CHAPTER XII
THE PATH ALONG THE CLIFF
A long, loud whistle sounded.
“What d’ye suppose that’s for?” asked Bob. “It came from the mine, didn’t it?”
“To be sure,” replied Frank. “And I reckon it’s a call for the men to get busy.”
“That would mean the new overseer is starting things again?” continued Bob.
“Well, it looks that way, as sure as anything,” his chum went on, with an air of satisfaction. “So we can take it for granted that the men believe things are going to come out all right; which they will, if I can make ’em.”
By this time they had arrived close to the spot where the trailer stood awaiting their arrival. As Mr. Riley had kept closer to Sim than had either of the boys, he was even then on the ground, looking down at something to which his attention had evidently been directed by the other.
Frank threw himself down, giving his chum the horses to care for.
“What is it?” he asked.
“Why, it seems as if another trail, much fresher, has crossed the one we were following,” replied the former overseer.
“Why does that bother him?” asked Frank.
“Just because Sim, here, declares the tracks are so much like some of those made by the men we’re chasing after, that he believes they must be the same parties!” Mr. Riley answered.
“Oh! that changes the case a heap,” remarked Frank. “Let me take a look and see if I can tell as much.”
A minute later he got up off his knees.
“How?” asked Bob, Indian fashion.
“Sim is dead right,” replied Frank.
“Same lot, then, Frank?”
“Not a little doubt about it,” replied the other.
“Three men, and all wearing store shoes, with narrow soles, eh?” Bob continued.
Frank shot a look toward the experienced trailer. Then he held up two fingers of his right hand, with a question in his eyes. Sim nodded his head in the affirmative.
“There seems to be only two of them now,” remarked Frank.
“One missing, eh?” Bob kept on. “What d’ye suppose they could have done with him?”
“What do you think, Mr. Riley?” and Frank turned on the ex-superintendent.
“Well,” said he reflectively, “I’ve seen many of these fellows in my days, boys, and I reckon I know about how they pan out. There was just three in the bunch to start. That was evidently one too many. It made the shares of the swag too small. What happens? Oh! they just lost the third man, that’s all.”
“What! Do you mean to say they disposed of him when he wasn’t looking, and then ran away with the treasure?” demanded Bob.
“Oh! I don’t know,” resumed the ex-overseer. “Perhaps it wa’n’t so bad as that. They might have only tumbled him down into some hole, and left him there to climb out, or stay in. Then again, perhaps they just held him up, took his guns away, and then walked off with his sack.”
“That sounds as if it might be the way it happened,” remarked Bob, who could, in imagination, almost see the treachery of the two robbers being carried out; and, while he did not know why it should be so, somehow his sympathy seemed to go out to the third man who was being so badly treated by his mates.
“But you said the gold must have weighed in the neighborhood of two hundred pounds, didn’t you, Mr. Riley?” asked Frank.
“Not far from that, Frank, and valued at nearly fifty thousand dollars, counting it at about twenty dollars to the ounce, and twelve ounces to the pound,” replied the other.
“That looks queer,” mused Frank.
“In what way?” asked Bob, quickly; while both the others listened eagerly.
“Well, you told me the gold was in three sacks, didn’t you?” Frank went on.
“Yes, it was, Frank.”
“Then if these two fellows were carrying it all, one of them would have to tote two of the sacks, wouldn’t he?” the boy demanded.
“It stands to reason he would, because they couldn’t divide the third bag,” Riley admitted, readily enough.
“All right. Now when a fellow staggers along carrying one hundred and thirty pounds on his back he would be sure to sink into the soft ground much deeper than when he only had half that much, eh, Mr. Riley?” Frank continued.
The man gave utterance to an exclamation; while the experienced trailer dropped once more to the ground.
“The boy’s right, Riley,” the last individual exclaimed, almost immediately. “The cross tracks are as fresh as if made only a little time ago; while the others are old, but if anything, the new ones are not as deep as the first!”
“What would you take from that?” demanded Bob.
“Perhaps they hid the gold!” suggested Mr. Riley.
“Looks that way; though for the life of me I can’t understand why they’ve been a-hangin’ around here all this time, takin’ chances,” Sim Garrison said.
