Part 16 (1/2)
”Would you mind repeating all that?” said Billy, when Ben had rejoined the group at Rafe's back. ”I didn't catch some of it.”
Tuckleton glared, his little eyes hot with rage. ”I said that man's a cow thief and we're gonna stretch him!”
”But you said that at first,” pointed out Billy. ”And I said 'no'
then. I haven't changed my mind.”
”Since when have you been dry-nursing rustlers?” snarled Rafe.
”I don't know he's a rustler.”
”I said he was, didn't I?”
”You said so, sure. But you might be mistaken.”
”I don't make mistakes like that. And, anyway, all my boys here saw him branding that calf.”
”We sure did,” corroborated Jonesy. ”Feller had a fire all lit, and was heating a running-iron when we jumped him.”
”Did the calf have its mammy along?” was Billy's next question.
No one answered. Billy, however, did not remove his eyes from Rafe's face. The pause was becoming almost embarra.s.sing when the five Tuckletonions made reply with a rush. Two of them said ”Yes,” and the other three said ”No.”
”There seems to be a difference of opinion,” said Billy. ”Don't you know whether the cow was along?”
”She wasn't along,” declared Jonesy, sticking to his original a.s.sertion.
”But Rafe said she was,” said Billy.
”I made a mistake,” Rafe hastened to a.s.sure him.
Billy nodded in triumph. ”Then you do make mistakes. I always knew you did. Funny how you and Jonesy saw things so different and all.
Ben didn't see any cow either, and Tim Mullen and Lake did.”
”Maybe I made a mistake too,” said Lake sullenly, taking his cue from his employer.
”How about you, Tim?” persisted the questioner.
Tim looked furtively from his employer to his foreman and back again before answering.
”Speak up, Tim,” directed Billy, ”speak up. You did or you didn't.
Yes or no?”
”Maybe I made a mistake,” was Tim Mullen's final decision.
”They seem to have come over to your point of view, Jonesy,” Billy observed dryly. ”How about you? Did you make a mistake too?”
But Jonesy was not to be caught. ”The cow wasn't along. I oughta know.”
”You don't need to be so fierce about it. I was just askin' questions.