CHAPTER XXIII.
TO HAVE AND TO HOLD.
"I can see dust over there," Adrian hastened to remark, after he hadtaken a good look; "and it doesn't seem to be in the quarter where UncleFred told me he expected to see the sheriff's posse show up, sooner orlater."
"Then that means it must be the rustlers coming!" ejaculated Billie, whohad arrived in time to catch this last remark on the part of the otherchum.
He handled his rifle nervously as he stared toward the point on thehorizon, already growing dim as the day faded.
"Well, don't worry, Billie," Donald told him, "because they ain't goingto come down on us in the daytime. P'raps, after all, it's only a fewwanting to take a survey, so as to report what's been done."
"They'll see all the cattle penned up in the corrals, then, won't they?"asked the fat boy, anxiously.
"Easy enough," replied Donald; "but much good that'll do them. If theywant to, let 'em go back and tell Hatch Walker what we've been doing."
"I really believe you wouldn't mind much if they just did take a notionto drop in on us tonight, and make a try to break away with all thelong-horns?" Billie observed, as he saw the look on Donald's darksun-burned face.
"Oh! I'm not hankering after trouble," replied the other lad,carelessly; "but if they want to hang around here trying to rob Adrianof his property, why, there's going to be something doing, that's right.Times have changed some since the real owner came to Bar-S Ranch. UncleFred may have been forced to knuckle down to his wife when some of herfolks dropped in to pay a friendly visit, and a bunch of valuable steersfollowed them off; but we ain't meaning to do the same. And if anybodythinks so they're got another guess coming, that's all."
"Would you really and truly shoot, if they did try that same," askedBillie.
Donald gave a little harsh laugh; he shut his jaws firmly together, andnodded his head in the affirmative.
"Wait and see, Billie," was what he said; "and I'm just as dead suretoo, that you'd puncture a rustler in the leg or the shoulder if you gotthe chance, as that I can eat my share of the grub when the call comesto get busy."
"Whew! this sounds like real war, I think!" Billie ventured.
"It _is_ war, and war to the knife, until the last rustler is chased outof this part of the country," Adrian told him, sternly.
Billie looked out toward the spot where that little cloud of dust wasseen.
"They've stopped now," he observed; "and since the dust has cleared awayyou can see quite a bunch of riders sitting there in their saddles.Seems like they might be talking it over, and laying plans."
"It promises to be a warm night, unless all signs fail," remarkedDonald, with a significant nod out in the direction where they could seethe distant figures of a good many riders.
"Come along with me, fellows," Adrian said just then.
"Where you agoing, Ad?" queried Billie, who seemed to be possessed of asudden suspicion that the other might have some wild scheme in view suchas riding out toward the rustlers, as if to brave them; "it's nighsupper time, you must remember, and then besides, I've got a skinnedknee, so that riding don't appeal as much to me as it might."
"Oh! I didn't want you to jump on your cayuse, Billie," laughed theother; "but as it promises to be a pretty lively night for us, I thoughtwe'd only be wise if we walked around the corrals again, so's to get thelay of the ground in our heads. A little knowledge like that comes inhandy when you want to move around after dark sets in; and if you lookabove you'll see the clouds are gathering, which I take it means we'regoing to have little light to work by from up there."
"Reckon now I might toddle along after you fellows," Billie admitted;"leastways I'll do the best I can. Didn't tell you how I come by thatsame bruised knee, did I? Well, it's a joke--that is, seems like one tome now, but at the time let me say I was the worst scared fellow youever knew."
"Suppose you tell us about it?" proposed Adrian.
"Yes, strike up right away," added the other chum.
Of course after that Billie could have no excuse for holding back theharrowing details. To tell the truth he was just wild to relate theadventure; and as he chanced to be a pretty good talker, as has beensaid before, he made the most out of the material he had in hand.
Both the others laughed heartily when they heard how shrewd old UncleFred made a stalking horse out of their stout chum.
"It's a lucky thing for you, I guess, Billie," ventured Adrian, "that myaunt arrived just a second or so too late to get her hands in your hair.From what I've heard about her ways of doing things first, and thenasking questions afterwards, you might have had less combing to domornings. But I'm glad Uncle got his gun, because it looks like he mightfind a good use for the same soon, and perhaps try it out on some of hisnew brothers-in-law--or other relatives."
"Between you and me," added Donald, "I just think he's itching for thattime to happen along. You see, he's borne so much this last year thatthe worm is ready to turn at last."
