Mr. Brewster laughed. "That was only a bluff of Hank"s to make me ride along so he and his pal might follow us. I haven"t the least doubt but that both of those cowardly rascals are hiding just out of sight where they can watch my every movement. Should we start to ride along towards the cave, they would follow and shoot us from the rear as sure as anything."
In spite of his making light of Hank, however, Mr. Brewster kept a wary eye open for an ambuscade. Nothing of moment happened, however, and Jeb was just saying: "Maybe we-all had best ride for the cave," when a shot rang out.
"Well!" gasped he, while the two girls trembled with fear.
"That sounded from Top Notch. It"s either Simms and his party, or those rascals. In either case, it won"t be cowardly in us to hide behind a clump of pines and await developments," suggested the rancher.
Mr. Brewster stationed Eleanor behind a close growth of young pine and handed her a small rifle. Barbara was hidden deeper in the forest, and then he and Jeb took their places behind a bowlder whence they could watch the up-trail. With a revolver ready in each hand, they waited anxiously.
But his wise precautions were unnecessary this time, for Bill soon rode up, calling loudly as he came. Sam Brewster sighed with relief to find a group of Oak Creek"s leading citizens with the Sheriff.
"Bill, did you-all shoot, a time back?" queried Mr. Brewster the moment the posse came up.
Bill laughed. "Ah"ll explain in a minute. You-all see it wa"r this way: After you-all left for home, yesterday, it wa"r found how some low-down sneaks got wind of this claim and planned to ride up at once. It looked a lot like claim-jumpin", so we-all got together mighty quick and rode after them to spare the Lord any trouble in judgin" "em. Also, we-all reckoned to save your party any nonsense over the gold, "specially as thar wa"r four gals in it."
"But three rascals got a lead on you," interrupted Sam.
"Yeh, three are at large somewhere, Ah reckon; but two of the worst ones out of that five are back yonder. Hank Johnson and his jail-bird pal are down on Four Mile Blaze. When we get the other three, we"ll rid Oak Crick of five of its worst citizens."
"Rattle-Snake Mike came up with us, Bill. We rode up the Indian Trail--that"s how we got here so soon. But Mike went on to the cave with Polly and her friend. They"ll guard their claim, all right, unless those three interfere," said Mr. Brewster, with an anxious note in his voice.
"Ah reckon we"d better make for that cave, then! Thar may be some work cut out fer us thar," whispered Bill, seeing the two city girls now ride out from cover and come over to join the group.
"Where"s Mrs. Brewster?" asked Eleanor, anxiously.
"This is Bill"s party--they left Oak Creek last night," explained Mr.
Brewster.
"Then where is Simms and your wife?" asked Barbara.
"You see it will take the others much longer to ride up from Lone Pine than it took us to climb the trappers" trail, so they can"t possibly arrive for some time yet. We-all just got here, and we left Oak Creek at midnight," explained one of the men, encouraging the two girls.
"But we-all stopped on the way and cooked breakfast and fed our hosses.
Simms and his party will ride right up and ought to be ha"r pritty soon, now," said Bill.
"How about leavin" some one here at Four Mile Blaze to direct the Simms"
party, while we-all ride on with Sam to hunt those three claim-jumpers,"
suggested one of the posse.
"Barbara and I will wait here with Jeb if you leave us each with a gun,"
offered Eleanor, eagerly.
Barbara gasped at the very idea, but Eleanor added:
"We don"t want to be mixed up in a fight with rascals, and we are safer here than up there."
"The gal"s right, Sam. They"d onny be in the road if we-all have to chase them men," said Bill.
"But they can"t shoot! Why give them any guns?" asked Mr. Brewster, anxiously.
"I just bet I could kill you at forty paces, if you were a claim-jumper and looked at me the way Hank looked at you!" declared Eleanor, emphatically.
The men laughed, and Bill wagged his head approvingly. "Ah say, Sam, let the gals take a crack at the Four Mile tree--and see."
"Well, even the sight of guns will make the villains respect us, even if we can"t shoot!" added Barbara, who felt that the lesser of the two dangers would be to remain with Eleanor and Jeb where they now were.
After many instructions and warnings had been given to Jeb and the two city girls, Mr. Brewster spurred his horse on to ride after his companions who were already up the trail. But he had not far to go.
At the bend of the trail, where there was a small clearing, he saw the men standing up in their stirrups, intent on something ahead. He urged his horse up to join them, and just before reaching the group, he called out: "What"s wrong?"
The horses were tossing their heads, pawing the ground, and acting restive. Bill turned half-way around in the saddle and replied: "D"you-all smell anything, Sam?"
Mr. Brewster noticed then, that the men held faces up and were sniffing in different directions. He then sniffed carefully himself and exclaimed: "Smells like smoke."
But even as he spoke, the thought reached him: "A forest fire!" His face went white and he murmured a prayer to himself for Polly and Anne.
"Yeh, Sam. Comin" down from the Slide," was all Bill said.
"My Gawd, men! what shall we do?" cried one of the posse.
"We-all must ship them two gals an" Jeb down trail, right away, and then the rest of us"ll ride up to see if anything kin be done to stop it.
Mebbe it hain"t got a headway yet," replied Bill.
But the two girls were now seen riding up the trail as fast as their horses could travel. Barbara rode first and Eleanor after her, shouting aloud in a frantic voice. The men waited fearfully to hear what new trouble a.s.sailed them.
Barbara almost ran down Mr. Brewster"s horse in her blind fear, and when questioned, could not speak. Eleanor then rode up and looked so angry that she could scarcely explain.
"Bob declared she heard noises behind us and on one side, and then, without giving me or Jeb any warning, she started her horse at a run, to come and meet you men. She cried that it would be safer with a crowd than alone with only Jeb and me and the rifles we knew nothing about. I had to ride after her to see that she reached you safely. Now I"ll go back and keep guard again."
"Stop, Nolla! Although you are a brave little girl, it will be of no use to keep guard now. Jeb and you will have to ride down Top Notch Trail as fast as you can, and meet Simms who is coming up with Mrs. Brewster.
Send Simms and the men on to help us, but you three women take Jeb and go right on down. There"s a forest fire." Mr. Brewster added the last portentous words in an awed voice.
"Oh, my goodness! Will we be hurt?" cried Barbara.
But Eleanor thought not of herself. She immediately cried: "Are Polly and Anne safe?"
"Polly--whar"s she?" demanded Bill, suddenly realizing that the girl was not one of the party.
"She went to the cave with Mike to watch there, in case any claim-jumpers tried to stake their ground," groaned Sam Brewster.
"Is the cave far from here?" added Bill, quickly.
"Not as far as Top Notch Trail," replied Eleanor, seeing a possible way for her to get to Polly and Anne.
"But some one ought to send Simms on to us and then ride on down trail to signal the forest-rangers" lookout so"s they could come and help fight the fire," said another man.
"Can"t Bob and I join Polly and Anne in the cave where we will be safe from any fire, and you send Jeb down to signal Simms and the forest-rangers?" asked Eleanor excitedly, seeing how urgent was the need for instant action.