CHAPTER XIV.
THE LAME PILGRIM ON THE TRAIL.
"There's a cowboy riding this way, and seems like he might have comefrom your place, too, Adrian!" Donald called out, soon after they hadlet the rustler depart.
"It must be some messenger Uncle Fred's sending to town, perhaps with aletter to me, telling about this new outrage, and that he'll just haveto throw up his job here, and clear out, since he's powerless to helpthings," the other suggested; as he watched the lone rider drawing near,evidently more than curious at discovering the lately stampeded bunch ofcattle heading back toward the ranch house.
Upon being signalled he headed for them, and soon came riding up, hiseyes round with wonder as he surveyed the six who constituted thedrivers of the cattle.
"Hello! Frank," called out George Hess, who seemed to know the other;"reckon as how you're struck next door to dumb awonderin' what all thismeans; but I'll leave it to the boss here to explain. This same is FrankBowker, Adrian, and about as decent a puncher as the ole man's got lefton the place. Reckon that's why he's asendin' of him to town right nowon business."
"Is that where you're bound, Frank?" asked Adrian; "perhaps you'll thinkI've got no right to ask, but you see, I'm the owner of the Bar-S Ranch,and my name's Sherwood."
The puncher's puzzled face was quickly wreathed in a grin, and asrapidly as he could speak he declared that he was mighty glad to meet upwith Mr. Sherwood; and that it sure looked as though he had got busy thevery first thing he arrived, in recovering the bunch of cattle that therustlers had run off in a stampede.
Of course Adrian quickly gave him such facts as he deemed the othershould know.
"And we're going to clean up things here, Frank, remember that," the boywound up by saying in a quiet but positive way that made the otherssmile again, and act as though they would like to shake hands allaround. "Are you really going to town for Uncle Fred; and if so wouldyou take a written message to the new sheriff for me?"
"Will I?" burst out the other, excitedly; "say, you just try me, that'sall. And I'll see that he gets the same as sure as I live. And I'll tellhim the time's come at last for something to be done to round up thatWalker crowd. We've stood for it too long already; and say, I'm justtickled to death to know there's a real change acomin'. Wisht I could goback with you; mebbe I wouldn't give my best pair of boots to be on handwhen _she_ larns who you are, and sees them steers adrivin' right hometo the Bar-S corrals. Wow! it'll be some sight, believe me."
But Adrian soon convinced Frank that it was his duty to get along totown as speedily as possible, so as to find the new sheriff, and placethe letter he, Adrian would write, in his hands.
It took only a short time to prepare the communication, though the boytried to explain the situation, and impress on the peace officer hownecessary it was for him to lose no time in summoning a reliable posse,and riding out to the ranch house of the Bar-S outfit; for there waslikely to be war around that section shortly, since the Walkers mustfight before they would acknowledge defeat.
When Frank started away, waving his hat above his head, and shouting asonly an excited range rider can, Adrian declared he felt a thousand percent better.
"It's all going to come out right in the end, Donald," he told his chum.
"But before we get there it's likely we'll see some rocky times,"admitted the other, though his manner gave no evidence that the fact wascausing him any particular uneasiness; for Donald had been brought up ona ranch, and often found himself confronted by difficulties that wouldhave daunted any ordinary lad, but which he took boldly by the horns,and usually succeeded in getting the better of.
Once more they were on the way, and the boys began to look forward tothe noisy greeting they might expect when they drove the herd up to theranch house. Adrian had not forgotten how things looked around there,even though he had been absent for years; and he could picture UncleFred, his new wife, and the punchers connected with the place gatheredin a big group, and staring at them while they rounded-up their charges,and drove them to the stock corral for safely, until things had simmereddown somewhat.
"There's another fellow on foot ahead of us, and he seems to bestaggering along like he might be hurt some, Adrian," Donald remarked,as he dashed over to where the other chum was riding along with Billie,content to leave much of the driving to the three punchers.
"Well, let's strike off, and see who he is, and what's happened to him,"suggested Adrian, when he had located the object mentioned by Donald,and saw that if they kept directly on after the cattle they would notcome within half a mile of the foot traveler.
Accordingly the three started on a gallop. The man saw them coming, andhalted in his limping manner of locomotion to watch them, even waving ahand as if wanting to show by this salute that he was friendly, andhoped they were the same.
As they bore down upon him they saw that he was a rather forlorn lookingchap. He might be called middle-aged, but his face was thin, and seemedto have a perpetual look of alarm and dread stamped upon it. When he gotto talking the least thing would cause him to give a jump, and lookhastily around as though he feared lest the heavy hand of the law wasabout to descend on his bony shoulder.
