Chapter Fourteen
Powder to Burn
Night settled over the Creeping Shadows country on the wings of thestorm and Slim still faced a long, wet ride back to the Box B. It wasunfamiliar country, but he knew in a general way the shortest route tothe ranch and he struck out cross-country.
The rain fell in torrents, and he kept to the higher ground, working hisway slowly out of the foothills. The long-needed rain would be worththousands to the valley, freshening the grass which had been burnedbrown by the prolonged drought.
In spite of the long hours on the trail and the hard pace of the lastfew hours, Lightning made good time, and a little after ten o'clock Slimcaught sight of the lights of the ranch. The yellow pin points of lightdispelled some of the misery of the night and disappointment of havingthe trail washed out from under him.
The rain was cold, and in spite of the poncho, rivulets of water randown his neck and he became thoroughly chilled. They struck one of theranch trails, and Lightning quickened her pace. She was as anxious asSlim to get protection from the weather.
The ride in from the foothills gave Slim a chance to think over thesituation in the valley. There were certainly some unusual elementsinvolved.
First, there had been the shooting on the Sky High trail, in which Chuckhad been ambushed and then the attempt to kill the owner of the Box B.It was evident that things were moving rapidly toward a climax.
Slim thought of his brief visit at Dirty Water and checked over one byone the men he had met there. The storekeeper and his clerk could beeliminated from important roles in the rustling gang, but Hal Titzellwas a puzzling figure. It was obvious that he had plenty of nerve and atleast an explanation for his presence in the valley, but Slim questionedwhether he actually had been buying any cattle. That was something hedetermined to find out.
It simply wasn't possible for cattle to disappear without some trace,and Slim wondered why the Box B cowboys had been unable to find therendezvous of the rustlers. Then there must be a shipping point for thestock. The normal place was Mopstick, outside the valley, but theremight be another loading yard nearer along the railroad that was beingused.
As Slim mulled over the possibilities, he realized that he and Chuckwere going to be in for some busy days before the mystery of therustling on the Box B could be solved.
Slim rode into the valley which sheltered the headquarters of the Box Band Lightning sloshed toward the corral. Chuck, who had been listeningfor Slim's approach, came running with a lantern under his slicker. Heopened the gate, and horse and rider passed inside the corral. There wasa pole lean-to, with a thatched roof, at one side of the corral and thehorses were gathered under this protection.
"What luck?" asked Chuck.
"None," replied Slim. "I was within half an hour of my man when thestorm broke. The trail just melted out in front of my eyes and I turnedand headed for home."
"Had anything to eat?"
"Not a thing since yesterday morning."
"Gosh, you must be starved. Lee Wu's kept some food hot for you. Betterget over to the cookhouse and fill up. I'll go up to the house and tellJoe Haines and the boss. They've been mighty anxious about you."
"I'll eat in a little bit," said Slim, as he pulled his saddle offLightning. "What do you think of the outfit here?"
"Everything rings true to me, except Doug Huston. He hasn't made a moveout of the way, but I don't like his eyes."
"Neither do I. Maybe it's unfair to Doug, but I'm going to play a hunchand keep a mighty close watch on him. Think the other boys suspect we'reanything but a couple of punchers?"
"No one except Joe Haines, and he knows we're not out here just for thefun of it."
"I'm not worried about Joe, but I don't want the others to getsuspicious and I especially want them to keep out of Dirty Water wherethey might start talking."
"I guess we'll be too busy riding range for anyone to get to town for acouple of weeks."
"This thing will go one way or another by that time. We'll either havethe rustlers behind bars or they'll have control of the valley. Let'sgo."
They splashed through the mud of the corral and made their way to thecookhouse. Lee Wu, who had been reading, welcomed Slim.
"Supper hot," he said.
"I'm going up to the house. See you later." Chuck left the cookhouse andSlim was alone with the Chinese cook.
Lee Wu hurried in with hot food. There was plenty of hash, bread, andcoffee and Lee opened a can of sliced peaches.
