CHAPTER XXI
A CALL FOR HELP
"I told you so."
"You have told me so many things, Big-foot, that I can't remember themall," laughed Tad. "What is it this time?"
"Trouble."
"Oh, you mean the stampede last night?"
"Yes."
"Tell me about it. You know I was not here when it started."
After a hard night's work, in which the Pony Rider Boys had toiledheroically, the cattle once more had been rounded up and Big-foot andTad Butler were riding into camp for breakfast. It was the firstopportunity they had found to talk over the incident.
"Not much to tell. It happened so quick----"
"What time?" interrupted Tad.
"'Bout half-past nine, I reckon."
"Half-past nine," muttered the lad thoughtfully. "Yes; go on."
"We were sitting by the camp fire, and Curley Adams was telling aboutthe time he was mixed up with the rustlers on the Colorado."
"Yes."
"Well, them ponies came down on us a-whooping."
"The ponies? Did they get away, too?" asked the lad in surprise.
"Did they? You ought to have seen the varmints. Nearly run over us whenthey smashed through the camp. One jumped clean over the fire."
"Yes, I understand; but did you have any idea why the cattle stampeded?"
"Sure. The ponies put them on the run."
"The ponies started it?"
"Yes. No telling how it happened. The cows come a-running after theponies had broke through them, and the whole outfit piled over thecamp."
"Do any damage?"
"I reckon. Knocked over the chuck wagon, and near killed the heathenChinee. The men on guard roped the runaway ponies, and, by the time yougot on the job, we had just about got straightened around ready to goafter the cows."
"I suppose you lay it to----"
"Adobe church," answered the cowman conclusively.
"I am going over there to-day, Big-foot. I am going to try to find outif there is anything in all this. Candidly, I don't believe it. EvenColonel McClure says it's all foolishness. That is, I do not believe itis anything that cannot be explained."
The foreman was looking worried that morning. It had been a successionof disasters ever since they had neared the locality. This time it hadbeen the ponies which were hobbled some little distance from the herd,but which had become so frightened at what they saw that they bolted,hobbles and all.
"I want those cows from the McClure ranch brought over to-day,"Stallings directed. "At least, bring over half of them. Get them overright after breakfast. If we are going to have any more disturbanceslet's try to have them in the daytime."
"Do you need us?" asked Tad.
"No. Go on and enjoy yourselves. You all have earned a holiday."
The lads were in their saddles early. Professor Zepplin went with them,intending to spend the day at the ranch as arranged on the previousevening.
The young ladies of the household were waiting, dressed in short skirtsand wearing broad-brimmed straw hats. To the boys they were mostattractive. Their fresh young faces lighted with anticipation of theday's pleasure as, assisted by the Pony Riders, they swung into theirsaddles. It fell to Tad Butler to ride beside Miss Brayton.
"We had a stampede at the camp last night," he told her after they hadheaded off to the east for the Springs, which was to be their firstobjective point.
"Yes; so uncle told me. I'm sorry. Did you lose any stock?"
"I believe not, unless it was some of the new ponies. I did not think toask."
"At what time did the trouble occur?" she asked absently.
"I think it was shortly after you left us at dinner, last night,"answered Tad, in a matter-of-fact tone. "It was, perhaps, half an hourafter that when your uncle told us."
Miss Brayton flushed painfully, and quickly changed the subject. Tadnoticed her confusion and marveled at it.
Arriving at the Springs, which proved to be a group of rocks rising outof the plain, and from which several springs of pure sparkling waterbubbled, all dismounted and drank of the refreshing fluid. After a fewmoments spent in chatting, they remounted their ponies and set off forthe adobe church, the real object of the day's journey.
Reaching the historic place, they tethered their ponies among themesquite bushes in the rear of it, after which all entered through acrumbling doorway. The interior, they found, was in an excellent stateof preservation.
Many surprising little alcoves and odd, cell-like rooms were distributedall through the church. It was dark and cool in there. Chunky shivered,and said he didn't wonder people said there were spooks there.
"Is there any cellar beneath the church?" asked Tad.
"It has been said that there were once underground passages," answeredMiss Brayton. "No one in our time has ever discovered them."
