CHAPTER XXI
A CLOSE CALL
"It's sure coming down on us, Frank!" cried Bob, shortly, as he caughta strange mixture of terrifying sounds.
"Climb!" shouted back the other; for he knew they would have about allthey could do to reach the shelf of rock before the mighty wave sweptthrough that narrow channel between the high walls of the canyon, witha force utterly irresistible.
Bob was doing his best. He realized that the ledge was just above hishead now, and also how necessary it was that they reach it before therushing flood arrived to fill the gap.
Now his eager fingers clutched the edge, and he strove to pull himselfup higher. But his breath was exhausted from his violent efforts, andthe excitement attending the occasion.
Bob realized that the torrent was very close at hand. Its roar dinnedin his ears so that he could hear nothing else. The rocks seemed to bequivering under the impact of the released forces. He felt a coldshiver pass over him as he was seized with a dreadful fear that therock to which he clung was giving way.
Then something seized him by the back of the neck, and Bob foundhimself being helped up to a firm foundation. Frank had succeeded ingaining the ledge ahead of his chum; and naturally enough his firstthought was to assist Bob.
Panting, and completely exhausted, Bob lay there on the shelf of rock.He could look down, and when the lightning played, see the oncoming ofthat foam-crested bank of mad waters that rushed pell mell down thecanyon.
Now it was speeding past them, rising higher and higher with eachsecond, until a new fear began to grip at Bob's anxious heart. Hedreaded lest the wave might attain such a height that he and his chumwould be swept from their perch, to be carried away, helpless victimson the crest of the flood.
It was raining now, in sheets. The boys were quickly soaked to theskin; but neither of them paid the least attention to this fact, which,after all, was of minor Importance.
"Frank, do you think it's going to reach up here?" called Bob, as hewatched the rising line of water come within three feet of the ledge.
"I hope not," came the reply, and then Bob saw that his chum was movingalong the ledge looking carefully above as though in hopes of findingit possible to climb higher, in case of necessity.
"Any chance of getting up the rocks, Frank?" he asked again, a minutelater.
"Mighty little, Bob," replied the other, dropping beside him; "how'sthe water coming along?"
"Less'n two feet from us now, and still rising," reported Bob,disconsolately.
"But it comes slowly, you notice," Frank declared, with hope in hisvoice.
"I could just touch it the last time the lightning played; now I canput my hand clear in it!" Bob called, uneasily.
Another minute passed. The lightning was of considerable assistance tothe trapped saddle boys, for it enabled them to see. Frank had losthis lantern during the climb, as it was torn from his belt by a rock hestruck; so that only for this heavenly illumination they must have beenin utter darkness. And when peril threatens it is some satisfaction atleast to see the worst.
"Now it's only one foot down, Frank!" cried Bob.
"That's so," replied the other, instantly; "but I reckon it's aboutreached its limit. You see, the higher it rises the broader thechannel becomes, and that takes a heap of the water. Bob, cheer up,I'm nearly sure it won't reach the ledge!"
"Oh! don't I hope it won't!" cried the Kentucky boy, a littlehysterically; for his nerves had indeed been sorely tried during thisnight.
Five minutes more passed, during which the torrent continued to rushdownward through the gorge with all the attendant clamor.
"It's at a stand!" shouted Frank, who had himself been making soundingswith his hand.
"And only six inches from the shelf!" echoed Bob. "That's what youcould call a close call; eh, Frank?"
"It sure is, old fellow," replied the prairie boy, himself morerelieved than his words would indicate; for he had discovered, duringhis brief search, that there was absolutely no hope of ascending anyfarther up that blank wall.
"Shake hands, Frank! We're as lucky as ever, I tell you!" said Bob;and when their hands clasped neither of them thought it strange that hecould feel the other trembling.
"Well, what are we going to do about it?" asked Bob, when some time hadpassed, and the flood still rushed through the canyon, although indiminished fury.
"I don't know that we can do anything except camp out right here onthis rock-shelf, and wait for the storm to pass by," replied Frank.
"Even if it takes till morning?" Bob went on.
"Nothing else left to us; and morning won't be so very long coming,perhaps, Bob. You notice, don't you, that the thunder now is about allnatural?"
"Well, that's a fact," declared Bob. "The geyser has stopped beatingagainst the inside of the mountain, hasn't it? Got tired of the job,and quit for another rest, perhaps."
