"No wonder I"ve been getting such poor returns from the ranch the last year, if this sort of thing has been going on long," muttered Adrian.
"If it happened down near the Keystone, the ranchers would get together, and soon hunt the rustlers to the end of their trail," added Donald.
"But this is away up in Wyoming, and seems like they do things differently here," Billie woke up in time to say, wisely.
"Yes, and only because a lot of bad men have banded together, and held the ranch owners under their thumbs," Adrian said, bitterly. "Remember what that puncher told us about these Walkers, and how they ran things about as they pleased up around here, getting bolder and bolder all the while. But time was when they would have had my fire-eater of an uncle after them with a hot stick, for he was noted because of his being afraid of nothing-in those good old days before my father died."
Billie was heard from again at this juncture.
"Huh! that was before he took to himself a wife, and she one of this same Walker breed," he remarked.
Donald chuckled, while Adrian sighed.
"It"s almost impossible for me to believe such a terrible change has taken place in Uncle Fred," the latter went on to say, shaking his head sadly; and then as if his anger began to get the better of all other feelings he continued: "but there"s going to be a change take place in other ways too, or else my name isn"t Adrian Sherwood. This wholesale stealing from the Bar-S Ranch has got to stop, even if I have to fire Uncle Fred and his new wife out of the management."
"It"s my opinion," remarked Donald, "that these Walkers are taking advantage of the fact that one of their bunch is installed in the ranch house at your place, to just do about as they please. When they run across a fine herd with your brand on the same, they wait around for a certain night to come along, run them off like it was common rustlers doing the job, round them up somewhere, change the brand to one of their own, and inside of forty-eight hours your cattle are feeding on their range with all signs blotted out. And I just about reckon Mrs. Fred is fixing things so her dear hubby don"t dare lift a hand to prevent this robbery! Blood is thicker than water, they say."
Adrian ground his teeth savagely.
"That"s the bitterest pill I ever had to swallow in all my life!" he declared. "To think of me squatting here and watching those cowardly thieves run off with a big bunch of my best cattle, and not able to lift a hand to prevent the raid! It makes me mad to the core."
"I should say it might," Billie a.s.serted. "Why, even my blood is boiling with indignation; and I ain"t near so hot-tempered as you, Adrian. Can"t something be done about it?"
"Oh! what wouldn"t I give to have some of the bully Keystone boys around right now," said Donald; "suppose we could just run across Si Ketcham, c.o.o.ney, Alkali, Magpie, Bunch and the rest, wouldn"t I yell with joy though; and say, what we"d do to these onery rustlers would be a caution."
"But we"re only three boys after all!" sighed Billie, sadly.
"Three boys though, who have been used to taking care of themselves this long while, don"t forget to add, Billie," Adrian burst forth; "and right now I"m wondering whether it would be such a very mad scheme for us to trail after those punchers to try and get my cattle back! What d"ye think of that, boys? Have we got the nerve to make a try?"
"Oh! my stars!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Billie, rather overwhelmed by the mere thought; but the prairie boy did not seem to be staggered at all.
"Adrian, if you say the word I"m itching to give you my hand on that, and go you!" Donald exclaimed with thrilling emphasis.
"Do you really mean it?" demanded the other, eagerly.
For answer the Mackay boy did thrust out his hand, and it was instantly clasped in a savage clutch, showing how thoroughly aroused both lads were.
"And say, whatever"s doing, don"t you dare forget to count me in," piped up Billie, who was immediately afraid lest they might set out to arrange plans that would leave him in the lurch, perhaps to "tend camp while they rode off; and he was determined to rebel against such an ignominious discard.
"Could we overtake the cattle, do you think, Donald?" asked Adrian.
"I reckon that wouldn"t take us so very long," came the reply.
"They would soon tire out," suggested the young owner of the Bar-S Ranch.
"When they pa.s.sed here they showed signs of it; and if the punchers had let "em, they"d soon quiet down. Reckon, Ad, they won"t go many miles further before they just slow up, and then come to a full stop."
