It would have been hard to say who was most astonished. Laramie evidently was not expecting an encounter. To dash on horseback into any five men on foot, of the enemy"s camp, was the last thing he would be likely to attempt. If he did attempt it, he would never choose Van Horn or Stone to be of the party. The ground about the scene was flat, or only slightly rolling, with the branch road and its old ruts running across it. Caught squarely in the open and without a sagebrush for cover, he had been forced to drop behind his horse for shelter. Lying flat and covering Van Horn and the men with his rifle, he awaited the unpleasant odds against him.
The situation of the five men in front was even worse. Their rifles were stacked against the gate hardly a dozen feet away. But to run a gauntlet of a dozen feet against Laramie"s rifle fire was a feat none had stomach for, nor were they ready at a hundred yards to pit revolvers against it. One of them might get him but they knew it would be after some of the others had practically ceased to be interested in the result.
The minds of the Texas men were perfectly clear; their hands shot up like rockets. Stone had taken one big step toward the gate post--he changed his mind, halted and his hands went up at the very instant Laramie changed _his_ mind, and did not press the trigger against the burly outline darkening the field of his sights. Van Horn, caught, stood helpless and enraged--humiliated in circ.u.mstances he least relished for humiliation. Everybody"s hands were up. His one chance, Van Horn realized, was to use his Colt"s against the Winchester behind the prostrate horse--it was not a living chance and no one knew it better than he; his hands moved grudgingly up to his shoulders and he sang out savagely: "What the blazes do you want?"
There was no answer from Laramie. To add to a difficult situation, Kate"s horse, nervous from the shouting and catching its mistress"s own fright, jumped and bucked till she was halfway down the road toward Laramie before she could check him. To add to her confusion, words came from ahead just loud enough for her to hear: "Pull the blamed brute to one side, will you?" It was Laramie speaking, she knew. "If he gets between me and that bunch," she heard him say, "I"m a goner."
She jerked her horse violently out of the road; Laramie had raised his voice and kept right on talking: "Turn your back, Van Horn--you, too, Stone. Shoot up your hands, you Texas--higher!" he called to one of the Texans. And with the words not out of his mouth, he leaped as if on springs to his feet. It seemed as if his rifle covered his enemies all the time, even while he was doing it.
With his head forward, his elbows high and the Winchester laid against his cheek; stepping like a cat, and swiftly and with his eyes fixed on the men ahead, Laramie walked toward the wagon. In doing so he approached Kate, whose horse had subsided. Laramie took no note of her. She only heard his words as he pa.s.sed: "You"d better get out of this." Approaching his prisoners in such a way they could not reach either the gate or the wagon without crossing his fire, Laramie compelled Bradley, really nothing loath, to disarm the three cowboys in turn and drop their guns into the wagonbox. Stone, sullen, was gingerly approached by Bradley, under strict orders to keep out of reach of his arms. But the old man knew all the tricks of the play being staged, even though he was not able to turn them. And when Stone, cursing, was ordered to lower his right arm and hand his revolver to Bradley at arm"s length, the old man"s feet were planted at least six feet from the foreman for a jump-away in case Stone tried to clinch him and shoot at Laramie from behind Bradley"s cover.
But after he was disarmed, Laramie was not through with Stone. Sullen and obdurate, he was ordered to face away, while Bradley from behind searched his pockets. And the crown of his abas.e.m.e.nt was reached when Bradley drew from a hip pocket a full flask of whisky. The material advantage of the find was not great, but the tactical advantage was enormous. Behind Stone, Bradley silently but jeeringly held it up as an exhibit for the thirsty Texas men; and to show it was full, uncorked and with gusto sampled it. Stone was ordered back to his horse.
"How long is this joke, Laramie?" sang out Van Horn, his humor oozing.
"Can"t you frisk a few cowboys in less than all day?"
"When I frisk a pair of cut-throats with them, it"s different."
"Well, don"t waste your valuable time on me. This is your innings--I"ll wait for mine."
"Drop your gun to the ground," returned Laramie. "Pick that up, Bill,"
he added to Bradley as Van Horn threw his revolver contemptuously from its holster. He was searched with the same scrupulous care by old Bradley, his morale greatly strengthened by Stone"s flask: "I don"t give a d--n whether you get me or not," he retorted at Van Horn, in answer to a low threat from his victim.
Laramie having told Van Horn to mount, turned to the Texas men: "Which one of you boys wants to carry the rifles over to that big cottonwood for me?" he asked, pointing toward the creek.
"I do," responded the nearest man, promptly.
"Don"t you do it, Tex," called out Stone.
The Texan eyed his foreman: "Why not?" he demanded. "Ain"t I been ridin" this country all day with a man squealin" for a drink as loud as I was, an" had his pocket full of it all the time? I"m through with my job."
Laramie broke in without losing the precious moment: "Who set my house on fire, Tex?" he demanded.
The Texan nodded in Stone"s direction: "Ask him."
"He"d lie, Tex; I"m askin" you."
The rawboned horseman hesitated: "I"ll talk that over with you when I"m rested," he drawled.
