THE PONY RIDER BOYS IN THE GRAND CANYON
or
The Mystery of Bright Angel Gulch
by
Frank Gee Patchin
CONTENTS
CHAPTERS
I. Westward Ho!
II. A View of the Promised Land
III. Tenderfeet Show Their Skill
IV. A Night in the Crater
V. Tad Lend a Helping Hand
VI. A Sight that Thrilled
VII. On the Rim of Eternity
VIII. The City in the Skies
IX. Chunky Wants to go Home
X. Escape is Wholly Cut Off
XI. A Trying time
XII. Braving the Roaring Colorado
XIII. A Battle Mightily Waged
XIV. The Dogs Pick up a Trail
XV. The Mystery of the Rifle
XVI. A New Way to Hunt Lions
XVII. The Whirlwind Ball of Yellow
XVIII. The Unwilling Guest Departs
XIX. The Fat Boy Does a Ghost Dance
XX. In the Home of the Havasupais
XXI. Chunky Gets a Turkish Bath
XXII. A Magical Cure
XXIII. Stacy as an Indian Fighter
XXIV. Conclusion
CHAPTER I
WESTWARD, HO!
"Ow, Wow, Wow, Wow! Y-E-O-W!"
Tad Butler, who was industriously chopping wood at the rear of the
woodshed of his home, finished the tough, knotted stick before looking
up.
The almost unearthly chorus of yells behind him had not even startled
the boy or caused him to cease his efforts until he had completed what
he had set out to do. This finished, Tad turned a smiling face to the
three brown-faced young men who were regarding him solemnly.
"Haven't you fellows anything to do?" demanded Tad.
"Yes, but we have graduated from the woodpile," replied Ned Rector.
"I got my diploma the first time I ever tried it," added Chunky Brown,
otherwise and more properly known as Stacy Brown. "Cut a slice of my
big toe off. They gave me my diploma right away. You fellows are too
slow."
"Come in the house, won't you? Mother'll be glad to see you," urged Tad.
"Surely we will," agreed Walter Perkins. "That's what we came over
to do."
"Oh, it is, eh?"
"Didn't think we came over to help you chop wood, did you?" demanded
Chunky indignantly.
"Knowing you as I do, I hadn't any such idea," laughed Tad. "But
come in."
The boys filed in through the wood house, reaching the sitting room by
way of the kitchen. Tad's mother gave them a smiling welcome, rising
to extend a warm, friendly hand to each.
"Sit down, Mrs. Butler," urged Walter.
"Yes, we will come to you," added Ned.
"We haven't lost the use of our legs yet, Mrs. Butler," declared the
fat Chunky, growing very red in the face as he noted the disapproving
glances directed at him by his companions.
"I hope you won't mind Chunky, Mrs. Butler," said Ned apologetically.
"You know he has lived among savages lately, and-----"
"Yes, ma'am, Ned and I have been constant companions for---how long
has it been, boys?"
"Shut up!" hissed Ned Rector in the fat boy's ear. "I'll whale you when
we get outside, if you make any more such breaks."
"Never mind, boys; Stacy and myself are very old, old friends," laughed
Mrs. Butler.
"Yes, ma'am, about a hundred years old, more or less. Oh, I beg your
pardon. I didn't mean it just that way," stammered Chunky, coloring
again and fumbling his cap awkwardly.
"Now you have said it," groaned Walter.
"Go way back in the corner out of sight and sit down before I start
something," commanded Ned. "You must excuse us, Mrs. Butler. It is
as Chunky has said. We are all savages---some of us more so than
others, some less."
"It is unnecessary to make apologies. You are just a lot of healthy
young men, full of life and spirits." Mrs. Butler patted Tad
affectionately on the head. "Tad knows what I think of you all and
how appreciative we both are over what Mr. Perkins has done for us.
Now that I have had a little money left me, I am glad that Tad is able
to spend more time with you in the open. I presume you will soon be
thinking of another trip."
