CHAPTER XII.
ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DIVIDE.
JIM COLTER and Jack had ridden to the lower end of Rainbow Creek, whereit widened into a kind of natural reservoir. Some yards beyond it, aline of upright rails divided the Ralston ranch from that of theNortons. The earth dipped slightly on the farther side and a thicket oflow sage brush covered the rise in the land beyond.
Jim and Jack saw nothing moving in the sage brush or beyond it and therewas no one in sight. Their impression must have been a mistake, for theonly living thing in view was a flock of wild geese which flew overtheir heads uttering their shrill clamor. Jim sat erect, silent andwatchful as an Indian, on the back of his equally motionless pony, hishand shading his eyes.
Jack waited on her horse gazing at the quiet waters of Rainbow Creek.Suddenly there came a low rumble inside the earth, like a note ofwarning, and then the land began to rise in sandy billows as though waveon wave were seeking some distant shore. The two horses with theirsilent riders shook as with the ague; the face of Rainbow Lake shivered,then her waters lashed the shores as though they had been partedasunder, and a moment later receded and began to disappear. It was as ifold Father Neptune had deserted his home at the bottom of the sea toplay his mighty games in the shallow waters of Rainbow Creek. It seemedas though he had blown a great blast through his sacred horn and causedthe water to spurt upward, then had drawn it slowly back into his hornagain.
The noise and the movement died away.
"Was it an earthquake, Jim?" Jacqueline managed to murmur, as soon asshe could get her breath. She had slipped quietly off her pony and waspatting it softly, for the broncho was terribly frightened at thestrangeness of his experience.
Jim nodded solemnly. "A human earthquake, I guess. Don't be alarmed, itwon't occur again, but get to cover quickly."
Jacqueline Ralston knew as well as though she had been a pioneer womantrained to warfare with the Indians in the early days in the West, whatJim's mysterious words, "get to cover," meant. She and Jim used toplay, long years before, that they were travelers across the plains,being hunted down by bands of roving Indians. This was when Jack was asmall, bronze-haired tomboy, riding bare-back over the prairies,swimming with her father in the clear, cold mountain streams, afraid ofnothing and of no one, the pride of every cowboy on Rainbow Ranch. Latershe had learned the value of hiding in ambush in stalking wild game.But, even if Jack had not understood the importance of Jim's advice, shehad been trained to obey instantly the word of a superior officer in themoment of action.
It was not an easy matter to seek shelter with a broncho fourteen and ahalf hands high in the particular part of the ranch where Jack and Jimhappened to be at this moment. There were no trees, no underbush of anykind. The trees that are usually found near the beds of streams in thewestern country, were on the far side of Rainbow Creek. There was notime to wade across. Jack dropped her reins, hoping her pony wouldwander quietly away. She bent forward and ran as swiftly and silently aspossible toward the straggling rail fence. Then she lay down in theshort brown grass, as motionless as a frightened partridge who tries tomake the hunter believe he is a part of the still landscape. Jim Coltercrawled after Jack, bringing with him his long rope.
A few minutes later a man's figure rose up from the screen of sagebushes on the Norton ranch and the sun glinted on a bright red head. Theboy swung his hat in the air once, twice, three times. Then he repeatedthe signal.
Jim crept through the fence like an eel. Without making the least soundthat could be heard by the fellow, whose back was turned to him, Jim gotwithin thirty feet of his enemy.
Jack wondered what on the face of the earth Jim intended to do. Then hereyes widened with surprise and with laughter. There was a swish, astreak through the air, as Jim's lariat uncoiled. Hearing the noise theboy turned and the rope caught him around the waist, pinning his armssecurely to his side. He was lassoed as safely as any wild pony.
Jim then calmly started to walk back toward the rail fence that dividedthe two ranches. He seemed blissfully indifferent to the fact that hedragged an angry and sputtering young man at the end of his rope. DanNorton, Jr., was a heavy, stocky fellow, with a good deal of brutestrength, but Jim Colter was long and lean, with muscles of steel.Besides, as Dan threw his resisting strength against that of hisopponent, the rope tightened about him and cut more deeply into hisflesh. He kicked viciously like an unruly colt, but Jim did notcondescend to look behind him; his victim was kicking nothing but air,as Jim was ten yards in front.
