CHAPTER XXVI
PROWLERS IN CAMP
"Huh! so it's you, is it!" cried Link Merwell, in surly tones.
"So you are after my mine!" cried Roger, sharply. "Well, I'll tell youright now, if you locate it, it won't do you any good."
"Bah! We know what we are doing," retorted the youth who in the past hadcaused Dave and his chums so much trouble. "You can't scare us."
"Link, you ought to be in jail!" burst out Phil.
"You'll never put me there," was the quick retort.
"We have as much right to look for a mine up here as you have," put inSol Blugg. "If you own a mine, where are your stakes or otherlandmarks?"
"You know very well that they were carried away by that landslide,"answered the senator's son.
"We don't know nuthin' of the kind," came from Larry Jaley. "Your uncleclaimed to have a mine up here, but I never seen no proof of it--nordid anybuddy else see any proof. Any of us kin locate a claim, an' youcan't stop us."
"This is free land, so far as locatin' a claim is concerned," added SolBlugg.
"Well, if you locate that mine before we do, don't you dare to removeany of my uncle's landmarks," returned Roger.
"IF YOU LOCATE THAT MINE BEFORE WE DO, DON'T YOU DARE TOREMOVE ANY OF MY UNCLE'S LANDMARKS."]
"Ha! wot kind o' talk is thet!" burst out Larry Jaley.
"Oh, we know you," put in Dave. "We know just what sort of a bunch youare."
"Porter, do you include me in that remark?" demanded Job Haskers,drawing himself up as had been his fashion when an instructor at OakHall.
"I certainly do," replied Dave.
"You are impertinent!"
"It won't do you any good to act in that way, Job Haskers," returned ourhero. "We know you for the rascal that you are. You committed a crime atOak Hall, and you did what you could to swindle Mr. Fordham. It'suseless for you to deny it. Now, let me say this: If you and those withyou try to do the Morrs out of their property here, we'll do all we canto put you and Link Merwell in prison for your crimes. And more thanthat, we'll do what we can to have those men arrested, for that landswindle they tried to pull off when Abe Blower blocked them, and forstealing our horses."
"You--you----" stammered the former teacher, and for the moment knew notwhat to say.
"Don't you call us hoss-thieves!" burst out Sol Blugg, savagely.
"I can and I will," replied Dave, firmly. "Your crowd tried to take ourhorses, and the fellow called Staver got shot doing it. I guess that iswhy he isn't with you now."
"Bah! I won't talk with you," growled Sol Blugg. He knew not what elseto say.
"I--I will--will settle with you for this another time," came tartlyfrom Job Haskers.
"Oh, come on, what's the use of talking to them?" growled Link Merwell."Some day I'll show them what I can do!" And he moved on along theledge.
"Some day I shall square up for this gross insult!" stormed Job Haskers,and then he followed Merwell, and Blugg and Jaley came behind them. Soona turn in the ledge hid them from view of our friends.
"What nerve!" burst out Phil.
"That proves they are after the mine," came from Dave.
"Yes, and if they locate it they will try to prove that it wasn't myuncle's mine at all!" burst out Roger, bitterly. "I suppose they'lldestroy all the landmarks--that is, if the landslide left any of themstanding--and then what will I be able to do?"
"I think we had better go back and tell the others of this," said Dave."After this, it may pay us to keep an eye on that other crowd."
"That's so," returned the senator's son.
With care the three chums retraced their steps, and half an hour laterfound them with Tom Dillon and Abe Blower. The two old miners listenedwith close attention to the tale of their encounter with the otherparty.
"You are right; we must watch 'em," said Tom Dillon. "They are a bad lotand will do what they can to make trouble for us, and keep us fromlocating the lost mine."
"I wonder where they are camping?" said Phil.
"It can't be very far from here," replied Dave. "We can look for theircampfire to-night, if you wish."
"If they don't hide it," remarked Abe Blower. "And by that same token,wouldn't it be a good idee to hide our own fire?" he continued, turningto Tom Dillon.
"Sure!" was the prompt answer.
That night the three boys climbed several tall rocks in the vicinity oftheir camp and looked around with care. But the only lights that theycould make out were miles away, and those Abe Blower stated were on thedistant railroad. Nothing like a campfire came to view.
"They are foxy and have put it in a hollow," said the old miner. "Wall,we've done the same thing," he added, chuckling.
"Oh, if only we could locate that lost mine and put up our stakes!"sighed Roger. "But it looks like next to a hopeless task, doesn't it,Dave."
"Oh, I don't know, Roger," answered our hero, as cheerfully as possible,for he saw that his chum was much downcast. "We haven't covered thewhole of the ground yet. I wouldn't give up hope, if I were you."
