For the Liberty of Texas

  CHAPTER V.

  THE ATTACK ON THE RANCH.

  "Well, I've just seen father and signalled to him."

  "Where was he, Dan?"

  "In the top of the king pine by the river. He was waving his coat toattract my attention. I waved a bed sheet at him and then he threw hiscoat up in the air and caught it, and got out of sight as soon as hecould."

  "Then he was going off."

  "Yes," answered Dan. For among these pioneers to throw an object fromone and then catch it meant to go away and return. "Probably he isgoing away for assistance."

  "I shouldn't think he would leave us alone," mused Ralph, his facefalling perceptibly.

  "That makes me feel certain that the Indians don't intend to attack usuntil dark. Perhaps father heard some of their powwowing, or some talkbetween them and Stiger. Anyway, I am sure he is going away."

  "Then we may as well close up tight."

  "All but the door. But bring in all the buckets full of water first. Wemay be in for a regular siege of it."

  Dan's suggestion was carried out, and the older boy also made a raid onthe cattle yard and brought in one of the cows, tying her close to thedoor. "Now we'll have milk and meat too, if the worst comes to theworst," he observed. No matter what else happened he did not intend tobe starved out.

  Their regular chores done, the two boys locked up below, but left thedoor unbarred, and then went to the loft, taking with them their gunsand the spy-glass.

  "I suppose we can count this something of a fort," remarked Ralph. "ButI don't care to play soldier--I'd rather have the Indians leave usalone."

  "So would I. But I guess I can play soldier if I have to," added Dan,with quiet emphasis. Secretly he loved soldiering much better than lifeon the ranch, but in those days he never dreamed of the adventures onthe battle-field which were still in store for him.

  The afternoon wore away slowly until the sun began to set behind thetimber west of the ranch. In the meantime, the boys, having had nodinner, grew hungry, and Ralph spent some time below in boiling a potof coffee and stirring and baking some ash-cakes, serving both with abit of broiled steak.

  "It's too bad we can't have some venison," he sighed to his brother."But I reckon my first big game is going to get us into a whole lot oftrouble."

  "I reckon the Indians were getting ready to come down on us, anyhow,"answered Dan. "It seems they can stay quiet just so long, and thentheir animal nature breaks loose for a shindy."

  Dan had just returned to the loft after his repast, when he uttered ashout.

  "An Indian is coming toward the cabin, Ralph!"

  "Do you know him?"

  "No, but he is a Comanche."

  "In war-paint?"

  "I don't know if it's war-paint or not, but he is daubed full of allthe colours of the rainbow."

  "It must be war-paint. Is he alone?"

  "Yes, and riding a white pony. His gun is on his back, and he doesn'tlook as if he was up to mischief."

  "Oh, I wouldn't trust him!" cried the younger lad. "He may be up tosome of their treachery."

  "But I can't stop him from coming to the cabin. I'll be on my guard,and you must be, too," concluded Dan, and went below. With quickness hehid away all the weapons but two pistols, one of which he stuck in hisshirt bosom and gave the other to Ralph.

  "We must keep apart," said Ralph. "Then if he attacks one or the otherthe free one can fire on him."

  "That's good generalship," returned Dan, with a grim smile.

  By this time the Indian rider was close to the dooryard, and Dan walkedoutside to meet him. As soon as the youth appeared, the savage haltedhis steed.

  "How! How!" he said, in guttural tones, meaning "How do you do?"

  "How are you?" returned Dan.

  "Wolf Ear is sick--got pain here," and the red man pointed to hisstomach.

  "Sick, eh? What have you been doing,--eating and drinking too much?"

  "No, Wolf Ear big sick two moons past,--sick come back,--can't ride andmust lay down," groaned the savage, grating his teeth as if in intensepain. "White boy help Wolf Ear, me lof him."

  Under ordinary circumstances Dan would have been touched by thisappeal, for he knew that the Indians suffered just as many aches andpains as did the white folks.

  "I am no good at doctoring sick men," he answered. "Wolf Ear had bettergo back to his own medicine man."

  At this the Indian stared at the boy stolidly for fully half a minute.He understood that he was not wanted, and that he would not be allowedinto the cabin.

  "White boy have no medicine for Wolf Ear?" he said, slowly.

  "I don't know what would be good for you."

  "Where white boy's fadder?"