"We're always thinking of that, Mrs. Butler," interrupted Ned. "And
we couldn't think of a trip without thinking of Tad. A trip without
Tad would be like---like-----"
"A dog's tail wagging down the street without the dog," interjected the
solemn voice of Chunky Brown from his new headquarters.
"I move we throw Chunky out in the wood house," exploded Ned. "Will
you excuse us while we get rid of the encumbrance, Mrs. Butler?"
"Sit down and make your peace. I know you boys have some things to
talk over. I can see it in your faces. Go on with your conference.
I'll bring you some lemonade in a few moments," said Mrs. Butler, as
she left the room.
"Well, fellows, is this just a friendly call or have you really
something in mind?" asked Tad after all had seated themselves.
"I'm the only one with a mind that will hold anything. And I've got
plenty in it, too," piped Chunky.
Ned Rector sighed helplessly. The other boys grinned, passing hands
across their faces that Stacy might not observe their amusement.
"We want to pow-wow with you," said Walter.
"That means you've something ahead---another trip?"
"Yes, we're going to the-----" began young Brown.
"Silence! Children should be seen, but not heard," commanded Ned.
Chunky promptly hitched his chair out, joining the circle.
"I'm seen," he nodded, with a grimace.
"Then see that you're not heard. Some things not even a Pony Rider boy
can stand. You're one of them."
"Yes, I'm a Pony Rider," answered Chunky, misapplying Ned Rector's
withering remark.
"Another trip, eh?"
"That's it, Tad. Walt's father has planned it out for us. And what
do you think?"
"Yes, what d'ye think? He's going-----"
"Look here, Chunky, are you telling this or am I?" demanded Ned angrily.
"You're trying to, but you're making an awful mess of the whole business.
Better let me tell it. I know how and you don't."
"Give Ned a chance, can't you, Chunky?" rebuked Tad, frowning.
"All right, I'll give him a chance, of course, if you say so. I always
have to take a back seat for everybody. I'm nothing but just a
roly-poly fat boy, handy to draw water, pitch and strike camp, gather
firewood, wash the dishes, cook the meals, save the lives of my
companions when they get into scrapes, and-----"
This was too much for the gravity of the Pony Rider Boys. They burst
out into a hearty laugh, which served to put all in good humor again.
Chunky, having relieved his mind, now settled down in his chair to
listen.
"Now, Ned, proceed," said Tad.
"Well, Mr. Perkins thinks it would be fine for us to visit the Grand
Canyon."
"Of the Colorado?"
"Yes."
"Tad knows more'n the rest of you. You didn't know where the place was.
Walt thought it was some kind of a gun that they shot off at sunrise,
or-----"
No one gave any heed to Chunky's further interruption this time.
"The Grand Canyon of the Colorado?" repeated Tad, his eyes sparkling.
"Isn't that fine? Do you know, I have always wanted to go there, but
I hardly thought we should get that far away from home again. But what
plans has Mr. Perkins made?"
"Well, he has been writing to arrange for guides and so forth. He knows
a good man at Flagstaff with whom Mr. Perkins hunted a few years ago.
What did he say the name was, Walt?"
"Nance. Jim Nance, one of the best men in that part of the country.
Everybody knows Jim Nance."
"I don't," declared Chunky, suddenly coming to life again.
"There are a lot of other things you don't know," retorted Ned Rector
witheringly.
"If there are you can't teach them to me," returned Stacy promptly.
"As I was saying when _that_ interrupted me, Mr. Perkins wrote to this
man, Nance, and engaged him for June first, to remain with us as long
as we require his services."
"Does Mr. Perkins think we had better take our ponies with us?"
"No."
"Then we shall have to buy others. I hardly think I can afford that
outlay," said Tad, with a shake of the head.
"That is all arranged, Tad," interrupted Walter. "Father has directed
Mr. Nance to get five good horses or ponies."
