"The chances are against it," replied Frank.
"But let's try and find our horses," Bob suggested, after he had
finished eating what food the newcomers had taken the pains to prepare
for the lost ones.
"Yes, I'm anxious myself to find out how Buckskin's weathered the
gale," Frank put in.
The two horses were found in good shape, but glad to once more see
their masters, if the whinnies that greeted the coming of Frank and Bob
might be looked upon as evidence of this.
And then another difficult task awaited them. To get the animals down
to the level plain, now that the canyon was out of commission, taxed
the ingenuity of even so expert a plainsman as Hank Coombs; but it was
finally accomplished.
Then the horses of the cowboys were found, and the entire party started
for the distant ranch, expecting to complete their jaunt before sundown.
Old Hank was deeply interested in what the boys had to tell about the
band of rustlers passing, with all the led horses.
"Didn't git 'em from our ranch," he declared; "an' I reckons the
X-bar-X must 'a suffered; or it might be the Arrowhead, over on the
creek, was the one. But if so be Pedro Mendoza has been usin' that
canyon to cross over the range with his stolen cattle an' horses, he'll
hev to go further away now to do the same, 'cause his road's a rushin'
river."
"We sure have had a great time of it," declared Bob, as they came in
sight of the buildings of the ranch, and heard the loud calls of the
cowboys who were driving some of the stock in from the range, to get it
ready for shipment later.
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