THE BOYS' WELL
"Did you hear that?" asked Russ of Laddie, as they stared about them.
"Course I heard it."
"What did it sound like?"
"Like the ghost at Great Hedge," said Laddie.
"Yes," agreed Russ, "that's what it did sound like--a sort of groan. But
there can't be any ghost here."
"Course not. But what was it?"
Laddie and Russ looked across the bridge, but could see no one on the
other side.
Then the groan sounded again, quite near them, and the voice again
called:
"Water! Water!"
"Somebody wants a drink," said Laddie.
"But who is it?" asked Russ. "I don't see anybody."
"It sounds like a man," replied Laddie.
"Maybe it's an Indian," said Russ. "But I don't guess Indians would talk
as plain as that. Maybe it's one of Uncle Fred's cowboys, and he fell
off his horse and is hurt."
"Oh, maybe 'tis!" exclaimed Laddie. "But if it's a strange cowboy we
must ride right home. Mother said so."
"We got to get him a drink first," decided Russ. "You always have to do
that. You have to do that even to an enemy, 'cause we learned that in
Sunday-school. Let's see if we can find who 'tis wants a drink."
Suddenly the voice called again, so loudly and so close to them that
Russ and Laddie both jumped when they heard it.
"Whoever you are, please get me some water!" said the voice. "I'm a
cowboy and I've fallen off my horse and broken my leg."
"Where--where are you?" asked Russ, looking about.
"In the tall grass, right at the end of the bridge. I can see you boys,
but you can't see me because I'm hidden in the grass. I was going to
ride over the bridge, but my pony slipped and threw me and I've been
here some time with a broken leg. Get me a drink if you can."
Russ and Laddie looked at each other. Then they looked toward the end of
the bridge, where the voice sounded, and they saw the long grass moving.
"He must be in there," said Laddie, pointing.
"He is," answered Russ. "Here, you hold Star and I'll get him a drink,"
and Russ slipped off his pony, taking off the cap he wore. Russ had an
idea he could carry some water to the cowboy in the cap, and in this he
was right.
Going down to the edge of the creek, at one side of the bridge, Russ
dented in the outside top of his cap, and filled it with water.
Then, carrying the cap as carefully as he could, Russ made his way to
where the cowboy had called from. The little boy found the injured man
lying in the tall grass.
"Ah! That's good!" exclaimed the cowboy, as he drank the water. "Now if
you could catch my horse for me maybe I could get up on him, and ride
him to where I belong. Do you see my horse anywhere?"
Russ looked all about. At first he saw nothing, but, as he gazed across
the bridge he saw, on the other side of the creek, a big horse eating
grass.
"I see him!" said Russ to the cowboy. "He's over the bridge."
"Is he? That's good. Then he didn't go very far away, after all. Now,
look here, you seem to be a pretty smart boy," and the cowboy spoke in a
stronger voice, now that he had had a drink of water. "Do you want to
help me?"
"Yes," said Russ, "I'd like to help you. My mother says we must help
everybody, and give them a drink of cold water, even our enemies, and I
know you're not an enemy."
"I don't know about that," said the cowboy with a queer laugh, and he
turned his head away and seemed to be looking at his horse, which was on
the other side of the bridge, eating grass.
"No, you're not an enemy," went on Russ. "An enemy is a bad man, and
you're not that."
"I wouldn't be so sure on that point, either," returned the cowboy. "But
I won't hurt you, that's certain. Now look here, boy----"
"My name is Russ Bunker," interrupted the lad.
"Well, Russ, do you think you could go across the bridge and get my
horse for me? If I had him I could ride away, now that I feel better
after having had a drink. Will you cross the bridge and get my horse for
me?"
"No," said Russ slowly, "I couldn't do that."
"Why not? The horse won't hurt you. He's so tame you could walk right up
to him, and get hold of the reins. He won't run the way some horses do.
You know something about horses or you wouldn't be riding one. Why won't
you get mine?"
"'Cause Mother said I wasn't to cross the bridge alone," answered Russ.
