plant is in the cabin?" questionedRodman.
"No, sir, it is under the cabin," answered Tad promptly. "Theaerials are now down and all traces of the plant above ground havebeen removed."
"Huh! Anything else?"
"There is a burglar alarm wire surrounding the cabin. I'll tell youwhen you get to it. Be careful that you do not stumble over it."
Rodman was amazed.
"Wait a moment," he said. "If you have a plan I should like to hearit before we proceed. Perhaps I may not approve of it."
"Yes, sir, I was about to suggest it. There is only one door in thecabin, and that is on this side. There is one window at the rear.Two men should get within easy range of that window, so they canplainly see any person who attempts to go out through it. The restof the party should line up in front with rifles at ready, a littleahead of the others."
"And what will you be doing?" demanded the government officer.
"Oh, I am going in to demand their surrender."
"Quiet now. Every man on the alert," ordered Rodman. "Takepositions."
Ned and Ellison were assigned to guard the window exits, while theothers were placed in open order in a curving line about the front ofthe cabin. "Ready, Butler?"
For answer Tad stepped forward cautiously, halting when close to thecabin, to look back at his support. He nodded, and walking up to thedoor, placed an ear against it. All eyes out there were upon theslender figure of the Pony Rider Boy faintly outlined against thecabin. Finally Tad waved a hand to indicate that he was ready. Hetried the door and found that it was not locked.
Slipping his revolver from its holster Tad gently pushed the dooropen, so gently in fact that those within evidently thought amountain breeze was responsible. Butler was at one side of the doornow, and was unseen by those in the cabin. His purpose was to giveDave Rodman a good view of the interior.
"Great guns but that boy is a cool one!" muttered Tom Royal.
Stillman sprang up and strode towards the door. His hand was upon itwhen all at once the muzzle of a revolver was pushed firmly againsthis stomach. The others in the cabin did not see what had occurred,but it was plain that they understood something was wrong.
"Put out the light!" yelled Stillman, springing back.
"You are surrounded. Give in before all of you are shot!" retortedButler. He fired a shot into the floor of the cabin, and almost atthe same instant a volley of revolver shots answered his own, butTad, crouching low, was unhit. He then fired a little higher, hopingto catch a leg. He did. The leg belonged to Stillman, as Tad knewby the yell that followed.
"Do you surrender?" called Butler, dodging to one side again. Theanswer was a volley of shots from the inside.
"Give them a low volley. Look out, you fellows behind the cabin,"ordered Tad. The volley came at about the instant that Tad threwhimself on the ground. During the remaining few
minutes the men inthe cabin fired rapidly at the flashes of the rifles out there, butwith poor results. Stacy Brown got a bullet through an arm--that is,it grazed the skin--because he decided that he could shoot betterstanding up. Chunky yelled that he was "shotted," but no one paidany attention to him.
Professor Zepplin was blazing away, while Ned and Royal lay flat ontheir stomachs back of the cabin, narrowly watching the window.Their patience was rewarded a few minutes later when the window, sashand all, burst out and a human being tumbled out. He scrambled tohis feet.
"Halt. Drop your gun!" commanded Royal.
Instead the fellow ran. Royal brought him down with a bullet in theleg.
"Don't move. You are a dead man if you get up!" warned Ned. "If thebullets from the officers don't get you, one of ours will. I knowyou. You're Smoky Griffin and we've got you dead to rights thistime, you miserable scoundrel. You won't do any more bluffing onthis range for a long time to come, I reckon."
"Why not set fire to the cabin and smoke them out?" cried WalterPerkins.
"No, no, no," returned the Professor. "We must not destroy theevidence. Tad knows what to do and he is doing it bravely, like theman he is."
"Cease firing!" shouted Tad Butler. "They are asking for quarter."
"What do you wish us to do?" demanded Joe Batts.
"Lay down your arms and come out one by one. Don't try to go out bythe rear window. I reckon one of your cayuses who tried it is lyingon his back out there now."
"Come and get us!" howled a voice from within the cabin.
"All right, we'll come and get you, but first we'll give you somevolleys to put you in a more humble frame of mind. Low ball!"answered Rodman.
Once more Tad, who had risen, threw himself down, and the rifles ofhis party banged away at the cabin, the front of which was by thistime thoroughly perforated with bullet holes.
"We give in. Stop shooting!" called someone in the cabin.
"Cease firing!" commanded Rodman. "Stillman out first. Leave yourguns in the cabin!"
Stillman dragged himself slowly out. One leg would not bear hisweight.
"Over there," directed Tad, waving a hand toward his companions."Mr. Dunkan, here is the man who killed your dog. Hans, come outhere. Be quick about it!"
A bespectacled, thin, studious-appearing man staggered out andcollapsed on the ground.
"Batts and Beach now!"
The two crawled out on all fours. Both had been wounded in the legs.
"Smoky Griffin."
"He went out through the window," groaned Batts.
"Ned, have you got Smoky?"
"You bet."
"That's all, then. No one else in there, is there, Batts?"
"Go find out if you want to know," growled the mountaineer.
"All right, I will." Tad swept the interior of the cabin with a flashlight that he had brought along, and found that all of the men wereout. "Gather them in, Mr. Rodman. All clear within."
With a yell the Pony Rider Boys and the prospectors sprang forwardand a few moments later the prisoners, whose wounds Professor Zepplinhad dressed, were securely bound. Smoky was attended to by NedRector.
An examination was then made of the cabin. In the cellar were founda gasoline engine with which the dynamo was operated, and a powerfulwireless outfit. Papers which proved to be of great value to thegovernment agent also were found in a secret compartment under thecellar floor. At the direction of the Secret Service man, for reasonsknown to himself, the plant was left as it was for the time being.
Early the following morning the prisoners were loaded on ponies, andthe long journey to the railroad station was begun.
On the way to the station, Beach, a cowardly fellow, was induced tomake a confession, through which the government agents were enabledto telegraph on for the arrest of the men higher up in the nefariousscheme, which might have made millions for its originators.
This crime syndicate had its agents in many cities, where victimswere selected and sent to the mountains to be fleeced. Ahead of themwent the wireless messages giving full details and directions to themen that the Pony Rider Boys had discovered on the Ridge. Most ofthe principals in the scheme were arrested, though the leading figure,if there was one, was never captured nor even identified.
Following the clearing up of the mystery of the mountains, the PonyRider Boys resumed their adventuring until the time came for them tohead their ponies northward. The Riders were going home, goingregretfully, too, with a year of hard work before them, but to beheard from again in a series of delightful as well as excitingexperiences. The story of these will be related in a followingvolume entitled, "THE PONY RIDER BOYS IN NEW ENGLAND; Or, An ExcitingQuest in the Maine Wilderness."
THE END
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