The Pony Rider Boys in New Mexico | Page 2

much gratitude under his tough skin.
Does the old man know where the place is?"
"No, not exactly. That's where we come in," grinned the speaker. "We
are going to help him find it."
"And then?"
"Oh, well. There's lots of ways to get rid of him."

"You mean?"
"He might tumble off into a canyon, or something of the sort, in the
night time. Here's the place."
The train was rounding a bend into the little town of Bluewater.
"Sit still," whispered Tad. "I want to get a look at those fellows so I'll
know them next time I see them."
The Pony Rider boy left his seat, and hurrying to the forward end of the
car, helped himself to a drink of water from the tank; then slowly
retraced his steps.
As he walked down the car, he took in the two men in one swift,
comprehensive glance, then swung his hands to his companions at the
other end of the car, as a signal that they were arriving at their
destination.
"Know 'em?" whispered Stacy as Tad began pulling his baggage from
the rack.
"Never saw either before. Better get your stuff together. This train is
fast only when it stops. It drags along over the country, but when it gets
into a station it's always in a hurry to get away," laughed Tad.
A few minutes later the party of bronzed young men sprang from the
car to the station platform, where they instantly became the center of a
throng of curious villagers.
Readers of the preceding volumes of this series are already too well
acquainted with the Pony Rider Boys to need a formal introduction. As
told in "THE PONY RIDER BOYS IN THE ROCKIES," the lads had
set out from their homes in Missouri for a summer's vacation in the
saddle. That first volume detailed how the lads penetrated the
fastnesses of the Rockies, hunted big game and how they finally
discovered the Lost Claim, which they won after fighting a battle with
the mountaineers, thus earning for themselves quite a fortune.

In "THE PONY RIDER BOYS IN TEXAS," the boys were again seen
to advantage. There they joined in a cattle drive across the state as
cowboys. They played an exciting part in the rough life of the cowmen,
meeting with many stirring adventures. It will be remembered how, in
this story, Tad Butler saved a large part of the herd, besides performing
numerous heroic deeds, including the saving of the life of a member of
the party from a swollen river. At the end of their journey, they solved
a deep mystery-- a mystery that had perplexed and worried the cattle
men, besides causing them heavy financial loss.
In "THE PONY RIDER BOYS IN MONTANA," the scene shifted to
the old Custer Trail, the battle ground of one of the most tragic events
in American history. The story described how Tad Butler overheard a
plot to stampede and kill a flock of many thousand sheep; how after
experiencing many hardships, he finally carried the news to the owner
of the herd; then later, participated in the battle between the cowmen
and sheep herders, in which the latter emerged victorious.
It will be recalled too, how the Pony Rider Boy was captured by the
Blackfeet Indians and taken to their mountain retreat, where with a
young companion he was held until they made their escape with the
assistance of an Indian maiden; how they were pursued by the savages,
the bullets from whose rifles singing over the heads of the lads as they
headed for a river into which they plunged, thus effectually throwing
off the savage pursuers; and finally, how in time they made their way
back to the camp of the Pony Riders, having solved the mystery of the
old Custer Trail.
After these exciting adventures, the lads concluded to cut short their
Montana trip and go on to the next stage of their journeyings, which
was destined to be even more stirring than any that had preceded it.
How Tad Butler and Stacy Brown proved themselves to be real heroes,
was told in "THE PONY RIDER BOYS IN THE OZARKS."
For a long time, an organized band of thieves had been stealing stock in
the Ozark range, baffling all efforts to apprehend them. The boys had
been warned to guard their own stock carefully, but despite this, their
ponies were stolen from camp, one by one and in a most mysterious

manner, until not an animal was left. Then, one by one, the Pony Rider
Boys became lost until only Tad and Stacy remained. They were facing
starvation, and it will be recalled how Tad Butler made a plucky trip to
the nearest mining camp for assistance. There the boys were
imprisoned underground