CHAPTER XVIII
THE STOLEN HORSES
"Oh, look!"
"That horse is going over the cliff!"
"Take care, Phil, or he'll drag you with him!"
Such were some of the cries which arose as the others looked back on therocky trail and saw the situation.
The horse with the outfit had struck against a projecting rock and beenthrown sideways, to where the trail crumbled away in some loose stonesclose to the edge of the dangerous cliff. The animal and the outfit werein danger of going down to the depths below. Phil, on his own horse, hadcaught hold of the other horse's halter and was trying to haul him to asafer footing. But the youth and his steed were losing ground instead ofgaining it.
"Let go, or you'll go over!" screamed Roger, in increasing alarm. "Letthe outfit go, Phil!"
The shipowner's son tried to do as bidden. But now a new difficultypresented itself. In his eagerness to hold the halter Phil had twistedit about his hand and wrist. Now it was caught in the very flesh andalmost pulling one arm from its socket, as he tried to make his ownhorse hold back.
Dave turned swiftly and so did the others, and for the moment there wasquite a mix-up on the narrow trail, and all were in danger of losingtheir footing. Then they crowded to Phil's side, and while Dave caughthold of the halter, Tom Dillon and Roger caught the falling horse withthe outfit.
"Turn him around--this way!" yelled the old miner, and, old as he was,he showed a wonderful strength in shoving the falling horse back to afirmer footing. The loose stones went clattering over the cliff in ashower, and more than one horse snorted in fright.
It was a moment of dire peril and it looked as if somebody, or at leastone of the animals, must go over into that yawning chasm below. A stonewas flung up by a hoof, hitting Dave in the cheek. But he retained hishold on the halter and pulled for all he was worth. Then came anotherstruggle, and at last the horse with the outfit stood on the safeportion of the dangerous trail; and the peril was at an end.
"Oh!" gasped Phil, and for the moment that was all he was able to say.
"Give me that halter," said Tom Dillon. "I'll lead him while we are onthis narrow part of the trail."
"Are you hurt, Phil?" asked Dave.
"I--I guess not!" was the panting answer. "But I--I sure did think I wasgoing over there!" And the shipowner's son shuddered.
"Your cheek is cut, Dave!" cried Roger. "How did that happen?"
"Oh, it's only a scratch--made by a flying stone," was the answer. "Itdoesn't amount to anything."
"I didn't dream that this trail would be so dangerous," went on thesenator's son. "If I had known it, I wouldn't have asked you fellows tocome along."
"Oh, it's not so bad," returned Phil, hastily. "That horse wasawkward--he's the worst of the bunch."
"That's right, an' they had no right to hire me such a hoss," put in TomDillon. "When we git back I'll give that feller who did it a piece o' mymind. I tole him I wanted critters used to the mountain trails. Thehosses we are ridin' are all right, but this one, he's a suretenderfoot. He ought to be in the city, behind a truck."
Soon the narrow portion of the rocky trail was left behind and then allof the boys breathed easier.
"That trail back thar is bad enough," was Tom Dillon's comment. "But yeought to see it in the winter time, with ice an' snow on it! Then it'ssome travelin', believe me!"
"None for mine!" answered Phil. "I want to see the ground when I travelin a spot like that."
As soon as the trail became better they went forward at the bestpossible speed, for they wished, if they could, to catch up with AbeBlower and those with him.
"You don't suppose Blower would turn off of this trail?" questionedRoger, of the old miner, as they rode along.
"He couldn't turn off until he reached wot we call Talpoll Crossin',"answered Tom Dillon. "And we won't git thar until some time to-morrow."
They were climbing up a steady grade and so had to stop again and againto rest the horses. The trail wound in and out among the hills, andbefore the party was the big mountain.
"Stop an' I'll show you something!" cried the old miner, presently, andas they halted he pointed toward the mountain with his hand. "See thatknob a stickin' out ag'in the sky?" he questioned.
"The one with the yellowish spot on it?" asked Dave.
"Yes. Well, that is where the big landslide took place an' buried theLandslide Mine an' my claim out o' sight."
All of the boys gazed with interest at the spot which, of course, wasmany miles away. They saw they would have to work their way over twomore hills and through several hollows to get to it. Ahead they couldoccasionally see the trail, but not a soul was in sight.
"Look!" exclaimed Dave, as he turned to gaze below them along the trailthey had been pursuing. "I can see something moving!"
"Maybe cattle," suggested Roger, after a long look.
"No, I think it is a crowd on horseback," answered our hero, afteranother look.
Roger had with him a small pair of field-glasses, and he had broughtthem forth to gaze at the mountain where the Landslide Mine had beenlocated. Now he turned them on the distant objects Dave had discovered.
"Horsemen true enough," he said, after a look. "Three of them."
"Oh, say, do you think they can be Sol Blugg and his two cronies?" burstout Phil.
"Maybe," answered Roger. "I can't make them out from this distance."
