Stampede
"The cattle are running!" cried Connie. "The boys never will be able to
hold them in this storm!"
"We must get out there and help," Enid shouted grimly.
This time Connie did not refuse her aid. Before she could saddle
Silvertail, Enid vanished into the night. Cecil and Helena, awakened by
the sudden downpour, called to Connie, but she paid no heed. Pulling on
her slicker, she leaped into the saddle and followed Enid.
The rain was coming down in torrents and another brilliant flash of
lightning momentarily revealed a surging mass of steers. The terrified
animals were running away from the camp toward the canyon. The earth
shook under the pounding of their hooves.
All thought of the important revelation which Enid had been upon the
point of making at the time the storm broke, had been swept from
Connie's mind. But she felt warmed by the girl's generous offer of aid.
Enid really was her friend after all. In this emergency, any feeling of
resentment had been forgotten. The stampede called for quick action and
courageous riding.
Connie did not need to dig in the rowels of her spurs for Silvertail
knew what was expected of him. She could feel his mighty heart pounding
against her legs as he raced to overtake the leaders of the herd.
Connie bent low over Silvertail's neck, trusting that there were no
fences or badger holes ahead. Should her horse stumble she would be
badly injured if not crushed to death.
Through the rain the girl saw someone riding ahead of her. She could not
tell who it was, but a man turned in his saddle and shouted something at
her. She did not distinguish a word above the roar. Farther away a rider
was firing his revolver into the air, trying to stem the tide.
Connie, Alkali, and the boys from the Slocer Ranch outdistanced the
leaders of the herd, fighting valiantly to turn them. The cattle had run
less than a half mile when they began to circle.
"They're starting to mill!" Connie shouted.
"We'll hold 'em!" yelled Alkali.
Connie could hear the crackling of horns rubbing together. Each flash of
lightning revealed the cattle churning into a tighter circle.
A cowboy rode close to Connie, rain spouting from his sombrero. She saw
that it was Lefty.
"Look out for another break!" he shouted. "They're millin' too close!"
Suddenly two dark forms dashed out of the herd.
"Get 'em, Silvertail!" Connie cried.
She jumped her horse at the animals, sending them scurrying back into
the churning mass.
The rain had slackened and Connie was hopeful that the cattle would
quiet down. They were not milling so closely now. The riders were
getting them well under control.
Then from the other side of the herd a revolver cracked, spitting a
trail of fire into the black void.
"Who did that?" cried Lefty angrily. "Someone's shootin' straight into
the herd!"
Connie heard the cowboy shout Cecil's name, but she did not believe that
any of the dudes had been responsible for the shot. She was quite
certain neither Helena nor her brother were armed, and she doubted that
they had ridden out to help stop the herd. One of her own men was trying
deliberately to start another stampede!
Already the mischief had been accomplished. At the point where the
revolver had been discharged the herd swerved and broke apart. The
cattle had started to run again.
Determined to learn the identity of the person who had started the
stampede, Connie spurred Silvertail. Near the spot where the revolver
had been fired she caught a glimpse of a rider. It was too dark to see
his face clearly.
Then a ragged streak of lightning brightened the sky. With a start
Connie recognized her foreman, Forest Blakeman. She could not believe
that he had been guilty of such a low, contemptible act. But even as she
was assailed with doubt, she saw him raise his revolver and shoot
again--straight into the herd.
A great fury took possession of Connie. In a flash everything became
clear to her. She understood now what Enid had intended to tell her.
From the very first Forest Blakeman had plotted to gain control of
Rainbow Ranch. That was why he had not favored the roundup, knowing that
if she succeeded in marketing her cattle, he would never be able to
force her to sell at his own terms.
"How stupid and blind I have been," she thought.
Connie rushed her horse straight at the foreman. He turned in the saddle
and saw her coming. As a flash of lightning illuminated the sky, she
knew that he recognized her.
"Drop that gun!" she shouted furiously. "Drop it, you traitor!"
Blakeman wheeled his horse and disappeared into the darkness.
Connie did not pursue him. She could not have done it had she wished for
Silvertail was running with the herd. A shiver ran down the girl's spine
as the realization came to her that they were heading straight toward
the canyon.
At this particular point the cliffs were unprotected by fences or trees.
And there was a sheer drop of several hundred feet to the valley below.
The canyon could not be more than a quarter of a mile away. Blakeman
deliberately had stampeded the cattle in that direction, hoping that the
animals would run over the precipice and be killed. Unless she could
turn them in time, her entire herd would be lost!