CHAPTER XXV
LIEUTENANT WAYNE
Not to mystify you, when there is no need for it, I will say thatthe scheme Dick had hit upon was simple enough. If you recallKipling's famous story you know that two drummer boys, of aBritish regiment in India, when the main body was being defeatedby a horde of natives, slipped quietly off to one side, and, byhiding behind rocks, played the fife and beat the drum to suchadvantage that the heathens thought another regiment wasapproaching to take them in the rear, while the British force wasso heartened by hearing the familiar strains that they rallied,the retreat was stopped and the day won.
Dick and Nort had no fife or drum, and, if they had possessedthose instruments, it is doubtful if they could have performed onthem with any credit to themselves.
Each of them was slightly wounded, but they possessed their gunsand had a plentiful supply of ammunition, and it was Dick's ideato use this. "We'll slide out, crawl along that gully there," andhe pointed to Nort the one he meant, "and we'll take 'em on theflank. By keeping behind the rocks, and firing fast, we can make'em think, maybe, that another force is coming."
"You well said it--_maybe_," murmured Nort. "But at that,the idea isn't so bad. They may hold us here all day, and withSlim and his bunch having their hands full, it looks as if thecattle would be driven off."
For while some of the rustlers were holding Bud and his band incheck behind the rocks, and while others were fighting Slim andhis cowboys, still others were driving the cattle toward theopening in the old volcano bowl. It was Dick's idea that if by across fire on the part of himself and his brother, hidden amongthe rocks, they could scare away the band besieging Bud and hisfriends, a diversion might be created which would rout the enemy.At any rate, it was worth trying.
Bud was busy, as Nort and Dick slipped off, tying a bandage onthe arm of one of the cowboys who had been shot. And the brotherswere glad to try their desperate venture unnoticed, for they didnot want to explain. And they did not want to be observed goingaway, as it looked a little like desertion in the face of theenemy. But, for the time being, there was a lull in the fighting.The Greasers who had been holding Bud's force behind the rocks,had quieted down. The fighting between Slim and his cowboys outin the open, however, was going on fiercely, and several hadfallen on both sides.
Once Dick and Nort were down in a gully, off to the right of therocks behind which the band had taken shelter, the eastern ladswere screened from observation, both by their friends and by theGreasers.
"Cut along, North!" advised Dick, and, in spite of their wounds,the boy ranchers ran in crouching positions, their guns inreadiness.
It did not take them long to reach a point which they regarded asfavorable for the trick they were going to play--for it wasnothing more nor less than a trick. If they could succeed, byquick firing, in deceiving the enemy, and causing a retreat, asudden rush on the part of Bud and his friends might turn thescale.
"All ready?" asked Dick of his brother, as they reached somesheltering rocks on the flank of the party besieging Bud.
"Wait until I lay a lot of cartridges ready on the ground. Itwill be easier to reload them."
"Good idea. I'll do the same."
It was rather awkward for Dick, with his wounded right hand, toreload his gun, but he could manage after a fashion, though notso well as Nort, whose hurt was in his upper left arm. The ladssaw to it that their weapons were ready, with a goodly supply ofcartridges in front of them. Nort looked across at Dick, behindthe sheltering rock, and at a nod from the latter they both beganfiring.
The effect on the Greasers, poorly screened as they were, wasinstantaneous. Several leaped to their feet and turned insurprise toward the sound of firing on their flank. These madegood targets, and by firing at them Dick and Nort brought morethan one to the ground.
Bud and his companions, hearing the firing in a new direction,where, as yet they did not know they had supporters, were alsotaken by surprise, but it was of another nature.
"Come on! Rush 'em!" yelled Bud, when he had looked around, and,missing Dick and Nort, guessed what had happened. "We've got 'emin a cross fire now! Rush 'em!"
But the Greasers, disheartened by the firing of Dick and Nort ontheir flank, did not stop to be rushed. Those who were ableleaped up and ran toward their horses, which had strayed off toone side. Bud and his party emerged from behind the rocks, firingas they rushed the enemy.
"This is the stuff, Dick!" shouted Nort, as he reloaded his gunand sent another fusilade of bullets into the ranks of the nowretreating Greasers.
"I'm glad it worked!" remarked the proposer of the Kiplingscheme. "Now we can go help Slim and his bunch. They're havingtrouble!"
Indeed the tide of battle did seem to be turning against theforeman and his forces. They were outnumbered, and had lostseveral cowboys, by wounds if not by death--just which it wasimpossible to determine then. And, meanwhile, the other Greasers,under the leadership of the wily Del Pinzo, were hazing thecattle toward the main entrance.
"Good work, boys! Great work!" Bud greeted his cousins with as herode out to meet them, when the besieging Greasers had beenrouted by the cross fire of the two lads. "How'd you think ofit?"
"It was Dick," spoke Nort.
"It was Kipling!" Dick answered.
"Get mounted and join us!" Bud requested. "We've got to helpSlim!"
