THE RAID.
Bob knew at once that it was Red Hains and his
hand moved toward his pocket.
"Keep yer hand away from that pocket if yer want
to live any longer," Hains snapped.
Bob knew that, although the man had nothing
in his hands, he was reputed to be a streak of
lightning when it came to getting a gun out, so he
prudently did as he was ordered.
"That's better, an' see that yer keep 'em away." Then
turning to the other he snapped: "Wall, yer
poor snivling apology of a half-baked man, what yer
got ter say fer yerself?"
"Nothing," Royce replied sullenly.
"Nothin', eh. Do yer know I've half a mind ter
put a hunk o' lead in yer, right now?"
"Go ahead, if it'll do you any good," Royce retorted.
"Yer think I'm bluffing, eh. Then take this."
As he spoke the man's hand moved with the quickness
of a flash toward his belt, but before the gun
was out a deep voice boomed out:
"Hands up, Red. I gotta bead on yer an' I'll drill
yer if yer move."
At the first word Hains' hand had stopped and
before the command was finished they were elevated
above his head. Then Slats Magee stepped into view.
"Real nice social little party we got here," he said
keeping his gun trained on Hains. "An' will yer
look at who's here?" he added motioning with his
head to Hains.
"Gee, but I'm glad to see you, Slats," Bob cried.
"An' I'm glad ter get ter the party on time," Slats
grinned.
At that instant the sound of a shot far off in the
forest made them turn their heads and when they
turned them back Red Hains was gone.
"What the----" Slats began and then stopped
short. "Now, what do yer know about that?" he
finished sheepishly. "Whar did that skunk get to?"
"How could a man disappear as quickly as that?"
Bob gasped.
"Well, I reckon mebbe it's good riddance ter bad
rubbish, as the sayin' is. We'd a had a sweet time
gettin' of him in. But who's this feller?"
"In a few words Bob told him Royce's story and
the sympathies of the man were at once engaged.
"Sure, we'll look out for him. Don't yer fret,
young feller. If yer want ter go straight, you're
goin' ter get a chance an' don't yer fergit it. But I
plumb fergot sumpin'." And he pulled out his
gun and fired three shots in rapid succession into
the air.
"The boys been out huntin' fer yer all night and
that's the signal if yer was found," he explained.
"It's too bad," Bob told him. "I ought to have
known better than to have attempted it. But how
far am I from the trail?"
"'Bout five miles, mebbe a little more."
"So far as that?"
"Yep, and I reckon we'd better be makin' tracks.
My horse is 'bout two miles back. Couldn't get him
any further."
They started at once, Slats leading and the others
following close at his heels.
"How did you know where to find me?" Bob asked
after they had covered perhaps a mile.
"Didn't know. Jest went it blind."
"Well, I never was more glad to see anyone."
"Reckon not."
Soon they reached the place where Slats had left
his horse and he insisted on Bob riding. But he
refused as did Royce and the argument ended with
them all going on foot, Slats leading the animal. It
was about ten o'clock when they struck the trail not
far from where Bob had left his horse.
"You wait here till I get Satan," Bob said as he
turned down the trail.
But when he reached the place, a few minutes
later, there was no horse to welcome him.
"He's either broken away or someone has stolen
him," he thought as he examined the place where he
had tied him.
The ground was considerably tramped up and the
tree, to which he had been tied had been gnawed,
but there was nothing to indicate which of his guesses
was correct.
When he got back to where he had left the others
he found that Sue, Jack and three of the boys had
joined them.
"Didn't I tell you that you'd get caught?" Sue
demanded as soon as he came in sight.
"Indeed, you did, and if I hadn't been a fool I'd
have followed your advice. But never again," and
he held up his hand as if taking an oath.
Royce's presence had been already explained and,
after again firing the signal, they started for the
ranch, two of the horses carrying double.
"I wouldn't care so much if I had accomplished
anything," Bob confided to Jack behind whom he
was riding.
