RETALIATION
Benjamin Bellmore's injured foot was now so nearly healed that he had no
difficulty in getting about on horseback. True, he had to favor the
injured member somewhat, but that did not greatly hinder him; accordingly,
early on the morning following the conversation of warning, the irrigation
man, Dave, Mr. Carson and Pocus Pete set out across Bar U ranch to see
what the Molicks were doing.
"Well, they're at it, I see," remarked Dave, as the little party topped a
rise and saw, down in the river valley below them, a number of men
erecting fence posts and stringing barbed wire.
"Yes, he doesn't lose any time, that's one thing I'll say for Jason
Molick," answered the ranch owner.
Indeed Molick's forces were very active. They seemed to be in a hurry to
get a certain length of fence up before night, and as Dave looked at the
cowboys and others employed, he realized that the owner of Centre O ranch
had called in from the distant parts of his holdings most of his employees
and set them to work on the fence.
Nor was this all. Farther off another gang of men, with picks and shovels,
seemed to be erecting a small dam, partially across a narrow part of
Rolling River.
"Hello!" exclaimed Mr. Carson in surprise, as he saw their activities.
"What does that mean?"
"It's some irrigation work," explained Mr. Bellmore. "Molick didn't
believe me when I said that even a small dam would impound enough water to
supply not only a good herd of cattle but would also water the dry land.
So I told him to try it himself, and see how it worked. I thought if he
had a practical demonstration he would be willing to go into the scheme
with me. But that was before I had your warning," he added with a look at
the ranchman.
"Hum, yes," said Mr. Carson, musingly. "Well, Molick has a right to do as
he pleases on his own land, of course--at least I reckon so. But I don't
like that business of putting a dam across part of the river."
"Why not?" asked Dave.
"He might shut off too much water," was the answer.
"That's so!" put in Pocus Pete. "Quite a bunch of our cattle depend for a
drink on what they get from Rolling River, and we've got a lot of cattle
below there now," and he pointed to a section south of that part of the
valley in which the work was going on.
"Oh, well, we'll not cross a bridge until we come to it," said Mr. Carson.
"I'll not assume that Molick is going to do anything wrong. But when he
does," he added reflectively, "then he'd better look out."
"I hope I sha'n't have started a quarrel," put in Mr. Bellmore.
"Don't worry," laughed Dave. "It doesn't take much to start a quarrel with
the Molicks. Maybe it'll not amount to anything, anyhow. Say, but he is
putting up some fence all right!"
Indeed the operations were on a large scale, and seemed to indicate that
the Molick outfit had made good preparations.
Mr. Bellmore seemed very thoughtful. He sat on his horse, looking at the
work, for the starting of which he was, in a measure, responsible. Then he
remarked:
"I think I'll get out of this while I can. I'm sorry I made any tentative
proposition to Molick but there's time enough yet to withdraw. I'll tell
him our irrigation company can't go into that water deal with him. Can I
depend on you to make some arrangements with me, regarding your water
rights?" he asked of Mr. Carson.
"Well, if you give me all the particulars, and I find them to be as you
say, I wouldn't have any objections to going in," replied the ranchman
slowly. "I surely do need more water for my cattle and land, and if
irrigation, conservation, or whatever you call it, is going to bring it
about, I'll be only too glad to go into it with you. Isn't that what you
say, Dave?"
The youth hesitated a moment. He felt a warm glow in his heart that the
man he had so long regarded as his father reposed this much faith and
confidence in him, when the secret had been disclosed.
"Yes, Dad," said Dave, slowly, "I should think it would be a good thing to
go in with Mr. Bellmore's company."
"I thought you'd say so. And now let's hear from Pocus Pete. I always like
to let my foreman have a word to say," he added to the Chicago man.
"And I think you do right," was the comment.
"What's your idea, Pete?" asked Mr. Carson.
"Why, I say go into it! That is, if we can get away from Molick. I never
did like the idea of him controllin' so much of Rollin' River. Now if we
can have all the water of our own we want, so much the better. Go into it,
I says!"
"Then it's decided," announced Mr. Carson. "We'll go in with you, provided
you are not so tied up with Molick that you can't unfetter yourself."
"I think there's no danger of that," said Mr. Bellmore. "I only made a
tentative arrangement with him. I'll go over at once and tell him I've
reconsidered my plans."
"There he is now," said Dave, pointing to two figures on horses, riding
down toward the Centre O workers.
"Yes, and that bully, Len, is with him," added Pocus Pete. "Do you want to
turn back, Dave?" he asked with a mischievous glance.
