“Which direction would you suggest our taking?” asked Tad in a soothing voice.
“Go back the way you came. I don’t care where you go.”
“You are not consistent,” laughed the freckle-faced boy. “You tell us you don’t care where we go, then you order us to proceed in a definite direction. You are going too far, Mr. Darwood. When you have had a chance to cool down I think you will look at this matter in a different light. If you will use your head a little you will see it is not possible that we could have had any previous knowledge of your plans or of your gold mine. You had better make friends with us. We might be of some use to you. Professor Zepplin is a scientist. He could give you valuable help. Shall we call quits and shake hands? Come on.”
192The words that he would utter seemed to stick in the gold digger’s throat. He clutched twice at his holster, but the evident desire on his part to use his pistol appeared to have no effect at all on the Pony Rider outfit. Darwood knew very well that drawing his weapon would practically be the end of himself, and this did not tend to make his situation any better.
“I’ll not shake hands with you. I am going back to my camp. If you thieves are here by to-night I promise you there will be something doing. I–”
Professor Zepplin strode forward, his whiskers bristling, his fists clenched. The boys never had seen their guardian so angry.
“That for your threats!” he roared, shaking a fist under the nose of Curtis Darwood. “Your threats don’t frighten us. Your pistol doesn’t frighten us. We’re not that kind.”
The miner started to reply.
“Don’t you open your mouth or I shall forget myself and slap your face. Thieves!” Professor Zepplin struggled to master his emotions. “Thieves! This is too much. You tell us that if we are here to-night you will make matters lively for us. If it will accommodate you any we will remain right here. But we should be on our way. We are going to follow 193a straight course as near as possible to the northwest. We shall, with reasonable luck, be about twenty miles from here by eleven o’clock to-night. If that is the direction you are going you will have no difficulty in finding us. But let me warn you, sir, we shall put up with no trifling. We have as good a right to be here as have you, and I am not sure but that we have a better right.”
“We’ll see about that,” retorted Darwood angrily.