can get helicopters.”
“Morning could be too late!” Mr. Andrews cried.
“We can’t just blunder around, Mr. Andrews. That could endanger the boys’ lives more.”
Jupiter had been silent during the discussion. Suddenly he turned to Natches. “Mr. Natches, can you track them?”
“Track?” Natches said. “
Natches began to trot along the road in the moonlight. The others followed in silence.
Mr. Harris stood beside Bob and Pete in a desolate canyon deep in the moonlit mountains. Both boys had been securely tied with heavy ropes.
“Fools! I should have dealt with you at once. Well, won’t be long now.”
Sanders appeared quietly from the shadows.
“The Yaqualis are ready, boss.”
“Good,” Harris said. “That fat friend of these fools is undoubtedly raising a hue and cry right now. It isn’t wise to underestimate him. He’s a clever boy. We must work fast. Follow me, Sanders.”
Bob and Pete watched the two villains fade into the silver shadows of the box-like canyon. To their left, Nanika groaned weakly where he lay trussed hand and foot.
“What do we do now?” Pete asked.
“I hope Harris is right, and Jupe is looking for us.”
“Maybe he saw our signal.”
“We didn’t have much time to send it,” Bob said without too much hope. “And even if he saw it he’d go to the cabin. How will they ever find us in the dark?”
“I don’t know, but they’d better,” Pete said. “I’ve got a hunch we won’t be around by daylight!”
Before Bob could answer, Harris and Sanders reappeared. The fake vegetarian seemed pleased with himself. He nodded to Sanders, who bent down and untied Bob.
“Up with you,” Harris snapped at Bob. “Sanders, you’re sure you know what to do?”
“I know, boss.”
“Good. This should take no more than a few hours with the four boys working. Be alert, Sanders. We’ve almost got the Hoard.”
Harris pushed Bob before him, and together they vanished into the night up the canyon. Pete stared after them with an uneasy feeling. Why had Harris taken Bob with him?
Pete had a vague idea where they were. Although the deep box canyon had no name, it was at the base of the towering bulk of Indian Head Mountain, deep in the mountains at the edge of the Sandow Estate. The road and the truck were more than a mile away. How would anyone ever find them?
“Sanders?” Pete said. “Harris will leave you — ”
“You be quiet,” Sanders growled. “The boss knows what he’s doing.”
Pete lapsed into a defeated silence. The injured Nanika moved and struggled up to a sitting position. The broad, powerful Yaquali looked around wildly. Pete tried to smile reassuringly at Nanika, but he could say nothing. The Indian spoke no English. If Pete was to do anything, he would have to do it alone.
But what could he do? Sanders sat only a few feet away, holding a rifle and watching the two prisoners intently. Pete stared all around, looking desperately for some clue that would suggest a possible course of action.
Suddenly he blinked. He must be seeing things!
Shadowy. figures seemed to be rising up all around the small canyon. He shouted:
“Here I am! Help! We’re here!”
The figures all began to run towards him. Sanders jumped up, looked frantically at the men rushing towards him, and then dropped his rifle and ran into the darkness.
“Get that man!” Chief Reynolds cried.
Moments later Jupiter, Mr. Andrews and Worthington were crowding round Pete, trying to untie the ropes. Natches ran to Nanika and quickly untied his brother. Two of Chief Reynolds’s men came back with Sanders, who was still struggling to get away.
“Where’s Mr. Harris?” Jupiter asked Pete.
“He went up the canyon towards Indian Head Mountain,” Pete said, “and he’s got Bob with him!”
Mr. Andrews looked despairing. “He still has Bob?”
Chief Reynolds glared at the surly-looking Sanders. “Where is Harris, you? What’s he done with Bob and those Indian boys?”
“Why don’t you just find out, cop,” Sanders sneered.
“There’s another man, too,” Pete said. “A fellow named Carson.”
“Well, they won’t get away,” the Chief said. “They’re trapped. This is a box canyon! It’s all over.”
Sanders looked scornful. “Don’t think you got the boss beat yet, cop.”
“He can’t be far away,” said Pete. “He’s up the canyon, and it doesn’t go in too far, Chief.”
“He can’t get out any other way but through us,” Jupiter pointed out.
“Right,” Chief Reynolds agreed. “Okay, men, spread out and move up the canyon.”
The group spread out, their guns ready, and advanced alertly up the canyon towards Indian Head Mountain. The mountain towered pale and silvery in the moonlight.
As the canyon gradually narrowed in the shadowy light, they continued to move ahead. Aware that the Hoard was probably somewhere high up, they kept glancing up towards the mountaintop as they advanced. Jupiter, in the rear with Pete and Worthington, suddenly exclaimed as he stared up at the bulk of the mountain against the moonlight.
“Pete! The mountain! See, it — ”
He got no further. From the silver shadows of the canyon the wild, insane laugh burst out, bouncing and echoing from the walls of the canyon.
“The laughing shadow!” Pete cried.
“Over there!” Chief Reynolds yelled. “Shine your lights!”
The police aimed their flashlights into the shadows. Mr. Harris stood there, smiling.
“Well, you arrived a little too early,” he said. “Unfortunate. Now I shall have to settle for less than I wanted, eh?”
From nearby the crazy laugh rang out again, drowning out the rest of Harris’s words.
“Don’t move, Harris! ” Chief Reynolds ordered. “Take him, men, and search him. Where’s the other man?”
A policeman called from the dark, “We’ve got him, sir!”
Harris stood smiling while he was searched. A policeman took a small sack from him, and handed it to the Chief. The assistant, Carson, was hustled to stand beside Harris. Chief Reynolds opened the bag, and faced the smiling criminal.
“There’s gold in the bag, Harris, which means you’ve found the Hoard. You’d better tell us where it is. We know all about you.”
“All about me?” Harris smiled. “I doubt that. Those dirty Indians may have told you some story, but you can’t believe — ”,
“I’ve also talked to Australia,” the Chief interrupted
Harris paled. “Australia? But how did you find out?”
“Jupiter, tell him… ” the Chief began, but before he could finish his sentence, a huge bird swooped down out of the dark, flew straight to Mr. Harris and perched on his head. It was a large, shaggy bird about the size of a crow
