CHAPTER VIII.
THE CORRAL IN BITTERSWEET COULIE.
"Thank goodness!" Billie was heard to mutter in the rear, which remarkplainly proved that he must have caught what his comrades were saying.
"We seem to be overtaking them faster now, Donald," Adrian spoke upseveral minutes afterwards, when he could hear the shouts ahead moreplainly, as well as the confusion attending the rush of the bunchedcattle.
"Yes, because they've slackened up, and looks like they might be closeto the end of the run. P'raps we'd better draw rein some too, Ad;because it won't do for us to get too close, you know. I notice that thecountry changes around here."
"We've run on the rough section, where coulies and ravines can befound," the owner of the Bar-S Ranch told him. "I remember this placepretty well; because, unless I'm mistaken, I once had something of anadventure near by, when a wild bull suddenly swung on me, upset my pony,and came near giving me a nasty dig with his horns. Only for a swiftfling of a rope on the part of a puncher I might have been badly hurt."
"Well, I wondered if we wouldn't run across some rough country soon,"Donald remarked; "because it's always been my experience with theserustlers that whenever they do run off with a bunch of cattle, they wantto get away from the open plain, in order to do their dirty work ofaltering brands. If there's a big coulie near by, take my word for itthat's where they are heading for right now."
"Then they'll pull up inside of ten minutes," announced Adrian; "becausethey'll have reached Bittersweet Coulie by then."
"You ought to know the place right well; and how would it answer for ahide-out, where they could keep the cattle till they'd given every onethe Walker brand?" Donald wanted to know.
"All they'd have to do would be to drive them in, and then hang outaround the neck of the bottle; for the coulie is so narrow at the mouthit can be closed as easy as anything," was the reply Adrian made.
"Then take it from me that's the place we're going to bring up at, Ad."
"The sooner the better," Adrian told him.
"Ditto!" came in a grunt from the rear; for Billie liked to let peopleknow he was alive, and able to enter into the game, as well as the nextone.
Gradually they kept pulling in their ponies, because it was plain tounderstand that they were drawing up on those whom they pursued. Thesound of yells came very distinctly to their ears, and Donald was evenable to tell the shouts of one puncher from those of his mates; so thathis former impression that there could not be more than a quartette ofthe rustlers was confirmed.
The two who led the chase were fully aware of the tremendous task theyhad undertaken. They did not lightly dash into this thing as though itwould turn out to be a regular picnic. But Adrian was so filled withanger and indignation, over being made a witness to his own loss ofvaluable stock, that he was ready to take considerable risk in order toattempt their recapture.
As for Donald, he had all his life been raised in just such anatmosphere of daring, and it was not so remarkable that he should throwhimself into this hazard heart and soul.
Whatever they did, Billie was bound to join in also; with such leadershe would have plodded after, no matter what the risk; for he neverstopped to count the cost, if only he did not have to be left alone.
"There! it's come at last!" exclaimed Donald, suddenly; and somehow thevery fact of his lowering his voice announced that in his opinion theymust begin to exercise due caution.
"They've stopped running, for a fact!" echoed his chum, alongside.
"Course they have," added Billie, just for all the world like a pollparrot.
Donald immediately pulled his pony up sharply.
"Time we called a halt, then, and figured things out," he announced.
"Oh! joy beyond measure!" murmured a faint voice from the rear--Billietalking to himself, of course.
When they had pulled up they sat there in their saddles with heads bentforward, trying to catch further sounds from ahead that would tell insome measure what the rustlers were doing.
The shouts still continued but had changed more or less. Both ranch boyscould tell that the punchers must be driving the stock steadily ahead ofthem now, and in all probability into the gaping jaws of the big ravineknown throughout that section as Bittersweet Coulie. If this proved tobe true then Donald's guess had been along correct lines. This littlefact seemed like a good omen to begin with. Now, if it turned out thatthis further prediction regarding the limited number of the rustlersalso came to pass, and they could only catch them off their guard beforedawn arrived, it would not be strange if they turned the trick, daringas their plans might appear.
"Now, first of all we've got to muffle our ponies' heads so they can'tbetray us by neighing," announced Donald.
