JACK GOES IN SEARCH OF NIGGER.
For nearly three weeks the horses dragged the waggon slowly on over the
prairie, and although it was very hot and dusty, Jack was as happy as a
sandboy.
For some days they had made very short journeys, as one of the horses
had rubbed a sore place on its shoulder, and consequently refused to
pull at all. Lem at last had to tie it on at the back of the waggon,
and arrange the other three animals in unicorn fashion--that is, one in
front of two. This, of course, delayed their progress a good deal.
Jack was delighted with the novelty of all he saw, and a band of
antelopes bounding away in the distance nearly drove him wild with
excitement. One evening they came upon some cowboys who had just
bunched up a huge herd of cattle for the night. There were nearly
three thousand beasts, and it was a wonderful sight to see how a few
men managed to keep so many cattle in check. The cowboys were
stationed on their horses at near distances all round the herd like so
many sentinels.
If an animal broke away, a horseman was after it at lightning speed.
With a swift turn of his arm he would throw the lariat with a true aim
over the horns of the runaway, and the sagacious horse, knowing what
was expected from it, would twist round on his hind-legs, and the jerk
on the rope would bring the fugitive down to the ground. Sometimes the
cowboys galloped round the running beast, and headed it back to the
herd without using the lariat or long leather rope.
Jack and his companions camped for the night close to the cowboys, and
Jack took a great interest in them for Steve's sake. They relieved
each other like guards all through the night.
The way they rode was wonderful in Jack's eyes, and their horses were
so well trained, they turned to the right or left as their riders bent
their bodies in the direction in which they wanted to go, and if the
reins were thrown over an animal's head it would stand quite still.
There was great work next morning, as the cowboys made an early start,
and the bustle was most exciting to Jack as he watched them standing or
sitting in groups round their grub-waggon eating their breakfast.
Then, directly after, they tightened their saddles, and before long the
gigantic herd of cattle moved slowly on. Such a bellowing they made,
and the dust rose in a huge cloud behind them, in which they were soon
lost to sight. Their grub-waggon followed them, and shortly after Lem
got his horses harnessed, and he, Jeff, and Jack, taking their places
in their prairie schooner, rolled on once more towards the mountains.
These mountains, which were getting nearer every day, were a fresh
source of wonder to Jack. He had lived all his life on the flat
prairie where there was not even a hill to be seen, and he was
speechless with surprise as he gazed on the snow-capped peaks in front
of him, stretching up into the blue sky. Lower down the sides of the
mountains the dark forests of trees spread for miles, and Jeff pointed
out to him where the deep ravines or canyons could be seen where the
mountain creeks rushed down to the valleys, fringed all along their
banks with quaking aspens and cotton-wood trees.
How pleased Jack felt to think that his new home must be somewhere in
sight of these glorious mountains, and already the air they breathed
seemed very different from the hot, close atmosphere at Longview.
One evening they made their camp for the night just outside a Mexican
village. It was a very queer-looking place, and Jack stared about him
in astonishment. He had seen Mexicans passing through Longview
occasionally, and now he had come to a village where no one but
Mexicans lived. The houses were not built of wood, like those at
Longview, but were made of a kind of mud called adobe. This adobe was
shaped into bricks and baked. The houses looked so funny. Some were
quite round like beehives, and it amused Jack very much when he noticed
that many of the doors were halfway up the front wall of the houses,
and when people wanted to go in and out, they went up and down ladders
placed to reach the openings.
That evening, after supper, Lem persuaded Jeff to walk into the
village, leaving Jack as usual to wash up the things. The boy felt a
mistrust of Lem when he saw how maliciously triumphant he looked as he
strolled away from the camp accompanied by Jeff. He watched them as
far as the village and then returned to his work. When it was finished
he sat contentedly down by the fire to wait for them. It got later and
later, but his companions did not return, and at last, unable to keep
awake any longer, he went to bed.
He fell into a troubled sleep, from which he was roused by hearing
men's voices. Starting up, he listened and heard his companions
returning. They were singing and shouting in a wild, boisterous way
that struck terror to Jack's heart, for he knew from such sounds that
they must have been drinking heavily. Their loud, rough voices
frightened him, and he lay very still inside the waggon for fear they
should see him. He could tell Lem was in a quarrelsome mood, and
trembled as they hunted about in the back of the waggon for their
blankets, swearing and growling all the time. At last they sank into
heavy slumbers, but all sleep had fled from Jack's eyes at the fresh
trouble that had arisen for him. The two men were evidently given to
drink, the awful curse in the West, and had taken the opportunity of a
first halt at a village to satisfy their craving for it. It was a
terrible thought for poor Jack, for he knew, from what they had said,
there must be many mining camps ahead of them, and of course in such
places there would be great temptations for men like them, and his
heart sank at the idea of being alone with such companions.
