Failure
A moment, a breathless, hushed moment, Teddy and Roy stood beneath
trees which still dripped from the recent rain, the drops falling in
a patter whenever the light breeze stirred the branches. Through the
darkness came those low, tense tones. As the boys listened, words
separated themselves from the mumble of sound.
“... just heard about it,” some one was saying. The speaker had a
high, nervous voice which he apparently kept softened by an effort.
“Stay out from that shore, Bunk! Wanta have those fools on our
necks?”
“Aw, yo’re too touchy, Denver,” another whined, and the boys heard
the swirl of a paddle being held in the water, evidently to swing
the boat around. The craft was probably drifting with the current
now, for the listeners could not detect the dip of blades forcing it
onward. “They ain’t near here,” the speaker went on. “Go ahead.
Let’s have the dope.”
Roy leaned closer to Teddy and spoke with his mouth close to his
brother’s ear.
“We’ll follow,” Roy whispered, and Teddy nodded to show that he
understood. Carefully the two boys picked their way along the bank,
hoping to hear more before the canoe drifted out of range.
“How many times do I have to repeat this?” the one called Denver
snarled. “Now listen, you guys. Manley, up on the X Bar X, let a
herd of his cattle wander off his ground on to the grazin’ field of
Jake Trummer, of Whirlpool River Ranch.”
Teddy started, and nudged Roy. His brother did not respond. He was
listening intently.
“Now I happen to know--never mind how--that old man Trummer went to
Manley an’ told him if the dogies weren’t off there soon he’d drive
’em into the river. That was two or three days ago. Manley started
out to round ’em up. But he went overland, so he’ll be some time
gettin’ there. That’s where we come in.”
“And so do we!” Teddy whispered. “Roy, get this!”
“We’ll keep goin’ now,” Denver continued, “an’ take a little rest in
the morning just before we hit the rapids. Then we take our time
with the cows. Mike said he’d have ponies waitin’ for us. We drive
the cows off Trummer’s range, hide ’em somewhere, an’ when Manley
comes up, his Durhams are gone, an’ he says Trummer drove ’em into
the river, like he said he would! What could be simpler?”
“You sure got it down pat, Denver,” said a third voice. “Lucky for
us that storm came up. All we have to do is to sit back an’ drift
along--make good time, too.”
“You allus was a great feller fer work, Porky,” Denver said
contemptuously. “How you ever--”
The voice died away. Bunk had evidently steered the canoe further
from the shore, and the murmur of the still turbulent waters drowned
out the words that followed.
Teddy turned excitedly to Roy.
“Did you hear that?” he whispered. “Come on! Let’s get the gang!
Rustlers, that’s what they are! After our cattle! And they’ll beat
us to it, unless we can nab ’em!”
Roy had already turned and was running toward their camp.
“See to the canoe!” he called over his shoulder. “I’ll get the
others. Take out all the stuff except the rifles. We’ll get those
waddies yet!”
Realizing that haste was imperative, Teddy stumbled toward the
canoe. Frantically he started to unload. Heedless of consequences,
he threw the articles right and left, concentrating on the job of
emptying the craft as soon as possible. Every moment the rustlers
were getting farther and farther away.
“This is our chance to save the cattle,” the boy panted, as he
tossed out the last can of foodstuff. “The dirty rustlers! Trying to
frame Trummer, too. If I could only--”
Seizing hold of the boat, he sought to pull it to the water’s edge,
but the task was too much for him. Gasping, he finally desisted, and
at that moment Roy, Bug Eye and Pop Burns appeared.
“All right, boys!” Roy exclaimed. “In she goes--ho! Teddy, take the
front! Grab this paddle! I’ll stay in the stern! Bug Eye, you and
Pop keep those rifles loaded--we may need ’em!”
The canoe was in the water now, and swung about madly. The current
was stronger than they had imagined.
“With luck, we’ll catch up to them soon!” Teddy panted. “If we can
get close enough before they know we’re comin’--”
Roy did not reply, needing all his energy to keep the boat straight.