"That sounds interesting. I think I should like to find the way intothem."
"So should I," added Stacy Brown.
"Look out that you don't fall in," cautioned Ned. "Remember that's yourfailing."
"Not much chance of that," laughed Margaret. "These stone floors are toothick for anyone to fall through."
"Does anyone ever come here?" asked Tad.
"Not that I know of," answered Miss Brayton.
"But I saw a path when I came in. Somebody has been hitching a pony outthere in the bushes, too," said the boy.
"Perhaps some of the cowmen may come in here out of the heat, now andthen," replied the young woman carelessly.
"Why Ruth, you could not induce one of papa's men to enter the door ofthe old place. You know they are half scared to death of it," saidMargaret.
Chunky's eyes were growing large.
"Wow!" he said. "Let's go out doors and eat."
"The lunch has not yet arrived. It will be here soon," Miss Braytoninformed him. "We will spread it in the main room here, if you have noobjections. It will be cool and pleasant; and, besides, there are noflies in here."
"For goodness' sake, forget your appetite," growled Ned in Stacy's ear.
"Can't a fellow talk about his appetite without being found fault with?"Chunky sulkily retorted.
"Not the kind of an appetite you have. It's a positive disgrace to theoutfit."
"Huh!" grunted Chunky, walking away.
The lad wandered off by himself, and the rest forgot all about him intheir investigation of the old church. Miss Brayton told them as much ofits history as she knew.
"Some of the former priests are said to have been buried somewhere inthe edifice," she said.
"I don't see any signs of it," said Tad.
"No. No one ever has in our time. And it has even been hinted thattreasure has been buried here, too, or secreted in some of themysterious recesses of the church."
"Where are they" asked Walter. "I am beginning to get curious."
"I am sure I do not know," laughed the young woman. "There is a sort ofgarret, if you can get to it, above the gallery there. Maybe you mightfind something there. I have an idea that it is inhabited by bats."
"I guess we will leave them undisturbed," decided Tad. "I don't likebats."
"There come the servants," announced Miss Brayton. "Now your friend willbe able to satisfy his appetite."
At her direction the servants brought in the baskets of food. A clothwas spread over a stone table that they found at the far end of thechurch in the balcony. What its use had been, in those other days, theydid not know, but it served their purpose very well now.
"I am afraid we shall have to eat standing," said Miss Sadie. "We haveno chairs."
"That will suit Chunky," replied Ned Rector. "He always likes to eatstanding."
"Why?" asked Margaret, glancing up at him inquiringly.
"For some reasons of his own," answered Ned mischievously.
As the good things were spread before them the eyes of the lads lightedappreciatively, and all helped themselves gratefully.
It was a jolly party, untouched
by the air of mystery that was supposedto surround the place.
"Why, where is Master Stacy?" asked Ruth Brayton in surprise, after theyhad been eating a few moments.
"Chunky? That's so, where is he?" demanded Walter, glancing over therailing into the auditorium below.
No one seemed to know.
"He's prowling around the place somewhere," said Ned. "But whatsurprises me is that he doesn't scent the food and come running. It'snot like him to hang back when there is anything good to eat."
"Call him," suggested Margaret.
"I will. O-h-h Chunky!"
There was no reply.
"I will go after him," said Walter, running lightly to the other end ofthe balcony and down the stone steps.
The lad returned in a few moments, a perplexed frown on his face.
"Find him?" asked Ned.
"No."
"Maybe he's gone back to camp. He's a queer chap."
"I think not. I saw his pony there with the others."
"Oh, well, never mind. He'll get so hungry that he will have to comeout, wherever he is," decided Tad. "I imagine he is hiding somewhere tomake us think he has gone away. Hark! What was that?"
A far away call for help echoed faintly through the church.
They looked at each other with growing uneasiness on their faces.
"It's Chunky," breathed Walter.
"Wh--where is he?" stammered Margaret.
"I don't know. Excuse me; I must go," exclaimed Tad. "The boy is introuble again. I knew it--I knew he couldn't keep out of it," he added,hurrying away from them.
Ned sprang down the steps after Tad and together they disappearedthrough a rear door in the auditorium.