This was evident, as the foreman and his cowboys were now hardpressed. But as Nort and Dick rejoined Bud, having leaped totheir saddles they, as well as the others from Diamond X caughtsight of something which, for the moment made them sick at heart.
For the sight was that of another body of horsemen riding intothe old volcano bowl. On they cantered, the sun glinting on theirarms.
"More of Del Pinzo's rustlers!" burst out Bud. "We may as wellgive up! They're too many for us!"
But he did not pull rein, intending it seemed, to fight it out tothe bitter end. A cry from Dick was the cause of wonderment. Hepointed to the new body of advancing horsemen.
"Look! Look!" Dick shouted. "Those aren't Greasers! They aren'trustlers or Del Pinzo's gang! They're United States troopers! Byall the jack rabbits that ever jumped we've got the rustlers now!The United States cavalry is on the job!"
And a moment later, as the notes of a bugle gave a musical order,causing the advancing troop to deploy to right and left, it wasevident that the tide of battle had turned in favor of the boyranchers and their friends.
For the newcomers were, in reality, a troop of United Statesregulars, and with a dash and vim, exceeded nowhere in the world,and among no other fighters, this band of grim-faced men enteredinto action. Carbines were unslung and their short and ugly barkwas added to the din.
"Come on, fellows!"
"Now we've got 'em!"
"Over the line!"
"Touchdown!"
These were only a few of the excited shouts of the boy ranchersthemselves, while the cowboys of Diamond X riding into the fraywith new hearts, sent up their shrill, yipping yells. It was allover then but the shouting, so to speak. The Greasers were fairlytrapped--Del Pinzo and all his gang. In vain they attempted toride around and escape by the main entrance. But the troopers hadstationed a guard there, and the bowl was "bottled up." One ortwo Greasers, sneaking around to the north, did manage to escapethrough the crack by which Bud and his friends had entered,though the main body was captured and the cattle saved.
"Whew, but that was hot work!" commented Bud, toward sundown,when the rustlers had been caught, disarmed and corraled underguard.
"You told the truth for once," remarked Dick, whose wound hadbeen rebandaged by the surgeon accompanying the troopers.
"And I guess this is the end of Del Pinzo," remarked Nort, forthe outlaw Greaser half-breed had been caught red-handed, so tospeak.
"I hope so," mused Bud. "But we paid a price for it."
"And so did they," observed Slim. "We accounted for quite a few,but I'm sorry for our boys." Several of the Diamond X outfit hadbeen grievously wounded,
and one was killed outright. But thecasualties on the side of the enemy were greater.
The fight was over. The cattle of the boy ranchers were saved,and the rustlers captured. Tired horses were staked out neargrass and water, and while the cavalry established their camp,Bud and his friends began to wonder how it was the troopers hadarrived in the nick of time.
"Well, it was more by chance than anything else," said CaptainParker, who was in command. "We'd been on the trail of theseoutlaws for some time, and finally we saw a chance to cornerthem. It was due to the work of Lieutenant Wayne that we wereable so to effectually bag them here, though. He has been onscout duty in this section for some time, endeavoring to get informationso that we might round up this gang."
"Lieutenant Wayne," repeated Bud, wonderingly.
"Yes, here he comes now. He says he knows you boys."
"Knows us!" murmured Dick, as a trooper approached, saluting hissuperior and smiling at the boy ranchers. "Yes, don't you knowme?" asked Lieutenant Wayne, holding out his hand to Bud."Perhaps if I had on my glasses, you would be better able to----"
"Four Eyes!" burst out Nort. "At least--I beg your pardon--Henry--er--Mr.Mellon--Lieutenant Wayne!" he stammered.
"Yes, Four Eyes!" was the laughing answer of the trooper. "Thoseglasses were only fakes! I wore them as a sort of disguise, andvery effectual they were, it seems."
"Four Eyes!" gasped Bud. "And were you in the United Statescavalry all the while?"
"Yes, on scout, or detached duty," was the answer. "Thegovernment has had many complaints of this band of Del Pinzo'srustlers, and we were detailed to put them out of business. I wasassigned to go on duty as a cowboy, which wasn't so hard, as Ihad been one nearly all my life before joining the army. I workedon several ranches, picking up bits of information here andthere, and I completed all I needed to get in Happy Valley," headded.
"And we never tumbled!" remarked Dick.
"Glad you didn't!" laughed Lieutenant Wayne, to give him hisproper title. "I thought you were suspicious of me, more thanonce, though," he said.
"We were, after you built that signal lantern on the watch tower--youdid do that, didn't you?" asked Bud.
"Yes, but only as a decoy for the rustlers. I managed to overhearsome of their plans, and part of their scheme called for a lighton the tower when the time was ripe for a raid on your cattle,boys. So I flashed the signal myself, and, indirectly, it led tothis capture today. For I joined my troop right after that, andwe have been rounding the rascals up ever since.
