The Sky Phantom (5 page)

“But I’m afraid all of them are far away from here now,” he said. “Horse thieves get their stolen animals out of the state and sell them as fast as they can.”

After Nancy and Bruce were in the air again, she asked, “Did you agree with Mr. Stanton that thieves take stolen animals out of the state as quickly as possible?”

Bruce said he did. “It would seem foolish to keep them around here because they could be located easily.”

Nancy did not entirely agree. “I don’t know about all the stolen horses, but I have a strong hunch that Major is hidden somewhere close to the Hamilton Ranch.”

Bruce smiled. “Which means that you would like to continue the search, combining it with your flying lesson.”

“Exactly,” Nancy told him.

As the young detective practiced, she and Bruce scanned the ground and used the binoculars every once in a while. There was no sign of Major or any other pony.

“Too bad,” Nancy said. She was very disappointed at their failure to pick up any clues.

Finally pupil and instructor headed home. An hour later, when Nancy reached the Hamilton Ranch, she found that Bess and George had been busy preparing for their pack trip on horseback the following day.

George said, “Bess and I will use the ponies we’ve been riding, Nancy. But you’ll have to choose one. You’d better do it now so there won’t be any delay in the morning.”

As the girls approached the corral, Bess whispered, “That rough cowboy, Ben Rall, is in charge. I can’t stand him.”

Rall did not speak to the girls, just glared at them.

Nancy said, “I’d like to try out a pony to use in the ride tomorrow. Which one is gentle?”

“None of’em when they get mad,” Ben replied. He made no suggestion.

First Nancy chose a lovely sensitive-looking gray mare who responded immediately to her voice. Just as they were becoming friends, a beautiful two-month-old gray colt trotted around the corner of the corral and started nursing.

“Oh!” Nancy exclaimed. “So this lovely baby belongs to you? What a magnificent pair you are!”

“You think you’re so smart,” Ben snarled. “You’re no cowgirl! You can’t take a nursing mother away from her colt!”

Nancy blushed and stammered that she had just realized the gray had a colt. She picked another mare, which had kind eyes.

“That’s Daisy D,” George told her. “She’s nice. You’ll love riding her.”

“All right,” Nancy said. “I’ll try her. Where do I find a saddle and blanket?”

The cowboy frowned at her, then said grudgingly, “Oh, I’ll do it.”

He led Daisy D into the stable. A few minutes later he brought out the pony. Nancy nodded her approval and vaulted into the saddle. She rode around the corral twice and was just about to say, “She’ll be fine,” when Daisy D reared up on her hind legs, nearly throwing her rider off.

Nancy tried her best to calm the pony, who came down on the ground with a thud, then began to run wildly. A few seconds later Daisy D jumped over the fence and bolted.

Nancy talked soothingly to the pony, while seesawing on the reins until she was afraid she would cut the animal’s mouth. Finally, with a loud snort, Daisy D stopped. Nancy quickly dismounted and held the pony still.

Patting the animal’s neck, she said, “You’re all right, old girl. You’re not hurt.”

Nancy herself was not so sure of the latter statement. Bess and George rushed up and she said to them, “Take off the saddle and blanket. I suspect there’s something underneath the blanket.”

The girls did so, and Bess cried out, “There’s a big bur under the blanket!”

George added, “No wonder she sunfished. Those prickles went right into her flesh! The poor pony!”

Bess was furious. “I’m sure Ben Rall put that bur under the blanket on purpose. How mean can a person get?”

“I’m going to find out if he’s responsible!” Nancy declared.

She stalked back toward the corral. Ben was not in sight. She hurried into the barn, but the cowboy was not there, either.

By this time George had led Daisy D up to the barn so that some soothing antiseptic salve could be put over the punctured flesh on her back.

Bess was even more upset about the incident than the other girls. When she found out Ben was not around, she went to look for Pete, the man in charge of the corral.

After Bess told Pete what had happened, he exclaimed, “There’s no excuse for this! Every person who saddles a horse is supposed to inspect blankets and saddles carefully so nothing harmful will be put on a pony’s back.”

Bess looked at him. “We don’t know why, but we think that Ben Rall put the bur there on pur pose.”

Pete yelled loudly for Ben, and finally the cowboy came. Pete showed him the bur and the puncture on the pony’s back.

“How do you explain this?” he asked sternly.

Ben looked at the ground, then said, “I don’t have to explain nothin’”

“You explain,” said Pete, “or you’re all through at Hamilton Ranch!”

Instead of replying, Ben Rall turned and looked at Nancy. Glaring at her with anger in his eyes, he cried out, “I hate the city brand of a cowgirl who tries to fly planes and goes around nosing into everybody’s business to solve mysteries. I’ll get even with you for making me lose my job!” He waved a fist at her.

NANCY stared after the retreating cowboy, realizing that she had unwittingly made an enemy. But what was the reason? She had never seen or heard of Ben Rall.

“He mentioned my being a detective. That’s strange. Could he have had something to do with the mystery of the stolen palomino, or even with the disappearance of Roger Paine?” she asked herself.

To Pete she said, “What kind of a man is Ben Rall?”

“Very hard to get along with,” was the answer. “He seems honest enough, but pretty ornery at times. The other boys don’t care for Ben so they try to avoid him. I think this angers him, and then he’s meaner than ever to everyone on the ranch.

“Some other tricks have been played around here, but we never could find out who did them. After this bur incident, I’m beginning to wonder if Ben wasn’t responsible for the other things, too. Well, I’m not sorry to see him go.”

Bess asked in concern, “What will Ben do? Where will he go?”

Pete said that Pop Hamilton was generous to people he had to discharge.

