IN THE CAVE
"We're in for it now!" cried Jack, as he looked up at the sky and at the
trees beginning to bend in the wind.
"And it's going to be some storm, or I miss my guess," added Gif.
"I wonder if we can find any shelter around here?" put in Randy. "If we
can't we'll be soaked to the skin in no time."
"Jackson was telling me of a couple of caves toward the end of these
woods," said Spouter quickly. "I wonder if we could reach the nearest of
them? It might help us to get out of the rain."
"Come on--let's try it!" put in Fred eagerly.
Leaving the dead wolf where it had fallen, the boys pushed forward on the
trail, which now led downward on the other side of the hill. Here they
noticed the going was getting rougher, and presently they found
themselves entering a defile among the rocks. Here the trees were more
scattering and consequently they were exposed to the full fury of the
elements. Ever and anon a flash of lightning would illumine the sky,
followed by the crack and rumble of thunder.
"Say, maybe we had better stay under the trees," suggested Andy.
"Suppose the trees should be struck by lightning?" questioned Jack. "I
think we had better go on, especially if we're anywhere near those caves
Jackson mentioned."
A turn in the defile brought them to something of an open place. Here on
one side the rocks towered fully fifty feet above their heads and at one
point there was an opening perhaps fifteen feet square and leading into
the side of the hill.
"This must be the first of the caves!" cried Spouter. "Come on in!" And
without ceremony he led the way, and the others followed, glad to get out
of the storm.
They found the cave an irregular one, running in somewhat of a semicircle
and with a flooring that was comparatively level. It was dry and fairly
comfortable, and once beyond the fury of the storm the lads dismounted
and proceeded to make themselves at home.
The rain continued to come down and, with nothing better to do, the boys
proceeded to make themselves as comfortable as possible. Near the
entrance to the cave they found some leaves and dead tree branches which
were still dry, and these they dragged inside and then made themselves a
campfire.
"I reckon we'll have to cut out going any further," announced Spouter.
"Even if the storm clears away, the trail will be very wet and
slippery."
It still lacked an hour to noon, and with nothing else to do the boys
tethered their horses and then proceeded to investigate their
surroundings. From the campfire they obtained several torches, and with
these in hand they moved along slowly around the bend of the cave and
over a series of rocks which led upward.
"It certainly is a larger cave than I supposed," said Jack, as he and Gif
led the way, with the others close behind.
"I think I see a light ahead, Jack," was Gif's remark. "That must be
another opening to the cave."
"Maybe the two caves that Jackson mentioned are really one, and this
passageway connects them."
"We'll soon find out."
By this time all but one of the torches had burnt themselves out. But
this the lads did not mind, for the light ahead was steadily increasing,
showing that they could not be far from another opening.
"Look!" called Jack suddenly. And then he added: "Keep quiet, all of
you!"
He pointed ahead and there, around a bend of the rocks, all saw two
figures moving around on horseback. One was the figure of a tall man, and
the other that of a well-grown youth.
"Why, that's Brassy Bangs!" whispered Fred excitedly.
"Yes. And the man is Bud Haddon," returned Andy.
"What do you bet Haddon isn't after Brassy for more money?" put in Fred
excitedly.
While the youngest Rover was speaking, he and the others saw that the two
figures on horseback had disappeared behind a mass of rocks.
"I'm going ahead and find out about this," declared Jack. "Come on! So
far as we can see there are only two of them, so the six of us have
nothing to fear."
"Especially as we're armed," added Fred, who carried his pistol with
him.
Throwing down the last of their torches, the six boys advanced with
caution. They heard the horses beyond the rocks occasionally stamping a
hoof and caught a faint murmur of voices. Then, led by Jack, they mounted
the rocks noiselessly, presently gaining a point where they could look
directly down upon Brassy Bangs and his companion.
"It's all wrong, Bud Haddon, and you know it!" they heard Brassy declare.
"And sooner or later the authorities will get after you for this."
"See here, Lester Bangs, you don't have to preach to me!" growled Bud
Haddon. "You're just as deep in some things as I am in others."
"It isn't true, and you know it!" whined Brassy. And now the lads who
were listening could see that their fellow-cadet was very much upset.
"I'm not guilty, and I never have been guilty of any wrongdoing!"
"You tell that to the police and see what they have to say about it,"
sneered Haddon, "You know well enough that you set fire to John Calder's
barn and burnt up horses that was worth thousands of dollars."
"And I always said it was some cowboys or tramps that did it!" stormed
Brassy.
"Not much! You did it! I know it, and so do Jillson and Dusenbury! We've
got the goods on you."
"What were Jillson and Dusenbury and you doing around the place?"
questioned Brassy suddenly.
"Never mind what we were doing around there. We know you set the barn on
fire. Didn't you have a quarrel with old Calder?"
