CHAPTER XXVIII.
COUNTING THE MINUTES.
"That clears the situation a heap, let me tell you, Adrian!" was whatUncle Fred said, heartily, after he had been told what a clever trickthe young owner of the Bar-S Ranch had succeeded in turning.
Donald took especial pains to note that Mr. Comstock did not appear tobe annoyed in the slightest because the wife of his bosom had been thusmade a prisoner in her own house; in fact, the prairie boy was inclinedto believe that Adrian's relative seemed to breathe easier than he haddone for some time, because now he could be absolutely certain that Mrs.Fred was so placed that she might not confront him unexpectedly, toconfound him, when he ought to be fixing his mind on other things thanfamily differences of opinion.
"The corrals are all secure so far, are they, Uncle?" asked the boy,anxiously; for he had become deeply interested in this strange gamewhich was being waged for the possession of his herds.
"Yes, up to now nothing has happened," came the reply; "but what liesahead of us no man can say. They're a wily and unscrupulous lot, thoseWalkers, and wouldn't hesitate at anything short of murder, I reckon,and even that crime might be laid at their door, if you cared to go backto certain unexplained things that've happened around these diggings intimes past."
"It's too bad the moon is hidden by the clouds, so that the darkness islikely to keep right along," Donald remarked, as he cast a critical eyeupward toward the gloomy heavens; and as boys on the plains learn earlyin life to read the signs of the weather almost as well as the Indianscan themselves, Donald knew what he was talking about when heregretfully admitted that there was little hope of the sky clearing intime to do them any good.
"Yes, because we can never say what lies hidden right out yonder," Mr.Comstock went on to observe, sweeping his hand off toward the blackness."Somewhere in the midst of that pall we believe there are a dozen ridershanging out, waiting to swoop down on us at a certain time, and cut thebarricade that holds the cattle safe, if they can manage it. That maymean the exchange of dozens of shots; and some people are apt to gettheir summons this very night; but what does Hatch Walker care for that,when he's made up his mind to do a thing? I'd be a happy man if onlysome of us could get him to with a bullet. It'd be the best thing thatever happened for this section of country if Hatch was put out of therunning for keeps. And remember, I'm not a blood-thirsty man at all, butone who would have peace all the time, even if I had to fight for it."
"But Uncle, don't you think it queer that sheriff doesn't show up, whenhe must know he's wanted right here and now so much?" Adrian asked,presently.
"Well, I am beginning to think it kind of strange," admitted therancher, in a thoughtful way. "For a while I rather expected that he wasdelayed on account of some trouble he might be having, collecting theright sort of a posse; because I warned Frank not to let him take asingle man that he suspected of feeling the least bit toward theWalkers. But by now it seems like he had ought to have got a bunch ofgun-fighters together, and be along here, if he's going to come at all."
"Perhaps the new sheriff has a case of cold feet right in the start!"suggested Adrian.
"Yes, that's what I'm afraid of," added Donald; "because I've known suchthings to happen away down in Arizona. When this man hears how his veryfirst call is a summons to come and hit up against the Walker tribe, hemay find that he's got some mighty important business at the other endof the county; or that his wife is sick, and has wired for him to comeright home."
"No," declared Mr. Comstock, "from all I've heard about this man he'sthe right sort. We had the time of our lives electing him; andeverybody's been on tiptoe with excitement waiting to see how he pannedout. This business right here is going to make or break Jo Davies; andit's also bound to see the beginning of the end of either the Walkerbunch, or cattle raising in this same county; because nobody is going totake all the chances, and then have their stock rustled."
"Watch out there, Uncle; for I believe I saw some sort of a light flashup, and then disappear again," Adrian said hurriedly, pointing as hespoke; for the fires were still burning, and they could see fairly wellaround the corrals.
"Yes, I saw the same several times," admitted Mr. Comstock. "I reckonedthat the rustlers might be passing certain signals along; because onetime it came out yonder to the east, and again it flashed up duesouthwest. Those lights mean something; but of course we don't knowwhat, because we haven't got the key."
"What a long night this is going to be to us," Adrian went on to remark,as he stood and watched to see if there was any answering flash outthere on the prairie where everything was shrouded in darkness.
"Sometimes I even wish they'd hurry up and do what they're planning,"pursued the old stockman, grimly. "I don't like to be kept in suspense.If the worst comes along you know what you're up against; but now wekeep on waiting, and with every nerve strained as the minutes crawlalong into hours; and as you say, son, seems like the night would lastforever. If it's going to be fight, why, let's get it over with, andthen take stock of damages; but I do sure hope Hatch will be in thethick of it, and get his."
