CHAPTER XII
AN INTERRUPTED WIG-WAG
The boys gathered in a little group not far from the fire and awaited,with what excitement and anxiety may well be imagined, the arrival ofthe officers. Their automatics were in their hands. A short distancefrom the camp the cowboys paused as if for a consultation, although theshow of weapons made by the boys may have had something to do with theirquick stop.
As the boys stood ready to defend themselves if attacked, they noticedthat the two strangers who had recently arrived at the camp werecreeping farther into the tent, at the flap of which they had beensitting. The lads saw weapons in their hands, but saw no evidence thatthe fellows intended using them. Sandy gave Will a nudge on theshoulder.
"Do you think those fellows are all right?" he asked. "Looks funny tosee them crawling out of sight as soon as danger shows!"
"It does look strange," Will admitted, "but look here," he added,pointing to the boy's bandaged shoulder, "you ought to be in one of thetents yourself. You're not fit to be out here if any fighting takesplace."
"Huh, I guess this bum shoulder won't prevent me from shootingstraight!" declared Sandy. "Say," he continued, "I've a great mind to goin where those fellows are and ask what they're hiding away for."
"I just believe," George cut in, "that those fellows lied when they saidJohnson asked them to come here. You remember how they told two stories,don't you? One that they had been told to tell us that reinforcementswould be sent in, and the other that they had been asked to stop and seeus on their way into the mountains."
"We're certainly in a nice box if we've got enemies in our own camp,"Will grumbled. "In that case, as soon as the shooting begins we'll bebetween two fires. By the way," he went on, "where's Tommy?"
"Gone after bear meat for breakfast," answered George.
"He's always dodging away without any one knowing what's in his mind!"?declared Will, rather crossly. "I guess he's got some idea above bearsteak for breakfast, right now. Anyhow," the boy added, "if Tommy iswell armed these cowboy fly-cops will also be between two fires when thebattle opens. That will help some."
"Perhaps there won't be any battle," suggested George. "Those fellowsdon't seem to be in any hurry about starting in, anyway."
"Oh, they'll never swallow the bluff they got from the train robbers,"Will insisted. "As soon as the story is told outside they'll be roastedby the whole state. Just think of it!" the boy went on. "They come inhere to capture two train robbers and get held up the first thing. Ifthere's a live editor in the state he'll print a faked-up picture of thesix men with their hands up in the air and their guns lying at theirfeet."
"Perhaps they saw the two strangers come in," suggested Sandy. "In thatcase they may be doing a little guessing as to whether the newcomerswon't help us in case of trouble."
"But these two men were here before we returned," suggested George.
"Well, they may have seen them sitting in the flap of the tent eatingour good pork and beans and roast beef," Will went on.
"If they knew that the two strangers were hiding in the back corner ofone of the tents," George commented, "I don't think they'd hesitate muchlonger. These two visitors may be all right, but they don't look it!"
"Why don't you go and ask them if they wouldn't like to have us dig ahole to put them in?" demanded Sandy.
While the boys were puzzling over the situation, Seth, the deputy whohad defended the Boy Scouts when they stood in grave danger of beinglynched, separated himself from the group of officers and advancedtoward the camp. There was a smile on the deputy's face as he approachedbut the other members of the party were scowling heavily.
The boys dropped the muzzles of their automatics as Seth came up to thefire. The deputy stood for a moment glancing keenly around at the tents,the burros, and the cooking utensils before speaking.
"Glad to see you so comfortably situated boys," he said, "and I'm glad,also," he went on pointing to the pennants which showed at the tops ofthe tents, "to see that you're not ashamed to show your colors."
"We're proud of being Boy Scouts!" Will declared.
"And we're proud of the Beaver Patrol!" George cut in.
"That's right, boys!" Seth said "Stick to Boy Scout laws and teachingsand you can't go very far wrong."
"What are those fellows going to do now?" asked Will, nodding toward thecowboy officers, who had now thrown themselves down upon the long grassof the valley. "They didn't follow us here just for exercise."
"If those train robbers really are friends of yours," Seth replied,"they have done you, perhaps unintentionally, a great deal of harm. Itis an old saying, you know," the deputy went on, "that one fool friendcan work a man more mischief than a dozen open enemies."