"Then Professor Zepplin is to accompany us?"
"Yes."
"Poor Professor! His troubles certainly are not over yet," laughed Tad.
"We must try not to annoy him so much this trip. We are older now and
ought to use better judgment."
"That's what I've been telling Ned," spoke up Stacy. "He's old enough
to-----"
"To---what?" demanded Ned.
Chunky quailed under the threatening gaze of Ned Rector. He mumbled
some unintelligible words, settled back in his chair and made himself
as inconspicuous as possible.
"Pooh! Professor Zepplin enjoys our pranks as much as do we ourselves.
He just makes believe that he doesn't. He's a boy himself."
"But an overgrown one," muttered Stacy under his breath.
"Where do we meet the Professor?" asked Tad.
"How about it, Walt?" asked Ned, turning to young Perkins.
"I don't think father mentioned that."
"We shall probably pick him up on the way out," nodded Tad.
"Well, what do you think of it?" demanded Ned.
"Fine, fine!"
"You don't seem very enthusiastic about it."
"Don't I? Well, I am. Has Mr. Perkins decided when we are to start?"
"Yes, in about two weeks."
"I don't know. I am afraid that is too soon for me. I don't even know
that I shall be able to go," said Tad Butler.
"Why not?"
"Well, we may not be able to afford it."
"Pshaw! Your mother just said you might go, or words to that effect.
Of course you'll go. If you didn't, I wouldn't go, and my father would
be disappointed. He knows what these trips have done for me. Remember
what a tender plant I was when we went out in the Rockies that time?"
"Ye---yes," piped Stacy. "He was a pale lily of the valley. Now Walt's
a regular daisy."
Young Perkins laughed good-naturedly. He was not easily irritated now,
whereas, before beginning to live in the open, the least little
annoyance would set his nerves on edge.
Mrs. Butler came in at this juncture, carrying a pitcher of lemonade
and four glasses on a tray. The Pony Riders rose instinctively,
standing while Mrs. Butler poured the lemonade.
"Oh, I forgot the cookies, didn't I?" she cried.
"Yes, we couldn't get along without the cookies," nodded Chunky.
"Now don't let your eyes get bigger'n your stomach," warned Ned.
"Remember, we are in polite society now."
"I hope you won't forget yourself either," retorted Stacy. "I'll
stand beside you. If you start to make a break I'll tread on your
toes and-----"
"Try it!" hissed Ned Rector in the fat boy's ear. The entrance of
Mrs. Butler with a plate heaped with ginger cookies drove all other
thoughts from the minds of the boys. "Mrs. Butler," began Ned,
clearing his throat, "we---we thank you; from the bottom of our
hearts we thank you---don't we, Stacy?"
"Well, I---I guess so. I can tell better after I've tried the cookies.
I know the lemonade's all right."
"How do you know?" demanded three voices at once.
"Why, I tasted of it," admitted Chunky.
"As I was saying, Mrs. Butler, we-----"
"Never mind thanking me, Ned. I will take your appreciation for
granted."
"Thank you," answered Stacy, looking longingly at the plate of cookies.
"Now help yourselves. Don't wait, boys," urged Tad's mother, giving
the boys a friendly smile before turning to leave the room.
"Ah, Mrs. Butler. One moment, please," said Ned.
"Yes. What is it?"
"We---ah-----"
"Oh, let me say it. You don't know how to talk in public," exclaimed
Chunky. "Mrs. Butler, we, the Pony Rider Boys, rough riders, Indian
fighters and general, all-around stars of both plain and mountain, are
thinking-----"
Ned thrust Chunky gently aside. Had it not been for Mrs. Butler's
presence Ned undoubtedly would have used more force.
Tad sat down grinning broadly. He knew that his mother enjoyed this
good-natured badinage fully as much as the boys did.
Ned rapped on the table with his knuckles.
"Order, please, gentlemen!"
"That's I," chuckled Stacy, slipping into a chair.