The larger craft received the full force of the stream, and also it
was much less heavily weighted than it had been.
“Want me to--” Bug Eye began. But when he saw, by the moonlight, the
lines of intense effort in Roy’s face he stopped. This was no time
for talk.
“Can you--hear ’em?” Teddy gasped, digging his paddle in deeper.
“Nope!” Pop answered laconically. He, alone, seemed to accept the
situation calmly, staring straight ahead as he sat rigidly in the
bottom of the canoe. Perhaps he feared the chase would be futile, or
perhaps he realized that their best chance of success lay in going
about the affair in a businesslike manner. His rifle, loaded, lay
across his knees.
As the canoe shot downstream, Teddy, in the front, strained his ears
for some indication of the boat they were following. But it seemed
to have been swallowed up by the river. Surely they were going much
faster than the other craft and should have caught them by this
time. Unless--and Teddy frowned at the thought--unless they knew
they were being pursued and made for the shore, pulling their
lighter boat up out of sight.
Now the river seemed to take their canoe in a powerful grip and
shake it. Roy paddled desperately, and succeeded in steadying it.
“Close!” he gasped. “Thought we were over then!”
“If I had my Fishmobile--” Bug Eye muttered, then closed his mouth
tightly. The shore seemed far away at this moment.
“Better head in,” Pop suggested quietly. “Afraid they got away,
boys. I don’t like the sound of this river.”
“Hate to give up,” Roy responded, but even he was beginning to see
the wisdom of Pop’s advice. Somehow, the roar of the stream seemed
to have increased in volume. Whether it was because the banks were
closer together here, thus adding to the force of the current, the
boys could not tell. At all events, both Teddy and Roy decided that
they had best attempt to land.
“Take the left side for a minute,” Roy called. The sweat was running
off the paddlers in small rivulets and their breaths were coming in
short gasps. “We’ll have to--get together. With me, now!
Ho--ho--ho--ho--” Slowly the craft turned her nose to the bank. The
shoreline was barely distinguishable, and the boys had no means of
estimating their speed. But they knew that they were going fast
enough to sink, surely, if they hit anything.
“Make it?” Bug Eye asked anxiously. He was holding on to the sides
of the boat with both hands, his rifle, forgotten now, lying in the
bottom. Indeed, all thought of their quarry had vanished from the
minds of both Teddy and Roy. All they knew was that they were out in
the middle of a river which was trying its best to whirl them onward
to destruction.
Even Pop Burns was startled out of his complacency. He turned and
looked sharply at Roy.
“Mebby--mebby not,” he said enigmatically, and began to peel off his
vest. “Yo’re gettin’ near, though. A little more, boys. I’d help if
I could, but if I tried to shift we’d go over sure.”
“Stick--to it,” Teddy panted. “Roy, you take the left--we’re gaining
now--she’s swingin’ closer--”
Teddy had a wild idea that if they came near enough, he could tumble
overboard and swim with the canoe to land. But he dismissed the
thought as soon as it came to him, for the craft was much too heavy
for any such plan as that to work. Besides, there were huge, sharp
rocks along here, and if his head struck one he would be lost.
“Got--to stick--to the ship,” the boy murmured, as he strained at
the paddle.
Suddenly Roy gave a yell. The boat lurched, and swung about in a
circle.
“Paddle’s gone!” he cried. “Broke! We’ll have to swim for it!”
“Take this!” Teddy shouted, and thrust his own paddle back. Bug Eye,
who was behind him, seized it and passed it to Roy. “Never mind
trying to make shore now! Keep her straight!”
Desperately Roy tried to do this. There was a sickening moment when
the river seemed to fall from beneath them and for an instant they
hung in space.
A wave slapped them broadside.
“Here--she--” Bug Eye yelled, and that was all. A rock, huge and
black, loomed up before them. A crash, then a crunching sound. Water
poured over the side.
Then all four were struggling for their lives in a current that
sought to draw them into the depths!