for a moment or two after the sensational break for freedom made by bill cromley, for it was indeed he, it appeared that noddy and jack, to say nothing of dolt haven, might wheel and start in pursuit of him.
“but they’re thinking better of it!” reported tinny, who was again observing events through the glasses. “i guess they don’t dare come any nearer us.”
this seemed to be the case, for the three horsemen, on seeing that cromley had a good start, turned about and went on up the rough trail at the best speed they could make.
“it’s a good thing bill’s bringing his horse with him,” remarked jerry, as the fugitive drew nearer. “we’d have had to take turns walking back, only for that.”
cromley’s features could not be made out yet, but he galloped steadily nearer.
desperate as noddy must have been to kidnap the old man as he had done, the bully did not[198] go to extremes, and there was no attempt at shooting. neither noddy, jack nor dolt displayed any weapons. and for this cromley’s friends were glad.
“there they go!” cried ned, as he saw noddy and his two companions urging their steeds up the slope.
“let them go,” advised tinny. “we have bill back, which was what we were trying for, and we’ve got him before they had a chance to drag him to blue rock. so far, we’ve beaten them at their own game!”
“unless they scared the secret out of bill before he got away,” said bob.
“we’ll soon know that,” remarked jerry. “he’s coming on like a house afire.”
this was very true. the mine foreman, though not an accomplished horseman, was urging his steed on by shaking the bridle reins and kicking the animal with his heels.
“they’ve taken the gag and ropes off him!” exclaimed ned.
“yes, they could do that in a wild country like this,” said tinny. “and, being unbound, bill probably thought it was a good chance to escape, especially when he looked back and saw us.”
on came the lone rider, finally to dash up in the midst of his friends who so anxiously awaited him.
[199]
“hello, bill!” they greeted him.
“hello, boys!” the old miner answered, somewhat breathlessly. “gosh! but i’m glad to get away from that crowd. i’d just about given up!”
“we hadn’t!” said jerry, with a chuckle. “we were counting on rescuing you soon, but you saved us the trouble. are you all right?”
“well, i’m as right as a man can be who’s been forced to ride day and night for days, and part of that time gagged and bound on a horse,” cromley replied. “say, i don’t care if i never see a saddle again!”
they could appreciate his feelings, mental and physical, as he slumped from the back of his animal and limped stiffly about.
“i’ll have some coffee for you in a few minutes,” called bob, as he dismounted and began to unpack the campfire stuff of which he had assumed charge. “we might as well lay over here for the night,” he added.
“yes, i guess so,” assented tinny, having ascertained by a few observations that it would make a fair camping site.
“i’ll be glad of a good cup of coffee,” murmured bill cromley, rubbing his arms and legs to get rid of some of the stiffness.
“did they treat you pretty mean?” asked ned.
“as mean as they dared. oh, but i’m glad to be back with you once more.”
[200]
“did you tell them the secret of blue rock—i mean where the treasure chest went off the trail?” asked ned.
“i did not!” was the emphatic rejoinder. “they kept pestering me all the while, and they threatened all sorts of things when we should get to the gully, which we were heading for, if i didn’t tell them. but i let them threaten.”
“then we may get the gold yet!” said bob.
“tell us what happened,” suggested jerry, when a fire had been lighted and bob was getting supper, for night was falling.
“well, they sneaked up on me and kidnaped me—that’s about all i can say,” bill answered. “it was that day you were all away. i had come to the cabin to get some new drills for the mine when, the first i knew, i was knocked out by a blow on the head.”
“that’s what they did to hang gow,” commented ned.
“um,” murmured the miner. “so that accounts for that chinaman not coming to help me. i wondered while they were taking me away what had happened to him.
“well, as i said, they sneaked up and attacked me suddenly. when i got my senses back i was lying bound in the bottom of a wagon and riding along. and, believe me, it was some rough ride![201] they had a gag in my mouth so i couldn’t yell, and they had me tied tight.
“well, they got me off to some wild place that night and said they’d let me go if i’d tell them exactly how to get to the spot where the treasure chest fell over. i knew then that this dolt haven was a bluffer—a faker. he doesn’t know anything about it. i knew i had all the cards in my hand, so i didn’t let out anything.
“that little professor came prancing up as though he were a six-footer trying to help me once; but the gang easily got rid of him—took him back into the forest, i guess.”