Still, he did not look at all like a bad man, and Adrian really feltmore or less pity for the wretch, who was evidently footsore and weary,perhaps hungry in the bargain.
"What brings you away off here without a mount?" he asked, as the threeof them sat in their saddles, and surveyed the old fellow.
"Oh! I had a hoss, all right, but he was that old and played-out that hejust laid down on me, and gave up the ghost some miles back," the mantold them; "I've been hoofing it ever since; and as I'm lame it's been ahard job for me. Never got over a little trouble I had two years backfurther south, a shooting scrape, though it was forced on me, gents, Iassure you. Could you help me get to some ranch, where I might strike ajob? I'm a master-hand at figures, and could keep the books for myboard. If you leave me here I'm about ready to lie down, and give up thehull business. I'm that played out."
Adrian did not altogether know that he was doing right, but he could notbear to see a wretched being suffer. And there was Billie, ready tochime in and add his entreaties to those of the foot traveler. Besides,as has been said before, the fellow looked absolutely harmless; and hadevidently been his own worst enemy in the past, having a weakness forstrong drink, Adrian suspected.
"Well, it would be hard to leave you here," he said; "and perhaps myhorse wouldn't mind carrying double. It's only for a short distance,anyway; and perhaps, who knows but what Uncle Fred might be glad to getsome one to keep his books, when his board is all he asks. What's yourname?"
"Thomas," the other started to say, and then paused for some reason; sothat very naturally Adrian supposed he meant this was his last name.
"Well, see if you can climb up here then, Mr. Thomas; and hold on to me.We don't expect to make fast time, and it'll be better than walking,anyway."
The dilapidated scarecrow hastened to avail himself of this opportunity.Already the forlorn look on his emaciated face was beginning to give wayto one of hope.
"This is right kind of you, sir," he said as he managed to get seated,with the assistance of the rider, though Ten Spot pranced more or less,as though to let them know he did not wholly approve of this doubleburden business; "and later on, if you could only manage to give me afew bites of food I'd be so thankful, because to tell you the honesttruth I haven't eaten a bite since noon yesterday."
At that Billie was heard to give vent to a groan. Whether this wasforced from his lips at the prospect of another hungry mouth to feed, orbecause he could sympathize with any one who was compelled to go withoutbreaking his fast for such a length of time, it might be hard to say;though the latter seemed to be nearer the truth, judging from the way hebegan to search through his pockets until he had found a package wrappedin paper, which he thrust into the hand of Adrian's passenger with theremark:
"That's a piece of dried venison I've been carryin' al
l the while, tokeep body and soul together in case I ever got lost again on the desertor the prairie. But you're welcome to it, Mr. Thomas. Don't swallow itin lumps, because you had ought to grind your food first, and thatpemmican is tough stuff. But it'll keep you busy, and p'raps I'll find achance to cook something when that's gone."
"Bless your kind heart, my boy!" muttered the man, who was alreadytearing the paper off, so as to get busy with the piece of dried meat,upon which Billie had been secretly nibbling between meals, to "stay hisstomach," as he would say.
The herd had gotten some distance away, but the boys experienced notrouble in catching up again. As the three cow-punchers had their handsfull keeping the cattle from breaking away, now that they were once moreon familiar fields, they paid no attention to the newcomer. And Thomaswas so savagely munching the tough dried meat that he did not seem tonotice them.
A short time later the boys announced that they would stop alongside ofa stream, let the cattle graze for a while, and get something to eatthemselves. In spite of Billie's vivid fears there was plenty ofprovisions left for all hands, even including the latest edition to theforce.
Adrian noticed that Thomas hesitated when the three punchers came inafter Billie had called to them that lunch was ready. He seemed to scaneach face as if he feared lest there might be some one who would knowhim; and the boy fancied it was a look of relief that swept over thewrinkled countenance of the lame man when he made sure that he hadnothing to fear in that line.
"There's something queer about this Thomas," Adrian told himself; "he'sbeen in a peck of trouble somewhere, and is afraid of somebody; becausehe's forever looking around, and starts every time any one speaks. Buthe isn't the kind to be afraid of, and he sure does need helping along.I'll take him as far as the ranch house, anyway, and see what Uncle Fredcan do for him."
And with that he forgot all about the man for the time being, becausethere were so many other important things that came crowding into hismind.
After lunch they again mounted, Donald now taking the lame pilgrim upbehind him for a change; and when the punchers had started the herdalong, the journey toward Bar-S Ranch was resumed, with a prospect thatanother hour might see them bringing up at their destination.