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@@ -1,33 +1,4 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Grace Harlowe's Overland Riders in the High -Sierras, by Jessie Graham Flower - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Grace Harlowe's Overland Riders in the High Sierras - -Author: Jessie Graham Flower - -Release Date: June 15, 2014 [EBook #45989] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GRACE HARLOWE'S OVERLAND *** - - - - -Produced by Roger Frank and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 45989 *** [Illustration: "I'm Hit! Good Night!"] @@ -104,7 +75,7 @@ Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net Lieutenant Wingate, unconscious, is carried away on a pony's back. A cruel blow. A pin-prick saves the day. The escape of the Overland captive. "Cease firing! It's Hippy!" The - traveling salesman in a new role. + traveling salesman in a new rôle. CHAPTER VIII--HEADED FOR THE HIGH COUNTRY @@ -6635,360 +6606,4 @@ great National Park. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Grace Harlowe's Overland Riders in the High Sierras - -Author: Jessie Graham Flower - -Release Date: June 15, 2014 [EBook #45989] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GRACE HARLOWE'S OVERLAND *** - - - - -Produced by Roger Frank and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - -[Illustration: "I'm Hit! Good Night!"] - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - Grace Harlowe's Overland Riders - in the High Sierras - - _by_ - - Jessie Graham Flower, A. M. - - _Illustrated_ - - THE SAALFIELD PUBLISHING COMPANY - Akron, Ohio New York - - Made in U. S. A. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - Copyright MCMXXIII - _By_ THE SAALFIELD PUBLISHING COMPANY - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - CONTENTS - - CHAPTER I--OLD FRIENDS GET TOGETHER - - Overlanders plan for their summer's vacation in the saddle. - Emma Dean "dotes on mysteries." Hippy Wingate gets a hard - blow. Stacy amazes his new friends by his dramatic entrance. - Shots and yells startle the Overland Riders. - - CHAPTER II--AN INTERRUPTED SLEEP - - The traveling salesman entertains his fellow passengers with - tales of wrecks and hold-ups. Chunky makes the passengers - laugh. Emma Dean has an attack of "nerves." Sheriff Ford is - suspicious. The "Red Limited" comes to a jolting stop. - "Robbers!" screams a woman. - - CHAPTER III--THE HOLD-UP OF THE RED LIMITED - - An ominous silence settles over the transcontinental express. - The sheriff calls for volunteers to drive off the train - bandits. Overland girls offer their services. The treasure car - cut off. Stacy, in his pajamas, joins the defenders. - - CHAPTER IV--IN A LIVELY SKIRMISH - - "Dynamite!" exclaims Sheriff Ford. Defenders give battle. - Stacy Brown shoots and talks. Hippy goes on a desperate - mission. Bandit guards are outwitted. Lieutenant Wingate - caught in a tight place. "I know you!" yells the Overland - Rider. - - CHAPTER V--ON THE TRAIL OF THE MISSING - - Sheriff Ford starts a search for Lieutenant Wingate. A clue at - last. "Captured by the bandits!" exclaims Tom Gray. Chunky - helps himself to a plum pudding. "Suffering cats! You're it!" - - CHAPTER VI--CHUNKY MEETS THE BANDITS - - The fat boy stampedes the outlaws' horses. "Oh, wow! I've lost - my biscuit." A pony that knew the way. "I suppose I emptied - twelve saddles," boasts Stacy. Shots arouse the sheriff's - camp. "Lie low, everybody!" - - CHAPTER VII--BANDITS CATCH A TARTAR - - Lieutenant Wingate, unconscious, is carried away on a pony's - back. A cruel blow. A pin-prick saves the day. The escape of - the Overland captive. "Cease firing! It's Hippy!" The - traveling salesman in a new rôle. - - CHAPTER VIII--HEADED FOR THE HIGH COUNTRY - - Woo Smith joins the Overland outfit. Stacy declares that his - pony can climb a tree. "I want food!" is the fat boy's plaint. - The Overlanders are introduced to a "kyack." Packs are - "thrown" and the journey to the Sierras is begun. - - CHAPTER IX--THEIR SLUMBERS DISTURBED - - "All aboard for the High Sierras!" The Chinaman proves to be a - rare find. "You leave it to Smith," advises Hippy. Stories of - rattlesnakes in campers' blankets set the Overland girls' - nerves on edge. Woo savvies "transmigration." - - CHAPTER X--"BOOTS AND SADDLES" - - The Overland camp in an uproar. "Snakes! Oh, wow!" howls the - fat boy. "Me savvy somebody pull queue," wails Woo Smith. The - dark mystery is finally solved. Stacy Brown proves to be an - unwilling "wrangler." - - CHAPTER XI--PONIES GET A BAD FRIGHT - - Hippy uses a pea-shooter with disastrous results. The fat boy - awakens in a wild rose bush. Suspicion becomes a certainty. - Overlanders make a perilous descent. "The ponies are - stampeding!" shouts Lieutenant Wingate. - - CHAPTER XII--AMID THE GIANT SEQUOIAS - - "Look! Oh, look," cries Emma Dean. Lieutenant Wingate shoots a - cinnamon bear. "Uncle Hippy never misses what he hits." - Stopped by a rattler. Tom Gray lost in the great forest. - Watched over by trees centuries old. - - CHAPTER XIII--THE CAMP AT THE "LAZY J" - - A surprise in the High Sierras. Overland Riders entertained at - a mountain ranch. Stacy tries to shoe a horse. The white mare - gets into action. Warned against the High Country. "Keep away - from the 'Crazy Lake' section," advises the foreman. - - CHAPTER XIV--WOO'S EYES ARE KEEN - - The Chinaman sights a "buck in lelet." Hippy misses a "sure - shot." "Why don't you use a pea-shooter?" jeers Stacy. A rifle - that had been tampered with. "I--I just wanted to get even - with you." A shot that reached the mark. - - CHAPTER XV--FOLLOWING THE AERIAL TRAIL - - The Overland Riders enjoy a venison dinner. Elfreda Briggs is - reminded of Coney Island. Crossing a perilous mountain ridge. - Emma Dean is afraid and doesn't care who knows it. The white - mare meets with sudden disaster. - - CHAPTER XVI--GOING TO BED IN THE CLOUDS - - Kitty gives her masters a perilous job. Stacy offers to get a - derrick. A scene to be remembered. Getting up in the world. - Tom Gray makes up the Overlanders' beds with a pick. Stacy - objects to being buried so soon after supper. - - CHAPTER XVII--IN THE LAND OF PINK SNOWS - - Woo loses a "piecee kettle" over the brink. The campfire - disappears in the clouds. Camping in the valley of the blue - lupines. A trail that was difficult to find. Elfreda becomes - suddenly light-headed. - - CHAPTER XVIII--AT THE "TOP OF THE WORLD" - - The mystery of the "pink snows" is finally solved by Tom. A - snowball battle above the clouds. On the peak of the High - Sierras. The Overland Riders go to sleep in a snowbank. - "Girls, this is an ideal summer resort." - - CHAPTER XIX--BOWLING IN NATURE'S ALLEY - - Hippy Wingate gives his companions a delightful surprise. The - Overlanders withdraw their threat to throw him off the - mountain. A mysterious lake is discovered. Emma Dean scores a - hit. Bullets stop the highest bowling game on record. - - CHAPTER XX--LEAD AND MYSTERY IN THE AIR - - Overland Riders suddenly find themselves under fire. Stacy - "creeps" to safety. "Get up and walk, you tenderfoot!" The - Aerial Lake lives up to its reputation. Woo Smith savvies - trouble. "Discovered!" exclaims Hippy. - - CHAPTER XXI--THE FACE IN THE WATERS - - The guide informs the Overlanders that a woman has been spying - on the camp. Stacy feels like a snowbird. Prowlers leave a - trail. Lieutenant Wingate meets with an unpleasant surprise. - The pool of the mountain trout and what Grace Harlowe saw - there. - - CHAPTER XXII--THE MYSTERY OF AERIAL LAKE - - Grace Harlowe flees from a hideous face. The Overland girls - are eager to solve the mountain mystery. Stacy Brown discovers - an "ark" and goes out for a sail. The fat boy mysteriously - missing. Woo consults the skies. The lost boy returns with an - appetite. - - CHAPTER XXIII--THE LAIR OF THE BAD MEN - - Chunky laughs at his companions' distress. Lieutenant Wingate - invites his nephew out for a "paddle." Stacy makes an - important discovery. Plunder found in the bandits' cave. The - log that was chained down. Bullets drive the Overlanders from - their quest. - - CHAPTER XXIV--MAKING A LAST STAND - - The Overland Riders are fired on by the mountain ruffians. - Imprisoned by dynamite in the robbers' cave. A battle that - came to a sudden end. Sheriff Ford to the rescue. Mother - Jones' career is ended. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - GRACE HARLOWE'S OVERLAND RIDERS IN THE HIGH SIERRAS - - - - - CHAPTER I - - OLD FRIENDS GET TOGETHER - - -"Who is this Stacy Brown that you girls are speaking of?" questioned -Emma Dean as the Overland girls sat down to dinner in Grace Harlowe's -hospitable Haven Home. - -"He is my Hippy's nephew," Nora Wingate informed her. "You will like -'Chunky,' as he is known to his friends, and I promise you that he will -keep this outfit from getting lonely," added Nora laughingly. - -"He was one of the members of the Pony Rider Boys' outfit," volunteered -Grace. "You know we have heard of them several times on our journeyings. -They used to go out in search of adventure every summer, so Stacy is a -seasoned campaigner. We shall need him where we are going, too." - -"By the way, where are we going, Grace?" spoke up Elfreda Briggs. "I -believe our destination is to be in the nature of a surprise--a mystery, -as it were." - -"I just dote on mysteries," bubbled Emma. "Of course I could have -learned all about it had I not been too conscientious." - -"That is characteristic of your sex," replied Hippy Wingate soberly. -"May I ask you how you could have found out?" - -"I thank you for the compliment, and regret exceedingly that I cannot -return the compliment in kind. How could I have found out? Why, by the -transmigration of thought." - -"The what?" cried Elfreda laughingly. "Is this some new freak, Emma -Dean?" - -"It may be new with me, but the principle is as old as the ages. I -belong to the Society for the Promotion of Thought Transmigration. Our -great and Most Worthy Master lives in Benares, India, where numbers of -the faithful journey for instruction and inspiration once every two -years." - -"Do you mean to say that you belong to that fool outfit?" wondered -Hippy. - -"I am happy to say that I do. I joined last winter, and, novice that I -am, I have realized some remarkable results," replied Emma. - -"Nora, we ought to take her to a specialist before we start on our -journey. It won't do to have a crazy person with us. She might get us -into no end of trouble," suggested Hippy. - -"Humph! I'd much prefer to be crazy than to have a bungalow head," -retorted Emma scornfully. - -"A bungalow head?" exclaimed the girls. - -"Yes. A bungalow has no upper story, you know." - -"Ouch!" cried Hippy Wingate, clapping both hands to his head. "Now that -our Sage of India has spoken, suppose Grace and Tom enlighten us as to -where we are going this summer. In view of the fact that this is my -treat--that I have offered to pay the expenses of the Overland Riders on -this journey--it might not be inappropriate for me to inquire where we -are going. Elfreda's question in that direction is as yet unanswered." - -Tom Gray nodded to his wife. - -"I had intended to wait until Stacy Brown arrived, but as he is not a -member of our little organization, there is no reason why our business -matters should be discussed with him," said Grace. "Dear friends, we are -going to the High Sierras, the great snow-clad peaks of the far west. -Adventure, hardship and health are awaiting us there. It will be a long -journey before we reach the beginning of our real objective, but I -believe you folks will agree with me that the preliminary journey is -well worth while." - -"You say that Hippy is paying the bills?" interjected Emma. - -"He has so said. However, Tom will not have it that way, so we have -agreed that Tom and Hippy shall share equally in the expense of the -journey. Both feel quite rich now since they cleaned up on their big -lumber deal in the North Woods," replied Grace. - -Elfreda said that such an arrangement would not please her at all, -declaring that she would pay her own expenses. - -"You have nothing to say about it," laughed Tom. "The subject is closed. -So far as our having Stacy Brown as our guest, is concerned, you all -agreed to that when Grace wrote to you about his wish to join us on our -summer outing. Are you still of the same mind?" - -"Yes," answered the girls in chorus. - -"What about a guide? Is that arranged for?" asked Miss Briggs. - -"Not yet," answered Grace. "We thought we would leave that until we -reached our destination. Oh, girls, I have some of the loveliest trips -in mind for several seasons ahead, but I'm not going to tell you a word -about them now. In the meantime, anyone that has a suggestion to offer -will please offer it." - -"I have no suggestions to offer, but I should like to ask further light -on this new dope that Emma Dean has sprung on us. What is it, and how -does it work?" asked Hippy. - -"If you won't make fun of me I'll tell you," replied Emma. "The -transmigration of thought is 'tuning-in' one's mind to receive messages -from the mind of another person, just as a wireless operator 'tunes-in' -his instrument to catch the message being sent by another operator far -away. In other words, persons so attuned to each other may converse, -read each other's thoughts and hold communion, even though separated by -thousands of miles of sea or land or both." - -"Marvelous!" breathed Hippy. "For instance, please tune-in your mind and -tell me what I am thinking about. Let's see you do that, if you can," he -declared triumphantly. - -"Our minds never could be in perfect accord, Theophilus Wingate. We are -as far apart as the poles, but our range being so short, I can easily -tell you what you are thinking about. Not being a deep thinker, you are -as transparent as a piece of clear crystal." - -"Emma, don't you say that about my Hippy," protested Nora indignantly. -"My Hippy has a mind as big as his heart, and--" - -"You are thinking," interjected Emma gravely, "what a shallow little -butterfly I am, but what you do not know is that that thought is merely -the reflection of your own mentality. You are, in other words, seeing -yourself as others see you, Hippy Wingate." - -A peal of laughter from the Overland girls greeted Emma's retort. Hippy -flushed, then joined in the laughter. - -"This is so sudden," he murmured. "I'll tell you what you do. Wait until -Stacy arrives, then you just practice your transmigration stuff on him. -Stacy will make a wonderful subject for you. He is so temperamental, so -spiritual, that I am positive you and he will get wonderful results." -Hippy winked at Nora as he said it. - -None of the others had ever seen Stacy Brown, so they had not the least -idea what was in store for them from the comedian of the Pony Rider -Boys' outfit. Stacy was an old campaigner, however, and Hippy knew that -he would prove a valuable member of their party on the ride into the -High Sierras. Stacy knew the open, and with his companions had -experienced many exciting adventures in the wilder parts of the country. -The Overland Riders, too, had had their full share of thrilling -adventure, first as members of the Overton College Unit in France during -the great war, where Hippy Wingate had won honors as a fighting air -pilot, and Tom Gray at the front as a captain of engineers. However, -they had a new phase of excitement to experience in "Chunky" Brown, and -the first of those experiences was near at hand. - -A shot suddenly broke the summer stillness of Haven Home, a shot that -brought the Overland Riders to their feet. - -"_Bang, bang, bang!_" - -"Merciful Heaven! Are we attacked?" cried Elfreda Briggs. - -"Whoop! Yeo-o-o-o-o-w!" - -Three more shots were fired, followed by a succession of startling -whoops and yells. - -"What does it mean? I'm afraid!" cried Emma. - -The Overlanders ran out of the dining room to the veranda, but no one -was in sight. - -"Chunky has arrived. Don't be afraid, girls," laughed Hippy Wingate. "He -is on the other side of the house. There he comes!" - -A short, fat young fellow, riding a gray bronco and perched high on his -saddle, at this juncture dashed around the end of the house, firing two -shots into the air as he passed the amazed group. Just as he swept past, -his sombrero fell off, but Chunky did not stop. In a minute or two he -was back, and, making a graceful dip from the saddle, reached down for -the hat. As he did so, the pony swerved and Stacy Brown landed on the -grass of Haven Home, flopped over on his back, and after a few dazed -seconds got up and shook himself. - -Stacy made a low bow to the spectators gathered on the veranda. - -"Oh, my dear, my dear! Are you hurt?" begged Nora, running to him. - -"Hurt? Of course not. I always fall off before dinner. It puts a keen -edge on my appetite. Hulloa, folks! Glad to meet ye. Hey, Bismarck! Come -here," he ordered. - -His dusty gray pony trotted to him and nosed Stacy's cheek -affectionately. - -"Got anything loose around the house? I'm half starved," urged Chunky. -"Uncle Hip, introduce me to these beautiful young ladies. I've heard of -you folks, and so has Bismarck. You'll find him right friendly, -especially the front end of him, but I shouldn't advise you to get too -close to the tail end. He is very light there. Let him browse in the -yard while I feed the inner man." - -"Indeed not," objected Grace. "I am not going to have my flowers -trampled down after all my hard work on them this spring. Tom, please -lead Stacy's pony around to the stables. I will put something on the -table for you at once, Stacy. Come right in. We were just finishing -dinner when you arrived so violently. Oh! Pardon me. You haven't yet -been introduced to the girls." - -"Thanks!" bowed Stacy. "Thanks for the invitation, but come to think of -it don't introduce me until after dinner. I never like to meet strangers -on an empty stomach." - -"This is Miss Elfreda Briggs, a rising young lawyeress, and here is the -life of our Overland party, Miss Emma Dean. We address each other by our -first names, so you may call her Emma. Come now, Stacy." - -"You're a funny fellow, aren't you?" said Emma, surveying the newcomer -curiously as they walked towards the house. - -"Then we are a pair of 'em, eh?" chuckled the fat boy. - -"I am not a boy, thank my lucky stars and all the saints," objected -Emma. "I'll have you understand that, sir." - -"Let the dove of peace rest over your touchy spirit, Emma," laughed -Grace chidingly. - -"It isn't a dove. It's a crow," corrected Chunky. "A thousand pardons, -Emma dear. I--" - -"I'm not your dear," answered Emma with considerable heat. - -"Yes, you are, but you don't know it. To realize it you will have to -emerge from the unconscious state in which you now so sweetly repose," -teased Stacy, amid the laughter of the others. - -"I should prefer to be unconscious all the time," flung back Emma. - -"Ah! The food does smell good. Food always has a strange effect on me, -and really, I haven't smelled any in almost a thousand years--not since -breakfast this morning. By the way, where do we go and when do we -start?" - -"To the Sierras," answered Tom Gray. "How are you, Chunky?" he added, -extending a hand. - -"Starved. How's yourself?" - -"I think after we go back to the dining room and after I have my dessert -that I shall feel fit as a fiddle," replied Tom. "To answer the rest of -your question, we expect to start tomorrow forenoon. The ponies will be -shipped in a car that is now on the siding at Oakdale." - -"Girls, what do you think of my nephew?" cried Hippy jovially, as they -again seated themselves at the table. - -"So far as I am concerned, I think that he is another of those bungalow -fellows just like yourself, Hippy," answered Emma. "Mr. Brown, may I ask -if you ever have had any experience with mental transmigration?" she -asked, turning to Chunky. - -Chunky, his mouth full of food, surveyed her solemnly. - -"Uh-huh!" he replied thickly. "I met one of those animals once in the -Rocky Mountains. You see it was this way. We had been riding far into -the night to find a suitable camping place, when we were suddenly halted -by a savage growl just ahead of us. I went on ahead, with my trusty -rifle ready, to slay the beast whatever it might be. Suddenly I saw him. -He was the most terrible looking object that I've ever come up with in -all my mountain experience. I threw up my rifle and shot the beast dead -in his tracks." - -"Wonderful!" breathed Emma. "But what has that to do with mental -transmigration?" - -"I'm coming to that. It is wonderful--I mean it was. Will you believe -it, that terrible beast came to life. Yes, sir, he rose right up and -made for us. My pony bolted, and I fell off--just as I ordinarily do -before meal time. My feet at the moment chanced to be out of the -stirrups and I fell off. Well, I might have been killed--I surely would -have been killed, but I wasn't, just because of that stunt that you -mentioned. I transmigrated myself out of that vicinity with a speed that -left that terrible object so far behind that he just lay down and died -again," finished Stacy Brown solemnly, amid shouts of laughter, in which -all but Emma Dean joined. - -Stacy gave her a quick sidelong glance, and Hippy Wingate, observing the -look, knew that war had been declared between Stacy Brown and Emma Dean. - - - - - CHAPTER II - - AN INTERRUPTED SLEEP - - -"Right at this point," said the traveling salesman impressively, "a -train left the track and plunged into that ravine down there." - -"Any loss of life?" questioned Tom Gray. - -"A great many. I was in that wreck myself. I was shaken up a bit, that's -all. You see I know how to take care of myself. We commercial travelers -have to or we should soon be out of business. Nearly the whole train -went into that ravine, and the car in which I was riding stood on end. I -clung to the air-brake cord and thus was miraculously saved." - -"Humph!" muttered Stacy, hunching his fat shoulders forward. "You don't -look to be light enough to perch on an air-brake cord." - -The Overland girls glanced amusedly at Chunky and the traveling -salesman. The entire party was enjoying the late afternoon mountain air -from the rear platform of the observation car on the transcontinental -train known as the Red Limited. Just inside the door sat other -passengers, who had been enjoying the frequent passages-at-arms between -Stacy Brown and Emma Dean. The train had been rumbling over bridges and -lurching through narrow cuts, affording the passengers brief views of a -swiftly moving scenic panorama of interest and attractiveness. - -"As I was saying, the rope, in all probability, saved my life, as I was -the only person in the car that came out alive," continued the traveling -salesman. "I'm in ladies' fine shoes, you know." - -Stacy and Emma regarded the speaker's large feet, glanced at each other -and grinned. - -"I'll bet you couldn't transmigrate them," whispered the fat boy. - -Emma elevated her nose, but made no reply to the trivial remark. - -"I mean that I am selling ladies' fine shoes, young man," added the -salesman, he having observed the fat boy's grin. "My card." He passed -business cards to those nearest to him, and from them the Overlanders -learned that he was William Sylvester Holmes, traveling for a Denver -shoe firm. "My trade call me 'Bill,'" he explained. - -"Hello, Bill!" muttered Hippy, nudging Nora. - -"May I ask what car you were in?" questioned a tall, bronzed passenger -in a mild, apologetic voice. - -"The same as this one." - -"Hm-m-m! That's odd. I do not recall having seen you. However, I was in -the other end of the car, which perhaps accounts for it," said the -stranger in a more humble voice. - -William Sylvester flushed. Instead of being overcome, however, he -shifted his conversation to another train wreck that he said had -occurred a few miles further on at a place called Summit. - -The faces of the Overland Riders expanded into discreet smiles at the -mild way in which the tall man had rebuked the loquacious traveler. -Grace and Elfreda, in particular, found themselves much interested in -this big man. Grace asked a fellow passenger who the man was, and -learned that he was Bill Ford, for some years sheriff of Sonora County. -Ford had been observing the traveling salesman through mild blue eyes in -which there appeared an expression of more than casual interest. - -"It was that Summit wreck that nearly did me up," resumed Holmes. "We -went over an embankment there. Being in a berth in a sleeping car I was -unable to grab hold of anything. The car played football with me, but I -came off with nothing more serious than a broken arm. Oh, I have had my -experiences! Were you in that wreck, too?" he asked, turning quickly to -the sheriff. - -"Never heard of it," answered Ford carelessly. - -"All that saved us was the fact that the cars were made of steel. We'll -pass Summit within the hour, and I'll show you where we went off the -rails that time." - -"Tell us about something that happened when the train didn't leave the -rails," urged Stacy. - -"With pleasure. I remember, some two years ago--it was this very train, -I do believe--when a party of bandits held up a train on this line. That -occurred between Summit and Gardner. They uncoupled the express car and, -after compelling the engineer to haul it up the track a short distance, -dynamited the car and robbed it of the treasure it was carrying." - -"They've been cutting up that same kind of caper quite lately," nodded -the sheriff. - -"Di--id they rob the passengers?" stammered Emma Dean. - -"In some of the cars, yes. In my car they did not. I held them off with -my revolver. I----" - -"That was very careless of you. Why, sir, you might have shot yourself," -cried Stacy. - -Mr. Holmes gave the fat boy a withering glance and resumed his story. - -"After my display of courage the other passengers got brave, and with -their assistance I drove the bandits off. However, I should not advise -it. For the average person, the safe course is to sit still and take his -medicine. Gentlemen, never offer resistance when a gang of bandits -orders you to put up your hands, but put them up as fast as you can and -let them stay put," he added, fixing his gaze on Tom Gray who smiled and -nodded. - -"Yes, sir," agreed Chunky. "That's the way I always do." - -"Were you ever held up?" questioned the salesman. - -"Many times. I put up my hands too, but there was a gun in both of 'em," -answered Stacy amid much laughter. - -At this juncture a passenger asked the storyteller to tell them more -about the hold-up, which he did without urging. - -"The train in question was carrying a treasure, just as this one no -doubt is. The bandits had obtained information of this fact from a -confederate. They were right on the job when the train came along. After -stopping the train they placed men at the car door to take up a -collection from the passengers. All submitted tamely, as they should -have done, except in the car where I was, and--we are approaching Summit -now. From that point we go down grade for twenty miles or so, then we -begin to climb again. We stop at Summit." - -"Isn't it terrible, all that banditry. I'm afraid," shivered Emma when a -little later the party had gone to the dining car for supper. - -"For one who can transmigrate as well as you can, there should be no -fear," suggested Hippy. "Just transmigrate the bandits to some other -train." - -"I think we should transmigrate ourselves in the event of such a thing -occurring," vouchsafed Elfreda Briggs. - -Sheriff Ford came into the dining car shortly after the train had left -Summit, and nodded at the party in a friendly fashion. - -"What has become of our story-telling friend, sir?" asked Grace. - -"I saw him go into the smoking car ahead as the train was leaving -Summit. He sent two telegrams before leaving. This shoe business -requires a lot of telegraphing, it appears," added the sheriff dryly. - -"How do you know it was about shoe business?" demanded Stacy. - -"Because I happened to see the last telegram." - -Tom Gray eyed the sheriff inquiringly, but the mild blue eyes of Mr. -Ford conveyed nothing to him. - -After a pleasant evening, during which they saw no more of the traveling -salesman, the Overland party retired to their berths for sleep. Forward, -near the express car, rode the Overlanders' ponies in as much comfort as -is possible to provide for animals en route. At every stop during the -day one of the men of the party had run forward to look over the car of -"stock," as the riders called their saddle animals. Now, however, all -were too soundly asleep to think of ponies, and above the rumble of the -train might be heard the rasping snores of Stacy Brown and Hippy -Wingate. - -It was shortly after one o'clock in the morning when many of the -sleepers were awakened by a sudden disconcerting jolt caused by an -abrupt application of the air brakes. The train slowly settled down to a -slow crawl, the hiss of the air from the brakes being plainly audible to -those who had been awakened. - -The train stopped. Nothing of an alarming nature seemed to have -occurred, so the nervous passengers again settled down into their -blankets, for the night air was chill and penetrating. Others lay awake, -but there was nothing to hear except the snores which continued without -interruption. - -A few moments of this and then a subdued murmur of voices was heard just -ahead of the Overlanders' car. A brief period of silence followed the -murmur, then a man's voice, agitated and full of alarm, was raised so -high that almost every person in the car was awake on the instant. - -"What is it?" cried a woman's voice from behind berth curtains. - -"We're held up! The train is held up!" cried the man. - -"Robbers! Robbers!" screamed the woman who had asked the question; and a -chorus of frightened voices took up the refrain. - - - - - CHAPTER III - - THE HOLD-UP OF THE RED LIMITED - - -"Take it easy! Don't lose your heads. We are safe for the moment," urged -a voice that sounded like Sheriff Ford's. Whoever it was, his words -brought a measure of quiet to the excited passengers who were shivering -in the aisle in scant attire. - -The passengers then sought their berths again and began dressing, for -there would be no more sleep for them that night. Outside of the car -there was not the slightest indication that anything out of the ordinary -was occurring. An ominous stillness enshrouded the scene. Some one, more -curious than the rest, stepped to the front platform of the sleeping car -and, opening the vestibule door, looked out. The Overlanders learned -later that it was Mr. Ford. - -A rifle shot roared out, whereupon the sheriff prudently stepped back -and closed the door. Several smothered screams were heard, and then -silence once more settled over the car. - -Up to the present time not a word had been heard from the Overland -Riders. The curtains of their berths hung motionless, and Stacy Brown's -snores were louder than ever. Perhaps they were all asleep, but how that -could be possible in the circumstances it would be difficult to -understand. - -The voice of Sheriff Ford once more focused the attention of the -passengers on him. - -"Men," he said, addressing the passengers from one end of the car, "this -train is being held up, but it does not look as if the passengers will -be disturbed. If they are not, it means that the bandits are after the -express car, in which, as I happen to know, there is a large amount of -gold for shipment to the Pacific Coast for export. I am an officer of -the law. The fact that I am not in my own county is sufficient excuse -for my sitting down and letting the bandits have their own way, but I'm -not that kind of a critter. I'm going out to take a hand in this affair, -and I ask all the men in this car, who have weapons, to join me. -Provided we get help from the other cars of the train, we can, perhaps, -drive the robbers off. How many of you men are with me?" - -Two passengers stepped out from their berths. The curtains of the berths -occupied by Lieutenant Theophilus Wingate and Captain Tom Gray were -thrust aside, the curtain hooks rattling on the rods overhead, and they -were revealed clad in shirts, trousers and boots, each with a revolver -strapped on, sitting quietly on the edge of his berth. - -"Isn't there another _man_ in this car?" questioned Ford sarcastically. - -At this juncture Grace Harlowe, Elfreda Briggs, Nora Wingate and Emma -Dean stepped out into the aisle, each wearing a revolver at her side, -and Emma very pale and shaking in the chill air. - -"We are not men, but we are ready to do whatever you wish, Mr. Ford," -announced Grace. - -Ford smiled and nodded. - -"I thought so," he said. "This appears to be about all we can depend -upon. As for you young women, my hat is off to you, but this is no job -for women. It's a man's job. What you can do, however, is to mount guard -over this car and protect the other women. Can you all shoot?" - -Grace said they could. - -"Very well. Guard the vestibules, but in no circumstances open the -vestibule door. The other passengers will please remain in their berths -to avoid the possibility of being shot, and you young women will be -careful that you do not shoot the train crew. Challenge first, then -shoot, if you are not positive as to who any person is. Have you men -ammunition?" - -"Yes," answered Hippy. "Lead us to it. We haven't had any action in so -long that we are going stale." - -"We will go out by the rear door," announced the sheriff. "Please do not -use your weapons until you are ordered to do so. The most we can hope to -accomplish is to drive the bandits off--make them think they are -attacked by a posse. There isn't much chance of our being able to -capture the gang or any of them, much as I should like to do so. Yet I'm -going to try to get hold of at least one. All ready!" - -"Be careful, Hippy darling," begged Nora as the little party moved -towards the rear of the car. - -"You watch my smoke," chuckled Hippy. - -"Good luck," smiled Grace, waving a kiss to Tom as he turned to nod in -return for her parting words. - -Ford stepped out into the rear vestibule and peered through the window -into the darkness. - -"I'll go first," he said. "You follow when I give the signal. Not a word -from any of you. Wait!" Lifting the trap-door in the vestibule floor, -the sheriff let himself down on the steps, then cautiously stood up on -the outside, revolver in hand for use in case of trouble. - -"Come out!" he commanded in a low voice. "There appears to be no one -here. There goes the express car!" he added as a slight jolt of the -train was heard. "They've cut out that car and are going to pull it up -the track a piece and force it open. We'll have to hurry." - -Ford started on a run, the others falling in behind him. - -Up to this time no one had given Stacy Brown a thought, but as the party -was leaving the sleeper something awakened him. Then Stacy heard someone -say, "robbers!" The fat boy tumbled out into the aisle in his pajamas. - -"Wha--what is it?" he demanded sleepily. - -"The train is held up," answered Grace. - -"Oh! Wow!" - -"Yes, and Tom, Hippy and Mr. Ford, with two other passengers, have just -gone out by the rear door to see what they can do to help us out," -announced Miss Briggs. "You are a fine brave fellow to sleep through all -this uproar." - -"They have gone to capture the bandit outfit and get their heads shot -off for their pains," jeered the voice of a male passenger from the -forward end of the car. - -"You're a brave man, aren't you?" chided Emma, directing her remark at -Stacy. - -The fat boy blinked sleepily, then all of a sudden he woke up to a -fuller realization of the situation. Emma's remark had passed unnoticed, -but the taunt of the cowardly passenger had sent the blood pounding to -Stacy's temples. The boy snatched his revolver from his grip and buckled -on the holster, starting for the rear door at a run. - -"We can't all be heroes," he flung back at the passenger who had jeered -at the Overlanders. "Some of us are born cowards with a stripe of yellow -a yard wide through us. Go to sleep, children! I'll bag the lot of 'em -and fetch 'em back for you to look at." - -Stacy fell through the opening in the platform, the trap-door still -being open. In the fall, he bumped all the way from the platform to the -ground, where he fetched up heavily in a sitting posture. - -"Hey, you fellows! Where are you? Wait for me, I'm on the way," he -bellowed. "I've got the medicine with me. Sing out where you are." - -The fat boy started to run along the side of the train. He could not see -his companions, but he was positive that they could not be far in -advance of him. - -"W-a-i-t!" he shouted. - -"Who's that?" demanded Ford sharply. - -"It sounds like Brown of our party," laughed Hippy. - -"For goodness sake, go back and stop his noise or we'll have the robbers -down on us," urged Ford. "Run for it!" - -Hippy started back at a brisk trot, on the alert for the presence of -bandit sentries. He nearly collided with Stacy, and, knowing that the -fat boy was impulsive, Hippy feared that Stacy might take him for a -train robber and shoot, so he dropped down the instant he discovered his -companion. - -"Stop that noise! Do you want to get hurt?" demanded Hippy sternly. - -"'Course I don't. I want to hurt a robber. Where are they?" - -"You will find out soon enough if you don't keep quiet." - -"That's what I'm making a noise about. I want to call 'em out; then -you'll see what Stacy Brown and his little gun can do." - -"You are not to use your revolver until Mr. Ford gives you permission to -do so. He is in command of our party. The bandits are supposed to be -somewhere ahead of us. Come along, but don't you dare make a sound. -Where have you been all the time?" - -"Sleeping. Isn't that what folks buy sleeping car tickets for?" - -"Hurry," urged Hippy, who ran on, followed by Stacy, stumbling and -grunting, making enough noise to be heard several car-lengths away. The -two came up with the others of their party at the front end of the -forward car, where Ford had halted. - -"Where are they?" demanded Stacy. "I'm ready to capture the whole bunch. -All I want now is to be shown. I'm a wild-cat for trouble when I get -stirred up." - -"Silence, young man! I'll do all the talking necessary. You will get -your wish for action soon enough, and I reckon you'll get some of the -brag taken out of you, too," retorted Ford sarcastically. - -"Not if I see 'em first," gave back Stacy belligerently. - -"What is the order, Mr. Ford?" questioned Tom Gray. - -"We will go off to one side. It won't do to follow the railroad tracks. -To do so would surely draw the fire of the bandits. There are several on -guard not far from us," he added in a whisper, having been observing -closely as he talked. "I think I now know the lay of the land. Be -careful, all of you. If you will look sharp you will see that the -bandits have the treasure car near the mouth of the ravine that leads up -into the mountains." - -"They've taken our stock car too," groaned Stacy. - -"That's so. The ponies are gone, Ford," whispered Lieutenant Wingate. - -"I reckon they count on making a get-away on your horses," answered the -sheriff. "We'll be able to block that game, I hope. Come!" - -After having walked some distance parallel with the tracks, the -sheriff's party slowed down at a signal from their leader. Lanterns were -seen moving about beside the tracks a short distance ahead of the -sheriff. The safety valve of the engine was blowing off steam, the -blow-off growing to a deafening roar that died down only when the engine -pulled away from the express, baggage and stock cars. The locomotive -came to a stop a short distance from the three cars, then the sound of a -heavy object beating against the side door of one of the cars, was -heard. - -"They're trying to smash in the door of the express car," whispered -Ford. - -A volley of shots was fired at the car door by the bandits and was -promptly answered by shots from within the car. The men in the express -car appeared to be vigorously resisting the attack. They were firing at -the band outside with such good effect that the robbers soon ceased -their attempts to beat in the door with the section of a telegraph pole -that they were using for the purpose. A period of silence followed while -the bandits were holding a hurried consultation; then followed a -movement among them. - -"Let me shoot! They're getting away, I tell you," urged Stacy excitedly. - -"Not yet, young man. Those fellows are up to more mischief, and I think -I know what it is," answered Ford in a tense voice. "Men, we must get in -and get in at once or we shall be too late. It is time to move. Listen -to me, then obey promptly." - - - - - CHAPTER IV - - IN A LIVELY SKIRMISH - - -"We will crawl across the tracks between the engine and the cars," -whispered the sheriff. "Once on the other side we must get to the rear -of the bandits, and as soon as we find cover there we shall begin to -shoot. I hope we may be in time. When we reach the other side of the -rails I wish you men to spread out, but I want to know where every man -of our party is." - -Ford started at a run, the others following, fully as eager as the -sheriff to get into action. They had barely reached the rails when there -occurred a sudden, blinding flash, followed by a heavy report. - -"Dynamite!" exclaimed Ford. "I expected that." - -"Our poor ponies," groaned Tom Gray. - -"If they get near my Bismarck he'll kick the everlasting daylights out -of them," growled Stacy Brown. - -"Can't we do something?" urged Hippy. - -"Yes. We're going to do something and do it right quick," answered Ford -grimly. "Fellows, remember that the bandits have rifles, while we have -only our revolvers. You look out for those rifles, is my best advice to -you." - -They reached the other side of the railroad tracks without loss of time -and without attracting attention to themselves, and it was soon evident -to the sheriff's party that the dynamite had not accomplished its -purpose. The explosive had not been well placed, and the express car had -been little damaged, though a hole had been dug out beside the tracks -from the force of it. - -"When I give the word, shoot, but shoot over their heads," commanded -Ford incisively. "Spread out and get down on your stomachs when you have -taken your positions. Get going!" - -The men of the party crept along, skulking through the bushes that grew -on the mountain side along the railroad right of way. One by one the -members of the party dropped down and lay awaiting the word of command. -Every now and then a shot would be fired from the interior of the -express car, answered in each instance by a volley from the bandits. - -The preparations of Sheriff Ford up to this time had been made swiftly. -The signal agreed upon for beginning the attack on the train bandits was -two quick shots from Ford's revolver. - -The thin line of assailants waited in tense silence for the beginning of -hostilities. The members of the little party were steady, although their -pulses beat high, for no one deluded himself into the belief that this -affair was going to be wholly one-sided. - -Two sharp reports from Ford's revolver, even though eagerly looked for, -came so unexpectedly that every member of the party was startled, but -their panic lasted for only a few seconds. Six heavy revolvers answered -the signal. Three bullets sped harmlessly over the heads of the men who -were trying to rob the express car. Three other bullets from the weapons -of Ford, Tom and Hippy, by arrangement at the last moment before the -party spread out, had been fired low enough to reach the legs of the -bandits. - -Of course there could be no fine shooting on account of the darkness, -but the sheriff and the two men with him did very well indeed, if the -yells of rage that came from the bandits could be depended upon as -indication of hits. - -"Down!" warned Ford when the revolvers had been emptied. Every man in -the party well knew what was coming. - -The expected was not long in arriving. A volley of heavy rifle shots -ripped over the heads of the sleeping-car party. Ford's party quickly -reloaded as they lay; then began firing as rapidly as they could pull -the triggers of their weapons, aiming whenever they saw anything to aim -at. - -During all this firing the orders of the sheriff were implicitly -followed. Tom Gray and Lieutenant Wingate were as steady as rock, for -they had been through skirmishes before. Stacy was a little excited, but -more from eagerness to be up and at the bandits than from fear. The -bandits were getting desperate. On account of the interruption there had -been no opportunity to explode another charge of dynamite under the -express car, and they were now too fully engaged to proceed with that -work. - -The desperadoes knew very well from the sound that the attackers were -using small arms instead of rifles, thus leaving the advantage with the -bandits so far as weapons were concerned. The robbers now began creeping -stealthily up the slope, firing at every flash from a revolver, but -Ford's party was keeping so low that there was no great danger of any -one being hit except as they changed positions and ran for fresh cover, -which they always did following a volley from the bandits' rifles. The -sheriff's party was giving ground slowly, constantly changing positions -under his orders, the officer himself now and then running along the -line, giving quick low-spoken orders, without regard to his own safety. - -The bandits had been drawn away from the tracks for some distance when -Ford dropped down beside Hippy Wingate, who was firing from behind a -small boulder. - -"What is it, Sheriff?" questioned Hippy. - -"I have a plan," answered Ford. - -"Good! What is it?" - -"Our revolvers won't hold them back much longer. Should they rush us -someone is certain to get hit. In any event we shall then have to run -for it. I don't like to do that." - -"Not yet," answered Hippy with emphasis. - -"I think we may be able to save your horses and the express car if you -are willing to take a long chance." - -"I have taken so many already that chances no longer are a novelty. What -is it you wish me to do?" demanded Hippy. - -"Go to the engineer and tell him to back up. Tell him to hit those three -cars as hard as he dares--hit them as fast as he can without throwing -them from the rails or injuring the horses. Having done that, let him -back down the grade as quietly as possible so those fellows won't notice -him. When he hits the express car he is to keep on backing until he -reaches the train, which he is to push back a full half mile, and then -stop and wait for us to finish our job. When we have done that we will -fire a signal--three shots at intervals. I reckon the moon will soon be -up so we can see what we are doing. Tell the engineer, too, that we will -fire the same signal if we approach him, but, should he see anybody -coming up who does not give that signal, he is to start up his engine -and reverse for all he's worth. Get me?" - -"I get you, Buddy." - -"I would go myself, but I am needed here. When the time comes we shall -have to make a sharp get-away ourselves, but if we save the train that -will be enough. Do you think you can reach the locomotive?" - -"Surest thing you know, old top," answered Hippy laughingly. - -"Be careful! You will find that the engine is guarded, but I don't -believe there will be more than two men guarding it, and perhaps this -firing may have drawn them away, though I hardly think so." - -"Leave it to me." - -"Should you miss us on your return, make for the train as fast as you -can. You're the right sort, Lieutenant. Pick your own trail and the best -o' luck." - -Lieutenant Wingate was off a few seconds later, running cautiously, now -and then flattening himself on the ground to avoid the occasional -volley. Hippy had no fear of the bullets that whistled over him, though -he had a sufficiently intimate acquaintance with such missiles to hold -them in high respect. That was why he dropped to the ground when firing -was resumed. In a few moments he was out of range of the firing. He then -straightened up and ran with all speed, parallel with the tracks, but -keeping several rods to one side. - -As he neared the locomotive Hippy proceeded with more caution. The night -was now sufficiently light to enable him to see the figures of two men -sitting on the bank beside the tracks on the right side of the engine. -There was no special need for vigilance on their part now, for ahead of -the locomotive a telegraph pole had been felled across the tracks, while -to its rear were the cars and the bandits. All this made the guards -somewhat careless so that they failed to see a figure dart across the -tracks a few rods back of the locomotive tender. - -Lieutenant Wingate crept along under the overhang of the tender, on the -side opposite from the two guards. He did not know but there might be -men on that side also, but soon discovered that there were not. He had -crawled to the running board, by which entrance is gained to the -locomotive cab, before he was discovered by the fireman. - -"Sh-h-h-h!" warned Hippy just in time to check an exclamation that was -on the lips of the fireman. "Lean over. I have a message for you--for -the engineer. Don't make a quick move, but just settle down. You might -fire up the boiler a little. With the glare from the fire in their eyes -those two fellows won't see quite so clearly." - -The fireman, after a whispered word to the engineer, opened the fire -door and threw in fresh coal, then crouched down with his ear close to -the Overland Rider, whereupon Hippy briefly explained Sheriff Ford's -plan, at the same time acquainting the fireman with the situation to the -rear. - -Another whispered conversation across the boiler between engineer and -fireman followed, with Hippy Wingate clinging on the step of the -locomotive in tense expectancy. A sudden hiss of steam from the -cylinders on both sides of the engine startled him, and the big drive -wheels began slipping on the rails. - -"Hey there! What are ye up to?" yelled a guard, making a leap for the -running board. - -The fireman responded by hieing a chunk of coal, which caught the bandit -in the stomach, laying the fellow flat in the ditch beside the tracks. -The remaining guard fired point-blank without effect at the engineer's -window, but the driver's head was below the level of the cab window at -that instant. The wheels gained a foothold, the engine began backing -rapidly while the guard continued to shoot at the reversing hulk of -steel. - -"Good for you, Buddies!" cried Hippy enthusiastically. - -The engineer did not slow down as he approached the scene of the -hold-up, knowing that there were no persons in the way. - -Hippy had dropped off before the engine gained much headway, and rolled -over into the ditch and soon heard the tender hit the express car. - -The bandits had heard the engine rumbling down the grade, but they were -too busy shooting at Sheriff Ford's party to be able to spare the time -to interfere. In the meantime a new note had been added to the battle. -The train crew, now taking courage, had gone to the assistance of the -Sheriff, armed with revolvers, shot guns, iron bars and whatever else -they could lay their hands on. - -Grace Harlowe and her friends, in the meantime, however, remained on -guard, and not even the trainmen could have got into her sleeping car -without giving an account of themselves to the Overland girls. - -The firing now grew fast and furious. Hippy heard it, listened -attentively and realized that his little party was being assisted. - -"I must get back and take a hand," he muttered, making a wide detour -with the intention of coming in to the rear of Sheriff Ford and his men. -To do this he ran up the ravine from the railroad, near where the attack -had been made. - -Lieutenant Wingate had not proceeded far before he heard what sounded -like hoof-beats. At first he feared that the ponies of his outfit had -been taken; then he realized that this could not be the case. - -The ravine in which he found himself was now fairly well lighted by the -rising moon, and discovery was certain, the banks on either side being -so steep that the Overlander knew that he could not look for escape that -way. Not caring to be caught in a trap, Hippy turned and began to -retreat down the ravine, then halted abruptly, as he discovered a -horseman coming up the ravine at a gallop. A man was running just ahead -of the rider, the latter calling orders to the runner. - -At this juncture, Lieutenant Wingate unlimbered his revolver and waited. -The two men saw him, and the runner pointed to him, then dashed right -past Hippy, shielding his face with a hand. As he passed, the runner -fired a shot at Hippy. - -"I know you!" yelled the Overlander, sending a bullet into the ground -behind the runner. "I know your game, you scoundrel!" - -Hippy, for the moment, apparently had forgotten the man on horseback, -who was now to the rear of him, for Lieutenant Wingate, upon discovering -the identity of the man on foot, was so amazed that all other thoughts -took flight. - -All at once the Overland Rider remembered. He wheeled like a flash and -fired at the figure that was now towering over him. A blow, crushing in -its force, came down on the head of the Overland Rider, felling him to -the ground. The butt of a rifle in the hands of the horseman was the -instrument that caused Hippy's undoing. - -In the meantime, while Hippy was carrying Ford's message to the engineer -of the Red Limited, the hot reception they were getting led the bandits -to give up the fight and scatter. It was one of the fleeing -train-robbers who had struck Lieutenant Wingate down. - - - - - CHAPTER V - - ON THE TRAIL OF THE MISSING - - -"Have the train draw up here and wait for us," Sheriff Ford directed, as -the trainmen were about to return to their train after the bandits had -finally been driven off. "Those ruffians have had enough, and won't come -back. Some of them are wounded, too." - -"Aren't you coming with us?" asked a trainman. - -"No. I'm going to look for Lieutenant Wingate. He may be on the train, -but, if he is not, have the engineer give us three whistles." - -"Hippy wouldn't go back without us," declared Tom Gray with emphasis. - -"Go back to your train, men, while we look for our friend," urged -Sheriff Ford. - -The train crew lost no time in following Ford's advice, being eager to -get away from that locality. Stacy Brown was sent back with them to put -on his clothes. Stacy was shivering in his pajamas, but the fat boy had -done his duty as steadily as any of his companions, and fully proven his -courage, thus winning the admiration of Sheriff Ford and Tom Gray. The -two other volunteer passengers, one a salesman for a Chicago grocery -house, the other a Colorado ranchman, announced their intention of -remaining with the sheriff to assist him in his search. - -Shortly after the departure of the trainmen, three long blasts of the -locomotive whistle told the party that Lieutenant Wingate had not -returned to the train. - -"That settles it, men. It is up to us to get to work," declared the -sheriff. Ford divided his forces and sent parties in various directions -to search for the missing Hippy Wingate, hoping, and partly believing, -that the lieutenant had probably met up with the bandits on their -retreat into the mountains after abandoning their attack on the train, -and secreted himself somewhere in the vicinity of the attempted hold-up. - -The Overlanders were now in the Sierras, and the country all about them -was wild and uninhabited. After surveying his surroundings with critical -eyes, Ford took to the ravine up which Hippy had gone in attempting to -get back to his companions, and soon found the place where the bandits -had staked down their horses. - -Two warning whistles, the engineer's regular signal that the train was -about to start ahead, caused the sheriff to run down the ravine to the -railroad, at the same time firing three shots to recall his companions. - -"Get aboard in a hurry!" shouted the conductor, leaning from the engine -cab as the train came back to the scene of the attempted robbery. - -"Wait! Has Lieutenant Wingate returned?" demanded Ford. - -"No!" shouted Stacy Brown from the platform of the smoking car. "Didn't -you find him?" - -"Are you positive, Stacy?" called Tom Gray, running up at this juncture. - -"He is not on the train, Tom," answered Grace Harlowe from a vestibule -doorway. "The engineer said he dropped off just as the engine began -backing down. Tom, you must search for Hippy. Nora is nearly wild from -worry over him." - -"We are going to find him, little woman," answered Captain Gray. - -"Are you folks going to get aboard?" demanded the conductor insistently. - -"No. We're not going to leave that man here by a long shot," retorted -Ford. - -"All right. Stay if you want to. We're going ahead," snapped the -conductor. - -"Stop!" ordered the sheriff. "You hold this train until I give you leave -to move it. I am an officer of the law, and in command here for the -present. Captain Gray, what do you wish to do?" - -"Find the lieutenant, Sheriff." - -"Then, would it not be a good idea to unload your ponies?" asked Ford. -"We may have to be here until tomorrow, and perhaps make a long journey -into the interior, which we cannot well do on foot." - -"Yes. We will unload enough animals to carry your party," answered Tom. - -"Pull your train up to the mouth of the ravine and stop," commanded -Ford, clambering aboard the locomotive. "Get aboard there, boys." - -The train promptly pulled ahead while the sheriff had his final argument -with the conductor in the locomotive cab. The argument was brief, but -heated, the sheriff laying down the law to the angry conductor, who, by -the time his train had reached the mouth of the ravine, was wholly -subdued. - -The Overland Riders stepped off the train to watch the unloading of the -ponies and to get instructions from Tom and Mr. Ford. - -"We are about twenty-five miles from Gardner," said the sheriff, -addressing Grace. "You people, I believe, intend to detrain there. Have -someone unload your stock and then wait until we return. You will find a -very fair little hotel at Gardner." - -"We will wait," answered Grace composedly. - -Ford called upon the train crew to assist in unloading the ponies. -Unloading boards were obtained from the baggage car with which a rather -substantial gangway was constructed, and down it the light-footed -ponies--five of them--were led without the least difficulty. Rifles and -light equipment for the party were unloaded, the rest of the -Overlanders' property and two ponies being left on the train. - -While the unloading was in progress Tom Gray went to the dining car and -purchased provisions, consisting of canned goods, pork and beans and a -side of bacon. Stacy Brown, who had gone back to the sleeping car for -something he wanted from his suitcase, dropped in while Tom was -bartering, and helped his companion carry back their purchases. By the -time they reached the head of the train all was in readiness for the -departure. - -Ford waved the lantern that he had borrowed from the conductor. - -"Go ahead," he called to the conductor. "Mrs. Gray, don't forget to -report to Gardner what has become of us. If we are not back in two days -have them send a posse for us." - -"I understand," answered Grace Harlowe. - -"I say, you! You might have Emma do a little transmigrating for us while -we're away. I reckon we'll be needing it," called back Stacy. - -As the train pulled out, the passengers, including the girls of the -Overland party, were gathered on the platforms cheering. The searching -party now consisted, besides Sheriff Ford, of Tom Gray, Stacy Brown and -the two passengers who had been with them from the first, making five in -all. - -"Now, sir, what is your plan?" demanded Tom after they had saddled and -made ready to start. - -"I think we will follow up the ravine for a little way," answered the -sheriff. "Your man went this way. I know because the fireman saw him -take to the ravine. One of you lead my horse; I'm going ahead on foot -with the lantern." - -"If you have no objection, I will go with you," offered Tom. - -Ford nodded, and the two started away, the others, on the ponies, -keeping well to the rear. - -The two men in advance finally reached the point in the ravine where -Lieutenant Wingate had been struck down. With lantern held close to the -ground, the sheriff went over it on hands and knees, examining every -foot of the ground. - -"Stand where you are until I come back," he directed, addressing Tom -Gray. "Do you recognize this?" he asked, holding up a hat, upon his -return a few moments later. - -"It is the lieutenant's hat," answered Tom promptly, and Stacy Brown -agreed with him. - -"What's the use of a hat without a head to wear it?" demanded Stacy. - -"This!" replied Ford. "I have proved one thing. Our man came this way, -but beyond this point the only trace of him is the hat. Unless I am much -mistaken, he left here on the back of a horse, and he went that way." -The sheriff pointed up the ravine. "It is fair to assume that he did not -go voluntarily. The only inference possible, then, is that he has been -taken." - -"Captured by the bandits!" exclaimed Tom. - -Ford nodded. - -"For what reason?" - -"Candidly, I don't know, Captain. We have got to find out, and it is -advisable for us to go in search of the answer to that question as fast -as we can. We will mount and move on." - -"I suppose I am the one who will have to furnish the brains for this -party and find the missing man," declared Stacy pompously, but no one -laughed at his sally. - -A minute later they were mounted and on their way up the ravine, the -sheriff still carrying the lantern, which he held low, keeping his gaze -constantly on the trail, which still was fairly plain and easy for an -experienced man to follow. Stacy dropped behind a little way and -produced a plum pudding can from his pocket. Opening the can, he calmly -proceeded to eat the pudding. - -"What's that you're eating?" demanded one of the two passengers. - -"Pudding. A plum one." - -"Where did you get it?" - -"Oh, back there in the diner," answered Stacy carelessly. - -"You stole a pudding, eh?" laughed the questioner. - -"Oh, my; no, sir. How could you think such a thing? Don't you know I -wouldn't do anything like that?" - -"Oh! You paid for it," nodded the passenger. - -"I did not. Captain Gray did. You see it was this way. The captain paid -for six cans of baked beans, but they gave him only five cans. The -colored gentleman in the diner cheated us out of one can, and probably -pocketed the difference, so I sort of helped myself to a pudding to even -things up." - -"Humph! You are a young man of unusual ability. You should have been a -lawyer." - -"I know it," admitted Chunky. - -An exclamation from Ford interrupted the conversation. The sheriff had -picked up a handkerchief which Tom thought belonged to Hippy Wingate. -They believed that the lieutenant had dropped it purposely, knowing full -well that pursuit would follow promptly when his friends discovered that -he was missing. - -"We are on the trail all right," cried the sheriff. "Look sharp and -don't make much noise about it, either." - -Daybreak found the outfit still in the saddle. Now that they could see, -Ford threw away the lantern, and, after watering their ponies at a -mountain spring, they pressed on with all speed. The men ate a cold -breakfast in the saddle, there being no time to waste in halting to cook -breakfast. Further, the smoke from a camp-fire would be a danger signal -to the men for whom they were searching. - -About nine o'clock in the morning the sheriff and Tom found a -split-trail. The two trails led up a steep incline to a small plateau. -There they discovered the remains of a camp-fire. Ford dismounted and -ran his fingers through the ashes. - -"There has been a fire here within a few hours," he announced. - -"And the trail has gone to pieces," added Stacy Brown who had got down -from his pony and begun nosing about. - -"The bandits have taken different directions from here, haven't they?" -questioned the sheriff, glancing up. - -"Yes. I'll tell you what let's do. Let's shut our eyes and let the -ponies decide which trail to take," suggested Chunky gravely. "My -Bismarck can follow the trail of a squirrel." - -"This is not a squirrel trail," answered Ford briefly. "There are five -of us men here. Four will take separate trails while one remains here. -Let each man follow his trail for, say, three hours, then, whether or -not he has discovered anything, he will return to this point. We can -then decide upon further action." - -"I have an idea that the bandits discovered that they were being -followed," suggested one of the two passengers. "Otherwise, why should -they split up and take different trails?" - -"Yes. I agree with you," nodded the sheriff. Mr. Ford decided that one -of the passenger volunteers should remain behind, then assigned the -other passenger and Tom, Stacy and himself to follow the bandits' -trails, Ford selecting what seemed to be the most promising trail for -himself. - -Full understanding of what each one was to do was had, then the four -rode away, leaving their guard where he could see, yet remain hidden. - -The four trails led on for five miles without a break. Stacy, full of -importance because of the duty assigned to him, was watching his trail -closely, and, had he been less observant, he might have missed the point -where the trail again split. Discovering this, he halted and sat -regarding the two trails with solemn eyes. - -"Sharp trick," he nodded. "It doesn't fool Stacy Brown, though." He -decided that the left-hand trail swung over towards the one that Tom -Gray was riding, perhaps joining it a short distance from the junction -where Stacy was at that moment. Having come to this conclusion, the fat -boy had a bright idea. He would take a short cut across country. He knew -that this was a risky thing to do, but he had several mountain peaks for -landmarks and did not believe that he could go astray, so he started -full of confidence, leaving both trails behind him. - -An hour-and-a-half passed. Stacy still had thirty minutes to ride before -it would be time for him to turn back towards the starting point, as he -learned by consulting his watch, and he decided to make the most of -those thirty minutes. - -"There! Didn't I tell you?" he cried as he rode out into an open space -and instantly discovered the hoof-prints of several horses on the soft -ground. "I was positive that I couldn't be wrong. My time is up, but I -have found the spot where the rascals got together. Now I'll just turn -about and follow it home. This is the trail we must follow to find Uncle -Hip. Yes, I'll go back and report." - -Stacy Brown's intentions were good, and, well satisfied with what he had -accomplished, he rode along humming softly to himself, now and then -confiding his opinions to his pony. The little animal wiggled its ears -as if it understood. - -"Hulloa! There goes the sun. Seven o'clock! Who would have thought it? -According to my watch I've been back at the forks for a quarter of an -hour. I wonder if I really have?" Stacy regarded his surroundings -narrowly. "No. I never saw any of you mountain-peak fellows before. I -must have made a mistake in my reckonings, but I've got a biscuit in my -pocket, and we'll be able to go quite a distance on one biscuit, -especially on this kind of a biscuit. Some biscuits go a great deal -farther than others. This is one of the farther kind," finished Chunky, -performing a series of contortions as he tried to break off a piece of -biscuit with his teeth. - -The pony was laboring up a steep incline, the stirrup straps creaking in -rhythm with the animal's quick, short steps, Stacy's body, from the belt -up, bobbing upwards and backwards with monotonous regularity. The reins -lay over the saddle pommel, thus giving the pony's head full play and -enabling it to snatch a mouthful of greens here and there. - -Suddenly the little animal threw its head up and snorted. Stacy Brown -ceased munching and sat staring wide-eyed. - -"Suffering cats! You're IT, Stacy Brown!" he gasped. - -Jerking his rifle from the saddle-boot he fired three quick shots over -the head of his pony. - - - - - CHAPTER VI - - CHUNKY MEETS THE BANDITS - - -The pony had nosed its way around the base of a high rock, fetching up -on a meadow, when Stacy made the discovery that startled him. What he -saw was a group of men sitting about a cook-fire, hurriedly eating a -meal while their ponies grazed on the mountain grass some distance from -the fire. - -The boy knew instantly that he had stumbled upon the bandits. He -realized, too, in those brief seconds, that he must be a long way from -the place where he was to meet his companions. - -The desperadoes saw the intruder about the time that Chunky saw them. -Used to emergencies and quick action, the men sprang for their rifles, -which were standing against a boulder near at hand. Chunky also saw that -Lieutenant Wingate was not with them. Had the boy thought twice he would -have held his fire, but, as it turned out, his shots served a good -purpose. It startled the bandits, causing momentary confusion, which -gave Stacy an opportunity to head in an opposite direction, which he was -not slow in doing. - -"Ye-o-o-o-ow!" howled the fat boy in a shrill, piercing voice. The shots -and the yells startled the bandits' ponies as it had their owners. The -horses threw up their heads, snorted and galloped into the mountain -meadow, fully twenty rods from the camp, while the boy threw himself on -the neck of his pony, fully expecting a shot or a volley from them, and -dashed around the base of a high rock at a perilous pace. He had no more -than reached the protection of the rock than the _pock, pock_ of rifle -bullets, as they hit the rock to his rear, reached his ears. - -"Oh, wow!" howled Chunky. "I lost my biscuit." In ordinary circumstances -he would have gone back to look for the biscuit, but just now Stacy was -in somewhat of a hurry. Fortunately for the boy, it took the bandits -fully twenty minutes to round up their horses, by which time the fat boy -was far in the lead, riding like mad. He had lost all sense of -direction, but perhaps the pony had not. The little animal had taken -affairs into its own control and was laying out its own trail. - -The bandits, instead of following, rode with all speed farther into the -mountains, but Chunky continued on at his same perilous pace, even -though darkness had now overtaken him. - -"Whoa, Bismarck!" commanded Chunky finally, reining in his pony. "Do you -know where you're going, or don't you?" - -The pony rattled the bit between its teeth, tossed its head up and down, -and uttered a loud whinny. - -"You said 'yes,' didn't you? All right, if you know where you are, go -along. You surely can't know any less about it than I do." - -Rider and mount resumed their journey at a somewhat slower pace, and -rode on until Stacy was brought to a sudden stop by a sharp, gruff word -of command. - -"Halt!" ordered a voice just ahead of him. The pony gave a startled jump -that nearly unhorsed its rider. - -"Oh, wow!" howled Chunky, and on the impulse of the moment he fired two -quick shots at the sound. - -"Stop it! It's Tom Gray. Haven't you any more sense than to blaze away -before you know at what you are shooting?" - -"Oh, fiddlesticks! Had you been through what I have you would shoot at -the drop of the hat. Are you lost, too?" - -"Lost? I am not lost. Don't you know where you are?" - -"No. I might be in the suburbs of Chillicothe for all I know." - -"The camp is only a few rods away," Tom Gray informed him. - -"You don't say?" wondered Chunky. - -"We heard you coming, and thought it might be Mr. Ford. How did you -happen to come in over that trail?" - -"Ask Bismarck. He knows all about it. I don't. Got any news about Uncle -Hip?" - -"No. Of course you saw nothing of either him or the bandits." - -"I not only found the robbers, but I had a battle with them," answered -Stacy. - -"What's that? Don't trifle, Brown. This is a serious matter," rebuked -Tom. - -"I'm telling you the truth. It was this way. I was riding along, -peaceful like, when, all of a sudden, biff, boom, bang! It seemed to me -that fifty or a hundred men burst from the bushes." - -"So many as that?" laughed Tom. - -"Well, something like that. I may be a dozen or so out of the way, but -you see I didn't stop to count them. I raised my trusty rifle and--well, -to make a long story short, I fired right into that howling bunch of -bandits. I suppose I emptied as many as twelve saddles." - -"Wait a moment," urged one of the travelers who had joined them. "How -many times did you reload?" - -"Not at all. I didn't have time." - -"Captain Gray, he emptied twelve saddles, so he must have shot two men -with each bullet, as his magazine holds only six cartridges. I call that -some shooting." - -"Is that so? Then I must have done as you say. Wonderful, wasn't it?" - -At this juncture, Sheriff Ford rode into camp and was quickly told of -what Stacy had discovered. Mr. Ford, after a few quick questions, -realized that the boy really had stumbled on the right trail and -discovered the bandits. - -"You did well, young man," he complimented. "I thought I had struck a -lead, but the trail pinched out. Can you take us to the place where you -came on those ruffians?" - -"No, but the pony can, or you can follow my trail. I reckon I left a -pretty plain one. I know Uncle Hip better than you do, and if he has -been able to get away from the fellows who captured him I'll guarantee -that he will find us. He would know we wouldn't go away and leave him. -For that reason I suggest that we build a fire to attract Uncle Hip's -attention, should he be in this vicinity." - -One of the men protested, saying it would be dangerous, but the sheriff -agreed with Stacy. - -"We will have a fire and will post guards to protect ourselves," he -said. "We shall not be bothered by the bandits to-night; I am positive -of that. They know that the alarm has been given and that, in all -probability, a posse is already on their trail. If nothing develops -during the night--if we get no news from Lieutenant Wingate--we will -start for Gardner in the morning and organize a big searching party to -comb the mountains for him." - -After all phases of the situation had been discussed, the sheriff's plan -was agreed to, and a fire was built up. It had been blazing for some -time when, in a lull in the conversation, Stacy was reminded that he had -not finished telling about his meeting with the bandits. - -"Yes. You left off with shooting two men with each bullet," laughed Tom -Gray. - -"In the excitement of meeting up with the villains," resumed Stacy, -without an instant's hesitation, "I wheeled the pony--spun him about on -his hind feet like a top, set him down on all fours and dashed away. We -didn't gallop, we simply dashed. You know it wasn't that I was afraid. -Anyone who knows me knows that nothing can scare me. I--" - -"_Bang, bang, bang!