CHAPTER XV

MUTINY

The silence that succeeded the vision of the Black Rider on the rock was a vast and throbbing one, and the senses of the boys reeled slightly under the shock. Ted still stood in his position staring toward the rock on which the fascinating thing had showed, his heart beating like a trip-hammer and his mouth curiously dry. In the very atmosphere there was a sense of unreality.

The figure had been real, yet ghostly. All of them were sure that they had seen an actual man seated on a very real horse exposed for an instant on the rock, and yet the very immoveableness of it inspired a feeling of awe. There was no second flush of light and nothing broke the silence.

Then the tongues of the boys were unloosed like a flood and they all talked at once. They scrambled to their feet, confused and uncertain. The fire had burned so low that the darkness pressed in tightly upon them, and a few, with more presence of mind than the rest, threw some fresh wood on the fire, where it blazed up and dimly showed the rock upon which the Black Rider had appeared. But there was no sign of him now.

“What in the world do you suppose that was?” Buck demanded, bounding to Ted’s side.

“You certainly have me,” was the fervent reply. “I never saw anything like it in my life. Bob had just said that he would like to see a Black Rider and one just glowed out. It is beyond me.”

“If anybody believes in ghosts, that was surely a ghost of a former Black Rider,” said Buck. “But there is a trick in it somewhere. Look how he just glowed and then went out. Come on, let’s investigate that rock.”

Without argument Ted took the lantern and he had taken two strides before Buck could catch up with him. Ted was trying to get the incident straight in his mind and he was eager to see that rock. A few of the boys straggled after them, but the bigger group remained near the campfires.

Arriving at the rock the two older boys quickly bent forward and looked at the flat top of the big stone. There was a slight film of moss on it and the moss was marked by the feet of a horse, very faintly, but marked, nevertheless.

“Well, it was a sure enough horse, anyway,” commented Ted, as he kept flashing the light around the rock. “Look here!”

He pointed out a thin white line with purple edges which ran across the rock. Buck studied it, but for the moment its meaning escaped him.

“What is it?” he asked.

“Evidently it was a line of powder, something like flashlight powder, only calculated to burn longer,” explained Ted. “Whoever led the horse out here set a powder train and then got on the horse and waited. He must have been able to hear all that we said around the campfire, and Bob’s words gave him just the cue he wanted. Somehow or other, maybe by a small pocket battery wire, he set off the powder and played spirit, if that is what he was meant to be.”

“I guess that is so,” nodded Buck. “Say, you remember that snapping sound we heard last night?”

“Yes, and I guess I see what you mean. This fellow must have heard us planning and then he planned a little plan of his own. I’ll bet that fellow is in and around our camp more than we know about!”

“Believe me, we must lay our hands on that fellow,” said Buck, grimly. “We had better begin to lay some traps for him when we get back.”

“Yes, we’ve simply got to get him. Come on and see if we can follow the tracks of the horse’s hoofs.”

They were able to find the spot where the horse had stepped onto the rock and a few hoof prints nearby, but the man who had arranged the thing had done his work well. For yards around the ground was half rock and no print showed.

“No use hunting around any more tonight,” said Ted, after they had spent a half hour in fruitless effort. “In daylight we might be able to see something worth while, but never with the light of the lantern. I think those hoofs must have been muffled.”

“Oh, there is no doubt of that,” replied Buck. “There was no sound when the horse was led out on the rock and no sound when he retreated. This man knows what he is doing.”

“Yes, and do you know, we’re dealing with an educated man and no Jerry Jackson from Hogs’ Hollow. This man knows more than one thing and when we find a man who is a historian we’ll have our man. He knew just how a Black Rider should be dressed and he did the thing to perfection. Maybe he is doing it for a big joke, I don’t know.”

“But cutting our tent ropes is no joke, I don’t care how well educated a man is!” reminded Buck, as they made their way back toward the camp.

“Oh, I agree with you there and I must confess that I can’t begin to see his idea. If he just wants to get rid of us, he is going to a lot of trouble, because we aren’t going. On the other hand, is there something around there that he doesn’t want us to see or know it is going on?”

