CHAPTER IX. More Sheep
The next week was a time of harassment for the Flying U; a weekfilled to overflowing with petty irritations, traceable, directly orindirectly, to their new neighbors, the Dot sheepmen. The band in chargeof the bug-chaser and that other unlovable man from Wyoming fed just asclose to the Flying U boundary as their guardians dared let them feed; agreat deal closer than was good for the tempers of the Happy Family, whorode fretfully here and there upon their own business and at the sametime tried to keep an eye upon their unsavory neighbors--a proceeding asnerve-racking as it was futile.
The Native Son, riding home in jingling haste from Dry Lake, whitherhe had hurried one afternoon in the hope of cheering news from Chicago,reported another trainload of Dots on the wide level beyond Antelopecoulee. There were, he said, four men in charge of the band, and hebelieved they carried guns, though he was not positive of that. Theywere moving slowly, and he thought they would not attempt to crossFlying U coulee before the next day; though, from the course they weretaking, he was sure they meant to cross.
Coupled with that bit of ill-tidings, the brief note from Chip, sayingvery little about the Old Man, but implying a good deal by its veryomissions, would have been enough to send the Happy Family to sleeplessbeds that night if they had been the kind to endure with silentfortitude their troubles.
"If you fellers would back me up," brooded Big Medicine down by thecorral after supper, "I'd see to it them sheep never gits across thecoulee, by cripes! I'd send 'em so far the other way they'd git plumbturned around and forgit they ever wanted to go south."
"It's all Dunk's devilishness," Jack Bates declared. "He could take themin the other way, even if the feed ain't so good along the trail. It'smost all prairie-dog towns--but that's good enough for sheep." Jack, inhis intense partisanship, spoke as if sheep were not entitled to decentgrass at any time or under any circumstances.
"Them herders packin' guns looks to me like they're goin' to maketrouble if they kin," gloomed Happy Jack. "I betche they'll killsomebody before they're through. When sheepmen gits mean--"
Pink picked up his rope and started for the large corral, where a fewsaddle horses had been driven in just before supper and had not yet beenturned out.
"You fellows can stand around and chew the rag, if you want to," he saidcaustically, "and wait for Weary to make a war-talk. But I'm going tokeep cases on them Dots, if I have to stand an all-night guard on 'em. Idon't blame Weary; he's looking out for the law-and-order business--andthat's all right. But I'm not in charge of the outfit. I'm going to doas I darn please, and, if they don't like my style, they can give me mytime."
"Good for you, Little One!" Big Medicine hurried to overtake him sothat he might slap him on the shoulder with his favorite, sledge-hammermethod of signifying his approval of a man's sentiments. "Honest tograndma, I was just b'ginnin' to think this bunch was gitting allstreaked up with yeller. 'Course, we ain't goin' to wait for no officialorders, by cripes! I'd ruther lock Weary up in the blacksmith shop thanlet him tell us to go ahead. Go awn and tell him a good, stiff lie,Andy--just to keep him interested while us fellers make a gitaway. Heain't in on this; we don't want him in on it."
"What yuh goin' to do?" Happy Jack inquired suspiciously. "Yuh can'tgo and monkey with them sheep, er them herders. They ain't on our land.And, if you don't git killed, old Dunk'll fix yuh like he fixed theGordon boys--I know him--to a fare-you-well. It'd tickle him to death togit something on us fellers. I betche that's what he's aiming t'do. Gitus to fightin' his outfit so's't--"
"Oh, go off and lie down!" Andy implored him contemptuously. "We'regoing to hang those herders, and drive the sheep all over a cut-backsomewhere, like Jesus done to the hogs, and then we're going over andmurder old Dunk, if he's at home, and burn the house to hide the guiltydeed. And, if the sheriff comes snooping around, asking disagreeablequestions, we'll all swear you done it. So now you know our plans; shutyour face and go on to bed. And be sure," he added witheringly, "youpull the soogans over your head, so you won't hear the dying shriek ofour victims. We're liable to get kinda excited and torture 'em a whilebefore we kill 'em."