_" - -"Oh, wow!" howled the fat boy, diving head first into a clump of bushes -where he crouched wide-eyed, the chill creepers chasing up and down his -spinal column. The others of the party sprang up and snatched their -rifles, Ford kicking the blazing wood of the camp-fire aside, and Tom -Gray dousing it with a pail of water. - -"Lie low, everybody, till I find out what this means!" commanded the -sheriff sharply. - -"Are--are we attacked? Have the scoundrels come back?" chattered Chunky. - -"Be quiet!" Mr. Ford crept out into the darkness, the others waiting in -tense expectancy listening for a rifle volley. - -Tom thought the shots they had heard were signals, but no one else -believed such to be the case. - -The flash of a revolver, a sharp report close at hand, was followed by a -shout from Stacy Brown and two shots from his own weapon at a shadowy -moving figure skulking behind a clump of bushes. - - - - - CHAPTER VII - - BANDITS CATCH A TARTAR - - -The blow on the head had left Lieutenant Wingate unconscious. Without -loss of a minute he was thrown over the back of the horse, in front of -the rider, like a sack of meal on its way home from the mill, then the -horse started away at a trot. - -After a few moments of violent jolting, consciousness began to return to -Hippy and he groped for something to take hold of to relieve the strain -of his trying position. His fingers finally gripped the boot of his -captor. - -Quick as a flash, the bandit brought down the butt of his revolver on -the captive's head, whereupon Hippy went to sleep again, the blood -trickling from nose and mouth. Other riders, in the meantime, had caught -up with and passed the rider who was carrying him away. From what was -said it was apparent that Hippy's captor was the leader of the party, -for the others deferred to his commands, and, riding on ahead, soon -disappeared. The trail grew more and more rugged. On the right a solid -granite wall rose sheer for several hundred feet, while on the left, the -side over which Hippy's head was hanging, the ground dropped away -sharply for fully three hundred feet. - -Lieutenant Wingate again began to recover consciousness. It seemed to -him as if all the blood in his body were concentrated in his aching head -and neck. He did not realize at the moment how the arms and hands were -smarting from being dragged through bushes and against the rough edges -of rocks, but he did discover that two large lumps had been raised on -his head, one well down towards the base of the brain. Had the second -blow been an inch farther down, it probably would have killed him. - -His head becoming clearer, Hippy began to consider his situation--to -think what he could do to extricate himself from his uncomfortable and -perilous position. His train of thought was suddenly interrupted by an -exclamation from the bandit and a sharp pressure of a spur against the -pony's side. Hippy could feel the rider's leg contract as the spur was -driven home. The pony reared and threatened to buck, but, evidently -changing its mind, started away at a jolting trot. - -The interruption had served one good purpose: it had given Hippy an -opportunity to get one hand up to his shirt, where the hand fumbled for -a few perilous seconds, then dropped cautiously to its former position. -That hand now held a pin. Miserable as he was, Hippy smiled grimly and -pricked the pony's side with the pin. - -The bandit roared as the animal jumped, and again applied the spur, -followed instantly by a jab of Hippy's new weapon, the pin. A lively few -seconds ensued, and the pony bucked so effectively that its rider had -all he could do to stick to the saddle, and at the same time manage his -captive and the reins. Hippy jabbed the pin in again and again, though -every buck of the animal nearly broke the Overlander in two. - -A few seconds of this treatment and the end came suddenly. With a final -humping of its back in a buck that lifted all four feet from the ground, -the pony went up into the air with arching back and with head held -stiffly close to its forefeet. The bandit threw all the strength of one -hand into an effort to jerk that stubborn head back where it belonged, -while the other hand grabbed desperately for the body of the captive, -which was slowly slipping away. The bandit, as a result, came a cropper -over the pony's head. Hippy wriggled and slipped off, shooting head -first down the sharp incline of smooth rocks that fell away from the -left side of the trail. The pony galloped away a few rods; then, -halting, gazed about him uneasily. - -The bandit, after a few dazed seconds, got up and started for his mount, -then halting suddenly began searching for his captive. Hippy Wingate was -nowhere in sight, though his captor found where his body had crushed -down the bushes as it slipped from the trail. The bandit finally gave it -up, and, catching his pony, quickly rode away. - -"No use. He's done for," growled the man before leaving the scene. "He's -gone clear to the bottom, mashed flat as a flapjack." - -The hoof-beats of the pony had no sooner died away than Hippy Wingate's -head was cautiously raised from behind the roots of a tree that clung to -the side of the mountain, gripped into a deep crevice for anchorage. - -"I'm not a flapjack just yet, old top," he muttered. "I may be if I am -not careful how I move about. I suppose I ought to hang on here till -daylight, but those fellows may come back. They can't afford to let me -get away. I know too much." - -[Illustration: "No Use. He's Done For!"] - -Hippy began crawling cautiously toward the trail, and finally gaining -it, sat down to think over what he had better do next. He felt for his -revolver and was relieved to find that it had not been taken from him, -and thus fortified, he decided that the prudent course would be to find -a hiding place and wait there for daylight, so he started away, taking -the back track, which he followed until it had so widened that he was -unable to keep to the trail. He then branched off to the right, holding -as straight a course as possible. The trickle of water caught his ear, -and, a moment later, Hippy was flat on his stomach, drinking long, deep -draughts from a tiny mountain stream. He then bathed his face and head -and his smarting, swollen arms. He knew that he ought to be moving, but -what direction to take was the question. Being a good woodsman, he knew -that to wander aimlessly about in the night surely would result in -losing himself completely. - -After searching about for some time, Lieutenant Wingate found a high -rock suited to his purpose. He climbed up and sat down. - -"The scoundrels will have to move quickly if they get me this time," he -muttered. "They'll--" Hippy's head drooped, and he sank slowly to the -rock fast asleep. - -When he again opened his eyes the sun was shining down into them, and -his cheeks felt as if they were on fire. - -"Morning! Who would think it?" he exclaimed. - -Without wasting time, he made his way back to the stream where he drank -and bathed. Now came the question as to the course he should follow. - -"It is probable that some of my outfit will remain by the railroad where -the hold-up occurred," he reflected. "That's where I am going." - -After a final look at the sun, Hippy started back briskly. He did not -follow the trail, believing that he could find a more direct course, and -that such a course eventually would lead him to the railroad a short -distance to the west of where he had been the previous evening. - -It was nearly noon when Hippy first began to realize that he was hungry. -He had not thought of breakfast, nor would it have done him any good had -he thought of it. An hour later he found a berry bush and ate all the -fruit it held. That helped a little and he again plodded on. About four -o'clock that afternoon he reached the railroad, and, not long after -that, he was trotting around the bend to the scene of the hold-up. The -place was deserted. Hippy fired a signal from his revolver and listened. -There was no reply. A rabbit hopped across the tracks. He fired twice at -it, missing each time. - -"There goes my supper!" he exclaimed ruefully. "Next time I sight game -I'll throw a stone at it. I reckon I can throw stones better than I can -shoot. I should have thought my friends would wait for me." - -Hippy did discover where the Overland ponies had been unloaded, then he -understood that his companions had gone in search of him. This knowledge -heartened him up a great deal, and he immediately set himself to work to -discover which way the party had gone. What he was looking for was the -trail of his own pony, whose shoeprints he believed he would be able to -identify instantly. Hippy picked up the trail in a remarkably short -time. - -"Here I go. I've got to travel some if I am to catch them before dark," -he cried, starting away. - -Darkness found Lieutenant Wingate wandering aimlessly near the place -where the trail forked and where his companions were now discussing -their further plans for the morrow. He concluded that he would have to -spend another night in the open and alone, and had just ensconced -himself on the highest ledge he could find when he caught sight of the -light from Sheriff Ford's camp-fire. Hippy gazed at it for some moments, -then raised his revolver and fired three shots. - -The camp-fire was suddenly blotted out. - -"There! I've shot out the fire," he grumbled. "Just the same, I don't -believe it is the bandit camp, and I'm going down." - -Moving with extreme caution, Hippy crept down the mountain-side until he -believed that he was near the place where he had seen the fire. - -"I reckon there's nothing doing, boys," Ford was saying. "Light the -fire, but keep a sharp lookout." - -Hippy got up. Stacy's keen eyes discovered him and the fat boy fired. - -"Hi, there! Cut the firing! It's Hippy," called Lieutenant Wingate, -ducking. - -"Oh, wow!" howled Chunky. - -A shout went up from the searching party when Hippy called out his -warning, and he was fairly dragged into camp where Sheriff Ford -hurriedly started a cook-fire and put over coffee as a starter. While -this was being done, Lieutenant Wingate briefly related the story of his -capture and escape. - -"You say you know the man who was on foot when you were taken?" asked -Tom Gray. - -"Yes, I know him." - -"Give me one guess and see if I can name him," spoke up Sheriff Ford, -straightening up, frying-pan in hand. - -"It's yours. Who is he?" laughed Lieutenant Wingate. - -"Our story-telling friend of the Red Limited, William Sylvester Holmes," -replied Ford confidently. - -"You win," chuckled Hippy. "How did you guess it?" - -"I was suspicious of him all the time. At Summit my suspicions were, in -a way, confirmed. He sent telegrams from there that, I now believe, -informed the gang about the treasure car." - -"Was there really a treasure car on the train, Ford?" asked Tom. - -"You might call it that. There was nearly three million dollars in gold -on that car. Pretty good haul, eh? I reckon the authorities of this -county will be glad to hear what you have to tell them. I will go to -Gardner with you and we'll have a confab with the sheriff there, if you -will spare the time." - -"Sure we will," spoke up Stacy. "We riders have to keep busy, you know." - -"It strikes me that you have been rather busy since I first met you," -returned the sheriff. - -"What are your wishes, to go through to-night or wait until morning and -get an early start?" he asked the two passengers. - -"I'll flag a train for myself down by the bend and you men can ride -through. You can't miss the way. There is a good trail all the way from -here to Gardner, and you should be there by early afternoon." - -The two passengers said that, if the sheriff would flag the train for -them, they would prefer to go by train too, as they were in haste to -reach their destination on the coast, important business awaiting them -there. - -"All right. I'll flag the next train after we get to the rails and put -you two men aboard. I can then ride through with these three Overland -men. I'd prefer a hoss to a Pullman any time." - -The party made themselves as comfortable as they could, sleeping on the -ground, and before daylight next morning Mr. Ford had breakfast ready. -Hippy was stiff and his hat hurt his head, but he made light of his -discomfiture and was ready for the start which was made before sunup. -Ford made good his word to stop the next train, which proved to be a -local, and there was not so much grumbling by the train crew as there -would have been had the train been a limited one. - -The horseback ride that day was a hard one, but all were used to the -saddle, and Sheriff Ford, himself a "rough-rider," was interested in the -riding of the three Overlanders. By this time he had grown to understand -Stacy Brown better, and his laughter at the boy's sallies was loud and -appreciative. Late in the afternoon the delayed party rode into Gardner -where a warm welcome awaited them from the Overland girls, who had -already arranged for a posse to go out to look for the missing ones. - -The authorities were keenly interested in the information that Sheriff -Ford and the three Overland men had to offer, and declared their -intention of starting out in an effort to round up the gang. That -evening there was a genuine reunion of the Overlanders at which their -further plans were discussed. It was left to Hippy to find a guide, -while Stacy was to select the pack animals, and the girls the food and -other equipment for the journey. The results of their quests were -destined to furnish much amusement on the following day. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII - - HEADED FOR THE HIGH COUNTRY - - -"I have found a guide," announced Hippy next morning, walking into the -post office where he found all the other members of his party writing -postal cards to friends in the east. - -"That's good. Where is he?" asked Tom Gray. - -"If you will look up you will see him." - -The Overlanders looked. Just to the rear of Hippy Wingate stood a -grinning Chinaman, both hands hidden in the ends of his flowing sleeves. -The Oriental was bowing and scraping, his queue animatedly bobbing up -and down. Stacy uttered a loud "Ha, ha!" - -"Permit me to introduce to you the Honorable Woo Smith whom I have -selected, subject to your approval, to accompany us on our journey to -the High Sierras," announced Hippy Wingate. - -"But surely, Hippy, this man cannot be a guide," protested Elfreda -Briggs. "We need a guide!" - -"Perhaps he isn't, but you can't find anything else with a magnifying -glass in this burg. Should you folks think best not to accept him, we'll -go it alone. I've done the best I can. Remember, too, that I'm a sick -man, that I've been mauled and keelhauled by a bunch of bandits and--" - -"Do you speak English?" interrupted Grace Harlowe. - -"Les. Me speak English velly fine." - -"You say his name is Woo Smith?" questioned Emma. - -"The Honorable Woo Smith," Hippy informed her. - -"What has he done in the way of mountain work?" persisted Grace. - -"I am informed that he has made frequent journeys to the mountains with -prospecting parties and hunters as cook, guide and general handy man. At -one time he was out with a government survey party." - -"As cook or guide?" interjected Nora Wingate. - -"The former, I believe." - -"This outfit needs a good cook," suggested Chunky. - -"Woo, do you know horses?" asked Tom Gray. - -"Les." - -"That reminds me, Chunky, what have you done about the pack animals?" -demanded Lieutenant Wingate. - -"Got three dandies. I have learned that we must travel light. They say -that the trails are very rough in the High Country, and further, that we -must depend upon the country for our food, generally speaking. I don't -know what Uncle Hip and I are going to do if it comes to short rations. -Of course, as a last resort we can eat the pack-horses. They eat horses -in France, so why shouldn't we do the same, if we're hungry enough." - -"That reminds me. One of the men out with us on our search for Hippy -declared that our ponies would not be suitable for this journey, and -that it requires animals accustomed to the peculiarities of the -Sierras," averred Tom Gray. - -"Oh, pooh!" grunted the fat boy. "My pony could climb a tree." - -"How much money do you wish, Woo?" questioned Tom. - -"Five dollah a week." - -"What do you say, good people?" asked Grace. - -"I don't care what you do," exclaimed Hippy. "I want food and I want -someone who knows how to cook it fit for human consumption, that's all." - -"I second the motion," agreed Stacy. "We can't all live on -soul-transmigration stuff. I'd get mental indigestion on that food in -thirty seconds by the watch." - -"We had a Chinaman on our journey across the Great American Desert, and -he was an excellent man," declared Elfreda Briggs. "I move that we take -this one." - -The others agreed with her, and Grace, turning to Woo, told him that he -was engaged. - -"What has been done about the general equipment?" asked Tom. - -Grace said that experienced men had advised against the Overlanders -burdening themselves with tents or any heavy equipment. - -"We have slept in the open many times before, so I think we shall be -able to get along very nicely," she added. - -Stacy Brown protested vigorously. He declared that he would not sleep -out of doors where bugs and other undesirable things could get at him, -but, after discussing the matter further, every one agreed that the -tents would prove an unnecessary encumbrance. They went over their list -critically, eliminating several articles that they thought they could do -without. - -"I have an idea!" exclaimed Stacy. - -"Keep it," urged Emma. "They seem to be reasonably scarce with you." - -"At least I don't transmigrate them," retorted Chunky. "As I was about -to remark when interrupted, I have an idea that this outfit will have to -browse with the horses if it wishes food." - -"It would be a great flesh-reducer," murmured Emma, giving Chunky a -sidelong glance. - -Elfreda suggested that they have a look at the pack-horses selected by -Stacy, so they all walked over to the corral, and expressed themselves -as well satisfied with Stacy's selections. One white, mischievous little -animal, with a circle of delicate pink about each eye, they named Kitty. -The name seemed to fit her. The other two animals they, decided to name -later on after learning their peculiarities. - -"I've ordered pack saddles for them," announced Hippy, "and a pair of -kyacks for each horse." - -"What is a kyack? Something good to eat?" questioned Stacy. - -"A kyack is an alforgas," Emma Dean informed him. "I am amazed at your -ignorance." - -"I agree with you, Emma. For once I do," nodded Hippy. "For your -information, Stacy, a kyack is a packing outfit. These are made either -of heavy canvas or of rawhide, shaped square and dried over boxes. After -drying, the boxes are removed, leaving the stiff rawhide or canvas, like -small trunks, open at the top. They are in reality sacks--" - -"Me savvy klyack," chuckled the Chinaman, rubbing his palms together -gleefully. - -"Mr. Smith knows," nodded Hippy. - -"The explanation is not satisfactory. Once more I rise to ask if this -kyack thing is some sort of dried beef that we are expected to eat when -real food is scarce?" insisted Chunky. - -"You and I, lad, would have to be pretty hungry to eat a kyack," laughed -Hippy. "The loops of the kyack are slung on each side of the horse. They -are used to pack belongings over the mountains. I have also ordered -sawbuck trees for the pack-saddles, together with pack-cinch, and -pack-rope for each animal. I also took the liberty of buying blankets -from which to make saddle-pads. It will be cheaper than trying to get -along with horses with sore backs, I think. Then there are hobbles for -the horses, a couple of cow bells--" - -"Are we going to take cows along with us?" wondered Chunky, opening his -eyes a little wider. - -"Not quite. Only a calf or two," murmured Emma Dean. - -"The bells are for the horses, so that they may be easily found in the -morning," spoke up Tom Gray. "I thought you had been out before." - -"I have, but never with such an outfit as this, especially the -transmigration end of it," retorted Stacy, giving Emma a quick look to -see if his shot had gone home. "I see," he added. "But every time I hear -the bells a-ringing, I shall think of home and a pitcherful of warm -milk." - -"Perfectly proper food for the species to which I so recently referred," -observed Emma airily. "However, from all accounts, you will have nothing -more nourishing than snow-water from the tall peaks of the Sierras." - -"Br-r-r-r!" shivered Stacy. - -At Hippy's direction, the Honorable Woo Smith led the pack-horses over -to the general store, and there, with Stacy to assist him, Hippy began -packing their equipment, throwing a diamond hitch about each pack. The -girls, observing the work, discovered that Stacy Brown was quite as -familiar with "throwing packs" as was his Uncle Hippy. - -"Mister Brown is not quite the fool he would have us believe," declared -Elfreda Briggs. "It is my opinion that he believes in putting his worst -foot forward, keeping the other one hidden behind it." - -A group of mountaineers were standing near, observing the operations -with interest. One stepped up and examined the much-worn saddle on Hippy -Wingate's pony. - -"Son," said he, "do ye reckon on climbin' mountains with that thing?" - -"Why not?" demanded Hippy. - -"I reckon it might be all right for the Rockies, but yer saddle'll be on -the critter's tail afore ye git half way to the top of the Big Sierras." - -Hippy stroked his chin reflectively. - -"You mean I ought to have a double-cinch on the riding saddles? Is that -it?" - -"I reckon." - -"Thanks, Buddy. I'll fix it. I should have thought of that, but I am not -at all familiar with the lay of the land up here." - -"Ye will be, pardner, after ye've fell off it a few thousand times. The -landscape in these here parts be rather sudden in spots," drawled the -mountaineer. - -A yell from the Honorable Woo Smith interrupted the dialogue. Kitty, the -mischievous pack-horse, had playfully seized the queue of Woo Smith -between her teeth and was jerking her head up and down, and, with each -jerk, the Chinaman was jolted backwards, howling lustily, chattering in -volleys in his native tongue. The street, near the village store, filled -with cowboys and citizens as if by magic. They set up yells, shouts and -cat-cries that smothered the chatter of the new guide. - -Grace, being nearest to the mischievous animal, sprang forward and gave -the white pack-horse a smart slap with the flat of her hand on Kitty's -plump stomach. The mare instantly dropped the howling Chinaman, and, -whirling on Grace with wide open mouth, looked as if she were about to -devour the Overland Rider. The girl never flinched. - -"Aren't you ashamed of yourself, Kitty?" she chided. "If ever I see you -do a thing like that again I'll surely have you punished. Do you -understand?" - -The mare's mouth closed slowly, her upper lip quivered, she nibbled -gingerly at Grace Harlowe's sleeve, and looked as meek as was possible -for a mischievous pony to look. The cowboys grunted disgustedly. They -were disgruntled that Grace had spoiled their fun, disappointed that the -white mare had not taken a large slice, either out of the Chinaman or -Grace Harlowe herself. - -"Grace, do you know, you have given us a most remarkable demonstration -of the transmigration of thought," declared Emma. "It was your thought, -transmitted to the mentality of the white mare, that caused her to -desist, to beg of you to forgive and--" - -"Yeo-o-o-o-ow!" howled Chunky. - -"Young man, your rudeness is inexcusable," rebuked Emma. - -"That's what the white mare wanted to say to Grace," retorted Stacy. - -While all this was taking place, Tom and Elfreda were talking with the -mountaineers, getting all the information they could about trails and -conditions in the mountains. The result of the information gleaned was -that the Overland Riders decided that they would take the "Cold Stream -Trail" for the High Country, a section seldom visited, but which Woo -Smith declared he knew all about. The spectators were inclined to make -sport of the explorers, and especially of the idea that women could ride -the Sierras. Even the postmaster sought to dissuade them from making the -attempt. - -"It's a bad country," he confided to Tom. "With that bunch of gals on -your hands, you'll starve to death, sure's you're a foot high." - -"There is plenty of game there, is there not?" questioned Tom. - -"Yes, for them that knows how to shoot." - -"Then I reckon we will not starve. What other objection is there?" - -"The Jones Boys. You watch out right smart for them." - -"Who are they?" demanded Elfreda, who had been an interested listener to -the conversation between Tom and the postmaster. - -The postmaster glanced about him apprehensively before replying, then, -leaning towards Tom, spoke in a half-whisper. - -"Outlaws!" he said. "I reckon you've heard of them. It is suspected that -they're the fellows that held up the Red Limited the other night. I -reckon you know something about that affair." The postmaster squinted -knowingly at Tom, who nodded. - -"So, that's it, eh?" - -"Yes. Better look out for them. They have their hang-out somewhere in -the mountains, but nobody has ever been able to trail them to it, and I -don't reckon no one ever will--and come back to tell about it. A squad -of Pinkerton detectives went into the mountains looking for those -fellows, but not one of that bunch of detectives has ever been heard -from since." - -"It sounds shivery, doesn't it?" spoke up Elfreda. "However, we have no -especial reason to fear the bandits because there could be no object in -their interfering with us. We do not carry money with us--not enough to -make it worth their while to try to rob us--nor are we looking for -trouble." - -"No object!" exploded the postmaster. "Lady, those fellows would kill -you for two bits and a piece of string." - -In his own mind, Tom Gray was not so positive that the bandits had no -reason for interfering with them. On the contrary, if the Jones Boys -knew that it was the Overland Riders who had assisted in driving them -from the scene of the attempted train robbery, the Overlanders might -confidently look for some stirring times in the High Sierras. - - - - - CHAPTER IX - - THEIR SLUMBERS DISTURBED - - -"All aboard for the High Sierras!" called Stacy Brown, swinging to his -saddle a few minutes later. The others, one by one, mounted and sat -awaiting the order to start. - -Woo Smith had gone on ahead. Scorning the use of a pony to ride, he had -trotted on, shooing the pack-horses along, the departure of the -Overlanders having been deferred until about an hour after he had left -them. Woo said that he would make camp at a good place and have supper -ready upon their arrival. - -The Overlanders finally started away, waving their hands to the curious -natives, and soon reached the trail that led towards the High Country. -The trail was an old one, but so seldom used that it could hardly be -dignified by the name of trail. Woo plainly was familiar with it, for he -had reached it by the most direct course, marking the beginning of it by -breaking over branches of bushes, a trick that he had learned from white -men with whom he had explored the mountains at some previous time. - -Very good time was made that day, and when about eighteen miles from -Gardner they saw the smoke of Woo's camp-fire. Half an hour later they -reached it and found that the guide had selected an ideal camping place. -There was water and good feed for the horses. Woo already had turned out -the pack-horses, which were grazing out of sight of the camp, and the -cowbells on two of them could be heard tinkling in the distance. - -"I reckon I drew a prize," declared Hippy pompously, referring to Woo. - -"Time will tell," answered Emma Dean. - -"I agree with you," answered Elfreda Briggs. "One shouldn't jump at -conclusions, as Grace Harlowe says." - -Saddles were quickly removed, and, before doing anything else, the men -of the party washed the backs of the ponies to prevent the animals -becoming saddle-sore. By the time they had finished and turned out the -ponies to browse, the guide had supper ready for them. The air was hot -and motionless, for they were not yet high enough in the mountains to -catch the cool breezes from the snow-clad tops, and all felt the heat. - -The Chinaman had prepared a supper that won golden words of praise from -the girls of the Overland party, and Stacy and Hippy ate until it seemed -as if they must pop open. The flapjacks fairly melted in the mouths of -the Riders and the coffee they pronounced to be delicious. - -"Won't it be fine not to have to do any cooking on this trip?" smiled -Emma. - -"Yes. I feel as if a great load had been lifted from my shoulders," -agreed Stacy. "I did most of the cooking for our Pony Rider outfit. -Ordinarily I would rather cook than do most anything that I know of." - -"I am sincerely glad that you are not cooking for this party," declared -Emma Dean with emphasis. - -"You are congratulating yourselves too early," interjected Nora Wingate. -"We are all going to do work just as we always have done." - -Grace and Elfreda agreed with her. - -"You don't mean that we've got to get up in the dewy morning and rustle -grub for the outfit, do you?" demanded Chunky. - -"Yes, of course," answered Grace. - -"That is the fun of camping," said Miss Briggs. "We should soon forget -all we knew had we servants to do the work for us. He is an industrious -fellow, though, I must say," added Elfreda, glancing at Woo, who was -busily at work washing dishes and singing "Hi-lee, hi-lo!" - -"He is a song-bird, too," observed Stacy. - -"Woo, you must be saving of the provisions," called Grace. "Remember we -must make our supplies go a long way, for we shall not get any more for -some time." - -"Don't wolly till to-mollow. Hi-lee, hi-lo; hi-lee, hi-lo!" sang the -guide. - -"What's that he says?" demanded Tom Gray. - -"He says, 'Don't worry until to-morrow,'" interpreted Emma. - -"Ha, ha!" laughed Chunky, and the Overland Riders joined in the -laughter. - -"You savvy plenty to-mollow. Me savvy glub to-mollow," added Woo, -chuckling to himself. - -"He speaks hog Latin quite fluently, doesn't he?" observed Stacy -solemnly. - -"You leave it to Smith. I found Smith, you know," reminded Hippy Wingate -pridefully. - -"Hi-lee, hi-lo!" sang the Chinaman, continuing with his work, while the -Overlanders, having finished their supper, gathered about the campfire, -and forgot the heat of the California night in its cheerful glow. It -seemed good to them to be out in the open once more, to be where they -were obliged to depend almost wholly on their own resourcefulness for -their food and