CHAPTER XXII.
OFF ON A MISSION.
“Mr. Reeves lives on the Rio Grande about fifty miles from here,” wenton Captain Atkinson, while the boys listened eagerly, feeling that theywere on the verge of some fresh adventure. “He has, as you may know,one of the biggest cattle ranches in this part of Texas. Word has beenbrought to him that the rebel army of Mexico, which is hard up forfood, has planned a raid on his ranch to drive off a band of cattle.”
The boys nodded attentively, but as there was no necessity for speechthey said nothing.
“Now, then,” continued the captain of the Rangers, “most of hispunchers are off on another of his ranges rounding up stock forshipment on a rush order. That leaves the Border ranch practicallyunprotected. Mr. Reeves is an old friend of mine, and has come toask me for aid. I cannot spare any of my men, as I need them all topatrol this part of the river. I have offered, subject to your consent,of course, your services to Mr. Reeves. You will rank as Rangersyourselves while performing patrol duty at Lagunitas Rancho. Will yougo?”
Would they? The cheer that went up was more than ample evidence thatthe Border Boys fairly leaped at the chance. Captain Atkinson went onto explain that their duties would be to watch the cattle at night andinstantly give the alarm if anything out of the way occurred.
“But mind,” he warned, with a half humorous look playing about hismouth, “mind, you are not to get into any danger.”
“Oh, no, captain,” chorused three voices in unison.
“I am not so sure about that,” rejoined Captain Atkinson. “You BorderBoys appear to have a remarkable faculty for getting into scrapes ofall kinds.”
“But, then, we always get out of them again,” struck in Walt Phelpsquite seriously, at which both Captain Atkinson and Mr. Reeves and theboys themselves had to laugh.
“Do we start right away?” asked Walt anxiously.
“No; not until to–morrow morning. Mr. Reeves, however, will go onahead. I will give full instructions as to the road to take and therewill be no chance of your being lost.”
“As if we couldn’t find the road,” whispered Ralph indignantly to Walt.“That would be a fine thing for full–fledged Rangers to do, wouldn’tit?”
Soon after, Mr. Reeves said good–bye, as he had a long ride ahead ofhim and could not expect to arrive home much before midnight. The restof that day the boys spent in getting their outfits ready. Baldy showedthem how to do up their kits in real Ranger fashion. In the town theboys also procured for themselves Ranger hats and gauntlets, so thatwhen the time came for their departure the next morning they were threeas doughty looking Rangers as could have been found along the RioGrande.
“Good–bye, boys,” were Captain Atkinson’s parting words. “Keep outof danger and remember that you are going on Rangers’ work as TexasRangers.”
“We won’t forget,” called back Jack, with a hearty ring in his voice.
“So–long! Yip–ye–e–e–ee!” yelled the Rangers.
“Yip! Yip!” shouted the boys.
Their three ponies bounded forward, and in a cloud of dust theyclattered through the town and out upon the plains upon the trail forLagunitas Rancho.
As they had a long trip before them, they did not ride fast after theyhad passed the town limits, but allowed their ponies to adopt thateasy, single–footed gait known all over the west as the “cow trot.” Atnoon they halted by some giant cottonwood trees to eat the lunch theyhad brought with them. Large clumps of bright green grass grew in greatprofusion all about, and the boys decided to let the ponies graze whilethey ate. They made a hearty meal, washing it down with water fromtheir canteens. These canteens were covered with felt, which had beenwell soaked with water before leaving camp.
The evaporation from the wet felt as the hot sun struck it kept thefluid within the canteens fairly cool.
“Gee whiz! I just hate to go out into the hot sun again,” declared WaltPhelps, throwing himself down on the ground and luxuriating in theshade.
“Same here, but we’ve got to be pressing forward if we are to go onduty to–night,” declared Jack.
“Thunderation!” fairly shouted Ralph, “do we have to go on dutyto–night?”
“Why, yes. You didn’t think we were going to Lagunitas for a vacation,did you?” inquired Jack with a smile.
“N–n–no,” stammered Ralph, looking rather shamefaced, “but I thoughtwe’d have a rest before we started in.”
“I reckon Rangers do their work first and rest afterward. Isn’t thatthe way, Jack?” asked Walt.
“I guess that’s it,” was the reply. “But let’s go and get the cayusesand saddle up.”
“Well, I suppose what must be, must be,” muttered Ralph, with a groanat the idea of leaving the friendly cottonwoods.
The three lads rose to their feet and looked about them. To theirdumbfounded amazement no ponies were to be seen.
“Great Scott, what can have become of them?” cried Jack.
“Stolen, maybe,” suggested Ralph.
“How on earth could that be? No one came near while we were resting.”
“But they are not to be seen,” objected Walt.
“Why, yes, they are,” cried Jack suddenly. “Look, they are all lyingdown out yonder.”
“Gracious, they lie as if they were————” began Walt, when Ralphinterrupted him with a sharp cry of:
“Dead!”
In a moment the boys were at the side of their little mounts. Theanimals lay stretched out as if they had not an ounce of life in theirbodies. But their hearts could be seen beating, and their nostrilsmoved as the breath passed in and out; so it was quite evident thatthey were alive.
“What on earth can have happened to them?” asked Jack.
“You’ve got me,” confessed Walt. “I can’t imagine.”
“It’s certain that they were all right and lively a few minutes ago,”said Ralph.
“Not a doubt of it,” agreed Jack. “Well, then, it must be somethingthat they’ve eaten right here.”
“Yes, but what?” objected Ralph Stetson. “There’s nothing here for themto eat but this grass.”
“Maybe it’s the grass, then. It _is peculiar_ looking grass, now youcome to look at it. Look at these funny tufts on it.”
“I guess you’re right, Walt,” agreed Jack, “but let’s try if we can’tget the ponies on their feet. Maybe it will work off.”
Not without a lot of exertion were the ponies induced to stand up, andthen they appeared to be so sleepy that they could hardly keep theirfeet.
“Let’s mount them and ride them up and down,” said Jack; “that may helpto work off whatever it is that ails them.”
The three lads mounted as Jack suggested and began riding their poniesvigorously up and down under the cottonwoods. After a short time thetreatment did appear to be effective. The ponies’ eyes, which had beendull and lifeless, brightened up and they shook their heads and tossedtheir manes vigorously.
“Well, they seem to be all right again. I guess we’d better be pushingon,” said Jack.
“Hold on a minute. Let’s take some of that grass along,” suggestedWalt. “Mr. Reeves may be able to tell us what it is.”
“That’s a good idea,” assented Jack.
Each of the boys picked a big bunch of the queer–looking grass andstuffed it in his pocket. Then they rode on once more, the poniesseeming to be as well as ever after their odd sleeping fit. It may besaid here that Mr. Reeves told them later on that the grass the ponieshad eaten was of a rare sort known as “lazy grass.” It grows in partsof the southwest and is readily recognizable by its peculiar tufts.It has the effect of a narcotic, and if taken in large quantities mayprove fatal. But the ponies had only eaten enough to make them sleepy,fortunately for the boys.