Hopalong Cassidy's Rustler Round-Up; Or, Bar-20

by Rex Beach

  CHAPTER XX. A Problem Solved

  Hopalong worried his way out of the desert on a straight line, thuscutting in half the distance he had traveled when going into it. Hecamped that night on the sand and early the next morning took up hisjourney. It was noon when he began to notice familiar sights, and anhour later he passed within a mile of line-house No. 3, Double Arrow.Half an hour later he espied a cow-puncher riding like mad. Thinkingthat an investigation would not be out of place, he rode after the riderand overtook him, when that person paused and retraced his course.

  "Hullo, Hopalong!" shouted the puncher and he came near enough torecognize his pursuer. "Thought yu was farmin' up on th' Staked Plain?"

  "Hullo, Pie," replied Hopalong, recognizing Pie Willis. "What was yuchasin' so hard?"

  "Coyote--damn 'em, but can't they go some? They're gettin' so thick we'llshore have to try strichnine an' thin 'em out."

  "I thought anybody that had been raised in th' Panhandle would knowbetter'n to chase greased lightnin'," rebuked Hopalong. "Yu has gotabout as much show catchin' one of them as a tenderfoot has of bustin'an outlawed cayuse."

  "Shore; I know it," responded Pie, grinning. "But it's fun seem'them hunt th' horizon. What are yu doin' down here an' where are yorepardners?"

  Thereupon Hopalong enlightened his inquisitive companion as to what hadoccurred and as to his reasons for riding south.

  Pie immediately became enthusiastic and announced his intentionof accompanying Hopalong on his quest, which intention struck thatgentleman as highly proper and wise. Then Pie hastily turned andplayed at chasing coyotes in the direction of the line-house, where heannounced that his absence would be accounted for by the fact thathe and Hopalong were going on a journey of investigation into thePanhandle. Billy Jordan who shared with Pie the accommodations of thehouse, objected and showed, very clearly, why he was eminently betterqualified to take up the proposed labors than his companions. Thesuggestions were fast getting tangled up with the remarks, when Pie,grabbing a chunk of jerked beef, leaped into his saddle and absolutelyrefused to heed the calls of his former companion and return. He rode towhere Hopalong was awaiting him as if he was afraid he wasn't going tolive long enough to get there. Confiding to his companion that Billywas a "locoed sage hen," he led the way along the base of the White SandHills and asked many questions. Then they turned toward the east andgalloped hard.

  It had been Hopalong's intention to carry out what he had told Red andto go to Big Spring first and thence north along Sulphur Spring Creek,but to this his guide strongly dissented. There was a short cut, orseveral of them for that matter, was Pie's contention, and any oneof them would save a day's hard riding. Hopalong made no objection toallowing his companion to lead the way over any trail he saw fit, forhe knew that Pie had been born and brought up in the Panhandle, theCunningham Lake district having been his back yard, as it were. So theyfollowed the short cut having the most water and grass, and pounded outa lively tattoo as they raced over the stretches of sand which seemed toslide beneath them.

  "What do yu know about this here business?" Inquired Pie, as they racedpast a chaparral and onto the edge of a grassy plain.

  "Nothin' more'n yu do, only Buck said he thought Slippery Trendley is atth' bottom of it."

  "What!" ejaculated Pie in surprise. "Him!"

  "Yore on. An' between yu an' me an' th' Devil, I wouldn't be a heapsurprised if Deacon Rankin is with him, neither."

  Pie whistled: "Are him an' th' Deacon pals?"

  "Shore," replied Hopalong, buttoning up his vest and rolling acigarette. "Didn't they allus hang out together! One watched thatth' other didn't get plugged from behind. It was a sort ofyu-scratch-my-back-an'-I'll-scratch-yourn arrangement."

  "Well, if they still hangs out together, I know where to hunt for ourcows," responded Pie. "Th' Deacon used to range along th' headwatersof th' Colorado--it ain't far from Cunningham Lake. Thunderation!" heshouted, "I knows th' very ground they're on--I can take yu to th' veryshack!" Then to himself he muttered: "An' that doodlebug Billy Jordanthinkin' he knowed more about th' Panhandle than me!"

  Hopalong showed his elation in an appropriate manner and his companiondrank deeply from the proffered flask; Thereupon they treated theirmounts to liberal doses of strap-oil and covered the ground with greatspeed.

  They camped early, for Hopalong was almost worn out from the exertionsof the past few days and the loss of sleep he had sustained. Pie,too excited to sleep and having had unbroken rest for a long period,volunteered to keep guard, and his companion eagerly consented.

  Early the next morning they broke camp and the evening of the same dayfound them fording Sulphur Spring Creek, and their quarry lay only anhour beyond, according to Pie. Then they forded one of the streams whichform the headwaters of the Colorado, and two hours later they dismountedin a cottonwood grove. Picketing their horses, they carefully made theirway through the timber, which was heavily grown with brush, and, afterhalf an hour's maneuvering, came within sight of the further edge.

  Dropping down on all fours, they crawled to the last line of brush andlooked out over an extensive bottoms. At their feet lay a small river,and in a clearing on the farther side was a rough camp, consisting ofabout a dozen leanto shacks and log cabins in the main collection, and afew scattered cabins along the edge. A huge fire was blazing beforethe main collection of huts, and to the rear of these was an indistinctblack mass, which they knew to be the corral.

