THUNDER MOUNTAIN
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 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.
“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.”
“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! 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.”
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. 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?”
“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?”
“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.