CHAPTER XXVIIIIN THE CAVE
“We’re in for it now!” cried Jack, as he looked up at the sky and at the trees beginning to bend in the wind.
“And it’s going to be some storm, or I miss my guess,” added Gif.
“I wonder if we can find any shelter around here?” put in Randy. “If we can’t we’ll be soaked to the skin in no time.”
“Jackson was telling me of a couple of caves toward the end of these woods,” said Spouter quickly. “I wonder if we could reach the nearest of them? It might help us to get out of the rain.”
“Come on—let’s try it!” put in Fred eagerly.
Leaving the dead wolf where it had fallen, the boys pushed forward on the trail, which now led downward on the other side of the hill. Here they noticed the going was getting rougher, and presently they found themselves entering a defile among the rocks. Here the trees were more scatteringand consequently they were exposed to the full fury of the elements. Ever and anon a flash of lightning would illumine the sky, followed by the crack and rumble of thunder.
“Say, maybe we had better stay under the trees,” suggested Andy.
“Suppose the trees should be struck by lightning?” questioned Jack. “I think we had better go on, especially if we’re anywhere near those caves Jackson mentioned.”
A turn in the defile brought them to something of an open place. Here on one side the rocks towered fully fifty feet above their heads and at one point there was an opening perhaps fifteen feet square and leading into the side of the hill.
“This must be the first of the caves!” cried Spouter. “Come on in!” And without ceremony he led the way, and the others followed, glad to get out of the storm.
They found the cave an irregular one, running in somewhat of a semicircle and with a flooring that was comparatively level. It was dry and fairly comfortable, and once beyond the fury of the storm the lads dismounted and proceeded to make themselves at home.
The rain continued to come down and, with nothing better to do, the boys proceeded to make themselves as comfortable as possible. Near theentrance to the cave they found some leaves and dead tree branches which were still dry, and these they dragged inside and then made themselves a campfire.
“I reckon we’ll have to cut out going any further,” announced Spouter. “Even if the storm clears away, the trail will be very wet and slippery.”
It still lacked an hour to noon, and with nothing else to do the boys tethered their horses and then proceeded to investigate their surroundings. From the campfire they obtained several torches, and with these in hand they moved along slowly around the bend of the cave and over a series of rocks which led upward.
“It certainly is a larger cave than I supposed,” said Jack, as he and Gif led the way, with the others close behind.
“I think I see a light ahead, Jack,” was Gif’s remark. “That must be another opening to the cave.”
“Maybe the two caves that Jackson mentioned are really one, and this passageway connects them.”
“We’ll soon find out.”
By this time all but one of the torches had burnt themselves out. But this the lads did not mind, for the light ahead was steadily increasing, showingthat they could not be far from another opening.
“Look!” called Jack suddenly. And then he added: “Keep quiet, all of you!”
He pointed ahead and there, around a bend of the rocks, all saw two figures moving around on horseback. One was the figure of a tall man, and the other that of a well-grown youth.
“Why, that’s Brassy Bangs!” whispered Fred excitedly.
“Yes. And the man is Bud Haddon,” returned Andy.
“What do you bet Haddon isn’t after Brassy for more money?” put in Fred excitedly.
While the youngest Rover was speaking, he and the others saw that the two figures on horseback had disappeared behind a mass of rocks.
“I’m going ahead and find out about this,” declared Jack. “Come on! So far as we can see there are only two of them, so the six of us have nothing to fear.”
“Especially as we’re armed,” added Fred, who carried his pistol with him.
Throwing down the last of their torches, the six boys advanced with caution. They heard the horses beyond the rocks occasionally stamping a hoof and caught a faint murmur of voices. Then, led by Jack, they mounted the rocks noiselessly,presently gaining a point where they could look directly down upon Brassy Bangs and his companion.
“It’s all wrong, Bud Haddon, and you know it!” they heard Brassy declare. “And sooner or later the authorities will get after you for this.”
“See here, Lester Bangs, you don’t have to preach to me!” growled Bud Haddon. “You’re just as deep in some things as I am in others.”
