CHAPTER VII
A Midnight Escapade
A thicket of small trees and bushes loomed up in the moonlight fiftyyards ahead of the trio. Lefty pointed to the spot as he said:
"We'll have to park in there and take a chance."
Scarcely had the unique cavalcade disappeared into the thicket when PopBradshaw and his foreman emerged from the ranch house. They looked aboutand then walked over to the meadow trail. Connie and the cowboys couldhear them conversing in low tones and they saw Pop shoot the beam of hisflashlight on the trail.
"We must have dreamed it, Sam," he said in a puzzled tone. "The only wayout of the meadow is down this trail and there's not a fresh steer trackon it. Just a few horse and shoe tracks where some of the boys went into do a little fishin' at the lake."
The two men walked back to the ranch house.
"That was a narrow escape," chuckled Connie as Lefty and Alkali startedCatapult on the move again.
"Sure was," Lefty agreed. "I'll be glad when we get this critter to therodeo barns."
Connie parted company with the cowboys farther on down the road,returning alone to the ranch while they delivered Catapult into thekeeping of Jack Crawford. It was after two o'clock when she reachedhome. Letting herself quietly into the house, she went to bed and sleptso soundly that she did not awaken until Marie opened the door in themorning.
"Oh, I had no idea it was so late!" Connie cried in dismay. "If I don'thurry I'll be late for the rodeo."
As she hurriedly dressed in cowgirl regalia which she planned to wear inthe parade, she tried out her shoulder. It was still sore, but she couldbear the pain now when she moved it.
Connie had coffee and rolls in the patio alone, and then hastenedoutside. Lefty and Alkali, resplendent in bright colored shirts andsilver-trimmed sombreros, were saddling up their broncos ready to startfor Red Gulch. Blakeman and Jim Barrows already had left.
"How did you come out last night after we parted company?" she askedquickly.
"Everything's set," chuckled Lefty. "And you should have heard old Blakea-blowin' around this morning. He thinks he has that bulldoggin' eventcinched. Wait 'till Catapult gives him the double 'o'."
Connie laughed and declared that she would not miss the fun for anythingin the world. Saddling Silvertail she rode into Red Gulch with herfriends. On the way in she told them of her determination to compete inthe various events open to girls.
"You're takin' a big chance with that game shoulder," Lefty declared. "Iwouldn't do it if I was you."
"That money means a lot to me," Connie replied soberly. "If I could winthe five hundred dollar prize, I might be able to raise enough extra soI could meet my bank obligations. Then I'd be able to keep the ranch."
"We'll sure be a-pullin' for you, Connie," Alkali declared warmly.
Red Gulch was jammed with visitors even at such an early hour. The townwas decorated with flags; bands, playing slightly off key, marched upand down the streets. Cowboys in big hats and high-heeled boots loungedin the doorways of buildings calling out friendly greetings topassers-by. Indians from nearby reservations added to the crowd.
At the entrance of the Fairgrounds Connie parted with her friends. Whileshe went to the rodeo barn to look over the horses. Lefty and Alkaliwandered toward the arena. Immediately an official hailed them.
"I can use you boys," he said. "I want you to keep everyone except rodeoofficers, performers and owners out of the ring."
Lefty and Alkali leaped the fence and strolled about observing thefast-gathering throngs that swarmed into the terraced tiers of thewooden grandstand. Men in charge of the day's activities hustled abouton horseback, calling orders, while a group of starters and judgesconferred at the distant end of the arena.
Suddenly Lefty's eyes were arrested by the sight of Pop Bradshaw talkingwith Forest Blakeman near the arena fence. An intriguing idea flashedinto his mind. What could be sweeter than for Pop to be among thoseimmediately present when Catapult magically appeared in place of thesteer which he believed had been substituted?
"Come on in. Pop," he called. "We want you in here to see that Catapultgets a square deal."
The idea delighted the crowd. The old man hesitated but friendly handsseized and boosted him over the fence.
Connie, who understood the prank which the cowboys were playing on Pop,felt rather sorry for him. But she had no sympathy for Forest Blakeman.He was swaggering about the arena, his attitude proclaiming that alreadyhe had been named the champion bulldogger.
As Connie stood by the fence, Jim Barrows sauntered over. After making afew casual remarks he fell silent, but the girl noticed that his gazefollowed Blakeman almost constantly.
