A FRUITLESS SEARCH
Phil stared at Dave in consternation.
"Do you really think that?" he cried.
"I don't say I think so, I only say it may be," returned the youth from
Crumville.
"If they are the horse-thieves, and we watch our chances, we may get the
animals back!"
"Not unless it is a single thief, Phil. We don't want to run the risk of
getting shot in the dark."
"That's true."
With great caution the two lads advanced along the muddy trail. As they
got closer to the light they saw that it came from a log house, low and
rambling. Not far away were several other buildings, and also a corral.
"We are on the right trail after all!" sang out the shipowner's son,
joyfully, and commenced to run at the best speed he could command.
"Hold on!" called Dave, but Phil was so eager to get to the house first
that he paid no attention to the words. Not until he had reached the
very piazza of the building did he pause to stare around him.
"Why, it's not Mr. Endicott's place at all!" he exclaimed.
He had made considerable noise ascending the piazza, and now a door was
flung open, letting a stream of light flood his face, momentarily
blinding him.
"Hello! what do you want?" demanded a man Phil had never seen before.
"Why--er--what place is this?" stammered the youth, and as he asked the
question Dave came up behind him.
"This is the Triple X Ranch," was the man's answer.
"What! Mr. Merwell's place?" stammered Phil.
"That's it. Want to see him? Why, say, you're all out of wind,--anything
wrong?"
"I--I didn't know this was the Merwell place," murmured Phil. He knew
not what else to say, he was so taken back.
"Who is that, Jerry?" asked another voice, and a moment later Felix
Merwell stepped into view. As he saw Dave he scowled slightly.
"Why, Mr. Merwell, we--er----" commenced Phil, and then he looked at
Dave.
"We were out and we lost our way in the darkness and got on the wrong
trail," said Dave, quickly. "Will you be kind enough to direct us to the
trail to Mr. Endicott's ranch?"
"Endicott's ranch is a good bit from here," growled Felix Merwell.
"But, Dave----" interrupted Phil, when a meaning look from his chum
silenced him.
"Haven't you got no hosses?" asked the man who had first come to the
door.
"No, but we don't mind that," said Dave. "We can walk."
"Jerry, show them the trail," said Mr. Merwell, shortly, and turned his
back on the boys.
The ranch hand came out without waiting to get his hat or coat, and
walked to a point back of the corral.
"It's a long, lonely way," he said, kindly. "You ought to have horses."
"How many miles?" asked Dave.
"About one and a half."
"Oh, that is not so far."
"Got caught in the storm, eh?"
"Yes."
"Link is out too and the old man is kind of worried about him. He sent
Hank Snogger out to look for him."
"Then Link didn't come back this afternoon?" said Dave, quickly.
"No, he's been out since early morning. You met him, eh?"
"Yes, but that was about the middle of the forenoon. He was over in the
woods."
"It was such a blow the old man is worried, thinking Link might have got
caught under a tree in the woods, or something like that. There's your
trail. Keep to that and it will take you right to the Endicott corral."
"Thank you," said both boys, and a moment later they and the man had
separated. The ranch hand watched them out of sight, then returned to
the house.
"Dave, why didn't you tell them about the horse-thieves?" asked Phil, as
soon as he deemed it safe to ask the question.
"I didn't want to ask any favors of Mr. Merwell, that's why," was the
reply. "I don't believe he'd want to go after them, and I didn't want to
borrow any horses from him."
"Well, I don't blame you for looking at it that way. But we may be
losing valuable time."
"We ought to be able to reach Mr. Endicott's place inside of twenty
minutes. Come on," and Dave increased his speed.
"Did you note the fact that Link has not yet returned?" said the
shipowner's son.
"Yes, but that doesn't prove anything. He may have crept into some place
for shelter from the storm, just as we did."
The two youths kept on steadily and before long saw another light in the
distance. Then they heard hoofbeats, and soon several forms on
horseback loomed out of the darkness.
"Hello!" sang out the voice of Sid Todd. "Who are you?"
"Todd!" called Dave, and a moment later the cowboy rode up, followed by
another ranch hand and Mr. Endicott.
"What is wrong?" demanded the railroad president, quickly. "Where are
the others?" and his face showed his extreme anxiety.
"The others are safe, so far as we know," answered Dave. "But we have
had quite an adventure." And then he and Phil told of how the horses had
been stolen, and of how they themselves had been caught in the woods
during the great blow.
"The horse-thieves again!" exclaimed Mr. Endicott, wrathfully. "We must
get after them this time and run them down! Todd, tell the other men at
once! We must lose no time in getting after them! And send word around
to the other ranches!"
The railroad president smiled grimly when the boys told him of the brief
stop at the Merwell place.
"I don't blame you for not wanting aid from Mr. Merwell," said he. "I
want to leave him alone myself. I am only sorry I have him for a
neighbor. I'd help him to sell out, if he wished to do so."
