CHAPTER IX.
TED GETS AN ASSIGNMENT.
To the horror-stricken onlookers it appeared that Ted's end had come. Helay prone upon the sod with his face turned to the sky, evidentlystunned.
The bull, with all the ferocity of his kind when goaded to anger, wascharging upon him, his needle-like horns a few inches from the ground,and the foam flecking from his lips.
Stella, her face white and drawn, was galloping toward him as fast asher pony could go, while Bud was lashing his pony to the height of itsspeed as he crossed the face of the herd. Billy Sudden was neck and neckwith Stella, calling to her to hold back.
Suddenly Ted Strong came to life, and looked over his shoulder.
He saw his danger, and quick as thought he rolled over, away from thebull.
But that was all. Every one could see that it would do no good. He couldnot expect to escape from the infuriated beast in that manner, and ahollow groan escaped the lips of more than one.
Ted surely was doomed.
The bull's horns caught Ted in the side as he continued to roll awayfrom it, and it stopped for an instant, settling itself to toss him.Stella turned her head away with a muttered prayer, and even thecowboys, used to accidents in the round-up, gasped.
But suddenly they saw a cloud of dust fly upward, and thought at firstthat Ted had fired his revolver into the face of the infuriated beast,and it seemed strange that they had not heard the report of the weapon.
Then, miracle of miracles, the bull, with a snort of pain, threw up itshead, and Ted was not impaled upon its horns.
There was another cloud of dust, and the bull began backing away, slowlybut surely, shaking its head, as if in pain.
"Screamin' catamounts, did yer see thet, Stella?" cried Bud Morgan, ashe rode alongside the girl,
"What did he do?" asked Stella.
"He's saved hisself by blindin' ther bull. He throwed dust inter itseyes. I'm dinged if I see how thet feller kin think o' things like thetwhen he's down an' out. Look at him!"
As the bull rubbed its face in the grass Ted rolled over twice, thenleaped to his feet and ran to where Sultan was awaiting him.
A mighty cheer went up from the boys, and the color came back intoStella's face with a rush, but she could not have uttered a sound tosave her life.
In the meantime, the bull had recovered, having rubbed the dust from itseyes in the short grass, and looked about for its enemy.
It caught sight of Ted in the act of mounting, and sprang toward himwith the swiftness of a deer.
Then Stella recovered her voice.
"Run, Ted! Run!" she cried.
But Ted had seen the necessity of that himself, and, wheeled Sultan anddashed off, looking over his shoulder at the enraged monster that wasfollowing him, while he rapidly uncoiled his lariat.
Having run several hundred yards and outdistanced the bull, he turnedand stopped with his rope in his hand, closely calculating the animal'sdistance and speed.
Bud and Stella were following the bull closely, both of them preparingtheir lariats for the throw.
As the bull charged, Ted's rope was seen to leave his hand and gosailing through the air in graceful loops and curves that lengthened outone after the other.
One of the most difficult throws a cow-puncher can make with a lariatwas that which Ted attempted. He had to calculate to a degree the speedwith which the bull was advancing toward him, and that at which the ropewas leaving him. To calculate the point where the two would cometogether would seem an almost impossible task.
But so nicely had Ted estimated it, that the open noose fell over thebull's head and settled down, and, turning swiftly, Ted spurred Sultanto one side, and the bull, shaking his head and emitting short, angrybellows, rushed past.
The intelligent pony had suddenly come to a stop, bracing himself forthe shock, and when Gladiator came to the end of the rope he turnedcompletely over, and landed on his back with a thud that shook theearth.
Bud had galloped forward, and was about to throw himself from the saddleto tie the brute, when, with the agility of a cat, the bull was on itsfeet, shaking its head and stamping the earth in a perfect fury of angerand desperation. But it was by no means beaten, and ran at Bud, who tookto his heels. When again it arrived at the end of the rope, it went headover heels, much to its loss of wind and dignity.
This time it did not rise so briskly, and Ted gave it all the time itwanted.
Suddenly Stella dashed out and rode toward the bull, and when a few feetfrom it curved off, with the angry brute in full pursuit. Had her ponystumbled it would have been all up with her, for Gladiator was wild withrage, and when it was again thrown its fury knew no bounds.
"A few more throws like that will settle him, I think," shouted Ted."Bait him again, Bud."
Again Bud rode out, and the bull took after him as before, and, when hewas jerked onto his back by the rope, he lay there.
Ted rode rapidly up to him, and, detaching a rope which had been knottedaround his waist, tied the bull's legs fore and aft, and the exhaustedbrute did not make an objection.
For several minutes the bull lay panting, then it recovered.
When it came to its normal condition at last, it struggled furiously toget to its feet, but each time it got up Ted jerked it to its side,standing close to it so that it could see him.
Time and again it thus fruitlessly struggled.
It seemed to realize suddenly that it had been a very foolish bull, andthat it had met its master, who now stood over him ready to tumble himover at any moment.
So he lay quite still, following Ted's movements with its great, darkeyes, out of which all the ferocity had vanished.