"Aw, gwan!" gulped Happy Jack mechanically. "You make me sick! If yuhthink I'm goin' to swaller all that, you're away off! You wouldn't dastdo nothing of the kind; and, if yuh did, you'd sure have a sweet timelayin' it onto me!"
"Oh, I don't know," drawled the Native Son, with a slow, velvet-eyedglance, "any jury in the country would hang you on your looks, Happy. Iknew a man down in the lower part of California, who was arrested, triedand hanged for murder. And all the evidence there was against him wasthe fact that he was seen within five miles of the place on the same daythe murder was committed; and his face. They had an expert physiognomistthere, and he swore that the fellow had the face of a murderer; the poordevil looked like a criminal--and, though he had one of the best lawyerson the Coast, it was adios for him."
"I s'pose you mean I got the face of a criminal!" sputtered Happy Jack."It ain't always the purty fellers that wins out--like you 'n' Pink. Inever seen the purty man yit that was worth the powder it'd take toblow him up! Aw, you fellers make me sick!" He went off, muttering hisopinion of them all, and particularly of the Native Son, who smiledwhile he listened. "You go awn and start something--and you'll wisht youhadn't," they heard him croak from the big gate, and chuckled over hiswrath.
As a matter of fact, the Happy Family, as a whole, or as individuals,had no intention of committing any great violence that evening. Pinkwanted to see just where this new band of sheep was spending the night,and to find out, if possible, what were the herders' intentions. Sincethe boys were all restless under their worry, and, since there is acontagious element in seeking a trouble-zone, none save Happy Jack, whowas "sore" at them, and Weary stayed behind in the coulee with old Patsywhile the others rode away up the grade and out toward Antelope couleebeyond.
They meant only to reconnoiter, and to warn the herders againstattempting to cross Flying U coulee; though they were not exactlysure that they would be perfectly polite, or that they would confinethemselves rigidly to the language they were wont to employ at dances.Andy Green, in particular, seemed rather to look forward with pleasureto the meeting. Andy, by the way, had remained heartbrokenly passiveduring that whole week, because Weary had extracted from him a promisewhich Andy, mendacious though he had the name of being, felt constrainedto keep intact. Though of a truth it irked him much to think of twosheepherders walking abroad unpunished for their outrage upon hisperson.
Weary, as he had made plain to them all, wanted to avoid trouble if itwere possible to do so. And, though they grinned together in secretover his own affair with Dunk--which was not, in their opinion, exactlypacific--they meant to respect his wishes as far as human nature wasable to do so. So that the Happy Family, galloping toward the red sunsetand the great, gray blot on the prairie, just where the glory ofthe west tinged the grass blades with red, were not one-half asblood-thirsty as they had proclaimed themselves to be.
While they were yet afar off they could see two men walking slowly inthe immediate vicinity of the huddled band. A hundred yards away wasa small tent, with a couple of horses picketed near by and feedingplacidly. The men turned, gazed long at their approach, and walked tothe tent, which they entered somewhat hastily.
"Look at 'em dodge outa sight, will you!" cried Cal Emmett, and liftedup his voice in the yell which sometimes announced the Happy Family'sarrival in Dry Lake after a long, thirsty absence on roundup. Othervoices joined in after that first, shrill "Ow-ow-ow-eee!" of Cal's; sothat presently the whole lot of them were emitting nerve-crimping yellsand spurring their horses into a thunder of hoofbeats, as they bore downupon the tent. Between howls they laughed, picturing to themselves fourterrified sheepherders cowering within those frail, canvas walls.
"I'm a rambler, and a gambler, and far from my ho-o-me, And if yuh don'tlike me, jest leave me alo-o-ne!" chanted Big Medicine most horribly,and finished with a yell that almost scared himself and
set his horse toplunging wildly.
"Come out of there, you lop-eared mutton-chewers, and let us pick thewool outa your teeth!" shouted Andy Green, telling himself hastilythat this was not breaking his promise to Weary, and yielding to thetemptation of coming as close to the guilty persons as he might; for,while these were not the men who had tied him and left him alone on theprairie, they belonged to the same outfit, and there was some comfort ingiving them a few disagreeable minutes.