“It isn’t true, and you know it!” whined Brassy. And now the lads who were listening could see that their fellow-cadet was very much upset. “I’m not guilty, and I never have been guilty of any wrongdoing!”
“You tell that to the police and see what they have to say about it,” sneered Haddon, “You know well enough that you set fire to John Calder’s barn and burnt up horses that was worth thousands of dollars.”
“And I always said it was some cowboys or tramps that did it!” stormed Brassy.
“Not much! You did it! I know it, and so do Jillson and Dusenbury! We’ve got the goods on you.”
“What were Jillson and Dusenbury and you doing around the place?” questioned Brassy suddenly.
“Never mind what we were doing around there.We know you set the barn on fire. Didn’t you have a quarrel with old Calder?”
“Yes, I did. But I didn’t make any fire. Maybe you had a quarrel with him yourself.”
“Hold on there, Bangs! None of that!” cried Bud Haddon sternly.
“Well, you wouldn’t be too good to set the fire,” added Brassy, with sudden recklessness. “Not after the way you are acting out here, running away with those horses, and after the way you acted at Colby Hall, trying to rob every room in the place!”
“Wait a minute now! Wait a minute!” returned the man sarcastically. “Who was it lent me his uniform and who was it that told me just what rooms to go into? Answer me those questions, will you?”
“You wouldn’t have gotten hold of the uniform and you wouldn’t have gotten any information if you hadn’t threatened me in all sorts of ways,” answered Brassy, somewhat lamely. “I wish now that I’d never had anything to do with you!”
“Well, you keep your tongue between your teeth, or else you’ll get yourself in the hottest kind of water!” burst out Bud Haddon. “Don’t you know that they can send you to prison for ten years for what you did?”
“I haven’t said anything to anybody as yet,” answered Brassy hastily.
“Well, you see that you don’t!”
“But I didn’t set Calder’s barn on fire—really I didn’t!” pleaded the boy. “I don’t see why you won’t believe me.”
“I’m willing to let that matter drop if only you’ll keep a civil tongue in your head and mind what you’re doing,” returned Bud Haddon. “And don’t forget—I want at least a hundred dollars more just as soon as you can lay your hands on it.”
“I don’t see how I’m going to get it. I’m expecting some money from my uncle. But that has got to pay for my tuition at Colby Hall this fall.”
“Well, you let the school wait for its money and you turn it over to me. They won’t want you there anyhow if they should find out what sort of a fellow you are,” went on Bud Haddon coarsely. “Now I’ve got to be getting back to Bimbel’s, rain or no rain,” he continued. “Just remember, you’ve got to fork over a hundred in cold cash before you start East again. If you don’t—well, look out, that’s all!” And with this threat the tall man rode out of the cave.
The Rovers and their chums had listened to every word that had been spoken. They wereboth mystified and amazed by what had been said.
“That fellow Haddon is surely a first-class rascal,” whispered Spouter to Jack.
“Do you know what I think we had better do?” returned the young major. “Let’s stop Brassy and have a straight talk with him. I don’t think he’s quite as bad as we thought he might be.”
“Yes, let us stop Brassy by all means,” came in a low tone from Fred.
Brassy Bangs had ridden to the mouth of the cave and there sat astride of his horse, watching Bud Haddon as he galloped away though the rain. Then he turned back in anything but a cheerful humor. The other boys saw him dismount and sink down on a rock, covering his face with his hands.
“Come on,” said Jack, and without more ado he scrambled down from the rocks and came around to where Brassy was sitting, and the others did the same.
Brassy’s misery was so great that for several seconds he did not notice their approach. Then, he looked up startled and leaped to his feet.
“Where did you come from?” he demanded, as soon as he could speak.
“We came from the other end of the cave, Brassy,” answered Jack.
“How long have you been here?”
“We’ve been here long enough to hear the talk you had with that fellow named Haddon,” answered Fred.
“You did!” Brassy turned pale. “It wasn’t very nice to listen when you had no business to!”
