CHAPTER VIII
THE BUCKING BRONCO
"How long do you think it will take us to get to the gold fields?" askedJed, of the old miner, as they jogged forward.
"It's hard to say," was the answer. "You mustn't be in too much of ahurry. It's a good rule, in this business, to make haste slowly. Youcan't make a fortune gold-hunting in one day, and you've got to saveyour own strength, and that of your horse. A horse is a man's bestfriend in this country."
The route to the West had been carefully laid out by Mr. Harrison, whoknew the land well. He had selected a line of march that, while it wasnot the shortest, would bring them to the Montana gold fields in goodshape to start in at once with their prospecting.
For a week the travelers made fair time, stopping at night in varioussmall towns, where living would be cheaper than in large cities, fortheir capital was limited. Nothing of note occurred, the weather wasgood, and Jed and Will began to think that gold hunting, or at least thepreliminary part of it, was very much easier than farming.
"Say, I'd hate to go back now, cultivating corn in that hot field,wouldn't you?" Jed asked his brother one afternoon, as they were joggingslowly along.
"I certainly would, but I wouldn't mind now, if I had a drink of nice,cold switchel."
"Me either. You don't see any signs of a spring along the road anywhere,do you, Mr. Harrison?"
"No, and I wish I did, for the horses are pretty thirsty. But we oughtto strike one soon."
"With all that, this is easier than farming," went on Jed.
"Don't be too sure of that," cautioned the old miner. "You haven't halfbegun yet."
And it was not long after this that Jed changed his mind about thinkingit was easy to hunt for gold.
"That looks like a place where there was a spring," said Will, a littlelater, as they advanced around a turn in the road, and saw severalhorses, with men standing beside them, halted in the shade of a bigtree.
"Guess you're right," admitted Gabe, "We're in luck."
It was a wayside spring, and the thirsty horses, scenting the water,hastened their pace. The gold-seekers found five men gathered around thedrinking trough, into which the spring emptied through a wooden pipe.Four of the men were middle-aged, and one was quite young. They were allsmoking, the older men using pipes, while the younger was rolling acigarette with one hand, an operation at which he seemed quite adept.
"Howdy, strangers," greeted Mr. Harrison genially, as he alighted fromhis horse. "How's the water?"
"Nice and sweet," replied one of the men. "Come far?"
"We've done forty miles to-day."
"That's pretty good. Going far?"
"Montana."
"Montana?" exclaimed another man. "Why, that's where me and my pardnerare bound. Going to the new fields?"
Mr. Harrison nodded. There was no object in concealing theirdestination, for they would soon be in the midst of the rush that alwaystakes place when new gold fields are discovered.
"My name's Fred Hurd," went on the man who had last spoken. "This is mypartner, John Curtin. We were in Nevada, but we went East to spend someof our money, and managed to get rid of most of it. Now we're going tonew fields."
"My name's Gabe Harrison," said the old miner, and he introduced the twoboys, in the hearty and easy fashion that prevails in the West. Theother three men also told their names. They were Ade Bryant, the youngman who smoked cigarettes, and Tim Walsh and Bill Case.
"Are you miners, too?" asked Jed, of the latter three.
"Nope," replied Ade Bryant, with a pleasant smile. "We just got rid of abunch of steers, and we're going back to our ranch in Montana. My fatherowns it. It's the Diamond T Ranch," he went on, giving the name of thebrand marked on all the cattle from that ranch. "Probably you've heardof it?"
The boys shook their heads. They had not heard much of outside mattersin the quiet country village where they had lived nearly all theirlives.
"Is your father Colonel Jack Bryant?" asked Gabe suddenly.
"That's him," replied the young man eagerly. "Do you know him?"
"No, but I've heard lots about him. There ain't a finer cattleman inthese parts than Colonel Jack Bryant, and I'm glad to meet his son. Puther there, my boy!" and the old miner extended his hand to greet theyoung man.
When the horses had been watered and rested, the five men found thatthey were traveling in the same direction as was Gabe and the boys.
"Well, we'll keep company, if it's agreeable to you," proposed Mr. Hurd."We've got plenty of grub, and we can camp together to-night."