“Then what ought we do?” remarked the former superintendent, turning to Frank. “Keep right along after the two thieves; or turn back on this new trail, and try to find where they hid the stuff?”
Frank had to think fast just then. A mistake was apt to prove costly.
“We can always come back to this point, and take up the back trail,” he said; “but the thieves will be getting farther and farther away all the while. So I say, let’s start after them.”
“I cover that way,” remarked Sim. “Seems like no fellers’d ever come up into this country without mounts; and I just reckon that these two are headin’ for where the hosses are hid.”
“Then the sooner we start, the better chance we will have to get sight of them,” Frank remarked.
Sim took the hint. Bending down he hastened along. So accustomed were his eyes to picking out signs invisible to a greenhorn like Bob, that he was able to run pretty much all the time; and the horses had to keep up a little canter to hold their own.
“I wonder whether we will really get a glimpse of them before night sets in?” Bob remarked, as he rode along close to his chum.
“Nobody can tell,” came the reply; “but it wouldn’t surprise me if we did. What I’m wondering at is why these fellows hung around all this time, when they must have known there would be a hunt as soon as the robbery was discovered.”
“That is queer, come to think of it,” Bob agreed. “And you don’t happen to think of any explanation, eh?”
“That’s what I don’t,” Frank admitted, shaking his head. “Of course I could give a dozen guesses; but all of ’em would be far from the mark. Still, there must be a reason, and a mighty good one, too. A whole lot might hinge on a little thing.”
“Do you suppose they just happened to cross their old trail?” Bob asked.
“No doubt of it,” came the ready reply; “and see how accident helps a fellow, sometimes. Only for that we’d have been forced to follow them over all the ground they’ve covered since the robbery took place two nights ago. That helped us along fine.”
“And that’s how hard luck sometimes upsets all the calculations of the sharpest of rascals,” remarked Bob.
“Seems like it,” observed Frank, and immediately afterwards he cried out: “Look up yonder; what’s that moving there? I’m nearly sure I saw a horse pass that little gap, Mr. Riley.”
“That’s what you did, Frank!” exclaimed Sim, the trailer; “and there goes a second one. Off we go, fellers, and it’s a stern chase now!”
“Are you sure they’re the men we’re looking for?” gasped Bob, as Domino sprang after the horses ridden by the ex-superintendent and Sim.
“Everything seems to point that way,” replied Frank. “They’re running as if scared at sight of us; and that’s almost a sure evidence of guilt. Then, as near as I can tell, the two men seem to be anything but miners. I reckon we’ve put up our game, all right. And already we’re pulling up on ’em some.”
“You’re right,” declared Bob. “They happen to have poor mounts. Why, I can see one of the horses limp even from here. But, Frank, isn’t it likely those fellows will put up a stiff fight before surrendering to us?”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if they did, Bob. Now look at them turn that bend, and disappear from sight. Seems as if the trail runs along a path that’s fastened to the face of the cliff; doesn’t it? A slip would mean trouble for man and horses. But if they can make it, we ought to be able to.”
“Where they lead we follow!” cried Bob, much excited by this time.
They were soon sweeping along close to the dangerous place in the trail. Sim was in the van, for since he had been installed in the place of honor as tracker, it was only right he should assume the lead. Next to him came Mr. Riley; then Frank, while Bob brought up in the rear.
“Say, Frank, did you happen to see the sacks of treasure hung on the animals?” asked the Kentucky boy.
“Not that I knew of; did you?” demanded the other quickly.
“Well, now, I didn’t, that’s a fact,” replied Bob. “But then, they might have them concealed. They would expect to meet lots of white people on the road after they had gone a certain distance. There, Sim is turning the bend in the path along the face of the cliff. Ugh! don’t look down, or you’ll get dizzy. It’s awful deep right here. One little slip, and where would you land?”
Hardly had Bob made this suggestive remark, calculated to give Frank a shiver, than their ears were saluted by a heavy explosion right ahead around the bend.
A portion of the cliff path seemed to separate itself from the rock wall, and go plunging down; and Sim, together with his horse, was carried over the edge with it!