INTO THE CAVE
The rocky walls of the gorge echoed to the sound of the slow, deliberate
hoof-beats as four horses were urged over the trail on the edge of
Thunder Canyon, the steeds carrying three girls followed by an old
woman.
Two days later this same trail was to be the path of another group of
riders, who, doggedly pursuing, were to find this same deep gulch the
scene of a desperate fight for the rescue of these present travelers.
Slowly they went, those ahead riding unwillingly. In the extreme rear
rode the woman, a striking counterpart to another of her sex who dwelt
in a lonely cabin on the edge of a clearing, long since passed by the
wayfarers.
They had halted for a moment at this hut, and their guard, who carried
before her a heavy gun held in a firm hand, had whistled to the cabin’s
occupant. When the second woman appeared Belle started, as did the
others, at the remarkable resemblance between the two. They were exactly
of the same height and their faces were strangely similar, as though the
lines in each countenance had come of the same experiences.
“Sisters—maybe twins,” Nell had whispered, and the others nodded.
For a few minutes the two old hags remained in close conversation, the
one who had come with the girls never for a second relaxing her
vigilance or allowing the gun to point in any direction but toward the
horses. With that blue barrel menacing them, the girls knew that escape
was out of the question. They seemed in no present danger, however, and
Ethel had largely recovered from her first fright. Belle, tight-lipped,
was occupied with furious thoughts.
That such a thing could happen in a civilized country! They were
kidnapped—neither more nor less! Kidnapped! Belle bit her lips and her
face clouded. Mother! How she would worry when she found out! They
_must_ escape somehow, and get back home before her mother heard they
were missing!
It was characteristic of the girl that she gave her own safety scarcely
a thought. Richmond had said they were not to be harmed, but that they
were to be held until her father did the rustler’s bidding. Belle
smarted at the indignity of being a weapon in the hands of the horse
thieves, for she now realized who her captors were.
Of course she had heard of the note her father had received, and
gradually the conviction had grown on her that this was the means the
rustlers had taken to “square up” matters between them and the X Bar X.
The cowards! To use girls to effect their revenge! Belle’s lips curled
in contempt. If that was the kind they were, they couldn’t stand up long
against the punchers on the X Bar X! Why, Teddy and Roy would soon send
them running for cover.
As the girl thought of her brothers, her heart beat rapidly with hope.
They would hear of their disappearance and ride after them. If they only
knew which way to head! All sorts of wild ideas surged through the
girl’s brain, but she realized that it would be impossible to send word
to the ranch. All they could do was to wait and pray that the boys
started in the right direction, when they took up the chase.
All this time the two women were talking. Now and then their guard would
nod in the girls’ direction and the other woman would grin evilly. Of
the two, Belle much preferred the one who was riding with them. Somehow,
she seemed more kind, even though, thus far, she had treated them with
small consideration. Still, Belle felt that she would do nothing cruel
as long as they made no attempt to escape.
At last the conversation was concluded and Clovita returned to her
horse. After several attempts, and with much grunting, she succeeded in
regaining the saddle, her sister, if such the other women were, watching
her amusedly, making no offer of assistance. Then, with the gun pointing
at their backs, the girls continued their weary ride.
Nell made several efforts at finding out their destination, but each
question was received in stony silence. At length she desisted, and the
girls talked in low tones among themselves. As they rode on, their
courage returned to them, and even Ethel seemed brighter. Belle Ada
comforted her with the declaration that Teddy and Roy and her father and
Peter Ball would soon be aware of their capture—she preferred that word
to kidnapping—and would ride in search of them. With both ranches, the
X Bar X and 8 X 8, in pursuit, their rescue was but a matter of time.
But even while she was speaking, Belle realized how slim was the chance
of any one finding them in this wilderness, and her heart sank within
her.
Mile after mile along the canyon the girls, followed closely by their
guard, rode in silence. As night approached and they still went on,
Belle saw Ethel’s shoulders shake with dry sobs. The woman in the rear
gave no sign, but Belle rode to her friend and, reaching out, seized her
hand.