"That suits me right down to the ground," replied Harrison, and the boyswere also pleased to have company.
As the five men remounted, to continue their journey, Will noticed thatBill Case, the oldest of the cattlemen, was leading a small horse, tiedby a long rope to the saddle horn of his own pony.
"Do you take turns riding those horses?" asked Will, for he was fond ofanimals, and a very good rider.
"No," replied Mr. Case, with a wink at his companions, which Will didnot see, "that horse is a new one I bought. He's one of the fastest inthis section, but the trouble is no one can ride him."
"Why not?" asked Will.
"Because he's got such a temper. Not exactly bad, you understand, but assoon as any one gets on his back, he doesn't do as a decent horseshould, and carry his rider along the right way."
"I believe I could ride him," went on Will, who liked the looks of thesteed.
"Are you much of a rider?" asked the man, and again he winked at hiscompanions.
"Pretty fair," replied Will, who did not like to boast. The truth was,he was the best rider around Lockport, but he did not know what was instore for him from the innocent-looking animal that trailed along someekly at the saddle horn of Bill Case.
"You can try this one, if you like," went on the cattleman. "I've noobjection. In fact I'd like to see some one ride him. Maybe he'd be morevaluable then. He needs training, but I can't seem to do anything withhim."
The truth of the matter was that the horse was one of the very worsttypes of "bucking broncos." That is, whenever a person got on his backhe would jump up into the air, and come down on four feet stiffly,almost jarring the rider out of the saddle. In fact he usually did jarhim off, or, if he could not get rid of the man on his back in that way,he had other tricks as bad as bucking.
Bill Case had bought the horse at the town where he had been with hisemployer's cattle, and he was taking the animal back to the ranch,mainly to use in cowboy sports, for a bucking bronco is not much use asa riding steed. Bill had tried, unsuccessfully, to ride the steed, thatwas all right, and gentle, as long as no one tried to get on its back.
By this time Mr. Harrison and Jed were some distance ahead. They wereinterested in talking about gold strikes to the two miners, and had,with Hurd and Curtin, unconsciously drawn away from Will, and the threecattlemen.
"Will you let me try him?" asked the boy, as he looked at the horse. Heknew nothing of bucking broncos, though he had read about them. Still,there was no way of telling one by merely looking at it.
"Sure thing," replied Mr. Case. "Here's a nice level stretch. You cantry him here," and he stopped, and unfastened the long rope. At the sametime he whispered to his companions: "Watch the fun now."
Will, all unaware of what was in store for him, dismounted from his ownpatient, plodding horse, and approached the bronco.
"Jump right on his back," advised Bill Case. "You don't need a saddle."
He knew that the moment a saddle touched the animal's back it wouldbegin to buck, and that would give the "joke" away.
Will took hold of the animal's bridle, and patted the horse on themuzzle. Then, with a quick motion, he leaped on the bronco's back.
So suddenly was it done that the animal hardly knew what to make of it.On other occasions there had been a great fight to get a saddle on him,and this prepared him for what was to follow. But this was a new one onhim. Still, he made up his mind, did that bronco, that
he was not goingto submit to the indignity of having a person on his back. He stoodstill a moment.
"Well done!" cried Bill. Then he added, in a lower tone: "Watch the funnow, boys!"
"Get up!" exclaimed Will, striking the bronco lightly on the flank.
Instantly something happened. Gathering himself together, as if he hadwire springs in his legs, the bronco shot up into the air. Will wastaken completely by surprise, but he managed to stay on. Then the horsecame down stiffly, jarring the boy so that he thought he would shake topieces.
But he did not fall off. Instinctively, he gripped his legs around thehorse, and drew the reins tighter. The bronco was surprised. Usually one"buck" was enough to unseat any rider. He would try a new plan.
Suddenly he started off at a fast gallop. By this time Will knew he wasin for it, but he was not going to give up. Gathering headway foranother leap into the air, the animal rushed on toward where Mr.Harrison, Jed and the two miners were. Then, coming to a sudden stop,the animal launched himself upward. This time, when he came downstiffly, with his head between his fore legs, Will lost his grip. He wasjarred off, and fell to the ground, his head striking heavily, andrendering him unconscious.