CHAPTER XXIII
SOLVING THE MYSTERY
"We can't do much of anything more until daylight," announced theforeman finally. "You see, it's getting dark now."
"You--you are going to leave him here?" asked Tad hesitatingly.
"That's all we can do, so far as I see. But we'll put one of the men onguard to watch the place. To-morrow morning we'll take it upon ourselvesto tear down that door that's sealed up. It may lead into the placewhere the boy fell in. Yes; we'll bring down the whole miserable shackif necessary."
"You--you think he is here, then?"
"Of course. Where else could he be? He walked away and disappeared rightbefore your eyes. He could not get away if he had gone outside. So whereis he? In the church, of course."
"Then I will remain here and watch the place," decided Tad firmly.
Stallings glanced at him hesitatingly.
"All right. I guess you have got the nerve to do it. I can't say as muchfor the rest of the bunch. You come along with me, now, and get yoursupper. After that you may return if you want to. Big-foot, you andCurley stay here until the Pinto gets back. Better keep busy. You maystumble upon something before you know it."
The two cowboys did not appear to be any too well pleased with the taskassigned to them, but they obeyed orders without protest.
The evening had grown quite dark by the time the cowmen had finishedtheir supper. All had been discussing the strange disappearance of StacyBrown. It did not seem to surprise them. They had expected trouble whenthey reached the vicinity of the adobe church. They had had little elseduring the time they had been in the camp.
"Send Curley and Big-foot in," directed the foreman after Tad hadannounced his readiness to return to the church.
"We'll all go," spoke up Ned Rector.
"It's not at all necessary," answered Tad.
"No; I have decided to let Big-foot go back after he has eaten. He canremain with you until ten-thirty, when he takes his trick on guard. Thenthe rest of you may go out if you wish. It isn't fair to leave the Pintothere alone all night. If I change my plans I'll send out Master Ned orWalter. Run along now, Tad."
The lad mounted his pony and galloped slowly out for his long vigil. Hewas greatly disturbed over the loss of Chunky. Yet he could not bringhimself to believe that great harm had come to the boy.
"Anything new?" he called as he rode up.
"Nary a thing. Plenty of funny noises inside the shack. Kinder gives afellow the creeps; that's all."
"You are to come back and remain with me until your watch, I believe,Big-foot."
"Nice job you've cut out for me," answered the cowman.
"I had nothing to do with it. It's the foreman's order," answered Tad.
"Better bring a lantern with you. We may need it before the night isover."
"All right," answered Big-foot, swinging into his saddle. After thecowmen had left, Tad walked out a little way from the church and satdown in the sand. He was within easy hearing of the place in case anyoneshould call out.
It was a lonely spot. Tad had not sat there long before the noises thatthe cowmen had spoken of began again.
The lad listened intently for a moment.
"Bats," he said. "I can hear them flying about me. I hope none of themhit me in the face. I've heard they do that sometimes."
The pony, which had been staked down well out on the plain, was nowmoving about restlessly.
"I wonder if the noises are getting on the broncho's nerves, too?There's nothing here to be afraid of. I'm not afraid," declared Tadfirmly, rising and pacing back and forth.
He was relieved, just the same, when the big cowman rode back, an hourlater, and took up the vigil with him. The two talked in subdued tonesas they walked back and forth, the lad expressing the opinion that theywould find Stacy unharmed when they once discovered the mysterious placeinto which he had unwittingly stumbled.
"You see, those walls are so thick that we couldn't hear him even if hedid call out. He may even have gotten in where they buried those monkswe've heard about. I hope not, though."
"He wouldn't know it," said Big-foot.
"No, probably not in the darkness. Did you bring that lantern?"
"Pshaw! I forgot it. Mebby I'd better go back and get it."
"No; never mind, Big-foot. The moon will be up after a time. Then weshall not need it. You are going in for the ten-thirty trick, are younot?"
"That's what the boss said," replied Big-foot.
The right section of the herd was now bedded within a short distance ofthe church. They could hear the singing of the cowboys as they circledslowly around the sleeping cattle.
"Guess we are not going to have any more trouble with them," said Tad,nodding toward the herd.
"Don't be too sure. I feel it coming. I have a feeling that troubleain't more'n a million miles away at this very minute."
"I wish you wouldn't talk that way. You'll get me feeling creepy, firstthing you know. I've got to stay here all night," said Tad.
Big-foot laughed. They passed the time as best they could until the hourfor the departure of the cowboy arrived. Then Tad was left alone oncemore. He circled about the church, listening. Once he thought he heardthe hoof-beats of a pony. But the sound died away instantly, and hebelieved he must have been wrong.
After half an hour Big-foot returned. The foreman had decided, so longas the cattle were quiet, to have him remain with Tad. If the cowboyshould be needed in a hurry the foreman was to fire a shot in the air asa signal.
Tad was intensely pleased at this arrangement. After chatting a whilethey lay down on the ground, speaking only occasionally, and then in lowtones. The mystery of the night seemed to have awed them into silentthought. They had lain there for some time, when Tad suddenly rose onone elbow.
"Did you hear that?" he whispered.
"Yes," breathed the cowman.
"What--what do you think it was?"
"Sounded as if some one had jumped to the ground. We'd better crawl upthere. It was by the church. I told you it was coming."