"I didn't think it was going to be such a job when we started," went onthe senator's son. "My, what rocks we have climbed over!" And he rubbeda shin from which some skin had been scraped that afternoon.
"I knew it would be a hard hunt," answered our hero. "And why not? If itwas an easy matter to locate that lost mine, Abe Blower or some of thoseold prospectors would have done it long ago. If we do the trick I thinkit will be a great feather in our cap--in fact, I think it will be moreof a lucky accident than anything else."
"Just my way of looking at it," agreed Phil. "It's a regularhide-and-seek game, this locating a mine among these rocks."
For a long time the three boys sat by themselves, talking about days atOak Hall, and about the folks left at home and about those now travelingthrough Yellowstone Park. It seemed a long time since they had receivedletters.
"I suppose there are letters at the hotel in Butte," said Dave, with alittle sigh.
"I'd give something to have them here," added Phil.
"If only I knew how dad was making out," murmured the senator's son. "Isuppose he is waiting every day to hear from me!"
"I hope the folks in the Park are having a good time," said Dave, aftera pause. "I suppose the main body of tourists have started for home bynow."
"Yes, they went yesterday, according to the advertised plan," answeredPhil.
"I've got an idea," said our hero, after another pause. "Do you see thathollow just below here? Well, we haven't looked around that much. Whynot try it to-morrow?"
"Abe Blower and Mr. Dillon both seem to think the opening to the minewas above that, Dave," said Roger.
"True, but the landslide changed things, remember. We may now find anopening down there,--not the opening your uncle made, but another, madeby the slide."
"It won't do any harm to look down there. While we are here I am goingto look in every spot I can reach."
"Sure thing!" cried Phil. "But say, if we are going to climb aroundthese rocks all day to-morrow I am going to bed and get a good night'srest."
"I guess we all need a rest, so we'll turn in at once," answered Roger.
Their camp was located between the rocks and not far from the trail bywhich they had come to the vicinity. The horses were tethered at a pointwhere a patch of coarse undergrowth gave them something to nibble at.The animals were of no use to them, now they were in the district wherethe lost mine was supposed to be located.
It was a little after nine o'clock when the boys turned in, and a fewminutes later the two old miners followed them. So far they had notdeemed it necessary to have a guard, for none of their enemies nor wildbeasts had come to annoy them.
Roger and Phil were soon sound asleep, and it was not long before theirsnoring told that Abe Blower and Tom Dillon were likewise in the land ofdreams. But Dave, for some reason he could not explain, was restless,and he turned over several times, sighing heavily.
"If I were at home I should say I had eat
en too much supper," he toldhimself. "But here rations are too scarce. I don't know what keeps meawake, unless it is that I'm too tired to go to sleep."
The campfire had burned so low that the spot was almost in totaldarkness. There was no moon and only a few stars shone in the sky, whichwas partly obscured by clouds. A gentle breeze was stirring, butotherwise all was quiet.
At last Dave thought that if he had a drink he might go to sleep withmore ease, and he turned over to sit up and get to his feet. A bucket ofwater was close at hand, so he would not have to go far for what hewanted.
Just as Dave sat up he saw something that startled him. A dark figurewas moving at a distance from the camp, coming closer slowly.
At first the youth could not make out if the figure was a man or ananimal. He strained his eyes and then made out the form of a person.
At once our hero thought of Link Merwell and those with him. It must beone of their enemies, and if so, what had brought him to this spot atsuch an hour of the night?
"Maybe he is after our horses," reasoned the youth, and then he droppeddown again and rolled over to where Roger was lying. He shook his chumand at the same time placed a hand over the other's mouth.
"Roger! Don't make any noise!" he whispered. "Somebody is coming here inthe dark."
The senator's son awoke and heard what was said. Then, as Dave took awayhis hand, he whispered:
"Where is he? Who is it?"
"There he is," and Dave pointed with his hand. "I don't know who it is,but I guess it is one of Link's crowd."
"I'll wake up Phil, and we can watch the rascal," said Roger, and thiswas done, although not without difficulty, for the shipowner's son wasinclined to give a yell when aroused from such a sound slumber.
"Who--who is it?" he stammered. "Say, maybe we had better get ourpistols ready!" And he felt for his weapon.
"I've got mine all ready," answered Dave.
"And here is mine," whispered Roger. "If that fellow thinks he is cominghere unseen, won't he be surprised!"
"Hush!" came softly from Dave. "Look behind him! There is a secondfellow coming!"
Our hero was right, a second figure had emerged from the shadow of somerocks. The two persons were coming along slowly, as if to make certainthat they were not being observed.
"I know that second fellow!" whispered Dave, a moment later. "See howtall and thin he is. It's old Haskers!"
"Yes, and the other fellow is Link Merwell," replied Roger, a secondlater.