William Arden - The Mystery of the Headless Horse

Staying close against the bank to remain hidden from the road above, the four boys made their way along the arroyo to its end. Now they could hear the water crashing over the dam on the other side of the low mound that separated the arroyo from the creek.

“Look for some space behind a rock, or a hole in the bank, or an overhang,” Jupiter said.

Clinging to the sides, the boys searched the end of the arroyo with their eyes.

“Gosh, Jupe, there’s no safe place to hide in this arroyo unless we get down under the water!” exclaimed Pete. “I don’t even see a gopher hole!”

“Maybe there are some rocks we could hide behind on the other side of the road,” said Diego, and he poked his head up out of the arroyo. “Fellows!” The slim boy leaped down against the arroyo bank. “I saw them! On the road! Those men are coming back!”

The boys all flattened themselves close to the bank of the deep arroyo. They spoke in hoarse whispers.

“Did they see us?” Bob asked.

“I don’t think so,” Diego said.

“Where were they on the road?” Jupiter wanted to know.

“Just about where that trail joins it,” Diego whispered. “Where we came down into the arroyo.”

“Maybe they’ll go back to the shack,” Pete said hopefully.

“No,” Jupiter said grimly, “they’ll come to check out the dam. We’re stuck here. Let’s just hope they don’t decide to look in the arroyo!”

The boys strained to hear the approaching cowboys over the sound of the waterfall at the dam. Finally voices floated towards them.

“… if we don’t see ’em by the dam, I say we come back here and beat the bushes in the ditch!”

“Uh-oh! That tears it!” whispered Jupe. “We’ll have to get out of here. Look, as soon as those guys get past us and out of sight beyond the mound, we’ll crawl up over the mound as fast as we can, and down the far side. Then we can get on to the ridge above the creek and take cover behind Condor Castle!”

“But, Jupe,” objected Pete, “we’ll be right out in the open when we’re on top of the mound!”

“I know, but just for a few seconds. If we’re lucky, the men won’t look back before they reach the dam. By that time, we can be safe behind rocks on the ridge.”

Pete shook his head at Jupe’s scheme, but there was no time to think of anything better. On the road, the three cowboys were now passing the hidden boys. Their voices were still raised in argument. Jupiter cautiously peeked over the rim of the arroyo. As the cowboys disappeared out of sight beyond the mound, Jupe said, “Now!”

On their hands and knees the boys crawled out of the arroyo and up the low mound. They sank into the rain-soaked earth and pulled up bushes by their roots as they went. They felt as if every eye in the world were on their exposed backs. But there was no shout behind them as they tumbled over the crest of the mound and slid down the far side to the edge of the swollen creek.

“We made it!” Pete exulted.

“To the ridge!” Jupiter urged. “Run as low as you can!”

Bent double, they ran like crabs along the soft, slippery mound. Twice Jupiter and Bob slipped and fell sprawling, and once Diego nearly plunged into the raging creek. Plastered with mud, they ran awkwardly on with surefooted Pete helping the others. At last the boys reached the steep, rockier slope of the high ridge.

They scrambled up towards the shelter of the great rock of Condor Castle, dislodging showers of stones from the muddy slope.

Behind them, shouts carried above the roar of the creek!

“Cap! Over there!”

“On the ridge!”

“It’s them! Get ’em!”

The boys froze on the steep slope and looked back. The three menacing cowboys had left the road and were standing close to the dam.

“They’ve seen us!” Diego wailed.

“And too soon!” Pete groaned.

Even as the boys watched, the three cowboys began to run across the low, soggy mound from the corner of the dam towards the ridge.

“What do we do, Jupe?” Bob cried. “They’ve got us cornered up here!”

“I… I… ” Jupiter faltered.

A strange noise filled the air through the pouring rain and the steady surging of the creek — a roaring sound that seemed to grow louder as each second passed. It came from somewhere above the dam, from the flooding upper creek, and rushed closer and closer and closer. Halfway across the muddy mound between the dam and the ridge, the three cowboys stopped and listened, too.

“Look!” Pete yelled.

A wall of water crested ten feet above the dam!

“Something’s let go upstream!” Diego cried.

Filled with brush, logs, boulders and whole trees torn up by the roots, the massive wave poured over the dam and crashed down into the already boiling torrent of the lower creek. The whole rocky ridge on which the boys stood seemed to shudder. On the opposite bank of the creek, sliding mud carried brush and trees down into the water.

“Fellows! They’re coming again!” Diego yelled.

The three cowboys were running towards them across the mound. The boys started to flee, but stopped when they saw the long mound seem to split in half below! A huge section of muddy earth slid down into the boiling creek — taking the three cowboys with it! Flailing wildly, shouting and swearing, half swimming and half hanging on to debris, the cowboys were swept downstream in the raging torrent.

“They’re gone!” Bob exulted.

“Not for long,” Jupiter declared. “They’ll crawl out downstream, and be between us and the county road! Let’s move!”

Pete led the way up the slope to the great rock of Condor Castle. They climbed up over it and started down the other side. On both sides of the ridge, mud and boulders had slid down in the heavy rain, exposing new boulders and rocky outcroppings below Condor Castle.

“Wow, the mud’s sliding everywhere!” Pete exclaimed as he led the way down the steep, slippery slope.

The athletic Second Investigator leaped over a large row of exposed boulders. The others climbed up the boulders behind him—and stopped, gaping.

Pete was gone!

Pete had vanished as if the ridge itself had swallowed him up!

“Wha-what?” Diego stammered. “Where did he go?”

“Pete!” Bob cried.

“Second! Where are you?” Jupiter called frantically.

They anxiously searched the slope with their eyes, but nothing moved. Listening hard, they finally heard something. A voice that seemed to come from nowhere!

“Fellows! Down here!”

It was Pete — and his muffled voice seemed to come right out of the ridge!

“Where are you, Pete?” Diego called.

“Down here! Look right in front of those big boulders!”

The three boys jumped down in front of the exposed boulders and saw a long, narrow hole in the slope! A hole that was all but invisible until they were right on top of it! It hadn’t been there before.

“A mudslide must have uncovered the hole!” Bob realized.

Jupiter bent down to the long, narrow slit in the ridge.

“Second? You need help to get out?”

“I don’t want to get out!” the disembodied voice of the Second Investigator said. “It’s a kind of cave, Jupe! There’s loose rocks down here. We could block up the hole and those cowboys would never spot us! Come on down.”

The three boys on the slope looked at each other.

“Well — ” Jupiter hesitated.

“Come on!” Pete urged. “It’s dry and roomy, and those guys could come back anytime!”

That reminder was all the other three needed. Bob slipped down into the narrow hole first. Jupiter followed, grunting with the effort. The stout boy stuck halfway into the narrow opening!