The Broncho Rider Boys Along the Border

  CHAPTER IV.

  THE STRANGE SHOT.

  "Oh! he's gone!" exclaimed Billie.

  "Of course he is!" echoed Donald, in disgust; "say, how long did youexpect a slick Injun to stay around, waiting for you to make up yourmind to shoot?"

  "But good gracious, Donald, what should I fire away at him for? Hehadn't done a single thing but creep up here to see who was making allthis blaze and smoke. That's a mighty little thing to try to killanybody for. Why, I'd like as not be just as curious myself."

  Donald snorted as he turned to Adrian.

  "Listen to the innocent, would you, Ad?" he remarked, in halfdiscouraged tone. "Why, what else would a red be prowling around ourcamp for, except looking for a good chance to steal our horses."

  "Is that so, Donald?" Billie went on to say; "then I suppose I ought tohave banged away, anyhow, and given him a scare; but you see I was thatconfused I hardly knew what I was about."

  "A scare!" echoed Donald. "Why, don't you know, you innocent, that acow-puncher would forgive a thief for robbing him of his money, andalmost causing his death, quicker than he would for trying to steal hismount?"

  "Yes," Adrian went on to add, "they are a good deal like the Arab inthat respect. You see, a horse means everything on the prairie, or inthe desert; and to take a man's mount is just the same as threateninghis life. Did you manage to get any half-way decent look at him,Donald?"

  "Well, not so you could mention it," replied the other, who now had hisgun in his hand, and was staring out into the mixture of moonlight anddim shadows as if he still clung to a faint hope that he might find achance to use the weapon. "But there can be no question about what hewas."

  "Some stray from the reservation, you think?" Adrian continued; whileBillie stood near by, listening eagerly.

  "Every once in so often some of the hot-blooded young bucks get a notionthat things are too tame on the reservation," Donald started to say withthe air of one who knew full well what he was talking about.

  "And so they start out to take a turn around," Adrian added, "thinkingthey ought to copy after their ancestors, and feel wild for a spell.Sometimes they play havoc among the white, being filled with firewater;and then there is trouble enough, with some of the same young bucksgetting shot. And as Donald says, an Indian can never resist a chance tosteal a horse, when he's off on a tear like that, free from all therestraint of the old men of his tribe."

  "Perhaps he may think to come back, and make another try?" suggestedBillie.

  "Chances are he will do just that same thing; and as he must have one ormore friends along, we may have to do some business with our guns beforemorning," Donald told him, positively.

  Billie was duly impressed with the serious nature of the case. Still, hehardly liked the idea of being compelled to shed human blood justbecause of a horse like his Jupiter. Secretly he hoped that if there didcome along any necessity for this sort of thing, his companions wouldaccept some of the burden of responsibility, since they did not seem tocare as much as he did.

  Donald altered his plans more or less, after this plain warning. Nowthat they actually knew there were thieving Indians around, they couldnot afford to take any chances of losing their horses.

  Accordingly the animals, as well as Bray the pack mule, were brought incloser to the tent. They had been given ample time to procure a supper,and should rest contented during the remainder of the night.

  It was a toss-up between the two experienced cowboys as to which shouldtake the first watch. Billie, quite satisfied to see them so eager tosit up, did all he knew how to settle the matter.

  "Here, let me be the umpire, and hold these two straws in my hand," heremarked, complacently; "now, one of them is just a mite shorter thanthe other; and whoever gets the short one is to play sentry first watch,hear that. You draw, Donald!"

  Thereupon the party indicated proceeded to do as he was directed, andwith the utmost unconcern, as though it mattered not at all to him whathis luck might be.

  "And you're on deck the first thing!" announced Billie, exultantly, ashe held up the remaining straw, so that they could all see it was longerthan the one Donald had selected.

  "Great luck, that!" the picked vidette remarked, laughingly; "for I wasbound to take first choice anyhow, no matter what Ad said. But youclosed him up by your little dodge, Billie, and for that thanks. Are youthinking of going inside, and getting your forty winks right now,fellows?"

  They said they had intentions along those same lines, if he thought hecould manage things without their help; at which Donald pretended tochase the pair to cover; and then remarked that he would find a goodvantage place, where he might stand out his spell as guardian of thecamp.

  Perhaps Billie may not have been altogether free from anxieties as hecomposed himself under his blanket on that same night. The fact thathostile Indians were hovering around, with the intention of stealingtheir valuable mounts, caused him to feel a certain amount ofnervousness. He feared that he would not be able to go to sleep aseasily as was his custom; and that during the entire term of Donald'swatch he must just lie there, thinking and listening.