Pink, in the lead, was turning to ride around the tent, still yelling,when someone within the tent fired a rifle--and did not aim as high ashe should. The bullet zipped close over the head of Big Medicine, whohappened to be opposite the crack between the tent-flaps. The hand ofBig Medicine jerked back to his hip; but, quick as he was, the NativeSon plunged between him and the tent before he could take aim.
"Steady, amigo," smiled Miguel. "You aren't a crazy sheepherder."
"No, but I'm goin' to kill off one. Git outa my way!" Big Medicine wastransformed into a cold-eyed, iron-jawed fighting machine. He dug thespurs in, meaning to ride ahead of Miguel. But Miguel's spurs alsopressed home, so that the two horses plunged as one. Big Medicine,bellowing one solitary oath, drew his right leg from the stirrup todismount. Miguel reached out, caught him by the arm, and held him to thesaddle. And, though Big Medicine was a strong man, the grip held firmand unyielding.
"You must think of the outfit, you know," said Miguel, smiling still."There must be no shooting. Once that begins--" He shrugged hisshoulders with that slight, eloquent movement, which the Happy Familyhad come to know so well. He was speaking to them all, as they crowdedup to the scuffle. "The man who feels the trigger-itch had better throwhis gun away," he advised coolly. "I know, boys. I've seen these thingsstart before. All hell can't stop you, once you begin to shoot. Put itup, Bud, or give it to me."
"The man don't live that can shoot at me, by cripes, and git away withit. Not if he misses killin' me!" Big Medicine was shaking with rage;but the Native Son saw that he hesitated, nevertheless, and laughedoutright.
"Call him out and give him a thumping. That's good enough for asheepherder," he suggested as a substitute.
Perhaps because the Native Son so seldom offered advice, and, because ofhis cool courage in interfering with Big Medicine at such a time, Bud'sjaw relaxed and his pale eyes became more human in their expression. Heeven permitted Miguel to remove the big, wicked Colt from his hand,and slide it into his own pocket; whereat the Happy Family gasped withastonishment. Not even Pink would have dreamed of attempting such athing.
"Well he's got to come out and take a lickin', anyway," shouted BigMedicine vengefully, and rode close enough to slap the canvas smartlywith his quirt. By all the gods he knew by name he called upon theoffender to come forth, while the others drew up in a rude half-circleto await developments. Heavy silence was the reply he got. It was asthough the men within were sitting tense and watchful, like cougarscrouched for a spring, with claws unsheathed and muscles quivering.
"You better come out," called Andy sharply, after they had waited adecent interval. "We didn't come here hunting trouble; we want to knowwhere you're headed for with these sheep. The fellow that cut loose withthe gun--"
"Aw, don't talk so purty! I'm gitting almighty tired, just setting herelettin' m' legs hang down. Git your ropes, boys!" With one sweepinggesture of his arm Big Medicine made plain his meaning as he rode a fewpaces away, his fingers fumbling with the string that held his rope."I'm goin' to have a look at 'em, anyway," he grinned. "I sure do hateto see men act so bashful."
With his rope free and ready for action, Big Medicine shook the loopout, glanced around, and saw that Andy, Pink and Cal Emmett were alsoready, and, with a dexterous flip, settled the noose neatly over theiron pin that thrust up through the end of the ridge-pole in front.Andy's loop sank neatly over it a second later, and the two wheeled anddashed away together, with Pink and Irish duplicating their performanceat the other end of the tent. The dingy, smoke-stained canvas swayed,toppled, as the pegs gave way, and finally lay flat upon the prairiefifty feet from where it had stood, leaving the inmates exposed to thecruel stare of eight unfriendly cowpunchers. Four cowering figures theywere, with guns in their hands that shook.
"Drop them guns!" thundered Big Medicine, flipping his rope loose andrecoiling it mechanically as he plunged up to the group.
One man obeyed. One gave a squawk of terror and permitted his gun to gooff at random before he fled toward the coulee. The other two crouchedbehind their bed-rolls, set their jaws doggedly and glared defiance.
Pink, Andy, Irish, Big Medicine and the Native Son slid off their horsesand made a rush at them. A rifle barked viciously, and Slim, sittingprudently on his horse well in the rear, gave a yell and started forhome at a rapid pace.