"I should say you had accomplished a whole lot,"
Jack retorted.
"What do you mean? We know no more now
than before."
"But how about Royce?"
"If he goes straight from now on I'll say that you
did more than if you had caught the whole
gang."
"Maybe you are right."
"I know I am."
They reached the ranch in time for dinner and
found that Jeb and one of the others had returned
having heard the first signal and, at the time, having
been nearer home.
"I'll bet I could eat a raw moccasin," Bob declared
a few minutes later as they sat down at the table.
They had just started to eat when one of the men
came in and announced that Satan had just come
in by himself.
By the time they had finished the meal all the boys
were back and Bob had to repeat his story several
times. All were greatly interested in young Royce
and he was almost overcome by the kindness shown
him declaring over and over again that he did not
deserve it. Jeb added his advice to that which Bob
had given him, that he take money and go back home.
But he said that he would do anything else that they
wished but that he could not do.
"You don't know my father," he told them. "Oh,
he's a good father and all that but he is absolutely
merciless when it comes to a thing like this. He'd
have me arrested and put me in jail in a minute if I
went back to him like this. I know I deserve it and
if it wasn't for mother I'd be willing to face him
and take what was coming, but it would kill her."
Tears had been gathering in the man's eyes while
he was talking and by the time he had finished he
was sobbing in good earnest.
"There, there, son, we all make mistakes and you
shall have a chance right here to make good," Jeb
assured him, laying a kindly hand on his shoulder.
"You're better to me than I deserve, sir," he
sobbed, "but if you'll only give me a chance I'll try
so hard."
"Then it's settled. You are on the payroll of the
Lazy S."
"But you must not pay me anything, at least until
I'm worth it."
"Well, we won't fight over that," Jeb told him
kindly.
"It is something that I'll never forget and I'll
make good."
"Of course, you will."
It developed that Royce knew nothing more about
Red Hains and his gang than he had already told
them. He had never been to their rendezvous and
had no idea where it was.
"I don't think Hains trusted me fully," he told
them, "and he, as well as the others, were careful
not to talk about their business when I was around.
Guess I was kind of on probation."
"But did you never hear him say anything about
this ranch?" Jeb asked him.
"No, sir, I----. Yes, I did, too. It was last night,
just before we camped. I was tending to the horses
and he and one of the men were talking only a few
feet away and I heard him say that the Lazy S had
the best bunch of cattle in the country but that they
were pretty well guarded and it would be pretty
risky to try to run any of them off."
"Then you don't know whether he intends to try
it or not?"
"No, sir, that was all I heard him say. They
moved away then and I didn't hear anything more."
"Well, you'd better stick pretty close to the ranch
for a while. I fancy it would go pretty hard with
you if he should get hold of you again."
"He'd kill me."
"Probably he would."
The herd of the Lazy S was grazing on what was
called the lower range, about two miles from the
house. Jeb called all the boys for a consultation
before supper and arranged that they should guard
them in two shifts, each being on duty from six to
six.
"There's little doubt in my mind but what he'll
have a try at 'em sooner or later," Jeb told them.
"He may get away with it, but we'll make it as hard
for him as we can, eh."
"Sure, an' we'll do that," Grumpy declared, and
all the others were just as enthusiastic.
"The finest and most loyal bunch of men I ever
had," Jeb told the boys as the men left the porch.
"Which shift do we go with?" Bob asked.
"Why, you----"
"Sure, we're going to help. We wouldn't miss it
for the world," Jack broke in. Jeb insisted that he
was responsible for them and that there was too
much risk attached to it, but they finally won a
reluctant consent to join the day shift.
It was sometime in the night when Bob suddenly
awoke. He was aware that he had heard something,
but what it was he did not know, but a moment later;
he heard it again and this time he knew that it was
a shot and it came from the south. Almost at the
same time he heard someone moving in the kitchen
out of which their room opened. He gave Jack a
sharp nudge.
