Chapter III
GALE'S ADVENTURE
The Arizona night was cool, the sky studded with stars. In the livingroom the girls from the East were toying with the radio and dancing.Gale and Valerie stepped out onto the porch into the cool darkness.Walking a short distance from the house they were enveloped in silence,interrupted only now and then by the noise from the radio. Theysauntered to where a giant pine tree spread its sheltering branchesoverhead.
Valerie coughed as she leaned against the sturdy trunk and a sympatheticgleam entered Gale's eyes. The girls all knew that Valerie's health wasnot of the best, and it was hoped that this month they were to spendhere in Arizona would do her good. She liked fun and excitement as wellas any of them, but she could not stand too much. She needed to build upa stranger constitution and her friends were sure the western air wouldhelp as no medicine could.
"Nice, isn't it?" Valerie asked dreamily.
"So quiet!" Gale agreed. "It would be a relief to hear a noise."
In the distance a coyote howled mournfully and the girls shivered. Armin arm they strolled toward the corral.
"I wish Virginia's parents would let us take that camping trip," Valeriesaid. "It would be fun."
At supper Janet and Carol had proposed a camping trip which the othersreceived with enthusiasm. The idea was to take their horses and campingequipment and go camping up in the mountains, or down across the desertto Mexico. The girls, Virginia included, and Tom were decidedly in favorof it, but Mr. Wilson had demurred. It was dangerous, he said, for aparty of young people to go camping about the hills just now. Too manybandits and disturbances along the Mexican border. However, the girlshad refused to drop the subject.
"Are you sure it wouldn't be too much for you?" Gale asked anxiously."You can't do too much, you know."
"We could take our time," Valerie answered. "I think it would be goodfor me, sleeping in the open air and all."
The girls had been walking along the corral fence and now stopped in thedarkness. Around the corner from them two men were talking. The girlsrecognized the voices of Mr. Wilson and Tom.
"I tell you it would be a perfect cover for Jim and me," Tom was sayingexcitedly.
"But I don't want to run the girls into danger," Mr. Wilson insisted.
In the darkness Gale and Valerie exchanged wondering glances. Theircuriosity was caught and without realizing they were doing so, theyeavesdropped.
"No one would know," Tom continued. "We could act as guides for thegirls and at the same time perhaps discover a clue to the hideout of therustlers."
"But it is dangerous, Tom," Mr. Wilson said slowly.
"Listen, Dad," Tom said earnestly. "The rustlers have been stealing yourcattle and a lot of other people's for a long time, haven't they?"
"Yes."
"You admit that if a stop isn't put to this robbing, soon it will ruinyou?"
"I'm getting desperate," Mr. Wilson agreed heavily, "But I can't permityou or Jim or any of those girls to run the risk."
"But I tell you there isn't any risk," Tom argued. "No one would eversuspect us. Even the girls won't know. We will be just a camping party."
"But if someone should find out what you are doing--you would have noprotection, there would be nothing you could do."
"We'll figure something out," Tom said. "Don't you see, Dad? It is thebest way to attempt to find the bandits. They would never suspect aparty of girls."
The two voices trailed away as Tom and his father moved toward thecowboys' bunkhouse. The girls stood perfectly still until they saw thebunkhouse door opened and closed again behind the two.
"Well," Valerie said, "it appears we are to be lures for rustlers."
"I knew there was something wrong here at the K Bar O," Gale saidthoughtfully as the girls walked toward the house. "So it's cattlethieves. No wonder Virginia's mother and father look constantly worried.Even Virginia herself seems to be always watching for something when weare out riding."
"We'd better say nothing to the others," Valerie said as they mounted tothe porch.
"No," Gale agreed. "If Uncle finally agrees to let us go on the trip, weare not to let on we know what Tom and his cowboy friend are up to."
"Just keep our eyes and ears open," murmured Valerie.
The next morning at breakfast Tom announced to the girls that his fatherhad agreed to the proposed camping trip. The news was received withwhoops of joy from Janet and Carol. Gale and Valerie exchanged a quietglance.
