This route would keep us all the time from twenty to
thirty miles north of the railroad.
[Illustration: Anti-Hourse-Thieves]
We had not gone far this morning when we met two men on
horseback riding side by side. They looked like farmers, only we
noticed that each carried a big revolver in a belt and one of
them a gun. They simply said "Good-morning," and passed on. In
about half an hour we met another pair similarly mounted and
armed, and in another half-hour still two more.
"Must be a wedding somewhere, or a Sunday--school picnic,"
said Jack.
"But why do they all have the guns?" asked Ollie, innocently.
"Oh, I don't know," answered Jack. "Varmints about, I
suppose."
In a few minutes we came to a man working beside the road,
and asked him what it all meant. He looked around in a very
mysterious manner, and then half whispered the one word
"Vigilantees!" with a strong accent on each syllable.
"Oh!" said Jack, "vigilance committee."
"Correct," returned the man.
"After horse-thieves, I suppose?" went on Jack.
Pages:
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66