"I've got my idea about that," Frank said "You can see how the water isstill rushing along down there. It must be nearly ten feet deep, andfor some time, now, I don't believe it's varied. Don't you understandwhat that means, Bob?"
"Good gracious! do you mean that the old geyser has turned into ariver, and will keep on running like this right along?" cried the other.
"Looks that way to me," Frank replied. "It is a great big syphon, andonce started, the water that has for centuries been wasting in someunderground stream is now flowing down this canyon. Perhaps long agoit did this same thing, till some upheaval--an earthquake it might havebeen--turned things around."
"But I say, Frank!" Bob exclaimed; "If what you tell me turns out to betrue, it looks as if we were bottled up in a nice hole, doesn't it? Wecan't get up any farther; and if we go down we'll just have to swim ina torrent that'll knock us silly. This is what I call tough!"
"Oh! don't look a gift horse in the mouth, Bob. This is a pretty goodsort of a shelf after all; and we'll be glad to stick to it tillmorning comes. Time enough then to plan what we're going to do to getaway."
"That's right, and I'm ashamed of complaining," the taller lad burstout.
"It is a grand old shelf; and if I wasn't afraid of rolling off Ibelieve I could even snatch a few winks of sleep, wet clothes or not."
"Oh! I'll prop you up with some loose rocks If you want to try it,"declared Frank; "but the chances are you'll get to shivering. Bettersit up, and whack your arms around as I'm doing every little while. Itmakes the blood circulate, you see, and keeps you from going to pieces."
Bob saw the wisdom of this advice. He was beginning to shudder everyminute or so. They were up the side of the mountain a considerabledistance; and after the electrical storm the air had changed from hotto cold.
Time passed very slowly. Every now and then the boys would go throughthat motion of slapping their arms across their chests; and it neverfailed to start the chilled blood into new life.
"Was there ever such a long night?" groaned Bob, as he stretched hisneck for the thirtieth time to look up at the narrow strip of sky thatcould be seen between the overhanging walls of the canyon, in hopes ofdiscovering signs of the coming dawn.
"It won't be long now," said Frank, who carried a little watch alongwith him, and had several times struck a match to consult its face."One good thing, Bob; it has cleared up. You can see the starsoverhead."
"Yes, and how bright they look from here in this black hole. How longdid you say now, Frank?" asked the anxious and weary Bob, yawning.
"Half an hour ought to see us through, and bring daylight."
"But Frank, that river is still running below us. However in the wideworld will we get out of this?" asked Bob.
"No use crossing till you get to the bridge," laughed Frank. "Just youmake up your mind there's going to be some way open for us to get outof this. And if the worst comes, I'm a boss swimmer, remember, Bob."
After another spell of waiting the Kentucky lad cried out:
"I believe it's getting light! Yes, you can see things now th
at werehid before!"
The morning came. Overhead the sun shone, for they could see that thesky was clear. And looking down they saw the rushing torrent that hadnot filled the bed of the canyon for perhaps centuries back.
When another hour had elapsed Bob began to grow impatient, andsuggested various wild schemes for getting out of the difficulty. Toall of these Frank shook his head. He himself was consideringsomething, when he suddenly lifted his head as though listening.
"Some one shouting up yonder!" exclaimed Bob, pointing upward to thetop of the canyon wall; whereupon Frank seized upon his gun, and firedseveral shots in rapid succession.
Then came answering shouts, upon which Frank repeated his signal forhelp.
"They hear you; they're coming closer! Oh! Frank, I believe that'sOld Hank Coombs hollering!" exclaimed the excited Bob.
"Hello! down there, air ye all safe?" came a hail; and looking up thetwo boys on the shelf saw the grizzled head of the old cowman thrustinto view.
CHAPTER XXII
ONCE MORE AT CIRCLE RANCH--CONCLUSION
After all, it was not a very great task, getting the two saddle boys upfrom the friendly shelf. Old Hank lowered his lariat; and after Bobhad slipped the loop under his arms, he was pulled to safety. ThenFrank followed.
They found that Hank had half a dozen cowboys with him, some of themost daring connected with Circle Ranch. Overtaken by the storm whileat the base of the mountain, they had waited for daylight, and thenstarted afoot to make the ascent. The presence of the new river in thebed of the long empty _barranca_ astonished these cowmen exceedingly.And when they heard all that the boys had to tell they were almost ofthe opinion that they must have been dreaming.