"What are you doing? Where are you going?" Dan shouted, almost chokingwith rage.
Jack rose up from behind the shield of the fence. The sight of Jim andhis prize was too beautiful, and Jack felt that she was being repaid formany of the cruel tricks that Dan and his father had played on her sinceshe was a little girl. She recalled the time that Dan had nearly put outher eyes, when she was only four years old. She had been playing withhim and when she lifted her face to his in answer to some question, hehad thrown a great box of sand straight into her wide-open eyes. It wascurious how well Jack remembered the deed at this moment.
"Let me go, I'll have you in jail for this. What do you mean bytrespassing on my land?" Dan yelled.
Jim laughed and drew Dan closer to him. "Don't get so upset, sonnie, Iam not going to trespass on your land," he urged quietly. "This rope isjust a little scheme of mine to make you cross the great divide betweenyour ranch and ours, while we talk a few things over." Jim hauled Danthrough an opening in the fence.
Jack dared not look straight at them. She did feel it would be toohateful of her to laugh out loud, yet how could she help it? Dan was sodesperately angry that it made him fume and fuss and jump about like anexcited rooster, and his red head did suggest a rooster's comb.
"Look out, Jim," Jack sang out. "Here come the men Dan was signaling."
Across one of the Norton fields, with their gaze centered on the clumpof sage where they expected to find their young master, marched threecowboys from the Norton ranch.
"Come here," Dan shouted, trying in vain to loosen one of his hands towave to his men.
Jim slipped one of his Colts out of its holster and passed it over toJack. "Just keep this for me, will you, Miss Ralston?" he askedpolitely. "There won't be any use for it, but there is no harm in havingit handy."
Jim spoke to the puzzled ranchmen and greeted them calmly. "Come as faras you like on your own side of the fence," he said, "but kindly stopright there. I have a few questions I would like to ask Mr. DanielNorton, Jr., and I wouldn't object to some witnesses. Needn't be afraid,the earthquake is all over. Mr. Norton and I are going to talk quiteneighborly and friendly like, as soon as he cools off a bit."
Jim Colter spoke so quietly that the men who watched him knew he meantbusiness. You see Jim's reputation was that he was one of the mostdangerous men in the country when he was aroused, and there was no doubtof his present feeling.
The three men nodded respectfully. They did not wish to have a fight,for if they attacked Jim and tried to get Dan Norton away from him, hewould undoubtedly use his pistol, and then there was Jacqueline.
The cowboys jerked their heads at Jack in a greeting intended to beexceedingly polite. Jack understood and returned the men's bows with herbest smile. She did not desire to let Jim make the affair with Dan tooserious if she could help it, but she had rarely seen their overseer sodeeply angry in her life.
An Eastern girl and most Western ones would have been horrified atJacqueline Ralston's present position. She was standing, a quiet andattentive listener, in a group of five uncultured men. One of thecowboys was Josef, the Indian Laska's son, the other a Mexican, and butone of the three an American. They were all angry and lawless and onlyone of the five her friend, yet Jacqueline did not think of her positionas unusual. She was far too much interested in what was about to takeplace to think of herself at all and knew that not one of the cowboyswould touch her and she was not in the least in fear of Dan. JacquelineRalston was not like a gi
rl with a father and mother to care for her.She had been brought up with the ideas of a pioneer woman and was tryingto run a ranch and to make a living for herself, her cousin and sister,and if there was any danger that threatened their property or them, shemust know what it was and must do what she could to prevent it. Jackwas leaning on a rail of the fence. Her hat had fallen on the ground andher face was white, yet it held a look of quiet power and strengthremarkable in a girl so young.
Jim was aggravatingly slow. He was facing Dan Norton while the cowboyshung over the pickets. Dan had ceased to struggle, but still refused tolook either at Jim or Jack.
"Our little talk ain't going to take but a few minutes, sonnie, if youwill answer my questions straight from the shoulder," Jim drawled. "Didany of you feel a bit of a shock, say like an earthquake, a few minutesback? It 'peared like the ground near Rainbow Creek had gotten tired ofnot being heard from for some time past and had suddenly swelled up andbust."
