The wind blew up dust, stinging Tyler’s eyes. He pulled his kerchief around his nose and mouth.
“If we can keep them circling,” William yelled, riding up alongside Tyler, “I think we’ll be okay. We pushed them hard today, and they’re awfully tired.” Lightning flashed, this time much closer.
“They aren’t the only ones. I don’t think I slept more than ten minutes.” Tyler tightened his grip on the reins as his horse did an agitated side step.
“I think we’re in for it,” William said, rubbing his right thigh. “Keep alert.”
“If you think . . . well . . . if you need to pull Andy out, you could have him watch over the horses. He and Newt aren’t used to this, after all.”
“I think we’re gonna need every hand we got,” William replied. Rain began to fall, and he pulled his hat down more firmly. “I’d best check on the others.”
Tyler could hear the tension in his tone. He knew Will would rather put Andy someplace safe. It wouldn’t serve any of them to be worrying about the boys. Longhorn cattle by nature could be more than a little cantankerous when disturbed, and while both Andy and Newt had served well on the drive, Tyler knew this would truly prove their mettle.
The storm hit in full force some minutes later. The wind was intense and the rain pummeled them with huge drops and marble-sized hail. Tyler was grateful for the slicker he’d donned, but he could still feel the sting of the ice pellets.
The cattle weren’t willing to be contained in the circle, and it wasn’t long before a large number broke off to run wild. Chaos soon erupted. In the predawn, several hundred longhorns stampeded out across the open prairie with several riders close behind them. Tyler decided to stay with the milling herd and see if they couldn’t keep the remaining animals circling. They could always round up the strays tomorrow. Tyler whistled and called loudly, uncertain that the cattle could even hear his efforts. He also prayed, knowing that God could hear, even if the beeves couldn’t.
The trees along the river seemed to bend in half at one point, and it was during this same time that Tyler very nearly lost control of his horse. The gelding reared when one of the longhorns came too close and the steer’s horn ripped across the side of the horse’s neck. Tyler saw blood and could only hope the injury wasn’t serious. He worked to calm his mount. The force of the rain was making the ground thick with mud. They’d be lucky if they weren’t mired down here for days to come at this rate.
“Of course we have to make it through this storm first,” Tyler said aloud, knowing that no one could hear him above the din.
An eternity seemed to pass before the wind and the animals calmed. Gradually the storm moved off to the northeast, and the herd slowed its pace. Rumbles of thunder and flashes of lightning could be heard and seen in the distance, but by this time the remaining herd was exhausted from the ordeal and seemed inclined to settle down. Tyler wondered how the others were doing with the stampeding animals. It wasn’t until William came in search of Andy that he realized who had gone after the beasts.
“You mean to tell me Andy and Newt both went off with those beeves?” Tyler questioned. “Are you sure they aren’t here?”
“I’ve checked everywhere else. They’re gone, and so are Grubbs and Sidley.”
“They’re good men,” Tyler said. “They’ll know what to do.”
William looked grim in the new dawn light. “But Andy and Newt won’t.”
Tyler followed William as he headed in the direction the stampeding cattle had fled. He knew better than to try to offer words of comfort. Andy was like a son to Will, and Will would never forgive himself if something happened to the boy.
They rode for at least three and a half miles before catching sight of a few strays. Tyler could make out a couple dozen beeves loitering by the creek bank. William motioned them on, and Tyler knew they’d worry about rounding up the animals on the way back. It was nearly another three miles before they located the bulk of the herd. The animals were still agitated, but Grubbs and Sidley were doing their best to round them up. The only saving grace had been that the animals had headed themselves into the rocky ravines near the river and were slowed by the landscape.
“You boys seen Andy and Newt?” William called out.
Grubbs turned and lowered his kerchief. “Ain’t seen nobody else till you came along. These have gotta be the meanest bunch of steaks I ever worked with.”
Tyler nodded and rode forward. “The boys came after the stampede or else got caught up in it. We need to find them.”