"Me or Laddie--we can't go across the bridge alone."
"Oh," said the cowboy. "But then your mother didn't know you were going
to meet a sick man--one that couldn't walk. She'd let you cross the
bridge if she was here."
"But she isn't here," said Russ. "I know what I can do, though! I can
ride back and ask her if Laddie and I can go across the bridge for your
horse. I'll do it!"
"No! Wait! Hold on a minute!" cried the cowboy. "I don't want you to do
that. I don't want you to ride and tell any one I'm here. I'd rather
you'd get my horse for me yourself. Just ride your horse across the
bridge and get mine."
"I haven't a horse. I have one of Uncle Fred's ponies," said Russ. "And
my brother Laddie's got a pony, too. But I can't go across the bridge.
Mother said I wasn't to. But I'll ride to Three Star Ranch----"
"Are you from Three Star Ranch?" asked the cowboy quickly.
"Yes," answered Russ.
"Oh!" and the cowboy seemed much surprised. "Well, I guess I'd better
get my own horse then," he said. "I guess no one from Three Star Ranch
would want to help me if they knew what I'd done. Ride along, boy--Russ
you said your name was, didn't you? Ride along, and I'll see if I can't
crawl over and get my own horse."
Russ did not know what to do. He wanted to help the cowboy, who seemed
in much pain, but the little boy was not going to cross the bridge when
his mother had told him not to.
"Hey!" called Laddie. "Come on, Russ. I'm tired of holding your pony."
"All right," said Russ. "I'm coming. We have to ride back and ask Mother
if we can cross the bridge to catch that horse!" and he pointed to the
cowboy's animal, still cropping grass on the other side of the creek.
"No, don't bother about me," said the man in the grass. "I'll get my own
horse. Always be a good boy and mind your mother. Then you won't get
into trouble. I wish I had minded mine. Maybe I wouldn't be here now.
Ride on home, but don't say anything about me."
Russ turned back to join Laddie. As he did so he saw the cowboy try to
rise up and walk. But the man, as soon as he put one leg to the ground,
uttered a loud cry and fell back. Then he lay very still and quiet.
"What's the matter with him?" asked Laddie, in a low voice.
"I don't know," answered Russ. "But I guess we'd better ride back and
tell Daddy or Uncle Fred. They'll know what to do. We can't cross the
bridge, but we can go for help. Come on!"
Russ got on his pony again, and he and Laddie rode away as fast as they
could, leaving the cowboy very still and quiet, lying in the long grass
at the end of the bridge.
Meanwhile something was going on back at the Three Star Ranch house.
Uncle Fred and Daddy Bunker, who had been out riding on the plains, came
galloping back.
"Where are Russ and Laddie?" asked their father of his wife.
"They went for a ride down by the creek," she answered. "They said
they'd go only as far as the bridge. But they've been gone a long while,
and I wish you'd ride after them and bring them back."
"I will," said Mr. Bunker. "Want to come for a ride, Rose?"
"Yes, Daddy."
"Well, I'll get your pony out of the corral, and saddle him for you.
Then we'll ride and get Russ and Laddie."
A little later Rose and her father started out on their ride. As they
passed near the queer spring, which, for the last day or so had not
emptied itself of water, Daddy Bunker saw quite a hole in the ground.
"What's that?" he asked Rose.
"Oh, it's where Russ and Laddie started to make a well," she answered.
"But I guess they didn't find any water."
Daddy Bunker got off his horse to take a look. He bent over the well the
boys had dug, and stooped close down to it. As he did so a queer look
came over his face.
"I wonder if this can be the place?" he said to himself.
"What is it?" asked Rose.
"I don't know," her father answered. "But it sounds to me like running
water down near where Russ and Laddie have been digging. If it is, it
may mean we can find out the secret of Uncle Fred's spring. I guess I'd
better go and tell him. It won't take long, and then we can all ride on
and get Russ and Laddie, if they aren't back by then.
"Yes, I shouldn't be surprised but what those two boys had started to
solve the riddle of the spring. I must tell Uncle Fred!"