Jim pointed toward the lake only a few yards from them. Jack wasstartled to see how much lower the water was. Could it have fallen aninch in such a little while?
Dan shook his head scornfully. "Earthquake! No, you are off your base,"he sputtered. "That is, at least I did feel a slight motion, but itdidn't amount to much. I don't see how you can hold me responsible foran earthquake. Say fellers, Jim Colter is pretty far gone isn't he, ifhe thinks I am powerful enough to move the earth." Dan grinned,delighted with his own wit, but his cowboys only continued to stare athim solemnly.
"Glad you felt a little motion, though you was pretty safe out of theway," Jim went on in the same quiet fashion. "Seems like I could shut myeyes and tell you just how that earthquake happened. You ought to haveseen the waters of Rainbow Creek dash up in the air and then begin toslide plum out of sight. It was most like a miracle."
Dan faced Jim impudently. "Well, go on, tell us how your miraclehappened?" he invited scornfully.
Jacqueline was puzzled. She had no idea how Jim would be able to explainthe peculiar phenomenon which they had just seen.
"Oh, a charge of dynamite caused our little earthquake," Jim explainedbriefly.
"You see, Mr. Norton, you have been trying to drain the water from ourcreek to your ranch for some time back, but digging a lower channel waspretty slow work. That little bunch of dynamite just between your landand our lake has made a pretty nice passage for our water to flowthrough. I suppose you made your entrance underground somewhere nearthat clump of sage brush, so it would be hard for us to discover."
Dan shrugged his heavy shoulders, "What rotten nonsense," he returnedsullenly.
Jacqueline's eyes were fairly starting with surprise and she opened herlips to ask a question but closed them quickly. She couldn't expect tocomprehend Jim's accusation. What girl ever has understood anythingabout engineering?
Jim laughed, straightened up and glanced toward the three cowboys, whowere grouped picturesquely on the opposite side of the divide. "Oh, youdon't have to take my word for it," he remarked casually, "I will haveone of the State engineers over to prove it to you. You see if there isone thing we are strict about in Wyoming, it is our water rights.
"You and your father shall pay us a tidy sum of money in damages forthis work." Jim slowly let go the tight knot which had held Dan Norton."Now get along home when you like, young man," he concluded. "I amthrough with you for to-day."
Dan flung the lasso to the ground and glared angrily at Jim and then atJack. But his eyes fell before Jacqueline Ralston's. Jack was looking athim steadily with the scornful, slightly haughty expression he so hated.
Dan smiled. His light blue eyes were almost green with temper andnarrowed into two fine lines. "Oh, it don't matter about your old creek,at present," he jeered. "You can keep the water on Rainbow Ranch foranother few months, when father and I take possession of the ranch, wecan drain the water over here if we like. So long!" and he glancedcontemptuously at Jack, as he marched by her.
Jack had her riding whip in her left hand. For a second she longed tostrike at Dan Norton with it. How dared he speak in that calm andself-assured fashion of some day taking possession of their own belovedRainbow Ranch? Jack's heart was like lead, but not a muscle of herlovely face moved, her eyelashes did not even tremble.
Jim watched Dan sneak across the divide and he and Jack waited until thefour men started on foot across the plain. Then Jim smiled a slow smilewhich meant many things. "Don't you worry quite so much about our losingour ranch, Jacqueline Ralston," Jim announced. "If old Daniel Norton hadfelt so sure he was going to succeed in getting our place away from us,he would never have tried to steal our water at this stage of the game."
The two horses were grazing near by and Jim lifted Jack into her saddle.They turned their faces toward Rainbow Lodge.
Once or twice, Jim rubbed his chin. "Pretty good day's work for us,boss?" he asked finally.
Jack's eyes danced and a deep rose color glowed in her cheeks. She didnot look in the least like the girl who had received in tears the newsof the possible loss of her home.
Jack laughed softly, under her breath. "It sure was a good day's work,overseer, and we'll fight till the hat drops," she answered, in the toneof another cowboy. Then Jack flicked her pony with her whip. "Do let'shurry, Jim," she called gaily. "I never saw anything in my life sodelicious as the picture you made lassoing Dan. I am just dying to gethome to tell the other girls."
The Ranch Girls at Rainbow Lodge Page 12
