A PAIR OF PRISONERS
Tommy saw his chum drop and, supposing that he had been injured in some
way, started racing up the slope. Directly he found himself hampered by
Cullen, who was clinging to the tail of his khaki coat.
As the boy drew up George rose from the ground and moved down the slope
facing the east. Tommy saw that he was acting under instructions from
Katz, who held a revolver in his hand.
In five minutes the boys, unarmed now, were walking along by the side of
the detectives. A wink from George convinced Tommy that his chum had at
least succeeded in attracting the attention of the people at the camp
below. It might be that help would come before the detectives could lead
them to a hiding place in the hills.
What the boys appeared to need just at that time was delay, so they
asked all sorts of questions as they walked along, hoping that their
captors would pause to answer them. However, the fellows plugged
steadily along toward the opposite side of the ridge, and finally drew
up on a shelf of rock from which the caverns to the west could be
plainly seen. Here the officials sat down to watch and wait.
Directly a group of men came dashing over the summit and hastened down
into the valley. The boys were certain that they recognized Will in the
company. It was certain that Sheriff Pete was there, and the boys were
positive that the two men who had been found in the camp on their return
from the midnight expedition were also there.
The men separated at the foot of the slope and scattered up and down the
gulch. It was clear that George's wig-wag signals had been seen, and
that the men were in search of the two boys.
"Those signals of yours must be effective," snarled Katz as the members
of the party across the gorge began exploring the caverns.
"You're right, they are!" answered George. "That's the Boy Scout
wig-wag! You have to learn those things when you join the Boy Scouts!"
"What did you say?"
"I explained that we had been captured by the train robbers!" replied
George, telling the untruth with a great deal of satisfaction as he saw
the effect produced on the detectives.
"What'd you do that for?" demanded Cullen. "Because we want the cowboy
officers to get hold of you fellows, and beat you up!" answered George.
"They'll do it, too, if they lay hands on you! Those fellows are our
friends!"
"Where's that boy who stole my property?" demanded Katz.
"He was down in the camp when I left," replied George.
"Do you think he's with that crowd on the other side of the gulch now?
Or would he stay at the camp?"
"He probably would come out in answer to George's signal," Tommy cut in.
The detectives whispered together for some moments. Although the boys
could not hear a word they were saying, they understood very well what
all the whispering was about. They were discussing the possibility of
capturing Chester and forcing him to lead them to his father's hiding
place. They did not, of course, know that the father was wandering over
the mountains in a demented condition.
After a time the party passed on down the valley much to the disgust of
the two captive lads, and disappeared from sight. Then the detectives
left the angle of the ledge which had concealed them and motioned the
boys down the slope. The lads obeyed wonderingly.
Arrived at the bottom of the gulch once more, the detectives halted for
another long consultation. Katz seemed to be in favor of following the
party which had gone down the valley in the hope of getting hold of
Chester, while Cullen was of the opinion that they might be able to
capture the escaped convict himself by lingering around the cavern where
the fire had been so mysteriously kindled.
While the two discussed, not without some show of anger, the situation,
the two boys kept their eyes fixed on the opposite cavern. George knew
positively that it was the one which had been occupied by the escaped
convict and his son, and he believed that in time the father would
return to it. It seemed to him that Cullen was clinging to an opinion
which might cause himself and friends serious trouble.
"Gee!" he whispered to Tommy, "I wish we could get these flatties to
follow the cowboys! I'm afraid they'll catch Wagner if they hang around
that cave over there!"
"I'm afraid they will!" replied Tommy. "There's some one been there this
morning, and it wasn't the cowboys or the detectives, either. It was
either Wagner or the train robbers."
"Just as sure as you're a foot high," exclaimed George, "there's some
one moving about in the entrance to that cavern now! I can see something
moving, but I can't see any features."
"Well, don't look that way too steadily," Tommy cried. "If Wagner is
over there we don't want to put these detectives wise to the fact. He's
the man they're in here after, you remember!"
"Well, there's some one there, all right!" exclaimed George. "While you
were talking, I saw a chalk-white face appear for a second at the
entrance. I'll bet he's been hiding there ever since last night."
