CHAPTER XIV
Si drove Darling and the outfit down to the ford of the river, and there waited for the return of his two partners. Maybe Dixon was with him and the Socket family were close behind.
"When do you expect the boys back?" asked Josiah Socket, as he drove up and allowed his horses to drink before crossing.
"I suppose they will be along before a great while," answered the former farm lad.
"I hope they shoot something wuth shooting," put in Maybe Dixon.
"There ought to be some game in that big woods," came from Mrs. Socket. "But they have got to know how to handle a gun. Now Josiah can't shoot fer shucks. Once he went after some rabbits and——"
"I can shoot," interrupted Josiah. "But I don't care much for the sport. Well, I'm a-goin' on," he continued, and commenced the task of reaching the other side of the stream. Soon he was on the other bank and out of sight behind some tall brushwood.
Si watered the mule and unhooked him and then sat down on a grassy bank to rest. Maybe Dixon filled a pipe and fell to smoking.
As the pair sat there they did not notice the arrival of two men on foot at the ford. But the new arrivals saw Dixon and the former farm youth, and one quickly pulled the other out of sight behind some trees.
"What is it, Sag?" asked one of the men. "Spotted some of your enemies?"
"Yes," answered Sag Ruff. "That man yonder, Soapy, is Maybe Dixon."
"Shoo! you don't say," returned Soapy Gannon, softly. "I reckon you don't want to meet him."
"I do not."
"Is that the boy who exposed you?"
"No, it's one of his partners. There are three of them. The other two ought to be around somewhere."
"Wouldn't you like to meet that lad who got you into trouble?"
"Would I?" Sag Ruff's brow grew dark. "Try me and see; that's all, Soapy!"
After that the pair walked behind the trees and drew still closer to where Si and Dixon sat. They listened to the talk of our friends and presently learned the truth of the situation. Then they heard Maybe Dixon say he would walk into the forest and see if he could find Bob and Mark.
"All right, go ahead," answered Si. "I'll wait right here for you."
Dixon strolled off and was soon lost to view. Si, left to himself, leaned up against a convenient tree. His eyes closed, and soon he was in the land of dreams.
As soon as Si was asleep Sag Ruff walked into the opening.
"We'll fix this crowd, Soapy," said he to his tool. "A wagon and a mule won't go bad for us, eh?"
"Good enough, Sag. But the outfit is known on this route."
"Yes, but we can take the Salt Lake route. I've heard it was about as good as this one," added the gambler.
"Just as you say. But I don't want to get shot down."
"Do you want to hoof it all the way to California?" asked Sag Ruff, sharply.
"No."
"Then don't talk."
"What about the boy?"
"He seems to be sound asleep. Leave him where he is."
With as little noise as possible they walked over to where Darling was tethered and freed the mule. Then they led the animal to the wagon and hitched him up. They worked swiftly, afraid every instant that Maybe Dixon or Mark or Bob might appear.
"Now then, off we go!" cried Sag Ruff, and started Darling. The mule made the move somewhat against his will, but he did not know the true situation and finally settled down to a steady pull, across the ford and then along a side trail, about which the gambler and his tool had heard only the day previous. This led through another patch of timber, and soon men and outfit were lost to view from the fording place.
All unconscious of what was happening, Si slept the sleep of the just for nearly two hours. He awoke only when he felt Maybe Dixon's hand on his shoulder.
"Si! wake up here!" cried Dixon, shaking him. "Where's the turnout, lad?"
"The turnout?" repeated the farm boy, rubbing his eyes in bewilderment. "Why, it's——It's gone!"
"Exactly. Don't you know where to?"
"Why, I—I didn't know it was gone!" Si leaped to his feet and now he was wide-awake. "Maybe Dixon, is this some joke?" he demanded.
"Maybe it is, lad, but if so, it's none of my doings."
"Haven't you seen the wagon and Darling?"
"Not since I went away. When did you go to sleep?"
"I—er—I think I dropped off right after you went off."
"That's about two hours ago."
"As long as that! Gracious, I thought I only had a short nap! Did you find Mark and Bob?"
"No, couldn't get the least trace of 'em. But about the turnout? Haven't you any idea at all where it is?"
"No." Si looked around. "Somebody has been here, hitched up the mule, and drove away with our belongings," he continued, bitterly. "And I am to blame! What will Bob and Mark say?"
"It might have happened to any of us, lad. But we must get on the trail of the thieves."
"Yes! yes! Do you think they followed the regular trail?"
"Perhaps so—but if they did, they'll soon run into Socket and some of our other friends. They may have been cute enough to take to some side trail. There are plenty of them around here. Everybody don't go over the mountains by exactly the same trail."
The two looked around carefully and saw the tracks of several feet in the soft soil. They wondered who the thieves could be, but could reach no satisfying conclusion.
Poor Si was utterly discouraged. He had heard before of outfits being stolen along the trail, and knew that some men guarded their horses night and day. At one place they had heard of a man being hung up on a tree for stealing a horse. There were no prisons and no courts, and the pioneers had to take the law into their own hands for self-protection. Any serious crime was punishable by death.
Neither Si nor Maybe Dixon knew exactly what to do, but at last they hit on a plan they thought was best. They put up a stick and in a slit at the top left a note for Bob and Mark, explaining the situation so far as they knew it. They added that they were going to hunt for the thief and would be back at that spot sooner or later.
This accomplished, they set off along the river bank and then into the timber. The trail was fairly smooth and they made good progress over the somewhat spongy soil. They did not know whether they were right or wrong, but, as Si declared, it was "better to do something than to do nothing."
"This is the way things in life change," said Maybe Dixon, as they trudged along. "One day everything is bright an' fair, an' the next you're in a fust-class mix-up an' don't know how to turn yourself."
"If we don't get that outfit back, I don't know what we are going to do."
"Oh, we must git it back, lad. It won't do at all to lose it. I wish I knew the skunk who dared to take it!"
"Is your rifle loaded?"
"Sure, and it's ready to fire, too. I won't parley with sech a miserable thief."
"You would shoot him down?"
"As dead as a door nail—if I git the chance," added Maybe Dixon, firmly.
They passed a turn in the river, and then came out into something of a clearing. As they did this they caught sight of something far ahead, just entering another stretch of the woodland.
"What was that?" questioned Maybe Dixon, excitedly.
"It looked to me like our wagon, but I ain't sure," answered Si, with equal excitement. "I hope it is ours!"
"Hump along a bit faster, lad."
They did "hump" along, almost on a run. The trail was now hard and smooth, so that anybody driving a horse or mule could cover the ground with ease. They came to another clearing and once more caught a brief glimpse of something in front.
"I believe it is our wagon!" cried Si. "Anyway the back certainly looks very much like it."
"I think I saw a man on the ground, walking," added Maybe Dixon.
"Then there must be two thieves!"
"There may be more."
"What can we do if there are a whole crowd of them?" questioned Si, in sudden dismay. "We can't fight half a dozen with only one rifle and this old hoss pistol of mine."
"If they are too many for us we can follow them on the sly until we come to some place where we can git help, Si. Anybody who is honest will help us to run 'em down."
They went on as before, and in quarter of an hour came to another clearing, long and narrow, and not far from the bank of the stream, which seemed to wind in and out through the forest. Here they got a fairly good look at the turnout ahead of them.
"It is our outfit, sure enough!" declared Si.
"Yes, and the driver is licking old Darling hard," added Maybe Dixon. "They are bound to git away with the turnout if they can!"