Of course the boys believed that the series of strange things that had come to pass since they left Circle Ranch, to make the long journey to the mine, were never to be equalled in all their experience. But when deciding thus they could not foresee certain events that were destined soon to come about. These will be related in the next volume of this series, to be called: “The Saddle Boys at Circle Ranch; or, In at the Grand Round-Up.”
Before returning to his ranch home, Frank spent three days in company with his chum, Mr. Riley, and Sim Garrison, searching for the other two missing treasure sacks. It proved that Jared Scott had very carefully noted where they had dropped. And, following out the plain directions which he had jotted down, they eventually found them both.
Thus the strike was settled; the treasure, stolen from the strong room, recovered; and all those who participated in the robbery caught, with the exception of Jared Scott.
Some time afterwards Frank tried to find him, but learned he had, with some friends, hurried away from the town on the river a few days after arriving there, regardless of his broken limb. Whether he really went up into the mountains in the hope of locating the treasure himself, regretting his act of giving its hiding place away, or simply vanished because he feared arrest, was never known.
Reddy and Blaisdell were tried for the crime, and received their sentence. Taking off time for possible good behavior they would have to serve some ten years.
The other two men managed to escape. They had not been in the league to begin with, nor had either of them touched the real treasure sacks at any time; though their intentions could not be doubted.
When the time came for the saddle boys to make the return journey Mr. Riley accompanied them. And he promised that if their story of what had happened during their absence from the ranch failed in covering the ground, he would have a few things to add to it, such as the Colonel would be glad to hear.
Bob had made sure to secure the skin of the panther which had fallen to his gun on that occasion when the big cat attacked him for shooting the deer he had apparently selected for his own dinner.
“I don’t care particularly about running across another of the same sort in a hurry,” he remarked, after he found that the skin was in good condition, the dry air having acted as a preservative; “and it seems to strike me this will make a pretty good mat.”
Nothing came to pass on the home trip that was out of the ordinary.