CHAPTER XVI
A DANGEROUS DESCENT
Jack looked down at his chums from his seat in the big wagon besideMabel.
"Aren't you going to get aboard?" he asked with a smile.
"Are we going to start soon?" asked Nat.
"As soon as our stuff is loaded in the freight wagon," replied Jack."Why?"
"I want to get my gun," replied Nat. "We may see something to shoot at."
"Not much around here," commented Mr. Pierce. "Better leave your truckall together until you get to camp. It'll carry better that way."
"Juthinkwe'llseeanyrobbers?" asked Budge suddenly.
"I beg your pardon," said Mr. Pierce slowly, while a look of surpriseslowly spread over his face. "But what was that remark you just made?"
For Budge had not talked much, thus far on the journey, and when he hadspoken he had not used any of his conglomerated remarks.
"He merely inquired if you thought we'd see any robbers," answered Samwith a smile.
"'SwatIsaid," added Budge, rapidly chewing gum in his excitement.
"No, I don't cal'alate we'll meet up with any bandits," answered Mabel'sfather with a smile. "If we do--well, Tanker Ike and I are pretty wellheeled, I guess," and he lifted from his side coat pocket, where hecarried it as if it was a pound of sugar, a revolver of large size.
"Oh, daddy! Don't bring out that horrid gun!" exclaimed Mabel.
"I thought Western girls were used to guns and such things," remarkedJack.
"So she is," said her father. "Mabel is as good a shot with the rifle asI am, but somehow she don't exactly seem to cotton to these pocketpistols."
"I think they're dangerous," explained the girl with a glance at Jackthat set his heart to beating faster again. "I don't mind a rifle, butfor all daddy says so, I'm not as good a shot as he is."
"I'd like to see you shoot," said Jack.
"Maybe you will--if you come to see me--I mean us," she correctedherself quickly, with a blush.
"I'll come," said Jack.
Meanwhile, Mr. Blender and some men from the railroad freight officewere loading the other wagon. This was one with a canvas top, somethinglike the prairie schooners of the early Western days, and was drawn bya team of four mules. The passenger vehicle was hauled by four horses.
"Well, I guess I've got everything in," commented Tanker Ike. "Now it'sup to you boys to get the game. There's plenty of it, and I expect whenyou come back here to take a train East you'll have a great collection."
"We'll try," answered Jack.
"All aboard!" sung out Mr. Blender, and Sam, Bony and Budge, togetherwith Nat, who had been wandering about, looking at the view, started toclimb up into the big wagon. Jack had not relinquished his seat byMabel's side, and he was oblivious to the winks and grins of his chums.
"Have you got a good seat, Jack?" asked Sam, giving Nat a nudge in theribs.
"I've got the best seat in the wagon," replied Jack boldly, and Mabelseemed to find something very interesting on the opposite side of thevehicle from where Jack sat at her elbow.
Mr. Pierce and Mr. Blender took their places on the front seat, the fourother boys distributing themselves in the rear, while a teamster incharge of the freight wagon drove the mules that were to haul thecamping outfit over the desert and mountains.
It was fine, clear weather, not cold, in spite of the lateness of theseason, and the boys, as well as all the others in the party, were infine spirits.
"Hurrah for Jack Ranger's gun club!" cried Nat, when they started off,the horses and mules plunging forward in response to pistol-like cracksof the long whips.
"That's right!" sung out Sam.
"Is it your gun club?" asked Mabel.
"Well, they call it that," explained Jack, as he told how it came to beformed.
"Caesar's side saddles!" suddenly exclaimed Nat, when they had gone alittle farther. "Did you see that rabbit? It was as big as a dog!"
"That's a jack-rabbit," explained Mr. Pierce.
"Why didn't I keep out my gun?" asked Sam with regret in his voice. "I'dlike a shot at it. That's the biggest game I've seen in some time."
"Wait until you see a mule deer, or a big-horn sheep," said Mr. Blender."Then you can talk."
They continued on slowly for several miles, the view changing everymoment, and bringing forth exclamations of astonishment and delight fromthe boys. To Jack and Nat, who had been West before, there was not somuch novelty in it, but Sam, Budge and Bony said they had never seensuch beautiful aspects of mountain and valley.
They stopped at noon to get dinner at a stage station, and though theplace was of the "rough and ready" style, the meal was good.
"'Sanycowboys?" asked Budge of Jack, as they came out to resume theirjourney.
