"If you don't halt we'll shoot!" added Haverhill.
"Do you suppose they will?" asked Jed's brother anxiously. "One of them has a revolver out," he added, as he gave a hasty backward glance.
"I don't believe so. They can't shoot very straight anyhow, with the way their horses and ours are going."
"Are you going to stop?" yelled Morton again.
"No!" cried Jed, as he urged his horse on down the mountain slope, while the pursuers came galloping on behind them.
CHAPTER XXI
WHAT HAPPENED TO GABE
When Gabe Harrison started up the mountain, with the intention of prospecting around a bit, seeking for indications of gold, he fully expected to be back within two hours. It was his idea that he might see signs of a lead which would be better than the one he and the boys were on.
Now if Gabe had had a horse that was used to mountain climbing several things in this story would not have happened. For a steed accustomed to scrambling over loose rocks, up steep slopes and down others still steeper, would have kept its footing, and not stumbled, as did Gabe's animal.