"We'll take two tents for you girls," Tom continued. "Jim, the rider whois going with us, and I will sleep in blankets. We'll leave tomorrow."
A clatter of hoofs and shouting outside brought them all away from thebreakfast table. A rider was flinging himself from his weary horse. Boththe rider and the horse looked played out.
"What's up, Bert?" Mr. Wilson asked, striding from the ranch house andconfronting the rider.
The others eagerly crowded forward, intending to miss not one word. Fromthe man's appearance and the appearance of his horse something importanthad happened.
"The two fellows who robbed the bank the other day broke outa jail lastnight and got clean away!" the rider said, mopping his face with ahandkerchief. "I been out for hours with the Sheriff and his posselookin' for the trail. Didn't come this way, did they?"
Mr. Wilson shook his head. "If they did, Bert, we didn't see 'em. Comein and have some breakfast?"
"Shore will," the man replied gratefully. "A fella gets all fired hungryridin' around."
"Didn't the thieves leave any trail at all?" Tom asked when the man hadjoined them and they were all seated once more about the table.
"Wal, son," the rider said, "we figger they separated, one goin' northand the other south. Leastways, they were seen apart. Hank Cordy saw onetryin' to swim the creek. He chased him but the fella got away. That wasthe short, dark haired one. The tall one was seen ridin' out this way."
"If he passed the K Bar O none of us saw him," Mr. Wilson declared.
"Wal," the man sighed as he pushed his chair away from the table and therest followed him into the ranch living room, "that was shore the mostappetizin' meal I ever ate. Reckon now I've got to be gettin' along."
"We'll let you know if we see anything of the robbers," Tom called afterhim.
Madge and Phyllis declared their intention of writing letters whileCarol and Janet rode with Tom and Virginia out to the valley where thelargest of the K Bar O's herds was grazing. Valerie was not looking sowell this morning and the other girls had coaxed her to lie down for awhile. It would be a tragedy if she were not well enough for them to goon the proposed camping trip the next day.
Gale, rope in hand, found her way to the corral where Jim, she knew himby no other name, the cowboy who was to accompany the girls on theirtrip, was waiting to give her her first lesson with the use of herlasso. She learned first to make the slip knot, how to coil her rope,then how to grasp it for throwing.
"I never knew there was so much to it," she declared after an hour hadflown by.
"It won't take you long to learn," he assured her.
A little while later Mr. Wilson appeared and had an errand for Jim todo. Gale wandered off by herself across the valley and up the hillside.The sun was warm and it was tiring work climbing through the grass andtangled undergrowth, so when she came to a tree which offered a largepatch of shade from the sun she sank down to rest. Pretty soon she layback, her arms under her head, gazing up at the little spot of blue skythat she could see through the branches of the tree.
Gale did not know when she fell asleep or for how long she slept, butwhen she opened her eyes the sun was blazing down into her face. It mustbe hours she thought instantly since she had sat down here to rest for afew minutes. Then the thought of what had awakened her made her propherself up on an elbow and gaze around.
Her throat went suddenly dry and a half smothered scream rose to herlips. It had been a heavy pressure on her right leg t
hat had brought herback from her dreams, and now as she looked down at her foot horrorovercame her. Its scaly body wound about her boot, the flat head swayingfrom side to side, was a huge rattlesnake. Gale dropped back on thegrass with closed eyes, trying to erase from her mind the sight of thatreptile, the bite of which meant death.
What was she to do? Scream? There was no one about to hear her. She wastoo far from the ranch house to summon help by calling aloud. Raisingher head a few inches she took one look and let it drop back again. Thegimlet eyes of the snake were coming closer. It would not be long beforeit struck, or had it done so already? It could scarcely send itspoisonous fangs through her heavy boot, she reminded herselfdesperately. But what was she to do? Nothing, she told herselfhopelessly, a sinking in her heart. There was nothing she could do. Shemight struggle for her freedom, but she could not hope to avoid thedarting, poisonous fangs of the snake. It would surely strike soon, andwhen it did----
She caught her underlip between two rows of white teeth to quell thegroan of helplessness. Tears of impotence sprang to her eyes. If onlythere were something she could do--some way she could---- Was it herimagination or did she hear a sound? Quickly she raised her head and avoice spoke from behind her.
