CHAPTER XXII
STAKING THEIR CLAIMS
Once more the pursuit was on, but the boys were determined never to give up as long as their horses could go. On their part the bad men were equally relentless. Urged on by the greed of Con Morton, the three kept up the chase.
"What's the good of it?" asked Haverhill, when after the second day the boys were still in the lead. "They'll get away from us."
"No, they'll not," said Morton fiercely. "I'll catch 'em if it takes a week!"
"What makes you think they have gold?"
"I'm sure of it. The way they acted convinces me of that. And I'm going to make 'em tell where they got it."
On they kept. The steeds of the boys were getting weary, for though they kept up a good lead they could only stop at short intervals for feed and water. This could not last, and Jed knew it. But with grim determination he and Will kept on.
It was toward the close of the fourth day of the pursuit amid the mountains. Only the fact that there were a number of trails, which wound in and out, had, up to this, prevented the capture of the boys. They doubled on their track several times, and thus fooled the gamblers, who knew as little of the mountains as did Will and Jed. And, in darkness, it was equally impossible for either party to advance, so uncertain was the travel.
But the bad men had this advantage—their horses were used to the mountains, and those of the boys were not. The pace was too rough and was being kept up too long for the farm steeds. They began to go slower.