CHAPTER XXIII--THE FIRST BUFFALO
Chet was taller than his chum and he had risen in his stirrups, whileDig lay out on the black's neck and cheered him on. So the first namedlad saw over the rise and out upon the plain.
The two elks were hammering down the slope, their slender legs doublingunder their round bodies, and stretching out again with almostbewildering swiftness--like the driving-rods of fast-turning engines.But they were a good shot, if not an easy one, for the boys were notdirectly behind them. A ball, directed properly, would have raked eitherbeast from forward of the hip into, and through, the heart. This was notto be, however, Chet and Dig were destined never to knock over thoseelks.
What arrested Chet's hand was the sight of a herd of animals grazing onthe plain, and almost as close to him as the elks. The sight of thembrought the cry to his lips:
"Dig! Dig! they're here!"
"Who are here? Those rascals?" Dig yelled, thinking first of the thieveswho had robbed them the night before.
But the next moment he saw the grazing herd-_the sixteen buffaloes_!
"After them! Quick!" shrieked Dig, and spurred his black.
He almost seemed to lift Poke off his feet when he struck the tiny spursinto him. Poke shot ahead of the bay and Dig rose in his stirrups.
He was not as good a shot as Chet; but he could not miss that brown bodywhich was squarely in front of him. It was not the big bull Dig aimedat; that animal, in fact, he did not see. But the creature in line withhis rifle barrel was big enough.
It was a well grown bull, and when it raised its head and swung the hugebulk of it to see the charging boys, it looked formidable. The chumswere tearing down upon the buffaloes, losing sight of the elks entirely.The nobler game made them ignore the other.
Naturally, the elks charging down into the herd startled the buffaloesbefore the boys themselves were seen. Most of the buffaloes sprang awayon a gallop.
But the young bull for which Dig aimed was too late. The boy fitted theheavy rifle-stock snugly into his shoulder--no chance for it to kick himthis time--and fired almost over Poke's ears at the huge brown body.
He made a bull's-eye. The thud of the bullet could be heard plainly byboth furiously riding boys. But he did not hit a vital spot, havingaimed too far back of the foreleg.
Chet had checked Hero, riding to give to his chum all the room heneeded. The other buffaloes scuttled across the plain so rapidly thatthe bay--heavily loaded as he was--could scarcely have caught them andso given his master a shot. The stricken bull did not follow his mates,but wheeled on Poke and, head down, charged him and his rider.
"Look out, Dig!" shouted Chet in superfluous warning.
The buffalo moved with surprising swiftness; but even at that Dig couldhave easily got in a second shot had the mechanism of his rifle notfouled for a second.
That second was long enough to put the boy in danger. For the charge ofthe wounded buffalo meant peril.
Chet yelled and urged Hero after the angry animal. The bull buffalo wasnot blind with rage, whatever else he was. He turned as nimbly as a cat,in spite of his bulk, and was fairly upon the black horse as the latterwheeled to escape.
"Shoot him, Chet!" begged Dig, dropping his rifle to save himself from afall as Poke whirled. The mustang leaped away, but the maddened bull wasright at his heels. Of course, given a few moments, Poke could havedistanced the buffalo; but at the time, the situation was serious.
Chet, on Hero, came thundering along upon the buffalo's off side. Theboy had not raised his rifle to his shoulder, but he was alert.
"Shoot!" again begged Dig, in alarm.
Chet forced the snorting bay up beside the charging buffalo. He leanedover suddenly, clapping the rifle-butt to his shoulder, and looked overthe sights directly at a patch behind the fore-shoulder.
When the rifle spoke the huge head of the buffalo was almost underPoke's belly. The buffalo ran with his nose barely clearing the ground.Now his head dropped, struck into the sod, and so swiftly was he goingthat the momentum caused the bull to turn a complete somersault.
The ball had gone through the buffalo's heart, and he was instantlydead. The boys pulled in their horses to blow, and to look at theirwonderful quarry.
"Whew!" wheezed Dig, rather shakily, "that was great, old man. I believehe'd have had me and Poke."
