DRIVING THE STAMPEDED STOCK HOME.
"Wake up, Billie; it's breakfast time!"
Probably no other summons could have such an immediate effect upon the
stout chum as this call. He instantly raised his head, and commenced to
sniff the air.
"Coffee, and bacon frying in the bargain! Oh! I hope now I ain't too
late; and also that you've cooked enough for all. Remember, we've got
guests along with us; and you promised me you wouldn't let the rustlers
go hungry, whatever else you did!" was what he exclaimed, as he crawled
out of his snug retreat, and commenced to stretch vigorously, as well as
rub his eyes in the bargain.
They assured him that after they had eaten, a second supply would be
placed at his disposal to cook, while the others were up the coulie
getting pointers on the lay of the land, and how best to start the herd
out on the open again, when the time came to make a start.
With that Billie had to rest content. His words had been loud enough for
the four prisoners to catch, and must have afforded them more or less
relief; since they were doubtless hungry by now, and wondering whether
the boys meant to keep them in that condition any length of time.
Having satisfied the inner man Adrian, accompanied by Donald, started up
the ravine. Of course they took their guns along; and before leaving
warned Billie that while he could cook some breakfast for the prisoners,
under no condition was he to try and feed any of them until the others
came back.
He promised this readily enough, for truth to tell Billie would not have
particularly fancied untying the arms of one of those muscular fellows,
lest he be taken off his guard, when there would be the mischief to pay.
The cattle were found to be grazing peacefully. They had apparently
entirely recovered from the panic that accompanied the stampede, and
when once driven out on the plain would naturally fall into old ways,
and allow themselves to be urged on the back trail; for Adrian had
concluded that they could do no better than to follow the plain marks
made by the herd in fleeing.
When they got back to the fire they were met by Billie's declaration
that he had the prisoners' breakfast ready, and if one of them would
help him he could feed them by relays.
"I'll do that, because Donald's busy with something else," said Adrian.
Accordingly they started proceedings, and found it little trouble, since
they only unfastened the arms of the prisoners, and these two at a time.
The leader happened to be one of the second batch. He kept looking at
Adrian as he ate ravenously; and it was evident he had about made up his
mind that this must surely be the young owner of the Sherwood ranch.
Billie was more interested in the other fellow, who happened to be the
glutton of that midnight meal. His enormous appetite still seemed to
stay with him; and Billie, who claimed to be able to hold his own in the
feeding line with most people, sat there, staring at the way the man
disposed of the food, as though he might either be lost in admiration,
or else filled with dismay, perhaps taking a lesson.
"Here, you go slow there," he finally felt it his duty to say,
warningly; "that's got to last you for some time, you know, because
we're meaning to leave you here when we ride away. Don't gobble so, you
pig! I eat a lot, but I do it decent-like, and not like a starving dog
bolting his grub. Let up, I say, and get the good out of what you're
swallowing!"
"You _are_ the Sherwood boy, ain't you?" suddenly demanded the tall
leader, as Adrian handed him his last allowance of coffee in the tin
cup.
"Well, I suppose there's no use in my denying it, because I've managed
to remember you now," remarked Adrian. "You used to ride for my father
years ago; your name is Tad Whiffles; and you had to get away from Bar-S
Ranch on account of your quarrelsome disposition. Yes, I'm the Sherwood
kid you speak of; and I've come up from the Arizona ranch of my friend
Donald Mackay, to find out what's all the matter with things up here."
The puncher called Tad Whiffles looked him over from head to foot; then
he turned deliberately to the other stampeder, and nodding his head, was
heard to say:
"D'ye hear that, Corney? Tell me, won't there be high jinks to pay in
these parts right soon now? I can see a warm session at Bar-S when the
boy owner comes acrost Josie, that was a Walker onct! Say, I'd give a
heap tuh be there on the spot tuh see that same meetin', b'lieve me,
Corney."
"Oh! things will all be straightened out after a bit," Adrian assured
him in a confident fashion that caused the man to elevate his eyebrows,
and mutter half under his breath:
"Blame me if I don't more'n harf think as how ye _kin_ do the trick, if
anybody kin, kid. The way ye follered us hyar, and took the hull crowd
in makes me feel cheap. I don't know what ther ole man'll hev tuh say
tuh us when he gets on tuh the story. But wait an' see how he comes out
when _he_ rubs up aginst yuh. But I sure would like tuh be at Bar-S for
a bit when yuh arrives with all them steers. Wow! ain't thar agoin' tuh
be somebody surprised, though?"