“Never mind about that now, Brassy. What we want to know is, did you or that fellow rob Colby Hall?”
“He did it! I didn’t have a thing to do with it—at least, willingly!” cried Brassy Bangs. “He forced me to do everything I did. He threatened me in all sorts of ways—said he would put me in prison and all that if I didn’t help him. Oh, he’s the worst man there ever was!” groaned the overwrought boy. And now the others could see that he was on the verge of collapse.
“See here, Brassy, why don’t you tell us the whole story?” put in Gif kindly.
“Why should I tell my story to you? All you fellows are against me—you always were!”
“We’re not against you, Brassy,” answered Jack. “If you can prove to us that you’re really being hounded by that man, we’ll do what we can to help you. Isn’t that so, fellows?” And at this question the others nodded.
“Hounded is right! He’s done nothing but hound me ever since he knew me,” whined the accused one.
“You tell me one thing!” demanded Spouter, striding up and catching Brassy by the shoulder. “Did that rascal steal the horses from our ranch?”
“I think he did—in fact, I’m about certain he did. That is, either he or the fellows he’s in league with.”
“Who are those other fellows?”
“Two fellows who just came out here from Chicago named Jillson and Dusenbury and two others from Bimbel’s ranch named Noxley and Jenks. The whole bunch were mixed up with Bimbel some years ago in a shady transaction, and they lit out for quite a while. But now they’re back again.”
“I don’t see why you want to get mixed up with a crowd like that,” was Andy’s comment.
“I didn’t want to get mixed up with ’em,” declared Brassy. “I haven’t had a thing to do with any of ’em except Bud Haddon. Oh, I wish I’d never met that man!” And now Brassy seemed almost on the verge of tears.
CHAPTER XXIXA CONFESSION
After that it was an easy matter for the other boys to get Brassy to make a complete confession.
“My first trouble came when I got a job with John Calder who has a farm on the outskirts of Omaha,” said Brassy. “I had had a quarrel at home, and also a quarrel with my uncle here, and had made up my mind to get a place and support myself. But I couldn’t get along with Calder, who was a very strict man, and one afternoon we had a lively quarrel, and I told him I’d leave, and I did so and went to Omaha. About a week after that Calder’s barn burned down and a number of horses were caught in the fire. That was just after I had fallen in with Bud Haddon and his two chums, Jillson and Dusenbury. Haddon pretended to be quite friendly. But all at once he accused me of setting the fire and said that Jillson and Dusenbury, who had left the day before, could prove it. I protested my innocence, but heinsisted I was guilty and worked me up to such an extent that I gave him almost every dollar I had in my pocket to keep him quiet.”
“And you say positively that you had nothing to do with the fire?” questioned Fred.
“Not a thing!”
“Couldn’t you prove that you weren’t there when the fire took place?” asked Andy.
“No, I couldn’t, because I went to a vaudeville show that evening, and I was among strangers, so that I couldn’t account for my time.”
“Did Haddon hound you when you came to Colby Hall?” questioned Gif.
“He certainly did—not once, but half a dozen times. And I gave him all the money I could scrape up. In fact, I even borrowed some money from Halliday and a couple of the other fellows.”
“But what about the robbery at the Hall?’” questioned Fred.
“Several times Haddon came to me and spoke in a mysterious manner about its being an easy matter to make a big haul. Then he hinted about the robbery; but I would have nothing to do with it. On the afternoon when we were getting ready to celebrate that night, he sent word that he wanted to see me at a certain barn not far from the school. When I got there he demanded thatI help him go through the bedrooms while the fellows were having a good time on the campus and down by the river. I said I wouldn’t do it, and then all of a sudden he hit me on the head and knocked me down. Then he stripped me of my trousers and jacket and tied me fast in one of the disused horse stalls.”
“And you mean to say he used your uniform in stealing into the school?” asked Spouter.
“That’s it. I didn’t know it at the time, because he went to another part of the barn where I couldn’t see him. But later on, when he brought the uniform back, he told me all about it. He thought he had been wonderfully slick.”
