Two days passed. We arose the morning of the third to find that the oxen had strayed away during the night. Deciding they could not have wandered far, I went to my gold washing as usual, leaving Woodruff and his brother to hunt them up. About ten o’clock they came to my claim very much troubled.
321“We can’t find them anywhere,” they told me, “and it doesn’t seem natural that they should stray far; they are too tired.”
I knocked off work, and returned with them to the flat, where we proceeded to look for tracks. The earth was too hard and tramped to show us much, and after a half hour of fruitless examination we returned to camp with the intention of eating something before starting out on a serious search. While thus engaged the express messengers rode up.
“Hullo!” said Johnny cheerfully. “Glad to hear you made such a good thing out of your cattle!”
He caught our stare of surprise, swung from his horse and advanced on us with three swift strides.
“You haven’t sold them?” he exclaimed.
“We’ve been looking for them all the morning.”
“Stolen, boys!” he cried to his companions. “Here’s our job! Come on!”
He leaped on his horse in the headlong, graceful fashion the boys had cultivated at the relay station, and, followed by Cal and Old, dashed away.
We made nothing definite of this, though we had our surmises to exchange. As the boys had not returned an hour later, I resumed my digging while the Woodruffs went over to visit with Yank, who was now out of bed. Evening came, with no sign of our friends. We turned in at last.