“Usually they get a month’s wages in advance and a good pony. I don’t think it’ll be hard for Ben to find a job on another ranch before he spends all his money.”

This made the girls feel better, but Bess admitted she was afraid that Ben might try to harm Nancy.

“Oh, let’s forget the whole incident,” George Fayne said. “It disgusts me to think about it.”

Nancy had little to say, but she decided to keep her eyes open for any trouble from the dismissed cowboy. She also decided that the next day she would inspect and saddle Daisy D without any assistance. She wanted no more sudden sunfishing by her pony!

Before breakfast the following morning, she went out alone to the barn, where Daisy D had been put into a stall. The pony wagged her head as the girl entered.

“How are you, pretty girl?” Nancy asked, stroking Daisy D’s neck.

Apparently the pony liked this and nuzzled the girl. Nancy examined the bur puncture on the animal’s back. It was healing nicely.

Just then Pete came into the barn. “Morning, miss,” he said. “You’re out early!”

Nancy smiled and said she had a reason for getting up before the regular rising time at the ranch house.

“I thought I’d take Daisy D and see if riding bothers her.”

Pete grinned. “Sort of a trial run, eh? Well, I don’t blame you.”

Nancy nodded and said she wondered if a protective bandage should be put over the pony’s sore before a blanket and saddle were set in place. The cowboy agreed.

As he went to get a large antiseptic gauze, he called out, “You’ll be glad to hear that Ben collected his wages and left last night. He went off on a pony Pop gave him.”

“That was very generous,” Nancy commented. She asked what the pony looked like and was told she was a sorrel with a broad band of white down her nose. The animal’s front feet had large patches of white on them.

“She’s pretty easy to identify,” Pete remarked. “While you’re riding, you’d better keep your eyes open for Ben and his pony.”

“I certainly will,” Nancy said.

She took a saddle pad from the shelf and examined it carefully. Finding it clean, smooth, and soft, she swung it across Daisy D’s back, holding the gauze tightly in place. Then she located the comfortable saddle she had used the day before and put it on.

“Climb up,” Pete said, “and I’ll adjust the stirrups to exactly the right height. I noticed, Nancy, that you ride more in the English style than in our western type.”

“Yes, I do,” she replied.

Nancy got astride. The stirrups were adjusted properly. Then she gathered up the reins and squeezed the pony with her legs. They rode off at a brisk pace.

Daisy D proved to be a wonderful companion. She was affectionate and responded to the rider’s slightest signal. Nancy walked, trotted, cantered, and galloped. Daisy D did not object. The girl detective returned to the barn, smiling.

“Daisy D is great,” she said to Pete. “I can’t wait to start on the pack trip.”

He told her that the breakfast gong had already rung. “You’d better scoot to the mess hall,” he advised with a grin. “I’ll take care of Daisy D and give her some breakfast too.”

“Thank you,” Nancy answered, and she ran off toward the ranch house.

One hour later her group was ready to leave. An extra pony was being taken along to carry supplies. It was a gorgeous morning, and the six riders were exhilarated.

Chuck Chase rode with Bess and they seemed to be having a delightful time, laughing frequently. Range Cooper kept pace with George, while Nancy and Pop Hamilton led the group.

They followed the road for several miles, planning to turn off near the place where Roger Paine’s plane had come down. Just before noon-time Nancy spotted a lone rider in the distance. She pointed him out to Pop and the others.

The rancher looked ahead intently. “I wonder if that could be Ben Rall,” he said. “If so, we’d better catch him! I found out this morning that he stole over a hundred dollars from the other men when he left!”

The rider disappeared around the bend. As the group reached the turn, they found a steep hillside on their left. Hoofprints indicated that the man on horseback had gone up to the top. The slope had little growing on it, but a dense growth of trees covered the peak.

Pop commanded, “Come on, boys! We’ll see who that is! Girls, you stay here.”

The three girls dismounted and held their ponies. Nancy and George looked out over the wide stretch of land in front of the hill. Bess stood still, gazing up to the top.

Suddenly she cried out, “Run, girls, run!”

Nancy and George spun around to see why. Looking up the slope, they saw a huge tree trunk tumbling down the steep incline directly toward them!

“Grab the ponies!” Nancy yelled.

Although Bess had given the signal, she now seemed paralyzed with fright and did not move. George grabbed their two ponies and dashed out of the way of the oncoming tree. Nancy reached for Bess’s hand while clutching Daisy D’s bridle, pulling her and Bess to safety.

The tree, coming at lightning speed, just missed them. It rolled for some distance along the flat area.

No one had been hurt!

Bess stood like someone transfixed, staring into space. Her cousin shook her. “What’s the matter with you, Bess?” she asked. “Come to! The danger is over!”

Bess said she was sorry for not reacting faster after warning the others. “The reason was that I saw a face at the top of the hill leering down at us. I’m sure he started that tree rolling. And what’s more, I think the man was Ben Rall, who threatened to hurt you, Nancy.”

“If you’re right,” the girl sleuth replied, “I hope Pop and the boys capture him.”

In a little while the other riders returned. The girls were sorry to see that the cowboy was not with them. Pop reported that they had not seen the lone rider.

“But I did!” Bess spoke up. “He tried to kill Nancy, George, and me!”

“What!” Pop, Chuck, and Range exclaimed together.

“That’s right,” George added. She told them what had happened. “You can see the evidence some distance from here.” She pointed toward the tree that had rolled down the slope and onto the open area.

Pop commented, “That’s a fine twist. Here I tell you to stay in this spot so you’ll be safe, and you were the ones who were nearly killed while the boys and I didn’t even get a glimpse of the culprit!”

Bess nodded. “If that was Ben Rall, he has already started to carry out his threat to get even with Nancy!”