"Wake up, there," he whispered in his ear.
"What's the idea," Jack grunted sleepily.
"Something's doing. Come, snap out of it," he
ordered, slipping from the bed and dragging Jack
after him.
"Have a heart," Jack groaned as he bumped his
head on the floor.
"Sorry, but we've got to make it snappy."
As they pulled on their clothes they could hear
Jeb's voice out on the porch shouting to the men.
"Think it's a raid?" Jack asked.
"What do you suppose it is?" Bob retorted.
"Think they're indulging in target practice?"
"Not exactly, but----"
"Stop talking and get a hustle on," Bob ordered
as he pulled open the door and stepped out of the
room.
There was no one in the kitchen and he rushed
out on to the porch where he bumped into Jeb who
was about to come in.
"Is it Hains?" he asked.
"No doubt of it, I guess, but you boys keep out
of it."
"But we want to go."
"Too risky."
"But we'll be careful and----"
But Jeb did not wait to hear any more for at that
moment the men came up with the horses and he
rushed into the house to come out again almost
immediately buckling his gun-belt about his waist, Jack
was close behind him, buttoning up his shirt on the
way.
Bob made one more effort
"Please let us go," he pleaded, catching hold of
Jeb's arm.
"Who's that can't go?"
The one who asked the question was Sue and she
was dressed in her riding suit and her small
automatic was strapped about her slim waist.
"Nothing doing, this time, Sue," Jeb put all the
command possible into the order.
"But----"
"No buts about it. This is no business for a girl."
"But----"
"Oh, well, I can't stop to argue any more. Come
along, if you must, but you must stay well behind.
Make it snappy, now, every minute counts."
The two boys took it for granted that the permission
included them and followed Sue's flying feet to
the corral. They were mounted and back with the
others almost in no time.
"You keep well in the rear," Jeb cried as he gave
the order to start, and he swept out of the gate
closely followed by the rest.
In all, not more than ten minutes has passed since
Bob heard the first shot and during that time several
more shots had been heard. The night was dark,
the new moon having set several hours before, and
they could barely see each other as they rode. The
shots were coming more frequently now and the
pace set by Jeb was a fast one. But Bob was obliged
to hold Satan in in order to keep behind the men, as
he seemed imbued with the excitement.
"Fire into the air, boys, an' let 'em know we're
coming," Jeb shouted a few minutes after they had
started and the next moment the air was rent with
shots as the order was obeyed.
On through the night they swept the hoofs of the
horses hardly seeming to touch the ground so swiftly
were they running. A few minutes and they could
hear the bellowing of the cattle as they milled this
way and that not frightened enough to stampede but
very restless.
In another minute Jeb called a halt and ordered
the men to stay where they were while he went on
to find out the condition of things.
"If I fire two shots close together and then two
more after about ten seconds you come a-running,
all except you, Sue, and the boys. You three stay
where you are and if I shoot twice more quick-like,
you beat it for the house. You can tell my gun
from the rest."
As he spoke he melted into the darkness and they
waited. Minute after minute passed and they were
all getting impatient when the signal came.
"Come on, boys, whoop her up," one of the men
shouted, and the three were alone.
"Gee, but I wish he hadn't told us not to go any
farther," Jack declared.
"Same here, but I reckon he knows best," Bob
said, stroking Satan's neck in an effort to quiet him.
"I can usually wheedle father into most anything,
but when he speaks like that I know better than to
disobey. I tried it just once and that was a-plenty."
"Of course, we wouldn't think of not doing as
he ordered," Jack told her.
No shots had been heard since the men rode off
and they were beginning to wonder if it was all over
when two shots rang out close together.
"That's dad's old Betsey and it means for us to
beat it," Sue said as she turned her horse. "Come
on and come a-running."
She took the lead and the boys followed. If they
had come out fast it seemed as though they were
flying now, and the lights of the ranch house loomed
up almost, it seemed, before they were fairly started.
