Bert Wilson in the Rockies

  CHAPTER VIII

  With Teeth and Hoofs

  One of the most important of the many industries of the ranch was thebreeding of horses for the Eastern market. Mr. Melton had a number offine horses, but the most valuable of all was Satan, a big blackstallion. His pedigree was as long as his flowing tail, and physically hewas a perfect specimen. His only drawback was a fiendish temper, which itseemed impossible to subdue. Strangers he would never tolerate, and Mr.Melton seemed to be the only man on the ranch that could go near himwithout running a chance of being badly kicked or bitten. Even he wasalways very careful to keep an eye out for mischief whenever in theneighborhood of the stallion.

  All the cowboys hated Satan, and with good reason. More than one of thembore marks of the horse's sharp teeth, and all of them could tell storiesof narrow escapes experienced while feeding him or otherwise goingthrough duties that called them into the neighborhood of the beautifulbut vicious animal.

  He was pastured in lonely grandeur in a spacious corral, shunned by all,but apparently happy enough in spite of this. The three boys oftenwatched him at a safe distance, and regretted that his evil temper madeit impossible to be friendly with him. Satan often lost many a lump ofsugar or delicious carrot that he would have gotten had he been of a morefriendly nature, in this way resembling many humans who build up a wallof reserve or ill-temper about them, and so lose many of the good thingsof life.

  Soon after the arrival of the boys at the ranch Mr. Melton decided topurchase another stallion, as the demand for good horses at that timewas exceptionally great. Accordingly, one day another horse made hisappearance in a corral adjacent to that in which Satan was kept. The newhorse was a good-sized bay, but not quite as large as Satan, although alittle younger. The two corrals were separated by a double fence, sothat, while the two horses could get within a few feet of each other,they could never get close enough to fight.

  From the very beginning they exhibited a mutual hatred, and it wasevident that if they ever got within striking distance of each otherthere would be trouble. Everybody on the ranch was strictly enjoined tokeep the gates between the corrals securely fastened, however, and thereseemed no possibility of the two rivals meeting.

  "But if they ever should," one of the men had remarked, "there'd be somescrap, take it from me. There's nothing in the world worse than a fightbetween two stallions."

  "Why, are they so vicious about it?" Bert, who was standing near, hadasked.

  "Vicious!" exclaimed the cowboy, "why, vicious ain't no word for it,nohow. They're just devils let loose, that's all."

  It was only a few days after this that, as the boys were seated aroundthe table in the ranch house eating luncheon, in company with their host,one of the cowboys dashed into the room, breathless and red of face.

  "Satan an' the bay are fightin'," he cried; "somebody must 'a' left thegates open an'----"

  But Mr. Melton did not wait to hear any more. Leaping to his feet hedashed through the door in the direction of the corrals. The threecomrades followed close on his heels. As they reached the open they couldhear shouts and cries and the thudding of hoofs. Mr. Melton increased hispace, and in a few moments they had reached the scene of action.

  And it was a fearsome sight that met their eyes. The two big stallions,the black and the bay, were both in Satan's corral, fighting furiously,with a rage and viciousness that words are inadequate to describe. Theycircled rapidly about, biting at each other with their long yellow teeth,and lashing out with their hoofs. Each was quick as a flash of light, butevery once in a while a sharp hoof would find its mark, or the deadlyteeth would rip into the other's skin. Blood flowed freely, but neitherseemed to notice the wounds that the other inflicted. They had longed todecide the question of supremacy ever since the newcomer's arrival, andnow they were determined to settle the matter.

  Satan was the stronger of the two, however, and probably in additionpossessed a more evil temper than his rival. Biting, screaming, kicking,he circled about his enemy, his savage heart bent on the destruction ofthe upstart who had dared to invade his domains. As Mr. Melton and theboys dashed up, the black horse whirled like lightning and planted bothhind hoofs with deadly effect. The bay horse staggered, but his spiritwas still unconquered, and, recovering himself, he rushed for Satan witha ferocity almost as great as his.

  "Stop them! separate them!" shouted Mr. Melton; "what are you standingaround watching them for? One or the other of them will be killed soon,if we don't do something."

