Los Angeles herald., 1907-03-17
CONTINUED FROM PREcEDINe PAGu

-
tonight"
During the next hour the boys listened in
tLently' starting at the slightest sound, as they
ihoped it might have been caused by Bart, and
kseeping the. fire burning brightly as a beacon
tor him when he should return.
az the end of that time they heard that I'M
mlstakable Song" as Kirk called it, OF bur
TO, Tor his bray is something which can never
be eonfounded with any other noise.
Bart is comingl" cried Dory, as be ran out
to the road.
And hardly had he gotten there when he
heard heard the braying of burro again; but TINS
time there was no mstaking the direction
from which it proceeded. 1t came from. the
right instead of the left, as would have been
the case had the animal been advancing to-
ward them from any point between the camp
and Canon City.
Perhaps Bart cut across the country in
stead of following the road as he intended,
and has thus come out on the other side,
suggested Kirk, in explanation OF the matter.
So eager were the boys to learn If their
road until they could see in the darkness four
shadowy objects that were undoubtedly burros,
and because of the number, they were sure
that the lost had been found.
rs that you, Bart?" Kirk asked.
Yes was the reply, in voice that sound
ed entirely different from their guides.
And in another instant, the forms of two
men came up from behind the animals, :.
u suppose Bart got some one to help him
lead the burros,' said Dory, still advancing
toward the supposed guide.
And just as the two reached the foremost
donkey, voice from the rear OF the animals,
accompanied by the unmistakable click OF re-
volvers shouted:
"Hands up! Hands up or we'll shoot!'
Although neither of the boys had ever seen
any specimens of that class of highwaymen
that are termed road-agents, they had learned
enough regarding them to know the meaning
of that command
In Pueblo, they had heard people who had
been robbed by road-agents tell the story of
such unpleasant adventures, and they were
well aware that the men would not hesitate
to fire upon them if the order was not instant
iy obeyed. :,
The boys held their hands high above their
heads, and hardly had they done SO, when one
of the men approached and began searching
them for weapons and valuables.
Both Kirk and Dory carried revolver and
q hunting knife, and these the man coolly ap-
propriated, failing to find anything else he
wanted.
Had he searched Kirk a little more closely,
however, he would have found sewn In his
given him in case they should find them
selves so situated as to needit.
By the time they had been robbed, the sec
ond man, who had been holding the burros in
check by their lariat, came up, and the first
man said to him:
"They're only boys. You keep them with
you until 1 get all the firearms they've got in
camp"
The robber obeyed by saying to the boys,
as he hourished revolver In dangerous prox-
imitv to their heads:
"Tf you don't want daylight let through
you, you'll stand. where you are, without SO
much as wiAking."
AS may be supposed, the boys made no at
tempt to escape, knowing that the man would
have no hesitation about carrying his threat
into execution, and then it was that Kirk
and Dory, at the same time, made startling
discovery.
Ahe donkeys which the road-agents had with
them were none other than those of which
Bart was in search. If they had had any hope
that their guide might come to their assist
ance, that hope was dashed now, for Bart, be-
lieying that the burros had gone toward Can
on City, would search that place very thor
.oughly before retracing his steps.
They had hardly settled this disagreeable
fact in their minds, when the man who had
: been searching the camp for weapons shouted
"Come on, Dick. I've got all their shoot
ers."
aHow many have you found, TOm?"
1.-TWO rifles"
Then Dick. still holding his revolver in his
hand. ordered Kirk and Dory to lead the dom
KEYS toward the camp, and, obeying, the boys
had no sooner come within the circle of light
made by the fire, when they saw, to their dis
NAV. that one Of the animals had strapped on
his back two mail-bags. The men had evident
lv robbed the stage that had passed the camp
inst before sunset.
@Are we going to stop here" asked the man
who had been called Dick.
fSOf course not! Don't you know that some
of them smart government Alecks will be
lacking for us, since we carried the mail off?
Ma,ve cot to get out of this as quick as we
can - Then, turning to Kirk and Dory, he
asked: "What were you two boys doing out