AMONG THE COWBOYS
"Here she comes!"
It was an enthusiastic cowboy who uttered the words, and by way of
emphasis he fired his revolver in the air, as he rode up beside the
incoming train. It was the one moment of excitement at the station.
The cars came to a halt, and Sid Todd went forward to give his letters
to the railway mail clerk. Dave watched the cars and saw two men and a
boy alight. The boy was Link Merwell.
The former bully of Oak Hall looked haggard, as if his dissipation in
Chicago and elsewhere had done him much harm. His eyes were heavy as he
stood and stared about him. Hank Snogger had gone forward, to care for
the mail from the Merwell ranch.
"Hello, you here!" cried Link, stepping forward and confronting Dave.
"I am," was the cool answer.
"Got here ahead of me, eh?"
"So it would seem."
"Going to make a spread out here, I suppose," went on Link, with a
sneer. "Paint the plains red, and all that."
"I came for a good time, but I don't intend to paint anything red."
"Bah, I know you, Dave Porter! You want to crow over everybody, no
matter where you go. But you'll find things are different out here from
what they were at Oak Hall," added the bully, significantly. "You can't
pull the wool over people's eyes here like you did there."
"I have no more intention of pulling wool than I have of painting
anything red," answered Dave, as calmly as before. He could see that
Link was in a bad humor and spoiling for a fight.
"I said I was going to get square with you, and I am," continued the
bully, loudly.
"You keep your distance, Link Merwell," answered Dave, and now his tone
was sharper. "Don't forget what I did at Oak Hall. If you want another
thrashing like that I can give it to you."
"Get out! Don't you talk to me!" howled Link. "You attacked me when I
was sick!" He spoke in a loud voice, for the benefit of the cowboys and
others who were gathering around. The train had started away and was
soon out of sight among the hills.
"You were as well as you ever were," answered Dave.
"What's the row, Link?" asked Hank Snogger, as he pushed his way to the
front.
"Here's a fellow used to go to school with me. I've got it in for him,
and I've a good mind to give him a thrashing."
"You put your hand on me, and you'll take the consequences," said Dave.
"I didn't come here to fight, but I can defend myself."
"You don't want to fight, do you, Dave?" asked Sid Todd, in a low voice.
To him it looked as if the Crumville lad might be no match for Merwell,
who was larger and heavier.
"I am not afraid, Todd. I thrashed him once and I can do it again--if I
have to."
"You licked him?"
"Yes."
"With your fists?"
"Yes."
"Where?"
"At school. He played a dirty trick on me and some others, and I
wouldn't stand for it."
"You shut your mouth!" roared Link Merwell, and without warning he
rushed forward and struck Dave a blow in the chest that sent the
Crumville youth staggering against Mr. Hooper.
"Wait! wait! This won't do!" said the ranchman.
"If you are going to fight, fight fair," put in Sid Todd.
"Now don't you butt in here, Sid!" growled Hank Snogger, with an ugly
look at the other cowboy.
"I'll see fair play," answered Todd, sharply, and he elbowed his way
between Snogger and Dave.
Having delivered his unexpected blow, Link Merwell sprang back and stood
on the defensive. Dave was not wearing any coat or vest, and he merely
threw his hat to his friend. Then, as quick as lightning, he sprang
forward, knocked aside Merwell's guard, and planted a telling blow on
the bully's left eye.
"As you are so anxious to fight, take that!" cried Dave, and before the
other could recover he landed a second blow on Merwell's chin. This
caused the bully to stagger against Hank Snogger, who kept him from
falling completely.
"Well! well! well!" sang out one of the cowboys in the crowd. "Just look
at that! Merwell, keep your eyes open, or you'll git knocked into a
jelly!"
The former bully of Oak Hall was staggered, but only for a moment. Then,
with a hoarse cry of rage, he leaped at Dave, and for fully a minute the
blows came thick and fast from each side. Then the pair clinched, swung
around and around, and finally went down, with Dave on top.
"Break away there!" sang out Hank Snogger, and caught Dave by the ear.
"Git up off him!"
"Leave Porter alone!" yelled Sid Todd, and caught Snogger by the hair.
"This is the boys' fight, 'tain't yours."
"That's right! That's right!" came from several. "Leave the kids alone."
"He ain't goin' to hit Link when he's down," growled Snogger.
"I don't intend to," answered Dave, and got up. He turned to Hank
Snogger. "You keep your hands off of me," he added, sharply. "This is
not your quarrel."
"Ah, don't talk to me," growled the cowboy.
"I will talk to you," went on Dave. "You keep out of this."
Dave stood back, while Link slowly arose to his feet. The bully was
somewhat dazed. But there was still a good deal of fight left in him,
and suddenly he charged on the Crumville lad, making a heavy swing for
Dave's jaw. Dave ducked, and, as Merwell swung around, caught the bully
in the right ear. Then he followed the blow by one on the neck and
another directly in the mouth. The latter loosened two teeth and sent
the bully into the arms of Hank Snogger.