lodging, if not for their lives, for they were going into -perilous places, places fraught with dangers. - -Woo, having completed his work, and having hung his frying-pans and -other equipment to nails driven in a tree, sat down on his haunches by -the fire, and, after composing himself, lost his long yellow fingers in -the mysterious depths of his wide-flowing sleeves. - -"Me savvy plenty fine night," he observed, gazing blissfully up into the -sky. "You savvy plenty fine night, too?" he asked, looking soulfully at -Miss Briggs. - -"I savvy the same as you do, Woo," replied Elfreda soberly. "It is going -to be a fine night for sleep, but I think the air will be cooler later -on." - -Woo nodded wisely, and Stacy glanced up with quickened interest. - -"Are we going to sleep on the ground?" he asked. - -"Yes," answered Tom Gray. "You ought to be used to that." - -"Are there snakes up here?" questioned the fat boy apprehensively. - -"Me savvy plenty snake," the guide informed them. - -"What kind?" wondered Emma. - -"Lattlers." - -"He means rattlers," interpreted Grace Harlowe. - -"Oh, wow!" muttered the fat boy. "I think I'll climb a tree." - -"You will take pot luck on the ground with the rest of us," answered Tom -rather severely. - -"Me savvy lattler in blanket once," declared the guide. "Lattler sleep -plenty in blanket. Go away in molning. Lattler no hurt Chinaman," -explained Woo. - -Signs of uneasiness were observable among the girls of the Overland -party, and in Stacy Brown as well. Tom declared that Woo was "drawing -the long bow," and said that he never had heard anything of the sort -about the Sierra trails. - -"I have," announced Hippy. "There are snakes all about here, but we are -not going to lose any sleep over it. Besides, Stacy is getting the -wiggles." - -"Yes. For goodness sake, drop the subject. You folks give me the -willyjiggs," shivered Emma Dean. - -"I'm not getting the wiggles," protested Stacy. "I reckon I'm not afraid -of anything that walks." - -"We were not speaking of that kind," reminded Nora. "We were speaking of -reptiles." - -"How long do you figure that it will take us to get into the High -Country?" asked Grace by way of changing the subject. - -"Me savvy eight days," answered Woo. "You savvy mebby pony him no -climb?" - -"Yes, they can, too," objected Stacy indignantly. "Our ponies can go -where a bird can. Don't you forget that." - -"Me savvy plenty snake, too," added Woo. - -"For goodness sake, stop that snake conversation," cried Emma. "I shall -surely dream about snakes if you go on that way." - -Smith grinned happily, then proceeded, with the utmost composure, to -relate experiences with big rattlers in the Sierras. He told of waking -up in the morning and finding one coiled in his blanket, under his arm, -or, perhaps, nestled close to his neck for warmth from the chill night -air of the higher altitudes, until Stacy was on the verge of a panic, -and Emma Dean was shivering. - -"Mr. Smith," she said, after regarding him inquiringly for some moments. -"Have you ever had any experience with transmigration of thought?" she -asked. - -"Tlans--tlans--" - -"Transmigration," assisted Hippy. - -"Tlansmiglation! Les. Me savvy. Me savvy one time big hunter shoot one -in mountains. Woo savvy bad medicine and run away," chuckled the -Chinaman. - -"I reckon that will be about all for you this evening, Emma," observed -Hippy Wingate, amid peals of laughter from the Overland girls. - -Tom got out the bedding, consisting of a blanket apiece, and a tarpaulin -for a cover, while Woo busied himself with cutting browse which he -placed on the ground and laid blankets on it. It was not a particularly -soft bed at that. While they were preparing their beds, Stacy poked -about with a stick, covering a radius of several rods. - -"What in the world are you doing?" demanded Nora Wingate. - -"He is beating up the landscape to drive out the serpents," answered -Emma. "You are a tenderfoot, aren't you?" - -"I don't like the fleas to get next to my skin," explained the fat boy -lamely. "They tell me that these California fleas are awful." - -"Were I as tough as you, I do not believe I should worry about a little -thing like that," retorted Emma. - -Stacy made no reply, but poked the fire savagely, then piled on more -wood, occupying all the time he could before preparing for bed, and the -others had turned in long before he was ready. - -"Stop that fussing and come to bed!" ordered Hippy. - -"Yes, for goodness sake, do," added Miss Briggs. "Woo Smith, aren't you -ready to turn in?" - -"Les. Me savvy glub first." - -"You might fetch Uncle Hip and myself a bite to eat while you are on the -food question," suggested Stacy. - -"No food until breakfast," admonished Grace. - -After idling about and grumbling for fifteen minutes more, Stacy finally -crawled in under the tarpaulin, uttering dismal groans and complaints -about the hardness of his bed. All were lying with feet towards the -fire. The smoke and the blaze drove away insects, and the warmth was -pleasant, even though the night was sultry, and it was not long after -that when the Overlanders dropped off to sleep. - -Woo, chuckling to himself and muttering, crept cautiously to the men's -side of the fire, surveyed the layout, then crawled in under the -tarpaulin beside Stacy Brown. A few moments later, Hippy, who lay next -to Stacy, was aroused by the fat boy's mutterings. Stacy was dreaming -about snakes. Hippy knew because he heard his fat nephew say, "Snakes!" - -"I'll teach that boy a lesson and make him dream of something worth -while," decided Hippy. Rising on one elbow, Lieutenant Wingate glanced -over the row of heads just visible above the top of the tarpaulin. He -could barely make out their features in the faint light, but when his -gaze finally came to rest on the face of the sleeping Chinaman, Hippy -Wingate was suddenly possessed of a brilliant idea. Woo lay flat on his -back, both hands snugly tucked into the wide-flowing sleeves. - -"I have it," chuckled Hippy. - -Reaching over Chunky very cautiously, he lifted the long black queue of -the guide, held it for a moment, then softly dropped it across the face -of the sleeping, snoring Stacy. Chunky muttered and stirred restlessly. -Hippy waited, then began slowly drawing the queue over Stacy's face. - -The fat boy awakened suddenly, but he did not move at once, for he was -fairly paralyzed with terror. Something cold and soft was wriggling over -his face. Uttering a mighty yell, Stacy grabbed that wriggling queue, at -the same time giving it a tug. - -It was now Woo Smith's turn to yell, and yell he did, as he struggled -and fought to free himself. - -Stacy, hurling the thing from him, leaped to his feet, howling lustily. -He stepped on Woo and went over backwards, landing on Hippy's stomach, -struggling and fighting, and finally finishing up by fastening his -fingers in Tom Gray's hair. - -The camp was instantly in an uproar, and none was more loud in his -protestations than Hippy Wingate himself. - - - - - CHAPTER X - - "BOOTS AND SADDLES" - - -"Stop that noise!" shouted Tom Gray. - -Emma uttered a frightened cry and springing up, started to run. - -"Come back! We are all right," commanded Miss Briggs. - -"Oh, what is it? Hippy, my darlin', are you all right?" wailed Nora. - -"Snakes! Snakes! Oh, wow!" howled Stacy Brown. - -All hands had turned out in a hurry, and Woo Smith was dancing about -chattering and fondling his head at the base of his queue. - -"Snakes! Where?" cried Emma. - -"It crawled right over my face," declared Stacy. "I grabbed it and -hurled it from me, and think I must have flung it against a tree and -killed it. Uncle Hip, go see if you can find it." - -"You poor fish!" chortled Hippy Wingate. - -"You--you must be a good thrower, for there isn't a tree near where you -slept," declared Emma. - -"That's so, there isn't," admitted Chunky. "Well, anyhow, it must have -been a stone that I threw the snake against." - -"What you did do, young man, was to fall on me with your full weight," -rebuked Hippy. "Oh, why did I ever ask you to come with us?" - -"That's what I have been wondering," agreed Emma. - -"Please, please quiet down, good people," begged Grace laughingly. -"Suppose we find out what actually did occur. Does anyone know?" - -"Yes. I know. A great big snake crawled over me," averred Stacy. - -"With all due respect to you, Stacy Brown, I don't believe it," differed -Elfreda. - -"He ate too much and had the nightmare," suggested Miss Dean. - -"It wasn't a mare. I tell you it was a snake," insisted Stacy. "I guess -I know what I am talking about, and don't you try to make me believe -anything different. I won't! I know what I believe, and I believe what I -know, and that's the end of it." - -"Well, sir, what is the matter with you?" demanded Tom, facing the -excited Chinaman. - -"Mr. Smith has the willyjiggs, too," answered Emma. - -Woo chattered and caressed his head. - -"Me savvy somebody pull queue. Me savvy head almost come off. Ouch!" - -"Just a moment. Just a moment," begged Grace. "You say someone pulled -your queue?" - -"Les." - -"This demands further investigation," spoke up Hippy. "The question now -before this tribunal is, who pulled the Chinaman's queue. Emma Dean, did -you pull Honorable Smith's queue?" - -"I did not," retorted, Emma indignantly. - -"All right, all right; don't get all heated up about it. I take it that -none of the other ladies tried to scalp our guide. How about you, -Stacy?" - -Stacy declared that he didn't know anything about it, and cared less, -and Tom Gray said the idea that he had done such a thing was -preposterous. - -"We will leave it to Smith," announced Hippy. "Woo, did Mr. Brown try to -pull your halter off?" - -"Les, les. Me savvy him pull queue. Him neally pull head off. Woof!" - -"I begin to understand. Ladies and gentlemen, the mystery is solved. The -Honorable Woo Smith's queue got on Stacy's face and Stacy thought it was -a snake. You see how easy it is to be carried away by one's imagination. -Stacy, if you raise further disturbance in this outfit I shall require -you to roost by yourself. I, for one, at least, need my rest." - -"If Woo will get out I'll keep quiet," answered Stacy. - -"Don't wolly till to-mollow," advised the Oriental, pawing about like an -animal, in search of a suitable place on which to lie down and sleep. - -No further disturbance occurred that night, though Stacy refused to turn -in until he had seen Woo lie down at some distance from him, and at -daybreak the Overlanders were aroused by the "Hi-lee, hi-lo!" of the -guide, who was out gathering wood for the breakfast fire. - -"Come, folks. Wash and get busy," urged Hippy. "Who is the wrangler this -morning?" - -"It is Stacy's turn, I believe," replied Tom Gray. - -"I don't want to wrangle. I'm too sleepy and too cold," protested the -boy. - -"That makes no difference. There is to be no shirking in this outfit," -answered Uncle Hippy. - -The wrangler is the man who goes out in the morning to round up the -horses. Following the custom in the mountains, the Overlanders had -turned out all but two of the ponies, permitting the stock to graze -where it pleased through the night. The pack animals had been hobbled. -It now became Stacy Brown's duty to find the animals, and drive the herd -into camp. - -"I don't hear the cow bells. The animals must have gotten away quite a -distance," suggested Emma mischievously. - -Stacy took all the time he could in getting ready, and, as a result, by -the time he was ready to start, breakfast was nearly ready to be served. - -"Don't I eat first?" he questioned anxiously. - -"Certainly not. Wranglers always go out for the horses before -breakfast," reminded Emma. - -Chunky threw himself into the saddle and galloped away at a reckless -pace, but his was a long chase, for the ponies had wandered some -distance from camp. They were lying down in a glade and did not move or -make a sound when the boy rode past them. - -Stacy had followed their trail out, but, suddenly discovering that he -had lost it, he turned about and went back to pick it up. This time he -discovered the animals. - -"So! There you are, eh?" he jeered, regarding the horses resentfully. -"Thought you would play me a smart trick, did you? I'll be even with you -for that." - -After much floundering about, the white pack pony, Kitty, finally got up -grunting and groaning dismally, then Stacy began removing the hobbles -from their legs. Kitty gave him the most trouble, the white mare -insisting on grabbing Chunky by the trousers every time he stooped to -unfasten the hobbles. This continued until Stacy finally lost his -patience, and, getting a switch, he gave Kitty a good sharp touching-up. -Finally, having completed his task, he turned their heads towards camp -and mounted his own saddle pony. - -"Shoo! Go on, you lazy louts! Think I am going to eat cold grub, just -out of consideration for you?" - -It was shortly after that that the Overlanders in camp heard the tinkle -of the bells on two of the pack animals, and when Stacy rode into camp -the party was half way through breakfast. Slipping from his saddle, -Stacy started at a run for breakfast, flinging a set of hobbles at the -cook as he passed. - -"Stacy! You are becoming a very violent young man," smiled Grace. - -"Becoming?" spoke up Emma Dean. "It is my opinion that he always has -been. No one could acquire his manners in so short a time." - -"Association sometimes plays strange freaks with one," retorted Stacy. -"Say, Uncle Hip. That white mare is a terror. She actually hid so that I -should not see her; then, when I finally found her, she tried to eat me -up. The brown one is the laziest thing I ever saw. We ought to call her -the Idler, she's so lazy." - -"Good!" cried Elfreda. "Idler she shall be, with the permission of our -Captain, Grace Harlowe." - -"How about the other one?" asked Stacy. - -"The black?" questioned Tom. - -"Yes. He is always stumbling and getting into difficulties," said -Chunky. - -"We will name him Calamity," said Grace. - -"That is what I was going to name the Chinaman," grumbled the fat boy. - -"The wrangler always attends to the packing, you know," reminded Elfreda -after they had finished breakfast. - -"This wrangler doesn't," answered Chunky. - -"Of course, in view of the fact that this is our first morning out, and -that you are still a little green--" teased Miss Briggs. - -"His natural color," interjected Emma. - -"I will help you," finished Hippy. "By the way, you need not throw the -diamond hitch around the packs this morning. Kitty has a soft pack, and -the square hitch will answer very well, provided you make it good and -tight." - -"Oh, I'll make it tight, all right. I'll lash it so tightly that the old -horse won't be able to breathe. I owe her a grudge, anyway," declared -Stacy. "Did you folks know that I learned a new hitch at Gardner?" - -"Impossible!" exclaimed Emma. - -"It is called 'The Lone Packer,'" continued Stacy, unheeding the -interruption. "It is even harder to learn to tie than is the diamond -hitch. For a load of small articles it is supposed to be the best in -use. The particular feature about it is that it pulls the pack away from -the animal's sides and prevents chafing." - -"Here, here! That isn't the way to throw a square hitch," objected -Hippy, hurrying over to Stacy who was laboring with the white mare's -pack, Kitty standing with all four feet braced, groaning dismally. "What -have you done to her?" - -"I? Nothing. She thinks she's smart." - -Hippy regarded the pack animal keenly, then, stepping up, he placed his -hat on top of her pack. The mare flinched and groaned. It was a test -that Hippy had seen practiced on lazy horses in France during the war. - -"So that's it, eh?" he chuckled. "She is soldiering, but never mind. We -will take all that out of her." - -"That is what I told Kitty this morning. I promised her that she should -get all that was coming to her. Stand up, you lazy-bones!" commanded -Stacy sharply, at the same time giving the mare a slap on the stomach. -Kitty instantly retaliated by taking a chunk out of the boy's sleeve, -and a wee bit of skin with it. - -Stacy howled and jerked away. His face flushed, and he raised a hand to -strike back. - -"Don't do that!" rebuked Grace. "Never, never strike a horse on the -head! It is a sure way to spoil an animal. And never punish a horse when -you are in anger. Should an animal need punishing, punish him humanely, -but trim him so thoroughly that you never may be called upon to repeat -the performance." - -"But, she bit me," protested Stacy. - -"Forget it!" laughed Grace. - -"I should say that the poor beast is already sufficiently punished after -biting Stacy Brown," observed Emma meekly. - -"Be firm, but gentle," continued Grace. "Kitty is in just the right mood -to be spoiled by rough treatment." - -Stacy was not over-gentle. He jerked the white mare about, shook his -fist in her face and announced in a loud tone what he would do to her -did she ever again try to make a meal out of his arm. - -In the meantime Hippy, with an interested group of Overland girls -observing, was putting the final touches to the packing, making the -lead-ropes fast, using a knot that he had learned, by which, in case of -trouble, one can reach from his saddle and jerk the pack free by a -single pull on a loose end of a rope. - -All was now ready for the start. Woo Smith, with a final look backward, -started ahead singing blithely. Hippy whistled "Boots and Saddles." The -Overland ponies knew the signal, but of course the pack-horses did not, -though they soon would learn that it was the command to get under way. -When a short distance from camp, the pack animals straggled off and -sought their own trails near the one that was followed by the riders, -Hippy now and then shouting to Woo to keep them up, for the Idler was -lagging behind, though she had started out in the lead of the -pack-horses. Woo Smith's "Hi-lee, hi-lo!" sung in the Oriental's shrill, -knife-edge voice kept time for the plodding ponies, that were now -climbing up a steep grade. The Overland party were well started on their -way to the high places of this wild, rugged country, where genuine -adventure awaited them. - - - - - CHAPTER XI - - PONIES GET A BAD FRIGHT - - -Up and up traveled the Overland party, the ponies here and there being -obliged to zigzag back and forth, picking their way like mountain goats. - -The members of the party were keenly interested in watching the -pack-horses to see how they acted under these trying circumstances, and, -to their satisfaction, found that the animals were thoroughly familiar -with their work. The saddle horses of the Overlanders, they had seen in -action before, and knew what they could do. Now and then the white mare -would poise with all four feet bunched as if she were about to make a -leap into space, then slowly one foot would reach out for a footing. -Having found it, the other fore foot would follow, then the hind feet, -Kitty all the time groaning dismally and wheezing like a leaky valve on -a locomotive. - -Ordinarily, horses on a trail make an effort to keep within sight of -each other, but in this instance Idler, the brown mare, did not appear -to care whether she were within or out of sight of her companions. -Hippy, when they made the noon luncheon camp, searched his kit for an -article that he had brought along, thinking it might prove useful. He -did not let the others see what it was, but secreted it on his person. -This article was a pea-shooter, and he had the peas to use in it, too. - -When the party moved on after luncheon, Hippy dropped behind to better -observe the pack-horses. Idler loafed, as usual. Hippy tried the -pea-shooter on her, and the brown mare jumped at a critical point. All -four feet went out from under her, and she landed on her back, greatly -to the detriment of her pack, and, had it not been that the pack was -very strong, the outfit she carried would have been ruined. - -"Oh, the clumsy beast!" groaned Grace Harlowe. - -"What ails the silly creature?" cried Emma. - -"She has thrown a fit," Stacy informed her. - -Hippy, whose scheme had exceeded his expectations, sprang from his -saddle and ran to the fallen horse, which, by this time, had rolled over -on her side. One foot further and Idler would have slipped down along -the rocks a hundred feet or more. - -"Stacy! Sit on her head! Fetch me a rope, someone," urged Lieutenant -Wingate. - -Passing the rope about the animal, they threw it around a tree above the -trail, then began removing the pack, which Tom had loosened by pulling -on the pack-rope. Relieved of the weight on her back, Idler, aided by a -pull on the rope, struggled to her feet, and, after no little effort, -she was gotten back on the narrow trail. About a hundred feet above -them, perched on a pinnacle of rock, sat the Honorable Woo Smith, hands -lost in his flowing sleeves. - -"Hi-lee, hi-lo! hi-lee, hi-lo!" sang the guide. - -Stacy shied a pebble at him. - -"Will you stop that 'hi-lee' business?" he demanded. "It is lucky for -you that you are above instead of below me, or I'd roll a rock down on -you." - -"Let the cook alone!" ordered Tom Gray. "I don't understand what caused -that beast to lose her footing so suddenly." - -Hippy Wingate, however, understood only too well, but he did not think -best to enlighten his companions, who might have found unpleasant -remarks to make. A full hour was lost in getting the brown mare and her -pack in condition to proceed, then the journey was resumed. - -Later in the day, Lieutenant Wingate found occasion to use his -pea-shooter again. The first effort in that direction had proved so -successful that he could not resist the second shining opportunity that -presented itself. This time Stacy was the victim. - -Stacy was asleep in his saddle at the time, his pony moping along with -head close to the ground, when Hippy sent a pea straight at the tender -flank of the animal. - -The pony woke up suddenly, and then another pea hit it. The fat boy's -mount bucked beautifully, and Chunky took a long flight, landing -head-first in a wild rose bush, howling and struggling, not rightly -knowing what had occurred. - -"Here, here! What's going on?" shouted Tom, turning in his saddle. - -"Stacy has come a cropper. Oh, please do it again, Stacy. It was -beautiful," urged Emma enthusiastically. - -"I--I fell off," wailed the boy, raising a very red face above the top -of the rose bush. "I--I transmigrated, didn't I, Emma?" Stacy grinned -sheepishly. "I'll trim the beast for that." - -"You will not," laughed Hippy. "The pony was not to blame in the least." - -As a matter of fact, the pony appeared to be even more amazed at the -mishap than were the Overlanders themselves. The excitement ended, and -the party once more under way, Chunky began to ponder over what had -occurred, and the more he pondered the more convinced did he become that -someone had played a trick on him. He eyed each member of the party -narrowly, finally regarding Uncle Hip with suspicion. - -"I wonder if he did it?" muttered the boy. - -The trail was growing more difficult and perilous with the moments, and -the Riders were making not more than a mile-and-a-half an hour, and at -one point it curved so sharply that the riders in the lead, in this -instance Tom and Stacy, were directly above Lieutenant Wingate, -traveling in the opposite direction. - -"Hulloa! What's Uncle Hip up to now?" wondered Stacy, casting suspicious -glances at him. Chunky saw something glisten in the hands of Uncle Hip; -then he saw him place the glistening object to his lips and blow. Miss -Kitty snorted and jumped, after which she quickened her pace. - -"So, that's the game, is it?" grinned Stacy Brown. "I reckon I know now -what made me come a cropper into the rose bush. Uncle Hip used a -pea-shooter on my pony. Wait till I get an opportunity! I'll make a show -of him for that." - -Tom had halted at the summit, and, shading his eyes, gazed off over the -scene before him. - -"What do you call that hole down there?" questioned Elfreda. - -"That? That is a box canyon," replied Hippy. - -"Are we going down there?" wondered Nora. - -"Yes." - -"We're going to do a giant leap for life to the bottom of the box in a -few moments," Stacy Brown informed her. - -Tom removed his sombrero and mopped his forehead. - -"I see nothing that looks like a trail," he declared. "Woo, are you -positive that there is a safe way to get down?" - -Woo bobbed his head vigorously. - -"Him plenty good way. You no savvy tlail?" - -Tom shook his head. - -"Me savvy tlail. You come. Me show." - -"Never mind, Woo. We are going to find that trail for ourselves. This -isn't the first time we have been in the mountains. You watch us," -answered Lieutenant Wingate. - -Hippy crawled down the mountainside for some distance, working along, -first to the right, then to the left. He observed, at the same time, -that the wall on the opposite side of the canyon had a more gradual -slope. Climbing the other side would be easier than the one they were -now going down. There was no trace of a trail on the Overlanders' side, -but Hippy found a way to get down. - -"Well?" questioned Grace, upon his return. - -"We can make it." - -"Of course we can make it. We shall have to jump, though," said Stacy. - -"Suppose you jump first, then, if the jumping is good, perhaps we may -follow," suggested Emma. - -"Jump? Why, you wouldn't dare jump off from a silver dollar," declared -Chunky. - -"Produce one and see whether I dare or not," offered Emma. - -"I--I don't think I have one," stammered Stacy amid laughter. - -"All ready," announced Lieutenant Wingate, mounting and starting down -the sharp incline. The others watched him for a few moments, then -followed, the pack animals taking their places without being urged, not -at all disturbed over the perilous descent. Hippy was now taking a -zig-zag course, which was the only safe way, unless one preferred to -adopt Stacy's suggestion and jump. To look at the mountain, traveling -down its steep side would seem to the novice an impossibility. However, -ponies familiar with mountain climbing are sure-footed and unafraid, and -do some remarkable climbing, frequently going where a tenderfoot would -hesitate to crawl on hands and knees. - -Here and there were small trees, with an occasional growth of bushes, -which afforded more or less protection from a bad fall, but on other -parts of the trail the rocks sloped away for hundreds of feet, lying -smooth and glaring in the bright afternoon sunlight. The Overland Riders -took the descent without any display of nervousness, but Kitty, the -pack-horse, groaned and grunted all the way down. One would imagine that -she was suffering agonies, but it was simply habit with her, and she got -no sympathy, though now and then she did feel the sting of a pebble that -one or another of the party hurled at her. - -Lieutenant Wingate was making much more rapid progress than his -companions, he being eager to reach the bottom before the light failed -them, for it would not do at all to be caught on the side of the -mountain after dark. A shout from below told them that he had reached -the valley. It was answered by another shout from above, then a "Hi-lee, -hi-lo!" in the high-pitched voice of the guide. A stone came bumping -down not far from Woo. - -"Stacy, did you throw that stone?" shouted Hippy. - -"I did." - -"Stop it! You might hit someone." - -"I want to hit someone. I want to wing that song-bird, and I'll do it -yet," threatened Chunky. - -The safe arrival of the rest of the Overland party at the bottom of the -pit put a stop to further gaiety at the expense of the guide. They found -themselves in a valley about a quarter of a mile in width and of unknown -length. The place was a meadow in the heart of the mountains, carpeted -with the brown California grass that did not appeal to the appetites of -the horses, and as soon as the animals were turned out they made haste -to climb the opposite slope in search of the succulent greens that they -seemed to know they should find up there. - -In the meantime, preparations for making camp and getting supper were -going on systematically down in the canyon. It was an ideal place for -camping, sheltered from storm, and from sunshine during the early and -late hours of the day. A clear, cold brook rippled merrily on their side -of the canyon, its waters leaping from the black rocks or lying in -sombre bank-shadowed pools; and, despite the apparent dryness of the -landscape, gorgeous bush-flowers bloomed, filling the air with their -perfume, the valley farther down being a riot of varied colors where the -stream had left its banks and spread out over the lower land. - -"Oh, girls, isn't this fairyland?" breathed Elfreda Briggs. - -"Wonderful!" agreed Grace. - -"All but the fairies," answered Stacy. - -"We have a gnome," suggested Emma, glancing at Chunky. "Fairies don't -stuff themselves. They live on atmosphere." - -"This fairy doesn't live on atmosphere," retorted Stacy. "He takes his -belt off, if necessary, too." - -"I would suggest that you take it off now and get to work. We have -plenty of it to do," reminded Tom Gray. - -All hands turned to, to help the cook, for they were hungry, and it was -natural that they should be, for climbing mountains in the High Country -is hard, grilling work. - -Supper was a busy rather than a lively affair, but after supper the -Overlanders found their tongues and were soon engaged in good-natured -raillery, but they were quite ready to turn in when Tom Gray whistled -"taps." This time there was no hesitancy on the part of anyone to -sleeping on the ground, and they dropped off to sleep with the tinkling -of the bells of the pack-horses in their ears, the rich perfumes of -flowers in their nostrils, their senses lulled pleasantly by the song of -the locusts and strange insects that none remembered ever to have heard -of before. - -The camp was awake shortly after daybreak. Once more Stacy Brown had to -be urged forth to wrangle the horses. He protested loudly when Elfreda -pointed to the opposite slope, which Chunky must climb, for the animals -were nowhere in sight. - -"I suppose I might as well go out. I always get the fag-end of the -stick," grumbled Stacy. - -"Never mind, Chunky. I'll fetch the horses," offered Tom. - -"No, no. I just wanted to say something," returned Stacy, hastily -stirring himself into activity and jumping on the bare back of his pony. -No sooner was he on than he was off again, for the pony had never been -ridden without a saddle, and promptly bucked when his owner mounted. -Stacy landed flat on his back in the campfire, sending up a shower of -sparks and smoke, and it was only the quick action of Nora Wingate that -saved him from being burned. As it was, his clothing was smoking when he -was dragged out. Hippy and Tom put Stacy's fire out by grabbing the boy -up and throwing him in the creek, where Stacy rolled over whooping and -howling his disapproval of the entire proceeding. - -"You should have known better than to try to ride that pony without a -saddle," rebuked Hippy. - -Stacy turned angrily on his now meek-eyed pony. - -"You donkey! Oh, you doddering idiot!" he raged, shaking a fist at the -animal. "You'll pay for that! You'll rue the day and the minute that you -bucked me off your back. Where is my saddle?" - -"Never mind. I will get the ponies," grinned Hippy. "You aren't fit." - -"I am. I'm always fit. I'll get 'em myself." - -"Be sure to bring back the donkey," teased Emma. - -Stacy cinched on his saddle before starting, and this time the little -animal offered no protest, but galloped away as docile as could be -desired. After he had left them, the Overlanders had a good laugh at his -expense, then began packing in preparation for the day's journey. - -The Overlanders finally began to wonder what had become of Stacy, for he -had been absent much longer than seemed necessary, then, all at once -they heard a yell on the opposite side of the canyon. - -"There he is! He is in trouble again," cried Tom, starting for his own -pony. - -"See him come! He will break his neck," worried Nora. - -Tom halted at his pony's side, for he had discovered something else. -Right on the heels of Stacy's mount came the saddle-ponies and the -pack-horses. The latter, being hobbled, were hopping like kangaroos, -making long leaps, covering a great deal of ground in each leap and -turning their heads to glance back with almost every jump. - -"What can be the matter?" wondered Grace, anxiously watching the descent -of the fat boy. Every second she expected to see him come a cropper and -fall the remaining distance down the mountainside, but Chunky did -nothing of the sort. He stuck tightly to his saddle, now and then -casting apprehensive glances back at the horses that were tearing along -in his wake. - -Lieutenant Wingate, suddenly surmising what the trouble was about, ran -for his rifle. - -"Wha--at is it?" stammered Emma Dean. - -"They are stampeding. Something is chasing them. I think I know what it -is," answered Hippy, darting across the canyon, clearing rocks and other -obstructions in a series of lively leaps, the others of his party -standing gaping, wondering, some of them a little fearful, especially -for the safety of the panic-stricken Chunky. - - - - - CHAPTER XII - - AMID THE GIANT SEQUOIAS - - -Stacy swept past, flinging back some unintelligible words, the ponies -still tearing along after him. The Overland Riders shouted with laughter -at the funny antics of the hobbled pack-horses. Kitty had forgotten to -groan, and Idler was imbued with a new spirit of activity. - -For the moment the outfit had forgotten all about Lieutenant Wingate. -When finally they thought to look for him he was nowhere in sight. - -"Hippy! Oh, Hippy!" hailed Tom Gray. - -No answer came back from Hippy, who was stalking the mysterious -something that had stampeded the ponies. - -"What is it?" cried the Overlanders in one voice, as Stacy rode back to -them wide-eyed. - -"I don't know. It was something big and awful. I couldn't see all of it, -but it looked to me like an elephant. Maybe it was a Bengal tiger, but I -didn't wait to see. If I had waited, the ponies would have run right -over me. When I saw them coming I threw on the high-speed lever and lit -out for home. I transmigrated. Where is my rifle? I am going back after -that beast, whatever it may be and--" - -"There goes Hippy across that open space," cried Grace, pointing. - -"Yes, and he is after something," added Tom. - -"Look! Oh, look!" cried Emma. - -All eyes were turned in the direction indicated by Grace. They saw a -dark object moving across the open space towards Hippy, then saw the -lieutenant raise his rifle and fire. Still the object came on. - -"It's a bear! Hippy's missed!" groaned Tom. - -"I'll wager my hat that Uncle Hippy didn't miss," answered Stacy. "He -never misses--when he hits." - -Hippy raised his rifle and fired again. - -"That was a hit!" cried Grace. - -Stacy galloped his pony up the other side of the mountain. - -"Came near making a meal of you, didn't he, Uncle Hip?" called Stacy as -he came up with Lieutenant Wingate. - -Hippy shook his head. - -"I tried to shoot him between the eyes, but he dodged as I pulled the -trigger. Next time I couldn't do any fine aiming because the bear was -too close. Do you see what he is--a big cinnamon bear? I am going to -have that skin. Go back and tell them to wait