Edward Stratemeyer

“ This was more than the horses could stand, and, plunging wildly, one after another broke his tether and shot off out of sight along the mountainside.
“Good-by to the horses!” cried Fred. “Now we sure are in a pickle even if we can manage to get rid of those wolves.”
“They’re coming this way!” yelled Randy.
“Pick up as many loose stones as you can carry,” ordered Jack. “Then wade out into the lake. I guess it’s about the only thing we can do.”
Three of the wolves were advancing around the arm of the lake in the direction of the boys. ”

“ It was here that their gymnastic exercises stood the boys in good stead. Jack quickly managed to place himself on Randy’s shoulders and then squeezed his way through the opening between the logs. Fred and Andy followed, and then those outside gave Randy a hand up, and presently all four of the lads stood outside of what had been their prison.
“Now what shall we do—make a rush for it?” whispered Fred.
“Wait a minute. I’ll see how the land lies,” announced the young major, and while the others waited he crawled cautiously to the entrance of the cave and peered out between the bushes. ”

“ The boys continued on their way in the direction of the train and the bull came after them. At first the beast eyed them with more curiosity than anger. But presently he gave a bellow and started to charge toward them.
“Look out! He’s coming for us!” yelled Jack. “Run for it, everybody!”
No one needed any urging, and the four boys hurried down the footpath as fast as they could go. The sudden flight of the lads seemed to take the bull by surprise. His first charge came to a sudden halt. Then, however, he let out another bellow and came after them swifter than ever. ”

“ Nothing like that!” came from Dick Rover. “Davenport is too dangerous a fellow. He might get away with his scheme, and Jack would suffer. You can’t imagine how vindictive that rascal is. Why, when he appeared at the offices and made his demand for that money he acted like the most cold-blooded villain you can imagine. Sometimes I wonder if the loss of his money down there in the oil fields hasn’t turned his brain.”
[125]
“In that case we certainly had better look out,” answered Fred. “Why, for all we know, he might try to set fire to the houses or something of the sort.” ”

“ It may be one of the Davenport crowd.”
“That may be true, but we can’t let him die. Come on.”
Another flash of lightning lit up the scene, and by this the Rover boys saw where a tall tree of the mountainside had been broken off. The top hung down over some sharp rocks and under several limbs rested the form of a man, held down so that he could do little but kick frantically with one leg.
“It’s Ocker!” exclaimed Fred, as they drew closer.
“Help! Help!” came faintly from the man as he saw the dim forms of the boys in the darkness. “Help! I’m being crushed to death!” ”

“ We’re asking fifty thousand dollars for the release of Jack Rover, fifty thousand dollars for the release of Fred Rover and fifty thousand dollars for the release of Andy Rover and Randy Rover. That’s a hundred and fifty thousand dollars for the bunch.”
“Huh! Then you think my two cousins are worth twice as much as my brother and I, eh?” asked the irrepressible Andy, with a faint grin.
“Pah, Andy Rover! Don’t make fun of it!” snarled Davenport. “It’s nothing to laugh at. [282] If you don’t like the price we’ve put on you and your brother we can easily raise it to fifty thousand apiece.” ”

“ Soon the young folks were aboard the two automobiles. In the meantime Dick Rover had turned the checks for the trunks over to an expressman and in a few minutes more the whole crowd was headed for Riverside Drive. Here a surprise awaited them. Not only was Mrs. Tom Rover on hand to greet them, but likewise their grandfather, Anderson Rover, and their old Aunt Martha and Uncle Randolph, who had come from Valley Brook Farm on a short visit to the city.
“My gracious, this is fine!” cried Fred. “A regular family reunion!” and then came more hugs and kisses all around. ”

“ From the shore, where a road ran up and down the lake front, could be heard the sounds from numerous automobiles and motorcycles.
“I’ll bet the hole in a button against the hole in a doughnut that there won’t be much of a celebration at Longley to-night,” remarked Randy Rover, as the motor boat, under the guidance of Pud Hicks, one of the school employees, proceeded cautiously out from among the mass of craft near by.
“You’ll be able to cut the gloom with a knife,” answered his twin.
“And the gloomiest boy of the bunch will be Tommy Flanders,” put in Fred. ”

