The Saddle Boys of the Rockies

Saddle Boys of the Rockies, by
James Carson

Project Gutenberg's The Saddle Boys of the Rockies, by James Carson
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
Title: The Saddle Boys of the Rockies Lost on Thunder Mountain
Author: James Carson
Release Date: August 25, 2006 [EBook #19120]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE
SADDLE BOYS OF THE ROCKIES ***

Produced by Al Haines

[Illustration: THE BIG POWERFUL BLACK ACTED AS THOUGH
HE HAD GONE WILD.]

The Saddle Boys of the Rockies
Or
Lost on Thunder Mountain
BY
CAPTAIN JAMES CARSON

AUTHOR OF
"THE SADDLE BOYS IN THE GRAND CANYON," "THE SADDLE
BOYS ON THE PLAINS," "THE SADDLE BOYS AT CIRCLE
RANCH," ETC.

ILLUSTRATED

NEW YORK
CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY
PUBLISHERS

Copyrighted 1913, by
CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY
THE SADDLE BOYS OF THE ROCKIES

CONTENTS

* CHAPTER
I. ACCEPTING A CHALLENGE
II. THE STRANGE ACTIONS OF DOMINO
III. OLD HANK COOMBS BEARS A MESSAGE
IV. A NOTE OF WARNING AT THE SPRING HOLE
V. THE VOICE OF THE MOUNTAIN
VI. A SECOND ALARM
VII. THE "RUSTLERS"
VIII. A STARTLING DISCOVERY
IX. WHAT HAPPENED TO PEG
X. THREATS OF TROUBLE
XI. THE BLACK NIGHT
XII. LOSING THEIR BEARINGS
XIII. THE SMOKE TRAIL
XIV. A CALL FOR HELP
XV. SPANISH JOE DROPS A HINT
XVI. THE VENT HOLE IN THE WALL
XVII. FRANK HOLDS THE HOT STICK
XVIII. A GUESS THAT HITS THE BULLSEYE
XIX. THE WORKING OF THE GOLD LODE

XX. TRAPPED IN THE CANYON
XXI. A CLOSE CALL
XXII. ONCE MORE AT CIRCLE RANCH--CONCLUSION

THE SADDLE BOYS OF THE ROCKIES
CHAPTER I
ACCEPTING A CHALLENGE
"Hello! what brought you here, Frank Haywood, I'd like to know?"
"Well, I reckon my horse, Buckskin, did, Peg."
"And who's this with you--your new chum; the boy from Kentucky?"
"That's who it is, Peg--Bob Archer; and he's come out West to see how
life on the plains suits him."
"Oh! a greenhorn, eh?"
"Perhaps some people might call him that, though he knows a heap
about horses. But seems to me, Peg, 'twasn't so very long ago that you
yourself dropped in on us here. Since when did you climb up out of the
tenderfoot class, tell me?"
The boy who answered to the name of Frank Haywood was a rather
chunky, well set-up lad of about sixteen. He had blue eyes, that were
usually sparkling with mirth; and a mop of yellow hair; while his skin
was darkened by long exposure to sun and wind.
Frank was the son of a rancher, who not only owned a large tract of
land with many herds, but had interests in paying mines located among
the mountains of the Southwest. Of course he knew more or less
concerning such things as cowboys practice; though never a day passed

on which Frank could not pick up new ideas connected with life in the
open.
His companion, Bob Archer, was considerably taller than Frank,
straight as an Indian, though rather inclined to be slender; but with a
suppleness that indicated such strength and agility as the panther
displays.
Coming from Kentucky, Bob could at least boast of long familiarity
with horses; and his cleverness in this line promised to make him a
crack horseman when he had picked up a few more of the tricks known
to range riders.
Both of the boys were especially fond of roaming the country, mounted
on their favorite steeds; and indeed, they were becoming known far and
near as the "Saddle Boys" because of their being seen so frequently,
dashing over the prairies at top-notch speed.
Peg was the nick-name which had followed Percy Egbert Grant all the
way from the Chicago suburb, where, for some years, he had played the
part of both dude and bully. His father was very wealthy, and Peg
always had more money than was good for him.
When he came to the great X-bar-X ranch, not so very far distant from
the Haywood home place, Peg had adopted the same tactics that had
carried the day for him in the past. The cowboys belonging to his
father's estate seemed to knuckle under to him from the first. However
much they might ridicule Peg behind his back, they cringed when he
gave orders; because he was a liberal paymaster, and no one wished to
incur his enmity.
So it came to pass that Peg actually began to believe himself of great
importance in the community. He assumed airs that ill became one who
was really ignorant of many