CHAPTER XII
THE ELIXER CAVE
"Nifty hiding place--this," remarked Dick as the three rode side byside up "Smugglers' Glen," as they had jokingly named the defile.
"Sure is," agreed Bud.
"A man, or a band of men, if they wanted to, could hole up in here forthe winter, slip out when they liked and raid a ranch, and get backagain without any one being much the wiser," suggested Nort.
"Let's hope that doesn't happen," remarked Bud. "But it's just as wellto know about this place. Some of our cows might wander up in hereand, not finding them on the range, we'd think the rustlers had paid usa visit."
"That's right," came from Nort.
"Maybe rustlers have used this for a hiding place," was Dick's nestremark.
"Smugglers' Glen or Rustlers' Glen--it's about the same," commentedBud. "If those fellows we fought last year, who were running theChinks over the Mexican border, had known of this glen they'd have usedit."
"That's the truth for you," agreed Dick. "And, speaking of Chinks,when are we going to get that Celestial cook we talked of?"
"I expect he'll be back at the ranch when we get there," was Bud'sreply. "Fellow in Los Pompan promised to ship me out a good one."
"I won't be sorry!" chuckled Nort. "I'm tired of cooking and washingdishes."
The boys and their older companions had taken turns with the not veryagreeable duties of housekeeping on the ranch. Old Billee Dobb was anexperienced cook and Snake often said the old puncher could make beanstaste like roast turkey. But Billee drew the line at washing dishes.Said he couldn't see any sense in cleaning plates only to muss 'em allup again. So when it came his turn to cook somebody else had to do thecleaning.
Talking of various matters, speculating on the mystery at Dot and Dash,and wondering what had caused the latest deaths, the boys rode on andon up into the depths of the glen. As they went on, the little valleyseemed to shrink in width until it was barely wide enough for the threeof them to ride abreast. On either side the grim, rocky hills, studdedhere and there with trees and bushes, rose high above their heads. Nowand then they came upon a little stream meandering its way down thedefile. Here and there it dropped over a ledge of rocks, making apleasant, if miniature, waterfall.
Aside from the clatter of their horses' feet, the occasional fall of adead branch or the rattle of loose stones and the tinkle of the stream,the only sounds were those of the boys' voices.
"This place sort of gives me the creeps!" remarked Nort with a littleshiver and a backward glance. "We might as well have called it aPirate Den as what we did."
"It is sort of dismal," assented Bud. "But I guess we aren't going tofind out anything here, so we might as well turn back in a littlewhile."
"Say after the next turn," suggested Dick, indicating a place where thedefile swung around a shoulder of bare rock.
"Suits me," came from Bud.
They reached the big rock, swung around the narrowest section of thedefile they had yet encountered and, a moment later, made a discoverywhich filled them with surprise.
Burrowing into the side of the gorge, just beyond the sharp turn, was acave with an arched opening. At first glance it looked as if it hadbeen cut by the hand of man, but it evidently had been made by theerosion of water through many centuries.
"Jumping flapjacks!" cried Nort, pointing to the cave. "Do you seethat?"
"Why not?" chuckled his brother. "It's big enough to be seen."
"But did you know it was there?"
"I didn't," put in Bud. "Though that's nothing, for this is the firsttime we've ever been here. But dad said this was a wilder anddifferent country than back home, and caves aren't anything unusual."
"No," assented Nort, "and I s'pose I might have expected to find one ormore in these hills. But it sort of startled me. Wonder if there'sanything in it?"
"Meaning bears, wildcats or other such varmints?" inquired Dick with alaugh.
"Yes," said Nort. "Or maybe rustlers might have hung out in there."
"The only way to find out is to go in and have a look," suggested Bud.And, urging on their steeds, which they had, involuntarily, pulled to ahalt, they were soon at the cave entrance. It was big enough to givepassage to a man on horseback--at least for a little distance within,but the boys did not think it would be safe to guide their ponies intothe cavern. They were not certain of the footing.
Dismounting, then, at the opening, and tethering their horses, thethree boys entered the dark hole, not without some trepidation. For itwas very dark; the outside light, which was not strong on account ofthe darkness of the defile, only penetrating a short distance insidethe cavern.
Their footsteps echoed eerily as they advanced, and the state of theirnerves can be judged when Dick and Nort jumped and exclaimed aloud asBud took out a flashlight and suddenly switched on the current, sendinga brilliant, though small, shaft of illumination down the stretches ofblackness.
"Did I scare you?" chuckled young Merkel.
"A little," Dick admitted. "I didn't know you had a lantern with you."
"Oh, I generally carry a small pocket torch," Bud replied. "Never cantell when you'll be caught out after dark."
The flashlight showed the cavern to be hewn out of solid rock, thoughhow high the roof was, or how wide the walls from side to side, theycould not judge, for their light was not powerful enough to penetrate.But the cave was, evidently, a big one.
Suddenly, as they walked along, Bud became aware of a growing sheen oflight ahead of them. At first he thought it was but the reflection ofhis own torch on what might be crystals in the cave's sides or roof.But as they walked on the glow increased.
