CHAPTER XVIII
DRIVING THE HERD
At noon the drivers had eaten whatever they chanced to have along withthem. If one happened to be better provided than his mates, he was onlytoo willing to share his lunch. It was anticipated that when night cameone of the yearlings in the herd would be sacrificed to make a supperfor the outfit; and on the strength of this the boys had been enabled toput in the entire afternoon.
Once they “threw a leg over a saddle” they seemed to revive wonderfully.After that the tired herd would have to hasten to keep up, for thehorses were fresh.
But Colonel Haywood knew they could not expect to make any greatdistance before camping. He saw that some of the cattle were footsore,and liable to drop if pushed too far.
“There’s only one thing we’ve got to look out for,” remarked Bart, asthey considered the advisability of stopping for the night.
“What’s that?” asked Bob, who chanced to be alongside the foreman at thetime.
“We don’t have any way of knowing what them rustlers might feel likedoing, once they git out of that bunk-house,” Bart continued.
“Do you mean they may take a notion to follow us, and fight for thepossession of the herd?” asked the boy, thrilled by the possibility offurther adventure on this trip.
“Well, as a rule, the fellers that foller that line of business are alot of cowardly coyotes; and on bein’ found out will run to beat theband,” Bart went on. “But this here Mendoza, he’s hard to place. Coursehe’s just boilin’ over mad because his fine hiding place is discovered,and he’ll never be able to use the same again. Question is, will he makea break for the border, thinking the ranchers are hot on his trail; orfoller after us, just for spite, to stampede the herd, and maketrouble?”
“Then we’ll have to keep a pretty good watch, I should think,” Bobobserved.
“That goes without sayin’, younker,” replied the boss puncher. “And assome of the stock just look all in, we’ll have to call a halt here andnow. It’s as good a place as we can find, I opine.”
“Just what I was going to say, Bart,” laughed Frank, coming up at thatmoment; “for the grass is good, considering the season; and here’s allthe water wanted, fresh from the mountains.”
When the shouts of the cowboys told the weary cattle that they were tostop and rest, they gave evidence of their satisfaction. Crowding alongthe little stream, they drank their fill after the heat of the day. Somebegan to crop the forage, with others immediately dropped down, utterlyexhausted by their labors.
With the report of a gun one of the yearlings dropped, and a cowboy wassoon busily engaged in cutting the animal up to serve as their supper.
A fire was started, though fuel seemed scarce. But then, only a cookingblaze was required, and after supper was served they would have nofurther need for any fire.
Bob admitted frankly that he felt tired out, though he did not fullyrealize just how weary he was until he had sat down a little while, andthen attempted to rise suddenly.
“Why, I just can’t do it, Frank!” he exclaimed with a long face. “Seemsas if my legs needed oiling about the hinges, they’re that rusty. Gee! Ihope I’ll be feeling better than this in the morning.”
“Oh! don’t worry about that,” laughed his chum, who, of course, beingsomewhat tougher, had not suffered quite as much as Bob; “after a sleepyou’ll be as fresh as a daisy again.”
“But I want to stand my watch to-night, all the same,” ventured Bob,positively.
Frank looked at him.
“What’s come over you, to say that?” he demanded.
“Because, when there’s danger around I think every fellow ought to sharethe duties of standing guard,” Bob replied, sturdily.
At that Frank whistled, and then chuckled.
“I see you’ve been talking with Bart, and he’s given you the idea therustlers may be silly enough to follow after us, just to get revenge,”he remarked.
“Well, Bart did say something like that,” Bob admitted; “and he alsotold me he meant to keep a close watch all night, to prevent a surpriseand a stampede.”
“Oh! rats! don’t you believe there’s anything like that going tohappen,” Frank hastened to remark, seeing that his chum was reallyconcerned and worried over the grim predictions of the boss cowboy.
“Then you don’t take any stock in it, yourself, Frank?”
“No I don’t,” replied the other, quickly adding: “though of course Bartis quite right in saying he doesn’t mean to take any chances of astampede in the night. We’ve done so well that it would be a shame tohave any accident happen now.”
“But how about the rustlers?” asked the other.
“Well, by this time they’re out of that bunk-house, perhaps; or will beas soon as it’s really dark. My opinion is, if you want to hear it, Bob,that they’ll get out of that valley on foot as fast as they can, leavingtheir ponies behind them, because they won’t know about this othergateway, you understand.”
“And then?” continued Bob.
“They’ll be in a panic, believing that, since they’re known now, thecountry’ll soon be too hot to hold ’em. And so there’ll be a chase forthe Mexican border; and a ‘good riddance to bad rubbish’ for Arizona,”Frank concluded.
After that little talk Bob’s fears subsided somewhat, though he didoccasionally cast a furtive glance backward to where the high rockyridge cut across the sky-line, as though wondering what was taking placebeyond the barrier.
Supper was soon ready, and it was an almost famished bunch of cowpunchers who gathered around, taking turns at eating; for Bart would notlet the herd go unguarded even for a minute.
Arrangements were soon made looking to a detail of wranglers to standwatch over the saddle horses and the cattle. Bob was not allowed anyshare in this duty, much to his regret, for he was in earnest in hiswish to have a part in the labor. His inexperience would have renderedhis work of little value, and the head herder decided that he might justas well get his full rest.