He lay awake for hours, but dropped into a kind of doze towards
morning. He rose early and moved very quietly, fearful of disturbing
Jeff and Lem after their night's carousal. He went to water the
horses, and to his surprise found one had disappeared.
It had evidently dragged its picket-rope from the pegs that secured it,
doubtless frightened by the noise in camp the previous night. It was
the horse that had been led behind the waggon on account of its sore
shoulder, and it probably was fresher than the other three horses and
more likely to run away. It was not shod, and unfortunately had made
no impression on the short, dry herbage, to show Jack which way it had
gone. He wandered away a short distance from the camp looking for the
fugitive, but, unable to see anything of it, he returned, and began to
prepare breakfast.
Just as it was ready Lem roused up, and came grumbling towards the
fire. Jack deemed it wiser not to speak to him, as he looked very
cross indeed, and the boy could not help wishing his friend Jeff would
also wake up, as he always felt safer in his presence.
They silently ate their breakfast, until Lem, looking over towards the
group of horses, asked suddenly:
'Where's Nigger?'
'He was right enough when I went to bed last night,' returned Jack,
'but I found him gone this mornin'. I expect he dragged his
picket-rope and got away.'
Lem darted an angry look at the boy. 'I believe you loosed him
yoursel',' he exclaimed furiously, 'to pay Jeff and me out for goin'
for a bit of a spree into the village!'
'I didn't,' cried Jack indignantly; 'I wouldn't do such a mean trick
nohow.'
'I don't believe you, there!' declared Lem insultingly. 'I can't abide
kids, an' I wouldn't trust one of 'em anywhere. I was mad when I heard
as Jeff was bent on bringin' you along with us.'
In vain Jack protested he knew nothing about the horse's escape. Lem's
temper was bad from the effects of his drinking bout, and as ill-luck
would have it, the boy was the victim of it.
'Look here, kid,' he said sternly, 'it was your business to see to them
creatures when we were gone away, an' I guess you'll skip out an' find
that there Nigger as quick as you can. Not a step on with us do you
go, till he's brought back again!'
[Illustration: '"YOU'D BETTER NOT COME BACK WITHOUT THE HORSE."']
'I've looked all round the camp this mornin',' said Jack dolefully,
'but I haven't seen no tracks of him. Would you let me get on Yankee
Boy an' ride over to that clump of trees over there?'
'No! I guess you can walk that far,' returned Lem, 'an' I reckon you'd
better not come back again without the horse. I mayhap would like to
ride Yankee Boy mysel' an' have a look round.'
Poor Jack! He looked wistfully at the recumbent figure of Jeff, who
was still in a deep slumber, and then, seeing there was no help for it,
bravely put the best face he could on the matter, and set forth. He
carried a long leather rope to catch the horse with, and walked towards
the trees, which were about a couple of miles from the camp.
As he approached them, he noticed they were growing at the entrance of
a deep ravine that ran back towards the mountains, with a creek running
through it. It was a very rough place; boulders lay strewed about, but
here and there were patches of grass which looked so much fresher and
greener than that which grew on the prairie, that Jack noticed the
difference. It also struck him that the grass looked as if it had been
freshly trampled, and in a moment the idea flashed into his mind that
Nigger had, without doubt, wandered up the ravine. Jack never
hesitated a moment, but started to follow up the tracks he saw so
plainly. It was a pleasant change from the hot prairie, as the trees
shaded him from the sun, and he climbed steadily on over the stony
path, hoping every minute to come on the truant. The ravine ran
between towering walls of rock, covered with pinon and oak-scrub, and
completely hid all the adjoining prairie from view.
At last Jack turned a corner of rock, and saw ahead a small band of
bronchos or prairie horses. He hurried on, hoping to find the object
of his search, but, alas! Nigger was not amongst them, and his weary
toil up the long ravine had been on a false trail, after all! The wild
ponies were scared at the sight of a human being appearing in the
lonely canyon, and scampered away up the steep sides of the precipice
like goats, leaving Jack gazing sadly after them. It was a great
disappointment, and tears were not far from the boy's eyes as, tired
out, he sat down on a rock for a rest. It was no use pursuing the hunt
for Nigger any higher up there, and seeing it would be quicker to
retrace his steps than climb up the sides of the rock, he turned to
make his way down again. It was long past noon by the time he had
scrambled out of the ravine and stood once more on the prairie.
There was no time to lose, and with many misgivings as to the reception
he would receive from the indignant Lem, Jack hurried back as fast as
he could towards the camp. He was afraid that his long and, alas!
useless delay might also have vexed his friend Jeff, which was a thing
to be avoided, if possible.
Ahead of him he saw the quaint Mexican village, but something strange
had taken place in his absence! What could have happened? Quite
puzzled, he rubbed his eyes and ran on faster towards the place where
they had camped, and reaching it, could hardly believe his own eyes
when he saw nothing of the prairie waggon, or the horses, or the camp
he had left in the morning!