CHAPTER XIX
THE NEWSPAPER CLEW
"Do you think he'll catch that fellow?"
It was Phil who asked the question, as he and Dave and Roger watched theold miner disappear around a bend of the back trail.
"I don't know about that," returned Dave. "But if he gets the horsesback it will be something."
"I should say yes!" cried the senator's son. "Why, we won't be able togo on unless we get them back!" he added, his face showing his worry.
"Listen!" exclaimed Roger a minute later. "Somebody is shooting!"
It was true--a shot had sounded out on the morning air. Soon it wasfollowed by another, at a greater distance--showing that pursued andpursuer were drawing farther from the boys.
The boys walked slowly back to the campfire and commenced to stir it up,and then they finished their morning toilet. Dave heaved a deep sigh.
"I must say I don't feel much like eating," he observed.
"Oh, we might as well fix breakfast," came from Phil. "It will help topass the time. It won't do any good to just sit around."
Fortunately their provisions were at hand, so it was an easy matter toprepare the morning meal. Before eating, however, Roger and Dave climbedthe tall rock behind the camp and looked for some sign of Tom Dillon andthe man he was pursuing.
"I can't see a thing," announced Roger, after a long look through thefield-glasses. "Here, you try," and he handed the glasses to our hero.
For several minutes Dave surveyed the distant landscape in vain. Then heuttered a cry.
"I see them, Roger! There they go!" And he pointed excitedly with hisfinger.
At a distance they could not calculate they saw Tom Dillon and therascal he was after, and also the flying horses. They were all boundingalong a rocky trail, the would-be horse thief well in advance. Suddenlythey saw this individual make a turn and disappear around some rocks.The free horses kept on, with the old miner after them.
"That rascal has gotten away!" announced Dave. "He has given Mr. Dillonthe slip."
"Dave, do you think Mr. Dillon will catch our horses?"
"Yes--sooner or later. They are bound to stop running, to feed or todrink, and then he'll round them up. I guess all we can do is to godown and wait for him to get back."
"But those shots! What if he is wounded!"
"I hope he isn't, Roger."
They climbed down to the camp and told Phil about what they hadwitnessed. Then all ate breakfast slowly, meanwhile discussing theadventure from all possible standpoints.
"It was one of the Blugg crowd, I feel certain of that," said Dave."Perhaps it was Sol Blugg himself."
Slowly the morning wore away. When the sun came up it was very hot andthe youths were glad enough to draw into the shade of the rocks. Justbefore noon all three climbed the tall rock again, to look not only forTom Dillon and the horses, but also for Abe Blower and those with him.
But not a soul was in sight, nor did any horses show themselves. At adistance they made out some mule deer and several goats, but that wasall.
"Do you think we ought to walk along the back trail?" asked Roger, whenthey were getting lunch. "Mr. Dillon may need our services."
"I'll go if you want me to, Roger," answered our hero. "But he was agood distance away when we saw him through the glasses."
"Let us wait awhile--until the awful heat of the midday sun is over,"suggested Phil. "The sunshine just now is enough to give one asun-stroke."
It was a little after three o'clock when the three lads prepared to walkalong the back trail, on the lookout for the old miner. But just as theystarted Dave put up his hand.
"Listen!"
All did so, and from a distance heard the clatter of horses' hoofs onthe rocky trail. Then came a cheery call.
"It's Mr. Dillon!" cried Roger, and let out a call in return, and theothers did likewise.
Soon the old miner appeared around a bend of the trail. He was seated onhis own steed and driving the others in front of him. He looked tiredout, and the horses looked the same.
"Are you all right, Mr. Dillon?" sang out Dave, as he ran forward tostop the nearest horse.
"All right, boys!" was the answer. "That is, I will be as soon as I'verested a bit. I've had some ride, believe me!"
Roger and Phil helped Dave to secure the free horses and tether them,and our hero held the old miner's steed while he fairly tumbled to theground. The horse was in a heavy lather, and Mr. Dillon was covered withdust.
"You weren't shot, were you?" questioned the senator's son, anxiously.
"No, although I come putty nigh to it," was the answer, and the oldminer pointed to a hole through the brim of the hat he wore. "The skunkfired twict at me!"
"We heard two shots," said Dave. "We were afraid you might be introuble. If we had had horses we would have followed you."
"I did better nor he did," went on the old miner, with a satisfied ringin his voice. "I plugged him in the arm."
"You did!" exclaimed Phil. "We heard only two shots!"
"I fired later on, after he left the trail. He was just gittin' ready toaim his gun ag'in when I caught him. His arm went down like lead, an'the gun dropped to the ground; so I know I winged him. He didn't shootno more, only got into the timber quick as he could. Then I rounded upthe hosses an' started back."
"Who was it, do you know?" questioned Dave.
"It was Ham Staver. I suppose Sol Blugg and Larry Jaley sent him aheadto steal the hosses. They thought it would be easy, with us asleep."
