The boys listened eagerly, their hearts thumping madly. They leaned forward, Teddy kneeling on the ground, his eyes boring into those of the wounded man.
“They’re—in—Sholo Caves!”
Then, with a sigh, the outlaw toppled over, his head hitting the ground with a thud, and he lay still.
CHAPTER XXIII
On to the Rescue
“Fainted,” Bug Eye remarked, and leaped from his horse. Pulling his canteen from his saddle, he doused the man’s face with the water in it, desisting at the first sign of returning consciousness. Replacing the top on the canteen, Bug Eye flung it down beside the silent figure and remounted.
“You-all heard what he said?” Nick asked excitedly. “Ike Natick was right! Sholo Caves! Come on, boys! Let that snake lie. He’ll be all right with the water. We’ll get him later. He’s too badly shot up to move an’ his horse is gone. Yow! We’re off!”
With the news that they were on the right trail, came bounding hope and a joy that expressed itself in vigorous denunciation of Reltsur and his gang. With scarcely a backward glance, the five rode swiftly up the trail toward the falls that roared in the distance. They were not callous, but something more important than wounded outlaws sent them rushing forward.
“If we can only find dad!” Teddy yelled, as he guided Flash with a sure hand. “This blame darkness! We shan’t be able to see a thing in a few minutes!”
“Can’t help it,” Roy answered. “If we don’t meet dad, we’ll go on ourselves. Guess we can handle any bunch of kidnappers that rides. How about it, boys?”