“Mother wrote and told him we might be delayed on the road,” said Rick. “But I’ll be glad to get to his camp.”
“So’ll I,” added Chot.
“Not but what we’re having a dandy time!” Rick hastened to say, for fear Mr. Campbell might think he was not grateful. “But I want to find out what it is Uncle Tod wants us to do.”
“I don’t blame you,” said Mr. Campbell.
“I don’t believe anything more exciting can happen there than what we’ve already had,” said Chot.
But he was mistaken, as he had to admit later.
The next two days were rather quiet ones. The party, including Ruddy, of course, who was glad to be back with his master and the latter’s chum, journeyed on, up over the mountain passes and soon found themselves in the Great West. I use capitals because that is how it always impresses me and how it impressed Rick and Chot. They had never been there before and it was a wonderful revelation to them.
“Well, I shall hate to lose you boys—you’ve been jolly good traveling companions,” said Mr. Campbell when, one afternoon, they reached the town nearest to where Uncle Tod had said he could be found.
“We’ll miss you, too,” said Rick. “But I guess we’ll find plenty to do.”
“I haven’t any doubt of it,” chuckled Mr. Campbell. “Well, we’d better stop here and inquire how to get to your uncle’s place,” he remarked, as they reached a forked road in a lonely section. “We don’t want to run up against any more broken bridges.”