"It came pretty near being so," answered Dave, gravely.
Tom Dillon was glad enough to rest, and to partake of the hearty mealthe boys prepared for him. The horses were cared for, and the boys werepleased to learn that they had not suffered through the wild run alongthe rocky trail.
"If that Staver shows himself around Butte I'll settle accounts withhim," said the old miner, while eating. "But I reckon he'll stay awayfor a while."
After an hour's rest the old miner announced that he was ready to goforward once more. The sun was now well in the west, and it was not nearso hot as it had been in the middle of the day.
"I wish we could catch up to the Blower party by to-night," said Roger,earnestly. "Mr. Dillon, do you think we can do it?"
"We can try, lad. But you must remember, we'll have to favor the hossesa leetle. They have had a mighty hard run on't."
"I know. Well, don't go any further than you deem wise."
For the distance of half a mile the trail was comparatively good. Butthen they came to an uneven locality, filled with dangerous holes andpitfalls.
"Careful here, boys!" cried Tom Dillon. "We don't want none o' thehosses to break a leg."
He was in the lead, and under his guidance they advanced slowly. At thetop of a short rise of ground he came to a halt.
"Here is where part o' that landslide occurred," he announced, pointingwith his hand. "I think myself it was somethin' of an earthquake,although the scientific sharps say not. But if it wasn't an earthquakeit was mighty queer that it hit this spot and the other at the sametime--both bein' miles apart."
"Perhaps the shock of the falling rocks at one place shook the other,"suggested Dave.
"Perhaps, lad. It's a mystery--an' I suppose it will remain a mystery.We know some things about Nater, but there's others she keeps putty wellhid."
They went down on the other side of the rise, and then commenced tomount an even larger hill--the last but one, so the old miner told theboys. Far in the distance they could make out the railroad tracks,winding along through the mountains. The sun was setting, and thewestern sky was aflame with varied colors of most gorgeous hues.
"What a beautiful sunset!" murmured Dave.
Soon the gloom of evening commenced to settle about them. All had theireyes ahead, but so far they had seen no trace of the Blower party.
"Wait a minute!" cried Dave, presently. He had seen something whitefluttering among the rocks on the side of the trail.
"What do you se
e?" asked Phil.
"A newspaper."
"Oh, let it go, Dave. We have all the old newspapers we want."
"I want to see how recent it is," was our hero's reply.
He got down, walked to where the paper rested in a crevice, and drew itforth.
"It's a copy of a mining journal," he announced, as he looked the sheetover. "The issue for last week," he added, gazing at the date. "It'sfull of grease, too,--that's why they threw it away."
"Do you suppose it belonged to Abe Blower?" questioned Roger, coming up.
"It did!" cried Dave. He had turned to the front page of the paper."See, here is Abe Blower's name and address, stamped on for mailingpurposes. He got it through the mail just before he left and took italong to wrap something in."
"Then that proves we are on the right trail!" cried Roger, joyfully. "Iwonder how long ago it was when he threw the paper away?"
"I'm not detective enough to tell you that, Roger," answered Dave, witha grin. "But it's something to know we are on the right trail. Theymight have taken to that cross trail, you know. We'll catch up to themsooner or later."
Once more our friends went forward, this time along the very edge of thenew ridge that had shown itself after the great landslide. They had toadvance with caution, for loose stones were numerous and so weredangerous holes.
"We can't go much further to-night," announced Tom Dillon presently."This trail ain't safe in the dark."
"All right, Mr. Dillon, we'll stop when you say so," returned Roger,with a bit of a sigh. "How much further to where the Landslide Mine waslocated?"
"Not over two miles, as the crows fly, lad; but four to five miles bythe trail."
They went into camp in the very midst of the rocks. Strange as it mayseem, there was water there, coming from a tiny spring under a hugeboulder. It had a somewhat unpleasant odor, and the horses at firstrefused it, but the old miner said it was drinkable.
"Only you don't want to live on it all the year around," he added, witha grin. "A doctor onct tole me if you did that you might turn intostone!"
"I know what I am going to do, as soon as it gets dark enough," saidDave to his chums, while they were preparing supper.
"What?" asked the other boys.
"I am going to look for the campfire of that crowd ahead."
"Of course!" cried Roger. "And, Dave, if it isn't too far off, maybe wecan walk to it!" he added, quickly.
"So I was thinking."
Eagerly the three boys waited for the darkness of night to fall, in themeanwhile getting supper and tidying up the camp. Then they climbed tothe top of the highest rock that was at hand and looked around them.
"I see a fire!" cried Dave, and pointed it out.
"Yes, and it looks to be less than a mile away!" returned Roger.
"Let's walk to it!" put in Phil.
And on this plan the three chums quickly agreed.
Dave Porter in the Gold Fields; Or, The Search for the Landslide Mine Page 20