Part 5 (1/2)
”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.