Then, when they were about a hundred yards from
the house when Sue stopped so suddenly that Jack
had all he could do to keep from running into her.
"Look," she gasped.
One glance was enough. At one corner of the
big barn a thin blaze of light gleamed through the
darkness.
"They've fired the barn," Bob cried. "Come on,
Jack, we must put it out if possible."
"Just a minute," Sue called as he was about to
start. "We don't know how many of them there
may be and we must be careful."
"But listen----" Bob began, but Sue interrupted.
"You got your guns with you?"
"Sure."
"Then we'll ride on firing as fast as we can, and
they may think that the whole outfit is coming."
"Good plan," Bob agreed. "Come on."
He led and they rode rapidly directly for the barn
shooting and yelling at the top of their voices. No
shots answered theirs and they reached the barn
without seeing anyone. The lower part of the corner
was blazing fiercely and it looked as though the
barn would surely go. But all three were determined
that it should not if they could prevent it.
Fortunately there was a pump only a few yards away, and
Bob shouted as he threw himself from his horse:
"See if there's a bucket at the well, Jack."
Then he ran for the house where he knew he would
find several. He knew that the barn was filled with
dry hay and if the fire once got to it there would be
no chance of saving it. He was back almost immediately
with two buckets to find Jack pumping furiously
into an old leaky pail. Throwing down the
empty ones he grabbed the other shouting:
"You and Sue keep 'em filled."
A good part of the water leaked out before he
could get to the barn and what was left seemed to
have no effect at all and, throwing the pail aside, he
rushed back for another. This one was filled by the
time he grabbed it and when he had dashed the contents
on the fire he was a little encouraged. Back
and forth he ran, but the fire persisted in eating its
way into the dry timber and he feared that it was
gaining on him. He had made over twenty trips
and was about exhausted when, as he came back for
another pailful, Jack shouted:
"Change places with me, Bob. You're about puffed."
Jack was comparatively fresh as Sue had been
doing a part of the pumping and by the time he had
made a dozen trips back and forth the fire was well
under control.
"A couple more pailsfull and she'll be out," he
panted.
"My, but it's lucky we got here just when we did,"
Sue declared a few minutes later as, the fight ended,
they stood looking at the blackened timbers. "If it
had got a bit more of a start it would have gone up
sure as smoke."
"And in smoke," Jack laughed.
"What'll we do now?" Bob asked after a
moment's silence.
"Have you heard any shooting since we got
here?" Sue asked.
"No, but I reckon that doesn't mean that there
hasn't been any. We've been so busy that I guess
we wouldn't have heard it if a gattling gun had been
in action out there."
"Listen a moment," Sue suggested.
But not a sound came to them and Sue soon
declared that the raid must be over.
"I hope they didn't get away with any of the
cattle," she added.
"What do you suppose they set fire to the barn
for?" Jack asked.
"Oh, I imagine they were getting the worst of it
and sent a couple of the men to fire the barn hoping
that our men would see the fire and rush to put it
out. Then they'd have the cattle to themselves. Or
perhaps they just did it out of pure spite. They're
bad enough to do anything."
"Had we better ride back?" Bob asked.
"I don't think so. The scrap must be over or
we'd hear firing. No, I think we better go up to the
house and wait till they come back."
"All right," Bob agreed. "But I'm going to take
a look around first. You and Jack go up to the
house and I'll be there in a few minutes."
"Yes, you will, not," Jack said quickly. "We'd
have to spend the rest of the night and all day
tomorrow hunting for you."
"Nonsense."
"No nonsense about it," Sue broke in. "If any
of them are lurking around here they'd be sure to
see you first and get the drop on you before you could
do a thing. No, we'll all go to the house and sit
tight till the boys get back. We can keep an eye on
the barn, but I hardly think they'll try it again."
