Part 28 (1/2)
The horses had been tethered at some distance from the camping-out spot, behind some heavy brushwood, where the gra.s.s was extra thick and nutritious. Dave hurried in that direction, with Phil at his heels.
When the two youths reached the spot, both stared around in perplexity.
”Why, Dave----” stammered the s.h.i.+powner's son. ”I thought----”
”We left the horses here!” cried Dave. ”I'm sure of it.”
”Then where are they now?”
”Maybe they broke loose and wandered away.”
”Or else they have been stolen!”
”Stolen!”
”Yes,--it couldn't be otherwise. They wandered away or they have been stolen.”
”We'll take a look around.”
Both boys hurried, first in one direction, and then another. They could see hoof-prints in the gra.s.s, leading towards the rocks back of the bushes, but that was all. The horses had been tethered to some saplings.
”The halters didn't break, that's certain,” said Phil, soberly. ”For if they did, we'd find the broken ends.”
”I can't understand it,” returned Dave, and his face grew thoughtful.
”h.e.l.lo!” came in Roger's voice. ”Why don't you bring those horses? We are all ready to go.”
”Come here!” called back Dave. ”Something is wrong!”
The senator's son answered the summons on a run, and the three girls trailed behind him. The newcomers to Star Ranch did not know what to say, but Belle uttered a cry of dismay:
”Horse-thieves!”
”Oh, Belle, do you really think somebody has stolen the horses?” queried Laura, while Jessie turned very pale.
”Yes, I do,” was the blunt response. ”That is, if they were tied properly.”
”Yes, they were well tied--I saw to that myself,” said Dave.
”I know mine was tied fast, and so was Laura's,” added the senator's son.
”And I put a double knot in the rope to Belle's and mine,” came from Phil.
”One thing is sure,” said Laura. ”They couldn't very well all break away at once.”
”I am sure it is the work of horse-thieves,” responded Belle. ”Papa has been afraid they might come back.”
”But how did they know about our horses being here?” asked Phil.
”They must have watched us and seen us ride away from the ranch, and then they followed, and took the horses while we were up the river.”