"If you'd only followed me we could have caught 'em all," he said, in a half-reproachful tone, as he came up to the boys.
"I don't believe you could have overtaken them if all of us had been close at your heels," replied George, speaking with considerable difficulty because of the shortness of his breath. "But, as a matter of fact, I don't think we could have followed those men even if the team itself had been ours only in consideration of our catching them. You see, we have run a mile at full speed, and we're about used up."
"Wall, it's a pity to let 'em go, for they'll be lookin' 'round for some other team, now they've lost your'n, an' jest as likely as not I'll be the one that'll have to furnish it for 'em," said the farmer, mournfully, as he fanned himself vigorously with his broad-brimmed straw hat. "But I've seen them chaps before, I'm pretty sure. I b'lieve they're the same ones that was nosin' 'round here four or five weeks ago, lookin' for oil signs over my pasture."
"Oh, we'll hope not!" exclaimed Bob, with a laugh. "For the sake of those who are really engaged in the oil business, we'll hope they do not number horse-thieves among them."
"But I'm sure they're the same ones," persisted the farmer, "an' they talked as if they knowed all about the business."
As soon as the boys had recovered somewhat from the effects of their exertions they began to think of returning, and Bob started to get his team, which had been left in the stable-yard, when an exclamation from George caused him to pause.
The obstructions had not been cleared away from the road, and Harnett was fastening his horses to the fence, in order to help remove that which had been of so much service in stopping the flight of the horse-thieves, when some papers in the buggy arrested his attention.
Taking them up carelessly he glanced over two or three quickly when something caught his eye which caused the cry of surprise that had stopped Bob.
"They were oil prospectors, after a fashion," said George, "and if they knew what they professed to, they have left us a valuable souvenir."
"A souvenir!" repeated Bob. "What have they done—left an empty pocket-book?"