“That is something we’ll have to find out,” Buck answered. “I hope we find out soon, too, because this stuff is getting my goat. Well, I see that the boys are still around the fires. They must have received a pretty rough shock this time.”

As the two chums approached the group they noted that there were two distinct sections of it, one centering around Drummer and the other around Ralph Plum. They were strangely silent as the two leaders came in and no one asked a single question.

“Well, somebody likes to play jokes on us, and that Black Rider one was a good one,” smiled Ted.

“That wasn’t a joke, Thorn,” said Ralph Plum, quietly.

“Well, I suppose it was a joke,” countered Ted. “We found that somebody had put some light powder on the rock and then lighted it so as to show himself off as a Black Rider. If they didn’t do it for a joke, I don’t know what they did it for.”

“Well, some of us are through with this camping trip,” said Plum. “We’re going home!”

Ted counted the boys who were grouped around Plum. “Seven of you,” he said, coolly. “All of you going home?”

“Yes, they are going home and I’m going to take them home,” sneered Plum, his self-control breaking down. Each day had added to his irritation at the small part he played in the camp and he was aroused at the chance which had come his way. “These boys aren’t safe in this camp and I’m going to take them home and let their parents know that I brought them safely home, too!”

Ted smiled slightly. “Yes, I’m pretty sure that you’ll do that, Plum!”

Ralph Plum stepped closer and tapped Ted on the chest. “You know just a little too much, Thorn! I don’t like the way you have been running this camp, anyway. I’m one of the older fellows here and I wasn’t even made a tent captain. My family gave money to this club and I don’t even get any recognition out of it. I told you several days ago that this camp wasn’t safe and you wouldn’t listen and go somewhere else. Now, I’m going to take these boys home with me, and you won’t stop me!”

Ted’s temper trembled dangerously, but he turned to the other boys. “Do you boys want to go home?” he asked them. They looked at each other and then one or two nodded.

“I don’t think they really want to go,” cried out Drummer, angrily. “Plum has been telling them that they ought to go home and making up big yarns about something happening to them if they don’t get out of here! All he wants is to get them home and get a lot of credit for it!”

“Say, you just keep your——” began Plum, lunging toward Drummer, who immediately struck an attitude of defense.

“Wait a minute!” Ted cut in, stopping Plum’s rush. “Is it true that you have been working up fear in the minds of the boys?”

“No!” shouted Plum. “But some of us decided that we have had enough of this camp and that we are going home. You can’t stop us, Thorn.”

“I don’t want to stop you,” replied Ted, quietly. “If you want to go, you can go ahead. I can’t keep you here by force and I wouldn’t try to. Only, you are doing the very thing that the unknown person wishes you to do. Somebody is trying to scare us out of this camp and they haven’t succeeded in doing it yet. Now you decide that you will go home and admit defeat to this man who wishes you to clear out. Not very brave, is it?”

“Never mind about brave!” growled Plum. “There is only one reason why you don’t want to give up the encampment and that is because you are afraid the trustees will say that you gave it up and they won’t ask you to be big boss another year!”

“I hadn’t thought of it that way,” smiled Ted. “Are you thinking of starting for home tonight?”

“No, but we will the first thing in the morning,” promised Plum.

“All right,” nodded Ted. “When the daylight comes if there are any of you who still think that you want to go home, why, just march right ahead. The rest of us will finish out our vacation here in Black Riders’ Camp.”

“You bet we will,” said Bob Gilmore.

“You are welcome to do it,” retorted Plum. “It is as plain as can be that somebody doesn’t want us around here, so why should we hang around?”

“Who has a right to chase us out of this camp?” demanded Buck.

“I don’t know, but I do know that I won’t stay here any longer,” said Plum flatly, and he walked off with his own friends, one of whom Ted was surprised to note was the small Clayton boy. He excused the little fellow in his mind.

“Oh, well, he’s pretty young and he’s probably scared,” he thought.