“Why didn’t you expose him at once?” demanded Jack.
“He told me that if I exposed him he would tell the authorities that I had planned the whole scheme and that I had done most of the work myself. He said some one had seen him in the uniform scooting from one room to another, so that the report would circulate that some cadet was guilty. He got me so worked up that at last I promised to keep quiet.”
“And had he really robbed your room, too?” demanded Fred.
“Yes. I lost my stuff just as I reported. Oh, you can’t imagine how I felt!” went on BrassyBangs in a hopeless tone of voice. “Many a time I thought I’d go to Colonel Colby and confess everything. But then I thought they would bring that old charge of barn-burning up against me, as well as the charge of helping in the robbery, and I didn’t have nerve enough to say a word. Oh, I know I was a big fool! I should have faced it out!”
“Wait a minute!” put in Jack suddenly. “Are you pretty sure Haddon, as well as Dusenbury and Jillson, are guilty of making off with the horses that are missing?”
“I am!”
“Well, then, isn’t it possible that those three went to this John Calder’s barn and stole some of the horses and then set fire to the place to cover the theft?”
“By golly, I’ll bet that’s just what they did!” burst out Brassy Bangs. “I remember now that the reports in the newspapers said the fire had been so fierce that the carcasses of the horses had been burnt up completely. They only found some of the bones in the ruins. Oh, if they really did do that!”
“Did Calder have any particularly good horses?”
“Yes, he had a splendid team of matched grays that were worth considerable money. He thoughtmore of the grays than he did of all his other horses put together.”
“I’ll wager a toothpick against a lemon that gang stole the grays before the fire,” declared Andy emphatically.
“The police ought to arrest those three men and put ’em through what they call the third degree,” remarked Gif.
“I’d like to know one other thing,” went on Andy, and now his face showed a slight grin. “What do you know about your Uncle Jarley’s auto running away by itself?”
“Oh, please don’t mention that tin junk wagon!” pleaded Brassy. “I started it, and the blamed thing ran over me, and I was lame for a week.”
“Does your uncle know anything about what Haddon and his crowd are up to?” questioned Jack.
“Not exactly. Although he’s becoming suspicious of the whole gang around the Bimbel place. You know he’s never trusted Bimbel since the man got into difficulty with the authorities several years ago.”
After that the seven boys talked the matter over for half an hour longer. And then the others insisted upon it that Brassy accompany them to the other entrance to the cave, and there all satdown to partake of the lunch brought from Big Horn Ranch.
Brassy appeared much relieved by the confession he had made, and readily answered all the questions put to him. His assertive manner had left him entirely, and he appeared quite humble.
“If he ever gets out of this I’ll bet he’ll be a different fellow,” whispered Randy to Fred.
“I think so myself,” was the reply. “But how he is going to square himself with Colonel Colby remains to be seen. It was a serious piece of business to let Haddon steal all those things from the school and say nothing about it.”
While the boys were eating the storm stopped, and less than an hour later the sun was shining as before.
“I think we might as well be on our way back to the ranch,” remarked Spouter. “The sooner we get there and let our fathers know how matters stand, the better.”
“Don’t you want to go with us, Brassy?” asked Jack.
“If I did that I couldn’t get back to my uncle’s place to-night, and then he’d worry about me. Otherwise I would just as lief go to your place as not. Now that I’ve told you everything I’d like to see the whole matter cleaned up, and quick too.”
“How far is it to your uncle’s ranch?” asked Fred.
“Not over a mile and a half.”
“Then suppose we go there first, and then all of us can strike out for Big Horn Ranch. Maybe your uncle will want to take part in what is going on,” said Jack.
“I wish you would go with me!” cried Brassy eagerly. “I’m afraid my uncle will raise Cain when I tell him the truth.”
“He won’t dare do much when we’re around,” answered Gif. “If he gets too ugly you can clear out and meet us on the way to our place.”
“That’s the talk,” said Randy.
