CHAPTER XII.

DRIVING THE STAMPEDED STOCK HOME.

"Wake up, Billie; it's breakfast time!"

Probably no other summons could have such an immediate effect upon the stout chum as this call. He instantly raised his head, and commenced to sniff the air.

"Coffee, and bacon frying in the bargain! Oh! I hope now I ain't too late; and also that you've cooked enough for all. Remember, we've got guests along with us; and you promised me you wouldn't let the rustlers go hungry, whatever else you did!" was what he exclaimed, as he crawled out of his snug retreat, and commenced to stretch vigorously, as well as rub his eyes in the bargain.

They assured him that after they had eaten, a second supply would be placed at his disposal to cook, while the others were up the coulie getting pointers on the lay of the land, and how best to start the herd out on the open again, when the time came to make a start.

With that Billie had to rest content. His words had been loud enough for the four prisoners to catch, and must have afforded them more or less relief; since they were doubtless hungry by now, and wondering whether the boys meant to keep them in that condition any length of time.

Having satisfied the inner man Adrian, accompanied by Donald, started up the ravine. Of course they took their guns along; and before leaving warned Billie that while he could cook some breakfast for the prisoners, under no condition was he to try and feed any of them until the others came back.

He promised this readily enough, for truth to tell Billie would not have particularly fancied untying the arms of one of those muscular fellows, lest he be taken off his guard, when there would be the mischief to pay.

The cattle were found to be grazing peacefully. They had apparently entirely recovered from the panic that accompanied the stampede, and when once driven out on the plain would naturally fall into old ways, and allow themselves to be urged on the back trail; for Adrian had concluded that they could do no better than to follow the plain marks made by the herd in fleeing.

When they got back to the fire they were met by Billie's declaration that he had the prisoners' breakfast ready, and if one of them would help him he could feed them by relays.

"I'll do that, because Donald's busy with something else," said Adrian.

Accordingly they started proceedings, and found it little trouble, since they only unfastened the arms of the prisoners, and these two at a time. The leader happened to be one of the second batch. He kept looking at Adrian as he ate ravenously; and it was evident he had about made up his mind that this must surely be the young owner of the Sherwood ranch.

Billie was more interested in the other fellow, who happened to be the glutton of that midnight meal. His enormous appetite still seemed to stay with him; and Billie, who claimed to be able to hold his own in the feeding line with most people, sat there, staring at the way the man disposed of the food, as though he might either be lost in admiration, or else filled with dismay, perhaps taking a lesson.

"Here, you go slow there," he finally felt it his duty to say, warningly; "that's got to last you for some time, you know, because we're meaning to leave you here when we ride away. Don't gobble so, you pig! I eat a lot, but I do it decent-like, and not like a starving dog bolting his grub. Let up, I say, and get the good out of what you're swallowing!"

"You _are_ the Sherwood boy, ain't you?" suddenly demanded the tall leader, as Adrian handed him his last allowance of coffee in the tin cup.

"Well, I suppose there's no use in my denying it, because I've managed to remember you now," remarked Adrian. "You used to ride for my father years ago; your name is Tad Whiffles; and you had to get away from Bar-S Ranch on account of your quarrelsome disposition. Yes, I'm the Sherwood kid you speak of; and I've come up from the Arizona ranch of my friend Donald Mackay, to find out what's all the matter with things up here."

The puncher called Tad Whiffles looked him over from head to foot; then he turned deliberately to the other stampeder, and nodding his head, was heard to say:

"D'ye hear that, Corney? Tell me, won't there be high jinks to pay in these parts right soon now? I can see a warm session at Bar-S when the boy owner comes acrost Josie, that was a Walker onct! Say, I'd give a heap tuh be there on the spot tuh see that same meetin', b'lieve me, Corney."

"Oh! things will all be straightened out after a bit," Adrian assured him in a confident fashion that caused the man to elevate his eyebrows, and mutter half under his breath:

"Blame me if I don't more'n harf think as how ye _kin_ do the trick, if anybody kin, kid. The way ye follered us hyar, and took the hull crowd in makes me feel cheap. I don't know what ther ole man'll hev tuh say tuh us when he gets on tuh the story. But wait an' see how he comes out when _he_ rubs up aginst yuh. But I sure would like tuh be at Bar-S for a bit when yuh arrives with all them steers. Wow! ain't thar agoin' tuh be somebody surprised, though?"

