CHAPTER XXV
JACK'S TRICK--CONCLUSION
Jack called to his horse, which really was a speedy mount.
"Come on, old boy!" he cried. "You may not be as good as Sunger, but he'shad a hard time lately, being kept out among the mountains, and I don'tbelieve he's up to the mark. We may catch him if that fellow stays to theroad, though ordinarily my pony would run away from you, Dobbin."
Jack didn't care much what he called this horse. But he really liked theanimal, as he did all horseflesh, and the beast responded readily to him.
On they swept down the mountain trail. Jack's eyes watched eagerly as hemade turn after turn at top speed; but for some time he saw no signs of anyrider ahead of him.
"There's no way of getting off on a side trail for the next half mile,"reflected Jack, as he rode on. "If I can come up to him in that distanceI'll have him."
He felt to see if his revolver was in readiness. He did not know just whathe would do, but it was a desperate situation, or it would be if he shouldovertake the fellow.
And luck was with Jack--luck and good judgment. As he made the last turn inthat part of the trail from which there was no escape by a side road, hesaw, just ahead of him, a rider on a horse which Jack knew in a moment.
"That's Sunger!" he cried. "I've found him!"
Of course Jack could not be sure that the man on his pony was the same onewho had robbed the safe. But Jack knew his own steed, and when, out West, aman is found riding a stolen horse, it is prime evidence against him. Hehas to prove his case, and is subject to arrest on sight. Of course he mayhave innocently acquired the stolen animal; but he has to prove this to bethe case.
"That's my pony, and I'm going to have him back!" thought Jack. "And I'mgoing to get that man, too! Come on, boy!"
For one of the few times in his life Jack used the whip. But he was humane.His horse responded with a burst of speed. But now the man ahead, hearinggalloping hoofs behind him, urged on Sunger. And Sunger still could run.Though Jack saw, with regret, that his pony had suffered, still thewonderful speed of the animal had abated but little.
"He's going to get away from me!" cried the lad, as he saw how Sunger wasrunning. "And that's the man, else why should he try to escape?"
Then Jack began to think quickly. He had trained Sunger to halt instantlywhen he called "Whoa!" to him, in a certain tone. If the animal were goingat top speed, and Jack yelled that word, Sunger would brace up with hisfore feet, slide with his hind ones, and bring up standing, like a train ofcars when the engineer throws on the emergency air brakes.
Of course Jack was never in the saddle when he worked this trick withSunger. Had he been he might have been hurt. But he had given his pony thistraining so that in going down dangerous slopes Sunger would know how tobring himself suddenly to a halt.
"I wonder if I can make him hear," thought Jack. "If I can, and if he'llstop, there'll be something doing in a minute."
Jack saw that he could not hope to overtake the man ahead of him by anordinary chase. The horse the pony rider bestrode was not fast enough. Anda short distance ahead was a place on the trail where the suspect couldescape by a side path.
"Here goes!" murmured Jack.
In his loudest voice he cried out:
"Whoa, Sunger!"
Something happened at once. The pony, which had been running his best inorder not to let the horse behind pass him, pulled up so short that the manwas flung with great force from the saddle, and over Sunger's head. Over hewent, vainly trying to save himself, and the next moment he landed heavilyon the side of the trail and did not move.
"Well, I guess that ends your riding for a time," thought Jack, grimly.Then he rode forward while Sunger, with a whinny of delight, turned back tomeet his master.
"Oh, Sunger! Sunger, old boy! You did it!" cried Jack. Then his heart smotehim as he saw the motionless figure beside the trail.
Pausing only a moment to caress his recovered pony, Jack hastened to theside of the man who had been thrown off by Sunger's sudden stopping. Thefellow was a stranger to Jack, who could not tell whether or not he was thepost office robber. The man was unconscious, and, with little compunction,Jack rapidly searched through his pockets.
In an inner one he came upon a package. With beating heart Jack pulled outthe bundle. He knew it in a moment. It was the packet of letters addressedto Mr. Argent. A look at the seals convinced the lad that they had not beenbroken.
"Talk about luck!" he cried, "I'm certainly in it to-day! I've got Sunger,got the papers back, and caught the robber, too. At least I think he mustbe the safe-cracker, though I can't be sure. I've got him right! Sunger,old boy, we worked the trick to perfection!"
Jack thrust the strangely-recovered package into his pocket, and then gavemore attention to the man. He lay senseless, and from the manner in whichone leg was doubled up under him Jack felt sure it was broken.