"Yes, I did. But I didn't make any fire. Maybe you had a quarrel with him
yourself."
"Hold on there, Bangs! None of that!" cried Bud Haddon sternly.
"Well, you wouldn't be too good to set the fire," added Brassy, with
sudden recklessness. "Not after the way you are acting out here, running
away with those horses, and after the way you acted at Colby Hall, trying
to rob every room in the place!"
"Wait a minute now! Wait a minute!" returned the man sarcastically. "Who
was it lent me his uniform and who was it that told me just what rooms to
go into? Answer me those questions, will you?"
"You wouldn't have gotten hold of the uniform and you wouldn't have
gotten any information if you hadn't threatened me in all sorts of ways,"
answered Brassy, somewhat lamely. "I wish now that I'd never had anything
to do with you!"
"Well, you keep your tongue between your teeth, or else you'll get
yourself in the hottest kind of water!" burst out Bud Haddon. "Don't you
know that they can send you to prison for ten years for what you did?"
"I haven't said anything to anybody as yet," answered Brassy hastily.
"Well, you see that you don't!"
"But I didn't set Calder's barn on fire--really I didn't!" pleaded the
boy. "I don't see why you won't believe me."
"I'm willing to let that matter drop if only you'll keep a civil tongue
in your head and mind what you're doing," returned Bud Haddon. "And don't
forget--I want at least a hundred dollars more just as soon as you can
lay your hands on it."
"I don't see how I'm going to get it. I'm expecting some money from my
uncle. But that has got to pay for my tuition at Colby Hall this fall."
"Well, you let the school wait for its money and you turn it over to me.
They won't want you there anyhow if they should find out what sort of a
fellow you are," went on Bud Haddon coarsely. "Now I've got to be getting
back to Bimbel's, rain or no rain," he continued. "Just remember, you've
got to fork over a hundred in cold cash before you start East again. If
you don't--well, look out, that's all!" And with this threat the tall man
rode out of the cave.
The Rovers and their chums had listened to every word that had been
spoken. They were both mystified and amazed by what had been said.
"That fellow Haddon is surely a first-class rascal," whispered Spouter to
Jack.
"Do you know what I think we had better do?" returned the young major.
"Let's stop Brassy and have a straight talk with him. I don't think he's
quite as bad as we thought he might be."
"Yes, let us stop Brassy by all means," came in a low tone from Fred.
Brassy Bangs had ridden to the mouth of the cave and there sat astride of
his horse, watching Bud Haddon as he galloped away though the rain. Then
he turned back in anything but a cheerful humor. The other boys saw him
dismount and sink down on a rock, covering his face with his hands.
"Come on," said Jack, and without more ado he scrambled down from the
rocks and came around to where Brassy was sitting, and the others did the
same.
Brassy's misery was so great that for several seconds he did not notice
their approach. Then, he looked up startled and leaped to his feet.
"Where did you come from?" he demanded, as soon as he could speak.
"We came from the other end of the cave, Brassy," answered Jack.
"How long have you been here?"
"We've been here long enough to hear the talk you had with that fellow
named Haddon," answered Fred.
"You did!" Brassy turned pale. "It wasn't very nice to listen when you
had no business to!"
"Never mind about that now, Brassy. What we want to know is, did you or
that fellow rob Colby Hall?"
"He did it! I didn't have a thing to do with it--at least, willingly!"
cried Brassy Bangs. "He forced me to do everything I did. He threatened
me in all sorts of ways--said he would put me in prison and all that if I
didn't help him. Oh, he's the worst man there ever was!" groaned the
overwrought boy. And now the others could see that he was on the verge of
collapse.
"See here, Brassy, why don't you tell us the whole story?" put in Gif
kindly.
"Why should I tell my story to you? All you fellows are against me--you
always were!"
"We're not against you, Brassy," answered Jack. "If you can prove to us
that you're really being hounded by that man, we'll do what we can to
help you. Isn't that so, fellows?" And at this question the others
nodded.
"Hounded is right! He's done nothing but hound me ever since he knew me,"
whined the accused one.
"You tell me one thing!" demanded Spouter, striding up and catching
Brassy by the shoulder. "Did that rascal steal the horses from our
ranch?"
"I think he did--in fact, I'm about certain he did. That is, either he or
the fellows he's in league with."
"Who are those other fellows?"
"Two fellows who just came out here from Chicago named Jillson and
Dusenbury and two others from Bimbel's ranch named Noxley and Jenks. The
whole bunch were mixed up with Bimbel some years ago in a shady
transaction, and they lit out for quite a while. But now they're back
again."
"I don't see why you want to get mixed up with a crowd like that," was
Andy's comment.
"I didn't want to get mixed up with 'em," declared Brassy. "I haven't had
a thing to do with any of 'em except Bud Haddon. Oh, I wish I'd never met
that man!" And now Brassy seemed almost on the verge of tears.