“ You may find things no more exciting at Gold Hill Falls than in any coal-mining town in Virginia or Pennsylvania. With the coming of men to those places, the wild animals have taken themselves to the tall timber.”
“Oh, don’t spoil the outing, Uncle Tom!” cried Fred. “Why, we expect to see bears and mountain lions and everything like that before we go back!” ”

“ Randy looked toward the entrance of the cave to make certain that all of the men had departed.
“Let’s try to get away again to-night,” he whispered. “It’s our one hope.”
“I hope our dads don’t turn over that money to them,” went on Jack, his eyes flashing angrily. “That bunch oughtn’t to have a hundred and fifty cents, much less a hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Such a demand is the worst kind of a hold-up.”
“Well, such demands have been made before, and the money has been paid, too,” answered Fred. ”

“ This was a mean remark to make, since the sneak did not know the details of the affair. But his snap judgment was taken up by not a few of the other cadets and they looked rather sourly at the Rover boys and those who had been with them in the ill-fated trip across the lake.
“So you won the trophy only to lose it, eh?” came from Captain Dale in a voice that showed his regret. He had sense enough to know that no lads would have worked so hard to win a prize unless they were willing to do almost anything to keep it. ”

“ The twins were given to so much fun and horseplay that it was next to impossible for them to buckle down to their studies, and, as a consequence, each successive examination became more or less of a nightmare to them.
“Oh, we’ve got to pass—every one of us!” burst out Jack. “Now that the games are all at an end, each fellow has got to buckle down for all he’s worth. Just think of what the folks at home would say if we failed!”
“I wonder what that silver trophy is worth,” came from Phil Franklin. “It certainly is a handsome vase.” ”

“ Maybe that had something to do with it, and maybe it didn’t.”
“Well, Lew Billings is my friend and Peter Garrish is not,” answered Tom Rover bluntly. “This looks like some sort of foul play to me.”
“Oh, Dad, you don’t think they would——” Andy broke off short, hardly daring to go on.
“I don’t know what to think, Andy,” was his father’s sober reply. “This is rather a wild country, you know; and I have told you my opinion of Garrish and his crowd before.”
“Do you think it possible that Billings took a train to Chicago to head you off?” questioned Jack. ”

“ But their long tramp through the woods that afternoon, the ride to Longnose’s cabin, and then the ride to the cave had made all of them exceedingly hungry.
“Wonder if they’re going to give us anything to eat,” remarked Fred after the light from outside [265] had faded, leaving only the lantern to light the cavern.
“I hardly think they intend to starve us,” replied Jack. “Those fellows are out for only one thing—money.”
The young major was right in regard to being starved, and less than an hour later Tate and Digby appeared carrying a pot of stew, another of coffee, and a loaf of bread. ”

“ Then, led by Jack, one after another wormed his way along until the bushes screening the opening were reached.
“Now be careful,” warned Jack. “Don’t shake the bushes too much or those men will get suspicious. It may pay to go slow. And don’t make any noise.”
As silently as Indians on a hunt the four boys began to worm their way through the bushes at the side of the cave opening. This was no easy task, for there was always danger of cracking some dry twig or of shaking the tops of the bushes unduly. ”

“ They had passed a spring in coming up to the precipice, and obtained a bucket of cool, clear water.
“This region is certainly a lonely one,” said Jack while they were eating. “Just think—we’ve been traveling for better than three hours and haven’t met a soul!”
“It would be a great place for a stage hold-up,” returned Randy. “The bandits could get away with almost anything out here.”
“We don’t want any hold-up,” put in Fred. “All we want to do is to enjoy ourselves,” and he leaned back contentedly against a tree while munching a chicken sandwich. ”