"Oh, Dig! isn't it a great kill?" gasped Chet, just as excited as hecould be. "To think of us killing a big buffalo like this!"
"Lots I had to do with it," grumbled his chum. "It was your shot broughthim down."
"But if it hadn't been for your wounding him, I don't think he'd belying here at all. They're pretty tough creatures to kill, boy."
"Cricky! I should say they were. And as wicked as lions or bears. Whew!I feel as though I'd had a narrow escape, Chet."
"I reckon you have!"
"And that confounded old rifle! It fouled just as I tried to work thelever."
"Well! let's be glad it was no worse. And, Dig! we've got thebuffalo--the first buffalo we ever shot."
"You're a wonder, Chet," declared his generous chum. "You put that ballright where it would do the most good. I lost my head completely--I ownup to that. Talk about elk fever! that creature looked as big as a houseto me," and Dig laughed.
"It is a mystery to me how such a big creature could be killed by onlytwo bullets," said Chet. They had dismounted now and stood beside theinert body of the buffalo bull. "I read, though, that some Indians whenriding to kill a buffalo would force their ponies close up to therunning beast and drive an arrow clear through his body. What do youknow about that?"
"Don't know anything about it," returned Dig, with a whimsical look,"but I think that the fellow that told that ought to be woke up--he waslying on his back!"
"I don't know about its being a dream. Before they got to fooling withthe cast-off firearms of the white man, the Indian must have done a lotof killing with arrows and spears."
"That's all right. You can have such hardware if you want," returnedDig. "Give me a rifle every time."
"Even if it fouls in the breach?" chuckled Chet.
Every creature but themselves and their mounts had disappeared from theplain by this time. They straightened the dead beast out and then rolledit on its back.
Much as he deplored any delay at this time, Chet could not think ofgoing on and leaving the hide of the buffalo. Butchering the hugecreature would be hard work for two boys with their little experience insuch work; but they needed a part of the animal for food.
Dig vowed he could eat it all--horns and hide--he was so hungry!
They picketed the horses, removed their own coats, and whetted theirknives. It was difficult work to get the hide off the buffalo, for thecarcass weighed all of six hundred pounds--all the weight the two boyscould possibly roll on the clean sward. They were more than an hour ingetting the hide clear; Dig was satisfied to give up the idea of savingthe head for mounting, although Chet managed it so that the horns camewith the hide.
"Say! that'll be something to show 'em back home!" panted Dig, holdingup the fore part of the hide. "Cricky, Chet! we ought to have beenphotographed beside of this beast. Whew! he looks bigger now he'sskinned than he did before. Wish somebody that needed it had all thismeat."
"I wish he did," agreed Chet.
"But never mind," said Dig, the next minute. "We need some of it rightnow. Wish we had something to boil the tongue in."
But they opened the carcass to drain it (as well as it could be drainedon the ground) and cut out several ribs for their own supper.
"Two meals together!" Dig declared. "I've got to catch up on my rations,Chet."
There was a thicket near, and the boys gathered fuel and made a hotfire. They broiled the ribs on green withes, and, still havingseasoning, they made a hearty repast, while the horses cropped thebuffalo grass eagerly.
It was late afternoon when this was over and Chet said they must moveon. They cut out the tidbits and several good steaks; but
were forced toleave the rest of the meat for the coyotes, who were already hovering onthe tops of the hillocks.
"Good-bye, first buffalo!" exclaimed Dig, looking back at the redcarcass. "It's the greatest kill we ever had, Chet, old boy! Won't yourfolks and mine be surprised when they see this robe?"
"I hope we can cure the robe in time, so that it will be a nice one,"Chet said, with some anxiety. "We must spread it out carefully everyplace we camp."
"And, say! where will we camp next?" cried Dig. "We're a long way offthe Grub Stake trail."
"It's still south of us, somewhere," said his chum. "We'll find it. ButI hope we'll pick up the trail of those two robbers first."
"By the last hoptoad that was chased out of Ireland!" exclaimed Dig. "Ihad forgotten all about them."
"I hadn't," returned Chet grimly. "We must find them, boy."
"Do you suppose they came this way after the buffaloes?"