"But it couldn't be helped," he mused. "I had to stop you, and you broughtit on yourself. I'll go and get help for you, though."
Jack worked quickly. His first care was for his pony, who was delightedlyrubbing his velvet nose against his master. Sunger did not appear to havesuffered so much as Jack had feared.
"I guess you can ride trail yet," Jack mused. "I'll use you in place ofDobbin."
He transferred the mail sacks to his own pony, and then rode back to thecabin, taking the other horse with him.
"For you might come to, and manage to ride off," Jack said looking at theunconscious man. But the fellow did not. He was still senseless when thehelp sent by Jack reached him.
As for our hero, he rode post-haste into Rainbow Ridge, where, afterstopping but a moment to tell his father the good news, he hastened todeliver the recovered packet to Mr. Argent and tell his news.
"Say, you don't mean to say you have it Jack!" cried the miner. "Why,that's great! And it's all here, too--every paper!" he added as he brokethe seals and made a quick examination. "Now everything will be all right,and we'll start to work the mine. That fellow you caught didn't have timeto deliver the goods and didn't dare go where he could do so. It was agreat trick! Great!"
Jack was pretty well pleased with himself.
The rest of the story is soon told. The man whom Jack had caught by thetrick of making the pony stop suddenly was not mortally hurt, though abroken leg, and other injuries laid him up for some time. He confessed hewas the safe-robber, and a member of the outlaw gang that had been engagedby the enemies of Mr. Argent to get possession of the papers.
And, as the miner had surmised, the trails had been so quickly and closelywatched and guarded, that he had had no chance to communicate with thosewho engaged him, to give them the papers he stole from the safe. He andRyan, as well as others, had worked together to waylay Jack, or, in anymanner they could, get possession of the documents.
This much was learned from the man's confession, and, though he did notdisclose the whereabouts of his confederates, they were captured a littlelater, and sent to prison for long terms. Jack's testimony went far inthis, for he identified Ryan, as well as the bogus post office inspector,who was also one of the men who held him up.
Ryan was among the first arrested, and admitted that he had planned forsome time to drug Jack, and had seen his opportunity the day the pony wentlame.
Not only was Mr. Argent's mine secured to him, and the pony express routerendered safe by the capture of the outlaw band, but several other crimesin the vicinity were cleared up. The gang was at the bottom of them.
"Well, I only wish I could be cleared of suspicion in that Harringtonmatter," said Mr. Bailey one day, a month or so later, when he had so farrecovered that he was thinking of going back to the pony express route.
"Maybe you will be. The trials of those fellows aren't ended yet," Jacksaid. "Maybe something will come out in them."
And that is just what happened. In the testimony, it was brought out that,for some time, confederates of the outlaws, of whom Jake Tantrell was one,had been trying to get for
one of their number the position of pony expressrider. They thought if they did this they would have no trouble in robbingthe mail.
One of these unscrupulous men was responsible for the leakage of theinformation contained in the Harrington letter. This was admitted, and Mr.Bailey was cleared of all blame in the matter.
It was Tantrell, too, who loosened the planks in the bridge, just as Jacksuspected.
"Well, that makes me feel fine!" Mr. Bailey said, when the good news cameto him. "It's all your doings, Jack, catching that fellow!"
"No, it's Sunger's," Jack said, with a laugh. "If he hadn't learned thetrick of stopping suddenly the man might have gotten away, and the minemight have been lost to Mr. Argent."
"But it wasn't lost," said the miner, "and as a little reward for yourpluck and services, Jack, I'm going to give you a small interest in one ofmy mines, for I have two."
"Oh, I don't want any reward!"
"But you're going to need it some day. You can save the income for the timewhen you'll want to get married; eh?" and he pinched Jennie's blushingcheek.
Jennie didn't say anything. But she looked at Jack, and he would haveblushed as red as she, only he could not. He was too tanned.
In due time Mr. Bailey fully recovered, and was able to take up his formerwork of riding pony express. Jack regretted giving it up, glad as he was tohave his father out again. But Mr. Perkfeld was as good as his word, andJack soon had another route to ride, and one where he could see Jennienearly as often as before.
Jennie still kept her place as postmistress at Golden Crossing, but therewas no more danger from the outlaws or the bogus inspector, as they had theprospect of long terms in prison before them.
"And when they do come out you won't be working in the office here anymore," said Jack, with a smile.
"How do you know?" Jennie asked demurely.
"Oh, I just guess it," was the answer, and he looked at Jennie in a waythat meant a good deal.
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