"I suppose you people think now," Will said, "that we really do trainwith that bunch of robbers."
"I don't!" declared Seth. "I know you to be honest Boy Scouts, and nocounterfeits, and I don't believe such lads mix up with train robbers."
"We don't at all events," Will answered.
"Look here," George interrupted, "the train robbers saw a chance to rubit into the officers and they did it. That's all there is to that! Theywould have protected the detectives who were searching the mountains, oreven a band of burglars, just the same as they did us. You know verywell that such fellows have a perpetual grouch against officers of thelaw. The only wonder is they didn't shoot when they had the cowboysunarmed."
"Even train robbers are averse to committing murder," replied Seth.
"Well, what are they going to do about it?" Will insisted.
"They want you to come out to Lander with me and stand trial."
"And if we refuse?"
"But you won't do that!"
"You are mistaken there," replied Will. "If they want us, they've got tocome and get us."
"That isn't good judgment," declared Seth.
While the two discussed the situation, the others listening intently,the two visitors came slowly out of the tent and approached the spotwhere Seth and Will were standing. Seth regarded the two men quizzicallyfor a moment and then extended both hands in greeting.
"Glad to see you, Gilmore!" he said. "How long have you been here?"
"Only a short time," was the reply. "At the request of a personalfriend, an officer from Chicago, we dropped in for breakfast and also tosee if the boys needed any assistance."
"Boys," Seth said, turning to the astonished group of youngsters, "thisis Sheriff Gilmore of Sweetwater county, and this," pointing to theother, "is Doyle, one of his deputies. They are both good fellows."
"Did you say you knew John Johnson well?" asked Will, after greetingshad been exchanged. "Was it the truth you said about his asking you tocall and help us out if we needed assistance?"
"True as Gospel!" answered Gilmore. "I knew John Johnson when he was ona ranch over here in the Sweetwater country. I'm taking a littleexcursion into Pete's country in search of the train robbers. I metJohnson going out, and he asked me to call on his friends, the boys."
"So you can vouch for these lads, can you?" asked Seth, a smile ofsatisfaction coming to his face.
"I certainly can!" was the reply. "Johnson told me all about them, so Iknow what they're here for, and all about their movements."
Before speaking, Seth took off his hat and began waving it in thedirection of the cowboy officers. Sheriff Pete and his deputies rose totheir feet and walked toward the camp. Before reaching the fire, theyrecognized Sheriff Gilmore and came forward with extended hands. Thesituation was soon explained.
"Now see here, kiddo," Sheriff Pete said, as he drew Will to one side,"we don't know what you're in here for, but we know now that you're allright. We'll stand by you to the bottom of the deck if you'll justforget all about that little hold-up over in the other valley."
"That was funny, wasn't it?" Will said with a grin.
"I can't see anything funny in it!" said the Sheriff.
"Those train robbers looked pretty good to us just then," Willcomme
nted. "They came just in time!"
"You wouldn't have been harmed," said the sheriff, with a smile. "I wasonly putting in a little third degree work."
"All right," Will said, "you help us if it comes handy for you to do so,and we won't say a word about the hold-up."
The two sheriffs and their deputies discussed the situation thoroughly,and finally decided that the two train robbers were making for the BadLands in Big Horn county.
"If Tommy'd only come back now with that bear steak," Will suggested, "Icould get all you boys a dinner that would put an inch of fat on yourribs! Seems to me it's pretty near time for him to be back."
"Suppose I go and hurry him up?" asked George.
"Go to it!" Will replied, "and I'll get out a lot of spuds and make agallon of coffee, and we'll have a Sunday School picnic right here inthe long grass! You've got to feed before you go away!"
"Everything looks mighty friendly here just now," Sandy answered, "butlook up on top of the ridge, and see if you can tell what George istrying to say to us. That's Boy Scout wig-wag, all right!"
"Yes," replied Will, springing to his feet excitedly. "That's the Myercode, sure as you live, and he's got a big white pine bough he's usingas a flag. Can you see what he is saying?"
"Sure!" replied Sandy, "He says he wants--now what do you think of that?He's stopped!"
As they looked the boy dropped to the ground