SHERIFF BOB'S BOMB EXPLODES.
"There they come!"
It was the observant "Old Eagle Eye," as some of the boys called
Giraffe, who gave utterance to these words.
Early morning was at hand. All through the balance of the night those
left in the camp in the valley had been momentarily expecting to have
the sheriff and his older companion drop in on them; but possibly
Artemus may have found himself unable to travel as fast as his
ambition would force him, and the pair had been compelled to rest up
somewhere on the road.
Every one in the camp was of course on the line of duty at daybreak.
While Bumpus and Bob White started to get breakfast, Giraffe and
Allan were using their eyes as best they could, seeing that the mists
still hung over the valley, obscuring things at a little distance.
Thad was invisible, also Aleck. Truth to tell they had betaken
themselves off within an hour after that astounding message was received
from the far-distant point where Step Hen waved his fiery torch.
Of course, one of the first things Thad had done was to question the
other concerning this man who called himself Artemus Rawson. Aleck
admitted that he was in truth his own uncle; but added that the lawyer
from Denver had fallen under the same spell as many others, and was
allowing himself to dream of being the one to re-discover the
long-lost mine.
Aleck had said that it seemed as though every one who heard about it
became imbued with a mad desire to possess the treasure. There was
Kracker who had made several long searching trips up here with that
one object in view; and was even then doing everything in his power to
get possession of the secret.
Crafty Uncle Artemus had gone about it in a different way. He had hung
around the dwelling-place of the widow, and in his sly, lawyer-like
method, tried to learn what was going on. He suspected that the secret
of the location of the mine had been discovered in some way, from the
change in the atmosphere about the Rawson home, and the air of
excitement that could not easily be subdued; but no matter how he
tried, he could not learn just what it all meant.
Then came the sudden vanishing of Aleck. This must have given the
lawyer points and he started after the boy. His accusation concerning
his nephew having robbed him was of course all a part of a fine little
scheme he had hatched up. While the big prospector believed in actual
force to squeeze the secret from the unwilling lips of the lad; shrewd
Uncle Artemus was inclined to try and make a show of having the law on
his side.
But in both cases, actually robbery was intended.
And Thad believed every word of the explanation made by Aleck. He
could not have done otherwise, looking in those frank and fearless
eyes, and reading the clean soul of the Rawson boy.
So the scoutmaster had decided that he and Aleck would disappear from
the valley camp for a short time, leaving no trail by which they could
be followed. He did not tell a single one of his chums just what the
plan was, because he was desirous of keeping the secret. Then, in case
the sheriff questioned them concerning the movements of the missing two,
they could truthfully declare they did not know a thing about them.
But Thad made preparations looking to the carrying-out of a bold
project which he and the Rawson boy had talked over between
themselves. This was nothing more nor less than a hunt for the
long-hidden silver mine!
Thad thought that the sooner Aleck made sure his little chart, found
concealed in the back of that small pocket mirror which his dying
father had placed in his hands, was correct, the better.
And that accounted for several queer things he did on leaving camp,
one of which, the taking of the only lantern they had brought with
them, astonished Bumpus very much indeed, not to mention Giraffe and
Bob White.
The Fox had not been invited to join in the expedition; but later on
it was found that he had disappeared. Still, no one was worried, for
it seemed to be taken for granted that he must have followed Thad and
Aleck. They remembered that the latter had claimed a long-standing
friendship with the Fox. And it was also known that the Crow boy had
become an ardent admirer of the scoutmaster, whom he believed to be a
chief worth serving.
When Old Eagle Eye, then, announced that the two men were coming, the
others craned their necks to look. Allan told them not to appear too
curious; and so those who were busy at the fire went on with their
culinary labors, cooking a bountiful breakfast, as it seemed that they
might have company.
Sheriff Bob and the lawyer soon strode into camp--at least the
officer did the striding part, for old Artemus seemed pretty nearly
fagged out. A burning desire to acquire a glorious fortune so easily
was all that kept him up, otherwise he would never have been able to
have stood the long tramp as he did.
The first thing the sheriff did after replying to the salutation of
Allan, was to scan each one of the four boys in turn, and then turning
to his companion, say tersely:
"None of these the one you want, I reckon, sir?"
The old Denver lawyer looked dreadfully disappointed. His ferrit-like
eyes had flitted from one to another of the scouts, and each time he
changed base his long cunning face grew more like a blank.
"No, my nephew isn't in sight, as I can see, Sheriff," he replied,
with a frown, and a look toward Allan, as though to say that it was
his opinion the boy might produce the one they sought, if proper force
were applied.