And Adrian, knowing how his uncle must have been badgered during thelast year and more with the knowledge that his hands were tied, becauseof his wife's siding with her greedy relatives in their forays, couldnot find it in his heart to blame Uncle Fred for this wish, even thoughit could not be classed as pious.
Yes, there would be no peace in that section until the chief offenderwas either put behind prison bars, chased into another county, or else"planted" under the prairie sod.
It was now not far from being eleven o'clock. Adrian found this out byconsulting his little nickel time-piece. And supposing that the rustlerswere planning to make their attack about the middle of the night, itwould not be long delayed.
"If only they knew that we had taken their four allies prisoners, andthat they need not expect help from any one inside our lines, it mightmake some difference," he went on to say.
"Yes," added Mr. Comstock, "because it goes without saying that theyexpect help from the rear. When they give the signal they look to thesefellows to create a diversion, either by firing the balance of the hay,or in some other way; and while we're kept busy with them, the corralswill be slashed wide open, and the stock run out. As it is, we'll be incondition to pay full attention to the rustlers who come in from thefront, so that they're due for a surprise. That pleases me; and it's alldue to your caging that lot of plotters in the house, son."
The scene was a remarkable one, with the fires burning, and the cattlekeeping up an almost incessant bellowing, just as though they knew thatunusual events were transpiring, and the fact excited them almost asmuch as though they were in the midst of stampede, such as the threeBroncho Rider Boys had witnessed when having their first introduction tothe Walker method of building up a cattle ranch at small expense.
Each defender of the corrals had been urged to pick out some place whereat the first sign of trouble he could find shelter, and which wouldallow him to cover a certain stretch of territory, so that he could usehis gun on any rustler who had the boldness to show himself in thefirelight.
The greatest danger that Mr. Comstock anticipated, was the fact thatshould they find themselves cornered, it would be impossible to keepadding fuel to the fires, so that gradually darkness might come upon thescene, under cover of which the corral cutters could get to work, andsever the barbed wire; as well as tear down the heavy poles that wereplaced to show the cattle the barrier and allow them to keep clear ofthe cruel points that would tear the flesh.
The stockman had endeavored to provide against this emergency the besthe could. If other things failed perhaps those clouds that covered theheavens might break, so as to allow the moon to shine, and thus affordthem all the light they needed.
"We'd feel some better, I think," remarked Donald, as the ranchman fellsilent, doubtless thinking of the many things he knew of that werecalculated to give him anxiety; "if only we knew that posse wasgalloping this way as fast as t
heir horses could carry them."
"I should say we would," Adrian admitted; "and if it was daytime thatmight be learned by making use of the field glasses; but now we couldn'ttell until they were right in on top of us."
"Well, we used to have a way down where I came from, that is as old asthe hills," Donald went on to say. "I remember one time when I wastrying it Billie up and declared that he'd read about the same dodge inone of Cooper's Leatherstocking stories of the woods in the old timesabout Revolutionary days. I've got a good notion to try the thing rightnow."
"No harm done anyhow," argued Adrian, possibly more than half guessingto what his chum referred.
So what did the Arizona boy do but throw himself flat on his chest, andplace his ear on the ground. Yes, it _was_ an old idea, and one that hasserved its purpose many a time. If you doubt how sound travels fasterand stronger along some such good conductor than through the air, thefirst chance you have, after a train has passed, put your ear to therail, and you will find that you can hear the click of the wheelspassing over the joints long after the train has passed from sight, andwhen not a sound can be caught otherwise.
After lying thus for a minute or so Donald arose again.
"Not much luck, I reckon?" remarked his chum, for Mr. Comstock hadpassed on.
"Well, not that you could call by that name," returned Donald; "you see,the cattle keep up such a trampling around, and making all sorts ofnoises that it was pretty hard to get anything else. I did think,though, I caught the whinny of a cayuse coming from out there in theblack somewhere; because our hosses are all safe in the stables, youknow, and the door locked in the bargain."
"Just as likely as not," remarked Adrian; "for we feel pretty sure thosecattle rustlers are hanging out somewhere close by. If only we had asearchlight so's to throw it on them sudden-like, couldn't we make thelot scatter like partridges when we opened fire a few times? But ifFrank would only come along, and bring that posse, it would clear theair a heap, believe me."
"It sure would; and here's hoping that same will happen before it's toolate," was the way Donald expressed his sentiments.