"I don't believe they knew any more about the course the buffaloes tookthan we did. They are aiming for Grub Stake, just the same."
"So are the buffaloes," said Dig. "At least, they were when they wentout of sight."
"In that general direction--yes."
"Whew! Suppose we overtake them again, Chet?"
"Then maybe we'll get a second robe. Otherwise we'll have to cast lotsfor the one you're sitting on right now, Dig," and young Havens laughed.
Nevertheless, excited as the boys were over the buffalo herd, Chetinsisted in slanting at a sharper angle south than the big game hadtaken. It was the trail of the two men who had robbed them that Chet wasthe more anxious to pick up.
He was a brave boy--and a determined. His father had entrusted him withthe papers relating to John Morrisy's share in the Crayton claim. Mr.Havens' lawyer in Silver Run had prepared the documents. For all Chetknew, the names might be changed in the body of the documents and then,if Mr. Morrisy signed them, they would give somebody besides Mr. Havenstitle to the old mine.
The loss of the documents worried Chet greatly. He felt, somehow, thathe had been to blame in allowing the thieves to get the deeds. He shouldhave been more watchful, especially after the warning he had had ofthreatening danger.
The horses were still fresh, although they had travelled some distancethat day. They kept on at a fast pace for several hours--until, indeed,the sun was down. There was then a strip of timber ahead, which seemedto extend clear across the plain, as far as the eye could see, fromnorth to south.
"And no sign of those rascals yet," grumbled Dig. "Could we have crossedtheir trail without knowing it?"
"Sure!" admitted Chet promptly. "I've been looking sharply for signs,and so have you. But everything or anything is possible on the trail. Wearen't the smartest fellows who ever lived, Dig. If we were only alittle bit smarter we wouldn't have been robbed at all."
"Don't rub it in," grumbled Digby. "I hold myself responsible for allthis trouble."
"I don't hold you responsible. Just bad luck and bad figuring. I amfully as much to blame as you are. I had reason to believe we were beingfollowed, and you hadn't. Humph! No use crying over spilled milk."
"That's all right," said Dig. "But where are we going to camp to-night?In the open, or shall we push on to that timber?"
"We'll be more sheltered there," Chet said, gazing ahead at the distantline of trees. "There is water between here and there. We can let thehorses drink, refill our canteens, and push on for the woods."
"Just as you say. Get up, Poke!"
The timber was much farther away than it seemed, however. The boys didfind water; rather, they let the horses find it for them. But it was anopen water-hole and the sun had evaporated the water until it was verylow.
"Maybe there will be a running stream in the woods. This is as flat asdishwater," declared Dig, tasting it. "'Tisn't fit to drink straight.Wish we could boil some of our coffee."
"Let's keep on to the timber and make a regular camp," Chet advised."Then I'll rig something to hold a canteen over the fire and makecoffee."
"You can't do it."
"Well, I can try," returned Chet. "Anyway, we'll take shelter in thewoods. Our camp won't be spotted so far."
"Waugh!" ejaculated Dig, with disgust. "No use in locking the stableafter the horse has been swiped. Those fellows don't want anything moreof us, that's sure. They'll let us alone after this, I reckon."
But he did not oppose his chum's suggestion. They got into the saddleagain and pushed for the timber line. The sun had sunk altogether behindthe mountains and darkness on the plain gathered quickly. The timber wastall and thick and they were in the shadow of it for some time beforethey reached the first line of trees.
It was Chet who observed the light first. It twinkled at a stationarypoint some distance back in the forest.
He drew in Hero quickly and put out a hand to warn Dig back. "There's acampfire," he said quietly.
"Whew! Who's that, do you suppose?"
"That's what we want to find out," Chet said, with decision. "And wewant to find it out before we get into any trouble. Look out, Dig! thatblack scamp is going to whinny."
Dig swiftly stifled that desire on Poke's part by pinching his nostrilsbetween thumb and finger.
"There are other horses here, you may be sure. We'd better take ourhorses back farther and tether them before we do anything else."
"No," said Chet, thoughtfully. "We'll put on their hobbles. We mightneed our ropes," he added, which made Dig look at him curiously.