CHAPTER XXV
YELLIN' KID FINDS HIS BRONC
The wagon came to a sudden stop, and Mr. Merkel jumped out.
"Hello, son! Howdy, boys! Say--what happened here? Bud--how did youget burned? You hurt?" There was a note of anxiety in the father'svoice.
"Not a bit, Dad! Just blackened up a little. Had a fire, and we hadto pull some men out. Look at that!"
The boy pointed to the mass of embers that was once a house. The firehad died down until now there was only glowing bits of wood left. Ithad started quickly and ended as suddenly.
"Anybody seriously burned?" Mr. Merkel looked at his son keenly, asthough to satisfy himself that he was uninjured. The father's glanceevidently convinced him that Bud was all right, for he turned quicklyand said to the others:
"Where's Billee Dobb? I don't see him."
"Billee is the one who is really hurt, Uncle," Nort answered. "He'sgot a piece of lead in his shoulder. He's asleep now--be all rightlater, I think."
"Shot! The rascals! They'll suffer for that! You want to get Billeeto a doctor as soon as possible, before infection sets in. We'll bringhim back in the wagon."
"How did you happen to come here, Dad?" Bud asked curiously. "I didn'tthink you knew where we were."
"I didn't, exactly. I have a confession to make, Bud. You weren'tsent out here to herd sheep. You were sent to do just what you did--tocapture the smugglers."
"But--but why didn't you tell us?"
"I couldn't, Bud. I gave my word to the government that I'd not let onthe reason I was sending you out here. You see, no one could tell justwhat would happen. If you knew that you were sent to go aftersmugglers, and you went after the wrong gang, things would be in apretty mess. So they concluded that it was best to leave you in thedark. I'll admit I favored telling you, boys, but as it turned out,the other way may have been best. Even as it was, I let slip somethingabout it. And when you weren't at the ranch I figured you might be inthis direction. I sort of suspected this place. Well, all's well thatends well. Now what, boys?"
"If we can get that wild buckboard man to drive slowly, we have a loadof passengers to take back. Oh, say, Dad, do you know Mr. Hawkins? Idon't know whether you--" Bud paused suggestively.
"Yes, indeed," Mr. Merkel said with a smile. "We're old friends. Hecame to me long ago and arranged most of this scheme. Sorry we had todo it, boys--but the government seems to know its business!"
"I'm glad you look at it in that light, Mr. Merkel," the agent said ashe shook hands. "We have to be very, very careful--and a slip that mayseem trivial to others may mean success or failure to us. But let mesay that these boys have more than come up to expectations. I havenever seen a better----"
"Hey, hey, take it easy!" the Kid laughed. "It might go to our heads.But one thing, Mr. Hawkins. It's about----"
"I know--the reward! And you get it, too, boys. As soon as we get totown I'll give you a check that's in my office safe. You havecertainly earned it."
"Now we can get a new bunch of longhorns!" shouted Dick gleefully."Great stuff! That's worth going without a night's sleep for!"
"And the radio," Nort broke in. "We get that, too!"
"You and your sparkin' outfit," Yellin' Kid scoffed. "You want musicwith your grub, I guess!"
"Say, Mr. Hawkins, what's the penalty for smuggling in this state?" Budinquired. "I just wondered----"
"Ten years," the agent answered briefly. "Delton's due for quite along stretch. He'll have time to think over his errors."
"Ten years," Bud said musingly. "Ten years in jail! Mr. Hawkins, ifwe testified that Delton wasn't so bad as he's supposed to be, andthat----"
The boy stopped. Hawkins looked at him long and hard. Then he walkedover and held out his hand.
"Son," he said simply, "that's the whitest thing I've ever seen a mando. I'll try to fix it up for you. We'll do what we can to lightenhis sentence."
"Thanks," Bud said gratefully.
"Well, when do we start?" Mr. Merkel asked. "If you men are hungry,we'd better get going. Did I understand you to say we'd have a loadgoing back, Bud?"
"And then some! Now let's see how we can arrange this. Billee Dobbgoes back in the buckboard. And so do the others who are badly hurt.How many do you think can ride, Kid? You know we've got their horsesat the back, and some can come along on them."
"Figure Delton and two of those other guys should go in the wagon. Therest can fork the broncs. They're able. Well, let's get those fellersthat are going along with this wild man in the wagon. Think you cantake it easy a short spell?" Yellin' Kid asked the grinning driver.
"Sure! Like an am-bu-lance. They'll never know they're ridin'."
"All right. Now about these Chinks. Guess they'll have to get alongon the ponies."
"But maybe they can't ride," Nort suggested.
"Maybe they can't--but they're gonna take a lesson right now! Theirfirst an' last. Let's get hold of Billee an' lift him in the wagon.Still asleep?"
"Yep. Easy now. That does it----"
As they raised the form of the old rancher he stirred uneasily. Thenhe opened his eyes.
