!" he yelled, dancing about with
a very good imitation of the ghost dance so recently executed by the
fat boy.

"Got what?" demanded Dad sternly, striding forward.

"Somebody's stolen my rifle. The spook's robbed me. It's gone and
all my cartridges and my revolver and-----"

The camp was in an uproar instantly. Chunky was nodding with
satisfaction.

"It wasn't stolen. The spook just spooked it, that's all," he
declared convincingly.

"But you must be in error, Ned," cried the Professor.

"I'm not. It's gone. I left it beside my bed. It isn't there now.
I tell you somebody's been in this camp and robbed me!"

A sudden silence settled over the camp. The boys looked into each
other's faces questioningly. Was this another mystery of the Bright
Angel Gulch? They could not understand.

"Mebby the kid did see a ghost after all," muttered the guide.

"The kid did. And I guess the kid ought to know," returned Stacy
pompously.

CHAPTER XX

IN THE HOME OF THE HAVASUPAIS

An investigation showed that Ned Rector was right in his assertion.
His rifle had been taken, likewise his revolver and his cartridges.
It lent color to Stacy's statement that he had seen something, but no
one believed that that something had been a ghost, unless perhaps the
guide believed it, for having lived close to Nature so long, he might
be a superstitious person.

There was little sleep in the camp of the Pony Rider Boys for the rest
of the night. They were too fully absorbed in discussing the events
of the evening and the mysteries that seemed to surround them. First,
Stacy had lost his rifle, the captive lion had mysteriously disappeared,
and now another member of their party had lost his rifle and revolver.
Dad directed the boys not to move about at all. He hoped to find a
trail in the morning, a trail that would give him a clue in case
prowlers had been in the camp.

A search in the morning failed to develop anything of the sort. Not
the slightest trace of a stranger having visited the camp was discovered.
They gave up---the mystery was too much for them.

That day Nance decided to move on. Their camp was to remain at the same
place, but the half breed was directed to sleep by day and to stay on
guard during the night. Jim proposed to take his charges into the
wonderful Cataract Canyon, where they would pay a visit to the village
of the Havasupai Indians.

This appealed to the Pony Riders. They had seen no