“The herd split again after it got up this far,” Sidley said. “We were just getting this bunch together, but I noticed a ways back that a bunch went down toward that canyon area by the river. Could be the boys went thataway.”
William nodded and without another word reined his mount hard to the left and headed off in the direction Sidley pointed to. Tyler followed, knowing that if the boys were left to themselves, it could be they’d find one or both of them injured.
He caught up to William but said nothing. They soon found the trail Sidley was talking about, and it looked as if quite a few head had come this way. The trail wound into a hilly area of rocky ledges and boulder-strewn paths. Not far away the river twisted along its course.
Tyler stopped and looked around. He could hear the sound of cattle lowing. “They gotta be just down by the river,” he told William.
Nodding, William urged his mount forward, and silence descended between them.
They rode along the rocky path, knowing that the cattle had probably gotten themselves quartered off in one of the small canyons. Perhaps the boys had followed along just as they were doing now and were keeping the cattle under control until someone else came to assist them. But somehow Tyler doubted that.
The walls of rock closed in a bit, narrowing the trail. The cattle couldn’t have passed through here more than eight or so abreast, Tyler surmised. They wouldn’t have come this way under normal circumstances, but at the height of the storm the animals wouldn’t exactly have been doing anything that resembled normal.
The floor of the canyon was covered in about an inch or so of water in the lowest areas. Tyler studied the limestone walls and scrub for any sign of the boys. If they came this way, there would surely be something. It wasn’t long before his efforts were rewarded.
“Look there,” he called out and pointed. “It’s Andy’s hat.” He jumped from his horse’s back and sloshed through the muddy water to retrieve the piece. “They did come this way.”
William took the hat and looked it over. “I don’t see any blood.”
“It probably just blew off. At least we know we’re heading the right way,” Tyler declared and remounted.
They pressed forward and had gone no more than another fifty yards when they heard the distinct sound of cattle and someone calling out.
“I’ll throw you down my rope!” the voice called.
“That’s Newt!” William said, giving the horse a touch of spur.
Tyler followed after him, and as they rounded the bend, they came face-to-face with the problem at hand. Newt stood atop the rocky ledge overlooking about a hundred head of longhorn. Andy was nowhere to be seen.
William pushed back his hat and called to the young man. “Newt! Where’s Andy?”
Newt didn’t seem to hear. “Andy, I’m gonna tie this off and come down for you.”
At this, William’s face paled a bit. “Newt! Where’s Andy?”
But Newt had disappeared behind a rock and still didn’t appear to hear. William looked at Tyler and then at the restless herd. A rather large steer came directly at them as if to challenge their approach.
“Yah! Yah!” Tyler called out, positioning himself between the steer and the opening. The animal stopped and sized up this new obstacle. For a moment Tyler thought the beast would charge him, but instead the longhorn turned and acted as though he had no interest whatsoever in the two men.
“I’ve got to help Newt,” William said, cl
imbing off his horse. He handed Tyler the reins. “I’m going up there.”
Tyler knew better than to argue. “I’ll tie off the horses and join you.”
He secured the reins around a couple of rocks, despite both horses having been trained to stand when the reins were dropped. There was no sense in risking the animals getting spooked by the steers. Tyler grabbed his rope and noticed that despite his bad leg, William was already halfway up the rocky ravine.
The two men climbed about fifteen feet before the ground leveled out again for a short ways. The limestone face gave them easy handholds as the ledge disappeared and they were forced once again to climb. Tyler could hear Newt calling to Andy.
“I’m almost there. Don’t move or you’ll be trampled to death.”
William and Tyler exchanged a look and picked up the pace. They made it to the top and turned to look down on the cattle. Tyler spied the rope before William and followed it to the edge of the rock wall. “There!” he called and William hurried to join him.