Again there was a discussion, but in the end it was decided that the whole party should lose no time in getting to Jarley Bangs’ ranch. They would explain matters to Brassy’s uncle, and then set out for Songbird Powell’s place.
The campfire was speedily stamped out, and leaping into the saddle, the seven boys set out for the Bangs’ place, Brassy leading the way, with Spouter beside him. It was a wet and dismal ride through the woods, and it is safe to say that Brassy felt every bit as dismal as his surroundings.
“Gee, but I certainly am sorry for him!” whispered Andy to his twin. “He isn’t a fellow thatI would cotton to, but he certainly has got himself into a pickle.”
Presently the woods were left behind and they came out on the open prairie. Here the sun shone brightly, and the trail was drying rapidly. They urged their steeds into a gallop, and in a short while came in sight of the Jarley Bangs’ outfit.
As they rode up they saw Jarley Bangs come from the ranch house and move swiftly toward one of the stables where the horses were kept. He was evidently in a hurry and much excited.
“Hello! where have you been?” he demanded of his nephew. “Where did you pick up these chaps?”
“I met ’em during the storm over at Twin Caves,” answered Brassy.
“It’s a wonder you wouldn’t stay around the house once in a while,” grumbled Jarley Bangs. “If you would, maybe I wouldn’t be losing things.”
“Losing things! What do you mean, Uncle Jarley?” questioned the nephew quickly.
“What do I mean?” stormed the ranch owner. “Do you know what has happened since you went away?”
“No.”
“Well, then, I’ll tell you! Two of our best horses have been stolen! Right out of the stable,too!” exclaimed Jarley Bangs wrathfully. “Duster and old Whitehead!”
“Stolen!” came from all of the boys simultaneously.
“Yes, stolen! Nobody saw ’em taken, but they’re gone, and not a man on the ranch was near ’em!”
“I’ll wager that’s more of Bud Haddon’s work,” declared Jack quickly.
“But he wasn’t here—he was over at the caves,” returned Fred.
“Well, if he didn’t do it, then some members of his gang did,” put in Randy.
“I’m going to have the law on somebody for this!” stormed Jarley Bangs. “Too many horses in this neighborhood have been stolen. I’m going to visit some of the other ranchmen and notify the sheriff, and see if we can’t raise a posse to run down the rascals.”
“That’s the way to talk, Mr. Bangs!” cried Spouter. “And we know just what gang to go after.”
CHAPTER XXXTHE CAPTURE—CONCLUSION
Less than an hour later found the whole party, including Jarley Bangs, on the way to Big Horn Ranch.
Brassy’s uncle had listened with keen interest to the story his nephew and the other lads had to relate. He had interrupted a number of times to ask questions, and at the finish of the recital had held up both hands in disgust.
“You’re a bigger fool than I ever thought you were, Lester,” he had told his nephew. “Why in thunder didn’t you tell your folks and me all about this just as soon as it happened? We could have set a trap for those rascals and caught ’em easy.”
“But, Uncle Jarley, remember how I was tied up in that Colby Hall affair!” Brassy had pleaded.
“I don’t believe Colonel Colby would hold you responsible for that—not after he’d made a thorough investigation. But that ain’t here nor there. What we want to do now is to grab those fellows before they’ve a chance to make a get-away. I’djust like to ketch ’em with Duster and Whitehead in their possession! I think I could find enough old-timers around here to hand all of ’em a rope,” and Jarley Bangs’ eyes had flashed with a fire that was anything but agreeable.
The Rover boys and their chums had thought to take the regular trail leading back to Big Horn Ranch, but Jarley Bangs told them he knew of a shorter way.
“We can cut off over a mile,” said he. “And I reckon the quicker we get a posse out the better.”
“Don’t you suppose we can round them up around Bimbel’s ranch almost any time?” queried Spouter.
“Maybe, and maybe not. We’d probably be able to get the others, but Haddon, Dusenbury and Jillson come and go. Sometimes they’re here, and sometimes in Omaha and Chicago.”
