FOLLOWING THE CATTLE RUSTLERS.
"How about our ponies?" Billie wanted to know. "Will they be able to
stand for another dash so soon?"
"Cow ponies are tough little critters," Donald went on to say, with the
utmost confidence; "and they recover from fatigue like magic. Right now
I'd wager Wireless or Ten Spot would be good for a twenty mile gallop at
full speed."
"I notice you don't include my Jupiter," grumbled Billie, suspiciously;
"mebbe now you're counting on him to play out in short order, when poor
Broncho Billie'll have to be dropped behind, to toddle along the best
way he can, while the rest of you are having all the fun."
"Oh! I wouldn't worry about that, if I were you, Billie," Adrian told
him; "for you'll find that Jupiter is as fresh as a daisy by now, and
able to carry you right along hour after hour. I'm ready to pin my faith
to these cow ponies every time. They're wonders, that's what."
"Yes," added Donald, who did not like to see the good-natured fat chum
worried in any way; "and as we agreed before, since the cattle were
already blowing hard when they passed here, chances are they'll come to
a halt before many miles; so after all we won't have to go so very far."
"I'm glad to hear it," mumbled Billie, who was not feeling very much
like taking a lengthy gallop, after his late experiences in that line;
the saddle chafed him more or less, because of his heft, and he suffered
to a greater extent than either of his comrades knew about.
They were hastily getting their things packed. This was not so much of a
job to fellows who had done such things a long time. The blankets made a
small roll, to be fastened behind their saddles; then the few cooking
things were distributed around, each one being responsible for a certain
utensil, which he was expected to produce when next it was needed. In
this way coffee-pot, frying-pan, tin platters and tin cups were stowed
away, and occupied very little space.
Each boy had a small bag in which he kept a few extras, a fresh flannel
shirt and necessities. Billie also lugged along some other things in the
way of a jar of marmalade, of which he was especially fond, a strip of
breakfast bacon, tea, coffee, and such things. He would not let his
chums think of loading themselves down with anything that poor Jupiter
could carry on his broad back; and so when he was fully fixed for riding
he looked like a nomadic peddler starting out on his trip.
But Billie at least had long ago learned the art of packing his stuff
securely. Only for that fact he must surely have left a lot of his
packages scattered along the trail at the time Jupiter ran away with
him, after the stable boy at the inn had played that mean trick with the
poison-tipped sand spurs.
Of course he was only partly packed when both the others announced
themselves as ready to move.
"But I hope now, you won't think of starting out, and leaving me behind,
fellows?" Billie voiced his new alarm by saying.
They hastened to reassure him.
"We're not in such a big hurry as all that, Billie," said Adrian.
"And here, let me give you a hand," remarked Donald.
"That's the stuff!" gurgled the fat chum, who had all along been hoping
to have some assistance; for Donald knew how to put things in ship-shape
so well; while on the other hand Adrian was the best hand at cinching
girths, and tightening up ropes on a pack animal Billie had ever struck.
Between them they soon made things ready; and Billy hastened to climb up
into his saddle. That word would appear to be the only one capable of
doing justice to his method of attaining a seat; for Billie was very
clumsy, it must be remembered; and then those packages were forever
getting in the way, so that even an agile fellow like Donald for
instance might have found it difficult to leap into his saddle while his
animal was thus encumbered.
But they were all ready at last; and Donald led the little bunch of
riders out from the timber that grew along the little stream.
It was now bright moonlight. The clouds had drifted past, and the sky
seemed to be free from horizon to horizon, which fact pleased the
Broncho Rider Boys not a little. There is always more or less danger of
a nasty spill when galloping over the prairie in pitch darkness, for no
one can tell when a prairie dog village may be encountered; and if a
pony sets his foot in one of their burrows the chances are he will go
down in a heap, possibly with a broken leg; and his rider may account
himself lucky if he escapes a similar fate, or gets his neck broken in
addition.
Billie in particular was always worried when circumstances compelled
them to ride in the dark. He declared that, not being nimble like his
comrades, and spry enough to play the cat act so as to land on his hands
and feet, a tumble was apt to go much harder with him; and perhaps there
was good reason for this feeling of uneasiness on Billie's part. At any
rate his chums were always willing to cater to his wishes in the matter,
when it could be reasonably done.
But now that smiling moon made the fat boy feel quite at his ease.
As soon as they were clear of the trees Donald headed directly
southwest, for that was the direction taken by the stampeded herd.
