The Motor Boys on a Ranch; or, Ned, Bob and Jerry Among the Cowboys

by Clarence Young

  CHAPTER XXX

  A FINAL SURPRISE

  “Better fly low,” said Ned to Jerry, who was guiding the airship. “Ifyou go up too high,” he went on, as they were approaching the locationof the mysterious gorge, “they may see you.”

  As far as they could learn by looking down and sweeping the landscapethrough powerful glasses, they were not seen, and the airship settleddown at the entrance of the defile, to give the boys and the professora chance to find the secret door before the cowboys arrived.

  “We’ve got about three hours,” Jerry said. “It will take them that longto ride here.”

  They entered the V-gorge, and when they came to the place where, alwaysbefore, they had been stopped by the lack of the cattle signs, theyexamined the ground with new interest.

  “Look at those splinters of wood!” exclaimed Ned. “That shows where thebig stone-boat was pulled along over the stones, laden with cattle.”

  “That’s right,” agreed Jerry. “Probably those splinters were there allthe while.”

  “It’s queer we didn’t notice ’em!” cried Ned. “I don’t believe theywere as plain before. I’m sure we would have taken some notice of themif they had been. More likely they put more cattle on the wooden dragthis time, so as to hurry them through the passage, and because of thegreater weight more splinters were rubbed off.”

  “That’s right,” agreed Jerry. “Anyhow, the thing is plain now, andif we follow the splinter trail to where it ends it ought to bringus right to the secret door. Where the splinters end there is theentrance.”

  “That was my idea,” said Professor Snodgrass with a smile.

  They followed the “splinter trail,” as they called it, until it came toan end right where the two sides of the big stony V came together.

  “Here ought to be the door--here or hereabouts,” the professor said ashe drew a geologist’s hammer from his pocket, for he was a geologist aswell as a botanist and a “bugologist.”

  He began to tap gently on the walls of the defile. They were of roughstone, and so cunningly had the concrete coating been made for thewooden door that it could not be detected by an difference in hue ortexture.

  But suddenly the hammer, instead of giving back a sharp, thuddingsound, produced a hollow boom.

  “There it is!” cried Jerry.

  “Right,” assented the scientist. “And you can see the outline of thedoor,” and he pointed to an irregular crack starting at the floor ofthe gorge, rising up about five feet, always irregular, then down againuntil it reached the rocky floor once more, the space between beingroughly shaped like an inverted U with about ten feet distance betweenthe two points.

  “But how does it open?” asked Ned. “If we can’t get through we aren’tmuch better off than before.”

  “It is only a light wooden door, covered on the outside with expandedmetal lath and that, in turn, with concrete,” said the professor. “Itwas made in this irregular shape so that the crack, where it fittedinto the opening of the tunnel, would look like a crack in the wall.But now we know what the crack means we can pry the door open.”

  Ned ran to get the necessary tools, and while he was coming back withthem Jerry and Bob looked at the secret door. It was so cunninglydevised that from the gorge few would have guessed its existence. They,in their previous searches, had probably stared right at the crack butuncomprehendingly.

  Ned returned with a short iron bar, sharp and flat at one end. Withthis, and an axe, they attacked the secret door. As the professorhad said, having gained his knowledge from overhearing the thievestalk while he was a captive, the portal was really but a shell. It wasquickly forced open, the secret lock on the inside being broken.

  Though they worked quickly they made as little noise as possible, forthey feared, from what Professor Snodgrass had said about the twoentrances being guarded, that someone would be stationed near thesecret door.

  But no alarm was raised, for while it was true that a guard was usuallykept at the farther end of the tunnel, where it opened into the valley,on this occasion the man had been called away to help in re-brandingthe cattle.

  So, thus favored by fortune, the Motor Boys and the professor wereable, undetected by those whom they sought to capture, to force openthe door. As it swung back on iron hinges set in the inner face of therock, a dark tunnel was revealed. Hesitating a moment, to make surenone of the rustlers was there, they stepped in.

  “Look! here’s the stone-boat and the ropes and pulleys they used tohaul the cattle over a space so all trace of them would be lost,”exclaimed Bob, pointing to the contrivance that was at the opening ofthe tunnel, which, in reality was a large cave.