"Your foreman reminds me of someone," he said thoughtfully.
"That's funny," laughed Connie. "Blakeman was saying almost the samething to me about you. By the way, where did you work before you came tothe Rainbow, Jim?"
"Oh, one place and another," the man answered vaguely. "Mostly onranches down in Texas."
Without giving Connie an opportunity to ask another question, he movedaway.
"He certainly means to keep his past his own," the girl reflectedthoughtfully. "I never met anyone so reserved. I wonder if perhaps hehasn't been in trouble sometime?"
Connie dismissed the matter from her mind because it was time for theopening parade. She rode in it, side by side with Enid Bradshaw. Theother girl nodded almost curtly to Connie, offering no remark save toask about her injured shoulder.
Connie tried not to show her hurt at Enid's attitude. It only made hermore determined than ever to win in the riding event.
The preliminary contests were quickly run off. Roping events, steerriding and Indian races excited but passing interest.
At last the bulldogging event was called. Several cowboys from the BarSix Ranch performed with a skill which brought cheers from the crowd.The steer was allowed a thirty foot start after he had rushed from thepen. Then horse and rider were after him, with a hazer to keep theanimal in a straight course. Catching the steer by the horns, the cowboywould hurl himself from the saddle, and twist the animal's horns untilhe rolled over in the dust.
"Bring on Blakeman!" shouted the crowd. "Let's see him throw Catapult!"
Lefty glanced anxiously toward the stanchion, trying to catch JackCrawford's eye. He need have had no fears, for just then the gate openedand a large rangy animal was driven in.
Shouts of "Catapult! Catapult, do your stuff!" informed Forest Blakemanthat something had gone amiss.
It dawned upon him instantly that Pop Bradshaw had double crossed him.Despite his anger he realized that there could be no retreat. To defaultwould be to make himself ridiculous, and brand himself a coward. Hewaved to the crowd and rode alongside the stanchion.
As the bars dropped. Catapult rushed out into the arena. Partisans ofthe animal greatly outnumbered those of the man and cries of, "Throwhim, Catapult," muffled occasional urgings of, "Throw him, cowboy!"Blakeman appeared oblivious of the crowd as he drove home his spurs andrushed pell mell after the fleeing steer.
They traversed nearly the full length of the arena before the sorrelovertook the steer and raced him head to head. Then Blakeman shotthrough the air in a perfect leap as if hurled from the saddle by theuncoiling of a gigantic spring. Headforemost he dived, his body parallelto the ground. He grasped Catapult's horns and brought him to astandstill.
Then, exerting the last iota of his strength, Blakeman made a supremeeffort to bring the animal to the ground. Catapult's head slowly turnedunder the tremendous force of the man's tensed muscles. But he suddenlysnorted and with a sharp toss of his head, hurled his tormentor into theair.
Blakeman sprawled into soft turf, twenty feet away. The crowd roared itsdelight; the air became thick with sailing sombreros. Lefty and Alkalilaughed until they collapsed weakly against the fence.
"And him claimin' to be a champeen bulldogger!" Lefty jeered.
Blakeman arose
unhurt but with a mighty anger surging through him. Not adozen paces away he saw Pop Bradshaw, the man he believed to be theauthor of his downfall. Furiously, he advanced upon the embarrassedrancher.
"So you double crossed me!" he said menacingly. "You'll pay for this!"
"I didn't know anything about it," whined the old man.
Apparently aware that any violence upon the person of Pop Bradshaw wouldonly draw the anger of the crowd, Blakeman turned and limped away. Hewas followed by the boos of the throng.
"Guess that ought to put a damper on his braggin' for a while," Leftygrinned. "I'll bet Pop spends the rest of his life wonderin' howCatapult got out of the mountain medder too!"
His voice died quickly away for the announcer was calling the nextevent. It was the bronco riding contest for girls.
"Where's Connie?" Lefty muttered.
With one accord he and Alkali turned the chutes. They saw the girl,white-faced and grim, perched on the fence, waiting for her turn toride.
The two cowboys crowded close enough to speak an encouraging word.
"Good luck, Connie!" grinned Lefty.
"I'll need it," Connie replied with a forced smile. "I've drawnTanglefoot--the worst bronco in the lot."