"Laying all trimmings aside, Mrs. Butler, we have come to speak with
you first, after which we'll have something to say to your son."
Mrs. Butler sat down in the chair that Tad had placed for her.
"Very good. I shall be glad to hear what you have to say, Ned."
"The fact is---as I was about to say when interrupted by the
irresponsible person at my left-----"
"I beg pardon. _I'm_ at your left," remarked Walter.
"He doesn't know which is his left and which is his right," jeered
Chunky. "He's usually left, though."
"I refer to the person who was sitting at my left at the time I began
speaking. I had no intention of casting any aspersion on Mr. Walter
Perkins. As I was about to say, we are planning another trip, Mrs.
Butler."
"Where away this time, Ned?"
"To the Grand Canyon-----"
"With the accent on the _yon_," added Stacy.
"The Grand Canyon of the Colorado?"
"Yes, ma'am. Mr. Perkins has arranged it for us. Everything is fixed.
Professor Zepplin is going along and-----"
"That will be fine, indeed," glowed Tad's mother.
"Yes, we think so, and we're glad to know that you do. Tad didn't know
whether you would approve of the proposed trip or not. We
are---ahem---delighted to learn that you do approve of it and that you
are willing that Tad should go."
"Oh, but I haven't said so," laughed Mrs. Butler.
"Of course she hasn't. You see how little one can depend upon what Ned
Rector says," interjected Stacy.
Ned gave him a warning look.
"I should say that you approve of his going. Of course we couldn't
think of taking this trip without Tad. I don't believe Mr. Perkins
would let Walt go if Tad weren't along. You see, Tad's a handy man
to have around. I know Chunky's people never would trust him to go
without Tad to look after him. You see, Chunky's such an irresponsible
mortal-----"
"Oh, I don't know," interrupted the fat boy.
"One never knows what he's going to do next. He needs some one to
watch him constantly. We think it is the fault of his bringing up."
"Or the company I've been keeping," finished Chunky.
"At any rate, we need Tad with us."
"Then I shall have to say 'yes,'" replied Mrs. Butler, nodding and
smiling. "Of course Tad may go. I am glad, indeed, that he has such
splendid opportunities."
"But, mother, I ought to be at work," protested Tad. "It is time I
were doing something. Besides, I think you need me at home."
"Never mind, Tad. When you have finished with these trips you will
be all the better for them. You will have erected a foundation of
health that will last you all your life. Furthermore, you will have
gained many things by the experience, When you get at the real serious
purpose of your life, you will accomplish what you set yourself to do,
with better results."
"That---that's what I say," began Chunky. "Haven't I always told
you-----"
"Stacy is wise beyond his years," smiled Mrs. Butler. "When he is
grown up I look for him to be a very clever young man."
The eyes of the boys still twinkled merrily, for Chunky, unable to
guess whether he were being teased, was still scowling somewhat.
However, he kept still for the time being.
"Yes, Tad may go with you," continued Mrs. Butler. "You start---when?"
"In about two weeks," Walter replied. "Father said he would call to
discuss the matter with you."
"I shall be glad of that," nodded Mrs. Butler. "I shall want to talk
over the business part of the trip."
Then the youngsters fell to discussing the articles of outfit they
would need. On this head their past experience stood them in good
stead.
"Now, I presume, I have said all that I can say," added Mrs. Butler,
rising. "I will leave you, for I would be of very little use to you
in choosing clothing and equipment."
Before she could escape from the room, however, Tad had risen and
reached her. Without exhibiting a twinge of embarrassment before the
other young men, Tad held and kissed her, then escorted her to the
door. Walter and Ned smiled their approval. Chunky said nothing,
but sat blinking solemnly---the best possible proof of his approbation.