"I suppose you mean where are any cowboys," said Jack, and Budge nodded,being too busily engaged in preparing a fresh wad of gum at that momentto answer in words.
"There aren't many around here," explained Mr. Pierce, who had heardJack's interpretation of the question. "Oh, the West isn't half so wildand woolly as some book writers make it out to be."
"Are you boys pretty good at going dry?" asked Tanker Ike, turning toJack, when they had accomplished several miles more of their journey.
"Going dry?" repeated our hero.
"Yes. Can you go without a drink if you have to?"
"Why?"
"Well, you see, we'll start to cross the desert to-morrow, and thoughwe'll take plenty of water along, you never can tell what will happen.It usually takes two days to make it, but sometimes an accident happensto a wagon, or a horse or a mule may go lame, and then you're longer onthe trip. When you are, your water doesn't always last, and many a timeI've finished the journey with my tongue hanging out of my mouth, andthe poor beasts as dry as powder-horns. So I just thought I'd ask you ifyou were pretty good at going dry."
"Well, Nat and I were shipwrecked once," answered Jack, "and if ithadn't rained we'd have been in a bad way, eh, Nat?"
"That's what. Sanctified sand-fleas! but that was a tough time," headded, as he thought of the cruise of the _Polly Ann_.
"Well, it never rains on this desert," commented Mr. Pierce.
"Can't you carry enough water so that if you're four days instead of twocrossing the desert you'll have plenty?" asked Bony.
"You can only carry just so much," replied Tanker Ike. "But don't worry.I was only asking just for fun. I reckon we'll make out all right."
"Were you really shipwrecked?" asked Mabel, interestedly turning toJack.
"Well, yes," he admitted, for he disliked to talk about himself.
"Oh, do tell me about it, please. I love to hear real stories ofadventure."
"And tell her how you knocked out Jerry Chowden," put in Sam. "Say,maybe we'll meet him out here. He went West, you know."
"I hope not," responded Jack, and then he told Mabel of his oceancruise.
"Everybody hold on tight now," cautioned Mr. Blender about an hourlater, as he set the brake of the wagon and called back a warning to thedriver of the freight vehicle.
"Why?" asked Jack.
"There's a bad hill just ahead, and I've got more of a load on than Iusually carry. But I guess we'll make it all right," and he gathered thereins in a firmer grip and braced himself on the seat.
A few minutes later they came to a turn in the road, and started down adangerous descent of the bluff that bordered the valley of the desert.
The brake began to screech on the wheels, and the horses threwthemselves almost on their haunches to hold back the heavy wagon, which,in spite of the fact that two wheels were almost locked, was slidingdown the declivity at a dangerous speed.
"I'd oughter chained the wheels," said Tanker Ike grimly, as he tried toforce the brake lever forward another notch.
"Can't you do it now?" asked Mr. Pierce.
"Nope!" spoke the driver between his clenched teeth. "We've got to goon."
More and more rapidly the vehicle slid down the hill. The horses weres
lipping, but they managed to keep their feet, and the brake was moreshrilly screeching on the wheels.
All at once, as they made a turn and came to yet a steeper part of thetrail, there was a sudden chill to the air, and some white flecks, as ifsome one had scattered tiny feathers, swirled in front of those in thewagon.
"Snow!" exclaimed Tanker Ike. "I thought it was coming."
A moment later there was a sharp squall, and the air was filled withwhite crystals, which came down so thick that it was impossible to seetwenty feet ahead.
"Steady, boys--steady!" called the driver to the horses, which seemedfrightened by the storm and the weight of the wagon pushing them frombehind.
The speed was faster now, though Tanker Ike was doing his best to havethe animals hold back the wagon. The horses were almost "sitting down,"and were fairly sliding along.
Suddenly there sounded a sharp snap, and the wagon seemed to plungeforward.
"What's that?" cried Mr. Pierce.
"Brake's busted!" shouted Mr. Blender. "Now we're in for it!"
He loosened his hold on the reins slightly, and swung his long whip overthe heads of the astonished horses with a crack like that of a rifle.
"Go on!" he yelled. "Go on! Run!"
The steeds began to gallop, just in time to prevent the wagon, sounexpectedly released from the hold of the brake, from striking them,and they dashed down the mountain-side, dragging the vehicle afterthem.
Jack Ranger's Gun Club; Or, From Schoolroom to Camp and Trail Page 17