Ted stepped up to it and patted its head, and it made no objection tothese attentions. Then he began to untie the bonds that held its legstogether.
"Look out fer him, he's treacherous," called Bud.
"He's all right," answered Ted. "I'll bet he'll eat out of my hand."
When it felt that it was free again, the bull got slowly to his feet andwalked sedately in the direction of the herd.
"You've broken the spirit of that bull," said Stella.
"You bet I have," said Ted. "That's just what he needed. He'll be a goodbull now. If he isn't, I'll give him some more."
Ted now rode to the head of the herd with Stella, and the other boystook their places.
"All right, Billy. Send them forward," shouted Ted to the rear of theherd.
Skillfully Ted set the herd to moving toward the south, where the otherherds were gathering under the management of the boys.
At first Gladiator threw up his head arrogantly, and did not stir.
Ted again rode toward him, swinging his lariat. The bull saw him as wellas the rope, and, recognizing the agents of his defeat, moved offbriskly at the head of the herd.
"Say," said Bud, across the head of the herd, "yer could slap that oldduffer across the face with your hat, and he'd apologize."
They were almost at the rendezvous, where thousands of cattle had beengathered into a huge herd, and in every direction could be seen dustclouds announcing that others were on the way.
"Here comes Carl hotfoot," said Stella. "He looks as if something hadhappened, and he was an extra edition with 'a full account of theterrible disaster.'"
"Hello, Carl! What is it?" asked Ted.
"Der United States marshal vaiting for you on der veranda iss," answeredCarl solemnly.
"Well, what do I care?" asked Ted. "He's come at a mighty busy time ifhe just wants to swap a little conversation. Did he say what he wanted?"
"No, but he say it is very important vork, an' for you to hurry."
"My compliments to the marshal, and tell him I'm busy, and will see himas soon as I get through. You entertain him for a while."
"But he der boss iss."
"Not on this ranch. This is a free and unadulterated republic, wherethere are no bosses. Tell him to make himself at home, and I'll bethere as soon as I can."
; Now the cattle were all rounded up, and the cutting out of the two andthree-year olds began.
This was intensely exciting work, in which Stella joined, as she was asskilled at it as any of the boys. Outside of the big herd, the cowboyswere picking up the cut-outs and driving them to the branding pens, formany of them were acquired stock, and even many of the home yearlingshad never been branded.
Then the cows with calves were cut out, so that the youngsters might geta touch of life by feeling the sting of the hot iron with the Crescent Vbrand on it.
The buyers were circulating in the herds, looking over the stock.
Several of the buyers had brought their own cow-punchers with them, andthese went to work cutting out the selections of their employers.
The sky was thick with dust, and the air rang with the shouts of thecowboys and the lowing and bellowing of the cattle.
The rattle of countless hoofs on the hard soil added to the din, and thecattle weaving in and out ceaselessly, and the dashing riding of thecowboys as they swooped out of the mass occasionally to drive back anescaping steer, made a scene of excitement, movement, and noise neverseen anywhere, except at a Western cattle round-up and cut-out.
Soon the work was pretty well in hand, and, leaving Bud Morgan assegundo, Ted went to the house to see the marshal.
He found that officer sitting on the veranda, quietly smoking a cigar,an interested witness of the proceedings.
"How are you, Mr. Easton?" said Ted, shaking hands with the marshal. "Imust apologize for not coming sooner, but my hands were full."
"So I see," said the marshal cordially. "I was watching you work outthere. Say, I believe I'd like to be a cow-puncher if I wasn't so old."
"It's a young man's job," said Ted, laughing; "and even at that it isabout all a young fellow can stand at times. But this to-day is a merepicnic to what we are up against sometimes."
"Well, you seem to be right in it."
"Yes, I love my business. I wouldn't be anything in the world except acow-puncher."
"But, remember, you are also a government officer."
"I never forget that. But, if it came to being compelled to quit one orthe other of the occupations, I'd still be a cow-puncher, and let themarshalship go."
"That's the very thing I came to see about."
"You want my resignation?" asked Ted, his spirits falling to zero.
"By no means," laughed the marshal. "Not that, but to ask you toundertake a somewhat difficult job. It transpires that when the SoldierButte bank was robbed the other night, a large amount of money belongingto the government was taken. I didn't know this until early thisafternoon, when I received a telegram from Washington to go after therobbers and land them."
"That'll be somewhat of a job," said Ted, drawing his chair closer tothe marshal, so that he couldn't be overheard by passing people.
"I'm well aware of that, and that's the reason I come to you. You andyour boys must undertake the duty of clearing up the mystery of therobbery, and, if possible, recovering the money."
"I have a very probable theory as to who the robbers are, but it will beentirely another matter to fasten it on them."
"I leave it all to you. I don't want to have anything to do with it. AllI want are results."
"But I shall not have time to tackle it for a day or two. Unfortunatelyour fall round-up is in progress, and, as this is the time we sell theproduct of our business, we can't leave it until everything is clearedup."
"That's all right, Mr. Strong. But when you do get busy, don't come backhome until you land the thieves."