Bob, knowing that he had come to grief once
through not taking Sue's advice, did not insist
further, although he felt that it was a risky thing to
leave the barn unprotected. They found the horses
where they had left them and turned them into the
corral after taking off the saddles, and then returned
to the house. They had still heard no shot and Sue
declared that some of them, at least, ought to be
getting back.
"That is, if they aren't off chasing them," she added.
"Do you think they'd do that while it is so dark?"
Jack asked.
"Goodness, I don't know. There's no accounting
for what that dad of mine will do once he gets
started."
"Well, it'll begin to get light in a half-hour or so,"
Bob told them glancing at his watch.
The coming dawn was just beginning to lift the
darkness when they heard the beating of hoofs.
"There're coming," Sue cried, leading the way to
the porch, and in about ten minutes Jeb and two of
the men swung themselves from their dripping
horses.
"You all safe?" was his first question.
"Right side up and a yard wide," Sue replied.
"Good. They got young Royce."
"Bad?" Sue's voice disclosed her anxiety.
"Just below the shoulder. I don't think it went
through the lung, but I'm not sure."
"Where is he?"
"Down by the spring. I thought it best not to
try to bring him in on horseback, so we came in for
the buckboard. Slim is with him and he ain't bleeding
nothing to speak of."
"But the rustlers?" Sue asked.
"They got away with about twenty-five head, I
reckon. Had 'em cut out before we got there."
"But couldn't you follow them?" Bob asked.
"Sure, we did as far as the woods. You see," he
went on to explain, "we knew it would be plum
suicide to follow them into the forest."
"Why?" Jack asked as he paused.
"Because the man who is being followed always
has the big advantage in the darkness, as he pretty
well knows where the other fellow is and all he has
to do is to wait for him to get up close enough and
then pot him, and I don't risk human life for a few
cattle. But, believe me, we ain't done with that gang,
not by a long shot."
Bob was about to ask another question, but just
then the two men, who had returned with Jeb, drove
up with the buckboard.
"Get a bed ready and we'll be back in about half
an hour," Jeb said as they drove off.
"Oh, I do hope that he isn't badly hurt," Sue said
as she turned back to re-enter the house. "It would
be too awful if he should die before he has a chance
to make good."
"Isn't there a doctor anywhere near here?" Bob
asked as he followed her in.
"Not nearer than Cold Springs. His name is Lawton.
Suppose you try to get him on the phone while
I get the bed ready. He has a flivver and ought to
get here in a couple of hours if he's at home."
Bob got the number after what seemed a long time
and, to his great relief, the doctor was at home and
promised to get there as fast as his car would bring
him. Meantime Jack had built a fire and put on
water to heat and, after that there was nothing to
do except wait for them to bring the wounded man
in.
It was not long, however, before they heard the
sound of wheels and they had hardly more than gotten
on to the porch when the buckboard turned in at
the gafe. Royce looked very white as they lifted
him carefully from the seat where Jeb had been
holding him.
"Is he dead?" Sue gasped as she caught sight of
his white face.
"Only fainted," her father assured her.
Carefully they placed the wounded man on the
bed and Sue hastened to fetch a basin of cold water,
and, under her skilled ministration, he soon opened
his eyes with a deep sigh.
"Don't try to speak," Sue ordered, laying her cool
hand on his brow.
The youth smiled weakly and closed his eyes.
"Get me the hot water," she whispered to Bob.
"Sue's about as good as a doctor," Jeb told him
as he turned to obey. "But I ought to have told you
to call Lawton."
"I did, sir, and he's coming as soon as possible,"
Bob replied.
"That's good. That man knows his business."
Bob was back with the water in less than a minute
and, ordering them all out of the room, the girl set
to work.
"He's asleep, now, and I think he'll pull through,"
she told the boys when she joined them on the
porch a half-hour later, "I'm pretty sure the bullet
just missed the lung and it went right through,
making a clean wound."
"That's fine," Bob rejoiced. "You know, I believe
that there's a lot of good in him only he's evidently
weak."