He shook his head, and relapsed into silence, as though the matter might be too big for him to grasp all at once.

So the two rustlers were once more securely pinioned. Adrian himself made sure that their bonds were tight, for he did not mean to have his plans spoiled by any fluke, if it could be avoided.

When they had packed things, and were all ready to start, Donald went to the man who was such a heavy eater, and whom they judged to be the most tractable of the lot.

"We're going to take you along with us, to help drive the herd," he told him; and the fellow's face immediately took on a serious look.

"But what'll they do to me over at the Bar-S, if they git hands on me, pard?" he asked, uneasily. "That same old Comstock, if ever he _does_ break away from under the thumb of his wife is sure agoin' to throw things around promiscuous like; and mebbe he'll begin by makin' me an awful lesson. Seems like I c'n feel the feathers asproutin' out all over me a'ready, 'case he'll git the tar heated, sure-pop. Say, there's Bemis as kin drive herd a heap better'n me any day agoin'. Hadn't ye sooner pick him to help out?"

"Oh! don't worry," remarked Donald as he cut the fellow's bonds; "get up now, and walk ahead of me. We don't mean to take you all the way, but along about noon we might send you back with the ponies belonging to your crowd."

"If that's a fact I don't mind ahelpin' drive," declared the man, with a relieved look on his face.

He might have thought that there would come a chance for him to slip away while chasing after the cattle; but if so he reckoned without his host; for Donald and Adrian were too smart to allow such an opening.

One of them kept close to the rustler all the while; and he was given plainly to understand that if he tried any such sneak game they would leave the cattle to shift for themselves temporarily while they ran him down, and filled him full of lead.

The sight of the repeating rifles which all the Broncho Rider Boys carried, and handled as though they knew well how to use the same, filled him with a certain amount of respect; and if he had cherished any hopes of escaping they were kept carefully in restraint.

They had little trouble in getting the herd out of the coulie. The range boys knew just how to go about this sort of business; and when the rustler heard them yelling, and slapping their hats on their chaps as they started the feeding cattle, he knew that they were old hands at driving, even if young in years.

He did his part of the work all right, for he saw that this was the easiest way of getting on the good side of these energetic lads.

The three who were left behind called out, and told their captors they hoped they would not be forgotten in the shuffle; because before now cow-punchers had starved to death, or fallen victims to the hungry wolves that roamed the plains of nights.

Paying no further attention to them the boys chased after the moving herd, soon running along the back trail, with the drivers whooping, and dashing here and there to keep some stray animal from breaking away.

All went well, because both Adrian and Donald made it a point that one of them keep close enough to the rustler driver to see that he was given no opportunity to escape. Billie's duty was not so much to drive, as to lead; in other words he had charge of the three cattle ponies belonging to the men who had been left bound in the camp at the mouth of Bittersweet Coulie; and which were to be generously turned over to Corney when they allowed him to depart, along about the middle of the day perhaps.

"I hope it's _before_ lunch time that they let him go scot free," Billie was muttering to himself from time to time, as he frowned, and watched the evolutions of the puncher named Corney; possibly Billie had good reason for wishing this, since he happened to know that their rations had reached a rather low ebb by now; and if that enormous eater was invited to sit down with them at noon, and devour at will, what was going to become of those who had a better right to the "grub" than the rustler?

Some two hours after the start they discovered that several riders had headed in their direction. At first the boys were bothered a little, until they made the pleasing discovery that these were the same three friendly cow-punchers whom they had met on the previous day.

A sudden idea flashing into Adrian's mind, he made signals that he would like to talk with the trio. At that they turned directly, and came galloping along; for up to then it seemed they were inclined to sheer off, and mind their own business; because in these unsettled days it was not always the wisest thing to push up alongside those who were driving stock, lest they butt in on matters that were not intended to be known outside of certain Walker circles.

At discovering their young friends of the preceding day circling the herd that bore the brand of the Bar-S Ranch, the three punchers exchanged looks of intense surprise; and their wonder evidently took leaps and bounds when they also recognized in Corney a man of ill repute, who was known to be connected with the Walker crowd.

Adrian had rather fancied the three punchers, and meant to see if he could not offer them inducements to engage with him, as he feared he would need a new supply of men, when he started to weed out the Bar-S employees.