The rebels hung around the tents talking and the loyal party stood at somewhat of a loss near the fire. Buck was inclined to be more vigorous about it than Ted was.

“That Plum needs a good punch on the nose!” he declared, with emphasis.

“I guess he’d go home, punch or no punch,” grinned Ted.

“Yes, but he’d really draw those youngsters with him just on his own arguments. You ought to talk to them and try and keep them here with us.”

“I’m going to wait until morning before I say anything,” said Ted. “By that time some of the boys will have experienced a change of heart. Tonight they are scared and that will take time to work off. Did he try to win over all of you fellows?”

“Yes,” replied Charlie. “When you had gone to examine the rock he told us that the place was unsafe and that he was sure that some dangerous spirit was controlling the camp. Drummer asked him if he believed in ghosts and he said no, but he wasn’t going to stay in the camp any longer. He worked on the smaller fellows by saying that you would never give up until something serious happened to somebody, because the club was going to pay you and Buck something and if you didn’t make the camp a success you wouldn’t be paid.”

“Well, that is news to us,” Ted smiled to his chum.

“The same old argument every agitator uses when he wants to start trouble,” said Buck.

“Well, let’s turn in and forget it until morning,” advised Ted.

They passed the silent group near the tents and entered the shelters, proceeding at once to get undressed. It looked for a moment as though the ones outside were going to remain up, but they straggled in at last and went to bed. As Ted was crawling in the small boy came in and started to undress.

“I’m not going, Ted,” he said. “I’m going to stay with you.”

“Good boy!” was Ted’s only comment.

The night was peaceful and in the morning the two bands again formed in groups, the ones who were going to leave sticking close to Plum and the others working at the meal as though nothing had happened. The rebels did their share but said nothing and they ate in an unbroken silence.

Besides Tom Clayton there had been another desertion from the ranks of those who were leaving. Alfred Paulson refused to go with Plum and his party. The new section leader tried to argue him into it.

“No, Ted is the leader of this camp,” said Alfred, firmly.

“He was the leader of it, you mean!” Plum said loudly. “Pretty soon he’ll be leading himself home all alone! Something else will happen around here and then the rest of the fellows will come running home, so you might just as well come now.”

“I’m going to stay right here with Ted!” said Alfred, stubbornly.

The breakfast was over and the rebels who were on committees helped to put the camp in order. When it was over with Plum spoke to his four young companions and they went straight to their tents and began to get their duffle together. The others stood and watched them in silence for a time.

“Confound it, this breaking up of the camp will give us somewhat of a black eye!” grumbled Buck.

“No it won’t.” Ted shook his head. “But it won’t do this camp site any good.” The ones who were about to depart were now ready and they stood around waiting for something. Ted sauntered over to Plum.

“Going to walk all the way home?” he asked, as his own friends gathered around.

“Sure! I guess we can do it, can’t we?”

“You can, of course. It is between thirty and forty miles, and the fellows you are taking with you aren’t used to any such hikes as that. You have planned to camp somewhere by the road, of course? You are going to buy food somewhere, too, aren’t you?”

“I’ll attend to that,” was the confident reply. “I have money and we can camp anywhere in a field. Don’t you worry, Thorn, I will manage. I don’t do things like you do.”

“No, you don’t,” agreed Ted, softly, his hands sunk in his pockets.

Plum turned to Ted’s tent, a frown on his face. “Come on, hurry up!” he cried, angrily, and to Ted’s surprise Tom Clayton appeared with his pack on. The little fellow did not look happy.

“What is the matter, Tom?” Ted asked. “Did you have a change of heart?”

“No, but Plum says I better come home,” replied the boy. “He says if I don’t he’ll tell my mother and she’ll come up here and take me home. I don’t like to leave you, but I don’t want my mother to worry.”

The careless look vanished at once from Ted’s face and his hands came out of his pockets. He squared his shoulders as he looked Plum in the face.

“He won’t go home and tell your mother, Tom,” the camp leader said, quietly. His tone changed and hardened as he pointed his finger at the trouble-maker. “You, Plum, take off your pack, because I’m going to give you a good thrashing!”