ON A PERILOUS HIDE
"Grab him! Don't let him get by you!"
One of the ponies swept by Tad Butler like a black projectile. The
boy's hand shot out, fastening itself in the pony's mane.
Tad's feet left the ground instantly, his body being jerked violently
into the air, only to strike the earth again a rod further on. So
rapidly was the pony moving, that the boy was unable to pull himself
up sufficiently to mount it.
Almost in a twinkling Tad had been lifted out of the camp and whisked
from the sight of his companions. The lad was taking what he realized
to be the most perilous ride of his life.
As soon as he was able to get his breath, he began coaxing the pony,
but the continual bobbing of his body against the side of the
terrified animal outweighed the persuasive tones of his urging. With
each bump, the little animal, with a frightened snort, would leap into
the air and plunge ahead again.
Tad did not know to which of the ponies he was clinging. Nor did he
find an opportunity to satisfy himself on this point.
His flesh was torn from contact with thorns, while his face was ribbed
from the whipping it had received by being dragged through the thick
undergrowth, until tiny rivulets of blood trickled down his cheeks and
neck.
Yet Tad Butler clung to the mane of the racing pony with desperate
courage. He had not the slightest thought of letting go until ho
should finally have subdued the animal.
"Whoa, Texas! Whoa, Jimmie! Whoa, Jo-Jo!" he soothed, trying the name
of each of the ponies in turn. But it was all to no purpose. Finally,
the little animal slackened its speed, somewhat, as it began the
ascent of a steep rise of ground. Tad took instant advantage of the
opportunity, and, after great effort, succeeded in throwing his right
hand over the pony's back. Then his right leg was jerked up. It came
down violently on the animal's rump.
Startled, the pony sprang forward once more, causing Tad to slide back
to his former unpleasant position. But the boy had succeeded in
getting a mane-hold with his right hand as well. This was a distinct
gain, besides relieving the fearful strain on his left hand, the
fingers of which were now cramped and numb. Hardly any sense of
feeling remained in them. Instead of being dragged along on his left
side, the plucky lad was now able, with great effort, to keep his face
to the front.
"If I could only get my hand on his nose and pinch it now, I'd stop
him," breathed Tad Butler.
In the meantime, excitement at the camp was at fever heat. Lige had
failed to bring down the cougar and every one of the ponies had
disappeared.
"Bring torches!" commanded the guide calmly, not wishing to let the
boys see that he was in the least disturbed. "We must try to round up
some of the stock. One of you build up the fire."
"But Tad?" urged Walter. "Don't you know Tad's gone? He'll be lost. We
must go after him at once."
"That's what I want you to start the fire for--so he can see it.
He'll come back with the pony. No fear about that, for Tad Butler
is not the boy to give up until he has accomplished what he's set
out to do. One of you must remain here, though, while the rest of
us go out to look for the stock. Will you stay, Ned?"
"I will," answered the boy, though far from relishing the task
assigned to him.
"You have your rifle. Signal us by shooting into the air if anything
happens. But be careful. Don't get the 'buck fever' and let go at us,
or at Tad, if he should return before we get back."
"I'll be careful," answered the boy. "Please don't worry about me. Any
danger of that cougar jumping down on me here?" he asked, glancing
apprehensively at the rocks overhead.
"I think not. He's gone. We shall be more likely to see him than you
will. It's the ponies the brute's after. And he may have gotten one of
them before this," added the guide.
Ned pluckily took his station just outside the circle of light formed
by the replenished fire, and sat down with rifle laid across his
knees.
The guide, with Walter Perkins and Stacy Brown, set off at a trot in
search of the stampeded ponies. At Lige's direction they spread out so
as to cover as much ground as possible, the torches making it well
nigh impossible for any of them to get lost.
"Call your ponies," advised the guide. "We may be able to pick up some
of them in that way after they have spent themselves."
Yet, though the forest rang with their calls, no trace were they able
to find of the missing animals.
"No use," announced Lige finally. "We shall only get lost
ourselves. It will be better to return to camp and wait for
daylight. If the cougar is going to eat any of them, he probably has
them by this time. However, I think my shooting has frightened him
off, and that he is several miles from here by now. That was my main
object in wasting so much ammunition on the beast."
"Yes, but what are we going to do about Tad?" insisted Walter.
"If he has not returned, we can do nothing more than to keep the
fire burning and discharge our guns now and then to let him know
where we are. When daylight comes, I probably shall be able to
follow his trail. But first of all we must get the ponies. We can
do nothing without them."
"Do you think we ever shall find them?" asked Stacy.
"I most certainly hope so. At least, I expect to get some of them. If
any are then missing, we can buy a couple at Eagle Pass, which is not
very far. But you trust Master Tad to take care of himself. He'll get
back somehow, My duty is to remain with you boys. We will look him up
together when we get something to ride on."
The little band trudged ruefully through the dark forest on their
return to camp, guided carefully by Lige, without whom they surely
would have lost their way.
In the meantime, Tad had been dragged over an entire mountain range,
the ranges in this case, however, being no more than a succession of
summits of low peaks. The pony had reached the top of one of these
when, without pausing in its mad course, it dashed on over the crest,
and started down the opposite side.
All at once Tad realized that they were treading on thin air. The
meaning of it all, smote him like a blow.
"We're over the cliff!" he groaned.