All of the readers of this series know these young men well. They
were first introduced to Tad and his chums in the opening volume,
"_The Pony Rider Boys In The Rockies_." Then were told all the details
of how the boys became Pony Riders, and of the way they put their
plans through successfully. Readers of that volume well recall the
exciting experiences and hair-breadth escapes of the youngsters, their
hunts for big game and all the joys of living close to Nature. Their
battle with the claim jumpers is still fresh in the minds of all readers.
We next met our young friends in the second volume, "_The Pony Rider
Boys In Texas_." It was on these south-western grazing plains that
the lads took part in a big cattle drive across the state. This new
taste of cowboy life furnished the boys with more excitement than they
had ever dreamed could be crowded into so few weeks. It proved to be
one long round of joyous life in the saddle, yet it was the sort of
joy that is bound up in hard work. Tad's great work in saving a large
part of the herd will still be fresh in the mind of the reader. How
the lads won the liking of even the roughest cowboys was also
stirringly told.
From Texas, as our readers know, the Pony Riders went north, and their
next doings are interestingly chronicled in "_The Pony Rider Boys In
Montana_." Here the boys had the great experience of going over the
old Custer trail, and here it was that Tad and his companions became
involved in a "war" between the sheep and the cattle men. How Tad and
his chums soon found themselves almost in the position of the grist
between the millstones will be instantly recalled. Tad's adventures
with the Blackfeet Indians formed not the least interesting portion of
the story. It was a rare picture of ranch and Indian life of the
present day that our readers found in the third volume of this series.
Perhaps the strangest experiences, as most of our readers will agree,
were those described in "_The Pony Rider Boys In The Ozarks_." In this
wild part of the country the Pony Rider Boys had a medley of
adventures---they met with robbers, were lost in the great mountain
forests, and unexpectedly became involved in an accident in a great
mine. The final discovery of the strange secret of the mountains was
the climax of that wonderful saddle journey.
From the wooded Ozarks to the stifling alkali deserts of Nevada was
a long jump, but the lads made it. All of our readers remember the
rousing description of adventures that were set forth in "_The Pony
Rider Boys In The Alkali_." This trip through the grim desert with
its scanty vegetation and scarcity of water proved to be a journey
that fully demonstrated the enduring qualities of these sturdy young
men. The life, far away from all connection with civilization, was
one of constant privation and well-nigh innumerable perils. The
meeting with the crazed hermit of this wild waste formed one of the
most thrilling incidents. The whole vast alkali plain presented a
maze the solving of which taxed to the utmost the ingenuity of the
young men. However, they bore themselves with credit, and came out
with a greater reputation than ever for judgment, courage and
endurance.
Our next meeting with these lads, who were fast becoming veterans of
the saddle, was in the sixth volume, "_The Pony Rider Boys in New
Mexico_." Here, again, the lads ran upon Indian "signs" and
experiences, not the least of which was their chance to be present at
the weird fire dance of the Apaches. The race with the prairie fire,
the wonderful discoveries made in the former homes of the cave-dwellers,
and the defence of the lost treasure in the home of the ancient Pueblo
Indians are all matters well remembered by our readers.
Now another journey, to the scene of one of Nature's greatest wonders,
the Grand Canyon of the Colorado, was absorbing the thought of Tad
Butler and his young friends.
"The question is, what'll we take with us?" asked Ned Rector.
"Yes, that's one of the things about which we wanted to talk with you,"
spoke up Walter Perkins. "You always think of things that none of the
rest of us remembers."
"Oh, I don't know. You're all pretty good planners. In the first place,
you know you want to travel light."
"We aren't likely to travel any other way," scoffed Chunky. "Whatever
we do, though, let's not travel light on food. I can stand almost
anything but food---I mean without food---I mean-----"
"I don't believe you know what you do mean," jeered Ned. "Well, what
about it, Tad?"
"As I was saying, we should travel light. Of course, we must take our
own equipment---saddles, quirts, spurs, chaps, lasso, guns, canteen,
slicker and all that sort of thing. I suppose the guide will arrange
for the pack train equipment."
"I'll speak to father about that," said Walter. "I don't know just what
arrangements he has made with the guide."
