CHAPTER XVII.
THE SHREWD OLD FOX.
"He's wise to the game!" Jimmy whispered close to Ned's ear, as theyall stood and stared at the puncher who held the dead carrier pigeon inhis hands.
It must have been a great shock for Ally Sloper. For the first time herealized just how suspicion had come to fall upon his head; and withthe note which he had sent out fastened to the leg of that samemessenger bird in their possession, those in charge of Double CrossRanch during the absence of the owners knew to a certainty of his guilt.
Some movement on the part of the scouts must have told him he was beingobserved, for he suddenly turned his head and looked straight at them.
Ned knew there was danger of the baffled conspirator becoming furiouslyangry and attempting something wicked. He might be ready to take allsorts of chances, if he could but vent his rage upon those whom hesuspected must have been the main cause of his defeat.
It happened that Ned was holding his rifle in his hands at the time,being about to clean it, and he instinctively threw the muzzle of itforward, so that he covered the puncher.
Although Sloper had known that he was under the ban, and suspiciondirected toward him, as yet no one had thought to take his gun away.The weapon hung from his side where it could be reached in a fractionof a second, should an occasion suddenly arise calling for action.
Knowing the clever way these cowmen have of using their tools, Ned didnot mean that he and his chums should be made victims to theungovernable rage of a "caught in the trap" schemer.
"Hold up your hands, quick now, Sloper!" was what he told the other;and if he had taken a page from the life of a cowboy Ned could not haveput his demand in plainer language, for this was the customarysalutation of one puncher meeting another whom he had cause to believehad evil designs on his life.
The man hesitated at first. He looked on the scouts as tenderfeet, andit galled him terribly to have to submit to being ordered around by amere boy. But there was something about Ned's way of speaking, not tomention the businesslike air of his frowning rifle, that warned him itwould be a pretty risky thing to defy the scout master.
Besides, there were three more fellows in khaki close behind Ned,doubtless with other guns that could be brought to bear on him like aflash, if so be he ventured to disobey. And treacherous scoundrelthough he might be, Ally Sloper valued his miserable life.
So he dropped the bird and elevated both hands above his head, showingthat he surrendered to superior force and conditions which he waspowerless to change.
"Jack!" called out Ned, keeping his eyes riveted on the man and neverswerving that threatening rifle a fraction of an inch.
"On deck, Ned," came the answer, close to his shoulder.
"Step out there and relieve Sloper of his gun. Be careful not to getbetween us, remember. If he's going to be allowed to walk around tillHarry's uncle comes back to settle his case, I don't think it's wise heshould go armed. Men sometimes get mad and do things they're sorry forafterwards. You hear what I'm saying, Sloper. There's no harm going tocome to you until Colonel Job comes back; but it's just as well thatyour claws are trimmed. And if you know what's good for you, don't tryany kind of slippery trick on us. I can shoot to hit, and I will. Getthat?"
"Oh! that's all right," replied the other, in an apparently carelesstone, though his face was drawn with anger and his eyes blazed with thevenom of a panther at bay, "keep right along with your little circus.It gives you some fun and it don't hurt me any. Somebody's been killin'one of my birds, and that's what I'm huffy about."
Ned waited until Jack had stepped forward and whipped the heavyrevolver out of its leather holster before he went on to say anythingfurther. When this had been accomplished he proceeded to tell the mansomething more.
"A hawk was your undoing, Sloper. It pounced on your bird and was goingto make a meal of it, when one of my chums used his gun to knock thepirate over. Then we found a little note fastened to the bird's leg. Ihave that note here, and mean to give it to the Colonel when he getsback. I won't say what it contains; there's no need of it with you. Butwe expect that Colonel Haines will have little trouble in fastening theguilt on the right party, after he sees the handwriting and compares itwith that of the punchers working for him. And then it'll be good-byefor some one."
"Yes," declared Jimmy, hotly, determined to have his say in the matter,"and the same feller ought to thank his lucky stars if he gets awayfrom here without being treated to a rope necklace, or given a coat oftar and feathers. I've heard that men have been up against that sort ofmedicine out here for less things than tryin' to turn the herds oftheir employers over to the cattle rustlers."