"He was with the train robbers last night," suggested Tommy. "At least
we think he was, for there are only two robbers and we saw three men."
"He may be with the train robbers, now for all we know," George put in.
"Yes, they may be hiding over there," Tommy admitted. "If I thought they
were, I'd steer these bum detectives up against them!"
"We'd better not take any chances!" advised George. "If Wagner is over
there, he may be alone. In that case, these cheap flatties would geezle
him and make for the Union Pacific railroad without stopping to say
good-by to the hills. And once they get to the railroad, it's all off
with the young man in Chicago who is soon to be tried for murder."
While the boys discussed the situation, Katz caught sight of the moving
figure in the entrance to the cavern. The boys saw him pointing in that
direction and about abandoned hope.
"There's some one over there," the boys heard Katz saying, "and we may
as well go and see who it is. Have you got a pair of handcuffs with
you?" he added, turning to his companion.
"Of course I have!" was the reply.
"Then use them on these two boys!" ordered Katz. "Tie them together so
they won't be apt to go chasing off if we get into action."
Cullen did as requested, and the boys, unable to make resistance at that
time, resolved that both officers should pay well for the indignity in
the future. When the detectives started forward, they walked as slowly
as possible, one of them frequently falling down, in order to give the
person in the cavern, whoever he might be, plenty of time to observe the
approach of the detectives.
"Gee!" exclaimed Tommy. "These fellows blunder along like a load of hay.
If the man over there has any sense, he'll be a mile off before they get
to the entrance! I hope the train robbers are there!"
"Well, I hope Wagner isn't there," George said.
There were no signs of light as the two detectives scrambled up the
little slope which lay between the bottom of the gulch and the entrance
to the cavern. The faint smell of burning wood reached their nostrils,
but no one was in sight. They stepped inside boldly.
Following along behind, more as a matter of curiosity than because they
felt obliged to do so, the boys saw the detectives standing in the
twilight of the place looking about. Then they saw them drop their arms
to their sides, heard the clatter of revolvers upon the rocky floor and
realized that something unexpected was taking place inside.
Directly the detectives came out to the entrance and sat down on the
hard floor, their backs against the south wall. The boys looked them
over with pleased eyes, and Tommy went so far as to wrinkle his freckled
nose at Katz, who frowned savagely but said nothing.
"Look here, you fellows," Katz finally blurted out. "I want you to
understand that you're getting yourselves into trouble."
"Is that so?" came a hoarse and scornful voice from the darkness.
"I'm Detective Katz, of the Chicago force," continued the officer, "and
I command you, in the name of the law, to return our weapons and let us
depart in peace!"
"And I guess you don't know who we are!" came the voice from inside.
"We're Red Mike of the Gulch and Daring Dan of the Devil's Dip, and
we're out for blood! When we're at home in the Bad Lands, we feed on
rattlesnakes!"
"Say," Tommy whispered to George, "that ain't so bad, is it? Those
fellows know they've got the detectives buffaloed, and they're piling it
on. I'll bet if we sat a little nearer, we could hear the detectives'
teeth rattle!"
"The robbers certainly have a sense of humor," grinned George.
In a moment two muscular, bearded figures came out of the cavern and
stood facing the two detectives. The boys at once recognized the men as
the ones who had ridden so fiercely by their campfire on the night of
their arrival. Tommy was certain that one of the men was the person who
had been waiting for supper at the camp when informed of the presence of
the detectives.
"Do you belong with this bunch?" one of them asked.
The boys held up their handcuffed wrists.
"Who's got the key?" demanded the outlaw.
Cullen held out a ring of keys and the robber promptly used one of them
on the handcuff. When the manacles dropped from the boys' wrists, he
threw the ring of keys into the gulch and tossed the handcuffs in the
same direction.
"I've claimed all along that you boys belonged with these train
robbers," Katz gritted as the handcuffs rattled down the slope.
"And now we know it!" Cullen cut in.
The two boys leaned against the north wall of the cavern and shook their
sides with laughter. The fright of the two detectives was so absolute
that it was pitiful.
"You certainly are a bum pair of detectives!" Tommy said.