Part 7 (1/2)
Before d.i.c.k could reply there was a disturbance among the tethered ponies as though something had alarmed them. In a flash it came to d.i.c.k that the intruder he had seen was trying to steal a horse. The ponies did not dream. When they saw anything they knew it was real.
Accordingly the boy sharply called:
”A horse thief, Billee!”
This warning was enough to set any Westerner on the alert in an instant, for, in spite of the progress of automobiles, the horse is still, in the cattle reaches of the west, a thing most vitally needed.
”Horse thieves, eh?” cried Billee in ringing tones. ”The varmints!
Come on, boys! We'll get 'em!”
His cries and the voice of d.i.c.k served to rouse the others in camp and in a few moments Nort, Bud, Yellin' Kid and Snake Purdee had unrolled from their warm blankets and had grabbed their guns. Bud threw some light cottonwood on the embers and the blaze that at once resulted showed objects up fairly plainly, though there was sufficient shadow to make the picking out of any particular horse thief very difficult.
”Where is he--which way did he go?” shouted Yellin' Kid.
”Over there!” and d.i.c.k pointed the trail along which they had ridden that day. Quickly he told his story--how he had been awakened by the midnight visitor kicking the boy's foot as he strode over him.
”Come on!” called Snake and in a moment the entire camp was trailing after him in the direction where d.i.c.k had seen the old man vanish.
But it was like pursuing one of the shadows of the night, and it did not take long, after emerging from the circle of illumination of the fire into the blackness of the surrounding night, to impress all with the idea that a capture was out of the question.
”How many horses did he get?” asked Bud. ”Gee! Why didn't you wake me, d.i.c.k?”
”I did as soon as I got my wits about me,” was the answer. ”It all happened so suddenly.”
”Horse thieves don't generally send word they're comin'!” chuckled Billee. ”But it strikes me you've made a mistake, d.i.c.k.”
”A mistake, how?”
”Callin' this old man, as you say he was, a horse thief.”
”What else was he?”
”I'm not sayin' he wasn't. But he didn't take any of our ponies.
Count for yourself.”
It took only a few moments to enumerate the riding and pack animals tethered near the camp and the count was found to total correctly. Not an animal was missing.
”Guess you were too quick for him,” commented Nort to his brother.
”It's lucky you woke up.”
”It's lucky he kicked my foot!” chuckled d.i.c.k. ”Lucky for us and unlucky for him.”
”Somewhat,” admitted Billee Dobb. ”Well, he come here and he went away, and we aren't none the worse off as far as I can make out. Guess I was a little out when I said not to stand guard. But I didn't imagine we were in horse-thieves' country.”
”Hadn't we better have sentry-go from now on?” suggested Bud.
”'Twouldn't be a bad idea,” admitted Billee.