Both men took after him, but
a shot from Frank's gun caused them to halt. They stood still for an
instant, their figures tense and tall, and then turned and ran,
almost tumbling over each other in their fright!
They did not stop at slight declivities. They leaped gulleys and
almost fell into canyons which split the summits. In vain Ned called
to them to halt, that they would not be injured. They ran like race
horses, and were soon out of sight. Frank and Jimmie were rolling on
the ground in their delight.
Ned looked grave and annoyed. Without speaking he looked over the
camp where the men had cooked the breakfast and then returned to the
boys.
"I am sorry for that," he said, mildly. "I wanted to put those men
through the third degree! We should have held them up and put on the
handcuffs."
"You didn't say so!" observed Frank sheepishly.
"No use to talk about it now," Ned declared. "Perhaps Jimmie knows
what we expected to learn from them."
"All I know is that the bums got me at the cave and tied me up,"
Jimmie said.
"How many men have you seen in the party?" asked Ned.
"Just those two. They were always talking about some one else coming
in, but I never saw any one else."
"What did they talk about?" asked Ned.
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