The puncher looked at Jimmy, and his upper lip drew back with what wasmore like a snarl than anything else.
"You got to prove a thing first," he snapped. "It's easy to say that aman's gone bad, but my word's as good as the next one. Wait and seewhat the Kunnel thinks. You're all down on me, I know, but you don'tsee me shakin' in my boots, do ye? Somebody hooked one of my birds, I'masayin', and used it to send a message with. That's all there is to thething. It ain't agoin' to bother me any, I'm atellin' ye."
"Oh! Chunky told us you'd give us that sort of a yarn," Jimmy declared,"but it don't go down one little bit. We're on to your curves, Mr.Sloper, let me tell you. You'll sing small when the Colonel comes home."
"Rats! Nobody'll be gladder to meet him than me!" asserted the other,with a great showing of effrontery that Ned knew was only assumed.
Ned felt that the chances were anything he said in trying to show theman what an offense he had been guilty of in betraying his employerwould be wasted; but he could not resist the temptation to tell himsomething about scout law, and how boys are being taught in these daysto be faithful to their trust above all things. What he took it uponhimself to say, in the most pleasant way he could, may have glanced offthe other's thick hide, just as water does from a duck's back. Still,there could be no telling; and at some future time possibly some of theplain truths spoken by the scout master on that occasion were liable torise up in the mind of Ally Sloper to haunt him.
He did not make any reply when Ned finished, only to scowl and remark:
"S'posen I c'n trot along now, without anybody borin' me in the back?"
"As if a scout would ever be guilty of shooting anybody in the back!"Jimmy indignantly burst out with.
"Yes, go about your business, Sloper," Ned told him, "and if I was youI'd have as little to do with the boys as possible the balance of theday. They're talking some about you, and it might be your wisest policynot to wander away to any lonely place, because I wouldn't put it pastthem to take things into their hands before the Colonel comes back."
The look that appeared on the puncher's face was as black as athundercloud. Instinctively he clapped his hand at his side and thengritted his teeth when it only came in contact with an empty holster. Acowboy without his ready gun is somewhat of a helpless individual, fromthe fact that he has come to depend wholly on it in times of trouble.
"If I was heeled I wouldn't ask favors o' any man," he grumbled, "andas it is I reckons I'll have to cave and fight shy of the crowd. Thelot's set agin me anyhow, and I'll have to change my berth, no matterwhat the Kunnel says."
With that he turned on his heel and strode away. Jimmy looked afterhim, and then drew a long breath.
"Huh! talk to me about nerve," he exploded, "that dub has got them allbeat half a mile, and then some. But say, d'ye really think he'll hangaround till the Colonel comes home?"
"Chances are he'll beat it before the afternoon gets old," Jackasserted.
"Ought we to let him sneak away, Ned?" asked Harry. "Why not lock himup somehow, and keep him from skipping out?"
"Well, in the first place, it isn't our business to play keeper toSloper," the scout master replied. "There are plenty of fellows here toattend to his case and I feel that I've done my whole duty when Iwarned him not to try and leave the
ranch until your uncle gets home,Harry. If Chunky and Skinny and the rest think his room would be betterthan his company or take a notion to give him a warm coat of tar andfeathers, it's none of our affair."
"Yes, I can see you sitting around and doing nothing while such a nastyjob is on," Jack remarked, with a shake of his head. "I know you toowell for that, Ned. If you saw them taking Sloper out and carrying abag and a kettle along, I'm justly certain you'd call a halt on theoperation and stand between the skunk and the boys who wanted to givehim what he deserved."
Ned made no reply to this accusation. Perhaps he knew there wasconsiderable of truth back of it, and that, if such a case did comeabout, he would be strongly tempted to try and restrain the angry andindignant punchers.
The boys loitered around all morning. No one seemed able to do anyparticular work, save look after the cattle in the stockade, carryingwater and seeing that they had some hay to keep them quiet. When thetwo stockmen returned from the station they would have to decidewhether it were safe to drive the herds to the feeding grounds again,and watch them for a while, so as to guard against further trouble.