  "He has gone away." A sudden idea came to Dan's mind. "I think he hasgone to Gonzales to bring along some of the lumbermen to look over theplans for a sawmill. There are about a dozen men thinking of setting upa sawmill around here."

  The Indian pursed up his mouth, trying to conceal his chagrin. "He comeback soon?"

  "I expect him every minute. But you had better not wait for him.Perhaps you'll feel better if you wash off that war-paint on yourface."

  At this Wolf Ear scowled viciously. "White boy big fool!" he cried, andreached around for his gun. But before he could raise the weapon bothDan and Ralph had him covered with the pistols. Not having seen theweapons while speaking, the Indian was taken aback.

  "Put that gun down," said Dan, sternly. "I am not such a fool as youthink."

  "Wolf Ear only make fun," grinned the savage, feebly. "No mean toshoot."

  "I don't like your fun, and I want you to leave this place."

  At once the red man straightened up like an arrow on his pony. "WolfEar will go," he said, loftily. "But Wolf Ear shall not forget you!"And he turned his steed to ride away. Evidently he had forgotten allabout his alleged pain.

  "Dan, make him give up his gun," cried Ralph, in a low voice. "If youdon't he'll try to shoot us as soon as he reaches cover."

  "Halt!" exclaimed the older brother. "Wolf Ear, you must leave your gunwith us. You can come back for it when my father is here."

  At first the Indian pretended not to hear, then he turned back to lookat them, but without stopping his pony.

  "My firearm is mine," he said. "The white boy shall not rob the poorIndian," and digging his heels into his pony's sides he set off at abreakneck pace for the nearest patch of timber. Ralph was about to fireon him, but Dan stopped the proceedings.

  "No, let him go," he said. "Whatever happens, don't give them thechance to say that we opened the fight. If we start the affair we'llget into all sorts of trouble with the agency."

  Before they could argue the matter Wolf Ear had gained the timber. Bothof the boys were now in the doorway of the cabin. Bang! went theredskin's gun, and the bullet embedded itself in the door-post close totheir heads. Like lightning the boys leaped into the living-room andbarred the oaken barrier behind them.

  "He has opened the attack!" gasped Ralph, the shot, coming so close,temporarily unnerving him. "I told you he'd do it."

  Dan did not answer, but, running to the closet, brought out the best ofthe guns belonging to his father. Leaping up to the loft, he opened thefiring-hole fronting the direction Wolf Ear had taken, and squintedthrough. But the Indian horseman was long since out of sight.

  "Can you catch him?" asked Ralph, from the foot of the ladder.

  "No, he's gone."

  "Do you think he'll bring the others down on us now?"

  "No. They know we are armed, and they couldn't rush across the clearingand break in without one or more of them being shot, and they are tooafraid of their hides to undertake the job. But they'll close in assoon as it's dark, beyond a doubt."

  "I hope father comes back by that time."

  "So do I. Do you suppose they are driving off the cattle on the range?"

  "There is no telling. For all we know they may be up back of the cattleshed, too."

  It was now so dark that but little coul
d be seen beyond the clearingimmediately surrounding the cabin. Each of the boys stationed himselfin the loft, Dan watching to the north and the east, and Ralph to thesouth and west.

  With the coming of night the silence seemed more oppressive than ever,and only the occasional mooing of the cow tied near the door broke thestillness around the cabin. From the woods came now and then the cry ofa night bird, but that was all. The breeze had died out utterly.

  But presently came a cry that caused the hearts of both lads to thumpvigorously within their breasts. It was the note of a night-owl,repeated six times.

  "That's a Comanche signal," said Dan, in almost a whisper. "Ralph, theymust be coming now, and if they are, God help us to do our best inrepelling their attack!"

  "Amen!" came almost solemnly from the younger Radbury. "Can you makeout anything yet?"

  "No--yes! Somebody is sneaking through the timber toward the river.It's an Indian with a gun! He's turning toward the house, and two otherIndians are behind him!"

  Several minutes more passed--minutes that seemed like hours to theboys, whose hearts thumped as never before. Both felt that a crisis intheir lives had arrived.

  "They are coming, five strong," whispered Dan, at last. "Perhaps I hadbetter fire a pistol to warn them off."

  "Do it," answered his brother, and soon the report broke the stillness.At the sound the Comanches came to a halt in the clearing, midwaybetween the cabin and the timber. The halt, however, was onlytemporary, for an instant later a wild war-whoop rang out, and theycharged swiftly on the ranch home!