Slim Evans and His Horse Lightning

  Chapter Nineteen

  More Clues

  Slim rode for another hour and then, with the moonlight bright, found asuitable camping place away from the trail. He tethered Lightning andunrolled his own blanket. In spite of his worry over Chuck'sdisappearance, he was soon asleep, worn out by the previous night rideand the long day in the saddle.

  He was up with the dawn and a few minutes later, astride Lightning, wasgoing down the trail. It was nearly mid morning when he reached therailroad and turned to his left to follow the line to the cattleshipping point.

  A locomotive hooted a few minutes later and Slim moved away from thetrack as a transcontinental limited roared by. Passengers on the rearplatform waved to the lone rider and Slim returned the greeting. Fardown the rails he could see the cluster of buildings that was Mopstick,but the limited shot by without stopping.

  Mopstick consisted of a water tank, a blistered station, three boxcarswhich had been set on the ground for the families of the section men,and the stockyards. There was no store.

  Slim tied Lightning in the shadow of the water tank where a troughoverflowed with cool water. Entering the depot, he found the operatorbusy copying orders for a freight that was wheezing along in the wake ofthe limited.

  Slim had reached the point where he needed information and needed it ina hurry. When the agent turned around he produced the small badge ofauthority from the governor and found that it opened, as though bymagic, the way to obtain the facts he sought.

  "I want to see your records on cattle shipments in the last year," saidSlim.

  Without protest, the agent produced the large book with carbons of thebills of lading. The Diamond Dot, the smallest outfit in the north endof the Creeping Shadows, had shipped as many cattle as the Double O andthe Box B combined.

  "The Diamond Dot is a pretty good customer of this railroad," said Slim.

  "Just about the best we've got around here. They've been shipping a lotmore stuff in the last year than ever before."

  "Ever hear anything about any rustling going on in the Creeping Shadowscountry?" asked Slim, watching the agent intently.

  "Sure. There's been bad talk for a couple of years, but nothing seems tocome of it. Lots of people think the Box B and the Double O are gettingready to grab the Diamond Dot."

  "Who says so?"

  "Why I've heard Hack Cook of the Diamond Dot tell how the big outfitswere trying to run over him."

  "Then doesn't it seem kinda queer that Cook's shipping as many cattle asthe other two combined?"

  "I asked him about that once," replied the railroad man, "and he said hewas cleaning out his range so if they chased him out he wouldn't lose somuch."

  Slim grunted. It was an explanation, but a pretty thin one. He went outto the yards. They had not been used for some weeks, but he recalledthat the last bill of lading had been dated only the week before. Heturned back to the station.

  "Your last bill of lading was dated only a week ago," he told the agent,"but those yards haven't been used for at least a month. Somethingfunny's going on around here. You'd better talk and talk fast."

  "I didn't say the cattle had been shipped from here," replied the agent."You didn't ask me where they were shipped from. Just keep your temperand I'll tell you."

  The freight whistled in, stopping only long enough for water and orders,and then clanked out again. When he had reported the passage of thefreight, the agent turned to Slim.

  "Cook drives his cattle through a low pass in the Cajons and hits themain line about fifteen miles below here. In order to save time we loaddirect on a way freight, using a portable chute."

  "Then Cook lets you know a couple of days in advance so you can have thechute on the way freight?"

  "Sure. I have to see that the freight's carrying enough empty cattlecars to take care of his stuff. He's shipping two cars out tomorrownight."

  "You're certain about that?"

  The agent handed Slim a copy of an order he had sent the dispatcher,asking for two empty cattle cars in the way freight the next night.

  Slim tossed the order back.

  "Keep your mouth shut about my visit. If a word leaks out that I've beenhere, I'll know who's to blame and I'll see that you get in plenty oftrouble."

  He hurried out of the station, his mind buzzing with plans. Cook wasshipping cattle the next night fifteen miles down the line. It was timefor action. There wasn't a minute to lose. Hours of hard riding facedhim, but he felt that within the next two days the mystery of therustling in the Creeping Shadows country would be solved.