until I finish this job, -and that we are going to have bear steak for supper to-night." - -Stacy galloped back with the message, then Tom rode out to assist in the -skinning and to select such meat as he wished to carry with them. The -bearskin proved to be very heavy, but Hippy insisted on taking it along, -first, however, treating the skin so that it would keep until they -reached a place where the curing and tanning might be continued. - -Woo, upon observing the bear skin and the steaks taken from the animal, -lapsed into song, which Stacy pretended not to hear. It irritated Chunky -to listen to that "Hi-lee, hi-lo!" and put him into a fighting humor. - -An hour after their delayed start they topped the rise on the opposite -side of the canyon and paused to gaze over the peaks and rugged -mountain-tops that lay before them in a vast panorama. Over yonder in -the clouds hung the snow-capped peaks of the High Sierras, now and then -taking on a purple shade from some tinted cloud. - -"It doesn't seem possible that we shall be able to make those mountains -with our ponies, does it?" wondered Elfreda. - -"Are we going there?" demanded Stacy. - -"I believe so." - -"Hm-m-m-m!" - -"Are you getting cold feet already?" teased Emma. - -"Not yet, but I expect to when I get in those chilly looking snow-caps -off yonder," answered Stacy quickly. "This life is just one ridge after -another." - -They had mounted ridges, and crossed broad and narrow valleys for some -time without incident and the steady creak of saddle straps and girths -was becoming monotonous, when suddenly Grace's pony jumped clear of the -ground with all four feet and began to back. Grace Harlowe, instantly -understanding, called "Look out!" and whirled her pony about. - -"What is the trouble, Grace?" called Tom, who was riding farther to the -rear. - -"A snake! I heard it, but do not know where it is." - -"Stay back. I will find him and dispatch him," shouted Hippy, hurrying -forward. - -"Send him a message for me while you are about it. Tell him Emma Dean -wishes him to transmigrate," chortled Stacy. - -Just then Lieutenant Wingate discovered the snake, and raising his rifle -he aimed it over the head of his pony for a few seconds, then pulled the -trigger. - -"Did you get him?" shouted Nora. - -"Of course he did. My Uncle Hip never misses anything," declared Stacy. - -"No. Not even food," added Emma. - -"You may all get off. I am going to skin the reptile. He is a fine -specimen," announced Lieutenant Wingate. "I propose to make a hat band -of him. It isn't everyone who can wear a rattler around his sombrero, -you know." - -"I'll say that was a fine shot," declared Stacy. - -"Yes, but not better than almost any other person could make," differed -Emma Dean. - -"Velly fine. Me savvy fine shot," interjected the Chinaman. - -"Emma, in a way, is right," spoke up Grace. "It does not take any sort -of marksmanship at all to shoot the head from a rattler. Even a person -who never has fired a gun in his life should be able to shoot one." - -Hippy laughed. - -"You don't believe it. Suppose you let Emma try it when next we meet a -snake. Point your rifle at a rattler and he will line his head up with -the muzzle. Move the muzzle from side to side and he will follow it, -always keeping his head in line with it. Then, all you have to do is -pull the trigger. Why, I believe I could shoot and hit one with my eyes -shut. I think I should like to make the experiment next time we see a -rattler," said Grace. - -"Never mind; never mind! We will take your word for it," protested Stacy -Brown. "We do not need a public demonstration." - -"It surely would be interesting," agreed Elfreda. - -"Oh, all right. Just let me know when the show is coming off and I'll -have business on the other side of the mountain," declared the fat boy. - -During this temporary halt the pack-horses had plodded on alone. They -made a detour of the spot where the snake was being skinned, seeming -instinctively to know where they were expected to go, and soon after -they started off, Woo Smith followed with his "Hi-lee, hi-lo!" - -About midday they topped a range of hills, and before them saw revealed -a vast forest that stretched over more miles of mountain country than -they cared to try to estimate. At first they had no idea of the bigness -of the trees; it was merely a great forest. - -Lieutenant Wingate, who had been gazing inquiringly at the scene, -fanning himself with his sombrero, turned to his companions. - -"Good people, you are now gazing on some of the big trees of California -of which you no doubt have heard or read much. Before you lies the -world-famous Sequoia forest. Let us push on. When you are among the -trees you will get a better idea of their great height." - -"You should have been a guide on a sightseeing bus," averred Emma, as -the Overlanders rode on. - -The party reached the edge of the great forest some two hours later, -where, in the cool shadows, they halted for a rest. - -"I am told," resumed Hippy pompously, "that this forest comprises more -than five thousand specimens of trees." - -"And you will also observe," announced Emma Dean, standing up in her -stirrups and waving her sombrero, "that many of them are from ten to -twenty feet in diameter. At the great height to which they grow, the -least leaning either way would cause the trees to break off. You will -observe, also, the perfect symmetry of the trees. They are perfect works -of art," finished Emma, resuming her seat on the saddle. - -"Hooray!" shouted Stacy Brown. "Emma has transmigrated again." - -Emma's companions looked at her in amazement, then burst out laughing. - -"Where in the world did you learn all that, darlin'?" questioned Nora -Wingate admiringly. - -"I heard the postmaster at Gardner telling Hippy about it," answered -Emma meekly, amid shouts of laughter at Lieutenant Wingate's expense. - -The scene was so impressive that the laughter of the Overland Riders -soon died away, for the great silence of this wonderful forest had taken -strong hold on them. Whereas all other forests in which they had -traveled, were continually nodding and murmuring, the giant Sequoias -stood in absolute calm. Tom Gray explained this silence by saying that, -owing to their great height, the trunks were solid, the branches rigid -and the movement very slight. Even though there might be some slight -murmurings, the tops were so far above the ground that the human ear -could not catch the faint rustling up there. - -As the party moved on through the silent forest aisles, the bigness of -the trees grew Upon them. - -"You savvy big tlees?" asked Woo Smith finally, after a long period of -silence on his part. - -The Overlanders nodded. - -"Do you know where there is a spring or a creek?" asked Tom. - -"Me savvy spling," nodded Woo. - -"Lead us to it. Is it far from here?" - -The guide answered with a shake of his head. - -An hour later, no water being yet in sight, Grace called a halt. - -"Woo, I do not believe you savvy any spring at all," she said. "I think -we should camp right where we are. It will soon be dark, and if we keep -on going we shall undoubtedly be worse off than if we remain where we -are. Smith, have you lost the trail?" she demanded. - -Woo did not reply at once, but gazed up at the tops of the trees, -muttering to himself. - -"You're lost! That's what's the matter," grinned Stacy. - -"Woo no lost. Tlail him lost. Me savvy tlail lost," chuckled the -Chinaman. - -"I thought so," agreed Hippy gravely. "There being no objection, I -second Grace's motion that we camp here." - -"While you are making camp I will go out and prospect for water," -offered Tom, wheeling his pony about and riding off into the forest. -Tom, being a forester by profession, an experienced woodsman, they felt -no concern over his departure, but, as the hours following his departure -wore on and Tom Gray did not return, the Overlanders began to worry. - -At nine o'clock they began firing signals at intervals, and Woo Smith -built up a blazing fire, but there was no response to either signal. -Grace Harlowe was the least worried of the party. - -"We will have supper," she said. "Tom will be all right. Should he be -lost it will not be the first time." - -"Yes, but what if he doesn't find himself?" questioned Emma tremulously. - -"In that event he will make camp and sleep in the forest, so you folks -make your beds and turn in for a good night's sleep, just as I am going -to do," urged Grace. - -"Hi-lee, hi-lo!" chanted Woo. - -"Stop that noise, will you!" commanded Chunky. "I am not in the mood for -song this evening, and I might do you bodily harm," he added, starting -to prepare his bed. This he did by smoothing the ground with an axe -swung adz-wise between his legs, then filling in the open space with dry -pine needles. The Overlanders observed his work in interested silence. - -"You do know how to do something, don't you?" approved Emma. - -"Someone in the outfit has to have a head with him," retorted Chunky. -"It makes me sleepy to look at it. If I weren't sleepy I would make beds -in the same way for you girls. Let Uncle Hip do it, I can't keep awake -long enough. Good night!" Stacy lay down, and the others quickly cradled -under their blankets and went to sleep, watched over by the huge -Sequoias that had stood sentinel on that very spot for hundreds of -years. - -Then, all at once, it was morning. The songs of birds filled the air, -and a squirrel, whisking its tail nervously, chattered on a giant tree -trunk, then darted up out of sight. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII - - THE CAMP AT THE "LAZY J" - - -Stacy sat up and rubbed his eyes. - -"What did you wake me up for?" he demanded. "Hulloa, Tom!" - -"I awakened you by transmigration of thought," answered Emma. "Oh, -girls, girls, wake up! Tom is here," she cried. - -The camp was instantly aroused. Tom was discovered sitting calmly by a -little fire that he had built, waiting for the sleepers to awaken. Tom -had done exactly what Grace said he would. When he lost his bearings in -the darkness, he lay down to wait for daylight. When daylight came he -found no difficulty in picking up his trail and returning to camp. - -"Did you find water?" demanded Hippy. - -"Not a drop. For that reason, we must take a quick breakfast and hurry -on. I think we shall find water beyond the next low range, and it is -necessary that we do so before the sun gets high and hot. We can stand -it for some time longer, but the horses cannot." - -The start was made soon after that, Tom and Hippy packing their -belongings while Woo and the girls were getting breakfast. The trail -they followed took them up a gradual slope for several miles and then -pitched giddily into a deep canyon, a canyon that covered all of fifty -acres, from which the hills rose in great swells into the far distance. -The climb down the side of the mountain was tiresome and difficult, but -they forgot their discomfort when finally they came upon a stream of -cold, sparkling water that came down from the snow-capped tips of the -High Sierras. - -"Oh, look!" cried Emma. "Cows! Now we can have some milk." - -"Cows!" groaned Stacy. "Those aren't cows, they are cattle." - -There were loud exclamations of wonder when the Overlanders saw a lot of -cattle, in charge of several herders, grazing less than a mile away. -After permitting the horses to drink all that was good for them, and -after the Overlanders themselves had drunk and filled their water -bottles, they galloped on towards the herd. From the herders they -learned that the cattle belonged to the "Lazy J" ranch. The animals were -on their summer grazing grounds, having come up into the hills for the -summer months. - -The herders informed the Overlanders that the ranch-house was about five -miles due east of there, and that the boss would be glad to see them. - -"My horse has a loose shoe. Is there a blacksmith outfit over there?" -asked Hippy. - -"Sure," answered a herder. "You'll have to do your own smithing, -though." - -"I reckon I can do that all right," answered Lieutenant Wingate. "We can -make camp there and have a rest before we undertake the next hard -climb." - -After waving good-byes to the herders, the Overland Riders resumed their -journey, arriving at the "Lazy J" ranch about mid-afternoon. They were -warmly welcomed by Mr. Giddings, the foreman, who showed his amazement -that a party of young women should have made the rough ride into the -mountains. - -"Help yourselves to anything in sight. It's all yours," he offered. -"Glad to have you take pot luck with me in my shack. There isn't much, -but what there is you are welcome to." - -"No. You sit down with us and have a snack," urged Grace. - -Mr. Giddings did so, and after a late luncheon he conducted Hippy to the -blacksmith shop, where Lieutenant Wingate removed the loose shoe from -his pony and straightening it on the anvil proceeded to nail it back in -place, observed interestedly by the Overlanders and several cowboys who -were resting up at the ranch-house. Even the cowboys' cook came out, -frying-pan in hand, to see how the tenderfoot would go about it to shoe -a horse. - -The cowboys looked on with solemn visages, expressive of neither -approval nor disapproval. Their interest quickened, however, when Stacy -Brown announced that he was going to remove a loose shoe from the off -hind foot of the white mare, Kitty, and set it properly in place. - -Kitty was led in, and Chunky made his preparations with sundry -flourishes to show the spectators that he knew what he was about. Kitty -was not unobservant, and every move of the Overland boy was narrowly -watched by her. - -"I should advise you to watch her ears," urged Grace. - -"It isn't her ears, it's those hind feet that I am interested in," -replied Stacy. "Ears can't hurt a fellow--feet can," he said. "Whoa, you -brute!" added Stacy, running a hand down one of the pony's hind legs, -then lifting the foot from the ground. - -What followed was almost too swift for the human eye. Barely had the -foot been lifted than Kitty kicked the boy clear out of the shop. In his -flight, Chunky was catapulted against the cook, and both went down in a -heap. - -The faces of the cow-punchers relaxed. They howled, fired their -revolvers into the air and went fairly wild with joy, while Grace and -Elfreda disentangled Stacy and the cowboys' cook and stood them on their -feet. - -[Illustration: "Are You Hurt?"] - -"Are you hurt?" begged Grace solicitously. - -"Of course I am. I'm killed, but the white mare is going to get worse -than I did," threatened the fat boy. - -"Cool off. Don't punish her now," advised Elfreda. - -"I don't want to cool off. I want to shoe that beast." Stacy strode -belligerently to the now meek little animal. "I ought to break your -miserable neck, but I haven't time to do it to-day. Besides, the weather -is too warm. If I did, this outfit would make me dig a hole and bury -you. I always get the worst of it when trying to do a good turn for -others. Now you stand still or I'll surely forget myself." - -This time Kitty made no objection to having her loose shoe removed, but -once off Stacy did not know how to put it on again, and Tom Gray had to -finish the job to the great enjoyment of the cowboys. The job finally -finished, Stacy and Hippy perspiring from their efforts, the Overlanders -went out to watch the range men come in, uttering wild whoops as they -discovered that there were women in camp. - -Throwing themselves from their saddles, the range men soused their heads -in the creek that flowed near the ranch-house, and were ready for the -evening meal. After supper, all hands lounged out to the green in front -of the bunkhouse, smoked their pipes and told thrilling stories of -adventure in the Sierras--told them for the benefit of the tenderfeet -who were their guests. - -The Overland girls chatted with the rough but big-hearted cow punchers, -who, that night, declared that they never had come up with such a likely -bunch of young women. - -When Mr. Giddings learned from Tom Gray that the party was bound for the -High Sierras, he shook his head dubiously. - -"No place for white folk, especially women," he warned. - -"Why not?" questioned Tom. - -"Trouble! It's the Devil's country up there." - -"We are used to roughing it under all sorts of conditions," replied Tom. -"We learned how to do that during the Great War. All these young women -were in the service, at or near the front in France; Mr. Wingate was an -aviator, and I was a Captain of Engineers, so you see we aren't afraid -of trouble." - -"That's all right. I take off my hat to you, especially to the young -ladies. This country is another breed of cats, however, and they tell -strange stories about men going up there and never being found -afterwards, or, as is sometimes the case, found dead in the Crazy Lake -section. Aerial Lake, they call it." - -"Where is this mysterious lake?" asked Miss Briggs. - -"I don't rightly know. I don't know anything about it. I reckon I don't -want to know. Neither would you if you had been up here long and had -heard as much about it as I have. Did you ever hear of the Jones gang?" - -"I reckon we have. We had a little mix-up with them. At least, we -understand that was the outfit," Hippy informed them. - -"Yes, and we drove them off and gave them a good walloping," added -Stacy. - -"Let's hear the yarn," called a cowboy. - -Hippy related the story of the hold-up and of the skirmish that -followed, resulting in the driving off of the train robbers. The cowboys -listened attentively, their expressions showing an increasing respect -for the "tenderfeet" who had dropped in on them for a friendly call. - -"Why should this band of outlaws have reason to interfere with us?" -asked Tom. - -"Why do they bother other folks?" answered Mr. Giddings. "For what they -can get out of it, of course," he said, answering his own question. - -"They will not get much if they hold us up," Grace Harlowe informed -their hosts. - -"No. I reckon that would not likely put you in peril, for the reason -that they are after bigger game, like that treasure on the Red Limited. -There's another thing, though, that might make it equally bad for you -people." - -"What is that, Mr. Giddings?" asked Elfreda. - -"The railroad has had Pinkerton detectives after that gang for a long -time, on account of an express robbery, which makes the gang rather -touchy about strangers being in the mountains." - -"Where does this Jones crowd make its headquarters?" questioned Hippy. - -"That's just the point. Nobody seems to know, but they are supposed to -hang out to the eastward of this place. We have never seen any of them -since I have been on this range, which is going on five years." - -"Then we do not have to bother our heads about them at all," announced -Tom. "We are not going in that direction." - -"You're going to the peak, aren't you?" asked Giddings. - -"Yes," replied Grace. - -"Hm-m-m-m-m! I'll bet I know what you folks are after. You're after -golden trout. You're not the first parties to come up here looking for -those shiny fellows." - -"Eh? What's that?" questioned Hippy, instantly on the alert. - -"Where are they? I'm the boy that is looking for gold," spoke up Stacy. - -"Maybe there ain't any such thing," laughed Giddings. "But they do tell -a story about a prospector coming across a stream up Farewell Gap way, -where the golden trout were as thick as pollywogs in a mud puddle." - -Tom said he had never heard of them. Giddings replied that he reckoned -no one else ever had in reality. - -"They do say," resumed the foreman, "that when the fisherman discovered -those fellows basking in the sun at the bottom of the stream, he sure -thought he had struck it rich. He believed that he had found sure-enough -gold nuggets, but when he went to gather them, the nuggets just up and -dusted." - -"That's the way nuggets usually do," answered Stacy wisely. - -"I hope we find them," said Hippy. "I have a rod and a book of flies -with me." - -"It's enough to give a fellow heart disease, anyway," continued -Giddings. "So, between the Joneses, the lake and the movable nuggets, -you folks have plenty of entertainment ahead of you." - -"There is generally excitement and some trouble where we hang up our -hats," laughed Nora Wingate, "but we manage somehow to get along all -right." - -"I wish you luck, pardner," nodded Mr. Giddings. "I'll have a bunk-house -cleaned out for you folks to-night, so you can sleep indoors," he -offered. - -Thanking him, but declaring that they preferred to sleep in the open, -just as they had been doing for several seasons, the Overlanders made -camp out of doors just beyond the corral. The night was hot and the -flies very thick. The night's rest was not at all satisfying for this -reason, and for the added one that the cowpunchers' ponies in the corral -were restless. Hippy said it indicated that a storm was coming, but -Stacy differed with him. He averred that the ponies were restless for -the same reason that he was--because the flies bit them--and the -Overlanders laughingly agreed that there might be something in the fat -boy's reasoning after all. - -Next morning they were out with the earliest of the punchers. After -breakfast, packs were made up and lashed with firm hitches thrown about -them. Then bidding good-bye to their hosts and shaking hands all around, -the Overland Riders set out for their long journey over the mountains--a -journey that would occupy some weeks and be filled with exciting as well -as enjoyable experiences. - - - - - CHAPTER XIV - - WOO'S EYES ARE KEEN - - -The air was becoming chilly, the Overland Riders now being at an -altitude of nearly eight thousand feet, and still upward bound. - -A week had elapsed since they left the "Lazy J" ranch, and during all -that time they had sighted no game except some grouse that they had shot -at but failed to bring down. Provisions were at a low ebb and all knew -that they were nearly face to face with a serious situation. - -Hippy Wingate was pondering deeply when they pulled up for luncheon one -noon. He was wondering what he was going to give his party for supper, -for Hippy was the official game-hunter of the Overland party, and they -had come to rely on his resourcefulness to provide food for them. Stacy -Brown was even more deeply interested in this matter than was "Uncle -Hip," but for a somewhat different reason. - -"What do we eat to-day?" he asked in a tone that he tried to make sound -light-hearted. - -Some one laughed. - -"Oh, it's not because I'm hungry," hastily explained Chunky. "I just -wanted to know so as not to have to open all the packs unless we are -going to have a spread." - -"Ours is more likely to be a snack than a spread," suggested Grace -laughingly. - -"What is it going to be, Hippy?" questioned Nora. - -"Raisins and hard tack, my dear." - -"You don't mean it?" gasped the fat boy. - -"I reckon that will be about it if I don't see some game to shoot at," -replied Hippy a little soberly. - -"Raisins and hard tack for a man with an appetite like mine," groaned -Stacy. "You might as well feed a bricklayer on angel food and expect him -to smack his lips and pat his stomach with heavenly satisfaction. This -is too much, and too much is enough." - -"If you folks will camp here I will go out and see if I cannot scare up -some game," suggested Hippy. - -"I do not believe you will find anything worth while at this altitude," -said Tom Gray. "It is a condition that I have feared we should meet. -I--" - -"You no savvy game?" interjected the Chinaman. - -"No, Smith," replied Hippy. "We savvy plenty appetite, but we no savvy -anything with which to satisfy it. If I could sight a deer--" - -"Me savvy deer. Me show buck in lelet," cried Woo, gesticulating -excitedly. - -"What kind of heathen talk is that?" wondered Emma. - -"'Buck in lelet!'" mocked Stacy. - -Hippy was eyeing the guide inquiringly, knowing very well that Woo had -something in mind. - -"Buck in lelet," repeated the Chinaman, indicating the horns on a deer's -head, with his hands. - -"I understand," nodded Tom Gray. "What he is trying to say is, 'buck in -velvet.'" - -"Ha, ha! The further they go the worse they are. First it was Emma Dean -whose wheels went wrong; now it is my Uncle Hip and Captain Gray," -jeered Stacy. "Is it the altitude that has gone to _your_ head?" - -"No, it has not," retorted Lieutenant Wingate. "Woo has more sense than -all of us together. At this season of the year the bucks 'carry their -antlers in velvet.'" - -"Oh, pooh! That is a fine fairy tale to feed hungry people with. Folks -back east might swallow it, but not up here among the high and lofty -peaks of the Sierras. Tell me something that I can swallow," laughed -Stacy. - -"Stacy, if you will hold your horses I will try to explain," rebuked -Tom. "At this season of the year the antlers of the bucks are very -tender, and that condition is called 'carrying the antlers in velvet.' -In those circumstances the bucks frequent the high rocky peaks that -their tender horns may not be torn off in contact with tough bushes and -trees. Later on you will find the bucks on the lower ranges. Then, as -the antlers become hard, almost as hard as iron, the bucks take to the -dense thickets." - -Stacy Brown mopped his forehead. - -"Emma, why don't you transmigrate a little? Send a little thought wave -out and see if you can't get in touch with a nice fat buck all dressed -up in velvet," he suggested. - -Emma Dean elevated her nose, but made no reply. She was at that moment -more interested in the guide, who was running his yellow fingers about -his wrists inside the wide sleeves, and chuckling to himself at a -rapid-fire rate. - -"Me savvy! Hi-lee, hi-lo; hi--" - -"What were you going to say?" urged Hippy. - -"You savvy buck in lelet?" - -Lieutenant Wingate shook his head. - -"Me savvy buck." - -"You do? Where?" - -The guide pointed his long, bony finger towards the rocks on the other -side of a narrow pass in the mountains. The mountain there was covered -with brownish grass and some spindling saplings. Lieutenant Wingate -looked until his eyes ached, then turned to Smith. - -"Woo, you must be mistaken," he said. - -The guide took the stick that he used to beat up the trail ahead on his -march each day, laid it across a rock, and, after sighting it, beckoned -to Lieutenant Wingate to look over it. - -"You savvy?" he questioned eagerly. - -"No, I don't, Woo." - -"Mebby you savvy to-mollow," replied the Chinaman disgustedly. - -The Overland Riders snickered, and even Hippy grinned appreciatively. - -"I reckon you are not far from right, Woo. I--" Hippy paused abruptly. -Out of that mass of brown something began to grow into his vision, to -stand out until everything else appeared to have disappeared. - -"You savvy nicee piecee buck?" chuckled the guide. - -Hippy reached a cautious hand behind him. - -"My rifle. Quick!" he whispered. "Woo is right. There lays a fine big -fellow behind that bush over yonder. I don't know whether he sees us or -not. It is a dead sure shot, too. Don't make a sound," urged lieutenant -Wingate as his rifle was cautiously laid in his outstretched hand. - -Placing it across the rock where Woo had laid the stick for him to sight -over, Hippy took careful aim a little below the base of the antlers of -the buck. His automatic rifle belched forth a deafening roar that went -rolling and echoing from peak to peak. - -At the same instant, what appeared to be a dull brown and white ball -leaped into the air and went bounding away in tremendous leaps. Hippy's -rifle went to his shoulder and he fired again, but the shot only served -to hasten the speed of the fine large buck that Woo Smith had -discovered. Hippy had missed a "sure shot" as well as a long shot. - -"Uncle Hip never misses what he shoots at," quoted Emma a little -maliciously. - -"Why don't you use your pea-shooter?" scoffed Stacy. "Dead Shot Hip made -a mess of it that time." - -"He did," admitted Hippy, "and Stacy Brown missed a fine fat meal. Laugh -at me all you like, folks. I deserve it, but I don't understand how I -could miss that shot." - -"Don't wolly till to-mollow," advised the guide wisely. - -"May I look at your rifle?" asked Grace. - -Lieutenant Wingate handed it to her and Grace gave it a critical -inspection, then held it out to Hippy. - -"Look it over carefully. I think you will discover why you missed," she -suggested. - -Hippy intuitively glanced at the sights, and shot a quick look of -inquiry at Chunky, but Chunky's face was woodeny in its lack of -expression. Without another word, Lieutenant Wingate set up a mark, -placed his rifle on the rock, marking its exact position, and, taking -careful aim, fired. The bullet shot under by more than a foot, whereas -it should have shot over the mark, the rifle being originally sighted -for a much longer distance. Several cartridges were expended in -resighting the weapon and adjusting the open sight, which he found had -been changed from its former position. - -"There, now! Show me another deer. I don't believe I shall miss the next -one." - -"You savvy sight no good," chuckled the Chinaman. - -Lieutenant Wingate nodded. - -"Stacy, come here. I would hold converse with thee," he ordered. - -Stacy complied, but with evident reluctance, and, obeying a gesture from -Hippy, seated himself on a slab of granite beside his Uncle Hip. - -"Why did you fool with the sights on my rifle?" demanded Lieutenant -Wingate sharply. - -"I--I--I--" - -"Don't quibble. Whenever you put on a wooden face I know that you have -been up to monkey-shines. Why did you do it?" - -"I--I--I just wanted to get even with you, Uncle Hip," stammered the fat -boy. - -"For what?" - -"You--you pinked my pony with a peashooter and made me come a cropper in -a rose bush. Don't you deny it. You know you did," added Chunky, -adopting his most savage tone. - -Hippy Wingate chuckled. - -"That is it, eh?" - -"Yes." - -"When did you change them--change the open sights?" - -"I did it when you were after water last night." - -"Shake, pard!" cried Hippy, extending an impulsive hand. "We are quits -now, aren't we?" - -"Yes, we are dear friends. We're more than that--we love each other most -to death," declared Stacy fervently. - -"Oh, fiddlesticks!" exclaimed Emma Dean. "You make me weary." - -"But, Stacy, the next time you wish to get even with a fellow, please do -not tamper with his weapons, especially in a country like this," warned -Lieutenant Wingate. "It is a dangerous thing to do. Suppose I had met up -with a cinnamon bear at close range, for instance--what do you think -would have happened?" - -"I reckon there would have been a sprinting match between you and the -cinnamon," observed Stacy in a tone that brought a shout of laughter -from the Overland girls. - -"You are partly right," agreed Hippy laughingly, "but don't do anything -like that again, will you?" - -Stacy promised that he would not, but the probabilities are that he -forgot the promise within five minutes after he had made it, for at that -instant Woo Smith uttered a sudden exclamation that drew the instant -attention of the Overland Riders. - -"Me savvy buck! Me savvy buck in lelet," chuckled the Chinaman -excitedly. - -Hippy was on his feet in an instant. - -"Where, where?" - -"You savvy him white lock?" - -"Yes, I see the white rock. Sure enough; there he is!" - -When the automatic roared a moment later, a brown ball was seen to leap -into the air, but, instead of bounding away, it straightened out and -took a long, curving leap, crashed into the dwarfed bushes, then whipped -over on its back. - -"I got him!" shouted Lieutenant Wingate triumphantly. - -"Great shot!" cried Elfreda Briggs enthusiastically. - -"Hi-lee, hi-lo; hi-lee, hi-lo!" sang the guide, hopping about -delightedly, his queue wriggling in the air with serpent-like movements. -This time no one appeared to be irritated by Woo's singing, for -Lieutenant Wingate's shot meant food in plenty for the Overland Riders. - - - - - CHAPTER XV - - FOLLOWING THE AERIAL TRAIL - - -Shouting and laughing, the entire party raced down the hill and up the -other side to view the result of Lieutenant Wingate's shot. They found -the buck lying dead where it had fallen, with a bullet hole through its -head. - -"Can my Uncle Hip shoot? Well, I reckon he can," declared Stacy -pompously. "Cleverness runs in our family," boasted Stacy. - -"That quality must have exhausted itself before you joined the family," -retorted Emma. - -Stacy admitted that he had lost some of it after becoming a member of -the Overland Riders, which, he said, was undoubtedly due to association -with inferior intellects, to which Emma had no reply to make, other than -characteristically elevating her nose and turning her back on the fat -boy. - -"Come, come," urged Hippy. "Stacy, you and Tom will have to help me -dress this beast if you want meat. It is certain that we shall not -starve today." - -The job of dressing the buck was accomplished clumsily, the Overland -girls being interested spectators and offering frequent suggestions on -the subject, of which they knew nothing. - -That night the Riders enjoyed a great spread. Following it, such of the -meat as they wished to carry with them they spitted on sharp sticks in -the smoke of the camp-fire. This was the beginning of the curing process -required to put the meat in condition to keep, so that they might carry -it along, for the party did not dare trust to the chance of finding -other game farther on, fearing that they again might be caught foodless. -One experience of the kind was enough. - -Lieutenant Wingate and his companions had learned a lesson in -observation from the guide, and Hippy began to understand that a hunter, -when after game, must put out of his mind every object in the landscape -except the particular thing for which he is looking. He tried out that -idea that same day by looking for various objects, one at a time, and -was amazed at the result. Under this method, objects that he had not -before observed at all now stood out with great prominence. Hippy then -recalled what an old hunter, then sniping Germans, had told him in -France: "Let your eyes sweep quickly over the landscape but pay no -attention to the more prominent objects, and you will be amazed at the -quickness with which you will discover that for which you are looking." - -The method worked out just as Hippy's informant had said it would, and -Hippy determined never again to be caught napping. However, his respect -for the guide had increased considerably, and especially for the -keenness of Woo Smith's eyes. - -With all the venison they could carry packed in their kits, the party -set out early on the following morning and soon found themselves on the -brink of another box-canyon, which they reached without mishap, then -made their way up the side of another mountain, and on over a series of -rugged elevations that would tax the sure-footedness of a mountain goat. - -"This up and down progress reminds me of a wild ride that I once had on -a scenic railway at Coney Island," declared Elfreda Briggs as they -finally halted for a rest. Elfreda's face was red from exertion and -excitement, and her hair had become the plaything of the mountain -breezes. - -"Don't wolly till to-mollow," chuckled Stacy. - -"Stacy, you're right," nodded Tom Gray. "But it is now time we were -moving. See that ridge to the right of us?" - -"Surely we do not have to cross that, do we?" begged