Part 49 (1/2)
hosses, so I knew they had rode most of their trip, and would be in a position to circle around all they wanted to.
I soon caught up with the others, and Tank was puffin' purty freely.
All the rest were runnin' easy, and we came out o' the mouth o' the ravine without seein' a single soul. Now, we hardly knew what to do.
It was about the same distance from the mouth o' the ravine to the first curve in it, as it was to the woman's cabin; so I told Spider to stay at the corner o' the cabin, and watch that curve.
Then we went around and found the door locked. We called twice to the woman, but the' was no reply; so Olaf picked up a big stone and knocked off the lock. We made a quick examination; but the' was no one there. I posted Horace and Spider in this cabin to watch the mouth o'
the ravine through the window facin' it, and to shoot into 'em, should they foller us close.
We next went to the big house, where we had more trouble as everything was fastened with bars on the inside, except the front door which had an immense padlock on the outside. We finally broke it off, and out dashed three o' their confounded dogs. We killed 'em, and went inside; but the' was no one else there. Next we went to the workshop, and after breakin' off the padlock, we found the Friar and Promotheus gagged and tied. The Friar was sad, and Promotheus was mad. We sent 'em up to the cook-shack to get on speakin' terms with food again, and rummaged the rest o' the buildin's; but could find neither the woman nor the c.h.i.n.k, and by the time we were through, it was gettin' along towards dark.
I set Tank to cookin' a meal while the rest of us carried logs and piled 'em in the mouth o' the ravine. It would be moonlight up to ten o'clock, and after that I intended to have a fire to see by. We also set up some logs at each o' the two fords. After supper we divided into two equal groups o' four each, to stand guard, each man to watch two hours, one at the window of the new cabin, the other from the porch of the old one, where a view across both fords could be had.
The Friar was purty downcast at our not bein' able to find the woman, and at our still bein' in a state o' war; but he didn't kick none. He promised not to go over and surrender himself any more, and said he would stand guard careful, and warn us the first thing 'at happened.
We decided 'at they would probably attack us that night, and we finally chose the old shack, as it had water piped into it from a spring a hundred yards above. I figured 'at they'd be most apt to come down the ravine, so I picked out the Friar, Olaf, and Tank to help me watch it, and the others to take turns watchin' the fords.
About half past nine, we lit the fires and turned in, with Oscar on the porch, and Olaf at the window of the new cabin. I thought they wouldn't come before two o'clock, and had it arranged so 'at the last ford watches would be held by Spider and Promotheus.
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
THE NIGHT-ATTACK
I wasn't sleepy, and lyin' stretched out is the worst cure for sleeplessness 'at ever I tried; so after twistin' about for a while, I got up and took a look around. Oscar hadn't seen a thing, which I took to be a mighty encouragin' sign. Mostly, when you set a boy on guard he rouses ya out to meet the enemy every fifteen minutes, and then goes to sleep just before the enemy actually does arrive; but Olaf had trained Oscar to do what he was told, as he was told-when he was told-and then not to talk about it for a couple o' years afterward.
Oscar was reliable to a degree; but for conversational purposes, I'd sooner have been s.h.i.+pwrecked with a brindle bull pup.
I didn't have any doubts of Olaf; but I dropped in to see what sort of a view he had, now that it had got dark. The fire was burnin' high, and the ravine was as bright as day. Enough o' the fire would last until mornin' to give a good view, so I strolled down around the bunk-shack and stables. I saw a form movin' in the shadow o' the cottonwoods, and stalked it careful, finally gettin' close enough to make out the Friar.
”Can't ya sleep, Friar?” sez I.
”No, no, I can't sleep,” sez he with a sigh. ”Where do you think she is, Happy?”
”They probably took her with 'em; and left the c.h.i.n.k to guard her, back in the hills,” sez I. ”No matter what happens, they're not liable to harm her.”
”It's sore hard to be patient,” sez the Friar. ”I am honestly opposed to all violence and bloodshed. I have allus believed that all wars were useless and unnecessary; but it's sometimes hard for me to love my enemies.”
”You're just worried and can't see clear,” sez I soothin'ly. ”It's plain enough if you just think it out-that's the best part o'
religion. One place it sez: 'Love your enemies.' In another it sez: 'Foller the Lord's example.' In still another it sez: 'Whom he loves, he chasteneth'-which you said meant to punish. Now then, you have it all worked out: the proper way to love your enemy is to punish him; and, accordin' to this rule, we're goin' to love the hide off o' one o' your enemies, if so be we're able to do it.”
But the Friar never would stand for havin' his religion doctored to suit the taste, he had to take it as stiff and raw as alcohol, where he was concerned, himself; so he turned in and explained things to me until from my standpoint, misery was the only religious excuse a feller had for bein' happy.
By this, it was time to change watches, so the Friar relieved Olaf, while Horace and his elephant-pest went out on the front porch to watch the fords, and I turned in. None of us took our boots off that night; we had a little fire in the big room, and slept on the floor, holdin' our belts in our hands. I drowsed off quick enough this time, knowin' 'at Tank and Promotheus would be next on watch and certain not to let anything surprise them.
Sure enough, just about the time we had slept ourselves into complete forgetfulness, we were all jerked to our feet by the first shot Tank fired, and this one shot was followed by a bunch of others. The Cross-branders had crept down the ravine, and a little after three when the fire had burned low, they had tried to get by unnoticed. Ol'
Tank only had one eye, but it was a workin' eye, if ever the' was one, and he shot two of 'em with one o' their own rifles, and when they rushed him in a body, spreadin' out wide, he retreated to the old cabin, accordin' to directions.
The old cabin had loopholes in it, and we had found three fairly good rifles, but not much ammunition. We didn't waste any shots while it was still dark; but they fired at us now and again. They had brought the five rifles we had left at our camp, and used 'em freely. Slim had taken the other rifle with him.
All durin' that day they broke the monotony by takin' frequent shots at us; but the logs in the cabin had been matched up for just such a purpose, and not one of us was even scratched with a splinter. What we were most afraid of was, 'at they would find some way to set fire to the cabin, and we counted on that bein' one o' the night's diversities.
There were three good sized rooms in the old cabin which was only one story high. One big room occupied the full south half o' the cabin, a bedroom was in the northeast corner, and a library in the northwest corner. Yes, sir, a regular library, and the Friar and Horace both said it was a choice collection o' books. Horace showed us one book which had a photograph of the original Prometheus chained to a rock with the vultures peckin' at his liver, and he certainly must have been some man to stand it. This picture made The's eyes light up consid'able.