"Mebbe them rustlers was adriving the bunch right at some place where they"re in the habit of changing the brands?" suggested Billie, determined to have some say in the matter, to prove that he was wide-awake, and on the job.
"Sure they must have been, Billie, and that remark shows that you"ve got your wits about you!" declared Donald; and then turning again to the third member of the little group he went on: "if you mean it, Ad, and say the word, why we"ll pull out of these diggings in a rush, and chase after the herd."
"It wouldn"t be very long before we"d hear the rumble again, if we kept right on the way they were heading when they pa.s.sed here," observed Adrian, thoughtfully.
"That"s right," Donald a.s.sured him.
"Then the only question is, could we manage the bad men who are running off the Bar-S stock. At a guess now, Donald, how many of them do you reckon there might have been chasing after the stampeding herd?"
Donald seemed to study for a few seconds.
"I paid particular attention to their yelling," he presently remarked; "and noticed where the shouts came from. Now, I couldn"t be dead sure, Ad, but as near as I can say I"d put it down as about four punchers."
"Whee! they made a heap of noise then, for just that many," remarked Billie.
"That"s right," agreed Donald, instantly; "but when you come to know punchers as well as I do, Billie, you"ll understand that four lively boys when they"re slapping their chaps with quirts and hats, and howling like mad to frighten stock, can make a racket equal to a dozen other fellows. There may have been one or two more, but still I think four"d cover the bill, Adrian."
"That settles it!" declared the other, briskly.
"We go, do we?" demanded Billie, all of a quiver with sudden excitement.
"Adrian says so," Donald told him, just as though they must look to the owner of the Bar-S outfit for guidance on this campaign, since he was in his own country now, and his chums had accompanied him simply to carry out his wishes.
"Well, things are looking brighter already," remarked Billie; "because there"s the old moon apeeping out, like she wanted to give us a helping hand. Now, I ain"t much on signs and such things, fellows, as you know; but seems to me like that same was a lucky omen."
"It"ll give us some light to travel by, and that counts a heap,"
declared Donald always practical, and not given so much to sentiment as the fat chum, who had been a great reader of Marryatt and Cooper before coming out West, so that he had filled his mind with the romantic side of open air life.
"Then the sooner we get busy the better," Adrian went on to say; and then turning on Donald he continued: "if you"re dead sure you meant that, when I mentioned wanting to chase after these rascals."
"Let me tell you that I was just going to say the same thing myself, but thought you ought to have first chance," the other boy a.s.sured him. "You know me from the ground up, Ad. And why shouldn"t I want to lend you a helping hand? Ain"t you my good chum; and tell me, didn"t you and Billie stand by me like bricks down there in the mountains of Arizona when it looked like Calvin Peets, the agent of the combine that was trying to steal the Red Spar Copper Mine away from my dad and his a.s.sociates, backed up by that anarchist, Laidlaw? Huh! turn about is only fair play, and it"s come my chance now to stand back of my chum. Why, I"m that crazy to go after these rustlers that even if you held back I"d be wanting to take up the job by myself."
Adrian gave a laugh as though his last lingering doubt had been removed.
"After hearing you talk that way I"d be a silly fool to doubt any longer," he went on to declare; "and so let"s get back to our camp, start packing our duffel in a big hurry, and then make a start after that runaway herd with the brand of the Bar-S on their flanks!"
With which words he led the way back among the trees to the spot where their blankets, saddles, cooking utensils and other things were lying.
CHAPTER VII.
FOLLOWING THE CATTLE RUSTLERS.
"How about our ponies?" Billie wanted to know. "Will they be able to stand for another dash so soon?"
"Cow ponies are tough little critters," Donald went on to say, with the utmost confidence; "and they recover from fatigue like magic. Right now I"d wager Wireless or Ten Spot would be good for a twenty mile gallop at full speed."