Considering the provocation the Happy Family behaved with quitepraiseworthy self-control and leniency. They did not lynch those twoherders. They did not kill them, either by bullets, knives, or beatingto death. They took away the guns, however, and they told them withextreme bluntness what sort of men they believed them to be. Theydefined accurately their position in society at large, in thatneighborhood, and stated what would be their future fate if theypersisted in acting with so little caution and common sense.
At Andy Green's earnest behest they also wound them round and round withropes, before they departed, and gave them some very good advice uponthe matter of range rules and the herding of sheep, particularly of Dotsheep.
"You're playing big luck, if you only had sense enough to know it," Andypointed out to the recumbent three before they rode away. "We didn'tcome over here on the warpath, and, if you hadn't got in such a darnedhurry to start something, you'd be a whole lot more comfortable rightnow. We rode over to tell yuh not to start them sheep across Flying Ucoulee; because, if you do, you're going to have both hands and yourhats plumb full uh trouble. It has taken some little time and fussingto get yuh gentled down so we can talk to you, and I sure do hope yuhremember what I'm saying."
"Oh, we'll remember it, all right!" menaced one of the men, lifting hishead turtlewise that he might glare at the group. "And our bosses'llremember it; you needn't worry about that none. You wait till--"
The next man to him turned his head and muttered a sentence, and thespeaker dropped his head back upon the ground, silenced.
"It was your own outfit started this style of rope trimming, so youcan't kick about that part of the deal," Pink informed them melodiously."It's liable to get to be all the rage with us. So, if you don't likeit, don't come around where we are. And say!" His dimples stood deep inhis cheeks. "You send those ropes home to-morrow, will yuh? We're liableto need 'em."
"By cripes!" Big Medicine bawled. "What say we haze them sheep a fewmiles north, boys?"
"Oh, I guess they'll be all right where they are," Andy protested, histhirst for revenge assuaged at sight of those three trussed as he hadbeen trussed, and apparently not liking it any better than he had likedit. "They'll be good and careful not to come around the Flying U--or Imiss my guess a mile."
The others cast comprehensive glances at their immediate surroundings,and decided that they had at least made their meaning plain; therewas no occasion for emphasizing their disapproval any further. Theyconfiscated the rifles, and they told the fellows why they did so.They very kindly pulled a tarpaulin over the three to protect them in ameasure from the chill night that was close upon them, and they wishedthem good night and pleasant dreams, and rode away home.
On the way they met Weary and Happy Jack, galloping anxiously to thebattle scene. Slim, it appeared from Weary's rapid explanation, hadarrived at the ranch with his horse in a lather and with a four-inchfurrow in the fleshiest part of his leg, where a bullet had flicked himin passing. The tale he told had led Weary to believe that Slim was thesole survivor of that reckless company.
"Mamma! I'm so glad to see you boys able to fork your horses and swearnatural, that I don't believe I can speak my little piece about stayingon your own side th
e fence and letting trouble do some of the hunting,"he exclaimed thankfully. "I wish you'd stayed at home and left theseblamed Dots alone. But, seeing yuh didn't, I'm tickled to death to hearyou didn't kill anybody off. I don't want the folks to come home andfind the whole bunch in the pen. It might look as if--"
"You don't want the folks to come home and find the whole ranch sheepedoff, either, and the herders camping up in the white house, do yuh?"Pink inquired pointedly. "I kinda think," he added dryly, "those sameherders will feel like going away around Flying U fences with theirsheep. I don't believe they'll do any cutting across."
"I betche old Dunk'll make it interestin' fer this outfit, just thesame," Happy Jack predicted. "Tyin' up three men uh hisn, like that, andropin' their tent and draggin' it off, ain't things he'll pass up. He'llhave a possy out here--you see if he don't!"
"In that case, I'll be sorry for you, Happy," purred Miguel close besidehim. "You're the only one in the outfit that looks capable of such avile deed."
"Oh, Dunk won't do anything," Weary said cheerfully. "You'll have totake those guns back, though. They might take a notion to call thatstealing!"
"You forget," the Native Son reminded calmly, "that we left them threegood ropes in exchange."
Whereupon the Happy Family laughed and went to offer their unsoughtsympathy to Slim.