"A good idea, I say," Adrian went on to remark, approvingly. "I've knownthe best trained cayuse going to let out a neigh when it scented some ofits own kind near by. That's a thing they just can't help, seems like.So, the sooner we get their muzzles tied up the better."
"You'll have to show me how," said Billie; "because that's where myeducation's been sorter neglected, so to speak. But I want to know, juststick a pin in that, please."
He soon learned just how this could be accomplished by the aid of theirblankets. The horses objected to such treatment, but had to submit inthe end. And when the job had been completed they were so muzzled thatthey could not have whinnied, no matter how hard they tried.
Mounting them again the three boys moved cautiously ahead. It was theirpurpose to cover a certain distance, and then again dismount, afterwhich they would arrange to leave their steeds while they crept uptoward the mouth of the coulie.
"That's fine!" Donald suddenly said in a low tone.
"They've started a fire, seems like," whispered Billie; "and I reckonnow that's what you meant, Donald?"
"Yes, because it shows that they've got to the end of their run, andmean to take things easy for a spell. Couldn't suit us better, fellows,could it?"
"I only hope they feel like making merry over the grand success of theirlittle raid, and take so many nips from their old bottles that they'llbe dropping over in a sound sleep before long," Billie suggested.
"So say we all of us, Billie," Adrian assured him; "that would makethings easy for our plans, you know."
"Ain't I glad I brought my reliable Marlin along," sighed Billie. "Itgot me that ferocious old grizzly down in that spur of the Rockies, youremember; and every time it's done the business. All I have to do is toaim straight, and pull the trigger, and it does the rest. And whenever Ithink of them rustlers getting away with the pick of Adrian's herds itkinder riles me, so that I feel as if I'd like to do something_terrible_--pink one of the same in the leg, mebbe, and make him sorry heever embarked in such a measly game."
"Less mumbling, Billie; it won't do to talk after this, unless you'vegot something worth while to say."
"Huh!" grunted Billie, sorely perplexed as to what Donald might mean bythese words; but at the same time falling into his wishes; for he fearedthat if he gave any trouble by being noisy or clumsy, his chums mighttake a notion to tell him to stand by and watch the ponies, a job Billiehad no liking for at all.
At another time he might have taken exception to that remark about his"having something worth while to say," but just now he must swallow hisindignation, and do whatever they told him, if he wanted to be in thehunt.
"How much closer had we better go mounted?" asked Adrian, speaking in awhisper of course.
"I'm hoping to run across a likely spot where we can leave the ponies,"Donald told him; "something that is marked, so we can find it againlater on without any trouble. And here it is right now. There's a treegrowing alongside this rock that lies here on the open prairie, younote, Ad."
"Yes, and seems to me I remember that same rock too; fact is, it wasright here that bull knocked my pony over, and wanted to impale me onhis horns," Adrian told him.
They dismounted again, and made the animals secure by using their ropes,which could be re
adily fastened to the tree; and possibly Donald mayhave had some such idea in his mind when he persisted in looking for alandmark.
Being now free from their ponies, which could not betray them by anyshrill neigh, the three boys could advance toward the spot where thefire flickered amidst the brushwood at the mouth of the big coulie.
Each of them gripped his rifle, and was filled with a grim resolution touse this weapon should necessity compel such tactics. At the same timeBillie was wishing that they could overpower the rustlers while theyslept, making it a bloodless victory; and this in spite of his boldthreat made a short time back, too.
The nearer they drew to where the fire had been started the moreconvinced both ranch boys became that they had guessed the truth whenfiguring that the cattle thieves must have hurried the stolen herd intothe coulie, and intended remaining there near the mouth of the ravineuntil daylight allowed them to get to work altering the brand of theBar-S to that of the Walker ranches.
While Donald had expressed his vain wish that some of the husky punchersbelonging to the Keytone ranch away down in Arizona could be with them,to make matters more interesting, Adrian on his part was also sorry theycould not have the assistance of those three stout cowboys whom they hadmet and exchanged greetings with on the previous afternoon; and whoseknowledge of the country, as well as ability to handle cattle, would bea strong factor in carrying out their game.
But this could not be, and as things now looked the three Broncho RiderBoys must depend entirely upon themselves for balking the evil designsof this Walker crowd of rustlers.