"How many horses did he get?" asked Bud. "Gee! Why didn't you wake me, Dick?"
"I did as soon as I got my wits about me," was the answer. "It all happened so suddenly."
"Horse thieves don't generally send word they're comin'!" chuckled
Billee. "But it strikes me you've made a mistake, Dick."
"A mistake, how?"
"Callin' this old man, as you say he was, a horse thief."
"What else was he?"
"I'm not sayin' he wasn't. But he didn't take any of our ponies.
Count for yourself."
It took only a few moments to enumerate the riding and pack animals tethered near the camp and the count was found to total correctly. Not an animal was missing.
"Guess you were too quick for him," commented Nort to his brother.
"It's lucky you woke up."
"It's lucky he kicked my foot!" chuckled Dick. "Lucky for us and unlucky for him."