CHAPTER XVII
WILD COUNTRY
Following after Bud, his cousins and the older cowboys sweptalong toward the home camp--to the tents which served thepurposes of ranch buildings. Yellin' Kid trotted beside OldBillee, who, however, now that his bullet-scarred side had beenbandaged, rode with more ease.
"What you goin' t' stop for?" asked Snake, when he saw Budturning in toward the corral where spare ponies were kept."Aren't you going after the rustlers?"
"Yes, when we get packed up for a long ride!" Bud answeredgrimly. "What's the good of riding over just to look at the placewhere they drove off our cattle? I can see that any time. What Iwant to do is to get on their trail."
"And not give up until we land 'em!" added Nort.
"That's talking!" cried his brother. "Did you see any of 'em,Buck Tooth?" he asked the Indian, beside whom he was riding.
"Me see too many," was the grim answer, which explained why theZuni had probably not gone in pursuit. "They ride like what youcall--jack-rabbits."
"They can't keep that pace up long," declared Bud, as he slippedfrom the saddle, having turned his horse into the corral. "Theycan start the steers off with a hip-hurrah, but they'll have toslow down if they don't want to kill 'em, and that wouldn't pay.They'd get some fresh beef and the hides, but they'd waste morethan they'd get out of it."
"What do you imagine they really plan to do, and who are they?"asked Dick, as he and his brother followed Bud to their ownspecial tent.
"I can only guess who they are, and your guess is as good asmine," the western lad answered.
"Then I'll say Del Pinzo and the Hank Fisher gang," venturedNort.
"And I'll agree," replied Bud. "They have two motives, now, forworking against us. One because we've beaten 'em in two innings--thetime of the Triceratops and in the underground river game.But getting our cattle--or the cattle of any other rancher--isreward enough in itself at the price beef is selling for now.They want to make a lot of money, and ruin us because we've cometo Happy Valley. But they'll find that we can bat a little, too,"added Bud, carrying out the simile of a baseball game. "And it'sgoing to be our turn at the plate mighty soon!"
"The sooner the better," declared Nort, and his brother nodded inagreement.
When Old Billee's wound had been further attended to, with themore adequate remedies kept in camp, there was a gathering of the"clan," so to speak, in the tent where the boys and their cowboyhelpers usually ate.
"Then you aren't going to chase over to where they drove off yourcattle right away; is that it, Bud?" asked Snake.
"I don't see any use," said the young western ranch lad. "Allwe'd see would be the marks of the trail, and they'll stay forsome time, if it doesn't rain, which isn't likely. What I want todo is to pack enough grub--and other things," he added significantlywith a motion toward his .45, "for a long trip. We've got to get at thebottom of how they drive off our cattle, and manage to get them outof the valley without leaving a trace.
"That's the puzzle we have to solve, as we found out about thehidden water. Up to now the raids of Del Pinzo and his crowd--assumingthat they are the ones--have been small. They're the kind that'salways going on, and a lot of the cattlemen, and Dad among 'em, seemto shut their eyes to the thefts. I'm not going to do that. But whatI started to say was that, up to now, the raids have been small ones.Very likely they thought we wouldn't make much fuss over the steerswe lost.
"But this is a big raid, and the others were only leading up toit. They played to get us out of the south end of the valley, andaway from our big herd so they could drive it off unmolested."
"And they sure did it," added Nort.
"But they haven't gotten clear away yet!" snapped out Bud. "We'regoing to take after them! They can't go fast with a big bunch ofcattle, and we're bound to catch them sooner or later!"
"They'll probably put up a fight," observed Old Billee, who wasfeeling much easier, now.
"That's what I'm counting on, and that's why I don't want anyslip-up!" exclaimed Bud. "I'm going to call on Dad for somereinforcements."
"Oh, we can handle that Del Pinzo gang!" boasted Yellin' Kid.
"We could if they'd fight fair and even, maybe," assented Bud."But they'll be on the lookout for trouble, now, and they'll havea big gang of Greasers with them. And while, ordinarily, onecowboy is a match for half a dozen of the ornery Mexicans, you'vegot to be on the watch for treachery. There's no use tacklingthis thing unless we have a big enough crowd to meet the biggestbunch Del Pinzo can muster."
"Well, there's some sense in that," admitted Snake. "I'm notafraid of any bunch of rustlers that Hank Fisher can scare up,"he went on, "but it isn't a man's personal feelings we got toconsider. It's for the good of this ranch. And, as Bud says, wewant to make a clean-up this inning."
"That's why I'm going to have help," Bud remarked, as he went tocall his father on the telephone.
Mr. Merkel whistled when he heard the disastrous news.
"I didn't think they'd go at it wholesale, that way, Bud," hetold his son over the wire. "But you've got the right idea. Goafter 'em and clean 'em up! When you take the trail don't turnback until you've finished the job. I'll send you as many men asI can spare, Slim Degnan with 'em!"
