The Second Girl Detective Megapack: 23 Classic Mystery Novels for Girls

by Julia K. Duncan

  “Horses!” Janet said incredibly. “But who—why—who screamed?” she demanded.

  Jim was off at top speed for the spot where the horses must have been when they started. When the rest joined him he was bending over examining hoof marks with the aid of a burning pine faggot. He stamped the torch out when he saw the girls and turned to lead the way back to camp. There he bent serious glances upon all of them.

  “Tom,” he said finally, “saddle your horse and ride to the ranch for yore father and some men. Don’t lose any time about it either. There’s something mighty funny goin’ on up here and we’re goin’ to need help.”

  The girls exchanged frightened glances.

  “What do you think, Jim?” Virginia asked.

  “I think, I know,” he corrected himself, “those riders we heard were the bandits we’ve been runnin’ across ever since we came on this trip. I think they’ve got Miss Valerie just as they’ve probably got yore other friend.”

  “You mean—Gale?” Carol asked in a whisper.

  “I shore do and unless we do something mighty prompt there’s no tellin’ what’ll happen.”

  Tom had hastily thrown his saddle on his horse and now he led the creature into the circle of firelight. In his hand he carried his revolver. Gravely he handed it to Virginia.

  “You might need it before I get back,” he said.

  “But you—” Virginia protested.

  “I’ll get another,” he said calmly. “You’ll stick to the camp, Jim?” he asked turning to the cowboy.

  “I can’t do nothin’ until you and yore Dad come,” Jim replied. “One wouldn’t have a chance against a couple of those fellows.”

  “Right you are!” Tom agreed and swung himself into the saddle. “I’ll probably be back sometime about noon,” he said and was off.

  As long as they could hear them, the girls listened to the rumbling beat of his horse’s hoofs. When silence settled down on the valley again they looked expectantly at Jim and Virginia. The latter two were westerners, versed in the ways of the West. Surely they could tell the girls what they could do. It was inconceivable that they should sit idle for hours and hours, just waiting for Tom and his companions to come.

  “Can’t we do something?” Madge asked, voicing the desire of all of them.

  “We can make sure that nobody enters or leaves this camp without all of us knowing it,” Jim said sternly.

  “What could Val have been thinking of to wander off like that?” Virginia added worriedly.

  “She probably didn’t think there was anything to fear,” Phyllis defended. “What are we to do?” she asked of Jim.

  “Get your revolver,” he said crisply.

  Phyllis bent down and pulled it from her boot. She had taken the suggestion from Gale, and now she was never without it.

  “We’ll have to watch the camp,” Virginia said practically. “Is that your idea, Jim?”

  “Yes. I’ll take a spot here in the shadows.” Jim indicated the direction from which Val’s scream had come. He stationed Virginia and Phyllis on both sides of the camp. The others, unarmed, could go back to bed or do as they pleased as long as there was no noise and they didn’t leave the camp.

  “As though we could sleep,” Janet sniffed disdainfully when bed was suggested.

  “I’m going to sit with Virginia,” Madge said and departed to take up her post in the shadows at Virginia’s side.

  Carol and Janet went off to join Phyllis and so once more silence descended on the Adventure Girls’ camp.

  Virginia and Madge sat with their backs against a tree, facing the camp. Protected by the heavy shadows all around them, the girls could see the camp site clearly, but anyone coming stealthily onto the camp could not see them.

  “Why do you suppose Jim thinks it necessary to guard the camp?” Madge whispered.

  “It looks as though those bandits were interested in us for some reason,” Virginia murmured. “Why should they kidnap two of the girls, as Jim thinks they did, unless for some special reason?”

  Madge thought this over for a moment. “But what reason could they have?” she asked at length.

  “I don’t know,” Virginia answered.