  At a rude table before the fire more than a score of men were eatingsupper and others could be heard moving about and talking at differentpoints in the background. While the two scouts were learning the lay ofthe land, they saw Mr. Trendley and Deacon Rankin walk out of the cabinmost distant from the fire, and the latter limped. Then they saw two menlying on rude cots, and they wore bandages. Evidently Johnny Redmond hadscored in his fight.

  The odor of burning cowhide came from the corral, accompanied by thesqueals of cattle, and informed them that brands were being blotted out.Hopalong longed to charge down and do some blotting out of another kind,but a heavy hand was placed on his shoulder and he silently wormed hisway after Pie as that person led the way back to the horses. Mounting,they picked their way out of the grove and rode over the plain at awalk. When far enough away to insure that the noise made by their horseswould not reach the ears of those in the camp they cantered toward theford they had taken on the way up.

  After emerging from the waters of the last forded stream, Pie raised hishand and pointed off toward the northwest, telling his companion totake that course to reach Cunningham Lake. He himself would ride south,taking, for the saving of time, a yet shorter trail to the Double Arrow,from where he would ride to Buck. He and the others would meet Hopalongand Red at the split rock they had noticed on their way up.

  Hopalong shook hands with his guide and watched him disappear into thenight. He imagined he could still catch whiffs of burning cowhide andagain the picture of the camp came to his mind. Glancing again at thepoint where Pie had disappeared, he stuffed his sombrero under a strapon his saddle and slowly rode toward the lake. A coyote slunk past himon a time-destroying lope and an owl hooted at the foolishness ofmen. He camped at the base of a cottonwood and at daylight took up hisjourney after a scanty breakfast from his saddle-bags.

  Shortly before noon he came in sight of the lake and looked for hisfriend. He had just ridden around a clump of cotton-woods when he washit on the back with something large and soft. Turning in his saddle,with his Colts ready, he saw Red sitting on a stump, a huge grinextending over his features. He replaced the weapon, said somethingabout fools and dismounted, kicking aside the bundle of grass his friendhad thrown.

  "Yore shore easy," remarked Red, tossing aside his cold cigarette."Suppose I was Trendley, where would yu be now?"

  "Diggin' a hole to put yu in," pleasantly replied Hopalong. "If I didn'tknow he wasn't around this part of the country I wouldn't a rode as Idid."

  The man on the stump laughed and rolled a fresh cigare
tte. Lighting it,he inquired where Mr. Trendley was, intimating by his words that therustler had not been found.

  "About thirty miles to th' southeast," responded the other. "He'sfigurin' up how much dust he'll have when he gets our cows on th'market. Deacon Rankin is with him, too."

  "Th' deuce!" exclaimed Red, in profound astonishment.

  "Yore right," replied his companion. Then he explained all thearrangements and told of the camp.

  Red was for riding to the rendezvous at once, but his friend thoughtotherwise and proposed a swim, which met with approval. After enjoyingthemselves in the lake they dressed and rode along the trail Hopalonghad made in coming for his companion, it being the intention ofthe former to learn more thoroughly the lay of the land immediatelysurrounding the camp. Red was pleased with this, and while they rodehe narrated all that had taken place since the separation on the Plain,adding that he had found the trail left by the rustlers after they hadquitted the desert and that he had followed it for the last two hours ofhis journey. It was well beaten and an eighth of a mile wide.

  At dark they came within sight of the grove and picketed their horses atthe place used by Pie and Hopalong. Then they moved forward and the samesight greeted their eyes that had been seen the night before. Keepingwell within the edge of the grove and looking carefully for sentries,they went entirely around the camp and picked out several places whichwould be of strategic value later on. They noticed that the cabin usedby Slippery Trendley was a hundred paces from the main collection ofhuts and that the woods came to within a tenth part of that distanceof its door. It was heavily built, had no windows and faced the wrongdirection.

  Moving on, they discovered the storehouse of the enemy, another temptingplace. It was just possible, if a siege became necessary, for severalof the attacking force to slip up to it and either destroy it by fireor take it and hold it against all comers. This suggested a look at theenemy's water supply, which was the river. A hundred paces separated itfrom the nearest cabin and any rustler who could cross that zone underthe fire of the besiegers would be welcome to his drink.

  It was very evident that the rustlers had no thought of defense,thinking, perhaps, that they were immune from attack with such a wellcovered trail between them and their foes. Hopalong mentally accusedthem of harboring suicidal inclinations and returned with his companionto the horses. They mounted and sat quietly for a while, and then rodeslowly away and at dawn reached the split rock, where they awaited thearrival of their friends, one sleeping while the other kept guard. Thenthey drew a rough map of the camp, using the sand for paper, and laidout the plan of attack.

  As the evening of the next day came on they saw Pie, followed by manypunchers, ride over a rise a mile to the south and they rode out to meethim.

  When the force arrived at the camp of the two scouts they were shown theplan prepared for them. Buck made a few changes in the disposition ofthe men and then each member was shown where he was to go and was toldwhy. Weapons were put in a high state of efficiency, canteens wererefilled and haversacks were somewhat depleted. Then the newcomersturned in and slept while Hopalong and Red kept guard.