CHAPTER XXVIII--GREAT LUCK
The sweep of the hill-bound vale was visible for ten miles from thehillside where the boys were encamped. They were almost at the head ofthe valley. The buffaloes grazed five miles below.
The slope of ground bounding the valley on the north and east was toosteep to tempt the buffaloes to mount and graze upon it. Of course, oncefrightened and with better escape shut off, the herd would not refuse tocome over this hill. Buffaloes are almost as sure-footed as deer.
The other side of the valley--the south side--was bounded by steepterraces which would have been hard for a man to climb in many places.These steep walls were broken here and there by gashes cut in thehillside by nature in ancient times.
As far as Chet could see, these gulches were not barren. Grass and brushgrew plentifully as far up the cuts as he could see, and here and therea tall tree stood, topping the walls of the pocket.
Digby Fordham's suggestion regarding the capture of some of thebuffaloes was well worth attempting. At least, so it seemed to Chet'senthusiastic mind. He was just as eager to try to drive the buffalo herdas was his chum.
He went back to breakfast briskly. Dig had everything all prepared.
"What do you think of it?" he asked doubtfully.
"We'll try it. But we have to fool those two fellows down below there,as well as the buffaloes."
"Why so?" asked Dig curiously.
Chet told him in a low voice while they ate just what he had heard atthe other camp the evening before. He believed that Steve was watchingfor a chance to get away from them; but that, because of Tony'sinsistence, the two villains would wait until they obtained some meat.
"Tony isn't one to starve uncomplainingly in any cause," Chet saiddecidedly. "And Steve doesn't want to lose him--"
"Why not? He's not much good to him, seems to me," said Dig.
"Figure out how you'd like to be in the wilderness yourself, all alone,"said Chet. "Especially when there is occasion to keep watch. A man can'ttravel all day and keep watch all night, too."
"I reckon that's so," agreed Dig.
"If for no other reason, Steve needs Tony. They'll keep together. Theyhave had no luck hunting. Haven't the proper guns. They are depending onus--"
"To be their commissary department, eh?" growled Dig.
"That's about it."
"The cheek of 'em!"
"Well, I don't know. As long as we want to keep near them I'd just assoon have them dependent upon us for food," Chet reflected.
"You're still going to follow them, then?"
"To the bitter end," chuckled Chet. "When that fellow goes back forthose deeds, I'm going to be right with him."
"I hope he won't fool us," Dig said doubtfully.
"He won't if we keep our eyes open. I hope we are as smart as he is!"exclaimed Chet, with scorn. "Well! I'm willing to feed them, as I say.But I'm going to give them something to do--and in doing it they'll beright where we can watch them."
"While we're hunting those buffaloes?" asked Dig excitedly.
"Yes, sir! Now listen, and don't interfere."
"I'm an oyster," said Dig promptly.
The men were now astir in the camp below. The boys finished theirbreakfast and cleared everything away. They packed their outfit asthough for a day's march. Then, while Dig watered the horses andfastened the blanket-rolls to the cantles of the saddles, Chetapproached the other camp.
"Hey, you fellows!" he called, "if you want any of the buffalo meat thatwe hope to kill, you've got to help get it."
"Sure, Chet," cried Tony briskly.
"That's understood," said the other man, though not very graciously.
"Want us to drive 'em for you?" queried Tony, who was no bad hunterhimself, when he had a good weapon and a decent mount. Both the rifleand the pony he now possessed were wretched.
Chet told them what he desired. He and Dig were going to ride west tohead the buffaloes off. They proposed going back over the crown of thehill and entering the valley some miles below the spot where the herd ofbuffaloes was now feeding.
"Although we'll approach them almost down wind, we'll trust to the speedof our mounts to get in a couple of shots, at least. The whole herd maytear up this way. But we'll probably wound one, if not two, and they'lllag behind. If you are ready for them, that old rifle of Tony's--evenyour pistol," and he spoke directly to Steve, "may put the finishingtouch to our work."
"Good boy. You're right," said Tony briskly.
"I want you to lengthen your lines with your lariats, and let yourponies drift out into the valley. If the buffaloes are frightened andcome on the run, they won't bother about the ponies. You fellows keepdown, of course, until the beasts are near. Then up and at them!"
"They'll easily keep out of the range of our guns," said the man Steve,doubtfully.
"Then they'll have to turn back on us," Chet said, confidently. "We'llhave them between two fires. That's the only sure way we have of gettingone of the beasts. Do you want to do your share?"
"You got the rights of it, Chet," said Tony Traddles. "Sure we agree."
"Speak for yourself!" snarled the other man.
"Well, if you don't want to eat--" began Chet; but Tony broke in with:
"Aw, don't mind him! He's a born sorehead. Of course we want to eat.We'll do like you say."
"Then let's see you get your horses down there on the plain," said Chetpromptly. "When I see you fixed right, Dig and I will ride around tohead the buffaloes off."
