“I wouldn’t be much surprised if you’ve hit the nail on the head, Andy,” observed the other soberly. “But the question is, what are we going to do about it, for it seems to me it’s up to us pretty much to start something moving.”
Andy suddenly looked up eagerly.
“Tell you what, Frank!” he exclaimed, “we’ve got something better than ponies to take us over the ground to where Uncle Jethro and the boys are at work. What’s going to hinder us from making use of the biplane to cover these miles of space? Why, we can just whizz down there, and carry the news!”
Frank appeared to be thinking, for he did not make any remark in answer to this bright suggestion on the part of his chum.
“Look,” Andy went on to remark, “if there isn’t Alkali Joe hobbling around on one foot with a cane to support him. Chances are, he’ll be asking us to let him ride for help, while we try and overtake the kidnapper; but that would be a terrible thing to let him do. Better send Charley Woo, if somebody has to go, and you don’t want to waste time by using the machine.”
“I was thinking why shouldn’t we set out straight on the track of Jose, using the biplane instead of ponies?” Frank suddenly broke out with.
“Good! Great stunt! It does take you to think up things, Frank. There I kept on beating about the bush, and saying we might carry the news to the boys, when all the time we had the opening before us to chase right after the skunk, hot-footed. And say, there’s those fine Marlin guns we used on the bear hunt; couldn’t we make out to carry a couple of that sort along with us, Frank? Oh! the way I feel right now, it wouldn’t take much to tempt me to put a chunk of lead in that Mexican, I tell you. How about that, Frank; ain’t we going armed, if we have to try and get our little ranch butterfly back again?”
“Of course, Andy; it would be silly to think of going without some sort of gun along. When you’re meaning to arrest a bad man you had ought to make sure you’re heeled so as to enforce your demands. We’ll take shooting-irons along in numbers enough to riddle him if it comes to a question of a stand-up fight. And now’s let’s hurry back to the house. Before we can get off there are a few things we must see to, you understand.”
“Then you don’t think we had better run over to where the boys are, first of all, and let them know?” Andy went on to ask, loth to let his suggestion be wholly thrown into the discard.
“A waste of time, when everything is going to depend on how fast we can overtake Jose and little Becky,” Frank asserted, firmly. “We can start Charley Woo off; or if necessary, Mrs. Ogden, who can ride nearly as well as a man, will go. Come, the sooner we start in the quicker we’ll be able to do something worth while.”