"Well, have you had enough?" asked Dave. He was panting for breath, and
his eyes were blazing with determination.
A look full of the bitterest kind of hatred filled the face of Link
Merwell, but he was too staggered to attack Dave again. He leaned on
Hank Snogger and then turned his face away.
"I say, have you had enough--or do you want another dose?" demanded
Dave.
"I'll--fight this out some other time," answered Merwell, weakly. He
realized that the eyes of the crowd were on him, and this made him
furious. But he did not dare to risk another attack from the Crumville
youth, fearing what fighters call "a knockout."
"Then you have had enough, eh?" went on Dave. "Very well. And now,
Merwell, I advise you to keep your distance. If you don't--well, you'll
catch it worse, that's all."
"Link is tired out from his long train ride," remarked Hank Snogger. "He
ain't in no fit condition fer a scrap. Wait till he has rested up a week
or two--then he'll show thet tenderfoot what's what." And with these
words he led Link away to where a couple of horses were tied. He leaped
on one and the bully leaped on the other, and in a moment more both were
off for the Merwell ranch.
"Well, youngster, I reckon you can hold your own," remarked Mr. Hooper.
He had led a rough-and-tumble life himself and did not look on a fight
as a dreadful matter. "You had him going."
"So you did, Dave," added Sid Todd, while several other cowboys nodded
in assent.
"He forced the fight," answered Dave. "I suppose he'll try it again some
day."
"Merwell always was scrappy," said one of the cowboys.
"Takes after his dad," added another; and then there was a general
laugh. Several came up to shake hands with Dave and congratulate him on
the outcome of the little bout. Some of the cowboys were not very
refined, and to them such a fist-fight seemed a great thing.
There were a number of letters for those at Star Ranch, including two
for Dave,--from his father and from Ben Basswood. With the epistles in
their pockets, Dave and Sid Todd started on the return to the Endicott
place. They had to follow, for some distance, the trail taken by Link
and Snogger, their road branching off after the bridge over the river
was crossed.
Considerable time had been lost waiting for the train and because of the
set-to with Merwell, and the sun was now going down over the mountains
in the west, casting long shadows over the plains.
"You'll have a late supper to-night," said Todd, as they moved on at a
brisk pace. "And I reckon you'll have an appetite for it. The way you
polished off that cub was great!" And he shook his head
enthusiastically.
"I wish you'd do me a favor, Todd," returned Dave.
"Sure thing, son. What do you want?"
"Please don't say too much at the ranch about the fight. I don't want to
scare my sister and the other girls."
"Can't I tell the boys how you polished off young Merwell? Most of 'em
will be glad to hear it."
"Well, don't say too much, that's all. If they learn that Link is on the
watch to do harm, the girls will be almost too afraid to go out."
"Do you think that cub would be mean enough to harm the gals?"
"He'd be mean enough to scare them half to death."
"If he does that--well, I reckon I'll take a hand in lickin' him
myself."
"We came out here to have a good time, and I want to forget Link
Merwell, if possible. But I'll keep my eyes open for him--and I'll tell
Phil and Roger to watch out, too," added Dave, soberly.
Sid Todd was anxious to know more of Link's doings at Oak Hall, and Dave
told how Link had tried to get Gus Plum and himself into trouble. He did
not mention the trouble Laura and Jessie had had, for he did not wish
to drag the names of the girls into the affair.
"He sure is a bad egg," said the cowboy, at the end of the recital.
"Keep an eye on him by all means."
By the time they reached the vicinity of the bridge it was quite dark.
Remembering the bad condition of the structure spanning the stream, Sid
Todd cautioned Dave to let his horse walk.
"Look!" cried the youth, a second later, and pointed around a rise of
rocks to the bridge. He had seen two figures leaving the structure. They
disappeared behind a high clump of brushwood.
"What did you see?" questioned Todd, who had been gazing off to one side
of the trail.
"Two persons on the bridge. They just ran away into the bushes."
"On foot?"
"Yes."
"Humph! Didn't know anybody was out on foot around here," mused the
cowboy. "Sure it wasn't a bear, or some other animal?" And he felt for
his horse-pistol.
"No, they were men, or boys," answered Dave. "They ran off the bridge
the minute we came in sight."
"Huh! I wonder if it's possible them hoss-thieves is around again."
"Have you horse-thieves in this territory?"
"We sure have. Lost two hosses last spring and two last summer. I'll
have to tell the boss about seeing them fellows. But maybe--say, hold
on, Dave."
"What now?"
"I may be mistaken, but--don't go on the bridge on hossback."
"Why not?"
"I'll tell you--after I've examined the bridge," answered Sid Todd, and
in a manner that mystified Dave very much.