It seemed to the two boys as though the cap of Thunder Mountain, long suspected of having been a volcano centuries in the past, had been blown sky-high by some tremendous internal force. There was a heavy blast that seemed to
make the very earth quiver under their feet. The cattle bellowed, and shrank fearfully into a compact mass, refusing to go further along the trail. And the loud cries of the cowboys told that they, too, had been astounded by the explosion that seemed so mysterious.
CHAPTER XIV
SHUT IN
“An earthquake!”
Perhaps, after all, it was not so very strange that Bob should give utterance to this exclamation. He had been thrown to the ground, and with considerable violence too. The consequence of this rough treatment was a shortage of breath as he began to scramble to his feet again, though even this did not prevent his excited outcry.
The cattle had been frightened by the sudden, fearful noise, and the trembling of the earth. They were bellowing madly, and showing all the signs that generally go before a stampede.
The instinct of a stockman must have overcome the alarm Colonel Haywood naturally experienced himself at this unexpected happening.
“Get busy, boys!” he shouted. “Take care of the stock first. Get them milling, or we’ll have a stampede, and lose the whole bunch!”
The nearest cowboy passed the word on to the next. Above the racket then arose the cheery cries of the drivers, as they started upon the customary
tactics to get the animals wheeling in a circle, so as to prevent a mad rush.