when they reached the bridge Injun stopped.

"Huh! Go back again, too," he muttered. And sure enough in the maze of
footprints many seemed to lead back toward the water tank.

"Why do you s'pose they went to the bridge? Prob'ly to see if it was
safe; that the robbers hadn't damaged it," Whitey said.

"Mebbe," said Injun, who was figuring things out in his own way and
seldom spoke until he had them figured.

From the scramble of footprints near the tank, Injun picked out those
of three pairs that diverged from the mass. Injun traced these back
toward the gully. Two of the tracks were made by ordinary boots, the
other by high-heeled cowboy boots. Whitey left this part of the chase
entirely to Injun, and followed, leading the ponies.


Presently Monty gave voice to a shrill neigh, and to Whitey's surprise
it was answered from the gully. "Look out!" Whitey called softly to
Injun. "They haven't gone. There's one of their horses."

But to Whitey's further surprise Injun paid no heed, but kept calmly on
his way, and there was nothing for Whitey to do but to follow. The
gully, or little canyon, was about fifty feet deep, and the creek that
ran through it about that many feet wide. At the lowest part, near the
stream, Injun paused.

"Where are their horses?" Whitey whispered.