Looking down he could easily discover where their hoofs had torn up the
soil of the prairie; and as long as the friendly light from above held
out, the ranch boy believed that he could follow that plain trail, even
though they heard no sound from ahead to give them pointers as to where
the cattle had gone.
He and Adrian rode side by side, so that from time to time they could
exchange sentences. Billie on the other hand was quite willing to bring
up the rear. He was accustomed to "taking other people's dust," as he
himself frankly admitted, and did not object seriously to such a thing.
So far as he could discover Jupiter was feeling all right again after
his rest, and offered no objection to keeping up the swift pace set by
the others.
"Of course after we begin to haul up on them," said Donald, presently,
"we'll cut down the pace more or less, so they won't get wind of our
being around."
"I wonder what sort of luck we'll have," Adrian was saying, showing that
he had been trying to figure things out in his mind. "Of course I take
it for granted that we'll come up with the rustlers; but it's another
thing to get them off their guard, so we can make them prisoners, and
take the cattle away with us."
"Yes, that's so," assented Donald, "but you never know what you can do
till you make a try; and we've carried out a few jobs on our own hook,
you and me, Adrian, if you stop to think."
"As big as this one seems to be, for a fact, Donald," agreed the other,
brightening up under the inspiring remarks of his chum, just as Donald
supposed would be the case.
"Of course, Ad, we can't lay any plans till we see how the ground lies,"
the other went on to say; "after they've got the cattle quieted down I
reckon those rustler fellows will take things easy. They've run matters
with such a free hand up around here so long now, that they just can't
imagine anybody daring to interfere with their business."
"Yes," added Adrian, "and perhaps if they were held up and asked to give
an account of the cattle they were running off they'd have the nerve to
say they'd even _bought_ them from Fred Comstock at the Bar-S Ranch; and
refer the questioners to the lady who has taken the whip hand up at my
place. Oh! it's all a mighty clever game, I can see that plain enough;
only it's a case of 'heads they win, tails I lose.' I'm on the wrong
side of the fence every time. But something told me I ought to be
wandering up this way; and say, Donald, it's lucky now I didn't write to
Uncle Fred, and give him the least hint about my plans?"
"Luck is no name for it!" exclaimed the other; "it was the finest thing
ever happened to you, Adrian. And let me tell you, I feel it in my bones
right now that we're going to kick up a dickens of a row up here by
coming just when these same Walkers are playing one of their periodical
little sneak games."
"Perhaps you're right, Donald; I hope so, anyhow."
"It's my impression," continued the other, "that all the ranchers around
here need is for some one to take the bit between their teeth and play
leader, when they'll all jump in, and join in the hunt. These Walkers
appear to have terrorized the lot so that every man is afraid to have it
known he means to take a stand against the hard crowd. That's the idea I
got from what that puncher said to us yesterday afternoon."
"But my uncle used to be the leading spirit around here; they all looked
to him to do things when there was any need," remonstrated Adrian.
"Oh, shucks!" laughed Donald, "I've seen men that were great hands to
boast, and even do things when among their kind, knuckle down, and
cringe when they heard their wives speak. And your uncle must have
caught a Tartar when he married that Walker widow."
They had already covered several miles, and were going strong at the
time these few remarks were exchanged between the chums. Every now and
then one of the two who were in the lead would glance over his shoulder
to make sure that Billie had not been left far behind; and the fat chum
on such occasions would sing out reassuring words, or else wave a hand
at his comrade.
As yet they had not caught even the distant sound of the retreating
herd. This might be accounted for in any one of several ways; the cattle
had possibly gone further than even Donald surmised; or else they had
already been brought to a stand by the rustlers, the flight having
reached a section of the country suited to their plans, and doubtless
often used for the same purposes as were intended at the present time.
When they chanced upon a bit of soft ground where the thud of their
ponies' hoofs was for the time being stilled almost completely, Donald
strained his hearing in the hope of catching some indication from ahead
that would be encouraging.
And Adrian, hearing him give utterance to an ejaculation, jumped to the
conclusion that he had been in a measure successful.
"Get it, Donald?" he called out, eagerly.
"Just what I do," came the immediate answer, in a tone of triumph; "and
from the indications I reckon the cattle are about used up, so far as
running goes. If you listen right smart you can hear the rustlers urging
them on, which shows they haven't yet got to where they mean to stop,
though it must be close by, I feel sure!"