But there was the evidence before their very eyes, and nobody coulddeny that the old-time river, that had been bottled up underground forso long, had finally found a way to break forth once more, aided by thegeyser that for a century had beaten that tremendous tattoo everylittle while against the inner walls of the rocky mountain.
"Then there won't be no more racket, will there?" old Hank asked, as helay there, looking down at the rushing current of the new stream thatwould no doubt readily follow its long abandoned course, until itreached the distant Colorado, somewhere along the Grand Canyon.
"The chances are against it," replied Frank.
"But let's try and find our horses," Bob suggested, after he hadfinished eating what food the newcomers had taken the pains to preparefor the lost ones.
"Yes, I'm anxious myself to find out how Buckskin's weathered thegale," Frank put in.
The two horses were found in good shape, but glad to once more seetheir masters, if the whinnies that greeted the coming of Frank and Bobmight be looked upon as evidence of this.
And then another difficult task awaited them. To get the animals downto the level plain, now that the canyon was out of commission, taxedthe ingenuity of even so expert a plainsman as Hank Coombs; but it wasfinally accomplished.
Then the horses of the cowboys were found, and the entire party startedfor the distant ranch, expecting to complete their jaunt before sundown.
Old Hank was deeply interested in what the boys had to tell about theband of rustlers passing, with all the led horses.
"Didn't git 'em from our ranch," he declared; "an' I reckons theX-bar-X must 'a suffered; or it might be the Arrowhead, over on thecreek, was the one. But if so be Pedro Mendoza has been usin' thatcanyon to cross over the range with his stolen cattle an' horses, he'llhev to go further away now to do the same, 'cause his road's a rushin'river."
"We sure have had a great time of it," declared Bob, as they came insight of the buildings of the ranch, and heard the loud calls of thecowboys who were driving some of the stock in from the range, to get itready for shipment later.
"Yes, and think what we found out," Frank pursued. "First of all themystery of Thunder Mountain is known, and from this time on thoseroaring sounds will never again be heard."
"And the Indians will be wondering why the Great Spirit is angry withhis red children, so that he refuses to speak to them," Bob continued.
"And then there is that little affair about Lopez," Frank remarked,smiling at the recollection. "We have learned who Lopez is, and whathis grandfather, Lemuel Smith, was doing in that cave. Think of Pegand his two guides getting out of the region without finding out athing!"
"Say won't they be just as mad as hops, though, when they learn aboutwhat we saw and heard," chuckled Bob. "It's been a great time, allright. And Frank, we'll never again have anything like the fun we hadin that old _barranca_. It makes my blood just jump through my veinsto think of it."
"You're right," said Frank, "I don't believe we ever will!"
But like many other persons who cannot look ahead even one hour, andknow what the future holds for them, both the saddle boys were verymuch mistaken. There were plenty of stirring adventures awaiting themere many weeks had passed, some of which will be related in the nextvolume of this series, called "The Saddle Boys in the Grand Canyon; Or,The Hermit of the Cave." And those of our boy friends who have foundmore or less interest in the present story of life in the farSouthwest, will doubtless be glad to read more of the doings of FrankHaywood and his brave Kentucky chum, Bob Archer.
That Peg and his guides reached home safely Frank knew shortly, when hehappened to meet the bully on the trail. Peg was eager to hear atfirst hand all that had happened, and made friendly overtures with thatdesign in view; but this did not deceive Frank in the least. Herealized that Peg was more bitter than ever, and believed that if theopportunity ever came the bully would not hesitate to do anything thathe thought would annoy the chums.
Frank had also found that the prospector, Smith, and his little Mexicangranddaughter, had reached home in safety. The successful lode hunterpurchased a ranch; and when Frank met him some time later he was ridingaround the country in a fine automobile, buying stock. Inez was withhim, and never again would the brave little girl have to dress as a boyin order to carry supplies up into the canyons of the mountains.
Thunder Mountain never again uttered a sound of warning. The Indiansmarveled much, and consulted their greatest medicine men as to why thevoice of Manitou called no more. But the whites knew; and a load wasthereby taken from the mind of many a superstitious cowboy, who, whenwatching his charges through the vigils of the night, could look towardthe rocky height without that feeling of uneasiness that had alwaysbeen present when he believed the mountain to be haunted.
THE END
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