  Six minutes after crawling under the canvas Billie's regular breathingconvinced Adrian that the fat boy was entirely oblivious to all hissurroundings; and that whatever his mental troubles might be, they hadfor the time being vanished like the mist before the rising sun; forslumber deadens one to the cares of this world, better than anythingelse that is known.

  Adrian himself also went to sleep, but it was in an entirely differentway. He simply resolutely put all thoughts out of his mind, and in thisway coaxed his senses to allow themselves to be lulled to rest. Habitcan do much along these lines.

  He may have been sleeping ten minutes, or perhaps it was a couple ofhours; for Adrian could not even give a guess as to the truth when hewas suddenly awakened by a shot outside.

  Like a flash he was up on his hands and knees. Snatching his rifle fromthe ground he hastily crawled out of the tent; leaving Billie asking adozen excited questions, as he too felt for his rifle, and started tofollow in the wake of the more energetic chum.

  When Adrian managed to gain his feet, he looked quickly around him,wondering how he could locate Donald; and if that had been the other'sgun he heard.

  "This way, Ad!" called a voice just then, and he caught sight of theother waving an arm toward him from a place near by.

  So Adrian started toward that quarter; and Billie, coming rolling outfrom the exit of the tent just then, saw him going, so of course hehastened to "paddle" along after him--that was an expression often usedto describe the fat boy's method of locomotion; and somehow it justseemed to hit the mark; since he had a peculiar sidling motion whenmaking an advance, that reminded one of the fins of a big fish movingback and forth.

  "What happened, Donald?" asked the other, as he came close up to hischum, whom he found crouched there, gun in hand, and evidently keenly onthe watch for some object at which to fire.

  "They were at it again, that's what!" replied the vidette, bitterly; andsomehow Adrian could see that he looked peeved, as well as puzzled; asthough there were certain features connected with the happening that didnot altogether please him.

  "The reds, you mean?" Adrian went on to ask.

  "Sure thing, Ad."

  "That looks like they meant to have our horses by fair means or foul;and I just reckon we'll have to sit up the rest of the night, so's to beready to pick off the first brave who shows himself," Adrian ventured.

  Billie managed to reach them just then, and of course he was brimmingover with a desire to know all that had happened. But then any one wouldhave felt that way, after being so rudely awakened from a most enjoyablesleep, and compelled to crawl out from under his warm blanket, toexperience the chill of the night air.

  "Is he dead?" he asked, solemnly.

  "Meaning the Injun that gave that screech, I suppose you're askingabout, Billie?" Donald went on to say, still gloomily, Adrian thought."Well make your mind easy, for he got
away, all right; though hecertainly did let out a yelp that told he'd been pinked by that leadpellet."

  "You are sure of that, are you, Donald?" demanded Billie, giving anaudible sigh of relief; for he had fully expected that he would becompelled to look upon the stiffening figure of a wretched Apache youngbrave who had been tempted to stray from the reservation, and try whatit felt like to pick up the old pursuits of Geronimo, the fierce chiefwho gave the soldiers so much trouble years back.

  "Well, I can tell you this," replied the other; "as soon as the shotcame he let out a whoop that had a lot of pain back of it. Then helimped across that little open piece yonder where the moonlight falls onthe ground. I reckon his mate was waiting there in the shadows for him,with their own hosses; because I saw the one that was hurt climb on theback of a pony, whirl the animal around, and vanish in the shadows likea ghost. I lifted my gun to shoot, but thought it would be only throwinggood lead away, so I held back, hang the luck!"

  "I don't see why you should feel so bad about it," remarked Billie.

  "Oh! don't you?" remarked Donald, who was unusually grumpy, Adrianrealized.

  "Why, no," the fat chum went on to say, "if you had one crack at him,and as you say, managed to give him some sort of a wound that he won'tforget in a hurry; besides chasing the beggars away in the bargain. Youhadn't ought to kick, Donald."

  "Well, I wouldn't, if only I'd had as much fun as you mention," observedDonald, briskly; "but fact is, fellows, it wasn't me that fired thatshot at all; but it seemed to come from away over yonder. I heard thecrack, and looked out just in time to see that limping Injun pass over,and manage to get on his pony. Before I could remember that I held a gunhe was gone. And what's bothering me is, who's our unknown friend,hiding in the rocks over there?"

  "Let's give him a call, and ask him to join us," suggested Billie,heartily.

  But although they shouted many times, only dense silence answered them;whoever it was fired that mysterious shot, he evidently did not mean tomake himself known.