Chapter Seven
Explanations
They agreed with Old Bill's simple philosophy and all three set aboutmaking camp. Slim took care of Lightning and Old Bill's horse whileChuck went about rustling an armful of wood.
Old Bill opened his blanket roll and a goodly supply of provisions wasrevealed, something more than the bitter coffee on which they had triedto satisfy their hunger that day.
A crackling fire was soon going, the bacon broiling and the potatoesfrying. There was plenty of bread and a pot of delicious coffee. Slimand Chuck ate to their fill, and Old Bill watched them with twinklingeyes. These were youngsters after his own heart, clean, manly youngchaps--able to ride with the best in the west, afraid of nothing,including mountain wildcats. He knew that he could count on them for thework that was ahead.
When they had finished the meal, Slim and Chuck took the few utensils tothe nearby stream where they washed them in the cool water. By the timethey were back at camp, Old Bill had the blankets spread out, more fuelon the fire, and his pipe going. He was ready to talk, ready to tellthem why he had summoned them to meet him so mysteriously on the SkyHigh trail.
The cowboy from the Flying Arrow and the one from the Circle Four easedtheir weary bodies down on the blankets and waited for Old Bill tospeak. The cattleman shifted his pipe.
"I'll start in from the first," he said. "It goes quite a ways back intoWyoming cattle history, but it's best that you know fully what you'regoing into."
He jerked a thumb in the general direction of the Creeping Shadowscountry.
"That's the best cattle country in this part of the west--plenty of richgrass and lots of water that's good all of the year round. The valley isset down between the Cajons and the Three Soldiers and it's warmer thanmost parts of Wyoming in the winter. But it's tough country to getinto--too expensive for a railroad for the amount of business, so theworld has sort of forgotten the valley except when the trail herds comeout in the fall on the way to the loading yards at Mopstick. The valleyis just as tough, maybe a little tougher, than it was thirty years agowhen Adam Marks went in and started the Box B. Adam had a fight on hishands then and he's got one now."
"So we're headed for the Box B?" said Slim softly. He had heard hisfather speak of Adam Marks and the Box B, of the fine grass and water onthe range and of the choice cattle the Box B sent to market each fall.
"You two are headed for the Box B," corrected Old Bill.
"You voting yourself out?" asked Chuck.
"I never voted myself in. Now don't jump at conclusions. Adam went intothe Creeping Shadows country when it was a nest of outlaws. He washonest and clean and he bought his land. He took with him a hard-riding,hard-fighting bunch of punchers that were handy with fist or gun. Hecleaned up the valley except the town of Dirty Water and that was tootough even for Adam to fumigate.
"To shorten up the story, Adam prospered. He kept buying more land andincreasing his range stock. He was figured a millionaire a couple oftimes over but the bottom went out of the beef market and then rustlingstarted again and it's been growing worse the last few months. Adam haslost hundreds of fine cattle and he hasn't been able to put his fingeron the gang responsible."
"Which means you've picked Slim and me to go in and do a little SherlockHolmes work for you," interjected Chuck. "How about your regular cattledetectives?"
"I was just getting to that," said Old Bill a little wearily. "Adam sentword to me that he was in trouble and I sent a good man into the valley.He never came back. Then Adam sent another call to the association forhelp and I sent another good riding detective, but after a week in thevalley with Adam's boys, he did a disappearing act."
"Someone scare him?" asked Chuck.
"They were the type that didn't scare. I think someone shot them justlike they attempted to get you yesterday."
"They'll have to be a lot better shots than that if they figure ongetting me," snorted Chuck. "They missed me the first time. Say, I couldknock an apple off a man's head at that range ten times out of ten andnever touch a hair on his head."
"That's one reason I sent word for you to meet me here," said Old Bill."Adam Marks is up against a tough proposition. I've lost two of myregular detectives on the job. It isn't that I'm afraid to send them in,but I know it's pure murder for them if I do. They're all known. What Ineed is two fellows who look and act like a couple of gay youngbuckaroos that don't have a responsibility in the world and don't caremuch where they hang their hats just so there's a peg handy.
"I picked you boys for several reasons. Slim has done a couple of littlejobs for me over near Sunfield and I know he's got a good head and acool one. In addition, he's a dead shot with a six gun. Chuck's a finerider and the best man with a rifle I've seen in many a year. Slim, yourtemper is likely to flash a bit too hot at times, but I figure thatChuck being a little slower to fly off the handle will kind of keep acheck on you. In other words, you're my idea of the right kind of a teamto send into the Creeping Shadows country and ferret out theserustlers."
Slim looked across the fire at Chuck, carefully appraising the cowboyfrom the Circle Four. He had liked Chuck from the very first.
"What do you think about it?" he asked.
"I don't much like being shot at without warning," said Chuck, "so youcan count me in to see this thing through. I've a pretty strong hunchwe'll find the fellows that gave me the lead greeting tangled up withthis gang of rustlers."
"And I'm still mad about Lightning being stolen," added Slim. "Lookslike both of us have a debt to repay those birds in the CreepingShadows. Count me in."
"Me too," added Chuck heartily.
Old Bill smiled broadly. He had felt sure that these youngsters wouldcome through. He reached over to the nearby woodpile and tossed a coupleof large sticks on the flames. The fire brightened, chasing the shadowsaway from the men stretched on the blankets.
"Don't make a mistake and think this is going to be an easy job,"cautioned Old Bill. "You'll have to do plenty of hard work and a lot oftough riding. You're going into this thing alone. Not even Adam Markswill know who you are."
"Why not?" asked Slim.
"He knew that the other men I sent in were detectives. They never cameback."
"You're not hinting that Marks is rustling his own cattle?"
"I'm not hinting at a thing," replied Old Bill sharply. "I'm simplytelling you the facts. No one must know you have any possibleassociation with me. That's why I asked both of you to meet me on thislonely trail."
"I was 'met' all right," said Chuck.
"That worries me," said Old Bill. "It makes it a lot harder for youboys. The gang operating in the Creeping Shadows must figure I'll besending in more men and have every incoming trail picketed."
"But they never gave me a chance."
"This gang won't."
"When do you want us to start for the valley?" asked Slim.
Old Bill was silent for a time.
"We've got to get a horse for Chuck and new boots for both of you," hesaid at last. "Then I'd better get a complete change of clothes forChuck. That's a pretty loud shirt he's wearing and it might be agive-away when he reaches the valley, especially if those hombres got agood look at it. I think you better have your hair cropped close, too,Chuck. That would change your appearance a lot."
"You mean it would ruin my manly beauty," howled Chuck. "Who's going todo all this barbering, anyway?"
"I'll ride back across the Cajons by another trail I know they won't bewatching, get another horse for you, buy boots for both of you, clothesfor Chuck and bring back a pair of hair clippers."
"While you're worrying so much about me, what about Slim and Lightning?"Chuck wanted to know.
"They never saw Slim in the daylight and I'll get a little dye while I'mon the other side and we'll make Lightning a solid sorrel. That ought tofool them."
"Better buy me a saddle," suggested Slim. "My own outfit looks too goodfor a wandering cowboy."
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"One thing," grinned Chuck, "we'll have a couple of days to rest hereand let the swelling in our feet go down."
"That suits me," agreed Slim. "My main worry was getting Lightningback."
They talked a few more minutes, then rolled into their blankets as thefire died down. The moon, coming up over the Cajons, looked down on thesleeping camp, and swung on toward the west.