CHAPTER IV.
THE NIGHT ALARM.
"That was a time you got some news that looks like it staggered you,Adrian," remarked Billie, after the three cow-punchers had dashed away,on their road west.
"Seems like it," declared the one addressed, who was scratching his headin a puzzled way; "but do you know, it's hard to believe that any sortof woman could get the whip-hand over my Uncle Fred. Why, there neverwas a more fiery and determined character. He ran things with an ironhand, even that puncher admitted as much. How he could be brought undera woman's thumb is more'n I can understand."
"Oh!" spoke up Donald, sagaciously, "you don't know how some women canmanage. And from the way that fellow mentioned Mrs. Fred I reckon nowthat she's that big she can just fling her hubby around like a cat, whenshe's riled up. Two black eyes is going some, and for a whole month too!Looks like you might be getting a little closer to an explanation of thequeer things that have been going on up here on your Bar-S Ranch, ChumAdrian."
"Yes, it looks like it," agreed the other; "but I'll never believe UncleFred is ruled by a petticoat till I see it with my own eyes. He's asmall man, but a masterful fighter. I can remember him flinging a fellowtwice his heft in a wrestling match; for Uncle Fred has been in Japan,and learned the ju jitsu way of doing an antagonist up."
"Mebbe he has," remarked Billie, who was taking pains to search his packfor the bottle of witch-hazel, meaning to get to work easing the pain ofthe lame back Jupiter had; "but seems like it don't work with a femalescrapper; or else your unk is too gallant a gentleman to apply suchstrong tactics against the wife of his bosom, so he lets her get thebest of every scrimmage, till his spirit is broken--leastwise that waswhat our cowboy friend seemed to imply just now."
"It's something to think about, anyhow," observed Donald; "and for oneI'm right glad we ran across those punchers. And we know about theWalkers, too. Fine bunch to have around, ain't they, now? And Mrs. Fred,he took pains to tell us, was one of the Walkers before she got married!There's a nigger in this woodpile somewhere, Adrian, and looks like itmight be up to us to find out just where."
"We will, before we head back South again, depend on that," said Adrian,with the set look about his mouth that his chums knew so well, and whichspoke of a grim determination before which every obstacle must give way.
They now set about making themselves as comfortable as possible, meaningto camp there in among those few trees for the night, which was only acouple of hours distant. As this was a very old story with both Adrianand Donald, and even Billie now came to look upon it as a lesson welllearned, they knew just how to go about it in order to get the bestresults.
The ponies were staked out, not that it was expected that any one of thewell-trained animals would stray far away while cropping the grass; buton account of wild animals, or possible horse thieves, it was thoughtbest to have them within reach, and so fastened that they could not bestampeded in any way.
Then came the duty of starting the cooking fire. This was usuallyBillie's job, for he had shown considerable ability along the cookingline, and moreover relished being placed in a position where hisallowance of "grub" could not be cut down by ruthless hands.
On this particular occasion Billie was so much taken up with doctoringthe sore back of his pony that Adrian took the duty of making the fireon his shoulders.
In lieu of stones with which to build a fireplace where coffee-pot andfrying-pan could rest, he simply dug out a hole in the ground, andstarted his blaze there. Later on, when this became half-filled withglowing embers, it would be time to commence the business of gettingtheir camp supper.
No matter where they might happen to partake of a meal, or how good thefare at some of the taverns they had struck in towns along the way,Billie loved the genuine camp meal best of all. They had found chancesto do some shooting when on the trail, so that it was seldom they werewithout fresh meat for supper. On several occasions Billie had eveninsisted on purchasing a big generous beefsteak in some town throughwhich they happened to pass along about the middle of the afternoon,when it was decided that they would keep on and camp out, the weatherconditions seeming favorable.
There was some venison still in the larder, for on the previous dayAdrian had managed to creep up close enough to several feeding antelopeto attract their attention by waving his red bandanna, while he laysheltered from their view among a patch of rattle-snake weeds; the timidanimals had started to run away at first, and then that fatal gift ofcuriosity began to get in its work, so that they had stopped, come backa little, run off again, and repeated these hesitating tactics until thesportsman, believing they were within easy rifleshot, had taken aim andknocked over a youngster.
And there was plenty left for a full meal all around, even counting onBillie as two persons, which the others generally did.
"We're going to have a decent night of it, I reckon," observed Donald,as the three of them sat around, just before sunset, and discussed thetender venison that had been cooked, and which along with coffee, andplenty of crackers, made up their supper.