Perhaps Steve saw through Chet's subterfuge. It would not have taken avery keen man to do so. But he evidently agreed to the proposal becauseTony urged it. Tony had an appetite.
The men finished their breakfast (it wasn't a big one, as the boys wellknew) and soon rode down the hill into the grassy valley. Thickets ofscrubby trees hid their movements from the grazing animals.
Chet and Dig rode off up the hill; but they did not lose sight of themen whom they so distrusted--not for some time. Through the screen ofverdure that topped the long hill, or ridge, the boys could see downinto the valley and keep watch of both the men and the grazingbuffaloes.
They saw the former reach the last shelter down the valley and theredismount, deposit their goods and saddles, and then rope out their twomounts. As the boys had first stalked the buffaloes several days before,Tony and Steve did now.
Satisfied, Chet and Dig put spurs to their mounts and covered six orseven miles along the wooded ridge very quickly. Occasionally they spiedupon the buffaloes and knew that nothing had disturbed the animals'placidity. They were comfortably grazing on the bottomland.
After viewing the exposed valley through the glasses for some minutes,Chet announced the programme. Dig, although the originator of the schemeto attempt the corralling of some of the buffaloes, was quite willingthat his chum should take the lead.
Keeping the screen of wood between them and the view of the buffaloes,the chums descended the steep hillside into the narrow valley. Its mouthwas a number of miles west of their position. Directly opposite, and cutinto the more abrupt southern wall of the valley, was one of the pocketsthat Dig had first discovered and pointed out. They rode there toexamine it.
The approach to the gulch could not have been arranged better had itbeen originally intended for a trap for wild animals. In similar pocketsin the hills the boys knew many herds of wild mustangs had been caughtby hunters in past years. Now the wild horses were almost as scarce asthe buffaloes.
On the left hand the hillside was too steep and rocky for any animalwith hoofs willingly to run that way. Sloping up from the waterside onthe right hand was a thick hedge of low trees, so closely interwoventhat buffaloes, at least, could not burst through the barrier.
The mouth of the pocket was plain, if narrow. It was the only escape insight--if the herd could be driven this way. Yet the pocket could beclosed easily.
On one side stood a thickly branching tree. If it was felled correctlyafter the animals were enclosed not even the
big bull buffalo could makehis escape. The chums saw the possibilities of the place with glee.
"Whew!" ejaculated Dig, "it'll be pie."
"Couldn't be better if it were made for us. Now, let's see if it isreally a place in which we can bottle some of the animals."
"Cricky! we'll get the whole herd!" boasted Dig.
"Be more modest--be more modest," urged Chet, laughing. "Wouldn't you besatisfied with the big bull alone?"
"Would a duck swim?" returned his chum.
They rode into the gully and looked about them. It was heavily grassedin the bottom; but the sides were almost as steep as a wall. Nobuffalo--no matter how nimble--could scale those walls.
They rode to the head of the gulch. It was some eighth of a mile deep,and there were several tall trees in it. The soil in the bottom was arich, alluvial deposit that gave verdure of all kinds deep rootage. Andthere was a free-flowing spring.
"Pasture here for a hundred head of cattle, I declare," Dig said. "If wecan get those buffaloes in here, they'll be in clover until we can findthe means of capturing or shooting them."
"And what will Tony and that Steve be doing, I wonder?" Chet saiddoubtfully.
"Whew! I had forgotten them."
"They're a part of the pickle, all right," Chet said, "and must befigured on."
"Cricky! it would be a nice note if they not only stole your deeds, butgot our buffaloes away from us, too."
"Beginning already to lay claim to the buffaloes, are you?" returnedChet.
"Well, we saw them first," declared the other lad.
Feeling that the pocket was secure--if they had the luck to drive thebuffaloes this way, Chet laid out the further plan of action, and Digagreed. They rode back to the brook, watered their horses, hid theiroutfit, save the serviceable camp axe and their guns, then cinched upand rode through the brook.
The trail boys were still hidden from the grazing game by thickets oflow shrubs. But they knew just where the buffaloes were.
Coming on them from the north side of the valley, Chet hoped to shoot atleast one and stampede them across the brook, instead of up the valleytoward the spot where the two men were in waiting.
As Dig had said admiringly, Chet was "longheaded." He knew the menwanted some meat, and that was all. If the boys shot a buffalo where theherd now grazed, Steve and Tony would not trouble themselves about theremainder of the buffaloes.
"If we can get the herd across that brook, and headed down stream, we'llstand a good chance of corralling them, Dig," Chet said. "We'll crossthe stream, too, keep near enough to head them off from the water, andthey'll be likely to take the first opening in the hillside thatpromises escape. They can't get through the thicket below there, and ifwe keep them turned south they'll find our pocket."
"Whew! I'm just as excited as I can be," declared Dig. "Let's get intoaction. We've played to great luck so far; I hope it doesn't break onus."
"Ha!" laughed Chet. "Remember that there are two things easilybroken--glass and luck."