CHAPTER III.
A QUARREL AND ITS RESULT.
It must be confessed that Hank Stiger was badly frightened when Ralphconfronted him with the loaded gun. He was naturally not an overlybrave fellow, and while the boy before him was young, yet he realisedthat Ralph could shoot as well as many a man. Besides this, Dan wasthere, and he was also armed, and now had his finger on the trigger ofthe ancient cavalry musket.
"Don't shoot!" The words came from Dan. He could not help but admirehis brother's pluck, yet he was sorry that the affair had taken such anacute turn. His caution was unnecessary, for Ralph had no intention offiring, excepting Stiger should attempt to rush by him or use the gunslung on his shoulder.
The mustang took several steps, and then the half-breed brought him toan abrupt halt. "You're carrying matters with a putty high hand, to mynotion," he remarked, sarcastically.
An awkward pause followed, Ralph knowing not what to say, and glancingat Dan, half afraid that his brother would be tremendously angry withhim over the hasty threat he had made. Yet he felt that he was in theright, and he kept his gun-barrel on a line with the half-breed's head.
"Stiger, you might as well give up the deer," said Dan, as quietly ashe could. "It's Ralph's first big game, and of course he feels mightyproud of it. A good shot like you ought to be able to bring down lotsof game of your own."
Dan imagined that this tempered speech and side praise would put thehalf-breed in good humour, but he was mistaken. Stiger glanced from onelad to the other, his face growing more sullen each instant.
"This deer is mine, and you can't force me to give it up," he muttered."Put down that gun, or we'll have trouble."
"You put down the deer, first," said Ralph, sturdily.
"It's my deer, not yours, and I won't put it down. I'm not afraid oftwo youngsters like you."
Again Ralph's temper got the better of him. "You shall put it down,Hank Stiger. You are nothing but a horse-thief, and I----"
"Ha! call me a hoss-thief!" ejaculated the half-breed, in a rage. "Iwon't stand that, boy. You shall suffer for it."
"You are a horse-thief, and stole one of my father's animals last year.Now you want to steal my deer, but you shall not do it. Dan, he's gotto give it up, hasn't he?"
"Yes, he has got to give it up," answered the older brother, seeingthat matters had gone too far for either of them to back down. Dan wasslow to make up his mind, but, once it was made up, he wasuncompromising to the last degree.
"Supposing I refuse to give up the deer?" came from the half-breed. Hespoke in a brusque manner, but there was a shade of anxiety in histone.
"You had better not refuse."
"You wouldn't dare to shoot at me."
"Don't you be too sure of that," put in Ralph. "You must remember thatfather could have had you shot down for a horse-thief, had he wanted todo so. I don't want any trouble with you, but I am bound to have mygame."
"All right, then, you keep the game!" ejaculated Hank Stiger, in deeprage, and, turning on his mustang, he picked up the deer and flung itto the earth. "But remember, I say I shot that deer and that he ismine. Some day you'll rue your work here, mark my words!" And with anangry shake of his dirty fist at them he kicked his mustang in thesides and was soon lost to view in the forest to the north of thecreek.
The two boys watched him carefully, and they did not lower their gunsuntil they were certain that he had gone too far to turn and fire atthem. Then Ralph knelt over the deer and examined the torn open neck.
"There, I was sure of it!" he cried, triumphantly. "There is my bullet,and that's the only shot he received."
"Let me see." Dan took the bullet. "You are right, Ralph. But, even so,we have made an enemy of Stiger for life. He will never forgive you forcalling him a horse-thief."
"I don't care,--I got the deer. Do you believe he'll come back to makemore trouble?"
"There is no telling. I think we had better be getting back to thehouse,--father doesn't seem to be anywhere about. There is a treebranch. You can tie the game to that, and we can both pull it down thecreek to the river and then over to the burn. It won't be worth whilebringing a pony out to do it."
Both set to work, and in a few minutes the deer was fastened to thebranch and slid into the creek. The bottom was sandy, and the watermade the load slip along readily. The lads had just crossed the burnwith their drag when a gunshot rang out, coming from the direction ofthe ranch home.
