CHAPTER XV--"WHAT WON'T BE LED MUST BE DRIVEN"
"Come along," said Chet, after the Indians were gone. "Let's pick up thepieces and get away. We won't get anywhere on the trail to-day. Butthere's one thing sure--we won't stop at noon to eat."
"Whew! I lose that meal, do I?" grumbled Dig.
"And you'll lose supper, too, if we don't shoot some game. Our guestspretty nearly ate us out of house and home. I calculated on yourappetite when I made up our list of provisions; but I didn't calculateon a plague of locusts. Amoshee, or John Peep, and his red friends hadtheir appetites with them, and no mistake."
"Oh, don't worry," said his chum, with sarcasm. "We can't starve whenbuffaloes roam the plains as plentifully as they do. We'll soon be ableto rope a buffalo calf, eh?"
"No, there's no need of that," said Chet calmly. "We've got yourmaverick to feed on. When are you going to butcher him, Dig?"
"I guess not!" cried Dig indignantly. "He's a pet. See! he knows menow."
He was just then approaching the yearling to unfasten the lariat. Thelittle brute waited, with lowered head, watching Dig with what Chet wassure was a malevolent eye.
Dig stooped to untangle the rope, turning rearward to the captured calf.As though he had been waiting for the chance, the calf blatted andcharged. The impact of his forehead against the seat of Dig's pants wastremendous.
"Waugh! Take him off! Help!" roared Dig, after performing a completesomersault. Chet absolutely could not help him. The maverick leapedabout his prostrate captor, stiff-legged. The rope became wound aroundDig's ankle and then, when he tried to get to his feet, he could not doso.
"Stop your laughing!" he called to his chum, "and come to help a fellow.He's going to bat me again!"
"What do you want--a gun?" sputtered Chet. "That calf is just asdangerous as a tiger." But he helped his chum out of his predicament,though continuing to make remarks regarding the maverick and itstroubled owner.
"So you call this a pet, do you? I'd just as soon pet a Kansas cyclone.Whoa, boy! Easy! My goodness, Dig! he pulls like a bull elk. There'ssomething wrong with this maverick. He's crossed with a traction engine,I know."
"Oh, you behave!" complained Digby. "Why pick upon the innocent littlething? I believe you've been tantalizing him when my back was turned.That's why he acts in such an ornery fashion."
They got on their horses at length, and Dig attempted to lead his prize.Instantly the maverick set all four hoofs in the soft prairie and bracedhimself against the line. But Dig had his line fastened to the fork ofthe saddle and the yearling could not pull Poke over.
The mustang snorted and dragged the maverick over the torn sod. Thelatter animal could not blat, for its wind was shut off.
"Hi!" cried Chet. "You'll stretch its neck until it will look like agiraffe. Then you'll never sell it at Grub Stake for a pet or foranything else."
"Get better money for it," declared Dig grimly. "It would sell for afreak in a circus. And, by Jo! it's got to come."
Chet watched the tug of war for some minutes further before asking,seriously:
"You haven't called it anything yet, have you, Dig?"
"Called it anything?" protested his chum. "I've called it everything Idared aloud, and a whole lot of names that don't sound well to myself!"
"Oh, no--I mean a real name," said Chet, chuckling. "You haven't namedit yet?"
"Haven't had time," returned Dig innocently enough. "I been too busytrying to make the darned thing behave."
"Well, I'd like to suggest a name for it," said Chet.
"Yes?" responded Dig, yanking again on the calf's line.
"Call it Stone Fence. You can move it just as easily."
"Waugh!" shouted Dig, as the calf hung back again and the rope becametaut, burning the boy's hand between rope and saddle. "Now you've saidsomething, boy! Stone Fence let him be."
Poke was dancing. He was no cow-pony and he objected to the dragging ofthe waif.
"We'll never get anywhere," said Chet impatiently. "Do something to thatcalf, Dig, please!"
It did seem as though after the little brute had been half choked todeath he ought to be willing to trot along behind Poke; but not so.Stone Fence fell down on his knees, flopped over on his side, andallowed himself to be dragged in that position.
"Say!" gasped the sweating Dig, "he'll be worn as thin as paper if hekeeps that up. By the last hoptoad that was chased out of Ireland! I'llbeat that little nuisance!"
He dismounted and cut two long willow sprouts. The maverick began tograze. Nothing seemed to disturb its appetite. In that possession it andDigby Fordham were brothers, and Chet, with gravity, pointed this factout.
