CHAPTER XIX
AN AMAZING RECEPTION
At last, however, Bob emerged into a clearing and stopped to survey thegroup of buildings. The one with the red roof faced the track and wasbuilt of logs. It was only one story high and about twenty feet long.The other two stood one on each side and were about twice as long but nohigher. Back of the building, toward the west, was an enclosuresurrounded by a high fence.
Had any one familiar with ranches been with Bob, they could have toldhim that enclosure was the corral, into which the cowboys turned theirponies when at the ranch, that the long building nearest the corral wasthe bunkhouse for the cowboys, and that the other long structure was theeating-house and storeroom of the ranch. But it was not long before Boblearned these facts for himself.
To all appearances, there was not a soul in any of the three houses and,as Bob stood gazing at them, trying to discover some sign of life, forhe was loath to take the long tramp back to Fairfax without at leasthaving asked Ranchman Ford for a job, he was suddenly startled to see ahuge dog bounding toward him, its lips drawn back disclosingwickedly-long fangs.
Bob's first impulse was to flee, but such tremendous leaps did thecreature take that he realized it would be only a few minutes before thedog would overtake him. Then it flashed through his mind that this mightbe the ranchman's way of "trying out" strangers who came to his door,and the boy determined to stand his ground.
"I'll show them that a 'tenderfoot' has some courage," Bob said, as hebraced himself for the impact when the dog should leap upon him.
All the while, he had been steadily looking into the dog's eyes, andjust as the creature was upon him the same power that had urged him tocome to the Ford ranch seemed to tell him to speak to the animal.
"Steady, boy! Steady! I'm not going to do any harm here," he exclaimed.
Whether in surprise at the boy's unusual procedure in facing him--mostcallers at the ranch either hastened away or yelled to Ford to call offhis dog--or what, the beast hesitated before his last leap that wouldhave brought him on top of Bob and then, beginning to prance playfully,he approached fawningly.
"Good boy! That's the way. We ought to be good friends, you and I. Comehere," exclaimed Bob, and as the dog came up, he patted his headcaressingly.
The boy's relief was so great at finding the savage beast did notattempt to tear him limb from limb that he failed to notice the door ofthe red-roofed cabin open and a grizzled head emerge.
But the next instant the presence of the man was called to his attentionby a terrific roar:
"Chester!"
Amazed at hearing his name, Bob gazed open-mouthed toward the house.
By this time, the man had come out onto the ground and the boy beheld atall, spare-boned man, with weather-tanned face, a scrubby beard, and amass of tousled hair.
The dog, however, paid no heed to the voice, rubbing against Bob andlicking his hands.
Again came the bellow.
"Chester! Come here!"
Too alarmed by the imperiousness of the tone to wonder how the secret ofhis identity could be known by this man of the plains, Bob called:
"Yes, sir. Right away, sir."
But if the hearing of his name had caused Bob surprise, his responsecreated more in the man.
"Oh! It's not you I want!" he yelled. "It's that fool dog! Come here,sir!"
But the dog obeyed no better than before.
A moment the ranchman glared at it, his face terrible in its anger, thendropped his hand to his hip and drew forth a revolver.
Divining his intention, Bob leaped in front of the dog, exclaiming:
"Don't shoot, sir! The dog has done nothing!"
"Done nothing, eh? I suppose you call making friends with a strangernothing. Stand aside!"
But Bob did not move.
"Just because a dog makes friends with me is no reason for shootinghim," he retorted.
A moment the man glowered sullenly from the dog to the boy, then,attracted by something about the latter, came closer and peered eagerlyinto Bob's face.
"Who are you?" he demanded.
"Bob Nichols."
"Nichols, eh? Then I must have been mistaken," he added in a voice toolow for the boy to hear, and a look of disappointment settled on hisface as he continued aloud: "Well, what do you want?"
"You are Mr. Ford, I presume?" asked Bob.
"I am; John Ford, owing no man a cent and afraid of nothing, or no oneon earth."
Smiling at this unusual introduction, Bob said:
"I came out to ask if you'd give me a job on your ranch, Mr. Ford."
"Know anything about ranching?"
"No, sir. But I can learn."
"Who sent you to me?"
"A Mr. Higgins."
"Ned Higgins, eh? Trying another of his jokes, I suppose. Probablythought the dog would chew you up."
Then for a moment that seemed hours to the anxious boy, the ranchmanpondered, finally exclaiming:
"Well, we'll fool Higgins this time. I'll take you on for a try. You'resure game or you wouldn't have stood before that fool dog, the way youdid. Come in and we'll talk about wages."
And, as Bob entered the cabin, Ford turned to look at the dog, mutteringto himself:
"Strange, mighty strange. I never knew him to make friends with any onebefore."