"Having a hunt up here in the mountains, are you, boys?" asked the
sheriff, as he followed the example of the lawyer, and dropped down
near the fire, crossing his legs tailor-fashion, as though he meant to
make himself quite at home.
"Yes, we want to get a big-horn or so to take back with us," replied
Allan.
"Just the four of you?" continued the other, arching his heavy brows
as if with surprise.
"Oh! no, there are a lot of other fellows," replied the scout who took
Thad's place as leader when the other happened to be absent.
"Oh! that's it, eh? Rest off on a little side hunt right now, I
reckon. P'raps you've got a guide along with you, too?" the officer
continued, bending his neck, so that he could see inside the nearest
tent, the flap of which happened to be on the side toward him, and
thrown back to allow of ventilation.
"Oh! yes, we've got a guide now, though for a long time we had to go
it alone, and managed to get on pretty well," Allan continued,
wondering why it was he could catch a peculiar quizzical gleam in the
snapping eyes of the other, once in a while, when the sheriff looked
straight at him.
"Who is he; perhaps I might happen to know him?" asked the other,
accepting a tin cup filled with coffee, from Bumpus.
"I'm sure you do, sir," Allan hastened to remark; and then,
remembering that he was not supposed to know of the visit the sheriff
and his employer had paid to the camp of the big-horn hunters on the
previous night, he hastened to add: "everybody knows honest Toby
Smathers, the forest ranger, I should think."
"Well, I should say, yes, I did," replied the other, commencing to
calmly devour the piece of venison that had been placed on his
platter, as though his appetite was sharp indeed this bracing morning.
"And so you boys have come away out here just to see what we've got in
these Rockies, eh?"
"Just what we have, sir," replied Giraffe, thinking that he would like
to have the sheriff notice him a little.
"And I declare, you seem to be fixed pretty comfortable like," the
other went on. "Just look at the tents they brought with them, Mr.
Rawson. I've always said that on the whole they were better than the
old-fashioned tents. You can see how the heat of the fire on a cold
night is sent back into the tent; and there's aplenty of head-room
here. Yes, both of 'em as cozy as you please."
He had seemed so very much interested in the subject that he even laid
down his tin cup and platter, and gaining his feet, passed over, to
peer into each tent, as if bent on ascertaining what the interior
looked like.
Allan, of course, knew just what this meant. The sheriff was looking for
Aleck, as if he half-expected to find the hunted boy concealed under a
pile of blankets. And yet it puzzled Allan to note that, in spite of the
keen disappointment which would naturally follow a failure to locate the
boy, Sheriff Bob was even chuckling as he once more sat him down in the
circle, and resumed operations on his breakfast.
Something seemed to be amusing him, Allan wished he could tell what.
He felt it must have some connection with the search for Aleck Rawson;
though for the life of him he could not decide what was in the
sheriff's mind.
The talk soon became general, though Artemus took no part in it. He
sent a beseeching glance every now and then in the direction of the
officer, as if begging him to do something; but whatever it might be,
evidently Sheriff Bob was in no hurry, and meant to finish that good
breakfast first, anyway.
Presently, as he emptied his platter the second time, and swallowed
his third cup of scalding Java the officer remarked:
"I know something about the Boy Scouts myself, it happens. Got a
youngster down below that belongs to a troop. Great thing. Teaches
lads lots of the right kind of outdoor business. Makes 'em healthy,
and able to depend on themselves a heap. My kid, he's dead stuck on
this signal business with flags and such. Glad to see it, too. Takes
me back to old times, as sure as you live."
He stopped there, and seemed to reflect. It was as though memories
might be arising that were pleasant to look back upon. Meanwhile Allan
was conscious of something like a little thrill passing through him.
He seemed to feel that this was no accidental mention on the part of
the man with the twinkle in his eye; but in fact, it might have
something deep back of it.
"Yes," Sheriff Bob went on, presently, turning straight toward Allan
now. "I used to belong in the army years ago--spent six years of my
life in the Signal Corps, and was accounted a pretty good operator in
wigwag, telegraph, telephone building, and heliograph work while I
served. And honest now, I must say I never enjoyed a finer half hour
than I spent last night, sitting on a rock up yonder, and watching
that lively little confab you held with your chum, who, I think was
the boy calling himself Step Hen. He did the job up pretty well,
considering; and as for your Thad, he's chain lightning on the send.
Yes, siree bob, that was a picnic to an old Signal Corps man like me,
as you can easily understand, my boy!"
The four scouts sat there as if frozen stiff. Consternation was
written all over their faces; and no wonder the humorous sheriff, as
he saw what a bomb he had exploded, chuckled, and then laughed aloud.