Emma. - -"Yes. We shall have to ride its entire length in order to reach the high -mountain peak that you see still farther on. Either we must start now or -wait until tomorrow," averred Tom. - -"It never will do to be caught on the top of that ridge in the -darkness," agreed Hippy. - -The ridge referred to lay slightly higher than their present position, -but there was plainly a safe trail leading to it. Orders to move were -given by Hippy. The Overland Riders were quickly in their saddles, and -the party slowly mounted the ridge, but halted as they came to the top -of it. For once the girls experienced a case of "nerves." - -"We never shall be able to ride over this awful trail," cried Elfreda -Briggs. - -"Oh, let's go back," begged Emma. - -"Impossible!" answered Hippy. "This is the trail that we shall have to -follow to reach the high peak of the Sierras." - -"If the horses behave and no one loses her head we ought to be able to -cross safely," averred Grace. - -"My head is swimming already," moaned Nora. - -"Why don't you turn it over and let it float for a few minutes?" -suggested Chunky. - -After directing Woo to proceed on ahead, the journey was resumed, and -the ponies stepped out over the knife-edge top of the ridge. This ridge, -not more than a dozen feet wide along the top, formed a natural bridge -connecting two mountain ranges. Here and there the sides of the ridge -fell away sheer for hundreds of feet, and at others, smooth granite -rocks sloped away to the canyon below. - -Ahead of the Riders, Woo Smith was picking his way unconcernedly, -singing blithely. The girls of the party sought to look equally -unconcerned, but not with very much success, for each one was feeling -the effect of the great height and their peril on the narrow path. Emma -Dean finally slipped from her saddle, and passing the bridle-rein over -one arm, proceeded to pick her way on foot. - -"Cold feet, eh?" scoffed Stacy. - -"No. I'm scared, that's all," replied Emma. "I don't care who knows it, -either." - -Grace glanced at the faces of her companions, and then, at the rapidly -narrowing trail. - -"While I believe that we shall be in less peril on our ponies than on -foot, I suggest that we all walk," she said, dismounting. "With your -feet on the ground you will be less nervous." - -Grace's companions lost no time in following her example, but they -dismounted cautiously. It was a relief to feel the solid ground under -their feet. A laugh further relieved the strain when Hippy Wingate -finally dismounted. The girls teased him unmercifully, though all knew -that a man who had fought the Germans in the clouds was not likely to be -disturbed by great heights. A few moments later Stacy dismounted, but -Tom remained on his pony and appeared to be enjoying the novel -experience of riding along this unusual aerial trail. - -Miss Kitty, the lazy pack-horse, as usual, brought up the rear of the -line and was dragging farther and farther behind. Her actions were -observed with keen interest by the Overlanders, there being no certainty -as to what the white pack mare might or might not do. She proved the -wisdom of their lack of confidence in her when, weaving from side to -side to avoid stepping over projecting rocks or boulders, she stepped -off the trail with one hind foot. - -"Quick, Hippy!" cried Nora excitedly. "She will fall over!" - -Lieutenant Wingate sprang forward and gave the mare a quick slap on her -flank. The mare jumped, then down she fell on her side with hindquarters -hanging partly over the brink, and there she lay groaning dismally, the -picture of misery and fear. The faces of the Overland girls paled, for -each knew that the slightest struggle on the part of the white mare -would send her sliding to the bottom of the canyon fully a thousand feet -below. - - - - - CHAPTER XVI - - GOING TO BED IN THE CLOUDS - - -"Oh, Hippy, you have done it this time!" cried Nora. - -"Keep quiet! Don't frighten her!" cried Grace, snatching the lariat from -her saddle and handing it to Hippy. "Slip the loop over one of her hind -legs, but for goodness sake do not make any sudden moves." - -"Wait! I'll get a derrick," shouted Stacy. - -"Keep quiet!" commanded Tom sternly, at the same time taking a rope from -the pommel of his own saddle and hurrying to Lieutenant Wingate's -assistance. While Grace, was patting the head of the fallen animal, -trying to soothe her, Tom slipped the rope over her neck, Hippy having -dropped the loop over one hind foot. - -"Oh, Tom, you surely will choke Kitty to death if you pull on the neck -rope," warned Grace. - -"Serve her right if I did," growled Tom. "She is a perpetual nuisance. -What next, Lieutenant?" - -"We must haul her up, that's all. Keep your rope taut, but don't put too -much strength on it," directed Hippy, as he began to pull on the rope -about the white mare's hind leg. He failed to budge her. - -"It is the pack," said Elfreda. "Don't you see that Kitty's pack is -pressing right against the rocks?" - -"That's right," agreed Tom Gray. "We must unload the beast before we can -do a thing with her. Confound her!" - -"Now, Tom," admonished Grace Harlowe. - -"Stacy! Get that pack off and be careful about it too," ordered -Lieutenant Wingate. - -Stacy could not manage the pack alone, so Grace and Elfreda assisted him -in removing it. This undertaking, perilous as it was, was accomplished -after more than two hours had been lost through Kitty's clumsiness. It -was then discovered that the white mare had gone lame, but Hippy found -that she had suffered nothing more serious than a bruised hip. - -"We must be on our way," he urged. - -"As it is, we shall not get across this ridge before dark," declared -Elfreda, glancing at the lowering sun. - -"Oh, don't say that," begged Nora. "We must." - -Tom Gray shook his head. - -"To make haste would be dangerous," he warned. - -As soon as the white mare was again in proper shape the party started -ahead, determined to get as far on their way as possible before night, -but darkness was settling over the canyons on either side of them when -Lieutenant Wingate finally called a halt. - -"We must make camp while we can see to do so," he directed. - -"What, here?" cried Emma. - -"It is the best we have," answered Lieutenant Wingate in a doubtful -tone. - -The trail had been steadily narrowing as they proceeded, and ahead of -them it appeared to be almost impassable, at least for horses. It was -decided to stake the ponies down in single file, which the three men -finally succeeded in doing to their satisfaction. It was not an ideal -tethering place, but most of the animals were used to sleeping in -ticklish places, and, in fact, if necessary could sleep standing up. - -Packs were removed and stored in safe places, but Woo, who had been sent -out to locate a spring, returned with the information that he could find -none. This, however, did not disturb the Overlanders, for their bottles -held sufficient water for supper and breakfast, provided they were -economical in its use, so a small cook-fire was built, and in a few -moments the kettle was singing merrily and the odors of coffee and -venison were in the air, to the accompaniment of Woo Smith's "Hi-lee, -hi-lo." It was an unusual supper for the Overland Riders, sitting there -with their food served on an army blanket laid on the ground, with empty -space and sombre canyons on either side of them now filled with inky -blackness. - -While they were eating, Woo gathered stems of bushes and piled them -ready for making a larger fire to light up the camp after supper. - -"I should like to know where we are going to sleep," reminded Nora as -they finished the meal. - -Tom said he would make up their beds very shortly, whereat the -Overlanders laughed, but with not much mirth in their voices. - -"If you don't make haste you won't be able to find beds to make up," -averred Emma. "Don't you see the fog rolling in? We shall soon be -enveloped in it." - -"Fog!" Hippy laughed heartily. "Why, child, that isn't fog--it is -clouds. We are above them, but I think they will rise and take us in. -When it gets a little darker here, you will see a sight that will -interest you." - -Hippy's prediction was fulfilled. The moon rose full at about nine -o'clock that evening, and exclamations of wonder were uttered by the -girls of the party, as its beams lighted up the slowly moving clouds -that now had risen almost level with the top of the ridge itself. Here -and there sharp peaks thrust themselves through the cloud seas, which -were dark and menacing to the eyes of the observers. - -"How beautiful," murmured Elfreda Briggs. - -"It is indeed," breathed Grace. "The scene reminds me of the one that we -looked down upon when we were riding the Old Apache Trail, except that -this is infinitely more beautiful. Hippy, does not this remind you of -France, when you were flying above the clouds?" - -"In a way, yes. Many is the time that I have gone to sleep on a cloud -for a few seconds. Tom, what is our altitude here?" he asked, turning to -his companion. - -"According to my aneroid, about eight thousand feet." - -"We are surely getting up in the world," chuckled Emma. - -"Don't congratulate yourself too soon, Miss Dean. We may be going the -other way before morning," reminded Stacy Brown. "What about starting a -conflagration, Captain Gray?" - -"Woo, stir up the campfire and let's have some light and warmth," -directed Tom. - -"Oh, it is too bad to destroy this wonderful view. If you build a fire -we shan't be able to see the full cloud effect," protested Grace. - -"You will," answered Hippy. "We soon shall be enveloped in clouds, and -we are going to feel the cold, too." - -There was a biting chill in the air already and, to the amazement of the -campers, mosquitoes were numerous and very active. - -Tom, after a survey of their surroundings, said he would make up the -beds, and called to Woo to bring the pick-axe. - -"Make up the beds with a pick?" exclaimed Emma. - -"Yes. By the way, where do we sleep tonight?" asked Miss Briggs in a -slightly worried tone. - -"I will show you," replied Tom, beginning to dig a trench in the thin -layer of soil that covered the ridge. - -"If you can transmigrate a real bed, I wish you would make it two so -that I may have one," called Stacy. - -Tom made no reply, but, after digging the trench, he had the guide and -Hippy place stones on either side of it as an added protection against -rolling out of bed. - -"Stacy, get in here and see if this hole fits your ample proportions," -directed Tom. - -Stacy hesitated. - -"I don't like to be buried so soon after supper," he complained. "Is -this some new game that you are trying to play on me?" - -"Yes. It is a game to keep you from falling out of bed and making a mess -of yourself," replied Tom tersely. - - - - - CHAPTER XVII - - IN THE LAND OF PINK SNOWS - - -"I--I think I should prefer to sleep downstairs," stammered Stacy. - -"If that is the way you feel, you have only to roll over and you will be -downstairs for keeps," promised Lieutenant Wingate. - -"All right, I'll sleep in the hole in the ground, but don't you dare -throw dirt on me," warned Stacy, crawling into the trench and cautiously -disposing of himself to see if his bed fitted. "This isn't even half a -bed, Tom. How am I going to turn over?" - -"Don't," laughed Grace. - -"Yes, please do," urged Emma. - -"Wow!" muttered Chunky sitting up and peering over the edge of his bed -at the cloud-sea rolling slowly along just below the camp. "Wouldn't it -be a terrible catastrophe if I were to be transmigrated out of bed?" - -"That depends upon the point of view," suggested Emma. - -The Overlanders were startled at this juncture by a shout from the -Chinaman, accompanied by a series of bangs. - -"Somebody knocked over the kitchen table!" cried Chunky. - -"Me savvy piecee kettle go 'way," wailed Woo, who, in emptying out some -dishes, had let them fall over the side of the ridge so that the -utensils were then on their way to the bottom of the canyon, a thousand -feet below. - -"He has lost the kettle," groaned Nora. "At this rate we shall soon be -without anything." - -"Except our appetites," finished Chunky. - -"What a tragedy," observed Emma. - -"Don't wolly till to-mollow," advised the guide. "Hi-lee, hi-lo!" -Nothing could disturb the equanimity of Woo Smith for very long, and he -immediately resumed his duties. The loss of a few utensils was not a -thing to be greatly disturbed about--at least he so reasoned the matter -out. - -It was late in the evening when the Overlanders finally got into their -trenches and dropped off to sleep, but their sleep was brief. First, -Stacy had a nightmare and set up such a howling that all hands awakened -in alarm. The next disturbance came when a sudden mountain wind-storm -sprang up. The Overlanders were aroused just in time to see their -campfire lifted into the air and hurled out over the clouds in which the -embers and sparks quickly disappeared. - -"Oh, this is terrible! We shall surely be blown off the ridge," cried -Emma. - -"Lie down in your trenches and let the blooming storm blow itself out!" -shouted Hippy. "No wind-storm up here can harm you so long as you keep -down." - -The girls of the party rather reluctantly lay down again, and found -that, in that position, the wind barely touched them, and, from that -time on, peace reigned in the Overland camp until morning. The morning, -however, brought with it fresh troubles. Every member of the party -awakened shivering. Stacy declared that his feet were frozen, which Emma -asserted was a chronic condition with him. - -The Overlanders dragged themselves from the trenches, shoulders hunched -forward, hands thrust into their pockets, their faces blue and pinched. -The limit of their endurance was reached, however, when the familiar -voice of Woo Smith assailed their ears. - -"Hi-lee, hi-lo! Don't wolly till to-mollow," sang the guide. - -"Smith!" shouted Tom Gray. - -"He--he thi--thi--thinks he's a bird," chattered Stacy. "I hope he tries -to fly." - -"Smith, please cut out the singing and prepare hot coffee as quickly as -possible," directed Tom. - -"Me savvy coffee. Me savvy nicee piecee day. You savvy nicee day?" -bubbled the guide. - -"Oh, let him have his way, Tom," urged Grace laughingly. "We should be -glad that we have such a cheerful guide." - -"Cheerful idiot!" muttered Tom. - -"Yes, Woo. We savvy," called Grace, smiling over at the grinning face of -the Chinaman. "Please make haste with the breakfast, though. Girls, get -up and look out over the wonderful scene before you, and I will -guarantee that you will instantly forget your troubles." - -With shaded eyes, they looked and did, for the moment, forget their -chilled condition. The peaks were now in the full glare of the morning -sun, while down in the canyons day had not yet fully dawned, and the dim -shadows there were gray with the morning mist. - -Another day of hard riding was before them, but before starting out Tom -and Hippy announced that they would try to find a trail up the mountain -that loomed in the sky some distance beyond. Upon reaching the end of -the ridge that formed a natural bridge connecting two mountain ranges, -Tom and Hippy came upon a sharp descent that led down into a broad, open -valley, beyond which lay the mountain they were to climb. - -"This looks promising," nodded Tom, as they jogged down into the valley. - -"It is more than that; it is wonderful," cried Hippy as the two men -found themselves in a field knee-deep with blue lupines that grew there -in profusion. The odor of the flowers was almost overpowering. To the -right and the left of the two explorers were bunches of tuft-grass, here -and there groves of slender lodge-poles, and spindling pines and -junipers. Tom and Hippy paused in admiring silence. It was more -beautiful than anything that they had thought possible in this rugged -country. - -While they were hunting for a possible trail that would lead them up the -mountain, Tom Gray declared that Nature had used this sweetly scented -field for a dumping ground, after having completed the building of the -mountain itself. - -"Yes, and she protected her work mighty well when she erected that -snow-capped peak," answered Hippy. "I know that there _must_ be a way -out of this place to reach that mountain," he added, getting up from a -fall, very red of face, his jaw set stubbornly. - -Despite their persistent efforts to find a trail out of the valley of -the lupines, it was noon before they did discover a possible way out for -their party. After marking it by tying a handkerchief to the bent-over -top of a spindling pine, they started back to join their companions. The -Overland party had some time since saddled and bridled their ponies and -were ready to move when Tom and Hippy returned to them, and all were on -their way soon after the arrival of the two men. - -"You are going to see something that will gladden your heart, Brown -Eyes," declared Hippy as they started on. It was late in the afternoon -when they finally rode into the valley below. The blue lupines, the -grass, the pines and the junipers there presented a scene that brought -cries of delighted amazement from the Overland girls. - -"Oh, look at the pink ice cream!" cried Emma, pointing to the towering -mountain which they were to try to climb. - -"Why, Tom, we didn't notice that coloring on the snow up there this -morning," exclaimed Lieutenant Wingate. "It must be a cloud reflection." -Tom Gray nodded and said that the pink shade probably would soon -disappear. - -"We must camp in the midst of these flowers," cried Grace Harlowe. "It -is finer than any place we have yet seen in these mountains." - -"I agree with you," answered Elfreda. "It gives me fresh courage to go -on. Why, Grace, I feel as if I could vault a six-foot fence." - -"Suppose you try to jump over the white mare," suggested Grace, -laughingly. "This high altitude has gone to my head, too." - -"No, thank you. I think that it might be best for a person of my years -to keep her feet on the ground," laughed Elfreda. "But the effect, as -well as the view here, is wonderful. I do not believe there is anything -like it anywhere else in the world." - -Camp was promptly made amid the flowers. Soon thereafter the clouds on -the horizon rolled down behind the mountains as the sun sank out of -sight, but as long as light remained on the mountain tops, the wonderful -pink tint clung to the everlasting snows on the pinnacles, and the -mosquitoes increased in numbers and ferociousness. - -"The higher we go the worse they get," complained Stacy Brown. "Isn't it -queer how that pink tint hangs on?" - -"Say, girls," bubbled Emma Dean, "what if it should prove to be ice -cream in reality?" - -"In that event I know someone who never would go home," laughed Nora. - -"Two someones," reflected Stacy, with a far-away, longing look in his -eyes. - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII - - AT THE "TOP OF THE WORLD" - - -The morning dawned with the sky a molten green and gold. The mountain -peak and the high ridges were a beautiful pink, and below them lay the -green and blue of the meadow like a velvet carpet. - -"Wonderful!" breathed the girls in chorus. - -"Could anything be more beautiful?" murmured Grace. - -"This is worth all the hardships we have endured," declared Elfreda. - -The Overlanders continued to admire the scene until breakfast was ready. -Immediately after the meal the journey was resumed, each one eager to -reach the pink snows above that held so great a fascination for all. -They came to the snow line late in the day. The ponies were left in -charge of Woo Smith to remain until the party returned from the high -peak of the Sierras, which was now their immediate objective. - -Now that they were close to it, they discovered that the snow really was -pink. No one seemed able to explain this mystery until Tom announced it -as his opinion that the pink shade was due to a tiny bright red flower -whose petals were found imbedded in the snow. Stacy scooped up a handful -of snow and tasted it, and then made a wry face. - -"It tastes like turpentine," he declared. - -The Overland Riders danced and capered about in the snow like school -children, and tried to snowball each other, but found the snow so -crumbly that it could not be rolled into balls. This they overcame by -wetting handfuls of snow from their canteens, and then, ere they even -thought of making camp, they had a merry snowballing battle thousands of -feet above sea level. They battled until their breaths gave out in the -rarefied air--threw snowballs at each other until almost exhausted. - -"Never mind. Don't wolly till to-mollow," comforted Stacy Brown. - -With the coming of night a chill settled over the mountain, beside which -the previous nights were almost sultry, and a damp, gray cloud hid the -lower reaches of the peaks like a great gray blanket. The Overlanders -were glad that they were above rather than below that cloud, and they -hugged their cook fire, though it was far from being a roaring one, for -they did not have fuel to waste. - -Tom Gray, who, before the evening was far advanced, went out to examine -the strange twisted little trees that grew here and there, discovered -that they were full of pitch. He said nothing to his companions, but, -moving back a little distance from the camp, he tested one with a match. -The trunk of the twisted tree flared instantly. He put out the blaze -with snow and returned to camp. - -"How would you folks like a real camp-fire?" he asked. - -"There ain't no such thing," mocked Emma. - -Grace gazed at her husband inquiringly, knowing quite well that Tom had -some plan for a fire in mind. - -"The easiest thing in the world, my dear friends," chuckled Tom. "All -that is needed to make a regular conflagration is the know-how." Tom -struck a match against the trunk of a small scrubby tree against which -he was standing, and held the match close to the trunk until he felt the -heat, then sprang away from it. The tree blazed up gloriously. - -"I did it with my magic wand!" he cried, waving his arms dramatically. - -Exclamations of wonder greeted the achievement, and the Overlanders -gathered about the blaze, holding out their hands to catch some of the -warmth. - -"Me savvy nicee piecee fire," observed Chunky solemnly. - -"However did you do it, Tom?" wondered Nora. - -"The tree is filled with pitch," answered Tom Gray. "When we get ready -to turn in we will light another one. I don't suppose we shall get any -warmth from it, but we can hear it crackle, which will be some comfort." - -That night the Overlanders made their beds under an overhanging rock -where there was no snow, and were lulled to sleep by another of Tom -Gray's burning trees. They awakened in the morning again stiff with -cold, but half an hour after sunrise they had fully recovered their -spirits and were making preparations for the long hard hike ahead of -them. - -Each of the men carried a pack on his back, leaving the girls to carry -such provisions as they thought would be needed. Even the rifles had -been left behind with Woo, the mountain climbers carrying no arms but -their revolvers. Ropes, an axe and a shovel were included in the -equipment and they finally set out for what Elfreda Briggs characterized -as "The Top of the World." - -The peak of the great mountain was reached late in the afternoon, with -all hands well tired out. They found the summit of the peak strewn with -huge granite slabs, from some of which the snow had been blown away in -spots, forming little scooped-out cups in the pink mantle. - -"Well, now that we have enjoyed this punk view, suppose we get down to -some place where we can make camp and sleep," suggested Stacy. - -"This is where we are to sleep to-night," answered Tom. - -"What! Here?" gasped Stacy. - -"Yes. Did we not come up here for that purpose?" - -Stacy shivered, and glanced down over the glittering snow field, then -shivered some more, but made no further comment. - -"This will be the first time that I ever slept in a snow bank, and I -trust it may be the last," observed Emma resignedly. "Last night we -found a nice dry spot for our beds, but up here--Br-r-r-r!" - -"You will be as comfortable as though you were in your own bed at home," -promised Grace. - -"I wish to goodness I had your imagination," grumbled Chunky. "It must -be beautiful to be able to dream things the way you do." - -No fuel for a fire had been brought along on this last leg of the climb -above timber line, so supper was a cold meal. Everyone felt so miserable -after supper that the Overlanders with one accord began preparing to -roll up in their blankets for the night. Hippy had already dug trenches -in the snow for the party to sleep in, so they might be out of the wind. -The girls talked chatteringly of everything they could think of, to -assist them in forgetting their misery, then crawled into their trenches -and tightly rolled themselves up in their blankets. - -"This is the first time I ever went to bed with my boots on," complained -Elfreda. "Should I live until morning I surely shall have something to -brag about." - -"Why, girls, this is an ideal summer resort," laughingly chided Grace. - -The response was a chorus of dismal groans. For a few moments after that -the Overlanders lay gazing up at the bright stars, then a gradual warmth -overspread their shivering bodies, and one by one they dropped off to -sleep, now nearly thirteen thousand feet above sea level. - - - - - CHAPTER XIX - - BOWLING IN NATURE'S ALLEY - - -Contrary to expectations the Overland Riders slept soundly all through -the night, but the moment they crawled from under their blankets in the -morning, they began to shiver. - -"Come on! Take a run with me," urged Tom. - -"Please go away and let me die," moaned Emma. - -"We must have exercise to start our blood circulating," reminded Hippy. - -"I don't want exercise. I want something to warm me up on the inside," -protested Stacy. - -Grace and Elfreda, holding hands, were already dancing about in -grotesque fashion, taking long draughts of air into their lungs, the -color rising to their faces as the circulation of their blood responded -to their lively movements. - -"Never mind, folks," comforted Hippy. "If you will all take a lively -sprint, then a snow-wash, I will give you something that will please you -and fix you up in great shape." - -"I shall be past all human help long before that," answered Emma. - -"Why don't you transmigrate yourself to a warmer clime for an hour or -so?" suggested Stacy. - -Tom Gray nodded to Hippy, whereupon Lieutenant Wingate took from his -pack a tiny alcohol stove, which he filled from a small bottle and -lighted. Over the stove he placed a coffee pot full of white snow dug -from underneath the crust where it was not tainted with what Stacy had -been pleased to characterize as a "turpentine taste." As the snow melted -in the coffee pot, more snow was added until there was sufficient for -their use. The Overlanders, quickly discovering that something unusual -was going on, ran to the coffee-maker. - -"Wha--at's this?" demanded Elfreda. - -"An alcohol stove--a hot cup of coffee for each in a few moments," -chuckled Lieutenant Wingate. - -"Hippy Wingate, did you have that last night?" demanded Emma. - -"Yes." - -"And you let us suffer with cold and eat a coffeeless supper?" rebuked -Nora Wingate. - -"You lived through it. Why kick, now that you are about to have a warm -drink?" - -"We ought to throw you off the mountain," declared Grace. - -"Don't do it till he gets the coffee ready," urged Stacy. - -"The reason that I did not use the alcohol kit last night was that I had -only enough alcohol to burn the stove for one meal," explained Hippy. "I -knew that you would be in more urgent need of coffee in the morning than -you were last night." - -"I withdraw my suggestion that we throw you over," laughed Grace. - -"Are you ready?" called Lieutenant Wingate. "The coffee is." - -"Are we ready? Just watch us," cried Emma Dean. - -Each had an individual cup, and Hippy passed lumps of sugar to them from -his own kit. They had no milk, but there was no complaint, for the -Overlanders were glad enough to get the coffee black. This, with some -biscuit and cold venison, comprised the meal, but they declared -unanimously that they had never had a more appetizing breakfast. - -"I have decided," announced Stacy finally, "not to be a party to the -plan to throw Uncle Hip overboard--at least not to-day. Good-morning, -Sun! Welcome to our happy home," he added, bowing to the rising sun. - -Tom called attention to two birds circling over them, which he said were -jays looking for crumbs, whereupon the girls broke up pieces of hard -tack and sprinkled them over the ground a few yards from the camp. The -jays swooped down on the crumbs, chattering and scolding. Grace then -suggested that, having reached the "top of the world," they resume their -journey and explore the lower ridges, taking the whole day for their -return to camp. The first quarter of a mile down was a slide rather than -a walk, but the Overlanders made merry over their frequent mishaps, -finally reaching a long granite slope on the south side of the mountain -where there was little snow. There, the sun's rays blazed down all day -long, and there many sparkling streams had their origin. - -About them the ground was strewn with boulders from the size of a man's -head up to great spheres of flint-like stone, many as round and -glistening as though they had been turned and polished by man. - -"Oh, look at the beautiful lake!" cried Nora enthusiastically, pointing -to a body of water in the valley far below them. "What is it?" - -"It doesn't appear on my map. I don't know what it is," answered Tom. - -"Perhaps it is the Aerial Lake that we have been warned against," -suggested Grace. - -"I was thinking of that myself," nodded Tom. "There are trees growing in -the lake, but what are those glistening objects farther out?" - -"Rocks," replied Grace, after focusing her binoculars on the shining -marks. - -"I wonder if I can hit one of them," said Stacy, picking up a round -stone which he sent rolling down the smooth granite slope. The stone -shot over a broad, shelving rock, leaped far out into the air, then, -after what seemed an interminable time, splashed into the lake. The -Overlanders saw a tiny spurt of water as the stone struck the surface of -the lake. - -"Folks, I've got an idea. Greatest thing you ever heard of, too," cried -Hippy. - -"Throw it over the cliff," suggested Emma. "The very best possible use -to which you can put your ideas." - -"That is exactly what I am going to do, my dear Emma. Just watch my -smoke." - -The Overland Riders were puzzled to know what Hippy had in mind. First, -he cut several tough lodge poles, then selecting a boulder half as high -as himself, Hippy easily pried it from its resting place with a pole and -started it down the slope. The boulder soon began to roll, gaining -momentum with the seconds, striking fire as now and then it came into -contact with sharp projections of rock. - -The boulder finally hit the shelving slabs of granite at the edge of the -cliff with a mighty crash and leaped out into the air. The party watched -its projectile-like flight with fascinated gaze. - -Then came the splash into the lake. The Overlanders did not hear the -splash but they saw the water spurt up into the air like a miniature -geyser, and fall in a silver shower over a wide area. - -"Hurrah!" shouted Stacy, tossing his hat into the air. - -Tom Gray was excited, and so were his companions. Stacy Brown was -already prying at a boulder with a pole, while Hippy had run to another -one and was digging an opening into which to insert his lever, using a -flat stone for a fulcrum. Many of the boulders lay resting on the slope -and thus were easily thrown out of balance. - -"Wait!" cried Elfreda. "We will have a game of bowling." - -"Yes, and the highest one that was ever played," exclaimed Grace. - -"And I'll be Rip Van Winkle. Show me a soft place to lie down and -sleep," cried Stacy. - -"Where are the ninepins?" demanded Emma. "One cannot bowl without having -something to bowl at." - -"Use the trees down yonder in the lake," suggested Hippy. "The one who -makes the first score will be free of camp duties for the next -twenty-four hours." - -"I won't play," declared Chunky. "I know you want to work some sharp -game on me." - -"And the one who makes no score at all must do the work for all those -who do make scores," added Elfreda laughingly. - -The fat boy sat down stubbornly. - -"Go on with your game," he said. - -"What's the matter? Don't you want to play, Honey?" asked Nora. - -"No. I'm going to be the umpire," answered Stacy. - -"As you please," laughed Hippy. "You will have to do the chores anyway. -Folks, I am going to try to hit the third tree to the left of that group -of rocks near the middle of the lake. Now watch me." - -Hippy started a rock, which he had selected with great care. It boomed -over the ledge, observed in breathless silence by the spectators, then -hurtled far out over the lake, finally smashing into the blue waters, -throwing spray high in the air. - -"A miss!" shouted the Overlanders. - -"He missed it by half a mile," jeered the umpire. "Why don't you change -your sights? You are shooting over the mark." - -[Illustration: "It's a Hit!"] - -Tom took the next try. He balanced his rock, after having pried it -loose, and made it ready for the fall, and sent it crashing along on its -way. As nearly as the eye could measure, Tom's boulder fell some twenty -rods to the right of the tree aimed at. Tom then made ready a boulder -for Grace. She failed to hit the lake, and derisive howls greeted her -effort. Elfreda and Nora did a little better than that. Both hit the -lake, but nowhere near the mark they had aimed at. - -Stacy got up slowly and yawned. - -"You folks make me tired. You ought to go to night school and learn how -to roll stones. Why, even our little transmigrating Emma could beat you -sharps at throwing stones. Emma, will you roll if I fix a boulder for -you?" questioned Stacy. - -"Yes, if you promise not to play tricks on me." - -Stacy winked at Emma and nodded sideways to the others, as indicating -that the trick was to be played on them, then snatching up his pole he -ran to a boulder that he had some time since selected for his own. - -After prying the rock into proper position, squinting and sighting and -surveying the rock from all sides, he nodded to Emma and offered the -pole to her. - -"Take it easy. If you can't move the rock I'll lend you a hand," -whispered Stacy. - -"Ladies and gentlemen, you are now about to witness one of Emma Dean's -most notable transmigration feats. Keep your eyes on the performer and -you will see that she has nothing up her sleeve--nor under her hat," -announced Hippy Wingate. - -"Tip it over!" commanded Stacy, throwing his weight on the pole with -Emma. "Watch the two twin-trees down there, but look sharply or you -won't see them when they disappear from the face of the earth," he -warned, strolling back towards his companions. - -Emma's boulder, not being quite round, moved very slowly at first, and -once it threatened to stop altogether and go no further, but finally, -gaining new impetus, it started savagely on its way to the ledge, where -it did a clumsy hop into the air, then dived for the lake. - -"It is going to hit the lake!" cried Grace. - -"What did you think we were trying to hit?" demanded Stacy. "If it is a -hit--if little Emma makes a killing, I did it. If she misses, she did -it." - -"It's a hit!" yelled Lieutenant Wingate. - -"You don't say?" wondered Stacy, turning quickly, the most amazed member -of the Overland party. - -Cheers greeted the achievement as two trees standing side by side in the -lake disappeared as if by magic. Stacy threw out his chest and paraded -back and forth with folded arms, an expression of dignified superiority -on his face. - -"I don't have to work for a whole week," observed Stacy. - -"Oh, yes you do," answered Elfreda. "You know you weren't in the -game--you are only the umpire. Further, Emma won the roll, and will have -a vacation until to-morrow afternoon." - -"There goes my Hippy's roll!" cried Nora, and for the moment attention -was centered on Lieutenant Wingate's rolling boulder. It made a clean -hit, knocking down a tree close to the water. - -"The racket must be terrific down there," said Grace. "Hippy, you surely -raised a disturbance with that last shot." - -Tom tried once more and sent a boulder into the lake. The Overlanders -plainly heard the impact, and could see a shower of broken rock being -distributed over the surface of the lake. - -Suddenly a new sound smote the ears of the Overland Riders, a familiar -sound that they had heard many times in France and on their journeys in -their own land. - -"What's that?" demanded Stacy. - -"That?" answered Hippy. "Why, that is a butterfly lullaby. You surely -ought to know that sound by this time." - -"_Woo, woo, woo!