"Let me take a look," suggested Tom Dillon, and adjusted the glasses tohis eyes. "You are right--they are three men on horses. But who theyare I don't know. Plenty o' miners travel this trail at one time oranother."
They looked at the distant horsemen for several minutes. Then thefield-glasses were put away and they continued their journey.
Nightfall found them in a district that, to the boys, was desolationitself. Rocks were on every side, with little patches of the coarsestkind of growth, brushwood, stalk-like grass, and cacti. The air was sopure and thin that it fairly made one's nose tingle to breathe it.
All were tired out--indeed the boys were so stiff from the long ridethat they could scarcely climb down from their saddles. But not for theworld were they going to let Tom Dillon know this. They had told the oldminer that they were used to roughing it and they wanted to "make good"in his eyes.
Some brushwood was gathered and a fire started, and the horses weretethered near by. The old miner knew where there was a spring ofdrinkable water--something occasionally hard to find in a district fullof all sorts of minerals--and soon they had some boiling for coffee.Then their outfit was unstrapped, and they prepared supper and got readyto turn in for the night.
"I wonder if we can't see something of the campfire of Abe Blower, if heis ahead," remarked Dave.
"We might have a look for it," answered Roger.
There was a tall rock just behind their camp, and this the two youthsclimbed, Phil saying he was too tired to stir. It was harder work thanDave and Roger had anticipated, but, once they had started, they hatedto give up. Up and up and still up they went, climbing from oneelevation to another by means of the rocks themselves and bits of coarsegrass and brushwood.
"There, I reckon we are high enough now!" cried the senator's son, afternearly half an hour's climbing. "Anyway, I am going to stop!" And hebegan to pant for breath.
The two boys looked around them. The sun had sunk to rest behind themountain in the west, and the hollows between the hills were deep in thegloom of the oncoming night. Far back on the trail they had come theysaw a small fire start up.
"That must be the campfire of those three horsemen," said Dave.
"More than likely," responded his chum. "Do you see anything ahead?"
Both looked, but for a long time could see nothing. Then they caught afaint gleam from a point apparently halfway up the mountain, in thedirection where the Landslide Mine was supposed to be located.
"Maybe that's Abe Blower's camp!" cried Dave, who was the first todiscover the light.
"I'd like to know if
Link Merwell and Job Haskers are really with him,"said Roger.
"We ought to be able to catch up to them by to-morrow, so Mr. Dillonsaid."
"Unless Merwell and Haskers fix it so that they throw us off theirtrail, Roger. You know Mr. Dillon said they could branch off at TalpollCrossing. That is where a spur of the railroad cuts in, to reach themines on the other side of the hills--the railroad I suppose theLandslide Mine would have to use in getting out ore."
The boys watched the distant light for a while longer, and thendescended to the camping spot. The others listened with interest to whatthey had to report.
"We'll be after 'em at sun-up," said Tom Dillon. "An' now all o' yer hadbetter turn in an' get what rest you can."
This was sensible advice, and the three youths lost no time in followingit. They turned in around the fire, which was kept burning, so as tokeep away any possible prowling beasts. Tom Dillon was the last toretire, he looking to it that all of the horses were tethered.
It was just growing daylight when Dave awoke with a start. Something hadaroused him--what he could not tell. He sat bolt upright, and at thesame moment the old miner, who was beside him, did the same.
"What's up?" asked Tom Dillon, instinctively feeling for the pistol hecarried.
"Our horses!" cried Dave. "They are running back on the trail!"
"Somebody is stealin' 'em!" roared Tom Dillon, and was on his feet onthe instant.
By this time the noise had awakened Phil and Roger, and all three boysfollowed the old miner in arising. In the gray light of the morning theycould see that their four horses were moving along the back trail on agallop. A single man seemed to be in charge of them, on a steed of hisown.
"Halt!" yelled Tom Dillon. "Halt, or I'll fire on you!" And he raisedhis pistol.
At this sharp command the man with the horses turned slightly to lookback. He crouched low, and wore a sombrero pulled down well over hisface. On the instant he rode to the front of the galloping steeds, thusgetting out of range of the old miner's weapon.
"Come on, we must get our hosses!" sang out Tom Dillon, and startedforward on the run. Then he let out a shrill whistle, one he knew wasused for calling the animal he had been riding.
The effect of the whistle was all that could have been desired. Thehorse dropped to a walk and then turned back. And as Tom Dilloncontinued to whistle, the intelligent steed came closer and closer,until the old miner was able to grasp it by the halter.
But all this had taken valuable time, and meanwhile the other horsescontinued to gallop on, led by the man in front, who was now riding likethe wind. Who he was they could not make out, but they stronglysuspected Sol Blugg or one of his cronies.
"I'd shoot if them hosses wasn't in the way!" cried Tom Dillon,wrathfully.
"Can't you go after them?" asked Dave and Roger, in a breath.
"I can and I will!" answered the old miner. "Stay right here till I getback!" And with those words he saddled his horse with all speed, and inless than a minute later was flying down the back trail after the stolensteeds and the rascal who was making off with them.