“yes, and worse than that!” exclaimed bob, and told cromley what had happened to professor snodgrass.
“you don’t say!” exclaimed the old miner. “well, they are a mean bunch! but to go back to what they did to me.
“they went on the next day, and from the way they hurried i knew they must fear somebody—you, likely—would soon be trailing after them. to make a long story short, they’ve been carting me about with them ever since. they traded off their wagon for horses and made me get on this one. whenever they got to a settlement, or saw anybody coming, they would bind me tighter than ever and stick that gag in my mouth.”
[202]
this much his friends had guessed, and cromley confirmed their theories of what had happened.
“finally,” went on the miner, “they gave up trying to make me talk and they began to circle back on a trail i knew would lead us to blue rock. what they were going to do when they got there i didn’t know. but i made up my mind i wasn’t going to give ’em a bit of information. what i did know i was going to tell you boys.
“well, we kept on and on until about half an hour ago i could see that noddy was uneasy. he kept looking back, and though i couldn’t hear anything i suspected the chase was getting hotter.
“they had taken off my ropes and loosened the gag, so we could go faster, i reckon. i heard noddy say something about you coming. we were going up hill when i looked back and saw you and made a dash for it.
“i was in fear every minute that one of them would send a bullet after me—for they had guns—but nothing like that happened. and here i am!” he concluded abruptly.
“and we’re glad to see you!” exclaimed ned.
“no gladder than i am to be here,” commented bill. “oh, but i’m glad to get off that horse. whew!”
he moved stiffly about, his lameness seeming to be worse because of the treatment he had received.[203] but aside from this he was not harmed, though, as he said, the food the kidnapers furnished was not of the best.
“this is some meal!” exclaimed bill, when they were all sitting about the campfire, eating in the gathering darkness.
“trust chunky when it comes to the eats!” chuckled jerry.
as there was now no special object in hurrying, and as bill was still very lame and stiff the next morning, it was decided to camp where they were for a day or so, to allow the old miner to recover somewhat.
“then we’ll get back to leftover,” decided tinny: “i want to see how our mine is panning out.”
“aren’t you going to have a try for the treasure chest at blue rock?” asked ned.
“not now,” decided tinny. “later on, when we get the mine to going well, you boys can prospect on that wild-goose chase if you want to.”
“blue rock isn’t so far from here,” observed the foreman. “it’s almost as near to go around that trail as back the way you came.”
“well, we’ll see,” was all mallison would say. “we’ve got to make a détour, anyhow, on account of the landslide. did you see anything like that in your travels, bill?”
[204]
“nary a landslide, though i had enough other troubles.”
cromley, having brought away with him one of the kidnapers’ horses, was as well mounted as his companions, and after two days spent in the improvised camp it was decided to start back for leftover. tinny was clearly anxious to see to his mining property, and the motor boys, too, felt some anxiety concerning it.
the five adventurers, now in a much happier frame of mind than at any time since the kidnaping had taken place, rode along at a leisurely pace, for it was desired to spare the horses as much as possible.
it was toward the close of the second day of back travel, and they were ambling along talking of various matters. one fruitful topic of conversation was a surmise as to what had become of noddy and his companions.
the last seen of them was when they were hurrying away from the pursuing party up the mountain after bill had escaped.
“i don’t care if we never see them again,” remarked ned.
“me, either,” added bob.
“i’d like to get square for what they did to me,” declared cromley, “but i reckon maybe i’d better let well enough alone. how’s hang gow—was he much hurt?”
[205]
“no, just knocked out temporarily,” tinny answered. “but in spite of the fact that noddy got away, i’m wondering whether we ought to have him arrested. such a crime oughtn’t to go unpunished. after we get the mine to working i’m going to see the sheriff.”
“noddy deserves all that can be given him,” said jerry.
they were looking about for a good place to camp when they were suddenly startled by a sound as of a great blast. this was followed by a succession of rumbles.
“what’s that?” cried ned, as he quieted his startled horse.
“storm coming,” answered tinny. “and a bad place for it, too.”
“why?” asked jerry.
“because we’re on the west side of thunder mountain. you boys wanted to know why it had that name. well, you’re going to find out, i reckon, and mighty soon, too! come on—we’ve got to get to some kind of shelter before it breaks!”
as he spoke there came a vivid flash of lightning, followed by a terrific clap of thunder.