_" was the sound that smote their ears again. - -"Down, all of you! We're under fire!" shouted Tom Gray. - - - - - CHAPTER XX - - LEAD AND MYSTERY IN THE AIR - - -"Are--are we attacked?" wailed Emma Dean. - -"Bullets are coming from somewhere, that is certain," answered Hippy, -raising his head from the ground on which he, as well as his companions, -had thrown themselves at the first shot. - -Following the last two shots, the reports of rifles were distinctly -heard by each member of the party, and each pair of eyes was straining -to locate the source of the shooting. - -"Oh, it must be a mistake," cried Emma. - -"That doesn't help us any," replied Tom Gray. "But I do wish we had our -rifles." - -"Don't wolly till to-mollow," advised Stacy. - -Hippy raised himself to a sitting position and waved his handkerchief. - -"_Woo, woo, woo!--Bang!_" - -Hippy threw himself over backwards, his feet kicking up into the air, -his attitude being so funny that the Overlanders laughed heartily. Their -laughter, however, quickly subsided, when they recalled that the last -shot had passed very close to them. - -Tom Gray had been listening to the whistle of the bullets and to the -reports that followed, and the result of his listening and looking was -the conclusion that the shooters were getting the range, and that, -undoubtedly, smokeless powder was being used. - -"I don't care whether they see me or not," exclaimed Hippy, getting to -his feet, but no sooner had he done so than a bullet whistled so close -to him that, as he declared later, he felt the hot breath of it on his -cheek. - -"Did you see that?" he cried, throwing himself on the ground. - -"No. I didn't see it. I may have sharp eyes, but they aren't sharp -enough to see a bullet on the wing," retorted Stacy. - -"What I cannot understand is, why they are shooting at us," wondered -Elfreda. - -"Perhaps they think we have been throwing stones at them," suggested -Emma. - -"Rolling stones gather no moss," interjected Stacy. "Possibly, however, -our rolling stones came near gathering in some parties down in the -valley, and they are retaliating by shooting at us." - -"Girls! Let's get out of here," cried Grace, springing up. "I am weary -of hiding." - -"Get down!" shouted several voices. - -Grace gave no heed to the command, nor to the bullet that sang over her -head, but when one barely grazed her cheek, she decided that she was -quite ready to join her companions on the ground again. - -"Are we going to lie here all day and let those ruffians shoot at us?" -demanded Emma. - -"The only other alternative is to crawl away," answered Tom. - -"Crawl where?" questioned Grace. - -"To that ridge to the right of us." - -"I'm blest if I do!" retorted Hippy, getting up and walking deliberately -towards the rocks indicated by Tom Gray. - -The others, with the exception of Stacy Brown, not to be outdone in -courage by Lieutenant Wingate, got up and followed him, not hurriedly, -but walking slowly, keeping some distance between them, and in this way -finally reaching the ridge and safety. Several shots were fired at them -on the way, but all went wide of the mark. - -"Where is Stacy? Quick! Maybe he has been hit," urged Nora almost -hysterically. - -Grace sprang back and peered around the corner of the rocks. - -"Oh, girls! Look at him, will you?" she cried. - -Leaning as far out from the rocks as they dared, the Overlanders -discovered the missing Chunky. He was flat on the ground on his stomach, -wriggling along in a fair imitation of a serpent. - -"Get up and walk, you tenderfoot!" laughed Hippy. "What are you afraid -of?" - -"Nothing. I just happened to think how, when I was a baby, I used to -creep to the pantry to pick up crumbs, so I thought I'd see if I had -forgotten how," answered Stacy. - -"You are a fine hero, aren't you?" observed Emma sarcastically, when -Stacy, having finally reached the protection of the rocks, got up and -brushed the dirt from his clothes. - -"No. All the heroes are dead. I don't want to be a hero. What's the news -from the front?" - -"Impossible!" muttered Tom, laughing in spite of himself. Tom had been -pondering, wondering, trying to account satisfactorily to himself for -this attempt on their lives. - -"What do you make of it?" asked Elfreda, nodding at him. - -"It may have been accidental," he replied. - -Grace shook her head. - -"No, they were shooting at us," declared Hippy. - -"I have been wondering, thinking about what Mr. Giddings told us at the -'Lazy J' ranch," said Miss Briggs. "You remember what he said about the -mysterious Aerial Lake, don't you?" - -"It is my opinion that we have been bombarding that very same lake," -declared Grace. "That, however, does not explain the shots." - -"Perhaps not," returned Elfreda, "but it does go a long way towards -proving that there is something in what the foreman of the 'Lazy J' told -us. I, for one, am in favor of giving that lake a wide berth." - -"No, no," protested Hippy and Grace. "Let's find out what the mystery -is," added Grace. - -"I'll stay back and watch the horses while you are gone," offered Stacy. - -"Back to camp for us, now. To-morrow we shall decide what is best to be -done," advised Tom. - -Having reached the safe side of the mountain, the party took a direct -course for their camp, which was located close to what they had named -"Bear Mountain," because its top strongly resembled an ambling bear. -They found pretty rough going until they reached a point about a mile -from the camp, and there Tom suggested that they move more cautiously, -and not blunder into camp, not knowing what they might find there. - -They had approached within sight of their camp when Hippy halted and -beckoned his companions to him. - -"What is it?" questioned Tom. - -For answer, Hippy pointed to a jutting rock which they knew lay just -back of the camp itself. There, outlined on the rock, was a figure. It -did not require very keen eyes to recognize the figure, even at that -distance. - -"Woo! Thank goodness," exclaimed Miss Briggs. - -"I'll give him a yell," volunteered Stacy. - -"No, no!" protested Grace. There was that in the attitude of the -Chinaman that appealed to Grace's bump of caution. "Wait until he sees -us," she counseled. "Trust Woo to shout, unless there be good reason why -he should not." - -The party moved on cautiously, thus far well screened by foliage, but -the instant they appeared in the open, the guide saw them and began -excitedly waving his arms. - -"Do you see?" nodded Grace. - -"He does seem to be excited about something," agreed Tom. - -"If there is likely to be trouble, perhaps I had better fall back as -sort of reserve," suggested Stacy. "In case of trouble it is a wise plan -to have reserves, you know." - -No one paid the slightest attention to Stacy's suggestion, nor did they -increase their pace, not wishing to show that they shared the excitement -of the guide, though there was a suspicion in their minds as to the -cause of that excitement. - -As they drew nearer, Woo Smith clambered down from his perch and trotted -out to meet them. His face expressed neither pleasure nor alarm. - -"Good-afternoon, Mr. Smith," greeted Emma with dignity. - -"Are the ponies all safe?" smiled Grace. - -"Him velly good." - -"Then what are you stewing about?" blurted out Stacy Brown. - -"Anything wrong, Smith?" asked Tom Gray anxiously. - -"Les. Bang, bang!" - -"You mean bing, bing, don't you?" cut in Stacy. - -"Me savvy bang, bang!" returned the guide. - -"Oh, let it go at that," urged Hippy. "It doesn't make much difference -either way, whether it is 'bang, bang' or 'bing, bing'!" - -"Me savvy boom, boom, too," added Woo. - -"No, no. You mean bang, bang!" insisted Chunky. - -"For goodness sake, give the poor fellow a chance," begged Elfreda -laughingly. "You will get him so befuddled that he will not know what he -means. Woo, what _is_ the trouble? Have you seen strangers about?" - -The guide's queue bobbed vigorously, as he pointed to a ridge on the -other side of the canyon. - -"Me savvy man there. Me savvy boom, boom! Bang, bang!" - -Grace's face lighted up. - -"We understand, Woo. You heard guns and you saw a man over there," she -nodded. "Did the man see you?" - -The Chinaman shook his head. - -"Do you think he discovered the camp?" asked Tom Gray. - -Woo shook his head again. - -"He heard the boom of our bowling game and the shots following. That -seems quite clear, but there appears to be no reason why we should be -excited about it," said Lieutenant Wingate. - -Grace said she did not agree with him. - -"What the guide says, indicates to me that the stranger was not only -seeking to wing us, but that he was looking for our camp. Was that all -you saw, Woo?" - -"No. Me savvy woman." - -"What's that?" demanded Hippy sharply. - -The Overlanders' interest was aroused anew. - -"Me savvy woman. Woman come close and peek. Woman see camp, then go -'way. Br-r-r! Big piecee woman make ugly face!" - -"Discovered!" exclaimed Hippy Wingate dramatically. - - - - - CHAPTER XXI - - THE FACE IN THE WATERS - - -"A woman!" breathed Miss Briggs. - -"You must be mistaken," differed Nora. - -"What did she look like?" questioned Grace. - -"Me savvy no good," answered Woo with an emphasis that drew a laugh from -the Overland Riders. - -"How strange," murmured Emma. "What could a woman be doing in this awful -country?" - -"Perhaps she lives here," suggested Elfreda. "I should not be surprised -at anything in the High Sierras." - -"Show me where she was when you saw her," requested Tom Gray. - -Woo led him to a huge boulder, about a hundred yards from the camp. - -"Me savvy piecee woman peek ovel locks," said the guide. - -"A woman peeked over the rocks there. Is that it?" asked Elfreda, the -entire party having followed Woo out to the scene of his discovery. - -"Les." - -"What did she do then?" persisted Tom. - -"Him go 'way plenty quick." - -Grace and Hippy hurried forward and began examining the ground, but -found no trace, no footprints, nothing that would indicate that a person -had been there. - -"Woo, it is my opinion that you went to sleep and had nightmare," -declared Hippy laughingly. "No one has been here. See! She would have -left footprints at least." - -"Piecee woman go 'way," insisted Woo. - -"Don't wolly till to-mollow," imitated Stacy Brown. "Woo, got anything -loose about the house? I've been living on pink snow for so long that I -feel like a snowbird in distress. Food is what my system demands." - -"A bird, did you say?" questioned Emma. "I agree with you that you are -something of a bird, but not of the snowbird species." - -Grace was the only one of the party who believed that their guide really -had seen a human being spying on the camp. The others, after some -discussion, dismissed the matter from mind, and devoted their attention -to the supper which Woo had prepared and served. A much more comfortable -night was spent in this lower altitude, and, with the rising of the sun, -the Overlanders prepared to resume their journey. - -The party was still at a considerable elevation above the lake, which -had sunk out of sight as if it had never existed, due to the fact that -huge granite shelves intervened between them and the mysterious water. -They judged that the lake must lie at an elevation of close to eight -thousand feet above sea level. - -"I smell something," exclaimed Hippy as they were dismounting for -luncheon and a rest that day. - -"So do I," agreed Stacy Brown. "Someone is baking bread and using salt -yeast. Lead me to it, quick!" - -"What you smell is a dead campfire," Tom Gray informed the fat boy. -"Unless I am greatly mistaken, the fire has not been out long, either. -Come on, folks, help me to find it. It may give us some information that -we need." - -By proceeding against the gentle breeze that was blowing they were -enabled, after considerable searching about, to locate the dead -campfire. - -"Here it is!" cried Tom, scraping aside a cover of leaves and grass that -had been spread over the ashes to hide the tell-tale evidence. "See! The -embers have been kicked aside and water poured over them. It is the -water poured on the fire that produces the strong odor that we smell." - -"How long ago was that done, do you think?" asked Hippy. - -"Several hours ago, I should say." - -Hippy made a circuit of the camp site that they had come upon, and -returning, announced that he had made a further discovery--the spot at -which horses had been turned loose. - -"There appears to have been four of them, though I cannot be positive -about that," he said. "I merely saw the footprints of four animals as -they started on their way northward." - -"But suppose they are looking for us?" exclaimed Miss Briggs. "If they -are headed north they are headed towards the place where we were fired -upon, are they not?" - -"Oh, don't worry," laughed Hippy. "They have a nice, long, rough journey -ahead of them. We seem to have missed each other very cleverly. However, -they may be nothing more than an exploring party, and we have been so -stirred up over what we have heard of the High Country that every little -thing takes on an importance that doesn't belong to it." - -"I wish I could make a long speech like that and get away with it," -observed Stacy admiringly. - -"Young man, you say altogether too much as it is," retorted Tom Gray. "I -think that perhaps it might be well for us to take an inventory of our -surroundings, as well as of what lies immediately ahead of us, before we -start out," he added. - -Hippy volunteered to do a little scouting, and Grace said she would -accompany him, as anything of that sort appealed to her, so they set out -together, but soon separated and took different courses. - -Grace first of all sought a high point from which she obtained a very -good view of the surrounding country, but saw nothing of a disturbing -nature. A deer stood outlined on a shelf of rock a few hundred feet -above and to the south of her; a bear ambled across an open space, -zigzagging his way down. Bears do not like to go straight down a hill or -mountain-side. The fact that their front legs are shorter than the hind -legs makes going straight down a steep incline difficult, so, unless -pursued, they ordinarily follow the switchback principle, zigzagging -along until they reach the bottom. - -The Overland girl watched the ambling beast with interest until it -finally disappeared. She had no doubt that it was descending to the -valley in search of food, lured there, perhaps, by the scent of an -abandoned camp. Except for these two animals, she was unable to discover -any sign of life, nor was there a wisp of smoke within her vision that -might indicate the presence of human beings. - -While Grace was making a general observation of the landscape, -Lieutenant Wingate was endeavoring to follow the trail of the unknown -horsemen to determine, as definitely as possible, the direction that -they had taken. Their trail, which he followed for nearly a mile, still -continued towards the peak, and it was his belief that that was their -destination, or at least some other near-by point where they might hope -to meet up with the Overland party. - -Hippy pondered over this, and found himself wondering what the motive of -the horsemen might be. Still pondering, he began retracing his steps to -meet Grace at a point decided upon before they started away on separate -trails. - -Lieutenant Wingate was cautiously making his way through a thick growth -of bushes, watching his step and listening for the familiar whirring -warning of a rattler, when a sudden interruption occurred, an -interruption that caused Hippy to throw himself on the ground, and lie -still. - -The interruption was a bullet, a bullet that clipped his hat, nipping a -piece out of the brim, and giving the Overlander a scare. At first he -thought the shot might have been fired by one of his own party, and was -about to call out a warning, but changed his mind and began wriggling -away from the scene. He had, by this time, forgotten all about the snake -peril, his one burning desire being to get as far away from that -locality as possible in the shortest possible time. - -Hippy found it slow going, because he twisted and turned so much, -following as crooked a trail as he could lay out for himself, for the -purpose of confusing the author of that shot, should the fellow decide -to follow him. - -Suddenly Hippy thought of Grace. She, too, might be in peril. His first -inclination was to get up and run to their rendezvous, but upon second -thought he came to the conclusion that it would be wiser to make an -effort to discover the one who had shot at him. With this in view, -Lieutenant Wingate began making a detour with the intention of coming up -behind the shooter, Hippy having a good general idea of the position -occupied by the man at the time the shot was fired. - -All his efforts came to naught. He had spent nearly an hour in stalking -his man before he realized that he was wasting time. - -While he was engaged in his quest Grace had sat listening. She had heard -the shot, and reasoned that it had been fired from somewhere in Hippy's -direction. There being no answering shot, however, she forced herself to -believe that her companion had shot at a snake, and decided to proceed -on to the place where they were to meet before returning to camp. - -Grace took a different route to reach the spot, and this route took her -near a swiftly moving stream of water that flowed down into the lake. -The stream was wide where she came upon it, and to find a suitable -fording place the Overland girl continued on further up-stream. Her way -led her under an overhang of granite rocks several feet higher than her -head. Beneath her was a pool, deeper than the stream below, and in the -pool she saw fish darting. The pool seemed to be fairly alive with them. - -Grace's mind instantly turned to what the foreman of the "Lazy J" ranch -had said about the golden trout in the High Sierras. - -"Oh, wouldn't it be wonderful if I had discovered a pool of those live -nuggets!" she cried, throwing herself down and gazing into the pool, on -which the sunlight shone, mirroring her own face and the rocks behind -her on its surface. - -"They aren't golden trout at all; they are mountain trout, and oh, what -beauties! I must tell Hippy and have him get a mess for us. I reckon -that golden trout story is a myth. However, golden or speckled beauties, -it is all the same to the Overlanders. A mess of fish is what they need. -I--" - -The Overland girl paused suddenly. The smile on the face she saw in the -water faded and a catch interrupted her breath. - -"Wha--at is it?" she gasped. - -In the water, beside her own, another face was reflected. It was the -face of a woman. At first, Grace believed that some trick of nature was -showing her a double of her own face, distorted and unrecognizable, but -she instantly realized that this could not be possible. The face that -she was looking down into on the surface of the pool was as hideous a -countenance as she had ever gazed upon, scarred, distorted and crowned -by a head of matted hair that bristled at its top and hung in tangled -skeins over the ears. The face was all that she could see. - -For an instant the eyes of the girl and the woman above her seemed to -meet on the face of the waters. - -Grace whirled and sprang up, revolver in hand, for there was menace in -the eyes that she had been looking into. - -Quick as the Overland girl was, Grace Harlowe found herself gazing up at -a barren shelf of rock, unoccupied, silent as a tomb, with not a sign of -life to be seen, either there or anywhere about her. - -It was inexplicable. A feeling of something akin to terror took -possession of Grace Harlowe, then all at once, panic seized her, and, -uttering a little cry, she fled on fleet foot back down the stream, -unheeding where it might lead her, hoping and thinking only of getting -away from that which had given her such a fright. - - - - - CHAPTER XXII - - THE MYSTERY OF AERIAL LAKE - - -Grace ran on until suddenly halted by a shout from Hippy Wingate. - -"Whither away, my pretty maid?" cried Hippy. - -"Oh! You gave me a start," answered Grace breathlessly. "I've had such a -fright, Hippy. I have seen the most awful face that I ever looked upon." - -"In the words of the guide, 'don't wolly till to-mollow.' What did it -look like? Tell me about it." - -Grace told him what had occurred and described as best she could the -face that she had seen mirrored in the pool. - -"That sounds like the woman Woo saw watching the camp," he nodded. "I -think we ought to go back to camp and tell the folks what you have -discovered." - -"You mean it sounds like Woo's description of her," answered Grace -laughingly. - -"You know what I mean. Come on!" - -The Overlanders listened breathlessly to Grace Harlowe's story of her -experience, but no one had an explanation to offer. They asked her if -she had gone up to the rock to see if anyone were hiding there, but -Grace said she had not done so because she was too frightened. - -"I've never lost my head before, but I surely did this time," she added, -smiling in an embarrassed sort of way. "I found a pool full of mountain -trout--no, not golden trout--and I would suggest that one of you men go -out and see if you can't catch a mess. Trout would be relished by all, -including even myself, scared as I am." - -"Trout! Me for them," cried Hippy. "You come along, Tom, and perhaps, -between us, we may be able to find the beautiful creature that gave -Grace the first real scare of her life. I'm glad you have found -something that frightens you," chuckled Hippy. "Me for the fish now." - -Tom accompanied Lieutenant Wingate, leaving Stacy with the girls, and -with instructions to stay in camp. The two men returned two hours later -with a mess of trout sufficient to last the party several days. Stacy -was asked to assist in cleaning them, then the fish were broiled, and a -delicious trout meal was enjoyed. Not since they started had they sat -down to such dainty food. - -The Overland Riders were on the trail early next morning. This trail -eventually led them up the side of a mountain, over places where they -were obliged to hitch ropes to the ponies to assist them over -particularly troublesome spots, yet it was all great fun. - -As the party went on, game become more plentiful. Quail scuttled away at -their approach, with heads ducked low, and here and there a flash of -brown and white told of a frightened deer fleeing to safety. No one -ventured a shot. The party had sufficient provisions for present needs, -and further, it was understood that, unless absolutely necessary, there -was to be no shooting. Tom, however, killed a rattler that lay coiled on -a shelf of granite buzzing away like an alarm clock, but that was the -only exciting incident of the morning's ride. By noon they had worked -their way up to an apparently impassable ridge. Tom went on ahead, soon -returning with the welcome information that there appeared to be a break -in the ridge about a mile to the south of them, and that he thought they -could get through it. - -The Overlanders made camp late that afternoon, and on the following -morning, now thoroughly rested, they followed rough and rugged trails, -surmounting difficulties almost as great as the worst they had met above -timber line. Their reward came later in the morning when they discovered -that they had unerringly followed the right course. - -"There's the lake!" shouted Nora. - -Before them, framed in a rim of black forest and rock, lay a lake of the -deepest emerald green they had ever gazed upon. About the shore, and -extending down to the water, white pebbles formed a mat for the picture. - -"It is our Aerial Lake," declared Grace. "It is the same lake that we -saw several days ago and that we bombarded with rocks." From somewhere -in that vicinity the shots that had disturbed them undoubtedly had been -fired. It was quite a large body of water, just how large they could not -see, on account of a sharp bend in the lake, and intervening mountains. - -"Aren't we going down to make camp now?" asked Elfreda Briggs. - -"Yes, for I'm just dying to know what the secret, the great dark secret, -of Aerial Lake really is," bubbled Emma. - -"From all accounts it's a homely woman," laughed Nora. - -"Oh, there are others," reminded Stacy. - -"That was not a nice thing to say, Stacy," rebuked Grace, laughing in -spite of her efforts to be stern. "It was decidedly ungracious." - -"So are the kind I mean," retorted Stacy. "Hark!" - -A rifle shot echoed through the canyons, but, though ears were strained -to catch the sound, no second shot was heard. - -"I wonder at whom they are shooting this time?" muttered Tom. "We are -again reminded that we are not the only persons in the High Sierras, so -let us be cautious." - -"Watch your step, ladies and gentlemen," warned Stacy as the party -started on. - -The Overlanders chose a camp site back among the trees a few rods from -the shore of the lake. This site was not only well screened from -observation, but afforded an excellent view of the lake as far as the -bend. Camp was quickly made, after which Stacy and Hippy shouldered -their rifles and started out to get acquainted with their surroundings, -as the party intended to remain at the lake for several days. The two -had gone but a short distance from camp ere the Overlanders heard Chunky -utter a shout. - -"I've found an ark," he cried, pointing triumphantly to a dugout canoe -that lay on the shore. - -The dugout had been hewn from a solid log and bore indications of recent -use. Stacy searched for a paddle but could not find one. While the -Overlanders, who had hurried out to him, were discussing Stacy's find, -Hippy was nosing about on the beach, closely observing the ground. He -found boot tracks there, but they did not appear to have been recently -made, so he decided that some days had elapsed since anyone had been on -that particular spot. - -Stacy promptly forgot that he was out reconnoitering, and, cutting down -a small tree with his hatchet, he proceeded to fashion a crude paddle -from it. He then announced that he was going paddling. Tom said no, but -Stacy said yes, whereupon Hippy read his nephew a sharp lecture on -"respect to one's elders." - -To all this, Stacy made no reply, as he considered that he would gain -nothing were he to protest too strenuously. - -"That's all," finished Hippy. - -"Thanks, Uncle Hip. But if anything should happen to me, you'll be sorry -that you were so cruel." - -"Oh, take your old dugout and go on," exclaimed Hippy. "If you drown, -don't blame me. If it were not that you are a good swimmer I shouldn't -trust you in that cranky craft." - -"That is very kind of your Uncle Hippy," reminded Grace. "I hope you -appreciate it." - -Stacy failed to answer. Still tinkering with the paddle, he watched his -companions out of the corner of one eye, as they walked slowly back -towards their camp. Lieutenant Wingate, rifle in the crook of one arm, -continued on. An hour and a half later, as Hippy was returning, he saw -his nephew paddling slowly down the lake. Hippy waved his hat and -"hoo-hooed," to which Stacy paid no attention whatever. - -"Better keep in close. The wind is coming up," called Lieutenant -Wingate. - -Stacy Brown was still silent, and Hippy, chuckling to himself, went on -to camp, where he told his companions of things he had discovered on his -jaunt, none of which were of importance, except that he had found -further evidence of the presence of human beings and horses. - -At luncheon time, Stacy was still absent, but his absence excited no -comment, because the boy was very fond of the water and probably in his -enjoyment of it he had forgotten all about the passage of time. But when -it came four o'clock in the afternoon and still no Stacy, someone -suggested that they go out and look for him. Hippy was the one who went. -He soon came running back, waving his hat to attract the attention of -his companions. - -"Something has happened to Stacy!" he shouted. - -"What is it--what has become of him?" called Tom Gray. - -"Stacy's dugout is floating bottomside up on the lake, but he is nowhere -in sight," answered Lieutenant Wingate. - -The Overlanders started at a run for the lake. - -"There it is! I see it," cried Emma. - -"Oh, Hippy, can't you do something?" begged Nora. "What is that floating -out there?" - -"It's a log," answered Hippy. Despite the fact that the whitecaps were -rolling up the lake, this log remained in one position all the time, but -no one of the Overland party observed that fact. - -"I can swim out to the canoe. Who knows but that Stacy may be under it?" -offered Grace. - -"No, no," protested the Overlanders in one voice. - -"Grace, the water is icy cold. To swim out in that water would be the -death of you. If anyone does it, either Hippy or myself will," announced -Tom. "Is that a hat I see floating there?" - -"It's Stacy's hat," cried Elfreda. "Oh, this is too bad. Cannot -something be done?" - -"There he goes! He will be drowned. Somebody stop him!" begged Emma as -Lieutenant Wingate plunged into the lake and began beating his way -towards the overturned canoe. Hippy had not even paused to remove any -part of his clothing. - -"Come back!" shouted Grace shrilly. - -"Come back!" urged Tom. "Even if he is there you can't help him now." - -"Don't worry. I am all right," came back Lieutenant Wingate's voice, -sounding far away. - -"Me savvy plenty cold watel," piped Woo Smith, but no one gave heed to -his words, and it is doubtful if any of the Overlanders even heard him. - -"I don't believe Stacy is drowned at all," declared Emma. "You will -laugh at me, but I have a thought message that he isn't." - -"This is no time for nonsense, my dear," rebuked Elfreda. - -"It isn't nonsense, it's transmigration," protested Emma. - -About this time they observed that Hippy was close to the dugout, and -all eyes were fixed anxiously on him. They saw him grasp the turned-over -boat, then dive under it. Hippy was out of sight but a few moments when -his head was seen bobbing up on the opposite side of the dugout. - -The Overlanders shouted to him, but the wind was against them and Hippy -did not even know that they were calling. - -"Someone run to camp and fetch a bath towel," urged Grace. "Never mind, -I'll go," she added, starting away at a run for the camp. Grace was back -ere Lieutenant Wingate reached the shore. Tom was there to meet him, and -assisted Hippy, dripping, and blue of face and lips, to his feet. - -"Here, Tom. Take the towel and give Hippy a brisk rub-down." - -"How--where?" gasped Tom. - -"Anywhere. Go out in the bushes, do it anywhere, but for goodness sake -don't delay. What did you find?" - -"Nothing--not a single thing to indicate anything," answered Lieutenant -Wingate dully. - -"Please hurry! Don't you see that Hippy has a chill, Tom?" - -Tom Gray hustled his companion out of sight, then stripped him and gave -him a brisk rubdown, so brisk in fact that Hippy finally begged him to -stop. - -"I shan't have any skin left if you go one rub further," he complained. - -"Here is Hippy's other suit," called Nora. "How is he?" - -"Skinned alive," answered Hippy with a groan. - -Tom ran out and snatched up the suit, which he immediately assisted -Hippy to put on. - -"Are you still chilly?" questioned Captain Gray after his companion had -gotten fully into dry clothes. - -"I should say not, after what you have done to me. I don't care anything -about my own condition. What I am half crazy about is Stacy. I don't, -for the life of me, understand how a fellow who can swim as well as he, -_could_ drown. Tom, help me out. What do you think I had better do?" - -"Do? I think you have done enough--all that can be done. My advice is -that we get back to camp. The girls have a good fire going, and my -suggestion is that you sit by the fire and dry out your shoes while we -decide what we should do next." - -"I don't suppose there _is_ need for hurry. If he is drowned he's -drowned, and that's all there is about it, and if he isn't, he isn't. -Yes, we will go back." - -When Tom and Hippy emerged from Nature's dressing room, Tom carrying his -chum's wet clothing, they found the Overland girls awaiting them a short -distance away. Nora embraced Hippy and wept on his shoulder, and, as a -matter of fact, the other three girls of the party had difficulty in -keeping their own tears back. - -"Oh, this is terrible!" moaned Nora. - -Emma pulled herself together. - -"I have a mental message that Stacy is all right, and that he will be -back to-night," comforted Miss Dean. - -"False hopes, I am afraid," answered Tom. - -"Woo, how deep is that lake?" - -Woo consulted the skies. - -"No savvy. Mebby fish can tell." - -No more was said. It was a sober Overland party that slowly retraced its -steps to the camp, but, as they stepped in among the trees and came in -sight of the little camp, the Overlanders halted abruptly and gazed -astounded. - -On a blanket that he had spread out sat Stacy Brown, his clothing -wrinkled and dirty. Before him stood two cans of beans, open, and a -plate of trout, while both cheeks protruded unnaturally as Stacy gazed -soulfully at his companions. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIII - - THE LAIR OF THE BAD MEN - - -"Hulloa, folks!" greeted Stacy thickly. - -"Stacy!" cried Nora, running to him and throwing impulsive arms about -the neck of her nephew. - -Lieutenant Wingate drew Nora away and stood gazing down sternly at the -munching Chunky. No one said a word, except Woo Smith, who hummed his -"Hi-lee, hi-lo!" - -"Where have you been?" finally demanded Hippy sternly. - -"I--I've been up there," pointing to the side of the mountain, at the -same time getting to his feet. - -"Sit down! Now out with it. The whole story, sir!" - -"I was mad with you. I--I--I thought it would be fun to fool you all. -There wasn't anybody in sight, so I tipped over and--" - -"Accidentally?" interrupted Hippy. - -"No. On purpose. Then I shoved the canoe out and threw my hat into the -water, climbed up the side of the mountain and watched you all hunting -for me," chuckled Stacy. "You all had been so hard on me that I didn't -care if I never came back." - -"I don't understand how you could stand it to stay away at meal time," -wondered Emma. - -"Oh, that was all right. I had some biscuit, then I found some dried -venison in a cache in a cave up there. Somebody had been there. It was -fine food, I tell you, but all the time I kept my eyes on the camp. I -didn't think you would go away and leave me, but I wasn't taking -chances. It was lots of fun watching you folks searching for Stacy -Brown's body, and I laughed when I saw Uncle Hip swimming out to look -under the canoe. Say, you can swim some, can't you?" - -Hippy bristled. Stacy's last words were the crowning ones. Lieutenant -Wingate nodded to Tom. - -"Come, Stacy. We wish you to go down by the lake with us. Fetch your -paddle," directed Hippy. - -"Wha--at are you going to do?" stammered the boy. - -"We three are going paddling, my beloved nephew," answered Lieutenant -Wingate. - -"Don't be too hard on him," whispered Grace as the three were about to -depart, Stacy going reluctantly, but not daring to offer further -objections. - -"Give me that paddle," ordered Hippy when they had reached a point well -out of sight of the camp. "Stacy Brown, you have done about the most -unforgivable thing that a boy could do. You led us to believe that you -had been drowned; you have caused us much mental anguish, and it is no -more than right that we 'transmigrate' a little of it to you. Lie down -on your stomach!" - -"I don't want to. Wha--at are you going to do?" - -"I am going to paddle you, young man. Tom, how many do you think would -be about right?" - -"I should say that a paddle, one paddle, for each member of the Overland -party would be about right," suggested Tom Gray. "There are six of us." - -A moment more and Hippy Wingate was delivering the punishment, not too -hard, but just enough so as to make his plump nephew writhe. - -"Six! There!" announced Hippy. - -"You forgot to give him one for Woo Smith," suggested Tom. - -"You're right." Hippy remedied the oversight at once. "Get up! You made -me swim in the cold lake, so I think I will give you a dose of the same -medicine. I'm going to throw you in the lake." - -"Oh, wow!" howled Chunky. - -"No, no," protested Tom Gray. "Don't do that, Hippy. He might catch cold -and be sick on our hands," grinned Tom. - -"I'll be even with you for this, Uncle Hip," threatened Stacy. - -"He hasn't had enough yet, Tom. Help me throw him in." - -"Yes, I have. I've had enough. I'll never play such a trick on you -again. It was a low-down trick to play. Next time I'll do it in some -other way, but if you let me alone I'll let you alone." - -"Don't make threats," warned Lieutenant Wingate. - -"I can tell you something you want to know, too. I know something that -you don't know," answered Stacy. - -"First you had better come back to camp and apologize to the girls," -suggested Tom. - -Stacy went along, rather timidly at first; then, as the thought of what -he had discovered occurred to him, he swelled out his chest and began to -boast. - -"Suppose you tell us what it is that you have discovered," suggested -Grace after Tom had repeated to the girls what Stacy said. - -"Yes. I'll tell you. When I was trying to get where you folks wouldn't -see me, I dodged behind some bushes and discovered that I was right in -front of an opening in the rocks. At first I thought it was a bear den. -Then I stumbled against a big bear trap that closed with a crash, but it -didn't frighten me at all. You see I am not a bear." - -Emma said there might be a difference of opinion on that subject. - -"I lighted a match and found a lantern, just like the train conductors -use. I looked about and found myself in a cave. I found a lot of stuff -there, including some boxes of crackers and venison, that was cached to -keep it away from the bears if they got past the trap." - -The Overlanders were keenly interested. Elfreda asked what else he had -found in the cave. - -"Mostly things to eat and to eat with. I didn't bother about much of -anything else. I reckon maybe it was the bad men's cave that I -discovered. When it comes to making discoveries I don't suppose there is -a human being who can equal myself. The only thing that I can't lay -claim to having discovered is Emma Dean." - -"That is because your ideals and your instincts lack elevation," -retorted Emma. - -Tom and Hippy glanced at each other and nodded. Both were of the same -mind with reference to Stacy's discovery. Perhaps there lay the real -secret of the Aerial Lake. - -"Let us go over and investigate," suggested Tom. - -"I'm with you," agreed Hippy. "Stacy, you will please lead the way to -this bandit retreat, or whatever it may be, but if you fool us again, -it's the lake for yours." - -All hands started for the cave, with Stacy Brown in the lead, full of -importance. It was quite a rough climb to the scene of Stacy's -discovery, and the boy took the worst course he could find to reach it, -which the others of the party suspected ere they had gone far on their -way. - -"Look out for bear traps!" warned Chunky. "You know I haven't looked -about much on the inside. There! Look at that, will you?" he demanded, -parting the bushes and revealing a small dark opening in the rocks. - -"You aren't going into that hole, are you?" cried Emma. - -"I went in, didn't I?" returned Stacy. "I didn't have a crowd of women -with me, though." - -Hippy entered first, using his pocket lamp to light the way, followed by -Stacy and Tom, then the others filed in, leaving Woo Smith on the -outside to see that they were not surprised by the former occupants of -the place. - -Once inside, the Overlanders found that the roof of the cave was high -enough to permit them to stand erect, but beyond them the darkness was -so deep that they could not see the end of the hole in the mountain. - -"Br-r-r! I'm afraid," cried Emma. - -"That's because you aren't a man," answered Stacy. "Hulloa! There's some -stuff that I didn't see." - -"Pullman car blankets!" exclaimed Tom Gray. "This looks as if we had -made a real discovery." - -"You mean I have," corrected Stacy. - -"Yes. It is plunder. No mistake about that," agreed Lieutenant Wingate. -"Stacy, did you look around farther back in the cave?" - -"No. I didn't have time." - -"I think you were afraid of the dark," teased Elfreda. - -"Stacy is afraid of nothing at all, you know, Elfreda," reminded Grace -laughingly, whereupon Stacy's chest swelled perceptibly. - -"I am not," he made reply. - -A systematic search of all parts of the cave failed to reveal anything -of great value, but they decided that it might be wise to remove some of -the blankets as proof of what they had found. - -"I know something else, too," spoke up Stacy Brown. - -"Well?" demanded Hippy, eyeing Stacy suspiciously. - -"The log is chained down." - -"What log?" questioned Grace quickly. - -"That log out in the lake," Stacy informed them. "It's funny that you -folks haven't noticed that it has been in the same position ever since -we got here. There's something queer about that log, too. I observed it -the first time I walked along the shore, but it didn't make much of an -impression on me at the moment, and--" - -"I doubt if it would have done so if it had fallen on you," interposed -Emma. - -"Thank you. One would hardly notice the log at all unless the lake were -quite rough, which would enable you to see the full length of the log -when it was in a trough. I examined the log when I was out in the canoe, -and there's something else about it that is queer." - -The Overlanders with one accord started for the shore to look at the -log. - -"It's chained down," shouted Stacy. - -"I believe the boy is right," exclaimed Elfreda Briggs. - -"Where's that dugout?" called Hippy. - -"I reckon it has gone around the bend," answered Emma. - -"No. The wind is in the wrong direction," answered Tom. "I see it! There -it is, at the upper end. It has drifted sideways to the beach." - -"I am going to have a look at that log," cried Hippy, starting at a run -for the dugout. Tom and his companions followed. - -"Stacy, get the paddle," directed Tom. - -The fat boy obeyed without protest, which was rather unusual for him. - -"Me savvy plenty piecee fun," chattered Woo as they ran. - -"If I am a prophet, you will be savvying something besides fun before we -have done with this affair," observed Elfreda Briggs soberly. "This is -only the beginning." - -Stacy arrived with the paddle about the time that Hippy and Tom reached -the dugout. The two men turned the boat over and shoved it out. - -"You girls remain on shore," ordered Hippy. "The boat will not hold more -and give us room to work. Stacy, you sit still. Don't you dare rock the -boat." - -The lake was still rough and Hippy found it hard work to handle the -dugout, but after throwing off his coat and shifting his passengers to -better balance the dugout, he made better headway, finally reaching the -bobbing log. - -"Stacy is right. The log is anchored," exclaimed Tom. "What can that -mean?" - -"We are going to find out right smart, Captain," answered Hippy. "Do you -see? The thing is anchored with a chain about its middle, and from -rings, bolted to the ends, ropes lead down into the lake. That must mean -that something is at the other end of the ropes. Tom, you ballast the -other end of the dugout while Stacy and I pull on the rope at this end. -We will try not to upset you. For myself, I have had one ducking to-day -and that is quite sufficient. Stacy has one coming to him. All right, -Chunky, heave away." - -They hauled on the rope with all the strength they dared exert, for to -pull with too strong a hand meant a ducking in the cold waters of the -lake. - -Something came slowly to the surface. - -"Oh, fudge! It's an anchor--it is a piece of iron," grumbled Stacy. - -"Yes, but it isn't an anchor," answered Hippy excitedly. - -"Boys, you have pulled up an iron box. Can you get it aboard?" cried -Tom. - -On the box, in yellow letters, was the name of a well-known express -company. The box was securely locked, and apparently the lock had not -been tampered with. - -"We've made a find!" cried Stacy. - -"Loot of some sort," agreed Tom. "That is a money chest, probably of the -same sort that the Red Limited was carrying when the bandits attacked -our train between Summit and Gardner. There is undoubtedly another one -like it at my end of the log, but the question is what are we going to -do with our find." - -"What are we going to do with it? Why, we're going to open it, of -course," declared Stacy. "If there is loot in it, findin's is keepin's -so far as Stacy Brown is concerned." - -Tom was of the opinion that they had no right to open the chest, but -suggested that they take it and whatever else they might find, to a safe -place and bury it, and then get word to the authorities. - -"I believe you have the right thought," nodded Hippy, after a moment's -reflection. "There can be no doubt that this is stolen property, not the -least doubt in the world. Therefore we are not taking another man's -property--we are trying to save stolen property. Come, Stacy, let's give -it another haul, then try to lift it aboard." - -"If I don't get any of the plunder, I don't haul," objected Chunky -stubbornly. - -"Pull! If you don't I'll throw you overboard," threatened Hippy -savagely. - -"I'll drop it if you do. I'll--" - -A bullet snipped the water not a dozen yards from the dugout, followed -by the report of a rifle. - -"You're under fire! Look out!" shouted the voice of Grace Harlowe, -shrill and piercing. - -"Let 'em shoot!" retorted Hippy. "Tom, are you game to go through with -it?" - -"Yes." - -"_Bang, bang, bang!_" Three bullets hit the water close at hand, sending -up little spurts of white spray. Another bullet went through the top of -Stacy Brown's hat. - -"Wow!" howled Chunky. "You can get shot if you want to, but I don't." - -"Buck up!" urged Lieutenant Wingate. "We'll have the thing aboard in a -moment." - -Another bullet sang past them, clipping a sliver from the side of the -dugout. The sliver hit Stacy on his bare arm and drew blood. - -"I'm hit! Good-night!" yelled Stacy, suddenly letting go of the rope and -diving head first into the lake. - -As Stacy let go of the rope and took his dive, the iron chest splashed -and went to the bottom, causing the canoe to turn turtle. Lieutenant -Wingate and Captain Gray were hurled into the icy waters of the Aerial -Lake head first, with bullets spattering in the water all about them. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIV - - MAKING A LAST STAND - - -"You poor fish!" roared Hippy as he came up sputtering. - -Stacy was making for the shore at full speed, creating considerable -disturbance in the water as he progressed. Tom Gray and Hippy, -concluding that safety first was the motto for them, were hitting up a -rapid gait. The bullets, however, did not cease falling about them. All -at once reports of other rifles, apparently fired close at hand, reached -the ears of the swimmers. - -"The girls are shooting!" cried Tom. - -The Overland girls had run to camp for their rifles, and with them were -trying to search out the hidden mountain marksmen, trusting to drive the -mountaineers off, or at least to check their fire until their three -companions could reach shore. - -Hippy and Tom were swimming for the shore in the direction of the -mountain cave. Observing this, the Overland girls ran forward to meet -them. - -"Hurry! Oh, hurry!" shouted Nora in great distress. - -"They can't reach us with their bullets now," answered Hippy. "We are -protected by the overhang of the mountain on their side." - -"Hippy is right. They have stopped shooting," announced Grace. - -At this juncture Stacy Brown floundered ashore and ran dripping towards -the cave. - -"Here, here! Where are you going?" called Elfreda. - -"Into my bomb-proof shelter; that's where I'm going," flung back Stacy. - -"You had better hide," reminded Elfreda. - -"Where's that boy?" cried Hippy as he, too, floundered ashore. - -"Never mind Stacy now. We have other and more important matters on -hand," answered Grace. "Hurry, Tom. I have sent Woo up among the rocks -to act as lookout while we consider what to do next." - -"This is a fine mess. Here I am drenched to the skin, shivering like a -man with the ague, and a band of scoundrels trying to shoot me up. -Hospitable country, I must say," complained Tom Gray. - -"It might be worse. You and Hippy had better go into the cave and change -your clothes," suggested Grace. - -"Change to what?" - -"That's so. It might be imprudent for any of us to go to camp for fresh -clothing." - -"Come, girls, let's gather wood and build a fire," urged Miss Briggs. -"We can build a small fire in the cave and let our men dry out in there -and we will stand guard on the outside." - -"Good! That is real headwork," agreed Tom. "Give me a handful of sticks -and I'll start a fire if you will provide the matches. Mine are soaked." - -Hippy had already started in search of Stacy Brown, but Stacy was not in -sight. He had fled to the farther end of the cave, whence he was gazing -apprehensively towards the opening. - -"You may come out," offered Hippy. "I'm too wet to have my interview -with you now. When I get dried out I'll have a friendly conversation -with you. Come out!" - -Stacy sidled out, watching Uncle Hip narrowly. Tom came in at this -juncture, with an armful of twigs that the girls had gathered, and -started a small fire. - -"I don't want to be smoked out," complained Stacy. - -"There is worse than that coming to you, young man," reminded Tom. "At -present, however, we have other things to attend to. Strip and dry out." - -"I don't want to dry out. I want to be soaked," retorted Stacy. - -"Don't worry. You're going to be," warned Lieutenant Wingate. - -"If it hadn't been for me you folks never would have discovered -anything," Stacy declared, turning a reproachful gaze on his two -companions. - -"And if it hadn't been for you, I should not have been dumped into a -lake of ice water twice in one day," returned Hippy. "Tom, what is your -idea of this shooting?" - -"We have interfered with someone's business, that's plain," replied Tom. -"When we hauled up that box of plunder, or whatever it may be, they let -go at us with their rifles. Nor is that the worst of it--we are in for -more trouble, and I should not be at all surprised to see it break at -any moment, I--" - -"Tom!" cried Grace Harlowe with a rising inflection in her voice. - -"Yes?" - -"Woo is running towards the cave, waving his arms. I think he has -discovered something." - -Hippy nodded at Tom and began drawing on his wet clothing. - -"May the girls go inside now?" called Grace. - -"No! Keep out! We will be ready in a moment," answered Hippy. - -A shot, followed by a howl from Woo Smith, caused the two men to -redouble their efforts. Hippy finished dressing first and ran out, rifle -in hand, just as the guide came running up. - -"Me savvy tlouble. Plenty men come 'long." - -"How many?" interjected Tom. - -"Sees." - -"Six, eh? We ought to be able to handle them," answered Hippy. - -"There probably are more than six. What shall we do?" questioned Grace. - -"All hands get inside the cave. From there we can watch the lake, and at -the same time be fairly well protected," directed Hippy. - -Acting upon a hail from Tom that he was ready, the Overlanders hastened -into the cave, where Woo was questioned in detail as to what he had -observed. Having obtained all the information that the guide had to -give, Hippy and Tom crept out, and lay secreted in the bushes in front -of the cave to guard against surprises. - -They had been there but a short time when Lieutenant Wingate discovered -a man on the rocks about a hundred yards to the right of them. At almost -the same instant Tom Gray nudged his companion. - -"Two men are over in our camp," he whispered. - -"Don't shoot. Time enough for that. They don't know where we are. -They--" Hippy paused abruptly. - -"They don't, eh?" jeered Tom Gray as a bullet flattened itself on the -rocks just above the opening into the cave. "Keep down in there!" - -"I think they are merely trying to smoke us out," answered Hippy calmly. - -A scattering volley of bullets was fired at the cave opening as he -spoke, but there was no response from the besieged Overland Riders. -Elfreda called softly to know if the two men needed assistance, but both -said all the assistance they needed just then was to be let alone. - -"There go the ponies!" exclaimed Tom Gray. - -When Hippy looked he saw three men leading the Overland saddle ponies -into a defile in the mountains. Hippy threw up his rifle, but lowered it -instantly. - -"It won't do any good to shoot. Then again I might hit a pony. What I -want to do is to get a man. Sh-h-h-h!" - -The man that Hippy had seen, but who had disappeared immediately -afterward, he now discovered lying on a slab of rock up high enough to -give him a fairly good view of the entrance to the cave. - -"I see him. Don't move. He is looking this way," whispered Lieutenant -Wingate. - -After a few moments of cautious observation, the man on the rock crawled -back and disappeared. - -The day was rapidly drawing to a close and the two Overland men began to -feel considerable concern. There was little hope in their minds that -they were going to get out of their present situation that night. Tom -and Hippy discussed the situation, and considered the idea of creeping -away in the night, but finally concluded that their greatest safety lay -in keeping out of sight and awaiting developments. - -"It is their move first," declared Tom. "And when they do start -something we shall be on the job, though I am a little concerned about -our ammunition. We have none to waste. It seems to me that there ought -to be some in that cave, if the scoundrels are half as prudent as we -think they are." - -Hippy called softly to Nora, asking her to have a thorough search of the -cave made to see if ammunition might not be found. Half an hour later -Nora reported that they could find none. - -"Then we shall have to get along with what we have," decided Tom Gray. -"With what we have we ought to be able to give a pretty fair account of -ourselves." - -Night fell, with the lake and the mountainsides bathed in a flood of -moonlight, for the moon was full and well up. The fire in the cave had -long since been put out so that the besiegers might not smell the smoke, -and, shortly after dark, the girls passed out a luncheon, taken from the -stores of food that Stacy Brown had discovered on his first visit to the -cave. Tom and Hippy were munching this eagerly, when Tom uttered a -suppressed exclamation. - -"Look yonder!" he whispered. - -"It's the dugout!" breathed Hippy. - -The dugout, with three men in it, was being rapidly paddled out into the -lake, which was now quiet, a gleaming sheet of silver in the bright -moonlight. The paddlers went straight to the log and began hauling up on -the rope at one end. - -"They are after the chests. What would you advise, Tom?" asked Hippy -eagerly. - -"We are going to shoot, that's what," answered Tom Gray, leveling his -rifle. "I don't want to hit anyone, but I do want to give them a scare." -Taking careful aim at the canoe, he fired--and missed. Tom shot again, -and this time his bullet reached its mark--the dugout. - -Hippy Wingate tried a shot and scored a hit the first time. The men in -the dugout showed indications of panic. - -"Let 'em have it hard," urged Tom, whereupon both men began shooting, -but the shooting was not confined to their own rifles. From somewhere on -the mountain-side other rifles spoke, and bullets spattered against the -rocks that stood out white in the moonlight, hard by the cave. - -"They've located us!" cried Tom Gray. "Stacy, come out here, but creep -out," he ordered. - -The fat boy came wriggling out, rifle in hand. - -"See if you can find the fellows who are shooting at us; then stir them -up," directed Tom. - -A few moments later, Chunky's rifle spoke. In the meantime Tom and Hippy -had been shooting at the boat, taking their time, aiming with -deliberation, until finally the fire became too hot for the men in the -dugout, and they paddled rapidly shoreward to the other side of the -lake. Soon after their arrival there they began to shoot at the -cave-mouth. Hippy and Tom then turned their rifles in that direction, -but with what result they were unable to determine. - -Stacy shot slowly and steadily, without apparent nervousness, and the -two men began to feel respect for the irrepressible Chunky. After a time -the fire on both sides died down and silence settled over the scene. -Finally, Grace suggested that she and Elfreda relieve the men of their -watch, which, after reflection, was agreed to. After a vigil of some -hours Grace called for Tom and pointed towards the lake, that was -shining in the moonlight. - -"Is not something moving out there?" she questioned. - -"Yes. It is those scoundrels after the chests again. Call Hippy!" - -After watching the shadowy shape of the dugout for some moments the two -Overland men again opened fire, and once more the dugout was hurriedly -paddled ashore. - -No further disturbance occurred that night. The girls went to sleep, but -Lieutenant Wingate and Captain Gray remained on duty from that time on. -All of the following day was spent in the cave, not a shot being fired -on either side. The Overlanders were of the opinion that their -adversaries were keeping out of sight for the purpose of luring the -party out into the open, so they remained where they were. - -Another night came on, and at about ten o'clock the Overland Riders were -treated to a deluge of rifle bullets, which was not returned, as the -ammunition supply was now too low. - -"Grace, have you taken an inventory of the food?" asked Tom, after the -firing had died down. - -"Yes. We have enough for present needs, but have you considered that we -may be held here until either we starve or are shot? I, for one, am in -favor of making our escape. Take my word for it, our besiegers will play -some trick that will prove our undoing," declared Grace with strong -conviction in her tone. - -"We will stick it out another day," answered Lieutenant Wingate. - -"And walk all the way back to Gardner," finished Elfreda Briggs. "I am -of the opinion that--" - -"Hark!" warned Nora, holding up a hand for silence. A faint tapping -sound was heard by all. It seemed to be somewhere over their heads, but -no one was able to interpret the sound, and after a time it ceased. - -"Something is doing. Get your rifles ready," ordered Tom. - -The words had no sooner left his lips than a heavy detonating explosion -sent a shower of rock and dirt down over their heads. None of the pieces -was large enough to injure the Overlanders, but the dust set them -coughing and choking so that instinctively all crowded towards the cave -entrance for air, and further, because of fear that the rocks above -might cave in on them. - -"That was dynamite!" exclaimed Tom Gray. "Either they are trying to bury -us here or to drive us out." - -"And I am going out," declared Lieutenant Wingate. "Tom, you stay here, -but for goodness sake make the folks keep down. The first head I see I -am going to shoot at. Give me some cartridges, each of you." - -Five minutes later Lieutenant Wingate was crawling out on his stomach as -silently as an Indian. Once more he heard that familiar tapping on the -rocks above the cave. - -"The fiends!" he muttered. "I've got to get up to their level or go -above them." He decided to proceed to the left of the cave, then ascend -and approach the rocks above it. This he succeeded in doing. About the -time he came within sight of the rocks over the cave the ground was -shaken by another explosion. In the bright moonlight, he saw three men -running towards the scene. - -Hippy threw up his rifle and fired. One of the three men plunged forward -and rolled over the edge of the rocks, landing, as Lieutenant Wingate -thought, near the entrance to the cave. The other two men instantly -disappeared. - -"One!" growled the Overland Rider, hurriedly removing himself from that -particular locality. Reaching a point where he could look across the -cave entrance, Hippy made a startling discovery. The second charge of -dynamite had been fired close to the edge of the rocks overhanging the -cave entrance, so that the falling rocks had blocked it entirely. -Lieutenant Wingate now crawled to the entrance, not knowing what instant -he might be the target for a bullet, and, placing his lips close to a -crevice, called softly. - -His hail was answered from within. To his great relief, he learned that -none of his companions had been injured, but that they dared not try to -remove the wreckage from the inside fearing they might bring down a mass -of rocks. Hippy advised them to remain quiet until later when he would -try to work his way in. - -"Just now, I must keep a sharp lookout," he added. Not another shot did -he get at their adversaries, however, but just after daylight a rattling -fire sprang up. Listening attentively, Hippy concluded that two parties -were engaged in the shooting--at it "hammer and tongs," as he expressed -it. A few minutes later he saw two men running for the lake--saw them -leap into the dugout and paddle excitedly towards the anchored log. He -waited until they began to haul in on the rope at one end of the log, -and then opened fire. One bullet bowled a man over. The other man -grabbed the paddle and struck out for the shore with all speed. He had -nearly reached it when a burst of fire from among the trees near where -the Overland camp was located knocked the man over. He fell over -backwards in the dugout, which slowly drifted ashore. - -A group of horsemen at this juncture rode out into the open, and an -instant later a bullet whistled past Hippy's head. - -"Gee whiz!" exclaimed Lieutenant Wingate. "I reckon the whole community -has it in for me. I've got to have a look at those people." With that -Hippy worked his way cautiously through the bushes until he got an -unobstructed view of the newcomers. The Overland Rider gazed, and as he -did so his under jaw sagged. - -"Ye-o-o-o-w!" yelled Hippy, leaping to his feet. - -A rifle bullet answered him, but he was down ere it reached him. Once -more he sprang up and fired three quick shots straight up into the air, -then went down again. This time there was an interval, then the welcome -answer--three signal shots--was fired. Hippy got up and waved his hat. -He had recognized one member of that party. That member was Sheriff -Ford. - -"Overland!" shouted Lieutenant Wingate upon getting to his feet. - -Sheriff Ford did not recognize him at once, but the party of horsemen -rode towards him with rifles at ready, Hippy standing out in the open -with hands held up. Sheriff Ford then uttered a shout as he recognized -the Overland Rider. - -It was a happy meeting--for Hippy Wingate. It took but a moment for -explanations. A posse, with two sheriffs, including Ford, and five husky -citizens of Gardner, had come out in search of the bandits who had tried -to rob the Red Limited, and who were supposed to have held up and robbed -another treasure train a week earlier. - -On their way to release the Overland party, Hippy confided to Sheriff -Ford the discovery of the iron chests secured to the log in the lake. - -"I suppose there is a reward for the recovery of the plunder, but if -there is, you take it. We don't want it," said Hippy. - -Sheriff Ford protested, but Hippy said the Overland Riders could not -consider accepting a reward under any circumstances. Ford said that in -such event, the reward would be shared by the members of the posse, and -that, in fact, the reward offered by the express company was the -principal motive for the posse coming out to try to accomplish what the -Pinkertons had thus far failed to do. - -The Overlanders were, after considerable hard work, released from their -imprisonment in the cave, and it was then that Ford told them of the -fight with the bandits, who, he said, were all members of the Jones -Boys' gang. Of ten bandits, the posse had killed or wounded four. They -found two who had been wounded before the arrival of the posse, one of -whom, Hippy believed, was the fellow he had shot on the shelf of rock, -and took four prisoners, including Mother Jones, the mother of the -leaders of the gang. Four bandits had succeeded in escaping. - -"Mother Jones!" exclaimed the Overlanders. - -As it later developed, it was Mother Jones whose face had so frightened -Woo, and which Grace Harlowe had seen reflected in the pool. Mother -Jones had done the shooting at the Overlanders, following the Overland -party's discovery of the chests in the lake. It was Mother Jones who had -fired at them when they were bombarding the lake with boulders. - -No time was lost in getting the chests from the bottom of the lake, and -none was more interested in the contents than were the original -discoverers, the Overland Riders. The chests were found to contain -something more than half a million dollars in gold and banknotes, but -two other chests stolen from the same shipment never were found, though -the lake was dragged from end to end. It was believed that the contents -of the missing chests had been divided among the bandits and secreted -somewhere in the mountains, but not a man of the Jones gang would admit -this to be the fact. - -The Overland ponies were found secreted in a mountain defile, and that -night there was a jollification in camp, a real feast of venison and -trout, songs and story-telling, even Woo Smith indulging in his familiar -song, to which no one now objected. Stacy Brown overlooked no -opportunity to call attention to the fact that he was the one who had -discovered the treasure chests, discovered the log to which they were -anchored, and said he supposed that the railroad or the express company -owed him a hundred thousand dollars. - -"How much do you want? Come now," urged Sheriff Ford. - -"Want?" exclaimed Stacy. "I don't want anything from you, but I want -these unfortunate Overland Riders to appreciate what I have done for -them, and I want them to apologize to me for the abuse they heaped on me -while I was seeking to transmigrate trouble from their doors." - -Sheriff Ford laughed heartily at Stacy's remarks. - -"For he's a jolly good fellow," began Nora Wingate, in which the -Overland Riders joined whole-heartedly, even Emma Dean, for the moment, -forgetting her feud with Stacy Brown to the extent of keeping time with -her lips, Woo Smith independently chattering his "Hi-lee, hi-lo!" shouts -of laughter winding up the tribute to the fat boy's hold on their -affections. - -The Overland Riders decided to accompany the sheriffs and their party to -Gardner. Being well satisfied with their vacation they were now ready to -go home. The prisoners and the treasure were taken along to Gardner, -which was reached several days later. Then the Riders entrained for home -after the most interesting journey they had ever taken. On their way -east they elected the irrepressible Chunky to full membership in the -Overland Riders, and he promised to accompany them on their next -season's ride. - -The story of that ride will be found in a following volume entitled, -"GRACE HARLOWE'S OVERLAND RIDERS IN THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK." The -mysterious loss of the Riders' ponies, the raid of the grizzlies, the -puzzling robbery at the Springs Hotel, a night of terror on Electric -Mountain, the hold-up of the Cumberland coach, and the solving of the -Yellowstone mystery, are among the many experiences that befell Grace -Harlowe's Riders on their never-to-be-forgotten journey through the -great National Park. - - - THE END - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Grace Harlowe's Overland Riders in the -High Sierras, by Jessie Graham Flower - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GRACE HARLOWE'S OVERLAND *** - -***** This file should be named 45989-8.txt or 45989-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/5/9/8/45989/ - -Produced by Roger Frank and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Grace Harlowe's Overland Riders in the High Sierras - -Author: Jessie Graham Flower - -Release Date: June 15, 2014 [EBook #45989] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GRACE HARLOWE'S OVERLAND *** - - - - -Produced by Roger Frank and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - +<body> +<div>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 45989 ***</div> <div class='figcenter'> <div class='ic001'> @@ -8567,383 +8530,7 @@ Park.</p> <div class='c009'>THE END</div> - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Grace Harlowe's Overland Riders in the -High Sierras, by Jessie Graham Flower - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GRACE HARLOWE'S OVERLAND *** - -***** This file should be named 45989-h.htm or 45989-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/5/9/8/45989/ - -Produced by Roger Frank and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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