“Perhaps that’s where they disposed of their stolen horses,” suggested Jack.
“More’n likely.”
Jarley Bangs had armed himself with a double-barreled shotgun, and he rode in advance with Spouter at his side and the others close behind.
The way lay across a stretch of prairie and then into the edge of the woods bordering the river. The party had just gained the water’sedge and were looking for a good fording place when Brassy suddenly uttered an exclamation.
“Look up the river, will you? There are those men now! And see! they are leading a couple of horses!”
“Get back out of sight, quick!” ordered Jarley Bangs. And in a few seconds all were behind the bushes which at that point lined the river.
“Why, they’re heading almost straight for Big Horn Ranch!” exclaimed Spouter excitedly.
“They’re going to follow the old river trail,” announced Jarley Bangs. “More’n likely they’ll take to the lower trail when they reach the forks.”
“Can’t we head ’em off and capture ’em?” questioned Fred.
“I think we can. Anyhow, we can try,” was Jarley Bangs’ answer.
The old ranchman made a swift mental calculation and then directed the boys to follow him to a fording place a little further down the river. Once on the other side of the watercourse, he urged his steed forward at topmost speed in the direction of another patch of timber further southward.
“They wouldn’t dare take the upper trail,” he told the lads. “For that would take ’em too close to Big Horn. They’ll come this way, I’m almost certain.”
It was not easy riding on a trail which was used but seldom. Nevertheless, the lads hurried after the old ranchman as well as they could. They wound in and out over some rough rocks and up a small hill, and presently emerged upon a much better trail.
“Here is where they ought to pass,” announced Jarley Bangs. “Now then, we’ll put our horses in the thicket and then see what we can do toward pocketing ’em when they come.”
The old ranchman had seen strenuous times in his younger days, and he seemed to know exactly what to do. He divided the boys into two groups, placing them on either side of the winding and rocky road.
“Now if you have to shoot, shoot high so as not to hit anybody on the other side,” was his warning. “But maybe we can get ’em without firing a shot,” he went on.
Brassy was armed with a small rifle, and he insisted upon remaining in the roadway with his uncle. The other lads with their pistols and guns were placed in advantageous positions behind nearby rocks and trees.
The arrangement was scarcely completed when they heard the tramp of horses’ hoofs over the somewhat rocky trail, and in a minute more Bud Haddon came into view, followed by Jillson andDusenbury, all on horseback and each of the latter leading an extra steed.
“Throw up your hands!” shouted Jarley Bangs, as the horsemen came closer, and he leveled his shotgun full at Haddon’s head, while Brassy covered Dusenbury with his rifle. The boys behind the rocks and trees covered all three men as well as they were able.
The three rascals had not anticipated such a meeting, and, seeing the guns leveled at them, not only from the front but also from the sides, three pairs of hands went up almost as one.
“It’s Bangs!” murmured the man named Dusenbury. “I reckon the jig is up.”
“Don’t dare to budge or I’ll blow somebody’s head off!” roared Jarley Bangs. And he looked as if he meant what he said.
“You’ve got the drop on me, and I ain’t moving,” answered Bud Haddon surlily.
“Hi, Powell! Come out here, will you?” went on Brassy Bangs’ uncle. And then, as Spouter came from the bushes with rifle in hand, he continued. “Go up there and take every one of their guns away from ’em.”
As soon as they had been disarmed the three rascals were told to dismount and stand in a line along the side of the road. Then, as the boys confronted them, Jarley Bangs went through theirpockets once more to make sure that no weapon had been overlooked.
“Fine piece of business, to run away with my horses!” exclaimed the old ranch owner, and he jerked his head in the direction of the two animals the men had been leading.
With their hands tied in front of them, the men were made to remount, and then the entire party lost no time in heading for Big Horn Ranch.
“I’ll fix you for this!” hissed Haddon at Brassy when he got the chance.
“You do your worst!” retorted the boy. “I’m not afraid of you any more.”