He shook his head, and relapsed into silence, as though the matter might
be too big for him to grasp all at once.
So the two rustlers were once more securely pinioned. Adrian himself
made sure that their bonds were tight, for he did not mean to have his
plans spoiled by any fluke, if it could be avoided.
When they had packed things, and were all ready to start, Donald went to
the man who was such a heavy eater, and whom they judged to be the most
tractable of the lot.
"We're going to take you along with us, to help drive the herd," he told
him; and the fellow's face immediately took on a serious look.
"But what'll they do to me over at the Bar-S, if they git hands on me,
pard?" he asked, uneasily. "That same old Comstock, if ever he _does_
break away from under the thumb of his wife is sure agoin' to throw
things around promiscuous like; and mebbe he'll begin by makin' me an
awful lesson. Seems like I c'n feel the feathers asproutin' out all over
me a'ready, 'case he'll git the tar heated, sure-pop. Say, there's Bemis
as kin drive herd a heap better'n me any day agoin'. Hadn't ye sooner
pick him to help out?"
"Oh! don't worry," remarked Donald as he cut the fellow's bonds; "get up
now, and walk ahead of me. We don't mean to take you all the way, but
along about noon we might send you back with the ponies belonging to
your crowd."
"If that's a fact I don't mind ahelpin' drive," declared the man, with a
relieved look on his face.
He might have thought that there would come a chance for him to slip
away while chasing after the cattle; but if so he reckoned without his
host; for Donald and Adrian were too smart to allow such an opening.
One of them kept close to the rustler all the while; and he was given
plainly to understand that if he tried any such sneak game they would
leave the cattle to shift for themselves temporarily while they ran him
down, and filled him full of lead.
The sight of the repeating rifles which all the Broncho Rider Boys
carried, and handled as though they knew well how to use the same,
filled him with a certain amount of respect; and if he had cherished any
hopes of escaping they were kept carefully in restraint.
They had little trouble in getting the herd out of the coulie. The range
boys knew just how to go about this sort of business; and when the
rustler heard them yelling, and slapping their hats on their chaps as
they started the feeding cattle, he knew that they were old hands at
driving, even if young in years.
He did his part of the work all right, for he saw that this was the
easiest way of getting on the good side of these energetic lads.
The three who were left behind called out, and told their captors they
hoped they would not be forgotten in the shuffle; because before now
cow-punchers had starved to death, or fallen victims to the hungry
wolves that roamed the plains of nights.
Paying no further attention to them the boys chased after the moving
herd, soon running along the back trail, with the drivers whooping, and
dashing here and there to keep some stray animal from breaking away.
All went well, because both Adrian and Donald made it a point that one
of them keep close enough to the rustler driver to see that he was given
no opportunity to escape. Billie's duty was not so much to drive, as to
lead; in other words he had charge of the three cattle ponies belonging
to the men who had been left bound in the camp at the mouth of
Bittersweet Coulie; and which were to be generously turned over to
Corney when they allowed him to depart, along about the middle of the
day perhaps.
"I hope it's _before_ lunch time that they let him go scot free," Billie
was muttering to himself from time to time, as he frowned, and watched
the evolutions of the puncher named Corney; possibly Billie had good
reason for wishing this, since he happened to know that their rations
had reached a rather low ebb by now; and if that enormous eater was
invited to sit down with them at noon, and devour at will, what was
going to become of those who had a better right to the "grub" than the
rustler?
Some two hours after the start they discovered that several riders had
headed in their direction. At first the boys were bothered a little,
until they made the pleasing discovery that these were the same three
friendly cow-punchers whom they had met on the previous day.
A sudden idea flashing into Adrian's mind, he made signals that he would
like to talk with the trio. At that they turned directly, and came
galloping along; for up to then it seemed they were inclined to sheer
off, and mind their own business; because in these unsettled days it was
not always the wisest thing to push up alongside those who were driving
stock, lest they butt in on matters that were not intended to be known
outside of certain Walker circles.
At discovering their young friends of the preceding day circling the
herd that bore the brand of the Bar-S Ranch, the three punchers
exchanged looks of intense surprise; and their wonder evidently took
leaps and bounds when they also recognized in Corney a man of ill
repute, who was known to be connected with the Walker crowd.
Adrian had rather fancied the three punchers, and meant to see if he
could not offer them inducements to engage with him, as he feared he
would need a new supply of men, when he started to weed out the Bar-S
employees.