CHAPTER XII.
DRIVING THE STAMPEDED STOCK HOME.
"Wake up, Billie; it's breakfast time!"
Probably no other summons could have such an immediate effect upon thestout chum as this call. He instantly raised his head, and commenced tosniff the air.
"Coffee, and bacon frying in the bargain! Oh! I hope now I ain't toolate; and also that you've cooked enough for all. Remember, we've gotguests along with us; and you promised me you wouldn't let the rustlersgo hungry, whatever else you did!" was what he exclaimed, as he crawledout of his snug retreat, and commenced to stretch vigorously, as well asrub his eyes in the bargain.
They assured him that after they had eaten, a second supply would beplaced at his disposal to cook, while the others were up the couliegetting pointers on the lay of the land, and how best to start the herdout on the open again, when the time came to make a start.
With that Billie had to rest content. His words had been loud enough forthe four prisoners to catch, and must have afforded them more or lessrelief; since they were doubtless hungry by now, and wondering whetherthe boys meant to keep them in that condition any length of time.
Having satisfied the inner man Adrian, accompanied by Donald, started upthe ravine. Of course they took their guns along; and before leavingwarned Billie that while he could cook some breakfast for the prisoners,under no condition was he to try and feed any of them until the otherscame back.
He promised this readily enough, for truth to tell Billie would not haveparticularly fancied untying the arms of one of those muscular fellows,lest he be taken off his guard, when there would be the mischief to pay.
The cattle were found to be grazing peacefully. They had apparentlyentirely recovered from the panic that accompanied the stampede, andwhen once driven out on the plain would naturally fall into old ways,and allow themselves to be urged on the back trail; for Adrian hadconcluded that they could do no better than to follow the plain marksmade by the herd in fleeing.
When they got back to the fire they were met by Billie's declarationthat he had the prisoners' breakfast ready, and if one of them wouldhelp him he could feed them by relays.
"I'll do that, because Donald's busy with something else," said Adrian.
Accordingly they started proceedings, and found it little trouble, sincethey only unfastened the arms of the prisoners, and these two at a time.The leader happened to be one of the second batch. He kept looking atAdrian as he ate ravenously; and it was evident he had about made up hismind that this must surely be the young owner of the Sherwood ranch.
Billie was more interested in the other fellow, who happened to be theglutton of that midnight meal. His enormous appetite still seemed tostay with him; and Billie, who claimed to be able to hold his own in thefeeding line with most people, sat there, staring at the way the mandisposed of the food, as though he might either be lost in admiration,or else filled with dismay, perhaps taking a lesson.
"Here, you go slow there," he finally felt it his duty to say,warningly; "that's got to last you for some time, you know, becausewe're meaning to leave you here when we ride away. Don't gobble so, youpig! I eat a lot, but I do it decent-like, and not like a starving dogbolting his grub. Let up, I say, and get the good out of what you'reswallowing!"
"You _are_ the Sherwood boy, ain't you?" suddenly demanded the tallleader, as Adrian handed him his last allowance of coffee in the tincup.
"Well, I suppose there's no use in my denying it, because I've managedto remember you now," remarked Adrian. "You used to ride for my fatheryears ago; your name is Tad Whiffles; and you had to get away from Bar-SRanch on account of your quarrelsome disposition. Yes, I'm the Sherwoodkid you speak of; and I've come up from the Arizona ranch of my friendDonald Mackay, to find out what's all the matter with things up here."
The puncher called Tad Whiffles looked him over from head to foot; thenhe turned deliberately to the other stampeder, and nodding his head, washeard to say:
"D'ye hear that, Corney? Tell me, won't there be high jinks to pay inthese parts right soon now? I can see a warm session at Bar-S when theboy owner comes acrost Josie, that was a Walker onct! Say, I'd give aheap tuh be there on the spot tuh see that same meetin', b'lieve me,Corney."
"Oh! things will all be straightened out after a bit," Adrian assuredhim in a confident fashion that caused the man to elevate his eyebrows,and mutter half under his breath:
"Blame me if I don't more'n harf think as how ye _kin_ do the trick, ifanybody kin, kid. The way ye follered us hyar, and took the hull crowdin makes me feel cheap. I don't know what ther ole man'll hev tuh saytuh us when he gets on tuh the story. But wait an' see how he comes outwhen _he_ rubs up aginst yuh. But I sure would like tuh be at Bar-S fora bit when yuh arrives with all them steers. Wow! ain't thar agoin' tuhbe somebody surprised, though?"