Of course, there was great excitement at the ranch when the crowd came in with the three prisoners. The story of what had happened was quickly circulated, and Joe Jackson and a number of the cowboys were called in from the ranges. One of the cowboys was sent off to notify a deputy sheriff of what had occurred and of what the ranch owners expected to do, and two other cowboys were started off to notify the owners of other ranches in that vicinity.
As a consequence early the next morning a posse consisting of twelve men headed for Bimbel’s ranch. Of course, the boys wanted to go along, but they were forced to remain behind, much to their chagrin.
“You might get shot,” said Songbird Powell. “And, besides that, you have had glory enough, helping to catch these three rascals,” and he smiled faintly.
The affair at Bimbel’s was rather a strenuous one. Jenks and Noxley, as well as Bimbel, tried to escape, and Noxley was shot in the leg. The fellow thought he was going to die, and while waiting for the doctor to come and attend him he made a full confession concerning the stealing of many of the horses in that neighborhood. He said that Bud Haddon was at the head of the gang and that Haddon, with Jillson and Dusenbury, were in the habit of disposing of the animals either at Omaha or Chicago, although one or two steeds, including one belonging to the former owners of Big Horn Ranch had been sent further east.
“I guess it was one of the early thefts that took Haddon to Haven Point,” declared Jack, and in that surmise he was correct.
With this evidence against them, Haddon, Jillson and Dusenbury were submitted to a severe gruelling, each being examined separately. Finally Dusenbury broke down completely and admitted that he and the other two had fired John Calder’s barn after stealing his noted pair of gray horses. The horses had been shipped out of town,and were later on recovered, as were also Mr. Powell’s Blackbird and several other of the animals.
When Bud Haddon’s effects were examined many pawn tickets were discovered, and following up the clues thus afforded Colonel Colby managed to get back many of the articles stolen from the school. These included Professor Duke’s heirloom watch and a number of the things lost by our friends.
At first it was thought that Brassy might be prosecuted, but when Bud Haddon was brought to trial for the thefts the State used the youth as a witness against the fellow, and consequently Brassy was allowed to go free. He, however, received a stern lecture from Colonel Colby and was then told that he had better not return to the Hall.
“I don’t think I want to come back,” said Brassy. “A whole lot of the fellows would never forgive me for what I did.” And in this surmise he was probably correct. Brassy returned to his uncle’s ranch, and that was the last heard of him for a long time.
With the mystery of the robbery at Colby Hall and of the missing horses cleared up, the Rover boys and all the other young folks at Big Horn Ranch turned their attention once more to havinga good time. Sam Rover went back to New York to take charge of the offices in Wall Street, and that gave Dick Rover and his wife a chance to come out and pay the ranch a visit.
“We’ve certainly had some strenuous times here,” remarked Jack one day.
And he was right. But other strenuous times were still in store for the lads, and what some of these were will be related in the next volume, to be entitled, “The Rover Boys at Big Bear Lake; or, The Camps of the Rival Cadets.”
“Big Horn Ranch is a delightful place,” said Ruth. “I never thought a spot where they raised cattle could be so interesting.”
“Is your father going to stay out here and become a regular ranchman, Spouter?” questioned Fred.
“I don’t know about that,” answered the ranch owner’s son. “He’ll stay here for a while, anyway. He likes it better and better every day.”
“I dink some day I got me a ranch mineself alreatty,” remarked Hans Mueller. “Den I could raise all mine own meats for mine delicatessen stores, not so?” and he smiled complacently.
“Come on, boys, let’s get on horseback and have a race!” cried Andy, as he came up from finishing a game of lawn tennis with Mary.
“I’m with you,” answered Fred, who had beenplaying a game of croquet with May and some of the others.
“All right! A horseback race it is!” cried Jack.
“An extra piece of cake to the boy who wins!” shouted his sister Martha after him.
“Hurrah! Me for that piece of cake!” came from every one of the boys assembled.
And here, while they are running down to the corral pell-mell to get on their horses for a gallop across the prairie, we will leave them and say good-bye.