"Brothers?" sniffed Dig. "You can bet we are brothers in another way.That dogy is obstinate; but so am I. You watch me!"
He mounted into the saddle again. He stuck one willow wand into hisbootleg for emergency, and then used the other to prod the maverick. Thelatter didn't like this. He kept ahead of the point of the willow wandwhich, whenever he lagged, poked between his hind legs.
Chet almost fell out of his saddle from laughing at the performance; andPoke looked as disgusted as a mustang can look. That calf plunging alongthe trail just ahead of Poke's nose disgruntled the spirited horse.
Chet led the march, the maverick came next, and Dig brought up an activerear. "What won't be led must be driven," quoth Dig, now quite himselfagain. "All aboard for Grub Stake again, Chet, my boy."
"My goodness!" exclaimed his chum, rather exasperated. "When do youthink we'll ever get there at this rate?"
They made fair time, however, considering the obstacles during a part ofthe afternoon. Chet galloped away off the trail at sight of a small herdof deer, and managed to get near enough to shoot a young doe. He cut itsthroat, and let it bleed well, and then flung it over the saddle andcantered back to the trail.
Dig was rather disappointed because he had not had any of the fun ofstalking the deer. Chet pointed out the fact that Dig had the maverick,saying:
"There is compensation in everything, my boy. You have that pet to playwith; I don't own any maverick. You don't hear me kicking--"
"Oh, go on!" growled Dig.
There was one good thing about Digby Fordham: he never really heldrancour; and he could take a joke as well as give one. Of course he knewthat he had caught a Tartar in the yearling; but he would not give himup.
Before the afternoon was gone Stone Fence had learned that it was betterto walk more or less sedately along the trail than to be poked with asharp pole. Their pace was not rapid; but they got through the passbetween the hills after a time.
It was just before they left the pass and as the wider plain beyondbroke upon their view that Dig spied a grey animal sitting on a rockahead of them, and some distance off the trail.
"What do you call that, Chet?" he cried. "Looks like an old woman with anightcap on--only she's got two tassels on the cap and they stick upstraight."
"Wolf!" responded his chum, the instant he saw the grey figure on therock. "And the 'old woman' is all right. Bet she's a big she-wolf with alitter somewhere near. Yes, by cracky! there they are, Dig."
"I see 'em," Dig returned.
There were several moving figures beside the big old wolf sitting on herhaunches. Dig was anxious to try and get a shot.
"No more chance of hitting her than of hitting the moon," returned Chet,restraining him. "But I'll tell you something right now."
"What's that?"
"You keep this blamed calf tagging us around for long, and we'll have awhole pack of wolves ringing our camp. Make up your mind to that, boy."
"'Tagging us around'? That sounds good," snorted Dig. "Get up there, youpest! I've driven this pesky creature almost far enough now."
"Turn him loose then."
"Oh, no! I couldn't be so cruel. Not with those wolves in sight," saidDig, shaking his head.
"Make up your mind that he is going to attract night prowlers."
"Good! I want to get a shot at so
mething besides grouse."
"Never mind. Deer liver for supper to-night," said Chet.
"And the tongue. That's a fat doe; there'll be plenty of kidney suet tofry the meat in. Whew! I'm hungry now," cried Digby.
"Never saw such a disgracefully hungry person in my life," declared hischum. "Always thinking of your stomach."
They did not see the wolves again as they came out upon the edge of thegreat prairie. Indeed, they saw no animal. The prairie rolled awaybefore them as far as they could see. To the north and to the south werelines of hills; but a haze almost hid the higher Rockies toward whichthey were bound.
Chet stopped at a stream and they filled their canteens.
"Try to be careful with it," he advised Digby. "We're not sure that weshall reach another stream to camp beside. I'm not so sure of the trailfrom here on, anyway."
"I'll get a good drink right here, then," said his chum, climbingcarefully down.
With the maverick to take care of he had to be cautious as to hismovements. It was not safe to leave the lead-rope tied to the fork ofhis saddle, for if the calf pulled when the saddle was empty, Pokeimmediately backed around preparatory to throwing his heels at theblatting young calf.
Now Dig kneeled down at the edge of the stream above where the horseswere drinking. Stone Fence had dropped down on the grass, chewing a cud,but evidently tired. The run had been a hard one for him.
Poke lifted his head, "blew" softly, and felt the tug of the leash athis saddle. The black's wicked ears shot backward and he turned his headto mark the place where Stone Fence contentedly chewed his cud.