He shook his head, and relapsed into silence, as though the matter mightbe too big for him to grasp all at once.
So the two rustlers were once more securely pinioned. Adrian himselfmade sure that their bonds were tight, for he did not mean to have hisplans spoiled by any fluke, if it could be avoided.
When they had packed things, and were all ready to start, Donald went tothe man who was such a heavy eater, and whom they judged to be the mosttractable of the lot.
"We're going to take you along with us, to help drive the herd," he toldhim; and the fellow's face immediately took on a serious look.
"But what'll they do to me over at the Bar-S, if they git hands on me,pard?" he asked, uneasily. "That same old Comstock, if ever he _does_break away from under the thumb of his wife is sure agoin' to throwthings around promiscuous like; and mebbe he'll begin by makin' me anawful lesson. Seems like I c'n feel the feathers asproutin' out all overme a'ready, 'case he'll git the tar heated, sure-pop. Say, there's Bemisas kin drive herd a heap better'n me any day agoin'. Hadn't ye soonerpick him to help out?"
"Oh! don't worry," remarked Donald as he cut the fellow's bonds; "get upnow, and walk ahead of me. We don't mean to take you all the way, butalong about noon we might send you back with the ponies belonging toyour crowd."
"If that's a fact I don't mind ahelpin' drive," declared the man, with arelieved look on his face.
He might have thought that there would come a chance for him to slipaway while chasing after the cattle; but if so he reckoned without hishost; for Donald and Adrian were too smart to allow such an opening.
One of them kept close to the rustler all the while; and he was givenplainly to understand that if he tried any such sneak game they wouldleave the cattle to shift for themselves temporarily while they ran himdown, and filled him full of lead.
The sight of the repeating rifles which all the Broncho Rider Boyscarried, and handled as though they knew well how to use the same,filled him with a certain amount of respect; and if he had cherished anyhopes of escaping they were kept carefully in restraint.
They had little trouble in getting the herd out of the coulie. The rangeboys knew just how to go about this sort of business; and when therustler heard them yelling, and slapping their hats on their chaps asthey started the feeding cattle, he knew that they were old hands atdriving, even if young in years.
He did his part of the work all right, for he saw that this was theeasiest way of getting on the good side of these energetic lads.
The three who were left behind called out, and told their captors theyhoped they would not be forgotten in the shuffle; because before nowcow-punchers had starved to death, or fallen victims to the hungrywolves that roamed the plains of nights.
Paying no further attention to them the boys chased after the movingherd, soon running along the back trail, with the drivers whooping, anddashing here and there to keep some stray animal from breaking away.
All went well, because both Adrian and Donald made it a point that oneof them keep close enough to the rustler driver to see that he was givenno opportunity to escape. Billie's duty was not so much to drive, as tolead; in other words he had char
ge of the three cattle ponies belongingto the men who had been left bound in the camp at the mouth ofBittersweet Coulie; and which were to be generously turned over toCorney when they allowed him to depart, along about the middle of theday perhaps.
"I hope it's _before_ lunch time that they let him go scot free," Billiewas muttering to himself from time to time, as he frowned, and watchedthe evolutions of the puncher named Corney; possibly Billie had goodreason for wishing this, since he happened to know that their rationshad reached a rather low ebb by now; and if that enormous eater wasinvited to sit down with them at noon, and devour at will, what wasgoing to become of those who had a better right to the "grub" than therustler?
Some two hours after the start they discovered that several riders hadheaded in their direction. At first the boys were bothered a little,until they made the pleasing discovery that these were the same threefriendly cow-punchers whom they had met on the previous day.
A sudden idea flashing into Adrian's mind, he made signals that he wouldlike to talk with the trio. At that they turned directly, and camegalloping along; for up to then it seemed they were inclined to sheeroff, and mind their own business; because in these unsettled days it wasnot always the wisest thing to push up alongside those who were drivingstock, lest they butt in on matters that were not intended to be knownoutside of certain Walker circles.
At discovering their young friends of the preceding day circling theherd that bore the brand of the Bar-S Ranch, the three punchersexchanged looks of intense surprise; and their wonder evidently tookleaps and bounds when they also recognized in Corney a man of illrepute, who was known to be connected with the Walker crowd.
Adrian had rather fancied the three punchers, and meant to see if hecould not offer them inducements to engage with him, as he feared hewould need a new supply of men, when he started to weed out the Bar-Semployees.