They made a complete circuit of the cattle corrals, and saw thateverything seemed secure.
"They don't fancy being shut up one little bit," remarked Donald, assome of the steers brushed up against the side of the pen, as thoughtrying to test the stoutness of the enclosure.
"No," added Adrian, "and if only one old fellow would make a dead setfor the weakest place, and tear some sort of a gap, you'd soon see howfast the others'd pile after him; and before you knew it the wholeherd'd be making for the pasture-land again. But we're going to keepcircling around all night, and have fires burning too, Uncle Fred says;because when the cattle see the light they'll feel easier, thinking thatwe're on deck."
"How do you reckon your uncle means us to stand guard out here?" askedDonald, as he peered through at the dense mass of long-horns herded inthe big corral.
"There's only one way we could do it," was the reply; "which is to keepmoving around, so that there'd be no chance for the enemy to sneak upand stampede the cattle."
Presently the call to supper came, and the three boys, being hungry,hastened to the mess room, where, at the long table, they found anabundance of "chuck," as the punchers denominate their food.
Billie actually forgot to limp, in his hurry to keep up with his chums,so that he might not be left out when it came to securing a seat;because he was always ready to do justice to such a spread as CharleyMoo placed before the crowd.
Fortunately Mrs. Fred did not see fit to make her appearance, so thatthe meal passed off without any unpleasantness. The five suspects seemedto be on their best behavior, as though they rather fancied they wouldget in trouble if they attempted to be in any way domineering in theirmanner toward the others.
By the time the supper was over night had fallen, and it was dark indeedwhen Adrian and Donald walked out to find Mr. Comstock, in order tolearn whether anything new had taken place meanwhile.
They found him pacing up and down near the big corral, and acting asthough he had a heavy weight on his shoulders; as indeed was the case,for as yet it was an open question whether those who intended to defendthe stock would be able to prevent the bold rustlers from running awaywith a large portion of the cattle.
"No signs of Frank Bowker turning up yet, I suppose, Uncle Fred?" Adrianasked, as they joined the little man with the white head of hair and thesoldierly ways.
"Sorry to say not, son," came the answer; "but then I'm not so muchsurprised at that, because I told Frank to stand by, and give the newsheriff all the assistance in his power when he started to gathering hisposse. So chances are, we wouldn't be apt to see the boy till the wholebunch came along."
"I wish they'd hurry, then," Adrian continued.
"Same here," added Donald; "because, the way things look we'll prove toofew to do the right thing about watching these corrals. If all thepunchers could be depended on it'd be different, you see."
"Yes, you're right there, Donald," Adrian said; "for it would give usfive more men. As it is now we are not only short that number, but theyare apt t
o try and join the rustler bunch when they come along."
"Too bad," the Arizona ranch boy remarked. "If you'd only known howthings lay up here you could have picked up a dozen reliable punchers,and brought the same along with us. But let's hope that before there'sany real damage done that sheriff'll show up, and prove it to be of theright calibre to handle the situation."
"Amen to that, son!" added Uncle Fred, heartily.
"I wonder where Billie can be?" Adrian remarked some time later, as hesuddenly remembered that he had not seen anything of the stout chumsince they left the mess hall, with Billie sending along his platter fora _fourth_ helping of stew.
"Foundered, I reckon," chuckled Donald; "after those three big helps,the nerve of him asking Charley Moo for more. But the Chink seemed tofeel that it was a compliment on his cooking to have any one gobble thatway; and he was grinning all over as he hurried off to get a freshsupply. I believe he'd even hand over his own ration, because he hastaken such a great fancy for our chum."
"Well, Billie is a great one for making friends wherever he goes!"remarked Adrian, warmly.
"Listen, what was that sound like a hiss just then? You don't think fora minute it could be any sort of snake, do you, Ad?"
"There it goes again; and as sure as you live I believe some one'strying to attract our attention back here in the gloom away from thefires. Looks like our chum Billie, too; yes, that's who it is, Donald."
"But whatever can he want with us; and why should he act in that queerway, as if he was afraid to come boldly up here, and talk with us?" theother said.
"Best way to find that out is for one or both of us to step out there,and interview him," suggested Adrian; and acting on this hint both ofthem walked away from the glow of the fire near which they had beenstanding, heading toward the spot where the bulky figure of Billie couldbe dimly seen, making his mysterious motions.