  “Yes, that’s what I had my midnight ride on,” laughed ProfessorSnodgrass, who seemed to take huge delight in leading a raid on hisformer captors. “This is a new one they had just finished making in thewoods when, unexpectedly, they caught me.”

  “Hadn’t we better wait for the cowboys?” asked Bob, as Jerry and Nedseemed inclined to lead the way farther along the tunnel. “Besides,it’s so dark we can’t see more than a few feet,” and he pointed to theblack void beyond.

  “Yes, it is dark, and we’ll need lanterns,” said the scientist. “But wehave time to go along a little way and explore. The raiding party won’tbe here for some time yet.”

  “We have plenty of electric flashes on the airship,” Jerry said. “We’llget them and have a look.”

  Presently they were going forward. It was new ground to the professor,as well as to the others, for he had never been in the tunnel. Thislatter was evidently a hollow shaft under the mountain, caused by anearthquake perhaps, or, more probably, by the erosion of an undergroundriver.

  The tunnel was about ten feet high and about as broad, being oval inshape. There was room to drive many cattle along it, and there wereevidences that many had been so driven.

  “Go a bit easy,” advised Ned. “We don’t want to burst out of the otherend of this shaft into the midst of the rustlers.”

  “Oh, the tunnel is about a mile long,” said the professor. “And the endis screened by bushes, so you’ll have plenty of chance to be on yourguard.”

  They hurried silently along the big rocky shaft, their electricflashlight casting queer, flickering shadows on the walls. Theprofessor took the lead when they judged they had covered nearly thedistance estimated, and presently he came to a halt.

  “We’re near the end,” he said, indicating a glimmer of daylight.“Better put out your electrics.”

  This the boys did. Then, proceeding still more cautiously, theypresently found themselves looking through a screen of bushes at acurious sight.

  Down in a sort of gigantic bowl of a valley, the presence of which theyhad not detected in their wanderings, as it was the depressed top ofa big, deeply wooded hill, they saw a score or more of cowboys and aherd of steers, the latter being driven hither and yon in the processof having the brand of the Square Z ranch obliterated, and anothersubstituted.

  “The rustlers!” whispered Jerry.

  “There they are!” murmured Bob.

  “The secret solved at last!” cried Ned, in a suppressed voice. “Now dadwill say we’re some pumpkins, I guess!”

  “Only we haven’t got ’em yet,” remarked Jerry, cautiously.

  “I guess they won’t get away,” came grimly from the professor. “Andthen I can get back my precious specimens I had to abandon. I hope theyhaven’t destroyed them.”

  Marking the conformation of the valley, and noting the spot theprofessor pointed out as the egress, the boys and the scientistreturned to the tunnel entrance. They had not long to wait beforeHinkee Dee and the other cowboys came riding up.

  “Are they there?” the assistant foreman asked eagerly, and he addressedNed, Bob and Jerry in the most cordial tones he had ever used.

  “All ready to go in and get,” Jerry replied.

  “That’s good! Come on now, fellows!”

  The situation was quickly explained, and plans for a rush
made. Thecowboys rode their horses into the tunnel, preceded by the boys and theprofessor with lights. At the far end they halted and then, after somewhispered instructions from Hinkee Dee, the whole force went cautiouslyout and was posted behind the screening bushes.

  “All ready now?” asked Hinkee Dee, as he scanned his waiting horsemen.

  “All ready,” was the answer. Bob, Ned and Jerry had managed to getplaces in the front rank. The professor, as soon as he saw thepreparations completed, went to one side in a quiet chase after somebig bug he saw.

  “Let her go!” said Hinkee Dee. “But don’t begin to yell or ride harduntil they’ve seen us. Then rush ’em!”

  This advice was followed. And so busy were the rustlers branding thesteers that the attacking cowboys had ridden a quarter of the waytoward them before the alarm was given.

  And then it was too late to make a strong resistance. With a fusilladeof revolver shots, with wild yells and waving of hats, while the poniesgalloped on unguided by rein, the raiders rushed to the attack. Therustlers could not have been taken at a greater disadvantage. Not oneof them was armed, all having laid aside their guns to work at thebranding.