"Boss!" he exclaimed. "What do you think of me bein' carried aroundthis way. Wait a minute, boys, I can walk. I want to----"
"You're to lay right still," admonished Yellin' Kid. "Think we wantyou bleedin' all over the landscape? Now go slow, an' Mr. Merkel willshake hands with you when we get you in the wagon."
"How are you, Billee?" the cattle owner asked warmly. "Heard you hadan accident! Well, we'll feed you up good for a couple of days andyou'll soon be on horseback again."
"Sure will! Can't say I like this lyin' down idea. But the boys won'tlet me get up."
The buckboard carrying Billee and the other injured men went first, andthe rest of the procession followed, with Mr. Hawkins and Dick in theextreme rear, to see that everything went well. And thus they startedfor town.
They had scarcely gotten under way when all heard the sound of a horsebehind them. They turned and saw a riderless pony galloping towardthem.
"What the mischief--" Bud cried out as he saw the horse nearing them."He wants to visit! Look--his halter has been broken. Must be arunaway. I wonder----"
"Runaway nothin'!" yelled the Kid. "He's comin' home! That's mybronc!"
The horse made straight for Yellin' Kid.
"Look at that--knows me! Well! Well! Well! Come home to papa! Mybronc, sure as you're a foot high! See that spot above his eye? I'dknow it in a million! Come here, baby--where you been? Huh? I beenlookin' all over for you."
There was a sudden exclamation from one of the smugglers who was ridingin front of the Kid.
"Got away!" the man muttered. "Thought I tied her----"
"So-o-o you're the coot that had her, hey? An' you tied her up tight,hey? So she couldn't get loose? Well, let me tell you that thislittle paint can bust _any_ halter, if she wants to. Can't you, baby?By golly, I----"
"Sing it, Kid, sing it!" Dick laughed. "Do you tuck her in bed atnight, too?"
"Well, she's the best bronc I ever had!" the Kid said definitely. "An'I'm goin' to ride her in. Dick, hang on to this pony, will you? Leadher in for me. Well!" As he got into the saddle of his own mount."Here we are again, baby! Now I won't need that other horse that youwere goin' to get me, Mr. Hawkins. 'Scuse me a minute, boys----"
He threw the bronc into a gallop and tore across the plain. Then hewheeled and came rushing back.
"He's happy," Nort said with a grin. "Never expected to see his broncagain, and she runs right into his hands. Hey, you--where did you keepher?"
"Around the side," the man who had spoken before answered with a scowl."Thought I might need her in a hurry. His horse, was it? Well, he wasridin' mine. A fair exchange is no robbery. Now he's got her backhe's got no kick comin'."
"Hasn't, hey? Don't know about that. If he finds any marks on her----"
"Sh
e wasn't touched," the man said quickly. "Fast enough without that."
"Lucky for you," Nort commented, meaningly.
After his mad dash the Kid returned in easier fashion. And so thestrange procession wended its way back to Roaring River. It took themrather a long time to get there, as the buckboard had to be drivenslowly on account of the injured. True to his promise, the young "wildman" held his verbally much-abused horses down to a walk.
The smugglers were removed to jail, with the assurance from the wardenthat those who were injured would be treated by a local doctor. TheChinese were also jailed, to be held for the federal officers.Deportment, first back to Mexico, and, eventually, back to China wastheir portion. They seemed to realize it, for they were a sad andsilent bunch.
Billee Dobb was given a room to himself in the ranch house where hecould rest and get well, and then the others washed up and "filled up,"as Nort expressed it.
"Now comes the reward," said Mr. Hawkins, and he arranged to have itpaid to the Boy Ranchers, with Yellin' Kid and Billee Dobb sharing init. There was an additional reward for capturing the smuggled Chineseas well as the smugglers, so there was a fund large enough for all toshare.
"Let's go up and see Billee now," proposed Bud, when they had eaten andquieted down.
They found the old rancher restlessly picking at the coverlet of hisbed, his weather-tanned face in strange contrast to the white pillowcases. As the boys and Mr. Merkel entered, Billee grinned.
"Fust time I ever been t' bed by daylight in seventeen years," he said."Don't know what to do with myself. Now if Snake Purdee was only here,he could----"
"An' here I am!" exclaimed a voice outside the door. "Hello, Billee!Heard you was receivin' callers an' I came right over. What'll youhave--a song? All right, boys--come on in! Billee wants us to singfor him!"
Into the room shuffled Billee's companions of Diamond X: Slim Degnan,Fat Milton, and the rest.
"Hello, Billee!"
"Howdy, you old de-teck-a-tive you!"
"How's it feel to be a hero?"
"Now boys--are you ready? Ta da--let's go!"
They all joined in the song. And as Billee Dobb "smiled a smile" thatreached to the corners of the room, the notes of "Bury Me Not On theLone Prairie, With Variations," filled the house and flowed over intothe outer air. And Billee Dobb just lay there, smiling and smiling.
As for the Boy Ranchers--they were happy, too. They had done a goodjob. They had covered themselves with glory.
"And maybe there are other jobs ahead," remarked Bud.
THE END
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