Down below, in the middle of the agitated herd, Newt edged off the rock and maneuvered . . . across the tops of the steers. Will’s mouth dropped open about the same time Tyler’s did. They watched in disbelief as the young man finally jumped from the back of a longhorn and disappeared into the herd.
“Well, I think I’ve seen just about everything now,” Tyler said, shaking his head.
Will went to where the rope was and called down. “Newt? You hear me?”
“I hear you, Mr. Barnett. I’ve got Andy. He’s hurt, but he’s okay. I don’t think he can climb back up, though.”
“I’ll come down and get him. Tyler’s here, too, and he can help pull us back up. You secure the rope around Andy, and I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“You gonna walk on the backs of the steers, Will?” Tyler asked with a cocky smile.
Will shook his head in wonder of the feat. “Not me.” He started down the side of the ravine, rope in hand. Tyler watched as William maneuvered through the now calmer steers. They were none too happy to have people around them, but as if divinely appointed, they all but parted as Will made his way along the canyon floor.
Tyler held his breath as he watched William lift Andy. The boy looked unconscious. At least Tyler prayed it was just that and not that the boy was dead. There was no telling what had happened, but what mattered now was that they needed to get Andy and Newt to safety.
William slung Andy over his shoulder, then began climbing. Hand over hand on the rope, he walked up the side while Tyler pulled. Before too long, the top of Will’s head was at Tyler’s feet.
“Here, give me Andy,” Tyler said, flattening out on his belly. He grabbed the back of the boy’s shirt and pulled.
Will held fast to the side of the rock while Tyler pried Andy loose and edged him up. The jostling managed to send a shower of rock down on the longhorn, however, and set the animals off once again in agitation.
“Newt!” William called out. “Watch out.”
Tyler had no sooner got Andy onto the top of the rock when William began to lose his hold on the crumbling rock. In a flash, Tyler grabbed the rope and pulled William up over the edge.
Neither men paused to draw a breath but turned to see if they could spot Newt in the midst of the cattle. Most of the steers were heading toward the narrow canyon opening rather than waiting around in the closure. This made it easier to spy Newt, who was penned between the rock and several mean-looking animals.
“Newt, get out of there!” Will hollered down.
Tyler didn’t know what William expected the boy to do. “I could go down there and fire a shot. It might get them running toward the opening.”
“It might not,” William said, shaking his head.
Newt glanced around as if to assess his situation. The steer closest to him began to lower his head as if to charge. To the boy’s right were a couple of animals about twelve feet away who seemed uninterested in the entire matter and chose instead to butt heads with a couple of other steers. Tyler could see that beyond the first set of animals the edge abruptly cut and angled down into the river. Apparently Newt saw it too, because without warning he took off at a dead run, hit the dirt and slid under not one steer, but two, and disappeared over the ledge.
Tyler didn’t wait to see the results. He jumped up and ran across the rock to see where Newt had ended up. There below, Tyler found the young man swimming to the edge of the river, fighting the strong current. Tyler quickly took up the rope he’d brought and threw one end down to Newt.
“Grab the rope, Newt,” he called.
Newt seemed far more interested in fighting for his life, but as the current brought the rope closer, he finally grabbed on to it. Tyler strained every muscle he had left to hoist the young man to the edge of the river. Once Newt was back on land, Tyler breathed a sigh of relief.
“Just stay put. I’ll be down to help you in a minute,” Tyler instructed.
Coughing and sputtering, Newt fell onto his back. “I ain’t . . . goin’ . . . nowhere.”
“It looks like Judge Peevy is here again,” Hannah said, glancing out the window. It had been raining off and on all day, so to see a visitor was quite a surprise.
She opened the door and ushered the man into the house. “Goodness, come in, Judge. Let me take that wet coat and get you a towel to dry off with.”
“Much obliged, Mrs. Barnett. Much obliged.” Judge Peevy slipped out of the coat and hat and handed them quite willingly to Hannah.
Carissa got to her feet. “I’ll get you a cup of hot coffee.”