"Yes," added Adrian, with a glance aloft as he spoke, "some cloudsfloating over, perhaps, but not enough to mean rain. And the moon oughtto come up in less'n two hours from now."
"Glad of it," ventured Billie, wondering if he could manage to disposeof that last piece of meat in the pan, for it always distressed him tothrow anything away; "because I just hate black nights. You never knowwhat might lie close to you, out here on the big open, when it's likethe inside of your hat. But give me the jolly moonlight. I just love thenights when you can look out miles away, and tell when a measly old wolfis creeping up."
At that the others laughed.
"Seems like you hadn't learned your lesson yet, Billie," remarkedAdrian. "Just wait till the brightest night you ever saw comes along,and find out how far away you can say for sure whether it's a stump yousee, or a cow lying down. Moonlight is all good enough close at hand,but this thing of telling your best friend two hundred yards away issilly. It can't be done, can it, Donald?"
"Well, I should say not," agreed the other.
"You surprise me, fellows!" declared Billie; "and the first chance I getI'm going to put it to the test. But mebbe not tonight, because I'm thatweary after my hot ride I feel like I could lie right down now, andnever open my eyes till sun-up."
"That wouldn't surprise us any, Billie," chuckled Donald; "fact is, it'sa regular habit with you, seems like. I've rolled you over as many asseven times, and only got a few grunts out of you to pay me for it. Adash of cold water in your face is often the only way we have of wakingyou up."
"Yes, and every time I'm dreaming that I've fallen overboard in NiagaraRiver, and find myself floating down the terrible falls!" declared thefat boy, "so please let up on that game, won't you? Try sticking a pinin me if you want. P'raps then I'll go and dream I'm bleeding to death;but even that's better than to drop over Niagara Falls."
They sat there as night fell, chatting, and occupying themselves invarious ways. Adrian had his log to write up, and no doubt would do fulljustice to the wild ride that the fat chum had been forced to take thatafternoon, all on account of the mean trick played by the village boy.Donald was writing a letter to his home folks, which he hoped to mail onthe next day somewhere; while Billie wandered out several times to whereJupiter was tethered, wishing to put more soothing balm on the abrasioncaused by the bunch of sand spurs weighed down under the saddle.
About the time the battered moon appeared above the level horizon in theeast all of them were thinking of making their beds ready, being more orless tired after the long day's journey.
It was not thought worth while to stand guard, for the ponies had beentrained so as to give warning if anything out of the common came about.Both Adrian and Donald were light sleepers, and should the horsescommence to snort, or strike the ground with their hoofs, the sound wassure to awaken one or both lads.
Each of them had a heavy double blanket along, which would feel verycomfortable
during these chilly nights. Wrapped up in this, Billie foundit easy to shut off all sounds, and could be asleep in about threeminutes, because he never worried over anything, leaving all this to hischums.
But then neither of the others was very long in getting to sleep on thisnight. Possibly Adrian lay there for a little while, puzzling his brainover the singular news he had received from those three cow-punchers,with reference to the remarkable change that had come to pass in thedomestic relations of Uncle Fred; but in good time he too yielded to thedemands of Nature, and slept peacefully.
It must have been some hours later when Donald lifted his head tolisten. Then he gave Adrian a little punch, as he whispered:
"Wake up, Ad; something doing, I reckon, because our horses are actingqueer and uneasy out here."
Instantly the other sat up, throwing back his blanket, while his hand,perhaps unconsciously, reached out for the faithful rifle that had lainclose beside him as he slept.
"Hear 'em?" inquired Donald, presently.
"I should say, yes," came the reply; "and just as you say, Donald, itmust mean danger of some kind. The moon's behind the clouds, and p'rapswe're going to have some sort of a storm after all, because that soundslike thunder I hear."
"Listen again, Ad," said the other, quickly, "and perhaps you'll changeyour mind about the _kind_ of thunder that is. When a heap of hoofs comedown chunketty-chunk on the hard prairie it always makes that thundernoise."
At that Adrian jumped to his feet.
"What's that, Donald?" he cried, excitedly, "do you mean long-horns?"
"Just what I do, and heading this way as fast as they can come. Sure youmust know all the signs right well, Adrian; you've been on the rangeenough to understand when cattle get frightened, and start off on astampede. That's what's happened; and as they go past this timber,p'raps we can see what it all means!"
The Broncho Rider Boys on the Wyoming Trail Page 4