"I'm just about starved," grinned Slim, as one mouthful of food followedanother. "Haven't had a thing since yesterday morning."
"Can fix more hash," grinned Lee Wu.
"No thanks. This will fill me up. Say, Wu, you're a real cook. I nevertasted better hash."
"Not bad, not bad," chuckled Wu. "Like that myself." He sat downopposite Slim and took a generous helping of his own hash.
"Catch bushwhacker?" he asked.
Slim looked up gloomily. "No, Wu. I was almost up with him when the rainstarted and the trail was washed out. Better luck the next time."
"Tough place. Plenty boys come and work here while and then drift on.Afraid of getting bullet in back. No one bother Wu though."
"Why not?"
The cook disappeared in the kitchen to return with a double barreledsawed-off shotgun.
"Fill 'em up with nails," he chuckled. "Hit someone and phooey!"
"Phooey, is right," grinned Slim. "I guess you're safe enough from therustlers. Got any idea who's causing all of the trouble?"
"Plenty ideas, no proof. Bad business to talk with loose tongue."
"You're right, Wu. A loose tongue can sure get a fellow into a lot oftrouble."
Chuck stuck his head in the door.
"They want you at the ranch house as soon as you're through."
"I'll be along in a minute." Slim finished the last of the can ofpeaches. "Great supper, Wu. Thanks a lot for saving it for me."
"Okay," grinned Wu, who had warmed to Slim's praise of his cooking.
Slim found the owner of the Box B propped up in bed. Joe Haines was in achair nearby.
"Chuck's told us about the rain," said Adam Marks, his keen eyesglinting beneath the bandage which swathed his head. "Anything elsehappen?"
Slim recounted briefly his hard ride on the trail of the bushwhacker."The fellow was circling along the foothills and riding pretty hard. Hemust have had an idea he would be trailed."
"You're darned right he did," put in the range foreman. "We wouldn't leta shooting like that go without trying to get revenge."
"Get any clues on the fellow's identity?" asked Marks.
"I'll recognize the marks of his horse's shoes wherever I see them,"replied Slim.
"Good boy. We've needed a couple of nervy riders like you and yourpardner. It gives me new courage. We'll whip these rustlers to astandstill."
"I'd like to know how they ship the stock they rustle," said Slim.
Joe Haines smiled grimly. "I'd like to know the same thing. I've got ahunch, but you can't prove anything on a hunch."
"How do the other cattlemen in the valley stand?"
"They're all suspicious since I started losing cattle. Claim they'rebeing raided, too, but I doubt that. No one will work together. It'severy man for himself."
They discussed the situation for a time and then Slim went to thebunkhouse. The other riders were in their bunks, apparently asleep, butChuck roused up and lifted his bulk on one elbow. He started to speak,but Slim shook his head, undressed, turned out the light, and rolledinto the blankets. He was worn out by the hard ride on the trail and hefell into a slumber that was broken only by the strident tones of LeeWu's breakfast bell the next morning.
Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Slim found the bunkhouse deserted, butthe sound of running water and other noises informed him that hiscompanions were outside at the pump.
He slipped into his clothes and joined them.
&nbs
p; "Chuck tells us the rain played you a dirty trick," said Walt Kelly,hitching his pants closer about his rotund waist.
"It didn't help any," admitted Slim.
"Learn anything that really gives you anything on the rustlers?" askedDoug Huston. Slim looked into the watery eyes and thought he detected atrace of uneasiness.
"Not a thing," he replied. While the others headed for the cookhouse,Slim hurried down to the corral. He was afraid the rain had washed thedye off Lightning, but to his intense relief he found that the whitespots were still effectively covered.
There was little conversation at breakfast as the punchers downed thestacks of cakes and gulped the breakfast food and coffee. When theyemerged from the cookhouse, Joe Haines was waiting for them.
"We've got two more riders," he said, "and we're going to try to coverall of the main herds everyday." Then he assigned the work and Slimfound that he was teamed with Doug Huston while Chuck was paired offwith Pat Beals. Joe and Walt would ride together while Lee Wu took hisfaithful shotgun to the ranch house to stand guard there.