"Look out, Dig!" cried Chet, who was just raising himself into his ownsaddle.
But his chum's head was down for another drink. He did not hear.
The maverick scrambled up with a snort of fright as the black horsewhirled upon him. Dig tried to get up just as quickly; but when he puthis weight upon a turf at the brink of the stream, the sod broke awayand down he plunged, with his right arm into the water to his arm-pit.
"Oh--ouch!" gurgled Dig. "What's the matter now?"
"Trouble!" called Chet.
But, as Dig claimed afterward, that was no fit warning. He didn't knowwhether he was being attacked from behind, before, on either flank, fromthe sky above, or whether trouble was rising out of the ground.
And it seemed as though it had come from all points when it reached him.Dig was trying to rise when the calf, escaping Poke's vicious hoofs,collided with his young master. Ker-splash! they were both in thestream!
The calf was scared fully as much as Dig, if not more. Both bawled andsplashed about, unable to obtain their footing at first, and had Chetnot dismounted and run to the assistance of the pair, one or the othermight have remained under water longer than would have been good forhim.
The rope had become wound about Dig's legs in some mysterious way, andthe calf was tangled up in a regular "cat's cradle."
"I declare!" said Chet Havens, with disgust as well as laughter. "Inever saw anybody do so much and to so little purpose with a rope in allmy life. For goodness' sake, Dig! come out of that water. You're asight!"
"I--I don't f-feel much b-b-better than I--I look," chattered his chum."That water's cold, lemme t-tell you."
"I know it's wet--from just looking at you," proclaimed young Havens."You're in fine shape for riding. What are you going to do with thatblamed calf now?"
"Take him to Grub Stake," said Dig obstinately. "You can ride on withoutme, if you want to, Chet. But Stone Fence is going to be my companion ifI spend the rest of the summer on the trail."
He would not remount then, however, but made Poke trail on behind himwhile he urged the complaining Stone Fence with a willow wand. Besides,the sun would dry his garments better when he walked, and the exercisekept him from becoming chilled.
"Gee! Haw!" he was soon calling to the yearling, teaching him to turnfrom side to side as the case might be. "Never too young to learn," Digconfided to his chum. "Mebbe somebody will want to work him with abull-team."
Chet rode ahead and scanned the prairie carefully. The trail they weresupposed to follow was only a faint trace now. He knew the generaldirection to go, and he carried a compass. He did not think he could getlost; but he was watching the plain for signs of a water-hole. The sunwas descending, and they must camp before dark.
Besides, Chet was looking for signs of disturbing animals now. Havingseen the old she-wolf and her young, he expected to find other--andperhaps more dangerous--creatures on the plain.
An hour later he spied some low shrubs which seemed to follow awatercourse between two coulies. The shrubs were green and thrifty,although they did not mark a very extensive stream. It might be merely awater-hole which had not yet dried up. However, Chet was quite sure itwould afford the party all the water they needed for one night.
So he led the way off the trail. Even Stone Fence seemed to know thatthe day's journey was nearly over. He trotted on more placidly, and thehorses quickened their pace.
They had made but small progress that day. However, with all theset-backs and delays it was fortunate that they had come this far.
The water was a narrow stream trickling between willows and othermoisture-loving shrubs. They made camp and started a fire very quickly.They cut up the doe Chet had shot and all the dainty parts that Digclamoured for were prepared for the skillet, while the flayed haunchesand shoulders were hung high in the saplings, out of the way (as theboys thought) of any marauding beast.
"Tell you what," Chet said, "if your calf doesn't draw the wolves downhere, the smell of that fresh venison will do the trick. Watch and watchtonight, boy."
"Oh, Chet! what's the use? I'm tired," yawned his chum.
"I should think you would be paddling on after that fool calf! Butexpect no sympathy from me," and Chet insisted upon tethering the horsesnear the camp instead of letting them roam, hobbled.
"By the last hoptoad that was chased out of Ireland!" Dig exclaimed,"why don't you build a stockade and build a big bonfire? One would thinkyou were expecting a whole drove of savage beasts down here."
Just then a mournful wail came down the wind--a shuddering cry that madeDig start and hold suspended the piece of meat he had upon his fork.
"Wha--what's that? A coyote?" demanded Dig.
"That's one of your friends," said Chet grimly. "It's the call of ahungry wolf. You can expect him and his gang early."
Stone Fence bawled where he was tethered nearby, instinctively knowingthat there was danger near.