Free The Secret of Red Gate Farm by Carolyn Keene Page B

opening through which the animal might have wandered. Finally she found one, and saw hoofprints leading toward a patch of woods.
    Nancy dashed off among the trees. She had never been that way before, but there was only one path to follow. Several times she paused to listen and thought she heard the faint tinkling of a cowbell somewhere ahead of her.
    It was rapidly growing dusky in the woods and Nancy hurried on. Again she stopped to listen. She could hear the cowbell distinctly now.
    “Primrose can’t be far ahead,” she thought in relief, and went in that direction. Nancy finally caught sight of the Jersey contentedly munching grass on the hillside beyond.
    Nancy stopped short and gave a gasp of astonishment—the sound of the cowbell had brought her to the mouth of the cave!
    “I can hardly believe it!” she almost exclaimed aloud. This must be the other opening near the nature camp Jo told me about!”
    Eagerly Nancy rushed toward the cave. But no sooner had she peered into the dark entrance than she was startled by the crackling of a twig behind her. Nancy wheeled to find a man standing not three feet away from her!
    He seemed to have risen from the bushes which half hid the opening of the cave. Instantly it flashed through Nancy’s mind that he had been stationed there to see that intruders did not enter.
    “What’re you doing here?” he asked, his voice as cold as steel.
    Nancy recoiled. The man stood in the shadows of the shrubbery so that she could not see his face distinctly. But at the sound of his voice she knew instantly she was in danger.
    “I must persuade him I wasn’t spying,” she thought desperately.
    “Better speak up!” the man snarled. “What’re you doin’ here, girlie?”
    “I was hunting for that cow,” Nancy replied as casually as possible. She pointed to the Jersey, which was grazing a short distance away.
    She held her ground defiantly. There was a moment’s silence. Nancy could feel that the man was staring at her, as if undecided whether or not to believe her.
    “So you were after the cow?” the lookout growled. “Then why are you by this cave?”
    “Why, I was just wondering what was inside,” Nancy said innocently. “Surely there’s no harm in looking.”
    “You’ve no business around here!” the man snapped. “This property belongs to the members of the Black Snake Colony.”
    “Oh!” Nancy exclaimed in pretended awe. “Then you must belong to the colony. How very interesting!”
    The man made no response to Nancy’s remark. Instead, he muttered:
    “Round up that old cow of yours and get out of here! And don’t come trespassing again!”
    Nancy knew she would gain nothing by arguing. Obediently she overtook the cow and headed her back toward Red Gate. The man watched until Nancy disappeared into the woods.
    As soon as she had started the cow down the path, however, Nancy quietly retraced her steps. She reached the edge of the woods just in time to catch a glimpse of the man entering the cave.
    “That proves he’s one of the Black Snake group,” she told herself. “He was acting as a guard for them.”
    For an instant Nancy was tempted to follow, but common sense told her not to press her luck. The lookout seemed determined enough to make trouble for her if she took the chance. Reluctantly, the young sleuth turned back toward the farm.
    It was clear to Nancy that the entire business of the Black Snake group was anything but open and aboveboard! Obviously they were afraid that some of the countryfolk would attempt to investigate.
    When Nancy finally reached the barn and Joanne began to milk Primrose, the other girls plied their friend with questions.
    “We were beginning to worry,” Joanne said in relief. “I wouldn’t have let you go alone if I’d known this cow of ours would stray so far.”
    “I’m glad I went,” Nancy said quickly.
    She then told the others what had taken place near the mouth of the cave. They gasped in astonishment upon