The boys went to the house and were speedily given something to
eat,--for they had had nothing since noon. They also donned some dry
clothing.
"It won't do any good for you to go out again," said Mr. Endicott. "I'll
go out, and so will most of the hands. You can remain here with Mrs.
Endicott, who is very nervous because of the storm and the absence of
Belle."
"As you think best, sir," answered Dave; and so it was arranged. Truth
to tell, both Dave and Phil were glad to rest, for the long walk and the
experience in the woods during the storm had tired them greatly. Each
threw himself on a couch, and almost before he knew it was sound asleep.
When the two boys awoke it was morning. They found that Mrs. Endicott
had covered them up with light blankets. A sound outside had aroused
them.
It was the other young people returning, on horses Sid Todd had taken to
them. Dave and Phil sprang up to meet them.
"Oh, I am so glad to get back!" cried Belle, as she ran to embrace her
mother. "Such a time as we have had!"
"Oh, yes, we were safe enough, after we got to the shack," said Laura,
in answer to a question from her brother. "But, oh, how it did blow!"
"We were afraid the shack would be carried right up into the air," said
Jessie. "And we were so worried about you--thinking a tree in the woods
would come down on you."
"Well, one did, pretty nearly," answered Dave, and gave the particulars.
"The men have all gone off after the horse-thieves," said Roger. "But
Todd hasn't much hope of tracing them, for the rain washed out all the
hoofmarks."
The newcomers were tremendously hungry, and a hearty meal was gotten
ready with all the speed of which the Chinese cook was capable. As they
ate, the boys and girls told the details of their experience at the
shack up the river.
"Did you see anything more of Link or that man with him?" asked Dave.
"No," answered the senator's son. "We've been wondering if they had
anything to do with the disappearance of the horses."
"We have been wondering the same thing," said Phil.
"I spoke to papa about it, and he says he will interview Mr. Merwell--if
they get no trace of the thieves," said the ranch owner's daughter.
Those who had been at the shack all night were so tired that they went
to bed directly after eating, and Dave and Phil were glad enough to rest
some more; so that the balance of the day passed quietly. It was not
until after sundown that Mr. Endicott showed himself, followed by about
half of the ranch hands.
"We thought we found the trail, but we lost it again," said the ranch
owner. "Todd and some of the others are still at it, but I am afraid the
thieves are out of our reach. I have sent word to the sheriff, and I
suppose he'll put some men on the trail to-morrow."
"Did you stop at the Merwell ranch?" asked Belle.
"Yes, I stopped there less than an hour ago. Mr. Merwell had just come
in from a hunt for Link."
"What! then Link isn't back yet?" cried Dave.
"No, and his father was a good deal worried about his absence. When I
told about the loss of the horses, Mr. Merwell was worried more yet. He
said we needn't think that his son touched them."
"It is queer where Link is keeping himself," mused Roger.
"That's true--unless he was hurt by the storm," answered Phil.
"Have you any idea who these horse-thieves are?" asked Dave.
"We have a general idea, yes," answered Mr. Endicott. "The gang who took
the other animals was led by a bold cowboy named Andy Andrews. Andrews
is a thoroughly bad egg, and there had been a reward offered for his
capture for several years. More than likely this raid was made by him or
under his directions."
"Then I sincerely hope they round up this Andy Andrews," remarked Dave.
"So do I--and that we get our horses back."
The night and the next day passed quietly. When it grew dark Sid Todd
came in, followed by several of the ranch hands. The look on the
foreman's face showed that he had had no success in his hunt.
"We got the trail once, but lost it ag'in," said the cowboy. "The
sheriff has got a posse of six men working on the trail now,--but I
don't think they'll make anything out of it." And then he told the story
of how the woods had been scoured, and of a hunt along the river and
over the plains. The men had ridden many miles and were all but
exhausted.
"Did you see anybody from the Merwell ranch?" asked Dave.
"Saw Link and his father just as we were coming home," answered Sid
Todd. "Merwell said he had seen nothing of the thieves."
"Did Link say anything?"
"No. He was dead tired and he looked scared."
"Scared?" queried Roger.
"Yes. When he saw me I thought he was going to run away. I asked him if
he had seen anything, and when he answered me his face went almost
white. I reckon he was scared--thinking of the way he treated you folks
on the trail. Maybe he thought I was goin' to pitch into him for it."
"Maybe," said Dave, slowly. "He hadn't seen anything of the thieves?"
"No. He said he didn't know the hosses was gone until his father told
him. He said he got lost in the woods, and stayed in a certain spot till
the blow was over."
"Humph!" murmured Dave, and there the talk came to an end. But Dave was
not satisfied. He still wondered if Link Merwell knew anything about the
taking of the horses.