  It was strange. The girls had done nothing to warrant this attack on them by the outlaws. Or had they? They couldn’t tell what Gale or Val might have found after they left the camp. Perhaps they had stumbled on the hiding place of the bandits and now were being held prisoner by those very outlaws. Virginia half smiled to herself. The girls had come out for a restful, interesting summer and they had stumbled into a feud of bandits and rustlers.

  She hoped fervently that Tom, riding hard toward the K Bar O, was safe. Since he had given her his gun, it left him unarmed and if he should come face to face with any of the rustlers— She turned her thoughts sternly away from that subject. She had faith in Tom’s ability to take care of himself. He was no child, he was older than she, and he knew the range land and its secrets. The only time he had left the ranch was when he had been away to school. After graduation he had returned eagerly to his interrupted western life. Virginia settled herself more comfortably. No, Tom would be all right. It was not him she should worry about, but the two girls who had disappeared so mysteriously.

  Since she was ten and Gale nine, Virginia had not seen her cousin until that day weeks before when the ramshackle car had puffed into the ranch yard and its occupants had piled gratefully from it. They had exchanged letters faithfully, but they never really knew each other until they started on this camping trip. Riding, eating, sleeping, laughing together in the vast silence and beauty of Virginia’s native state, the two cousins had grown close. Now Virginia knew and admired her cousin tremendously. She recognized in Gale the same high ideals and love of truth and sincerity that she herself cherished. There was in Gale, too, a spirit of mischievous recklessness and courage that delighted Virginia. In Gale’s gray eyes there burned a continual spark and her red lips were always laughing. She liked Gale, honestly and whole-heartedly. She wanted to be one of her firmest friends, because she was sure Gale would be loyal and unselfish to those who won her deepest friendship.

  Smothering a yawn, Virginia glanced at Madge beside her and received a sunny smile. She smiled in answer and folded her arms. She liked all the girls that had come West with Gale. What a fine name they had chosen for themselves. The Adventure Girls! The very words spoke of fun, mystery, and excitement. They must have countless good times. All of them were capable of stirring up mischief and excitement. She wondered how so many different natures had ever come together. She must ask Gale sometime how they had first formed their group.

  The darkness was like a heavy blanket and the faint wind was soothing. The trees stirred faintly overhead. The few remaining embers of the campfire in front of them glowed like a small red eye through the blackness. Each faint sound was like a roar in their ears. Their nerves were on edge and magnified each whisper of a leaf or cracking of a twig. The stars overhead were fading and the moonlight was waning. Far, far in the east the first faint streaks of daylight were creeping into the sky.

  Virginia straightened up, startled. She had been asleep! That was her first chagrining thought. Jim had put her on guard and she had fallen asleep. Madge grinned at her when they glanced at one another.

  “Have a good nap?” she asked laughingly.

  Virginia laughed too. “Why didn’t you wake me?” she demanded.

  “What for?” Madge asked blandly. “Nothing happened. In fact,” she giggled, “I’ve a sneaking suspicion that I was asleep too.”

  “Wouldn’t we make fine night watchmen?” Virginia laughed.

  Jim had stepped into the circle of the camp and now he called them. “Might as well have breakfast,” he suggested practically.

  “When should Tom get back?” Phyllis asked.

  “It’s a long ride to the ranch house,” Jim said, poking at the fire. “Best he could do would be sometime this afternoon.”

  The girls said
nothing but each felt a sinking of the heart at the big delay it meant. It would be hours yet before they could start looking for their comrades.

  They had breakfast, consisting mainly of steaming hot coffee and warmed biscuits; but at that, they felt better, more cheerful, after a little food. They could look upon Gale’s and Val’s absence with more fortitude and confidence in the good fortune of their friends. Both absent girls were resourceful and quick-witted. Perhaps nothing serious had happened to them after all.

  The girls were wondering what to do with themselves during the hours they must spend when the galloping of hoof beats was heard. Their hearts beat faster. Was it Tom and men from the ranch or—could it possibly be the bandits?

