CHAPTER II.
THE DISAPPEARANCE OF THE DEER.
The cabin was a strongly built affair of rough logs, fifteen feet deepby thirty feet long. It was divided into two apartments on the groundfloor, the first used as a general living-room and the second as abedchamber. From the bedchamber a rude ladder ran to a loft, used asextra sleeping-quarters when the Radburys had company, and also as astoreroom. There were two windows in the sleeping-room below, and awindow and a door in the general living-room. Each of the windows wereshuttered with slabs of oak, secured, inside, by square bars of ash.All of the furniture excepting one bed, a table, and two chairs washome-made, and consequently rather primitive in style, and built morefor use than for ornamentation.
At one side of the living-room was a wide, open fireplace, and here,above the mantel-shelf, hung the old Mexican _escopeta_, or cavalrymusket, which Dan intended to take along on his expedition to the spotwhere Ralph had brought down the deer. Taking the gun down, the youthsaw to it that the weapon was loaded and ready for use, and rejoinedhis brother.
In those days every Texan trusted his neighbour implicitly, and nobodythought of locking up his home even though he expected to be goneseveral days, unless it was thought that unfriendly Indians were about.The Radburys had gone away frequently, leaving everything open, and hadnever suffered, excepting as previously mentioned. Once, on returning,they had found that some other settlers from fifty miles away hadstopped there over night, but this was explained in a note stuck to theeating-table, the "neighbour" offering to "square up" on demand. Whenthe two parties met, Mr. Radbury told the other that the only way hecould settle up was by calling again,--which was the usual Texan methodof rounding out such hospitality.
"I've a good mind to lock up," remarked Dan, as he reached thedooryard. "I don't like this idea of Indians spying about."
"Oh, come on," interrupted Ralph. "We won't be gone long, and no Indiancould do much in such a short time."
The elder brother shook his head doubtfully. "I don't know," he mused,but when Ralph took hold of his arm, he suffered himself to be ledaway; and soon they were hurrying for the river. There was quite aclearing to cross, and as they gained the timber Dan paused to lookback and to gaze around them. But neither man nor beast was in sight.
On hurried the two boys, through a tangle of brush and tall pines, thelatter of the long straw variety and smelling strongly of turpentinewhereever the last storm had broken off a top or a heavy branch. Closerto the stream was a stately row of cottonwoods, with here and there afragrant magnolia, which reminded the lads of the former homestead leftso many miles behind. It was the spring of the year and the magnoliaswere just putting forth their buds, and Dan paused for a second to gazeat them.
"I'll tell you what, Ralph, it will be a long while before Texas is ascivilised as Georgia," he observed.
"Will it ever be as civilised, Dan? I heard father say last week, whenhe was talking to Brossom, that he never thought it would be,--so longas Texas was joined to Coahuila and belonged to the MexicanConfederation. He said Texas ought to be free."
"He is right, too,--we ought either to be free, or else belong to theUnited States. It's all well enough for the Mexicans living in Coahuilato belong to the Confederation if they want to, but they don't care forus Americans, and they are going to grind us under if they can."
"But they were glad enough to have us come in, weren't they?--I mean atfirst."
"Yes, when Stephen Austin came in with his first batch of emigrantsthey welcomed the newcomers with open arms, and gave each man a largetract of land for himself, one for his wife, and more land for eachchild or servant, and they were mighty glad to have other _empresarios_bring in emigrants, too, so I've read in the papers. But now they aregetting afraid that the Americans will overrule them, and there isbound to be a lot of trouble sooner or later."
Ralph was anxious to show his brother his prize, and as they neared thespot where the big deer had been brought down he ran on ahead, and sothe talk on State affairs came to an end. But Dan was right, there wasmuch trouble ahead, as we shall see as our story progresses.
The cottonwoods passed, the boys faced another small clearing, where aforest fire years before had lain many a towering pine low. Beyond thisburnt and barren spot were the pecan-trees overhanging the river, wherethe deer had come to slake his thirst when Ralph had trailed him andbrought him low.
"Oh, Dan! The deer's gone!"
The cry came straight from Ralph's heart, as with staring eyes he ranin under the pecan-trees and gazed at the spot where the game hadrested less than an hour before.
"Gone?" repeated the brother. "Then you didn't kill him?"
"Yes, I did,--I am sure of it, for I turned him over after he was shot.Could some wild animal have carried him off?"
"More than likely, although it would take a pretty fair sized animal totote a deer, especially if he was as big as you say. Let us see if wecan find any tracks."