"We can no doubt get what ammunition we need after we get to Flagstaff,
if that is to be our railway destination. Folks usually have ammunition
in that country," added Tad, with a faint smile. "Our uniforms or
clothes we know about. We shall no doubt need some good tough boots for
mountain climbing-----"
"Do we have to climb mountains?" demanded Stacy.
"Climb up and fall down," answered Walt.
"Oh, dear me, dear me! It'll be the death of me, I know," wailed the
fat boy. "I'd rather ride---up. I can get down all right, but-----"
"Yes, you certainly can get down," laughed Ned.
"Then we shall want quite a lot of soft, strong rope, about quarter-inch
Manila. I don't think of anything else. We ought to be able to pick up
whatever else we need after we get out there------"
"I guess that's all, fellows, isn't it?" asked Ned.
"All but the shouting," answered Stacy.
"You are well able to do that. You'd better practise up on those
favorite exclamations of yours---"
"What are they?"
"Y-e-o-w and W-o-w!"
"Who-o-o-p-e-e!" answered Chunky in a shrill, high-pitched voice.
Ned Rector clapped a hand over the fat boy's mouth with a resounding
smack. Chunky was jerked backward, his head striking the chair with a
bump that was audible all over the room.
"You stop that business. Do you forget where you are? That's all
right out in the wilds, but not in civilized society," declared Ned.
"Whe---where's the civilized society? Don't you do that to me again,
or I'll-----"
"Chunky's all right. Let him alone, Ned. Mother doesn't care how
much noise we make in here. In fact, she'd think something was wrong
with us if we didn't make a big racket. Chunky, if you are so full
of steam you might go out and finish the woodpile for me. I've got
to cut that wood this afternoon."
"No, thank you. I'm willing to hunt for the colored man in the
woodpile, but I'm a goat if I'll chop the wood. Why, I'd lose my
reputation in Chillicothe if I were seen doing such a common thing
as that."
"No, that would be impossible," answered Ned sarcastically.
"Eh? Impossible?" questioned Stacy.
"Oh, yes, yes, yes. I'll write it down for you so you'll understand
it and-----"
"He means that you can't lose what you don't possess," explained Walter.
Chunky grunted his disgust, but made no reply. The boys then fell to
discussing the proposed trip. Tad got out his atlas and together they
pored over the map of Arizona. After some time at this task, Chunky
pulled a much soiled railway map from his pocket. This gave them a
more detailed plan of the Grand Canyon.
"You see, I have to show you. When it comes to doing things Stacy
Brown's the one on whom you all have to fall back."
"You are almost human at times, Stacy. I'm free to admit that,"
laughed Tad. "Yes, this is just what we want."
Chunky inflated his chest, and, with hands clasped behind his back,
walked to the window and gazed out into the street, nodding patronizingly
now and then to persons passing who had bowed to him. In his own
estimation, Stacy was the most important person in Chillcothe.
So confident was he of this that several persons in the community
had come almost to believe it themselves. Chunky, by his dignified
and important bearing, had hopes of converting others to this same
belief. As for his three companions---well, a journey without Stacy
Brown would be a tame and uneventful journey at best.
The greater part of the afternoon was devoted to making plans for the
coming trip, each having his suggestions to make or his criticism to
offer of the suggestions of others. Though the arguments of the Pony
Riders at times became quite heated, the friendship they held for each
other was never really strained. They were bound together by ties
that would endure for many years to come.
Each day thereafter, during their stay at home, they met for
consultation, and when two weeks later they had assembled at the
railroad station in Chillicothe, clad in their khaki suits, sombreros,
each with a red bandanna handkerchief tied carelessly about his neck,
they presented an imposing appearance and were the centre of a great
crowd of admiring boys and smiling grown-ups. There were many exciting
experiences ahead of the Pony Rider Boys as well as a series of
journeys that would linger in memory the rest of their lives.