The Pony Rider Boys in New Mexico; Or, The End of the Silver Trail

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

4991

Title

The Pony Rider Boys in New Mexico; Or, The End of the Silver Trail

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

In this 1910 adventure, the Pony Rider Boys arrive in New Mexico to help Professor Marquand locate a hidden treasure of jewels and Spanish money. When a sudden prairie fire threatens their camp, the lads demonstrate remarkable courage and teamwork to escape the flames. The group soon faces a siege by rival claimants, leading to a daring rescue mission that tests their loyalty and heroism against the rugged desert landscape.

Summary up to 500 words

In Frank Gee Patchin's *The Pony Rider Boys in New Mexico; Or, The End of the Silver Trail*, the intrepid group of Stacy Brown, Tad Butler, Ned Rector, Walter Perkins, and Chunky arrives in Bluewater, New Mexico, seeking a guide to traverse the Zuni range. Their intended guide, Juan, turns out to be the humorous Mexican man they had previously spotted; he humorously refuses to work as a peon but agrees to lead them. Upon reaching the excavation site, the boys discover a chest containing jewels and Spanish money, buried centuries ago by a Franciscan monk. Professor Marquand, who secured the location by saving the life of a Pueblo chief, intends to keep the treasure for himself, though the boys insist on sharing the fortune. Tensions escalate when rival claimants, Lasar and Comstock, besiege the adobe house where the group is staying, firing rifles from the sagebrush. With their weapons left at the camp and outnumbered, the boys face starvation and imminent danger. Tad Butler devises a bold plan: he climbs to the roof, drops to the ground behind the house, and rides to Hondo for help. After a tense wait, a distant rifle shot confirms his escape. Shortly after, a sheriff's posse arrives, driven by the sound of the shot and the defenders' gunfire. The posse arrests the besiegers, liberates the boys, and secures the treasure. Mr. Marquand, grateful for the boys' bravery in saving the find, offers them drafts totaling $6,000. The group spends their final night in camp, reflecting on their adventurous summer journey across the Rockies, Texas, Montana, the Ozarks, and the Alkali desert. The book concludes with the boys returning home to Chillicothe, ready for their next adventure in the Grand Canyon.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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Categories

• Adventure
• Horsemanship