They began to search around the bank of the stream, and soon discovereda number of footprints.
"Indian moccasins!" exclaimed Dan. "Ralph, you were right about thatIndian. He was watching you, and after you left the deer he came in andtook possession."
"But he hadn't any right to do that," burst out the smaller boy,angrily. It cut him to the heart to have his first big game taken fromhim. "It's downright robbery."
"It certainly wasn't fair, but about its being robbery, that'squestionable. You shouldn't have left your game without leavingsomething on top of it, a knife or anything, just to show that you werecoming back for it."
"But this is father's land."
"It isn't fenced yet, and the Indians don't recognise such ownership,anyway."
"But they must have known I was coming back. No one would throw awaysuch choice venison as that was." Ralph heaved a sigh. "I wish I was aman,--I'd go after that redskin in short order, and make him eithergive up the game or bring him down with my gun."
"If you shot him you'd bring on a regular war, more than likely. But ifyou wish, we can follow this track for a stretch, and look for fatherat the same time."
Ralph was more than willing to do this--anything to learn what hadreally become of his game, and so they continued up the river bank forthe best part of half a mile. Here they came to a creek, leadingdirectly west, and saw that the footprints followed this newwater-course. Along the creek the way was rocky and uneven, and it wasplain to see where the deer had been dragged along.
Ralph was going on, with his eyes bent to the trail, when suddenly hisbrother caught him by the arm, bringing him to a halt. In silence Danpointed to the opposite side of the creek, at a distance a hundred feetfarther up the water-course.
"It's Hank Stiger, the half-breed!" burst in a low tone from Ralph'slips. "And see, he is tying my deer fast to his pony."
"You are right, Ralph."
"I'm not going to let him get away in this fashion!" went on theyounger lad, excitedly.
"He's got to give up that meat, or I'm going to know the reason why."
"Don't be rash. Hank Stiger is a bad man to deal with."
"Are you going to let him go without doing anything?" demanded Ralph."I'm sure you wouldn't if it was your deer!" he added, bitterly.
"No, we'll talk to him and put our claim as strongly as we can. But becareful, that's all."
With this caution Dan ran along the bank of the creek until he reachedthe ford where the half-breed had crossed. He went over, with Ralph athis heels and both boys were within easy speaking distance of HankStiger before the latter discovered them.
"Hi there, Stiger! what are you doing with that deer?" demanded Dan, ashe came closer, with his gun in both hands across his breast.
At the sound of the boy's voice the half-breed turned quickly and hisrepulsive reddish-brown face fell sullenly. He was a short, stockyfellow, with a tangled head of hair and wolfish eyes which betrayed theComanche blood that flowed in his veins from his mother's side.
"Who are you?" deman
ded the man, hardly knowing what to say, socompletely had he been taken by surprise.
"I am Dan Radbury, as you know very well. This is my brother Ralph, andhe shot the deer you are carrying off."
"Not much!" ejaculated the half-breed. "I brung that deer downmyself--shot him through the neck."
"It's not so!" burst out Ralph. "The deer is mine, I brought him downover in the pecan grove on the river."
"Why, youngster, you're dead wrong, I tell you. I shot this deer rightdown thar on this creek, two hours ago. He limped off after I hit him,but I followed the trail easily and found him in the pecan grove, deadfrom whar I had struck him in the neck."
This cool answer almost took Ralph's breath away from him. "It was Istruck him in the neck, Hank Stiger, and the deer belongs to me, andyou sha'n't bluff me out of my meat, either."
"Hush, Ralph, don't be so headstrong," remonstrated Dan, in low tones."You'll gain a good bit more by keeping cool."
At Ralph's words the half-breed let out a rough, unnatural laugh.
"Boy, you must be daft, to tell me I don't know when I bring down adeer. The deer is mine, and if you shot at him you wasted your powder,that's all."
So speaking, Hank Stiger swung himself on the back of his mustang,which little beast looked all out of proportion to the deer and manmounted on him. His gun was slung over his shoulder, and there heallowed it to remain while he gathered up the reins and urged his ponyforward.
Ralph was white. As told before, he was but a boy of eight, yet hislife on the frontier had given him the appearance of being ten or more.Rushing in front of the mustang, he raised his gun and pointed themuzzle at Stiger's head.
"'YOU SHA'N'T LEAVE THIS SPOT UNTIL YOU GIVE UP THATDEER, AND THAT'S ALL THERE IS TO IT!'"]
"Stop where you are!" he cried, commandingly. "You sha'n't leave thisspot until you give up that deer, and that's all there is to it!"