Slim found Doug to be a silent riding partner, but Doug knew the rangewell and they worked west toward the foothills where he had ridden theday before. The rain had freshened the grass overnight and Slim marveledat the sleek, well fed condition of the Box B cattle. It was littlewonder rustlers would take extreme risks to get such stock as grazed onthe rolling acres of the Marks' ranch.
They stopped at noon and ate the lunch Lee Wu had prepared, then startedthe swing back toward the ranch. There had been no sign of any cattlehaving been stolen and the herds were grazing calmly in the rich valleysof the foothills.
They were near the north boundary of the ranch when Slim sighted a lonerider and turned to Doug.
"That's one of the Double O boys. Nels Anderson, their boss, keeps themall riding our range line. Claims he's lost cattle and doesn't make anybones about saying that he thinks they're on our range. Matter of fact,I guess he did find about forty head he'd lost over here."
"Which doesn't mean the Box B rustled them."
"Well you try to tell that square-head that story. We've all talkedourselves hoarse."
The lone horseman waved as the Box B punchers passed a few hundred yardsaway and they waved in return.
"That's Al Bass. The Double O riders are all friendly enough, but theyhave to do what old Nels tells them."
They reached the ranch shortly before sundown and found the other ridersthere ahead of them. There had been no sign of the rustlers anywhere onthe Box B and Joe Haines led his punchers to supper with a lighterheart.
After supper Slim had a chance to talk with the foreman alone.
"How many head have you lost altogether?" he asked.
"I'd say around 500. That's a rough guess, but we won't know for sureuntil the fall round-up."
Slim whistled. "That's a lot of cattle."
"More than we can stand. Much more of it, and the Box B will be readyfor the auction block."
A rider appeared on the trail from Dirty Water and they watched himapproach the ranch.
"I'd just as soon see a snake coming," grunted the foreman as herecognized the visitor as Hal Titzell, the cattle buyer.
Titzell dismounted easily and faced the foreman.
"Been around the valley a bit today," he said, "and thought you mighthave a little choice stuff to sell. I've got a special order from aChicago commission house. Top price for choice beef. What do you say?"
"Sorry Titzell, but you know we don't do business with you."
"I thought maybe you'd changed your mind. I heard your outfit was alittle pressed for cash."
"You heard wrong."
"Maybe I'd better talk with your boss," said the cattle buyer, startingtoward the ranch house.
"Adam Marks is too sick to see you," replied Joe, barring the way. "If Iwere you, I'd start back for Dirty Water."
"Very well," replied Titzell, apparently unperturbed by the grufftreatment accorded him, "but think it over. If you change your mindabout that choice stuff on your north range, let me know."
The cattle buyer mounted and rode swiftly down the trail toward DirtyWater.
"I hope his horse stumbles and Titzell breaks his neck," snorted therange boss.
One remark of the cattle buyer's lodged in Slim's memory. He hadespecially mentioned the choice stock on the north range, which lay nextto the boundary of the Double O.
Slim was still feeling the fatigue of his two arduous days on the trailof the bushwhacker and he rolled into his blankets early, followedshortly by the other riders of the Box B.
Doug and Slim rode the same section of the range the next morning and itwas well after noon when they reached the boundary of the Double O. Onthe previous day they had passed a bunch of steers grazing in a coulee amile below the boundary, but the cattle were nowhere in sight and Slimand Doug spread out to hunt for them.
Slim followed their trail straight across the line into Double Oterritory and he turned and rode back to join Doug.
"The cattle have gone into Double O range and it looks to me as thoughthey were driven there."
"Then we'd better get back to the ranch and tell Joe."
Slim gave Lightning her head and soon outdistanced Doug in the ride backto the ranch. Fortunately Joe Haines had ridden in early and he told theforeman what had happened on the north range.
"We're going to have a showdown with Nels Anderson," said Joe grimly."We're going to get those cattle back even if we have to do it withgunpowder!"