“That sounds really good. Might I trouble you to put a couple of spoonfuls of sugar in it?”
Carissa smiled. “Of course.” She put aside her sewing and hurried into the kitchen. Juanita had apparently heard the conversation and was already pouring the coffee.
“Thank you,” Carissa said, taking the cup and saucer. She added the sugar and hurried back to the room as Hannah handed the towel to the judge.
“Come sit over here,” Hannah instructed, leading the judge to William’s favorite leather chair. “What in the world brings you out on a day like this?”
The judge settled into his seat and dabbed the towel to his face and shirt. “It wasn’t like this when I left Cedar Springs. Just a few odd sprinkles—but certainly nothing like this downpour.”
Carissa stepped forward with the coffee and handed him the cup and saucer. The older man smiled. “Thank you. I must say the Southern hospitality here beats anything in the North.”
“Have you been north, Judge?” Hannah asked.
“I have. I’m afraid it did me little good. I went to see some people in Washington.”
“Oh, goodness,” Hannah said, shaking her head. “I had no idea you’d been gone. When did you get back?”
“I’ve been home only two days. I had to come right away and give Mr. Atherton the news myself.”
Carissa felt her stomach flip. “What news?” she asked before Hannah could speak.
The man sipped his coffee and smiled. “Very good brew. Thank you again.”
“Judge Peevy,” Hannah interjected. “What news did you bring?”
He frowned. “Are the boys back from the trail drive?”
“No. They won’t be for another few weeks,” Hannah replied. “I presume this is about the Atherton ranch.”
The judge nodded. “It is. I’m afraid the news will not be to your liking. The decision has been made to continue the negative example to those who fought against the North. The ranch is lost to Tyler.”
“No!” Carissa declared. “They can’t do that.”
The older man nodded. “I’m afraid they can. In fact, it will become part of several parcels put up for new ownership.”
“Then we’ll simply buy it,” Hannah declared. “William has already offered to do this.”
“I’m afraid there are some restrictions that will prohibit William from taking that action. You see, these tracts of land are to be made into
homesteads. The plan is to encourage people to move west. The group in charge is trying to cultivate interest from those in the North and East. They want to find Northern families in particular.”
“How is any of this legal?” Laura asked.
The judge gave a harsh laugh. “I’ve seen all manner of wrong called legal since the war ended and those radicals took over, Mrs. Reid. At this point, I’m afraid there’s nothing more that can be done.”
“Tyler will be heartbroken. This is beyond belief,” Hannah said, shaking her head.
Carissa sat down and tried to organize her thoughts. She had long reasoned that she might take up a homestead, so maybe now was the time. “Judge Peevy, can anyone apply for these new homesteads, or must they have residence in the North?”
“I believe that is their hope, but not a solid requirement. Why, do you know someone who might wish to homestead?”
She nodded. “I do.” She glanced at Laura before looking back at the judge and smiling. “I would like to homestead. I wasn’t a Southern sympathizer, although my husband fought for the South. However, I am a widow with a child and would like to make a new life for myself and my daughter.”
“That should work, shouldn’t it?” Hannah questioned.
“Our uncle lives in Chicago,” Laura interjected. “We could even make the application through him—at least through his address. Might that not help?”
The judge considered this for a moment and drank his coffee. Carissa wanted to scream at the man and demand an answer, but she waited in ladylike patience. Finally he put the cup on the saucer.
“I believe you ladies may have something.” He nodded thoughtfully. “In fact, I see no reason this young widow should not be allowed to strike out on her own. She has a child to provide for, after all.” He smiled. “Let me see what I can do.”
13
He walked on the backs of those steers?” Sidley questioned in disbelief.
“More like ran,” Tyler interjected.
William nodded. “If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it, either. We came up on them to find Newt acting like he was crossing a bridge, only this one was made of cattle.”
Tracie Peterson - [Land of the Lone Star 03] Page 12