"Slim? That's good!" cried Bud. "Now we'll make a clean up. Butdon't get worried, Dad, if you don't hear from us in severaldays, or a couple of weeks. We'll probably be out of the reach ofa telephone."
"Yes, I realize that! Well, good luck to you. When you going tostart?"
"First thing in the morning. Old Billee was shot up a little, soI'll leave him and Buck Tooth to look after what cattle we haveleft. Can Slim and the others get here in time to start in themorning?"
"They can if I send them over in the jitney which will bequicker, and save them some hard riding. Have you got poniesenough for them?"
"Yes, plenty. Get 'em over here in the gasolene gig and we'll dothe rest!" laughed Bud, though he was in anything but a laughingmood, His mind was grimly set on getting back his cattle, and inpunishing the evil gang of rustlers that was dominating thatsection of the "cow country," as ranch localities are sometimescalled.
Immediately on hanging up the receiver, Bud Merkel started in ona busy time. Nor were his cousins less engaged. Once the boyranchers bad determined to "hit the trail," they planned to "dothe trick up brown," as Nort expressed it.
Bud proved himself to be well fitted for the task in hand, inspite of his youth. But he had been well trained by his father,and life on Diamond X had put him in trim for hard fighting. Itwas not the first time he had had to do with cattle raids, thoughit was his own first experience on a large scale, and he wasvitally interested. He followed the plans he had seen his fatherput into operation more than once.
Saddles, girths and lariats were looked to, as were all thevarious trappings of the ponies, without which the raid could notbe undertaken in that country of far distances. Then it wasnecessary to pack sufficient "grub" to last for at least a week,in case no provisions could be come upon.
As for shelter, each man, and by that term I also include the boyranchers, had a pair of blankets and a tarpaulin to spread underhim on the ground. The days were hot, but the nights were cool inspite of camp fires.
Of course each one "packed a gun," some of the cowboys two, andthere was no lack of ammunition.
Old Billee felt badly at not being able to go. But his wound wasgiving him more pain than he liked to admit, and after vainlyprotesting that he simply must go, he agreed that perhaps it wasbest for him to remain behind.
In the "jitney," as Mr. Merkel dubbed his auto, several cowboysfrom Diamond X (including the veteran foreman Slim) reached HappyValley in due season. They were fitted out with ponies, and afterthe situation had been talked over, and every precaution againstfailure taken, they were ready to start early on the morningfollowing the big raid.
The outfit of the boy ranchers had been sadly depleted by thedescent of the unscrupulous gang, and what cattle remained hadbeen driven to th
e feeding grounds in the vicinity of thereservoir, where Buck Tooth, Old Billee and one man from DiamondX could watch over them.
"Are we all ready?" asked Bud, as he and his cousins, followed inexample by the older cowboys vaulted to saddles.
"I reckon so," announced Slim, as he slewed around his holsterwith its newly-oiled .45.
"Let's go!" said Bud, briefly, and away they started.
They made trail, first, to the scene of the raid. As Bud and theothers had anticipated, there were plenty of signs showing wherethe cattle had been driven off. A large herd was missing, and itmust have taken a number of rustlers to have rounded them up andstarted them toward Double Z, or whatever place was to be used tochange, or blur the brands, so the cattle could be sold to someinnocent purchaser, perhaps. Though there were not wanting, inthat country, not-so-innocent-purchasers of rustled cattle.
"They'll have to keep near grass and water," said Slim, as herode along with Bud and his cousins. "So we'll do the same."
"Yes, they can't make a dry drive very far," Bud agreed. "Theyfollowed this range, it seems."
On reaching the scene of the raid the trail led off to the left,along a tow mountain range or wild and rugged peaks, some,evidently, of volcanic origin. At the foot of this range wasgrass in plenty, and, occasionally, a water hole, made possibleby the fact that End's father had brought the waters of the PocutRiver to the valley by means of the tunnel flume.
"The trail's plain enough for a blind man to follow," saidYellin' Kid, who rode beside Snake.
"But it's going to get harder in a little while," spoke Snake."We're getting into wilder country, and rocks don't take much ofan impression. See, it's peterin' out now."
He pointed to the surface of the ground over which they were thentraveling. The grass and earth were more and more scanty, and insome places there were patches of shale and rock, on which evenan iron-shod hoof would leave no mark.
"Yes, it's a wild country," agreed Bud. "I've never been over asfar as this, and I don't believe our cattle ever get here. Thereisn't enough feed," he added, as he looked around.
The cavalcade was now in a sort of narrow gorge, or gully, withrocky walls on either side, and only scant vegetation on thebottom, where some bunch grass grew. The water seemed to havedisappeared.
"They can't drive cattle on a trail like this very far," saidSlim, looking about with critical eyes.
"And yet they did come in this gulch," said Bud, for the "signs"were still plain.
"Oh, yes, they've been here," agreed Slim. "It sure is a queertrail they picked. I don't see--"
He did not finish the sentence. Somewhere In that lonely and wildsection of Happy Valley a single shot rang out, making the echoesvibrate loudly, and awakening a distant coyote, who sent up amournful howl.