This conclusion, hastily formed though it was, led to other insistent questions. If the boulder had indeed been placed on the track by human hands, where were the ruffians who had done it? Had they hidden in some of the cars, or “on the rods,” and gone on with the train? Were they still in that vicinity?
“I think I’d better be getting back to the boat,” the boy muttered, a vision of bandits and train robbers peering out at him from the rocks presenting itself. “If there are any Jessie James persons about here, we boys would better keep together.”
Alex gave a parting poke at the great rock and turned around to look over the country to north and south. There was little to see. On each side of the tracks loomed a wall of rock. But, a short distance to the east, the right-of-way curved off to the south, following a ledge of rock which led downward. Straight ahead there was a dip, the earth falling away from the tracks and exposing a vista of wild canyons and rugged and forbidding crags.
As the lad turned he saw a red gleam in the canyon straight ahead. It was not the glow of the sunset. It was too late for that. Besides, the canyon was considerably lower than the floor of the pass, so the latest rays of the sun would not have reached it at all. The landscape darkened as he looked, and directly he saw leaping flames and figures passing to and fro in front of the blaze.
“That accounts for the obstruction on the track, all right!” Alex decided. “I guess we’ve gotten into a nest of thieves!”
“Well, you needn’t tell them what you’re thinking about!”
Alex turned quickly about, not at first recognizing the voice, then a white body launched against his breast, nearly bringing him to the earth.
“Down, Captain Joe!” he exclaimed. “Do you want to tip a fellow off his feet?”
“I thought you were a train robber!” he said. “Wonder you wouldn’t scare a fellow to death!”
“Why don’t you come up to supper?” asked Clay.
“Huh!” replied the lad. “Never you mind supper! Just come along with me and see what I have found!”
“You’ll be finding red lions next!” laughed Clay. “Come on back to the boat. I left Case alone, of course, to come after you, and there’s some one prowling around.”
“That’s one of my train robbers, then,” he said. “I’ve got a trained band of ’em over in the next canyon.”