Those who heard him seemed to feel the old West rush upon them—the West with pistols leveled and eyes narrowed, the West that had produced a man like the boss of the X Bar X.
“Don’t shoot unless you have to. But remember that Belle is in there, an’, if you have to shoot, don’t waste no bullets. I guess that’s all.”
He chirped to his pony. The boys did the same, and the father and his two sons separated, riding back to back. Behind Teddy and Roy come Nick Looker, Gus Tripp, and Bug Eye. The others were with Mr. Manley.
The canyon opened out before them. Mr. Manley’s party had already entered it and were lost to sight behind the trees which bordered its edge.
Teddy and Roy looked down. At the bottom of the cut they could hear the faint tinkle of the running stream. From this rivulet the sides of rock rose perfectly straight, like the walls of two huge buildings. Then, higher up, the canyon gradually broadened, making a sort of V. Along the top edge of this V rode the boys, while towering over them, the taller mountains reared. It was a gorge within a gorge.
As Teddy’s eyes swept over the tremendous expanse his heart faltered for a moment in sudden despair. How were they ever to find the girls in this place? The task was hopeless!
Then he remembered his mother’s words:
“They’ll be with us before to-morrow night!”
Touching Flash with his spurs, Teddy rode on.