It was almost dark by the time I reached the village of Luray. I galloped¹ up to the hotel where we had left our horses that morning and without dismounting called out to the loafers on the veranda² to ask if anyone had seen Colonel Gaylord. Two or three of them, glad of a diversion, got up and sauntered out to the stepping-stone where I waited, to discuss the situation.
 
What was the matter? they inquired. Hadn't the Colonel gone home with the rest of the party?
 
No, he had not, I returned impatiently, and I wanted to know if any of them had seen him.
 
They consulted together and finally decided³ that no one had seen him, and at this the stable boy vouchsafed⁴ the information that Red Pepper was still in the barn.
 
 
"I thought maybe the Colonel was intending to make me a present of that horse," the landlord observed with a grin, as he joined the group.
 
A chuckle⁵ ran around the circle at this sally. It was evident that the Colonel did not have a reputation in the county for making presents. I impatiently gathered up my reins⁶ and one of the men remarked:
 
"I reckon young Gaylord got home in good time. He was in an almighty⁷ hurry when he started. He didn't stop for no farewells."
 
With numerous interruptions and humorous interpolations, they finally managed to tell me in their exasperatingly⁸ slow drawl that Rad had come back to the hotel that afternoon before the rest of the party, had drunk two glasses of brandy, called for his horse, and galloped off without speaking a word to anyone except to swear at the stable boy. The speaker finished with the assertion that in his opinion Rad Gaylord and Jeff Gaylord were cut out of the same block.
 
I shifted my seat uneasily. This information did not tend to throw any light on the question of the Colonel's whereabouts, and I was in no mood just then to listen to any more gossip about Rad.
 
"I'm not looking for young Gaylord," I said shortly. "I know where he is. It's the Colonel I'm after. Neither he nor Cat-Eye Mose have come back, and I'm afraid they're lost in the cave."
 
The men laughed at this. People didn't get lost in the cave, they said. All anyone had to do was to follow the path; and besides, if the Colonel was with Mose he couldn't get lost if he tried. Mose knew the cave so well that he could find his way around it in the dark. Colonel Gaylord had probably met some friends in the village and driven home with them.
 
But I would not be satisfied with an explanation of that sort. The Colonel, I knew, was not in the habit of abandoning horses in any such casual manner; and even supposing he had gone home with some friends, he would scarcely have taken Mose along.
 
I dismounted, turned my horse over to the stable boy, and announced that the cave must be searched. This request was received with some amusement. The idea of getting out a search party for Cat-Eye Mose struck them as peculiarly ludicrous. But I insisted, and finally one of the men who was in the habit of acting⁹ as guide, took his feet down from the veranda railing with a grunt¹⁰ of disapproval¹¹ and shambled into the house after some candles and a lantern. Two or three of the others joined the expedition after a good deal of chaffing at my expense.
 
We set out for the mouth of the cave by a short cut that led across the fields. It was quite dark by this time, and as there was no moon our one lantern did not go far toward lighting¹² the path. We stumbled along over plowed¹³ ground and through swampy¹⁴ pastures to the music of croaking¹⁵ frogs and whip-poor-wills. At first the way was enlivened by humorous suggestions on the part of my companions as to what had become of Colonel Gaylord, but as I did not respond very freely to their bantering¹⁶, they finally fell silent with only an occasional imprecation as someone stubbed his toe or caught his clothing on a brier. After a half hour or so of plodding¹⁷ we came to a clear pa............