CHAPTER XX
GLITTERING YELLOW
Such excitement followed the Kid's outburst that the very horses seemedimbued with it. The cowboys, keeping well out of the way of thatfloating, white cloud of gas--more or less poisonous, it was not to bedoubted--had mounted their animals and were on their way, by aroundabout trail, to the ranch house.
"Gold!" muttered Snake. "Do you really think there's gold in thatcave?"
"It would not be beyond the bounds of possibility," Dick replied. "I'mnot a geologist, and I don't know anything about mining. But the westis the home of gold, and so is Mexico. We're not far from Mexico.What's to prevent a ledge or seam of gold from running up into thesehills, or small mountains, and cropping out in that cave? What's toprevent?"
"Nothing!" came from Billee, a new light in his eyes.
"It would be very natural, I think," added Nort.
"That would account for what Bud saw--the men picking away at the stonesides of the cave," went on Dick. "And the roof and sides are ofrock--that my brother and I saw."
"Then we're on the right track!" cried Snake joyfully. "I been tryin'to figger out what all this meant, but I see it now. The other poisonattacks, where cattle and men died, didn't have nothin' to do with thegas we just now ran away from. Somebody else must have been the blameof that, or maybe it wasn't poison gas at all--might 'a' been just badwater or loco-weed. But this is different."
"Yes," agreed Nort, "this is different. We know, positively, that thisgas attack was launched by men."
"Men who want to keep us out of that cave 'cause it's full of gold!"murmured Old Billee. "Boys, for once I see daylight ahead of me! I'mgoin' to turn miner! I'm through nursin' cattle! I'm goin' to diggold and retire rich! By golly, I am!"
"You better wait until we see the color of pay dirt!" chuckled Snake.
"And until we get those fellows out!" added another cowboy.
"Oh, we'll git them out soon as we have them gas masks!" declaredBillee, who seldom had shown such enthusiasm. "By golly, at last I seedaylight! I'll soon lay this on the shelf," and he patted his oldlariat.
"I hope he isn't disappointed," murmured Dick to his brother.
"Do you really believe there's a chance of finding gold in that cave?"Nort asked in a low voice.
"I really do. Why else would those fellows want to keep us out? Itcan't be that it's a mere cattle-rustling game."
"No," admitted Nort, "I don't believe it's that. But--gold! Seemssort of far-fetched."
"Well, maybe I'm wrong," went on Dick. "But we'll soon find out, ifthose gas masks are any good."
On the way back to the circle of ranch buildings a close lookout waskept for any sign of intruders on the range of Dot and Dash. But nostrangers were seen, nor did a casual survey of the various herdsscattered over the plains disclose any casualties.
"I guess everything that happens takes place around Smugglers' Gulch,"observed Dick.
"Seems so," admitted his brother.
No one had suffered any serious results from the gas attack. It hadbeen discovered so quickly, and the retreat had been made so promptly,thanks to Snake's vigilance, that aside from a little irritation oftheir mouths and throats the attackers were not injured. Theirritation soon passed away and was about gone when they neared theranch.
"They were just teasing us that time," decided Snake. "The next timethey'll shoot some real nasty gas at us."
"And that's the time we'll be ready with the masks," declared Nort.
Bud Merkel was as excited as either of his cousins when he heard thenews. He declared no better plan could be devised than going againstthe unknown cave dwellers with gas masks and a telephone message wassoon on the way, asking the commander of the Los Pompan branch of theAmerican Legion for the loan of as many of the protectors as wereneeded.
In due time word came back that the Dot and Dash ranchers were quitewelcome to the masks. Snake and Kid, as experts in their use, and asjudges of the best ones to bring back, were sent as a committee intotown to get the life-saving apparatus.
It was next day, when the gas masks had been tried on by the cowboyswho were to use them, and plans were being talked over for a secondattack, that Nort suggested:
"Maybe we ought to try these masks before we use them. They may bedefective in spite of the fact that they look all right."
"Not a bad idea," agreed Bud. "But we haven't any poison gas to try'em with."
"If we could go in a room filled with ammonia, or some such vapor asthat, we could soon tell if the masks were any good," Dick suggested.
Dr. Taylor was communicated with and agreed to supply from his somewhatlimited laboratory sufficient fumes to make a sure test of the masks.He came out to the ranch, a small room was set aside for the experimentand into this vile chamber the men went one at a time, each one wearingthe mask that was designed to protect him in the coming fight.
With the exception of one or two of the affairs, each one was gas proofand the defective ones were quickly replaced with good ones. So thatin a comparatively short time the avengers were once more ready to makethe attack.
Much the same tactics were observed as on the former occasion. Thehorses were left well out of reach of any clouds of vapor that mightfloat from the ravine, and the guards were instructed to deploy theirreserve cavalry to east or west, according to the direction of thewind, in case gas was noted coming out of the defile.