“ Come ahead, Fred. Now is our chance to make a little noise in the world.”
“Say, don’t you know that that cannon hasn’t been shot off in years?” demanded the young captain of Company C. “It was only planted along the lake front as an ornament.”
“Oh, well, we didn’t put in much of a charge,” answered Andy. “It will make more of a sky-rocket effect than anything else. We’ll elevate it high into the air and have a barrel of fun when it goes off.”
The field piece to which the lads referred was one Colonel Colby had obtained from the Government after the close of the World War. ”

“ Fifty thousand dollars isn’t a flea bite. At the same time, I don’t want them to hurt Jack or the other boys. I know Davenport and his crowd pretty well. They are about as hard-boiled as they come. I suppose the gang are as mad as hornets at me and the kids for the way we turned the tables on them down in the oil fields.”
“Well, I don’t believe in giving them a cent, either,” said Sam. “Just the same, it makes me shiver to think of what they might do to Fred if I don’t pony up.” ”

“ It was at Toby White’s boarding house they hoped to obtain accommodations during their stay at Gold Hill.
“But of course we won’t want to stay at the boarding house all the time,” said Fred, as the party rode along. “We want to get out on Sunset Trail and do some hunting and fishing.”
“You’re welcome to go out as much as you please, Fred,” answered his uncle. “All I ask of you is that you keep out of trouble.”
“Oh, we know how to take care of ourselves,” answered the youngest Rover confidently.
“But remember, Uncle Tom, we won’t want to leave you if you need us,” put in Jack quickly. ”

“ Then it was learned that both Martha and Mary, as well as Ruth Stevenson, had passed with flying colors and that May Powell had been only slightly behind. This news came to the lads over the telephone.
“We ought to go over and congratulate them,” said Jack.
“I know what you want to do,” came from Andy, as he winked one eye suggestively. “You want to congratulate Ruth Stevenson.”
“Well, don’t you want to congratulate the girls?” demanded the young major, his face reddening.
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“Of course he does! We all do!” burst in Fred.
“That’s right,” said Andy, nodding sagely. ”

“ They, however, were given a bucket of drinking water by Ocker.
“Davenport didn’t want you to have this,” whispered the man, as he handed the water in. “But I told him I wouldn’t stand for letting you kids go thirsty. It’s bad enough to make you go without the eats.”
“Thank you for so much sympathy anyhow, Ocker,” returned Jack, and then went on quickly: “Why does a nice fellow like you stand in with such a bunch as Davenport’s crowd? Why don’t you cut them and help us to get away? We can make it well worth your while.” ”

“ Every red-blooded boy will enjoy the thrilling adventures of Don Sturdy. In company with his uncles, one a big game hunter, the other a noted scientist, he travels far and wide—into the jungles of South America, across the Sahara, deep into the African jungle, up where the Alaskan volcanoes spout, down among the head hunters of Borneo and many other places where there is danger and excitement. ”

“ They set up a fearful howl of commingled pain and rage and then made a move as if to leap into the lake after the lads.
While this was going on the other wolves had approached the duffel bags of the boys and were tearing the outfit apart in an endeavor to get at the bacon and dried beef the lads carried. ”

“ In a whisper so that the two men outside of the cave might not hear him, Jack outlined his plan for escape.
“The bushes on the left of the entrance are very thick and extend outside for ten or fifteen feet. There are also several bushes just in front of the entrance that are a foot or more high. If we can crawl out in snake fashion maybe we can get into those bushes and work our way along until we reach some spot where we shall be out of line of their vision. Then, as soon as we get that far, we can leg it for all we are worth.” ”

“ It was not a pleasant thing to broach, yet the twins thought they must make a clean breast of it, so when Sam Rover had accompanied the boys to their rooms Andy and Randy spoke not only about the exploded cannon, but also of the loss of the silver trophy.
“Gracious! you lads are certainly getting into hot water,” was Sam Rover’s comment. “To lose the trophy was bad enough, but to have that cannon explode——” He ended with a shake of his head. “You’ve got to be more careful. It won’t do to kill anybody.”
“We’d like to get another cannon for Colonel Colby,” said Randy. ”