"Do you suppose it was Chunky?"
"No. He'd be afraid of the dark. You'd hear him yelling for help."
Tad had his doubts of that; but, just the same, he, too, felt that thenoise they had heard had not been made by Stacy Brown. A silence ofseveral minutes followed. The two had crawled only a few feet toward thechurch, when, with one common impulse, they flattened themselves on theground and listened.
Now they could distinctly hear some one cautiously moving about in frontof the church. It seemed to Tad as if the mysterious intruder werestanding on the broad stone flagging at the top of the steps leadinginto the adobe church.
Tad slowly rose to his feet.
"Who's there?" he cried in a voice that trembled a little.
A sudden commotion followed the question, and the listeners distinctlycaught the sound of footsteps on the flagging.
A flash lighted the scene momentarily.
Big-foot had fired a shot toward the church. A slight scream followedalmost instantly.
"I winged it!" shouted the cowman, lifting his weapon for another shot.
Tad struck the gun up. The lad was excited now.
"Stop!" he commanded. "Don't do that again. Do you want to killsomebody?"
With that Tad ran, his feet fairly flying over the ground, in thedirection of the church steps. In the flash of the gun he had caught aglimpse of a figure standing there. The sight thrilled him through andthrough.
As the plucky lad reached the steps some one started to run down them.Tripping, the unknown plunged headlong to the ground.
The boy was beside the figure in an instant.
"Big-foot!" he shouted.
The cowman came tearing up to him.
"What is it?" he bellowed in his excitement.
"It's a woman, Big-foot! It's a woman! Oh, I hope you did not hit her!"
"It's no woman; it's a spook. I know it's a spook!" fairly shouted thecowboy.
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p; "I tell you it's a woman!" cried Tad.
He was down on his knees by her side now, raising her head.
"Get help--_quick_!"
Sanders took the shortest way of doing this. He, too, was alarmed now.Raising his gun above his head, he pulled the trigger three times inquick succession. As many sharp flashes leaped into the air, and as manyquick reports followed.
"Sure she ain't a spirit?" demanded the cowman, peering downsuspiciously, fearfully. He could make out the form on the ground butdimly.
"Don't be foolish. Run out there and meet them. I hear the poniescoming. Don't let any of them use their guns, in the excitement, or someone may get hurt," warned Tad Butler, with rare judgment.
Big-foot hurried out into the open. In the meantime Tad stroked the faceand head of the woman. She was unconscious, but her flesh seemed warm tohis touch.
"I wonder what it means," the perplexed boy asked himself. Tad couldfeel his own pulses beating against his temples. It seemed to him as ifall the blood in his body were hurling itself against them.
Cowboys on their ponies came thundering up from different directions. Inthe lead was Bob Stallings, the foreman of the outfit.
"You idiots!" he shouted. "Do you want to stampede the herd again? Whatdo you mean?"
"I've winged a spook!" yelled Big-foot Sanders. "She's over there by thesteps now. The kid's got her."
"Spook--nonsense!" snapped the foreman, leaping from his pony andrushing to the spot indicated by Big-foot.
"What----" chorused the cowboys.
"Is it the boy--have they found him?"
"If you all don't insist on talking at once, mebby we can find out whatthe row's about," snarled Curley Adams.
The foreman stopped suddenly as he observed Tad sitting at the foot ofthe church steps. He saw, too, another form there, but it was so dimlyoutlined in the deep shadows that he was unable to make it out.
"What does this mean?" he demanded sternly.
"I don't know. It's a woman. I'm afraid Big-foot's bullet hit her. Wemust have a light."
"Bring matches!" roared the foreman.
No one had any.
"Rustle for the camp, and fetch a lantern--and be quick about it! I'vehad enough of this fooling. What was she doing--how did it happen?"
Tad explained as clearly as he could how they had been disturbed by thestrange noises, resulting finally in a shot from Big-foot's gun.
"The idiot! It'll be a sorry day for him if he's done any damage,"growled the foreman. He stooped over and ran his hand over theunconscious woman's face. Then he applied his ear to the region of theheart.
"Huh!" he snapped, rising.
"Find anything!" asked Tad in a half whisper.
"She's alive. Heart weak, but I don't think she's seriously hurt. Idon't understand it at all."
"No more do I. I'm getting dizzy over all this rapid-fire business,"added the lad. "There they come with a light."
Stallings strode to the cowman who had brought the lantern. Jerking itfrom the man's hand the foreman ran back.
"We'll straighten her up against the steps, and try to find out howbadly she is hurt," he said, placing the lantern on the ground.
Tad had partially raised her, when he let the girl drop with a sudden,startled exclamation.
"What is it?" demanded Stallings incisively.
"It's Miss Ruth!"
"Who?"
"Miss Ruth----"
By the dim lantern light the foreman saw her face outlined against thedark background of green. His eyes were fixed upon her, and BobStallings seemed scarcely to breathe.
"Ruth Brayton!" he gasped.
"Yes," answered Tad in a low voice, not fully comprehending the meaningof the scene that was being enacted before him.
"Ruth Brayton," repeated Stallings, slowly passing a hand across hisforehead. "Ruth!" he cried, throwing himself to his knees beside her.
"I tell ye I winged a spook," insisted Big-foot Sanders to a companionas they came up.
Tad raised a warning hand for silence.