  CHAPTER XIII

  Rescue

  Darkness found Gale in much the same position she had occupied through the rainstorm, standing beside her horse and gently stroking his nozzle. The rain had stopped but she was uncomfortably wet. She wondered whether this was a climate where one caught colds easily. If so, she would probably have a dandy tomorrow. The horse shifted his feet impatiently and nudged her shoulder.

  She smiled at him. “Impatient to be off, old boy? So am I. Something tells me that this is going to be a night of excitement. I wonder if I’m being foolhardy in spying on these fellows. I might be, you know,” she said seriously to the horse. He nodded his head as though in agreement. “Oh, so you think I’m foolhardy, do you? But on the other hand, I might be able to help Uncle. What do you think, old fellow?”

  The horse shook his head and whinnied softly. “Please don’t do that,” she said hastily, a hand on his nose. “If you make such a noise you might bring those men out to investigate and that wouldn’t be lucky for either you or me.”

  The stars came out and with them the moon. The bright moonlight made Gale frown in annoyance. Any other time she would have marveled at the white radiance of Mr. Moon, but now it was indiscreet. The cabin where she was to do her spying stood squarely in the center of a large patch of moonlight. There would be no skulking in darkness close to it. If she hoped to get close enough to peer in a window or to hear what was being said, she would not only have to cross that moonlit space but to stand in the white light, clearly visible to anyone coming to the cabin. Well, she had made up her mind what she wanted to do and now she was going through with it.

  She wondered what her friends were thinking at her absence. She wished there was some way she could let them know she was safe and sound. But in an hour or two she would be on her way back to them with information that might be valuable. She wished she had a good supper, though. That was what ailed her horse too, he was hungry.

  Through the trees she could see that there was a light in the cabin and smoke curled from the chimney. Loud voices too, could be heard. Perhaps they were planning something this very minute. Making sure her horse was securely tied to a tree, Gale started slowly toward the cabin. It would be a ticklish business and goodness knew what might happen if she was caught. She approached the rear of the cabin but it was no good to take up a post here. The window was too high for her to see in and the voices were merely an indistinguishable blur through the thick wall.

  Before the cabin stood six horses, reins hanging and their heads drooped forward. Six horses! That meant there were six riders in the cabin. Coming around the corner of the cabin, Gale trod heavily on a twig and it snapped loudly. She stood still on the verge of flight, her heart racing. But when no one came she realized that they were making too much noise to hear such a slight sound. Evidently it was an occasion for celebration for they all seemed in high spirits.

  The window where she had meant to make her observations was closed but the door stood ajar. It was perilous looking in at the window, for any moment one of them might glance toward the glass and see her. Gale discovered that, pressed flat against the wall beside the open door, she could hear everything being said, though she could not see the occupants. It was the latter position that she took. Making herself as flat as possible against the rough logs, so there was scarcely risk of detection as long as the men remained indoors, Gale strained her ears to make sense of the conversation.

  Suddenly their voices lowered, tones became confiding and mysterious. Now Gale could distinguish only snatches of what was being said. She slid a little closer to the open door.

  “Pedro will stay here,” one man said sternly. “Three of you will tend to the cows and the two of us will scout around to that dude camp and see what’s goin’ on.”

  Gale wondered if there was another party of easterners camping in the hills, or did those words “dude camp” apply to her and her friends? Quite possibly they did. But why were these men interested in what they did?

  “They’re too near the cattle to suit me,” one of the other outlaws said in a deep rumbling voice. “Suppose they see us? Then they’ll be able to give a nice little description to the Sheriff.”

  He didn’t sound like an original westerner, Gale thought. More like a gangster of the movie type. Another voice joined in, soft and slurring. A Mexican, probably a half-breed, she decided mentally. For a while she could catch no more of what they said and then only a word here and there. But finally she knew enough that they planned to steal more of the K Bar O cattle. Should she go now and tell Jim and Tom so they could forestall the thieves? No, she would wait longer. Perhaps there was something more she could learn. Where they were taking the cattle for instance. As though in reply to her thoughts, the Mexican spoke again.

