"Well," he remarked, "they're a pretty tough lot, all right; but even
such a bad bunch could hardly get enough hot air together to make a
mountain shake and groan like that. Besides, don't you see, Bob, they
must have been out yonder, riding this way with their stolen horses,
when that little circus came off."
"But one thing is sure," the other went on, sturdily; "they don't seem
to take any stock in that notion about a volcano, because, as we saw,
they headed straight for Thunder Mountain. That gives it away; they're
so used to the row that they don't pay any attention to it any longer."
"Correct!" echoed Frank, as though his mind was made up.
"Do we need to hold the horses down any longer?" asked Bob, who could
feel that Domino was becoming very restless under his enforced silence.
"I reckon not," replied the other, at the same time taking the blanket
from Buckskin's head; whereupon the animal, recognizing this as a sign
to rise, quickly gained his feet and shook himself.
"It's back to the blankets again for another nap," remarked Bob, when
he, too, had seen his animal regain an upright position. "Wonder
what's next on the programme for us. Twice, now, we've been waked up;
and I don't know whether it's really worth while trying to get any more
sleep to-night. It isn't a great ways from dawn, is it, Frank?"
The other cast a quick look up at the stars. Accustomed to reading
these heavenly sign posts of the night, he was able, from their
positions, to give a pretty fair guess as to the hour; just as the sun
served him in place of a watch during the day.
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