Nort and Dick also noticed it, and Nort exclaimed:
"Guess this is more of a tunnel than a cave. I see daylight ahead."
"'Tisn't daylight--too red for that," objected Bud. "Looks more like afire."
And, a moment later, as they rounded a turn, they saw that the lightwas caused by a fire. It was a fire blazing on the floor of thecavern. Over the fire, suspended on a tripod, was a black kettle, averitable witch-caldron and, bending over it, if not a witch, was agood imitation of one. For it was the figure of an old man--a man withlong, straggling white hair and a flowing white beard, as the flamesrevealed. It was the same old man who had called at the ranch with hissinister warning when he sold the Elixer of Life.
"Look!" murmured Bud, but he need not have said this. His two cousinswere looking with all the power of their staring eyes.
"It--it's him!" murmured Nort, and the others knew what he meant.
"But what's he doing?" whispered Dick.
There was hardly need to ask that question. Undoubtedly the old manwas brewing something in the kettle over the fire. There was apeculiar odor in the air, not unpleasant, but rather overpowering.
"He's making that stuff he bottles and sells," went on Dick. "TheElixer. And maybe----"
He did not finish the sentence. Either the cautious talk of the boyranchers, or some noise they made carried to the sharp ears of the oldman.
He started back, out of the circle of light cast by the fire under thekettle. He seemed to be alarmed.
"Who's there?" he cried.
The boys did not answer. They did not know what to do. It was all sostrange and startling.
A moment later the queer hermit, for such he seemed to be, had snatchedthe kettle off the chain by which it was suspended. With a quickmotion of his foot he scattered the embers of the fire so thatimmediate section of the cave was obscured by smoke and fantasticshadows. Then the old man ran back into the darkness of the farreaches of the cavern and disappeared from view.
"There he goes!" cried Nort. There was no longer need of whispering.
"After him!" cried Dick.
"No! Don't go!" exclaimed Bud. "You don't know what he was doing,what he may be up to nor where he's gone. It isn't safe!"
This last was so evident that Nort and Dick at once agreed to the
proposition and halted. But Dick added:
"We don't know, for sure what he was doing, but I can pretty nearguess!"
"What?" asked Bud.
"He was brewing stuff to poison our cattle. He's the fellow that'sbeen doing it. He's the cause of all the trouble at Dot and Dash. Weought to have him arrested, and we've got good proof against him!"
"What proof?" Bud asked.
"The bottles of stuff he sold us. Lucky we didn't take any of it!It's poison, sure! Come on, let's get back and then send word to thesheriff to come and arrest this old man."
It seemed to be good advice and the best thing to do under thecircumstances, whether or not Dick's theory would be borne out by facts.
"We'll go back and have that Elixer analyzed," said Bud as he swungaround with his cousins and began the retreat. "I meant to have itdone before but there's so doggoned much to do here it slipped my mind.But I'll have it looked after now."
It did not take the three long to emerge from "Elixer Cave," as theynamed the place where they had seen the hermit over his brew. Theirhorses were patiently waiting and in a little while the boys werewithin sight of the ranch house.
But something seemed to be going on there. Snake, Billee and Yellin'Kid were standing near the cook house, whence came a series of wild,yipping yells.
"What's the matter?" cried Bud as he rode up to the group of cowboys."Who's doing all that yelling?"
"Fah Moo!" answered Old Billee Dobb.
"Who in the world is Fah Moo?"
"The new Chinese cook that come out from town soon after you boys left."
"But what's the matter with him?" asked Dick. "Doesn't he like it herethat he's taking on like this?"
"Maybe he's singing for joy," suggested Nort as a louder series ofyelping cries came from the cookhouse.
"More like he's in pain," remarked Snake Purdee. "I'm mighty glad Ididn't drink any of it."
"Any of what?" asked Bud, wonderingly.
"That Elixer of Life the old gazaboo sold for a dollar a chunk. Therewas three bottles of it, you know."
"Yes, I know," assented Bud with growing uneasiness.
"Well," went on Snake, "you know I started to take a swig from thebottle I bought, but Nort wouldn't let me. Then Old Billee locked thethree bottles in a cupboard."
"That's right," assented Bud.
"Well," resumed the cowboy, "we discovered, a little while ago, andsoon after Fah Moo arrived to take charge of the kitchen, we discoveredthat those three bottles were gone. We found 'em in the new cook'sdepartment and the last one was empty."
"You mean he drunk all that Elixer?" cried Dick.
"Onless he used it for bathin', which I doubt!" chuckled Snake. "Hemust have been nosing around, discovered where the stuff was hid and hedrunk every last drop. That's what makes him sing so, orcry--whichever way you take it."
"He's poisoned!" cried Bud, no less excited, now, than were his twocousins. "Poor Fah Moo is poisoned. We just discovered some of ourcattle dead over on the south range. And we found a cave where the oldman brews that Elixer. It's poison, sure. I guess it's all up withthe Chink, but we'll try to get a doctor to save him. I'll 'phone into town!"
Bud disappeared into the ranch house while the cowboys looked at eachother's startled faces, and, meanwhile, Fah Moo continued to yelp, yapand yip in his high, falsetto voice.