"Don't move! Keep quiet!" the man, for it was a man's voice, commanded.
Gale wondered hysterically if he expected her to do anything else. Shecouldn't move if she wanted to. Terror made her lifeless.
"Please hurry!" she murmured.
A revolver shot was her answer and when next she looked down at her bootshe shivered. The sight of the headless, mutilated body was sickening.
"Don't look," Jim whispered as he lifted Gale's boot clear of the snake."Did it bite you?"
"I don't think so," Gale murmured fighting to control her nerves. Nowthat it was all over she felt as if she must scream. It was the naturalreaction and as she stood up she leaned weakly against the tree. "Howdid--you happen--along just in time?"
The cowboy replaced his revolver in the holster at his belt. It was thefirst time Gale had noticed that he wore a gun. How lucky it had beenfor her that he did!
"I came lookin' for you for some more practice with yore rope," hedrawled, as he sometimes did.
"You saved my life," Gale said gratefully.
"Shucks," the cowboy said, flushing deep red. "How did the snake evercome to wind itself about yore leg?"
"I was asleep," Gale said. "I'll never forget the sight of that snakewhen I awoke. It was horrible!" She trembled involuntarily.
Jim patted her shoulder with clumsy kindness. "Do you reckon you cancome back to the house now?"
"Of course," Gale said and turned to follow him down the slope, sternlykeeping her eyes away from that slippery, scaly, headless thing lying inthe long grass.
"Do you always wear a gun, Jim?" she asked. "I never noticed it before."
"No, Miss Gale, none of us cowboys do," he answered. "Guns belong to theold, bad West. But here lately we been havin' trouble and I kinda gotused to havin' one along when I go ridin'."
"Probably on account of the cattle thieves," Gale said to herself. Aloudshe said:
"Trouble? What kind?"
"Oh, like these bank robbers," he said evasively. "There's alwayssomebody willin' to steal and honest folk have to protect themselves."
"How did they get out of jail?" she asked as they reached the bottom ofthe hill and started along the trail to the ranch house.
"Sawed clean through the bars on the window," he answered. "Probably hadhelp from outside."
"Has the Sheriff discovered either of them yet?"
"I reckon not. The Sheriff is good at trailin' crooks, but these fellasare probably experienced in hidin' out. I 'spect they're almost to theborder by now."
"Which way are we going to travel tomorrow?" Gale asked.
"Up into the hills would be the prettiest country," he answered.
At the corral fence they separated, Gale going on to the ranch house andJim into the cowboys' bunkhouse. The girls were on the porch, Janet andCarol perched at perilous angles on the railing, Virginia and Valerie onthe top step, and Madge and Phyllis in chairs.
"Where have you been?" Janet demanded.
"What's wrong?" Valerie asked.
"Wrong?" Gale questioned. She did not realize that her recent experiencewith the deadly rattlesnake had left her face pale and a tinge of shadowin her eyes.
"You look as though you had seen somebody's ghost," Carol declared.
"I came near to being one," Gale answered, squeezing between Valerie andVirginia.
"What do you mean?" Madge asked. "Did you meet the bank robbers?"
Gale described with all the terrifying details her adventure with thesnake and the girls were all speechless with amazement. When she hadfinished they regarded her wonderingly, fully appreciating what a closecall she had had.
"I'll bet that was the only rattlesnake in this part of the country forweeks," Virginia declared. "But you would have to meet him."
"Hereafter you don't go off by yourself," Janet said determinedly.
Gale laughed. "You needn't caution me now. One experience is enough. Youcan be sure I won't fall asleep like that again!"