Part 21 (1/2)

”And the food,” reminded Stacy.

”Yes. Probably they knew you had your appet.i.te with you,” laughed Ned.

In the meantime Tad had begun a search about the place for clues. He discovered where the animals had been taken from camp, but, as in the case with the loss of the other animals, the trail suddenly disappeared a short distance from camp.

”They seem to have headed for the west. We are sure of that much,”

decided Ned.

”Which means nothing at all,” answered Tad. ”They may have turned and gone back or else are traveling along ahead of us. In either case we can't follow them. Do you not think we had better be starting, Professor? We cannot afford to lose a minute now. I want my pony.”

”And so do I--and I--and I,” added the lads, one after the other.

”I think so. Yet how are we going to find our way? We shall be lost.”

”No, we can't get lost, Professor,” interrupted Stacy.

”Not lost--cannot get lost?”

”No.”

”Why not?” glared the Professor.

”We can't get lost,” announced Stacy impressively, ”because we don't know where we are, anyway.”

A roar of laughter greeted this a.s.sertion. It did more than anything else to put the boys in a better frame of mind--unless perhaps it might have been the return of the lost ponies.

”I am forced to admit the correctness of Master Stacy's logic,”

replied the scientist, after their laughter had subsided.

”It seems fairly simple to me,” spoke up Tad. ”The mountains run in a southeasterly direction. If we follow that direction we are bound to come out somewhere--”

”In Arkansas or the Indian Territory or some other place,” cut in Ned Rector.

”As I understand it,” went on Tad, not heeding the interruption, ”these gorges or canyons in the Ozark range follow the same general direction. We have one right here by us, and we have the sun above us. Between the two we should be able to find our way.”

”That sounds promising, Master Tad. You are a level-headed young man, even if you do take long chances and do foolish things now and again.

I shall adopt your suggestion and we'll be off at once.”

They were forced to pack some of their belongings on the back of Professor Zepplin's mount, while each of the two mules was subjected to an additional load.

When the packing had been finished there was little room for anyone to ride, so Tad took one of the mules, Ned Rector the other, leading them by short ropes, and started off followed by Walter and Stacy on foot, with the Professor riding his own pony.

The boys moved away with broad grins on their faces as they thought of the spectacle they were creating. Yet there was none to watch their undignified progress. However, leading a mule and riding a pony were two distinctly different operations. The boys were in a hurry and the mules were not and over this difference of inclination they had many disagreements.

Once Ned lost his temper with the beast of burden that he had in tow, and used his crop rather too freely to suit the long-eared animal.

The latter kicked until he kicked the pack from his back.

Amid the shouts of laughter of his companions, his face red and perspiring, Ned was obliged to gather up the pack in sections and strap it in place again, which he did after much endeavor. Thereafter he kept his temper.