  It was but a few moments since the horses had started fighting, althoughit had seemed much longer. At first the cowboys had seemed in a sort ofstupor, so suddenly had the thing happened, but at Mr. Melton's wordsthey sprang into activity. Some of them ran to get pitchforks, whileothers secured lariats from their saddles and hurried back to the sceneof battle.

  The bay horse was now getting much the worst of it, and it became evidentthat if the two infuriated animals were not separated soon the laterarrival would either be killed or else so badly hurt that he would haveto be shot eventually.

  Some of the cowboys rushed into the corral and with shouts and criesendeavored to separate the combatants. The stallions took not theslightest notice of them, however, except to lash out savagely at themwhenever they came within striking distance.

  "They can't do anything that way," muttered Mr. Melton. "Here," heexclaimed, snatching a coiled lariat from one of his men, "I'll get inthere myself and put an end to this business, or know the reason why."

  Lasso in hand he rushed toward the corral, and in a few seconds wasinside. Fortunately, just as he entered the inclosure, the stallions,exhausted with their efforts, drew apart and stood snorting and pawingthe ground. Mr. Melton realized that here was his opportunity, andgrasped it on the instant. Swinging the loop in great circles about hishead he took careful aim and let go. The rope whizzed through the air,and the lithe coils settled about Satan's neck.

  For a second the black stallion was taken by surprise. He rolled hisbloodshot eyes toward his owner, but for a brief space made no move.Then with a loud snort of rage he rushed toward the ranchowner, hisfoam-flecked jaws gnashing and the breath whistling through his rednostrils. Mr. Melton stood quiet, but alert, every muscle tense. Then,when the infuriated stallion was almost upon him, with an agility thatit seemed impossible one of his bulk could possess, he leaped to oneside, and started running backward.

  At the same moment he threw the whirling, writhing coil of rope with suchsure aim that it settled with beautiful precision over Satan's powerfulshoulders. Before the rope could tighten, however, the black stallion hadwhirled, and was again making for the ranchman.

  When the horse was almost upon him Mr. Melton once more leaped aside, andwith a dexterous flick on the rope pulled the loop down over Satan'sback. Before the horse could check his headlong speed Mr. Melton hadworked the loop down about his legs. With a quick jerk he pulled ittaut, and Satan, suddenly hobbled, fell to the earth with a crash.

  Several of the cowboys ran up, and in a few seconds the stallion wassecurely trussed up. The bay stallion in the meantime had retreated tothe farthest corner of the corral, and was standing there dejectedly, allthe fight gone out of him. He was quickly secured and led back into hisown inclosure. Very carefully Satan was then loosed a trifle, and allowedto struggle to his feet. He was still "hunting trouble," as one of themen expressed it, but with the confining ropes about his fetlocks waspowerless. He was left hobbled, and the gate to his corral was fastenedsecurely this time.

  "That was sure a great ropin' stunt you pulled off, boss," said "Curley"to Mr. Melton. "I never seen the trick done neater, nohow."

  "It was great!" Bert exclaimed. "I didn't know you were such an expertroper, Mr. Melton."

  "It wasn't so bad for an old fellow," admitted his host with a smile;"it took some pretty quick sidestepping to get out of Satan's way, I'lladmit. But when I was twenty years younger I used to rope cattle for aliving, and narrow escapes were part of the business."

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p; He turned and gave a few directions to the men, together with strictinjunctions to keep the two gates between the corrals closed.

  "If anything like this happens again," he warned, "somebody's going toget fired pretty pronto, savvy? And do all you can for the bay. I don'tthink he's seriously hurt, and if we're careful we can bring him backinto shape all right."

  After this, he and the boys returned to the ranch house, where theydiscussed the recent exciting happenings pro and con. The boys hadplanned to take an exploring expedition that afternoon, but all thoughtof this was banished from their minds. After a while they returned to thestables, where the stallions were having their wounds doctored. Itappeared that, as Mr. Melton had surmised, neither was very badly injuredphysically, but the bay stallion's spirit seemed utterly broken. Aftermany days, however, he regained the pride which had been so rudelyshattered in his encounter with Satan, and proved to be a valuable horse.He was of a more gentle disposition also, and accepted the overtures offriendship that the boys made toward him, so that before their visit atthe ranch came to a close they were on very good terms with him.