Bud Stevens slackened the speed of his pony, dropping back and disappearing in the dust cloud.
"After all, I guess the other fellows will have the hardest work,"
mused the lad. "They"ve got to stop the rush while all I have to do is to keep on going, following that big, white stallion. I wish I could rope him, but I guess he would have the broncho and myself on our backs in no time."
Tad turned his attention to the work in hand. He did not know just where the other horse-hunters were secreted, but his eyes were fixed on a low-lying b.u.t.te some distance to the eastward. He saw no other place from which they could carry out the manoeuvre successfully.
Tad grew a bit anxious as the wild horses curved more and more to the eastward. In a few moments they would be too far to the left to permit of heading them toward the hidden corral.
"I guess they must be going to let us drive them around the circle once more," he decided, "No! There they come!"
With a yell, followed by a rattling fire of revolver shots, a dozen ponies shot from behind the low-lying b.u.t.te. The horse-hunters hurled their bronchos right against the wall of fleeing animals.
Volley after volley was fired into the ground right under the very feet of the wild horses. Here and there a rider was unseated in a sudden collision in the dust cloud with a charging wild horse.
"They"ve turned them!" bellowed Bud Stevens.
The Pony Rider Boy now began to realize the truth of this, for the Angel came bounding toward him, crowding right up against the side of Tad"s pony. Tad was using foot and quirt, yelling like a wild Indian to frighten the big, white stallion into keeping to the left.
So successful were his efforts that the animal did give way a little.
"I"ve headed him!" shouted the lad in wild glee. Never had he had such an exciting day as this one was proving itself to be. He gave no thought to the danger of the chase. And now that he heard and recognized the shouts of his companions he was spurred to even greater efforts than before. Why this post of honor had been given to him he did not know. But Bud Stevens was not far behind. Bud was ready to stop the stampede that he momentarily expected, but which did not come.
"Give way a little!" came the command.
Tad recognized that he had, in his enthusiasm, been crowding the white stallion a bit too much. He drew off a little, not, however, decreasing his speed.
Already the band of wild horses had entered the wide-spreading wings of the corral, but because of the dust that enveloped him, Tad was unaware of this. He continued at his same terrific pace, with the tough little broncho rising and falling under him as he fairly flew over the uneven ground.
The horse-hunters had fallen into a triangle formation with the apex to the rear. They were driving the wild horses before them, using their guns in what appeared to be a most reckless fashion, shouting as if the whole band had gone suddenly mad.
On down between the brush barriers, that were now apparently rising out of the ground, sped the frightened band of wild horses. The white stallion began to understand that they were trapped.
Angel whirled suddenly and made a desperate effort to take the back trail. Tad and his pony dashing down the slight incline like a projectile, hit the stallion broadside. The collision was so sudden that the lad had a narrow escape from being hurled over the head of his own pony. It was only the convulsive grip of legs to the broncho"s side that saved him from a bad spill.
With quick instinct he brought his quirt down on the broad back of the Angel. Smarting under the stinging blow and the surprise of the collision the white stallion whirled about again, heading right into the yawning corral.
The lad was now in the very midst of the crowding, fighting animals.
He was battling every whit as desperately as were they. Bud Stevens had fallen back. He knew Tad was somewhere ahead in the mix-up, but he was powerless to get to him at that moment, nor could his voice reach the lad.
It was then that the boy realized where he was.
"I"m in the corral!" he cried, discovering that he was hemmed in by the canvas walls of the main enclosure itself. "And I guess I"m in a mix-up that will be hard to get out of."
The wild horses were charging about, screaming with anger and fear, rearing, biting, kicking, bowling each other over in their desperate efforts to escape. On every side, they found themselves met by the canvas walls, which none thus far had had the courage to a.s.sail.
"There"s the black stallion--there"s Satan," cried Tad in surprise. "I didn"t know he was here."
The black"s eyes were gleaming with anger. His lost courage was slowly returning to him. Satan was now ready to give battle to man or beast.
All at once he dashed straight at the canvas wall, rose to it and cleared it in a long, curving leap, his rear feet ripping the cloth down a short distance as the hoofs caught it.
The keen eyes of the white stallion were upon him. In another instant his glistening body had flashed over the enclosing walls.
"Oh, that"s too bad!" groaned Tad.
At that moment half a dozen hors.e.m.e.n appeared in the enclosure; as if by magic they threw themselves across the opening made by the two stallions, and thus made an impa.s.sable barrier. Tad had seem them coming, and divined their purpose. A daring plan suddenly flashed into his mind.
With a shrill yell, he dug in the rowels of his spurs. The broncho, understanding what was wanted of him, rose to the canvas well, clearing it without so much as touching it with his hoofs.
But while this was going on another scene was being enacted just outside the barrier. A few horse-hunters had been sent around there to head off just such an attempt at escape as had been made. With them was Stacy Brown. He was sitting on his pony, rope in hand when Satan cleared the wall.
He saw the dark body of the stallion plunge over. Instinctively the fat boy rose in his stirrups. His lariat whirled twice over his head, then shot out.
It sped true to the mark, catching Satan by the left hind foot just as he was finishing his leap.
"Yeow!" yelled Chunky.
The black stallion ploughed the ground with his nose, as the boy took a quick hitch of the rope about his saddle pommel.
That was where Chunky came to grief once more. His pony"s feet were jerked out from under it by the mighty lurch of Satan when he went down. Stacy Brown and his broncho were thrown flat on the ground in a twinkling. The lad"s right leg was pinned under the pony, but the boy, with great presence of mind, held the rope fast to the pommel.
Ropes flew from all directions, now that the stallion was down. In a moment more they had Satan entangled in a maze of them. The horse-hunters were shouting and yelling in triumph at the fat boy"s splendid capture. So busily engaged were they in subduing the black that, for the moment, they lost sight of the fact that the Angel, followed by Tad Butler on his broncho, had cleared the barrier too.
Nor did Tad give heed to them.
With rope unslung he was stretching through the foothills at a breakneck pace, on the trail of the Angel.
"There goes the Angel, with the kid after him!" bellowed a cowboy.
Three men leaped into their saddles and were off like a shot.
Tad Butler slowly, but surely, drew up on the racing stallion. The pursuers saw him unsling his rope, holding the coil easily at his side.
"He"s going to cast," cried the cowboys in amazement that the slender lad would undertake alone to capture the powerful animal.
"He"ll be dragged to death!" warned one.
"Don"t try it, kiddie!" shouted another at the top of his voice.
A chorus of warning yells were hurled after the intrepid Tad, to all of which he gave no heed. His eyes were fixed on the flashing body of the white stallion ahead of him, every nerve tense for the shock that would come a moment later.
All at once the pursuers saw Tad"s right arm describe the familiar circle in the air. Then his lariat squirmed out. The Angel, running ahead of the boy could not see the rope in time to dodge it. The loop of the lariat dropped neatly over his head and suddenly drew taut.
The proud stallion which for years had defied the skill of the wild-horse hunters, went down to an inglorious defeat. But he was up like a flash. Then began a battle between the slender Pony Rider Boy and wild stallion that is talked of among the wild-horse hunters of the desert to this day.
Three times had Tad thrown the Angel before the others caught up with him, the lad"s arms being well-nigh pulled from his body in the terrific lunges of the fighting Angel.
The ropes of the cowboys reached out for the maddened animal the instant they were within reach.
Such a shout went up as had probably never been heard on the range before when finally they had the white fighter securely roped down.