"We knew they had made a big raid at your place, but we didn'tknow where they had hidden the cattle until I happened to thinkof this old crater, which I discovered one day when I was workingfor you, Bud. So we made our way here and--well, this is the end,I believe," he added, as he looked over at the bunch of miserableprisoners.
"I hope it's the end," said Bud. "We want to get back tobusiness. And I'm sorry we suspected you, Lieutenant."
"Oh, that's all right. In fact, I'm glad you did. It shows Ilived up to the character I was supposed to represent."
There is little more to tell. That night, around the campfiremany things, hitherto a mystery, were explained. The stethoscopethe boys found was the property of Lieutenant Wayne. He haddropped it when paying a secret visit to Happy Valley. He hadintended to pose as a doctor to deceive the rustlers, but, onlosing the stethoscope he gave up that plan. It is needless tosay that he had nothing to do with the robbery at Diamond X, thereal thieves never being discovered. Lieutenant Wayne apologizedfor cutting his way from Bud's tent the night he disappearedafter the signal from the tower. This was the only way he coulddisappear and accomplish his plans, he said. And it was he whohad fired and broken the bottle, and had also fired mysterioussignal shots, in order to play up to his character of being inwith the rustlers.
"Though the bottle-breaking was only a joke I indulged in," headmitted, "I'm sorry it worried you so."
The soldier, of course, had nothing to do with the prairie fire,and who set it, if it was set, was not discovered. LieutenantWayne finally recovered his black horse Cinder, the animal havingmade its way back to Curly Q ranch, where the officer once posedas a cowboy.
The cattle first stolen by the rustlers were not recovered, butit was found that when they seemed they had been spirited off inan airship they had been merely back-tracked and hidden until anopportune time to dispose of them. Del Pinzo's gang was inhiding, waiting for a chance to drive off the main body ofsteers, when they were surprised by our heroes. Whether HankFisher was in with the rustlers was not decided, thoughsuspicions pointed toward him. The outlaws were sentenced to longterms after being captured by the troopers, and their secretmeeting place, having been discovered, was destroyed.
After these explanations had been made, it was decided not to tryto drive the cattle out of the crater until the next day.
The night passed without incident, though none of the boyranchers turned in early. They were too excited, and they wantedto talk over what had happened.
The existence of the old crater was not generally known, but DelPinzo and his rustlers appeared to have the secret of it. Theyhad driven off Bud's cattle, put them into the natural corral andthen filled in, with dirt, the only entrance visible from thedefile trail leading from Happy Valley. They intended to use thelarger opening out of the bowl, to the south, to get the cattleaway. But their plans were frustrated.
The next day the troopers drove off before them the discomfittedDel Pinzo and his disheartened followers, Yellin' Kid taking theMexican's elaborate hat to replace the cowboy's with the bulletholes. Lieutenant Wayne said farewell to the boy ranchers,promising to come and see them again, in his real character.
The wounded were transported as tenderly as possible out of themain egress from the bowl, it being impractical to use the other.And it was from this larger entrance, after the fence had beentorn away, that the cattle were driven, by a long winding trailamid the mountains back to Happy Valley. Only a few were lost bythe raid, which was the largest ever perpetrated by the rustlersin that part of the country.
"But I guess, now that the troopers have Del Pinzo, and not thelocal authorities with their flimsy town jails, that this Greaserwon't be foot-loose for some time," observed Bud, when, oncemore, the boy ranchers were back in camp.
"I don't want to hear his name again," murmured Dick, nursing hiswounded hand.
"And to think that Four Eyes was working in our interests when wethought him a spy! That was pretty good!" laughed Nort.
"Yes, it all worked out pretty well," spoke Bud. "And do you knowwhat I'd like to do? I'd like Dad to buy that old volcano craterfor us. It would be a peach of a place where we could winter aherd of cattle, and have 'em fat for spring selling. I'm going tospeak to him about it," he concluded.
"Well, you can speak right now, for here he comes, and yourmother and sister, too," added Dick, as Mr. Merkel's auto chuggeddown the trail from Diamond X.
"Well, boys, I hear you beat Del Pinzo at his own game!" greetedthe rancher, while Nell expressed her sorrow at Dick's wound, tothe somewhat jealous regard of Nort, whose hurt was more slight.
"Yes, he's where he won't blur any more brands right away," Budanswered. "But it looked like touch and go for a while. Thetroopers came just in time!"
"Well, you fellows seem to know how to take care of yourselvesand the cattle," observed Bud's father. "Guess I'll turn one ofmy main ranches over to you. What say?"
But the boys did not answer. They were busy eating slices of alarge chocolate cake that Nell had brought over. This is reasonenough, isn't it? However, the adventures of our heroes did notend with the capture of the rustlers. And those of you who wishto follow them further may do so in the next volume of thisseries which will be entitled: "The Boy Ranchers Among theIndians; or Trailing the Yaquis." In that volume we shall meetmany of our old friends again, and, should Bud permit it, I maytell you about Zip Foster. But with the capture of Del Pinzo, andhis rustlers, this book is finished.
THE
END
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