l. But when, a few
minutes later, he went to get out the currency, it was all gone. He
hadn't counted up when I left there, so no one knows the exact amount,
but it was large."

CHAPTER VIII.

THE BATTLE WITH THE BULL.

The excitement incident to the mysterious robbery of the Creviss bank
was intense.

How had it been done? This was the question that every one was asking
his neighbor. But none could answer it.

The evening before the robbery had taken place the bank had been closed
by the cashier, and by Mr. Creviss himself.

The money, books, and papers, with which the business of the day had
been conducted, had been carried into the vault by the cashier, and Mr.
Creviss, who was an unusually cautious man, looked into the vault after
the cashier came out, to see that everything was in. Then he closed the
vault doors, and turned the handle of the combination, setting the time
lock, thus securing the doors from being opened until nine o'clock the
next morning.

The only way in which it could be opened, and an almost impossible way,
at that, was by blowing it open.

And yet the vault had been robbed, and the vault lock had apparently not
been tampered with.

It had the appearance of necromancy.

Ted rode into town with Billy Sudden, arriving about noon.

Billy rode on to the Dumb-bell Ranch, and Ted stopped at the bank. It
seemed deserted. But as he entered the door he saw a big man, dressed in
the flashy clothes affected by managers of cheap circuses and fake
shows, standing at the end of the counter talking to Wiley Creviss.

"I can't do anything with that check," Ted heard Creviss say. "You'll
have to come in when the cashier is here. The safe is locked, and I
can't get into it, anyway, and all the currency is in it. I'm only
staying here until the cashier gets back from dinner."

"When will that be?" asked the stranger.

"In about half an hour."

The stranger picked up his valise, which seemed to be heavy, and walked
out grumbling about banks that closed up for dinner.

Ted said nothing to Wiley, but he took a good look about the bank,
disregarding the other lad's scowls.

He observed that the vault door stood open, but that there was no money
in sight, and the place had an air of desertion, as if business was
slack.

When Strong had seen all that he wanted of the apparent entrances to the
bank that a criminal might use to force his way in, he left with two
distinct impressions on his