A period of stunned silence settled over the little group in the trail. Uncle Sam suddenly and finally dispelled the stillness by tossing up his head and emitting a long and discordant “hee-haw!” The professor, whose nerves were in a lamentable state, jumped straight into the air. When he came down, he turned an indignant look at the mule.
“So!” he mumbled. “That animal is the most provoking creature that ever lived. One can never tell what he is going to do, nor when he is going to do it. Where are the golf links, Merriwell?”
“Over there, professor,” Frank answered, pointing toward the golf grounds. “We just left Mr. Bradlaugh. He and Colonel Hawtrey are out of sight, just now, behind that bit of a rise, but you can find them without much trouble.”
“I believe I will go on, then, and acquaint Mr. Bradlaugh with this most distressing occurrence.”
“Don’t you want to ride?” asked Clancy.
“I prefer to walk,” was the answer. “I will be under obligations to you, Merriwell, if you will see that Uncle Sam is returned to Pophagan.”
“Just a minute, professor,” struck in Burke. “Can’t you tell us something about this robbery? Just where did it happen, and how did the news reach Ophir?”
“The stage driver brought the news to town, and when I left, Hawkins, the deputy sheriff, was getting one or two men to ride with him and begin pursuit of the thieves.”
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“Any passengers on the stage this morning?”
“No; there was only the driver and the mail pouches. The express company was supposed to have money aboard this morning’s stage for the Ophir bank, but, fortunately, the shipment failed to arrive. The robbers, presumably, had heard of the expected shipment of funds, and so were disappointed when they had to content themselves with only the mail pouches. I am a loser to the extent of——”
“Don’t worry over your lost check, professor,” interrupted Burke. “You’ll not lose a cent. Whether it was a check or a draft, payment will at once be stopped, and another check or draft will be sent to you.”
The professor was woefully ignorant of business matters.
“You are sure of this, Mr. Burke?” he asked, brightening.
“I am positive. See Mr. Bradlaugh, however, and tell him about what has happened. He will take the necessary steps to protect you. How many robbers were in the gang?”
“Two, and they seemed to be young fellows. They had handkerchiefs tied over their faces, and rode out from behind a mass of bowlders, a mile or two north of the place where the road leaves the cañon. Pistols were shown, but not used. The driver had nothing at all in the way of a weapon—which, perhaps, was a most fortunate thing for the driver. I—I really believe I had better be going now. I hope, Merriwell, that you will have no difficulty in getting that vicious quadruped back into his owner’s hands.”
“I’ll take chances, on that,” Frank laughed, and vaulted into the saddle. “Want to ride, Clan?” he asked, of his red-headed chum.
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“I love to ride,” grinned Clancy, “especially mules.” With that, he climbed up behind Merriwell.
The professor did not pause to see how quietly Uncle Sam behaved under Merry’s guiding hand. Already the professor was striding off toward the golf links.
Without any ill-natured move whatever, Uncle Sam had allowed himself to be turned around, and had started over the return course to Ophir. His gait was never very rapid, and Burke restrained the impatience of his own mount in order to ride beside the boys.
“That is the first time, to my knowledge, that the Gold Hill-Ophir stage has ever been held up,” remarked the super. “This part of the country has been tolerably free from crimes of that sort. As a rule, we’re about as peaceable a community as you’d find anywhere. Mrs. Boorland was robbed of her money in the gulch—but a sneak thief did that; and then there was that attempted theft of bullion from the mine. Up to the time those two crimes were attempted, nothing of the sort had excited the community since—I don’t know when. Hawkins is getting considerable work during the last few weeks.”
“He didn’t have any luck chasing those fellows who tried to make off with the bullion,” said Merriwell.
“Billy Shoup and that unknown safe cracker he had with him were too many for Hawkins,” said Clancy.
“Hawkins is pretty persistent,” observed Burke. “He hasn’t given up finding those fellows.”
“It was Shoup who took Mrs. Boorland’s money,” went on Merriwell, “and it was Shoup, again, with an unknown companion, who tried to steal the bullion. I’m wondering if the fellow isn’t mixed up in the robbery this morning?”
“Possibly,” mused Burke. “If he is, he has got himself
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 into hot water for fair. Stealing mail bags is a crime against the government, and the secret-service men are relentless fellows to deal with. No stone will be left unturned to bring the thieves to book, you can gamble on that. They—— Well, well,” he broke off quizzically, “what sort of a procession is that, ahead there?”
The boys and the super were close to the point where the clubhouse trail joined the Gold Hill road. Along the latter trail, at that moment, a queer little procession was moving in the direction of Ophir.
Billy Ballard was in the lead. He had some object tied to a cord, and was pulling it slowly through the dust of the road behind him.
Just behind Ballard was a pig—the same small porker with which Merriwell and Clancy had become acqua............