"Go get your Colt"s out of the wagon, Tex." Laramie pointed the way.
"Pick out the guns of the other two boys and tote them over to that tree with you. The boys"ll ride over there after you. Tell Barb I"ll give him twenty-four hours to get every hoof, round or split, that belongs to me back to the Falling Wall--failing which I"ll be over to talk to him privately. Will you do that, Tex?"
"I sure will."
"These rustlers here," he looked toward Stone and Van Horn, "won"t be able to carry messages for awhile. They"re ridin" to town with me.
Bill," he added, turning to Bradley, "dump their rifles into the wagon and follow on along."
"What"s this?" snapped Van Horn with an oath. "Going to town with you!
Not on your life."
"You"re headed for jail tonight, Harry; that"s all. You boys," he spoke to the Texans and gave no heed to the oaths and abuse from Van Horn, "ride down to the cottonwood and get your guns from Tex. There"s two good trails from here to town and plenty of room on both. Today I"m riding the Double-draw bridge. If any of you are going to town, take the other trail. Lead off now, you two."
He spoke to Van Horn and Stone, both mounted, and with the two headed for town, and the Texans started up the road, Laramie climbed into his own saddle. Not until then did he look around for Kate. She had disappeared.
CHAPTER x.x.xII
A MESSAGE FROM TENISON
Speeding in a panic from what she feared might happen behind her at any moment; soon out of sight of the scene, but with ears pitched for the sound of a shot, and a volley of shots; her head swimming with excitement and her heart beating a roll in her breast, Kate urged her horse down the road.
And Belle"s silence, her enigmatic face as she listened later to the story only convinced Kate that her own apprehensions of trouble were well founded. "It"s coming," was all she could get Belle to mutter, as Belle hobbled on a lame foot at meal time between the table and the stove, "but n.o.body can say when or where." Both the women could tell even earlier than this, from McAlpin"s intimations, from watching groups of men in the street and from the way in which those who could have no direct interest in the affairs of the Falling Wall country were hurrying to and fro, that Laramie had reached town with his prisoners and was busy getting them jailed.
Kate, stunned by her father"s utter coldness in casting her out, did not want to talk about it. She had left home resolved to tell Belle everything, despite the humiliating shame of the recital. But the excitement of the ride and the stir in the town were excuses enough to put off explaining. It was possible that her father might become as ashamed of himself as she was of him--in which event, nothing said would be best.
But when Bradley stopped the ranch wagon before Belle"s cottage door with Kate"s suitcase and trunk, something was needed to satisfy Belle.
Kate"s intimation that she should spend a few days in town, and might be called East was somewhat disjointed, but at the moment, enough.
Bradley, however, after unloading the trunk and while Belle stood wondering, reappeared at the door with two rifles.
"Lord A"mighty, man!" cried Belle, already stirred, "what"re you doing with them rifles?"
Bradley tried to placate his nervous questioner: "I"m just leavin" "em here, Belle, while I go down "n" get a load o" feed," he explained with dignity.
"Don"t you believe you"re leavin" any rifles here, Bill Bradley. This is n.o.body"s a.r.s.enal, I want you to know."
"Why, Belle, they belong t" the ranch," remonstrated Bradley.
"What"s that got to do with it?" she exclaimed, turning from the door and shutting it vigorously in Bradley"s face as he stood discomfited.
"I wonder if everybody"s going crazy in this country."
On this point Kate entertained convictions that she did not express.
She was only glad that Belle"s curiosity, usually robust enough concerning ranch happenings, was now under more engrossing pressure.
Concerning what was setting the town ablaze that day, only confused echoes reached the secluded women; and chiefly through the butcher, between whom and Belle a tacit armistice was soon in effect. Chops were slashed ruthlessly as he revealed details of what was going on, and the patent block shook under the savage blows of the cleaver while the butcher hinted at things more momentous to come. From him, Belle learned that Van Horn and Stone had been held somewhere up at Tenison"s incommunicado, by Lefever and Sawdy, while Laramie, opposed by the cattlemen"s lawyer, was demanding from Justice Druel warrants for his prisoners; and that after they had reluctantly been issued, Sheriff Druel had pigeon-holed them until Tenison, backing Laramie, had told Druel after a big row, he would run him out of town if he didn"t take his prisoners to jail.
It was five o"clock when the butcher, instead of sending over the boy, brought the meat for supper himself: "They"re locked up," he said in a terse undertone, as he handed his package to Belle. "There was a big bunch up there when they was put in. Some of "em talked pretty loud about a jail delivery. Laramie stood right there to see they went into their cells and they went."
"Were you there?" demanded Belle.
"I was."
"What did Laramie say?"
"All he said to Druel was: "If you don"t keep "em locked up, Druel, I take no responsibility for what happens." I come all the way from the jail with Laramie myself," recited the butcher; "walked right alongside him and Harry Tenison down t" the hotel."
"Well, if you walked so far with him, is he coming here for supper?"
The butcher was taken aback: "How in thunder should I know?" he blurted out.