“I’ll agree with you, Pete,” he said finally. “Pop, come here! You know more about Thunder Canyon than any man of us—or you should. Is there any place in it that might do for a stronghold for rustlers?”
“I’ll say there is, boss!” Pop replied loudly. “The Sholo Caves near Gravestone Falls! I helped route a gang from there when I was ridin’ fer yore father, boss. An’ we had some job, let me tell you! We’d never have gotten ’em loose if one of their men hadn’t welched and let us past. But we found out one thing—that the only way to really get a bunch out of those caves is to come at ’em from both sides of the canyon at once. The men on the other side keep ’em covered while those on this side stick ’em up. If we’d only knowed that when we had our fight, it would’ve turned out different. As it was, most of the rustlers got away. Me, I was with the party that—”
“Thanks, Pop,” Mr. Manley said quickly, forestalling any attempt at one of the long speeches for which the veteran puncher was famous. “That tells us what we want to know. We head for Sholo Caves, men! Teddy, Roy, listen to me! You two are goin’ to take the side with the caves on with Nick, Gus Tripp, an’ Bug Eye. Pete an’ I will ride across from you with the other men. We’ve got to keep in touch with each other. I guess you’ve been through Thunder Canyon before, boys?”
“Sure we have, Dad,” Roy answered. “Though there are some parts of it pretty wide. If we can stay opposite each other till we get to the narrow part, we’ll be all right.”
Mr. Manley nodded in approval.
“That’s what I’ve been thinkin’,” he said. “But we have to chance that, I guess. You keep up the same pace we took comin’ over here, an’ I’ll do likewise. When we get to the Falls, where she’s narrow, we ought to be pretty near opposite each other. Anyway, we’ll wait there until we get together. Anybody want to ask any questions before we start?”
The men were silent. The only questions they would ask would be of their guns—that they might not miss when the time came for action.
Before separating, the boys shook hands with their father. The grips were momentary, but they were firm, and told of sentiments which were more easily sensed than spoken. Each knew the danger he was about to face, and realized that this was the last time he might see the other alive. Certainly, there was the possibility of a tragic end to this serious business. Men who would kidnap girls would not hesitate to shoot to kill if the occasion arose.
Hence the boys knew well to what they were riding. Yet rather than hesitation, there was about them an eagerness which welcomed whatever might befall. Their sister was somewhere in that canyon. They were going to find her and Nell and Ethel, and not all the bullets ever moulded would prevent them!
“Good luck, boys,” Mr. Manley said, as he sat quietly in his saddle a moment before starting. “Keep your powder dry an’ your guns clean.”