  “You should have the cows across the border by morning.”

  But there seemed to be some little dispute about this. Three of the men started arguing. There was a step near her and a man’s shadow fell on the ground where the light from the doorway streamed out. He was standing in the doorway looking across to the trees. If he turned an inch more in her direction he would see her. Gale held her breath and leaned stiffly against the wall. He must hear her heart beating so loudly. It sounded like thunder in her own ears. Tossing his cigarette out to the ground the man turned and stepped back into the cabin again. Gale almost sank to the ground in sheer relief. Pure luck, that was all it had been, that kept the man from sensing her presence. If he had stepped just a bit farther out, or turned just a bit more in her direction, she would have been discovered. And then what would have happened? She refused to think about that. Cautiously she moved a few paces away from the door. There was no need for her to invite exposure.

  Heavy steps sounded in the cabin and with lightning rapidity Gale disappeared around the corner of the building and none too soon. Two of the riders strode to their horses and mounted.

  “Follow in an hour, Shorty,” one of them called and the two departed.

  Were they the two who were going to investigate the camp, she wondered. She hoped her friends would have some warning of the men’s approach and were able to prepare themselves. She would like to have followed them but she meant to stick here and see what happened. The rustlers were leaving one man at the cabin. Why? What further than robbery did they plot? Were they planning to return here and use the cabin as their hiding place after the K Bar O cattle were safely across the border? If that was it, she wanted to know so she could send the Sheriff and his men here and be sure it was no wild goose chase.

  The moon was high overhead and moving slowly toward the west. Gale had no means of knowing what time it was for she wore no wrist watch, but she judged it to be about midnight. She would say it was an hour since the two riders had left, but still the other three had not followed them. The four of them were having a high old time, she reflected as a loud laugh floated out to her. She seated herself on the ground and leaned against the wall. Might as well be comfortable while she waited for something to happen. She was at the side, safe from immediate discovery should they come out without warning. But it would be better not to remain seated here, should she hear them, for it might just happen that they would come around this side.

  Suddenly the loud talking came to an end and there
was a scraping as of chairs on the floor. Three men came to the door and walked leisurely to their horses. Gale was peeping around from the back of the cabin now and she watched them as they rode away. There remained now only one man in the cabin. Cautiously she went around to the window at the front. Slowly she brought her eyes up to the level of the windowsill and gazed in. The Mexican—she had been right as to his nationality she realized now—sat before the fireplace, his chair tilted back, his feet propped on the table. In his hands he held a stick of wood and a knife and he whistled as he sent the chips flying. His profile was toward Gale and she shivered at the ugliness of his countenance.

  “Wouldn’t like to meet him in a dark alley,” she reflected to herself as she studied him. A long scar ran down his cheek, making his profile even more repulsive than it would ordinarily have been. “Something definite with which to identify him, that scar,” she told herself as she left the window.

  The moon as it moved westward caused a dark, heavy shadow on the far side of the cabin and Gale stepped into its protecting blackness. A sudden thought of her horse occurred to her and she went back to where he was tied to see if he was secure and safe. There was no telling when she might want him in a hurry. She might have to leave suddenly, she thought humorously. She returned to the cabin and sat down in the protecting shadow. She wondered if there was a harder thing in the world than the job of waiting. Her eyes were growing uncomfortably heavy and the danger of falling asleep was very near. She smothered a yawn and stood up. If she fell asleep now!

  What was that? The gallop of hoofs? It was. And they were coming to the cabin here. Who was it? The outlaws coming back from their nightly marauding? Or could it, by some inconceivable magic, be Tom or Jim looking for her? Somehow she had not expected them to. At any rate not at night. Of course if she didn’t return to camp by the morning, no doubt they would go out to look for her. But she planned to be safely among them by morning. Meanwhile, those horses were drawing nearer. At last they came into the moonlight from the direction she herself had come early that afternoon.