Produced by Sean Pobuda
THE ROVER BOYS OUT WEST
Or
The Search for a Lost Mine
By Arthur M. Winfield
INTRODUCTION
My Dear Boys: This book, "The Rover Boys Out West," forms the
fourth volume of the "Rover Boys Series," a line of up-to-date
stories for Young Americans. Like the other books of the series,
this tale's complete in itself.
In "The Rover Boys at School" we were introduced to Dick, Tom, and
Sam, and their amusing and thrilling adventures at Putnam Hall, a
military academy for boys situated in the heart of Now York State;
in "The Rover Boys on the Ocean" we followed our young heroes
during a most daring rescue; and in "The Rover Boys in the jungle"
we learn what true American courage can do, even in the heart of
the Dark Continent.
In the present tale our young herm are taken at first back to dear
old Putnam Hall, and then to the heart of the great mining district
of Colorado.
All trace of a valuable mine has been lost, and the boys start out
on a hunt for the property, little dreaming of the many perils
which await them on their quest. How they overcome one obstacle
after another, and get the best of their various enemies, will be
found in the story itself.
The success of the first Rover Boys books has gratified me beyond
measure, and my one hope is that my numerous readers will find this
and future volumes of equal interest.
Affectionately and sincerely yours,
ARTHUR M. WINFIELD.
June 20, 1900
CHAPTER I
RETURNING FROM A GREAT GAME
"Zip! Boom! Ah!"
"Hurrah for Putnam Hall!"
"Let her go, Peleg, lively now, and mind you don't upset us, or
we'll use you worse than we did the football."
"All right, young gents. All in? Hold fast, everybody, or I won't
be responsible, nohow, if you drop off. Git along, Jack; up with
ye, Sally!"
And with a crack of the whip, a tooting of tin horns, and it mad
yelling and cheering from the students, the long Putnam Hall stage
left the football enclosure attached to the Pornell Academy grounds
and started along the lake road for Putnam Hall.
The stage was packed, inside and out, with as merry and
light-hearted a crowd of boys as could be found anywhere; and why
should they not be merry and light-hearted, seeing as they had just
won a great football match by a score of 16 to 8? Tom Rover, who
was on the top of the stage, actually danced a jig for joy.
"That's the third time we have done them up, fellows!" he cried.
"My, but won't there be gloom around Pornell Academy to-night! It
will be thick enough to cut with a knife."
"They were never in it from the start," piped up Sam Rover. "And
they were all heavier than our team, too," he added, proudly.
"It was science, not weight, that won the match," said Frank
Harrington.
"Yes, it was science," broke in Larry Colby. "And for that science
we have to thank Dick Rover. Oh, but didn't that rush to the left
fool them nicely!"
Dick Rover's handsome face flushed with pleasure. "We won because
every player did his full duty," he said. "If we--" He broke off
short. "Great Scott, what a racket on top! Who's that capering
around?"
"It's me, thank you!" yelled Tom, with more force than good
grammar. "I'm doing an Indian war dance in honor of the victory.
Want to join in, anybody?"
"Stop it; you'll be coming through the roof. We had only one man
hurt on the field; I don't want a dozen hurt on the ride home."
"Oh, it's safe enough, Dick. If I feel the roof giving way I'll
jump and save myself," and Tom began a wilder caper than ever. But
suddenly George Granbury, who sat nearby, caught him by the foot,
and he came down with a thump that threatened to split the stage
top from end to end.
"It won't do, nohow!" pleaded Peleg Snuggers, the general utility
man attached to Putnam Hall Military Academy. "Them hosses is
skittish, and--"
"Oh, stow it, Peleg," interrupted George. "You know those horses
couldn't run away if they tried. You only want us to act as if we
were a funeral procession coming--"
A wild blast of horns from below drowned out the remainder of his
speech, and this finished, the football team and the other cadets
began to sing, in voices more forceful than melodious:
"Putnam Hall! Putnam Hall!
What is wrong with Putnam Hall?
Nothing, boys! Nothing, boys!
She's all RIGHT!
Right! right! Right! Right! RIGHT!"
Through the woods and far across the clear waters of Cayuga Lake
floated the words, followed by another blast from the horns and
then continued cheering. And their cheering was answered by others
who passed them, some in carriages and others oil bicycles. It was
a clear, sunshiny day, and nearly all of the inhabitants of
Cedarville, as well as of other villages along the lake, were out
in honor of the occasion. It had been a general holiday both at
Putnam Hall and at Pornell Academy, and the whole neighborhood had
taken advantage of it.
"I believe Captain Putnam is as proud as any of us," remarked Dick
Rover, when the excitement had calmed down a bit. "When Tom kicked
that final goal I saw him rise up and nearly pound the life out of
the railing with his gold-headed cane. I'll wager the cane is
split into a dozen pieces."
"Oh, that's nothing," put in Harry Blossom slyly. "When Tom did
his little act I saw Nellie Laning actually throw him a kiss from
the grand stand. If she--"
"Hi, below there! Who's taking my name in vain?" came from Tom,
and suddenly his head appeared at the top of one of the openings on
the side of the stage.
"I was just telling what Nellie Laning did, Tom. When you made
that splendid kick--"
"Stow it, you moving-picture camera!" cried Tom, his face growing
suddenly red. "You see altogether too much."