  “Throw up your hands!” came the stern order from Hinkee Dee, his twoguns pointed at the outlaws, and the order was sullenly obeyed. Onerustler tried to make a dash for his horse, probably intending to seekthe egress. But a shot fired over his head caused him to stop, and in ashort time the whole gang was captured.

  “Well, we’ve got you at last!” exclaimed Hinkee Dee, as he and hisfriends looked around the discomfited gang, many of whom were known,at least by reputation, to the cowboys. “Caught you in the act, too.”

  “Yes, I guess you’ve got the goods on us,” admitted one of the outlaws.“But I’d like to know how you found us.”

  “I showed them the way!” exclaimed a mild voice at Hinkee Dee’sstirrup. “And now I’d thank you for my specimens. They’re veryvaluable. There’s one red bug that----”

  “Jumpin’ molasses barrels!” cried Black Henderson, the leader. “It’sthe bug-house chap! So you got away, did you?”

  “Yes. And I came back again. Now for my specimens,” and the professorhurried off to the shack where he had been held prisoner, coming backpresently with several boxes under his arms and a happy smile on hisface. He had done his part to aid his friends, and the specimens hesecured afterward proved to be of great scientific value.

  “Got them--every one!” he called, and from then on he took no moreinterest in the raid.

  The prisoners were bound and driven out of the tunnel and eventuallyto town where they were locked up. The stolen cattle were gatheredtogether, and headed for their home range.

  “Well, boys,” said Hinkee Dee to Ned, Bob and Jerry as they were ontheir way to the ranch after the prisoners had been disposed of, “Iwant to congratulate you and say I was wrong in calling you tenderfeet.You’re one of us from now on. I was hopin’ to assimilate these rustlersmyself, but you and the professor got ahead of me.

  “Hello, what was the reason you didn’t come along with us, Munson?” heasked, as he dismounted at the corral and saw the cattle buyer standingnear. “We needed all the help we could get.”

  “I had business elsewhere.”

  “Couldn’t have been more important business than roundin’-up therustlers, to my way of thinkin’.”

  “I was doing a little rounding-up myself,” was the smiling answer.

  “You! Who’d you round up?”

  “The Parson,” was the quiet answer.

  “The Parson!” was yelled by a score.

  “Yes, the head of the rustling gang, its prime mover and the man whogave them information when and where to make their raids on Square Zranch.”

  “Whew!” whistled Hinkee Dee; and the others expressed their surprise indifferent ways. “How’d you come to do that, Munson?”

  “Peck’s my name,” was the quiet rejoinder. “Henry Peck, and I’m adetective. I was sent out here from New York.”

  At this the boys started and looked at one another.

  “I was sent on by your father,” said Mr. Peck, smiling at Ned, “to seewhat I could do. Evidently he didn’t take much stock in your efforts.But I shall tell him he was wrong. I did only a little end of it.”

  “And you got the Parson,” murmured Gimp, amazed.

  “Yes, I got the Parson! He is one of the most notorious cattleswindlers known, and the authorities have been looking for him a longtime. I heard of him in Des Moines, and then I came on here. I guessyou boys didn’t think much of me at first, did you?” Mr. Peck askedJerry.

  “No; not an awful lot. We thought you were a rustler yourself.”

  “Especially after that fake about your leg,” added Ned.

  “Well, that _was_ a fake--part of it, anyhow,” admitted the detective.“I did see the rustlers drive off the cattle and they fired at me. Theydidn’t hit me; but I saw a chance to pretend to be wounded so I couldhave a good excuse for staying around the place here. That’s what Idid, and in that way I got evidence against the Parson. I interceptedsome messages he sent to the rustlers, made copies of them and they’llbe used for evidence. He was the real head of the gang.”

  “Whew!” exclaimed Ned. “And we thought he was so good!”

  “I guess you thought _I_ was sort of mean, didn’t you?” asked HinkeeDee.

  “Yes,” admitted Jerry.