THE END
THE END
THE FAMOUS ROVER BOYS SERIESBY ARTHUR M. WINFIELD(Edward Stratemeyer)OVER THREE MILLION COPIES SOLD OF THIS SERIESUniform Style of Binding. Colored Wrappers.Every Volume Complete in Itself.
THE FAMOUS ROVER BOYS SERIES
BY ARTHUR M. WINFIELD
(Edward Stratemeyer)
OVER THREE MILLION COPIES SOLD OF THIS SERIES
Uniform Style of Binding. Colored Wrappers.
Every Volume Complete in Itself.
THE ROVER BOYS AT SCHOOL
THE ROVER BOYS ON THE OCEAN
THE ROVER BOYS IN THE JUNGLE
THE ROVER BOYS OUT WEST
THE ROVER BOYS ON THE GREAT LAKES
THE ROVER BOYS IN THE MOUNTAINS
THE ROVER BOYS ON LAND AND SEA
THE ROVER BOYS IN CAMP
THE ROVER BOYS ON THE RIVER
THE ROVER BOYS ON THE PLAINS
THE ROVER BOYS IN SOUTHERN WATERS
THE ROVER BOYS ON THE FARM
THE ROVER BOYS ON TREASURE ISLE
THE ROVER BOYS AT COLLEGE
THE ROVER BOYS DOWN EAST
THE ROVER BOYS IN THE AIR
THE ROVER BOYS IN NEW YORK
THE ROVER BOYS IN ALASKA
THE ROVER BOYS IN BUSINESS
THE ROVER BOYS ON A TOUR
THE ROVER BOYS AT COLBY HALL
THE ROVER BOYS ON SNOWSHOE ISLAND
THE ROVER BOYS UNDER CANVAS
THE ROVER BOYS ON A HUNT
THE ROVER BOYS IN THE LAND OF LUCK
THE ROVER BOYS AT BIG HORN RANCH
THE ROVER BOYS AT BIG BEAR LAKE
THE ROVER BOYS SHIPWRECKED
Grosset & Dunlap, Publishers, New York
Grosset & Dunlap, Publishers, New York
THE TOM SWIFT SERIESBy VICTOR APPLETONUniform Style of Binding. Individual Colored Wrappers.Every Volume Complete in Itself.
THE TOM SWIFT SERIES
By VICTOR APPLETON
Uniform Style of Binding. Individual Colored Wrappers.
Every Volume Complete in Itself.
Every boy possesses some form of inventive genius. Tom Swift is a bright, ingenious boy and his inventions and adventures make the most interesting kind of reading.
TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTOR CYCLE
TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTOR BOAT
TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIRSHIP
TOM SWIFT AND HIS SUBMARINE BOAT
TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC RUNABOUT
TOM SWIFT AND HIS WIRELESS MESSAGE
TOM SWIFT AMONG THE DIAMOND MAKERS
TOM SWIFT IN THE CAVES OF ICE
TOM SWIFT AND HIS SKY RACER
TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC RIFLE
TOM SWIFT IN THE CITY OF GOLD
TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIR GLIDER
TOM SWIFT IN CAPTIVITY
TOM SWIFT AND HIS WIZARD CAMERA
TOM SWIFT AND HIS GREAT SEARCHLIGHT
TOM SWIFT AND HIS GIANT CANNON
TOM SWIFT AND HIS PHOTO TELEPHONE
TOM SWIFT AND HIS AERIAL WARSHIP
TOM SWIFT AND HIS BIG TUNNEL
TOM SWIFT IN THE LAND OF WONDERS
TOM SWIFT AND HIS WAR TANK
TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIR SCOUT
TOM SWIFT AND HIS UNDERSEA SEARCH
TOM SWIFT AND AMONG THE FIRE FIGHTERS
TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVE
TOM SWIFT AND HIS FLYING BOAT
TOM SWIFT AND HIS GREAT OIL GUSHER
Grosset & Dunlap, Publishers, New York
Grosset & Dunlap, Publishers, New York