"One of them has," answered Tad, with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. "Besides, there"s going to be a big fight over there. Perhaps they are at it now."
"Fight? I should judge from what I hear that there already has been one. What do you mean?"
"Oh, nothing very serious. I taught them the j.a.panese trick of throwing a man over my head. They were trying it on when I left. Shouldn"t be surprised, after they learn how to do the trick, if they got mad and had a real fight."
Luke Larue leaned back, slapping his thighs and laughing uproariously.
"Well, you are a smart one," he exclaimed. "Couldn"t lick them all yourself, so you fixed it so they"d sail in and lick each other. Funniest thing I ever heard. I"ll have to tell Old Hicks about that. But I won"t do it till after dinner, or he"ll burn the mutton and spoil our meal. Fighting each other!" Luke indulged in more hilarity.
"You heard nothing, of course--they said nothing about our herd----"
"No, but it was plain that they had no love for you, Mr. Simms. It was the boy who roped Philip, though. I do not think the men would have done anything like that."
"It"s all the same. It shows the feeling that exists. Nothing will ever wipe that out except a good whipping. It"s coming to them and they are going to get it."
"You think then--you believe they have not given up their plan of attacking the sheep?" asked Tad.
"Given it up? Not they. They have been too well nagged on by your friend of the Rosebud. I wish I knew who he is. I probably never shall, though."
"I"ll know him if I see him again."
"You might not. Camp-fire sight is tricky."
"I"ll know his voice, sir. I presume you will continue your watch over the herd to-night?"
"Yes, and for many nights to come. We shall keep it up until we get far enough to the north so that we are sure there will be no trouble. I guess you had better go on the late trick to-night. That is the most important. We"ll send your friend Chunky out early in the evening. His habit of going to sleep at unusual times is too serious to trust him with the late and dangerous watch. If they strike it will be close to morning, I imagine."
"I hope they won"t, for your sake."
"So do I," answered Mr. Simms, with emphasis.
The afternoon was waning. The Pony Riders were all in camp, some reading, others writing letters home, for already much had happened that would make interesting reading to the folks off in the little Missouri town.
Steam was rising from the big kettle, into which Old Hicks was about to drop a quarter of mutton for the evening meal, and an air of perfect peace hovered over the camp of the sheepmen. Under a spreading tree the bell goat of the outfit lay stretched out sound asleep. He had been in that position most of the afternoon, there being nothing special for him to do, as the herd was grazing as it saw fit, without any effort being made to urge it along.
From the other side of the tree the round face of Stacy Brown might have been observed peering to one side of the sleeping goat.
He listened intently. Billy was breathing short, regular breaths, with no thought of the trouble that was in store for him. From the expression of the boy"s face it was evident that he was forming some mischievous plan of his own. This was verified when, after dodging back behind the tree, his head appeared once more and a stick was cautiously thrust out. Slowly it was pushed toward Billy"s nose, which it gently rubbed and then was withdrawn.
Billy probably thought it was a fly, for one impatient hoof brushed the troubled nose; then the interrupted nap was continued.
Stacy tried it again with equal success. His sides were shaking with laughter, and every little while he would hide himself behind the tree to give vent to his merriment.
The others were too busy to notice what he was doing, though once Old Hicks paused in his work to cast a suspicious glance in that direction.
Stacy had been amusing himself for several minutes and with such success that he grew more bold. He had stepped from behind the tree that he might the better reach his victim. Now the tickling and the sweep of the impatient hoof became more frequent. Billy grunted as if he were having a bad dream, and this amused Stacy so much that he was obliged to retire behind the tree again to laugh.
As he emerged this time, Billy slowly opened a cautious eye, all un.o.bserved by his tormentor. With a hand over his own mouth to keep back the laughter, the lad rubbed the stick gently over the goat"s nose. Billy"s chin whiskers took an almost imperceptible upward tilt and the observing eye opened a little more widely.
Next time Stacy varied the performance by giving the goat a malicious little dig in the ribs with the sharp end of the stick.
Billy rose up into the air as if hurled there by an explosion beneath him. When he landed on his four feet, it was with head pointed directly toward the foe and with fore legs sloping well back under him ready for a drive with his tough little head.
"Oh!" exclaimed Chunky, rapping the goat smartly over the nose with the stick to drive the animal off.
Billy drove all right, but it was not away from the lad. Stacy was standing with legs apart and Billy dived between them, at the same time lifting his head.
The effect was instantaneous. Chunky was neatly flipped to the goat"s back, face down with his legs dangling about the animal"s neck. Instinctively he took a quick grip with the legs, locking his feet on the underside of Billy"s neck and his hands about the withers.
At that moment the surprised goat gave an excellent imitation of a broncho trying to throw its rider.
"Hel-p!" cried Chunky in a m.u.f.fled voice.
No one save the cook heard it.
"Whoop!" bellowed Old Hicks, smiting his thigh with a mighty fist and screaming with laughter.
The Pony Riders and everyone else in camp sprang to their feet, not understanding what the commotion was about.
"The kid"s riding the goat," yelled Hicks. "He"s initiating himself into the order of Know Nuthins. See him buck! See him buck!"
The camp roared.
"Let go, Chunky!" shouted Walter.
"I can"t, I"ll fall off," answered the boy in a scarcely audible voice.
"I"ll help you then. Come on, boys."
They made a concerted rush to rescue their companion. This was the signal for the goat to adopt new tactics. He probably thought it was some new form of torture that they had planned for him.
Billy headed for the tent of the owner of the herd. He went through it like a projectile, upsetting the folding table on which Mr. Simms was writing, and out through the flap at the other end.
By this time the outfit was in an uproar. Even the sheep on the range near by paused in their grazing to gaze curiously campward; the herders off in that direction shaded their eyes against the sun and tried to make out the cause of the disturbance.
"Y-e-o-w!" encouraged the cook, waving a loaf of bread above his head and dancing about with a more p.r.o.nounced limp than usual.
Jerk, jerk, went Chunky"s head until he feared it would be jerked from his body.
"Stay by him, stay by him, kid," encouraged a sheepman.
Mr. Simms rushing from his tent, startled and angry, instantly forgot the words of protest that were on his lips and joined heartily in laughter at the ludicrous sight.
"Look out that you don"t lose your stirrups," jeered Ned as goat and rider shot by him with a bleat.
Walter made a grab for Billy with the result that he was pivoting on his own head the next second.
Once they thought Chunky was going to fall off and put a sudden end to their fun, but he soon righted himself, whereupon he tightened the grip of hands and legs.