"Indeed I don't!" was the quick reply, and the eyes of the young cowboy
flashed.
Mr. Carson's land, at this point, extended down to the edge of Rolling
River, where the stream made a sharp turn. On the opposite shore were the
Molick workmen. And as Dave, the ranchman and the others rode forward,
Jason Molick and his son also approached the stream from their side of it.
Len glanced up and looked at Dave, but gave no other sign. Probably he had
not told of the drubbing he had received.
"Can I ride across here?" asked Mr. Bellmore of Mr. Carson, after a few
minutes conversation, during which Jason Molick was inspecting the
progress of his workmen.
"Yes, the river, is very shallow here. Go ahead! We'll wait for you. I
don't want to go on his land."
The irrigation man left his friends and, crossing the stream on his
horse's back, was soon approaching Mr. Molick.
"Well, how do you think we're coming on?" asked Len's father. "I took your
advice, you see--I'm going in with you on this deal. I think it's a good
one, I'm ready to sign the papers whenever you say so."
"Well--er--I don't want to disappoint you, after what has taken place, Mr.
Molick," began the Chicago man in rather an embarrassed fashion, "but the
truth of the matter is that I guess there won't be any papers to sign."
"No papers to sign! What do you mean?"
"I mean that the deal is off!"
"The deal off? You mean the irrigation scheme you agreed to go into with
me?" and Mr. Molick's voice rose.
"Yes, that deal is off," went on the engineer. "You remember I only
broached it to you. I did not clinch it. I pointed out its advantages to
you, and you were eager to go in. I said I would talk to you later about
it."
"And now you come and say you don't want to go into it with me?" asked
Molick in sneering tones.
"Yes, that is a right I reserved, you remember."
"Huh! I know what has made him back out!" exclaimed Len.
"What?" asked his father.
"He's been talking to them!" and Len pointed to Dave and the others from
Bar U ranch across the stream.
"Ha! So that's the game!" exclaimed Mr. Molick. "Well, I'll show you that
two can play at it, Mr. Bellmore!" he sneered. "If you don't want to go
into this scheme with me, after promising--"
"I never promised!" interrupted the other.
"Well, it was the same thing. But if you don't want to go in I can get
along without you. I guess you'll find you're not the only one around here
who knows about dams and irrigation ditches. I and my son have some
brains. We'll show you a thing or two!"
"That's what we will!" boasted Len.
"I'm sure I don't wish to curtail your activities in any way," replied the
Chicago man. "I hope you have all sorts of success. But I do not feel like
going on with the scheme I outlined."
"Because, I suppose, you're going in with the Bar U folks?" suggested Len.
"I haven't said so," was the quiet retort.
"No, but I can read signs. Well, there's one thing I want to tell you!"
Len went on in threatening tones. "I warn you off our land--you and the
Carson bunch. And as for that Dave, if I catch him I'll give him the worst
licking he ever had."
"Seems to me it was the other way around," retorted Mr. Bellmore, with a
grim smile. "At least it was the last time you met."
"Huh!" snorted Len. "Well, tell him to look out, that's all!"
"I don't think there is any need of that," said Mr. Bellmore. "I think
Dave can look after himself. But now I'll bid you good day."
"And don't you trespass on Centre O ranch again!" was Mr. Molick's
warning. "I've seen enough of you."
Mr. Bellmore felt the same way about it, but did not think it necessary to
say so.
He rode slowly back across the stream and rejoined his friends.
"Well?" asked Dave.
"It's all off," the Chicago man said. "I've ended negotiations with them,
and I'm sorry I ever tried to do business. But it will be all right. They
can do business in their own way, and we'll do ours as we please. I'll
look into the irrigation possibilities on your property now, Mr. Carson.
We'll not hear anything more from the Molick outfit."
But Mr. Bellmore failed to reckon on the mean characters of the Molick
father and son. It was only a few days after this that one of the cowboys
came riding post-haste to the ranch house. He dismounted in a cloud of
dust, and seeing Dave and Mr. Carson standing together hurried toward
them, calling out:
"Th' bottom must have dropped out of Rolling River. It's almost dry down
below there, where I've got that bunch of fine cattle, and they can't get
anything to drink. What are we going to do? Something must have happened
to th' river."
"What can it be?" cried Dave. "Has an earthquake occurred, or has the
river unexpectedly taken an underground course?"
"Neither one, I imagine," said Mr. Carson, slowly. "This is retaliation, I
fancy. I'll go back with you Skinny, and see what has happened. But I'm
sure it's retaliation."