"And he'll have you to thank if he makes good,"
Jack declared.
Before Bob had time to say anything Charlie came
to the door to tell them that breakfast was ready and
they lost no time in obeying the summons.
"How came you fired those two shots for us to
beat it back, dad?" Sue asked as soon as they were
seated.
"I didn't."
"But we heard them."
"Must be some other gun sounds like Betsey, then."
"But it's funny you didn't hear them."
"Maybe I was too excited," Jeb grinned.
"Well, it's mighty lucky someone fired them."
"How come?"
Then she told him about the fire and what a time
they had had to put it out.
"You're right it was lucky," Jeb assured them
when she had finished. "It would have hit us mighty
hard if that barn had gone up. It would have made
us short on hay for next winter. The skunks. This
country's got to get rid of them some way or other."
"How about the sheriff?" Bob asked. "Can't he
do anything?"
"Frankly I don't know," Jeb told them. "He's a
fellow by the name of Longly, Skeets Longly, they
call him, and he does an awful lot of blowing about
what he's going to do but, somehow or other, he
doesn't seem to get many results. Oh, I know he's
up against a hard proposition when he's bucking the
Hains gang but, what I say is that if he can't do
the job, and it seems he can't, he ought to call on the
state troops. I'll bet they'd clean it up but Skeets
he can't seem to see it that way, leastwise he hasn't
yet."
As soon as breakfast was over Sue hastened to
see to her patient and returned almost at once with
the news that he was still sleeping and seemed to
be doing well.
"Where's the rest of the boys?" she asked as soon
as she made her report.
"I told them to stay with the herd," Jeb told her.
"Charlie's putting up some grub and one of the
boys'll take it out to them."
"You think they'll come back?"
"Can't tell but I'm taking no chances."
About an hour later Dr. Lawton drove noisily
into the yard, the radiator of his little car steaming
like a locomotive. He was a little man, hardly over
five feet tall, and probably did not weigh much over
a hundred pounds. But what he lacked in size he
more than made up for in energy.
"Where's the patient?" he demanded as he jumped
out of the car.
"In here, doctor. Follow me," Sue ordered.
They were gone the better part of an hour while
Jeb and the two boys anxiously awaited his report
on the front porch. Finally they came out.
"Well?" Jeb asked.
"Waste of my time coming way out here," the
little doctor growled. "That girl of yours is as
good as any doctor."
"Huh, from the time you've taken I thought you
must be taking him apart to see what makes the
wheels go round."
"Had to do something to earn my fee, but he'll
be as fit's a fiddle in a couple of weeks. But if that
bullet had gone in half an inch lower down 'twould
have been another story. By the way, who is he?
Reminds me of a young fellow I've seen hanging
around the hotel in town."
"Guess likely he's the fellow," Jeb said and told
him Royce's story.
"Thought I wasn't mistaken," the doctor said
when he had finished. "Well, he's fallen into good
hands, all right, if he wants to turn over a new leaf
and go straight."
"Oh, I'm sure he does," Sue assured him.
"Well, I hope so, but you never can tell about these
fellows you pick up. Well, I must be getting back.
Got a lot of work to do. Keep him quiet for a few
days and you won't need me again."
"Red Hains got twenty-five or thirty of my cattle
last night. That's how he got shot. Tried to
capture the whole gang, he did. When you get back to
town tell Skeets about it, will you? I don't suppose
'twill do any good, but you tell him just the same,"
Jeb said as the doctor, after filling the radiator,
climbed into the car and started the engine.
"I'll tell him all right and give him a piece of my
mind in the bargain," the doctor promised as he
turned the car and shot out of the gate.
"He's not much to look at," Jeb smiled as he sat
down, "but when it comes to action he's like a bundle
of coiled springs. If we had him for sheriff it'd be
a lot healthier around here. He's been urged to
take the office but he says he has too many folks to
put together now without trying to take more of
them apart."