Bob lay down the best he could. He needed no lullaby to put him to sleepthat night. The last things he remembered hearing were the whispers ofthe boys who sat near by, the drone of insects in the grass, the uneasymovements of the herd not far away, and some night bird calling in thetrees close by the foot of the mountains.
When he awoke he could hardly believe his senses, as he sat up and dughis knuckles in his eyes. It was getting broad daylight. The cattleseemed to be for the most part feeding on the sweet grass that grewclose to the creek; and were apparently in good trim for the long driveto the ranch.
“Well, that was a time when I slept like a top, sure pop,” said Bob, ashe started to get to his feet. “Seems as if I’d just lain down; and yethere it is dawn. And nothing happened after all!”
There was a shade of disappointment in Bob’s tone. Whether this camefrom the fact that he had not been allowed to share in guarding thecamp, because of his being reckoned a greenhorn; or on account of thefailure of Bart’s prediction of further trouble, it would be hard tosay.
Enough of the beef remained to serve for breakfast; and they hoped to beat the ranch before they were hungry again.
“You see, we didn’t have any trouble after all, Bob,” said Frank, as hejoined his chum, who was looking after his horse at the time.
“If we did, I must have slept right through it all,” chuckled Bob.“Never knew a thing from the time I shut my eyes till daylight wakenedme. But I reckon nothing bothered the herd, and we’re starting the dayfine.”
“I don’t believe even a stray wolf or coyote came near, the wholenight,” Frank went on. “I was up myself for two hours, keeping watchover the cattle; and once I thought I heard the report of firearms, butit wasn’t repeated; and right now I couldn’t say what it was I caught.Might have been just one of those little rock slides up on themountain.”
“I’m glad it’s all over,” said Bob.
“Same here,” Frank added. “It’s sure been some strenuous. And that cl
imbover the ridge was the toughest ever. I suppose you’ll believe now whatI told you about how cattle can get up, and go some?”
“They’re just great at climbing, that’s what,” the other admitted.
After breakfast the start was made. There was little trouble with theherd now. Reaching level land had apparently brought about a return oftheir confidence; and it might even be that some of the older steerscould scent their customary feeding grounds in the distance.
At any rate they started off, and being once more in their glory whilemounted on their ponies, the cowboys proved as active as cats, dartinghere and there to keep their charges in a compact mass as they headedtoward distant Circle Ranch.
It was about two hours later that Bob rode alongside his chum.
“Say, do you suppose that means any trouble for us, Frank?” he demanded;and as the other turned his head to see what the Kentucky boy might bepointing at, he discovered two horsemen heading after them.
Visions of a desperate and vengeful Mendoza had naturally leaped intoBob’s mind, at first seeing these parties. Frank quickly put him at hisease.
“Not by a jugfull, Bob,” he said, cheerfully. “Those fellows are the twomen we left behind us in the valley, to guard the rustlers, and keepthem quiet. They got out all right, it seems, and found their ponieswhere they were left.”
“Perhaps they’ll be able to tell us something about the rustlers, andwhat they were doing the last they saw of the crowd?” Bob suggested.
“Well, as like as not they may,” his chum admitted; and then they waitedfor the two riders to overtake the herd drivers.
Of course there was considerable yelling and waving of hats to mark thearrival of the balance of the Circle Ranch outfit. But, knowing thatthey should make their report to their employer first, the two riderssought the spot where he and the foreman were to be found.
Of course the two saddle boys hovered around, wishing to learn any newsin connection with what had occurred in the valley during the precedingday, while the great herd was being driven over the ridge.
Under the skillful questioning of the stockman the cowboys told theirstory. All through the long day they had kept watch and ward over thebunk-house. Several times the rustlers who were being held prisonersthere made a show of rushing out; but they really lacked the nerve totake their lives in their hands. And so evening still found thesituation unchanged.
When it was dark the two cowboys had fired a few shots to let therustlers understand they were still on deck. Then they had decamped,and, finding the exit, managed, after great difficulties, to climb outover the masses of piled-up rock, which had been torn loose by theexplosion of dynamite.
They had spent the balance of the night in hiding, and when morning camemade a “bee-line” for the place where they had been informed theirhorses would be waiting. After that it was no great effort to discoverthe presence of the herd off on the plain, and make direct for thecattle.
“Then you saw nothing of the rustlers after you left?” asked thestockman.
“We think we saw a bunch of riders far away to the south, an hour back,”one of the cowboys answered; “and hitting it up for all they were worth.If so be the rustlers had a saddle band outside the valley somewhere,then that must ’a been the crowd we saw. No danger of them comin’ backagain.”
“Well, on the whole, it’s just as well,” remarked Colonel Haywood;“though there are those who have suffered at the hands of Mendoza in thepast who would much rather see him a prisoner, and sent to thepenitentiary for a long term.”
“I reckon he’d never get thar,” remarked Bart, with a smile and a nod,that Bob, though a greenhorn, could easily interpret to mean that thecow men knew of a better way to settle the rustler so he could neveragain raid their herds.
The Saddle Boys at Circle Ranch; Or, In at the Grand Round-Up Page 18