  “But I want to say it wasn’t me who changed horses on you that time,”went on the assistant foreman. “I saw the Parson do it, but I wasn’tgoing to squeal. I didn’t know what his game was but I see now. Hewanted to discourage you.”

  “Of course not,” Jerry agreed. “I guess he had his reasons for tryingto get us away from here.”

  “The very best!” laughed Henry Peck. “And now I think you’d bettersend word home. The main credit belongs to you boys, for if you hadn’trescued the professor you’d never have known where the rustlers’headquarters were. I doubt if I could have forced the Parson to tell.

  “I stayed away from the raid to-day to get the last bit of evidenceagainst him I needed. And I got it--and him. He’s in jail with the restof his gang now.”

  There is little more to tell. The workings of the cattle thieves wererevealed with the arrest of the entire gang. As has been related, theywould run off a bunch of cattle when the signal was sent them by theParson, who, working at the ranch, knew all its operations. Then thesteers would be held in the secret valley until a favorable time tosend them out to innocent buyers.

  The detective’s boast that he had bought Square Z stock under themarket price was not a vain one, as he had done so in order to getevidence, though it was worthless at the time. Eventually, the lawlessmen received their punishment.

  Mr. Peck, or Mr. Munson, a name he often went by, had been sent out toSquare Z ranch by Mr. Baker as soon as the boys started. He traveledfaster than they, and knew when they were to arrive in Des Moines. Hisattempt to make friends with them was more a joke than anything else,so as to be able to send word back to their parents that they were allright.

  He learned of their arrival at the ranch, and, after having worked upsome clues himself, he came on, surprising them at their airship. Thedetective tried to solve the mystery of where the stolen cattle werehidden, but was unsuccessful. He did, however, suspect the Parson, andwith good reason, and laid his plans to trap him. The latter was a“slick” rustler, though, and, for a time, baffled the efforts of Mr.Peck.

  It was soon learned that one of the rustlers, who had been sent by theothers to spy on the deserted camp of the cowboys on the mountain tophad fired at the airship.

  “Well, I suppose we’ll have to be going back to Boxwood Hall soonnow,” said Bob one day, following the receipt of letters from home, inwhich were many congratulations on their achievements.

  “Yes, but there are worse places,” commented Ned, and Jerry nodded.

  “I’m glad that dad and Mr. Slade decided not to sell the ranch, andthat Mr. Slade fou
nd funds for his new business enterprise somewhereelse,” observed Bob.

  “Well, while we have a chance, let’s take a trip in the airship,” saidJerry. “Want to come, Professor?”

  “No, I’m going to stay on the ground to-day. I lost a valuable jumpingspider from one of my boxes and I must search for it.”

  And while the three chums are enjoying one of their last trips overSquare Z ranch we will take leave of them for a time, to meet themagain in the next volume, which will be entitled, “The Motor Boys inthe Army, or Ned, Bob and Jerry as Volunteers.”

  It was about a week after the capture of the rustlers that Ned, Bob andJerry prepared to make their leisurely way back East in their big car.The airship, after a last wonderful flight, which was witnessed by anumber of cowboys from neighboring ranches, had been taken apart andshipped to Cresville.

  “Well, come again, boys,” urged the foreman, as he shook hands withthe travelers. “Always glad to see you, though I can’t offer you anymore excitement like that you just went through.”

  “We’ll be glad to see you, anyhow,” put in Hinkee Dee, and this was agreat deal, considering the way he had formerly regarded the boys.

  The ranchmen gave them a cheer as the big car moved away, and the lastsight the boys had of Square Z ranch was the waving hats of theirfriends.

  “Well, it turned out all right,” remarked Ned, after a period ofsilence.

  “Yes, we succeeded better than I expected we would at one time,”agreed Jerry. “It looked as though we were going to fail. What are youthinking of, Chunky?” he asked the stout lad who had not said much.

  “Something to eat!” challenged Ned.

  “I was not! I was just thinking how the Parson fooled us all. No onewould ever have taken him for a rustler.”

  “That’s the reason--he was so different,” commented Jerry, as he guidedthe car over the trail toward the distant East.

  THE END