"Do I?" drawled Harry dryly. "Maybe. And then when Dick made his
run, pretty Dora Stanhope just put out her arms as if she wanted to
hug-- Whow!"
Harry Blossom's banter came to a sudden ending, for, as red in the
face as his brother, Dick Rover reached forward and thrust a banana
he was eating into the tormenter's half open mouth. Harry gulped
once or twice, then the fruit disappeared as if by magic.
"All right, Dick, I accept the bribe and will henceforth be
silent," he said solemnly, as soon as he could speak.
"That's right, tie up your tongue, unless you want to be lifted
from the stage," said Tom.
"It's all right," put in Dave Kearney, another cadet. "Dora
Stanhope and the Laning girls are nice folk and I don't blame
anybody for being sweet on them."
"Yes, but you keep out of their cornfield, or you'll have all three
of the Rovers after you," came from Harry warningly.
"What are we going to do to-night?" asked Dick abruptly, and in
such a tone that the others felt the bantering must come to an end.
"Is it feast, or fireworks, or both?"
"Make it both!" came in chorus from a dozen cadets. "Captain
Putnam is just in the humor to let us do anything to-night. And
Mr. Strong's in the same good humor. Let us make the best of it."
"All right; feast and fireworks it is," said Dick. "But both will
cost money. Who'll pass around the hat?"
A groan went up, as is generally the case when an academy boy is
asked to part with some of his spending money. But the groan
counted for nothing, and the passing of the hat brought in over ten
dollars.
"Ten-sixty for this load," announced the cadet who had made the
collection. "And there are two other loads following, besides
those who were on their wheels. We ought to be able to collect at
least thirty dollars, and that will buy out half of Cedarville."
"If only old Carrick has some of his Fourth of July fireworks
left," said Sam.
"Chust so!" grinned Hans Muelle, the German cadet who had joined
the academy the season before. "Vot is von celebration midowit
firevorks, hey? He vos chust noddings!"
"Do you want another pistol explosion?" asked one of the others,
referring to an incident between Tom Rover and Hans which had
nearly ended in a tragedy.
"Mine cracious, no!" howled the German lad. "I go me not py a
hundred feet mid an old pistol again alrietty! I vould radder sit
town on von can of dynamite to sleep, yes I vould!" And he shook
his curly head earnestly.
"We won't have any pistols in this," broke in Tom, who felt like
shuddering every time the incident was mentioned. "We'll just have
skyrockets, and Roman candles, and pin-wheels, and all of the rest
of the good old-fashioned things--that is for the celebration on
the outside."
"And for the celebration on the inside let us have cake, ice-cream,
fruits, and nuts," put in Larry. "At this minute I feel hungry
enough to eat the captain out of house and home."
"Ditto myself," came from another student.
"Perhaps the captain will be glad enough to have us celebrate--at
our own expense," suggested a cadet in one corner, yet he did not
mean what he said, knowing that bluff Captain Putnam, the owner and
headmaster of Putnam Hall was whole-souled and generous to the
core.
The stage had already covered over a mile of the road, and now the
turnout left the lake shore and began to climb a long hill leading
to the heights upon which the academy was located. But there was
still a little valley to cross, at the bottom of which dashed a
rocky mountain torrent on its way to the placid waters beyond.
At the top of the first long rise Peleg Snuggers stopped the team
for a few minutes' rest. Here the view was magnificent, and many a
cadet stopped his idle talk to gaze at the mountains to the
westward and the sparkling lake winding along in the opposite
direction. It was early fall, and nearly every tree was tinted
with red and gold, while here and there the first frosts had
covered the ground with leaves and nuts.
"Don't wait too long, Peleg," urged Tom impatiently. "It will take
some time to get ready for our celebration to-night, you know."
"I'm hurrying as fast as I can, Master Tom," was the reply. "Git
up, Jack! git up, Sally!" And once more they moved off, and again
some of the boys tooted their horns. At this Sally picked up her
ears and gave a little start to one side of the narrow road,
dragging her mate along.
"Whoa! Steady there!" cried Peleg Snuggers, and tried to pull the
team in. Failing in this He grabbed the brake handle and pushed it
back vigorously. He was so nervous that he gave the handle a
mighty wrench, and in a twinkle the brake bar snapped off, close to
the wheel. Onward bounded the stage, hitting the team in the
flanks, and away leaped both horses on a dead run!
"The brake is broke!"
"Stop the team, Peleg, or they'll upset us sure!"
"Whoa, there, Jack! Whoa, Sally! Don't you know enough to stop?"
Such were some of the cries which rang out. Peleg Snuggers grasped
the lines and pulled with might and main. But then came an awful
bump, and away flew the driver into a bush along the roadside, and
the reins fell to the horses heels, scaring them worse than ever.
"We are in for it!" gasped Tom. "I don't see how we are going to
stop them now."
"The bridge! The bridge across the gully!" screamed another cadet,
in terror-stricken tones. "They were mending it this morning.
Supposing they haven't the new planking down?"
"There is the bridge!" burst out another, pointing ahead. "Oh,
Heavens, boys, we are lost!"
All strained their eyes ahead to see what he meant, and then every
face grew pale. The bridge was torn up completely, not a single
plank of the flooring remained.