So noon came and went. Jimmy had no complaint to make on the score oflack of food. He told his chums he was making up for lost time; and thegrinning Chinese cook was only too well pleased to dance attendance onthe scout, whom he seemed to fancy more than any of the others.
Half of the afternoon dragged away, and it was understood that possiblyin two more hours they could expect the absent owners of the ranch toshow up, unless detained by something not down on the bills.
It was a very hot afternoon, and as they had not been oversleeping oflate, the four scout chums found themselves nodding as they sat on theshady side of the verandah. Jimmy had crawled into the one hammock andrefused to budge. He declared that his sleep had been so wretchedlately that he had a whole lot to make up.
Now and then one of them would arouse enough to ask some drowsyquestion, after which they would relapse into silence once more.
This sleepy condition of things was suddenly disturbed by loud shouts,and what seemed to be a rushing about on the part of excited cowpunchers.
Even Jimmy raised his fiery head from the hammock to call out:
"What's the bloomin' row about now? Is that the way they always actwhen the Colonel shows up in the distance? Well, I ain't agoin' toclimb out of this snug hammock to go gallopin' over the hot plain justto yell and swing my hat. You'll have to excuse me, fellers."
"But I don't believe it's the Colonel coming at all!" declared Jack."Look at the way the boys are jumping for their horses, will you? Andthere's some snatching up belts with guns, and ropes as well. It'ssomething else that's happened."
"I wouldn't be much surprised if that Sloper's nerve had begun to failhim as the time drew near for my uncle to come back, and that he'sskipped out, taking chances of being overhauled and strung up, ratherthan to face Colonel Job."
"Whoop! you're right, Harry, for there he goes lickety-split rightnow!" cried Jimmy, eagerly pointing with an extended hand.
Looking in that direction they could all see a solitary figure onhorseback, speeding over the sun-kissed plain with all the hastepossible. It was undoubtedly Ally Sloper, who had finally reached theconclusion that as he would be kicked off the place anyway after hisemployer had been convinced of his guilt, perhaps he had better notwait upon the order of his going but take a hasty departure.
He was spurring his pony "for keeps" as Jimmy observed. Shortlyafterwards a bunch of the punchers broke away from the saddle corraland went swiftly in the wake of the fleeing reprobate.
"Look at him wavin' his hat at the crowd!" exclaimed Jimmy. "Sure I'dhate to be in his boots right now. There must be some hosses just asgood in that bunch, and look at 'em ride, will you? I kind of thinkAlly will be sorry for showin' such a lot of hurry to clear out. Hemust a got cold feet athinkin' of facin' his boss. He's made a bigmistake, I'm tellin' you."
Ned said nothing, but he had read the treacherous puncher as a shrewdrascal, and had an idea Ally Sloper must know what he was doing.
"He gave 'em a good run for their money, boys," Jimmy loudly declared,"just look how tired their poor old ponies seem to be, aholdin' theirheads hangin' low, like they'd covered forty miles. But I don't see ourfriend, Ally, among them. And I guess now he must have got hismedicine."
"Wait and ask Skinny there, who's heading the lot," Jack advised him;for he noticed the little smile on Ned's face and believed the scoutmaster was not so positive as Jimmy seemed to be regarding the outcomeof the mad race.
Skinny looked gloomy and, indeed, there were few smiles among the sevenwho had so gleefully started out in his company to overhaul thefugitive and give him a little token of their warm regard.
"Did you overtake him, Skinny?" Harry called out as the returning bandtrotted past, their ponies lagging fearfully.
"Not so's you could notice the same, sir," replied the stout puncherwho answered to so misleading a name.
"Then his broncho was better than any of your mounts, I suppose?" Harrycontinued.
The cow punchers started grumbling at a great rate, and said somepretty ugly things about the absent one.
"Seems like he was too slick for us, sir," Skinny went on to say,dejectedly. "Co'se we might a cort up with Ally if things'd a beenright and proper; but say, it wasn't long before he started to run awayfrom the hull outfit, and we reckons as how the old fox he must a dopedall the ponies but his own mount!"