The cook thought, to be sure that he had heard one, but he caught the cue from Reade and answered in the negative.
"Go and turn the wood-box out, Leon, to show the young man that there"s no snake there," Tom requested.
Just then that task was hardly welcome to the cook, but he was a man of nerve, and, in addition, he reasoned that Reade must know what he was talking about. So Leon crossed the room with an air of unconcern.
"Here"s your rattlesnake, I reckon," growled the cook, picking up Alf"s dropped cigarette and tossing it toward the boy.
"That"s the only rattlesnake on the Range," Tom pursued. "I"ve been trying to tell Alf that cigarettes are undermining his nerves and making him hear and see things."
Leon unconcernedly overturned the wood-box. Alf, with a yell, ran and jumped upon a stool, standing there, his eyes threatening to pop out from sheer terror.
Leon began to stir the firewood about with his foot.
Click-ick-ick!
Alf howled with terror, and seemed in danger of falling from the stool.
"You"ll keep on hearing rattlers, I expect," grunted Reade, "when all the time it"s nothing but the snapping of your nerves from smoking cigarettes. The next thing you know your brain will snap utterly."
Click-ick-ick! On his stool Alf danced a mild war-dance from sheer nervousness.
"Come, be like a man, and give up the pests," advised Tom.
"I---I---be-believe I will," half agreed the lad.
Click-ick-ick-ick!
"Didn"t you hear that?" quavered the youngster.
"I hear your voice, but no rattlers," Reade went on. "Are you still hearing the snakes? Be a man, Alf! Come, empty your pockets of cigarettes and throw them in the fire."
Like one in a dream Alf Drew obeyed. Then he sat down, and presently he began to recover from the worst of his fright.
When his hour was up, Tom Reade went back to the other shack.
Harry was awake, and feeling rather comfortable under big Walsh"s ministrations.
Soon after nine that night, the camp lay wrapped in slumber, save in the partner"s shack, where the shaded light burned. Tim Walsh was still on duty, while Tom sat half dozing in a chair.
For the first time in days the young chief engineer was fairly contented in mind. He now believed that his chum would surely recover.
Had Tom been outside, hidden and keeping alert watch over the surroundings, his content would have vanished into action.
In the deep darkness of the night, Dolph Gage glided about on the firm snow crust at the further side of the mine shaft. With him, looking more like two evil shadows or spectres, were his two remaining companions.
Most of the time since they had been seen last, Gage and his confederates had been within a mile or so of Reade"s camp. They had found a cave in which they had been pa.s.sably comfortable.
For food they had depended upon the fact that the commissary at the Bright Hope Mine was easily burglarized, and that no very strict account was kept of the miners" food. Thus the three scoundrels had managed not only to hide themselves from the law"s officers, but to keep themselves comfortable as well.
"Now we can fix these youngsters, and slide back to our hiding place during the excitement," Gage whispered to his two friends.
"This crowd is broke. If we fix the mine in earnest tonight they won"t be able to open it again. With the dynamite we brought up from the Bright Hope on this sled we can fire a blast that will starve and drive Reade and Hazelton away from the Indian Smoke Range for good and all!"
CHAPTER XXII
DOLPH GAGE FIRES HIS SHOT
"Yes, if we don"t blow ourselves to kingdom come in the effort,"
growled the man known as Josh.
"You"re talking bosh!" grunted Dolph. "Why should we blow ourselves up? Is this the first time we"ve used dynamite!"
"But there"s such a lot of the stuff," grunted Josh. "We must have a hundred and fifty sticks on the sled."
"All of that," nodded Gage.
"If the stuff goes oh accidentally, when we"re near-----"
"Then our troubles will be over," said Gage grimly.
"I"m not so all-fired anxious to have my troubles over that way,"
grumbled Josh. The other man said nothing, but he looked extremely thoughtful.
"The best way to make the thing sure," Gage went on, "is to get to work before some one comes prowling this way."
"Who"s going to prowl?" queried Josh. "The camp is asleep."
"Reade is up; we know that," Dolph insisted.
"Humph! We saw through the window that he"s too drowsy to stir."
"Don"t be too sure," warned Gage. "He may be only a boy, but he"s a sure terror, the way he finds out things! He may be out at any time. Come, we"ll hustle, and then get away from here."
"I"m ready," said the third man.
"Then get on to the top ladder," ordered Dolph. "When you"re down about fifteen feet, then stop and light your lantern. We"ll each do the same."
Dolph waited until the other two had reached the bottom of the shaft and he could see their lanterns. Then he, too, descended, lighting two more lanterns after he reached firm ground.
"Where are you going to set the stuff off?" Josh asked.
"In two places," Gage answered. "One big pile in the tunnel, half-way between the heading and the shaft, and the other at the bottom of the shaft. Get picks and a couple of shovels, and we"ll soon lay mines and tamp "em."
While the men were obeying, Gage reclimbed the ladders. Roping about a third of the dynamite sticks, and pa.s.sing a loop over one shoulder, he succeeded in carrying the dynamite below. In two more trips he brought down the rest. The fourth trip he came down with a magneto and several coils of light firing wire.
On account of their industry the time slipped by rapidly. As a matter of fact their wicked task occupied them for nearly four hours. However, no sound of what went on underground reached the ears of those who slept in the shacks.
"We"re ready for the wiring," announced Josh at last.