"Listen!" ejaculated Dan. "A shot from the house! What can that mean?"
He dropped his hold on the branch and leaped forward, unslinging the_escopeta_ as he did so. For a moment Ralph hesitated, not wishing toleave his game again, but then, as his brother disappeared into thebelt of timber hiding the cabin from their view, he also dropped hishold, feeling that, even though a boy, his presence might be neededelsewhere.
When Dan reached the clearing about the ranch home he found his fatherin the doorway, rifle in hand, gazing anxiously in one direction andanother. Mr. Radbury was tall and thin, and constant exposure to thesun had browned him considerably. A glance sufficed to show what hereally was, a Southern gentleman of the old school, despite the roughlife he was at present leading.
"Dan!" cried the parent, gladly. "I am happy to see you are safe. Whereis Ralph?"
"He is just behind me, father. But what's the trouble? Has anythinghappened here while we have been away?"
"I hardly think so, but the Indians are around,--I saw two of themdirectly across the river, and half a dozen at the big tree ford, allComanches, and several of them in their war-paint. I was afraid you hadhad trouble with them."
"No, we've had trouble with somebody else," answered Dan, but before hecould go any further Ralph appeared. The tale about the deer and HankStiger was soon told, Mr. Radbury listening with close attention.
"And do you think I did wrong, father?" questioned the youngestRadbury, as he concluded his narrative.
"No, I can't say that, Ralph," was the grave answer. "But I am afraidit will make us more trouble all around. Stiger and Bison Head areintimate friends, and if the Indians are going on the war-path again,the half-breed may direct an attack upon us. It was a great mistake tospeak about that stolen horse. We can't prove that Stiger took it,although I am morally sure he was the guilty party."
After a short talk, it was decided that Mr. Radbury should go into thetimber for the deer alone, leaving Ralph and Dan to watch around thecabin and the cattle shelter. At the shelter were several cows, usedfor milking, and a number of pigs. The other stock was off on the rangebetween the ranch and Gonzales, grazing.
"I'd like to know if the cattle are safe," remarked Dan, after hisfather had left. "If those Indians should take it into their heads toround them up and drive them off it would be a big loss."
"Perhaps Hank Stiger will put them up to it," returned his brother. "Isuppose he is mad enough to do most anything."
Leaving Ralph to see to the defences of the ranch home, Dan hurrieddown to the cattle shelter. This was in plain view of the cabin andcould readily be covered from two firing-holes left in the shutterwhich covered one of the windows of the sleeping apartment.
Everything was as the youth had left it that morning, and there were noindications that any marauders had been around during the absence ofRalph and himself. The gate to the cattle enclosure was open, and someof the cows were outside. These he drove in and then barred up thegate.
Back of the cattle shed, at a distance of several hundred feet, was aslight hollow, where there was a pool of water surrounded bymesquite-trees and bushes. This pool could be seen only from the backof the shed, and as Dan walked in that direction, something caught hiseye which instantly arrested his attention.
It was a plume of feathers waving above the bushes close to the pool.There was a similar plume a short distance away.
"Turkey feathers," he muttered to himself. "But there are no wildturkeys down there, and I know it. Father was right, the Comanches arewatching our home and surrounding it."
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As soon as he had made his discovery, Dan felt inclined to run back tothe cabin with all speed. But this would let the Indians know that theywere discovered and probably make them hasten their plans. So insteadof running he took his time, walked completely around the shed, stoppedto pat a favourite cow on the nose, and then sauntered slowly to thecabin.
Once inside, however, his manner changed. "Ralph, father was right, theComanches are on the war-path!" he exclaimed. "Bar up the windows, andI'll look to it that every gun and pistol in the house is ready foruse."
"Then you saw more of them?"
"Yes, two down by the hollow."
"Do they know that you saw them?"
"I hardly think so." Dan began to look over the stock of pistols,several in number, including a "hoss" nearly two feet long. "I wishfather was back," he added, anxiously.
"Shall I fire a signal?"
"Not yet, for it may only make the Comanches hurry up. But you canwatch for father from the doorway, and if you see him, beckon him torun for it," concluded the elder brother.