“Don’t give in, Ethel dear,” Belle whispered. “Look at Nell! She’s
taking it like a veteran. After all this is over and the boys are with
us again and those rustlers are back in jail, think of the experiences
we’ll have had. Why, when you go back to New York and tell people that
you’ve been captured by a bunch of real outlaws and made to ride for
miles along a canyon, to—to—”
“That’s just it,” Ethel replied. “Where are we going? Where is she
taking us? I’m so frightened!”
“What, you frightened?” Nell scoffed, although her own voice was none
too strong. “How about that time you and I were out sailing on Long
Island Sound by Fire Island and the storm came up? You weren’t scared
then, Ethel. And that was _lots_ worse than this is! Why, I think this
is sort of fun! As Belle says, Teddy and Roy will find us, and I guess
we can take care of ourselves. Come on, Ethel, don’t let that horrid old
woman see that Easterners aren’t as brave as Westerners! Buck up!”
“That’s the talk!” Belle exclaimed, giving Ethel’s hand a squeeze of
encouragement. “Here—” She passed Ethel a tiny handkerchief, seemingly
inadequate, but with a smile Ethel dabbed at her eyes and handed it
back.
“I’m all right—now,” she declared, patting the pony she was riding.
“Belle, did you notice this horse? Isn’t he a positive beauty? I wish I
owned him!”
“Something tells me you will, later,” Belle answered giving a laugh.
Ethel’s smile had cheered her immensely and things seemed not nearly so
dark. After all, this certainly was a unique experience.
Belle thought of the Western books she had read and how she had scoffed
at the adventures the heroes and heroines had gone through.
“As though we of the West lived in a land of nothing but rattlesnakes,
cyclones, and rustlers!” she once exclaimed. “Those things they write
about just don’t happen!”
And now here she was, riding through a canyon to some unknown, far-off
place, with a savage old woman forcing them on with a pistol!
“I guess they do happen, after all,” she said to herself ruefully.
“Although I’d rather read about this than be where I am!”
She was wise enough, however, to keep her fears from the other girls.
Indeed, she did all in her power to cheer them, and insisted that they
would be rescued as soon as the boys and her father and Mr. Ball found
that they were missing.
“And that’ll be as soon as Mrs. Ball telephones home to see that we
arrived safely,” she added. Had she known at the time that two whole
days were to elapse before the kidnapping was discovered, her courage
might not have been quite so high. Perhaps it was fortunate that she
remained in ignorance of this fact.
They were nearing the end of the canyon now, and Belle looked sharply
about her. Here the cut seemed deeper than at any other place and the
trail narrower, as though Nature wanted to end this scene with a setting
of more than usual grandeur. The canyon walls fell straight away, ending
at the gurgling stream far below them, and on either side the mountains
arose, forming a protection from any storm which might try to invade
this fastness. Belle, gazing for a moment down into the tremendous
depths, shivered in spite of herself. A misstep here would mean quick,
sure death.
Now the path dipped sharply for a short space, and, when they reached a
level spot once more, the woman with the gun called:
“You stop here. Get off ponies.”
Wonderingly, the girls obeyed, noticing that the woman herself stayed
mounted.
“Go ahead. Leave ponies,” was the next command. As the girls proceeded,
their guard kept a careful eye on them. Not for a moment did the gun
relax from its threat.
Before they had gone fifty feet Belle and the others saw the reason they
were told to dismount. Ahead of them, hewn in the solid rock, was an
entrance to a cavern of some sort. Behind its rough, wooden door it was
intensely dark, and the girls caught themselves thinking that if they
were compelled to enter this cave they might never see the light of day
again. But as they approached they saw that the entrance led to a wide,
airy room of rock, beyond which a light of some sort glowed. This light
was not visible from the outside.
Now the woman slid from her horse and walked toward the girls.
“You go in,” she said shortly, motioning with the gun barrel.
“In there?” Ethel gasped, her face pale.
The woman nodded firmly, then bent to explain:
“You no worry. I here. I no hurt you nor let any one else hurt you. I
not a bad woman, but—” She seemed about to say more, then closed her
lips tightly. Once more she indicated the mouth of the cave.
The girls had no choice. With fear in their hearts and with faltering
steps, they entered.