“Pretty soon I see a car down the road. As she comes closer, I noticed there were five people in it.”
“Five!” Teddy exclaimed.
“Yep. There were three girls, a man drivin’, an’ an old woman, who sure looked like a Mex, sittin’ in the front seat beside him.”
“A woman!” exclaimed Mr. Manley.
“Why didn’t you speak of this before?” asked Pete Ball, a bit sharply.
“Didn’t get no chance, boss,” was the calm answer. “I been out ridin’ fence ever since you hired me, which was soon after I rode in on Satiday. I didn’t hear nothin’ about no kidnappin’ till jes’ now on th’ way over, an’ then I begun puttin’ two an’ two together. For all I knowed, them folks in the auto might ’a’ been a picnicin’ party.”
“That’s right,” agreed Mr. Manley. “But it’s lucky that you happened to see them, cowboy!”
“I hope it’ll turn out so. I’d sure have mentioned it afore if I’d knowed what it meant. But I was sent for in a hurry to join what I thought was a bunch jest takin’ after rustlers, and it wasn’t until I heard the young ladies mentioned jest now that I remembered about that crowd in the auto. The driver, a mean-lookin’ sort of cuss, seemed in a pronto rush, an’ the old crone was hoverin’ over the girls like a hen with three chicks.”
“Then they must be goin’ to hold Belle and the others for ransom. Boys, if we have to, we’ll pay it—but we’ll give them a fight first! At any rate, I believe the girls are safe for a while. Go on, man, which way did the car head?” asked Mr. Manley.
“Well, now, I was just tryin’ to think. There’s a cut around here somewhere, only I can’t think of the name of it. Let’s see—somethin’ like Lightnin’ Gorge or—”