“I’ve got a hunch you’re wrong, Bleek, yet I can’t say where you’re wrong, or why.”
“My nerves must be in a fearful state when I get so worked up over the report of a revolver. I wouldn’t have thought anything about it if Shoup and Lenning hadn’t been in our vicinity, and if they hadn’t taken our canoe, and if you hadn’t told me what you did about Mrs. Boorland’s money, and about Blunt going on the warpath.”
“Well, let’s give it up as a bad job and mosey back to the camp. I’d like to keep Blunt from finding those two fellows, for he might do something a whole lot worse than just losing the two hundred dollars. I guess, though, that Shoup and Lenning are foxy enough to keep away from Blunt.”
“Our best bet is to look for the canoe. That must be along the river, somewhere. If we can find that, we may be able to lie low and get track of the thieves who made off with it. I had already planned that move for this afternoon. Why not begin at the mouth of the gulch, Chip, and work our way back to the camp? It wouldn’t take more than an hour or two to beat up every thicket where the canoe could be hidden.”
“Come on, Bleek, and we’ll try it.”
They had hardly started before Merriwell came to a quick halt, and dropped his hand on Bleeker’s arm.
“Listen!” he said.
They bent their heads, and what Merriwell had heard came to the ears of each of them distinctly. It was the sound of galloping hoofs.
“That’s a horse, all right,” murmured Bleeker excitedly. “From the sound, the animal is heading this way.”
“One horse,” said Frank. “Wait till I climb this hill and see if I can locate the animal.”