CHAPTER XVII
"WE CROWED TOO SOON!"
Not only the boy ranchers, but their more experienced cowboy companionswere puzzled by the actions of the sheep herders. It was the periodafter the morning meal, the smoke of which fires was still risingtoward the sky. The sheep men appeared to have slept in the open, withnothing more than their blankets for a bed and their saddles forpillows. But they were accustomed to this, and so were our friends,though they were glad of the fairly comfortable bunk house, or "fort,"as they dubbed it.
But all interest was centered in what the Greasers were doing. Some ofthem separated themselves from the sheep, which really did not requiremuch more attention than that given them by some intelligent dogs, anda bunch of the hated and despised men were approaching the river,carrying long poles.
"What do you reckon they're going to do?" asked Dick.
"Make a raft, maybe," answered Nort. "Though how they can float a lotof sheep over on a raft made of a few bean poles is more than I canunderstand."
"It would take them a month or more to float the sheep over, one at atime, on a bunch of poles," objected Bud.
"That isn't what they're going to do," declared Dick, after closelywatching the actions of the Mexicans. "They're going to leave, that'swhat they're planning."
"Leave? What do you mean; go away?" asked his brother.
"That's it--yes. They're going to make those dinguses the Indians usetrailing after their horses--a pole fastened to either side of theanimal, and the ends dragging on the ground. Between the poles theycarry their duffle."
"Nonsense!" laughed Bud. "In the first place these aren't Indians,though they're as bad, I reckon. But they didn't come with those poletrailers; so why would they make 'em to go away with? All they ownthey can pack in their hats."
"I guess you're right," admitted Dick, after thinking it over. "Butthey're going to do something."
They were all watching the Mexicans now. The men with longpoles--which they must have brought with them as none grew in thevicinity--now closely approached the edge of the creek. They could notbe going to make a raft--the nature of the poles precluded that.
Then, as one after another of the sheep herders thrust the end of hispole into the water, wading out a short distance to do this, Buduttered an exclamation.
"I have it!" the lad cried.
"You mean you're on to the game?" asked Dick.
"Yes."
"What is it?" cried the two brothers.
"They're feeling around to find the places where the quicksands are,"announced Bud.
"You mean so they can jump in and get rid of themselves?" grimly askedSnake Purdee.
"I mean so they can tell where _not_ to cross," said Bud, though thiswas unnecessary, since they all grasped his meaning when he spoke ofthe quicksands.
"I guess you're right, son," observed Old Billee, who had come back tothe fort with the return of the cowboys. "They're looking for safefords and I shouldn't wonder but what they'd find 'em."
"I wouldn't be too sure of that," said a tall lank cowboy.
"What do you mean?" Billee wanted to know.
"Wa'al, they may find the places where it's safe to cross--I ain'tsayin' but what they is sich places," went on "Lanky," as he wascalled, "I know this creek putty well, an' I've crossed it more'n once,swimmin' a hoss over an' sometimes drivin' cattle. But th' trouble issometimes when you find a safe place it doesn't stay safe very long."
"What do you mean by that?" asked Bud, who thought it his duty to learnall he could about matters connected with his father's ranch.
"I reckon he means the quicksands shift--is that it, Lanky?" askedBillee Dobb.
"That's it--yep! A place that may be safe to cross to-night may be themost dangerous in the mornin', or even in less time."
"Oh, so the creek is going to favor us after all!" exclaimed Bud. "Ifit's as treacherous as that it will keep those Greasers on the farside."
"Not altogether," said Billee. "They may have just enough fool luck tostrike a safe place and get over here."
"Well, if they come we'll be ready for 'em!" grimly said Nort, and theothers nodded in accord with this sentiment.
Then, as there was nothing else to do for the present, they watched theactions of the Mexicans--actions that were not so strange andmysterious as they had been before Bud hit upon the right solution.
And that it was a correct guess no one could doubt who watched thesheep herders. With their long, thin poles they went up and down thebank of the stream, thrusting the ends into the mud, or whatever formedthe bottom of Spur Creek. At times, as I have said, the Mexicans wouldwade out, perhaps until the water came as high as their middle, inorder to thrust their poles farther out into the stream. But when aman thus waded another stood near with ready lariat.
"They're taking no chances on being caught as the horse was," said Nort.
"Right-o!" exclaimed his brother.
The sheep men, however, seemed to find so many places where there werequicksands--or indications of them--in the vicinity of the place justacross from the fort--that they soon moved more than a mile downstream. That is, some of them did. Others moved up, the partyseparating and leaving a few men guarding the sheep.
"As if we'd cross and try to catch any of the woollies!" laughed Bud,motioning to those on guard.
It was late in the afternoon when the survey or test of the creekseemed to be completed. The two parties with their poles came back towhat might be called the "camp," and a consultation seemed to be takingplace.
In the still, quiet atmosphere the excited voices carried across thecreek, though what was said could not be made out.
"They seem to be having a dispute," observed Nort.
And this was evident. One bunch of the Greasers evidently held to oneopinion, and a minority disagreed. However, in the end the majorityruled and then, to the surprise of our friends, the Greasers brokecamp, leaped to their saddles, and started driving their flocks backtoward the south, whence they had come.
For a few moments our friends, watching this move, did not know how tointerpret it. But as it dawned on them that the sheep men were"pulling up stakes," and departing, Billee cried:
"We've got the best of 'em, boys! Or, rather, the quicksands workedfor us. They've gone back where they came from."
"And I hope they stay," sang out Yellin' Kid.
This was the hope of all, and it seemed likely to be carried out. Asnight settled down, the mass of sheep and their herders grew more andmore indistinct as greater distance was put between them and thoseholding the fort.
"Well, we'll wait a day or so to see if they don't come back," saidBillee, "and then we'll mosey to Diamond X. There's a pile of workwaitin' for us there."
"And we'd like to get back to Happy Valley," observed Bud.
"That's right," agreed Nort and Dick.
For the first time since the alarm about the sheep men rest was easierin the fort that night. The danger appeared to be disappearing. Thetreacherous nature of Spur Creek, with its shifting bottom ofquicksands--that might be here one day and a mile farther off thenext--had served our friends a good turn.
At least it seemed so, until the next morning. Then, as Billee Dobbarose early and, as was his custom, went out for a before-breakfastsurvey, he uttered a cry.
"What's the matter?" asked Bud, coming to the door of the fort.
"We crowed too soon, that's what's the matter," answered Billee. "Wecrowed too soon!"