"Well, I reckon we're all ready," observed Old Billee on a certainmorning a few days after the first failure. "How about it, Bud?"
"All set," answered the ranch owner's son, for he had recovered fromthe gas he had inhaled and was quite fit again. "Let's go!" he cried.
The cavalcade moved forward, and when within about the same distance asbefore from the defile, the horses were led aside, the guard posted andthe men again advanced up the gorge.
"Don't make any more noise than you can help," warned Bud, as one ofthe men rattled some of the loose stones.
"Oh, I think they know we're coming," said Dick.
"You do? How?"
"Well, naturally they have scouts posted. We'd do the same if we werein their position. They know we're coming, all right."
"Perhaps so," Bud admitted. "Well, everybody have his mask ready toslip on as soon as gas is smelled."
"What if they use a kind we can't smell until it's too late?" askedDick.
"Well, that's a chance we have to take," said Bud with a shrug of hisshoulders.
"I think I shall smell it all right," Snake interjected. "I was prettygood at that sort of thing in the war. The officers said I had amighty good nose--for smelling I mean," he made haste to add for fearhis pals would accuse him of personal vanity. "In some of the trenchesthey used rats and canary birds to give warning of gas. But I was theofficial smeller for my bunch, and I got so I was pretty good at it ifI do say it myself."
"Then we'll make you the advance guard," decided Bud, and so it wasarranged.
Up the gulch they marched, with guns and gas masks ready, and oncemore, as on the former occasion, they were just within sight of thecave when Snake cried:
"Gas! Gas!"
At once each man donned his protector, and then, looking likeprehistoric monsters the crowd, led by Bud, Nort, Dick and Old Billeerushed to the attack. The same white wisps of vapor floated down intothe faces of the avengers, but there was no turning back now. Therewas no choking or gasping. The gas masks were a perfect protection.
Dick's surmise that the advancing party was being spied on seemed to becorrect, since before they reached the cave shots came from the cavern,and there was the vicious whine and ping of bullets. One or two of thecowboys were hit, one seriously, and then the avengers began shootingon their own account.
Bud gave the signal for a rush attack and eagerly he and his comradessprang forward. They passed a little trench near the mouth of thecave. In this shallow ditch were several iron cylinders from holes ofwhich was pouring a white vapor.
This was the gas, how deadly couldonly be surmised for the masks kept all fumes and effects of it fromthe attackers.
There was a current of air from the cave blowing down the defile andthis carried the fumes away from the hidden men and into the ranks ofthe attackers. This direction of the wind explained why no gas maskswere needed by the foe. The wind was their protection. And the factthat they wore no masks was soon demonstrated.
For as the attackers swept on and up to the cave they dislodged severalof the first line fighters of their foes--rough, ugly-looking men whosprang up from amid the rocks and, after firing their last shots,turned and ran into the cavern. Not one wore a mask.
In a few minutes the attackers were safely back of the gas-emittingcylinders and could take off their masks for the wind carried the fumesaway from them. Yanking his protector off, Bud shouted:
"Into the cave after them!"
The rush was made. A sight was had of a crowd of men retreating intothe black depths of the cavern. The cowboys fired at them and wereshot at in turn, Nort receiving a nasty scratch from a bullet along hisshoulder, and his brother stopping a lead slug in the fleshy part ofhis thigh. Bud was nipped on the hand and several of the other cowboyswere more or less painfully injured.
Some damage was inflicted on the foe, for there were yells of pain fromseveral and one man was seen to fall. He was quickly picked up by hispals, however, and carried into the far end of the cave.
Then, when it grew dark as the daylight faded, a short distance beyondthe entrance, Bud called a halt on further pursuit.
"No use going back there when we don't know what's beyond," he said."We've driven 'em out, and we can have a look, now, and see what secretthey have been guarding."
When Snake and Kid, again donning their masks, had shut off the flow ofgas from the cylinders, a precaution taken against a possible change ofwind, flashlights were produced and a close inspection of the cave wasbegun. It was evident that the men who had been in it, and who hadrelied on gas to keep intruders out, had made their escape through somerear exit, or they might still be hiding in the depths of the cavern.
Extra powerful portable electric torches had been brought by theexploring party and these were turned, now, on different parts of therocky walls and roof of the cave. Bud showed where he had been held aprisoner, and it did not take long to find places where digging hadbeen going on.
As the lights flashed over the rough, rocky walls, there were reflectedback glistening yellow slivers of illumination.
"Look!" cried Dick, pointing. "There it is! Gold!"
"Gold! Gold!" came in joyful shouts from the exulting cowboys. "We'vefound a gold mine!"
And truly it seemed so.