CHAPTER VII.

FOLLOWING THE CATTLE RUSTLERS.

"How about our ponies?" Billie wanted to know. "Will they be able to stand for another dash so soon?"

"Cow ponies are tough little critters," Donald went on to say, with the utmost confidence; "and they recover from fatigue like magic. Right now I'd wager Wireless or Ten Spot would be good for a twenty mile gallop at full speed."

"I notice you don't include my Jupiter," grumbled Billie, suspiciously; "mebbe now you're counting on him to play out in short order, when poor Broncho Billie'll have to be dropped behind, to toddle along the best way he can, while the rest of you are having all the fun."

"Oh! I wouldn't worry about that, if I were you, Billie," Adrian told him; "for you'll find that Jupiter is as fresh as a daisy by now, and able to carry you right along hour after hour. I'm ready to pin my faith to these cow ponies every time. They're wonders, that's what."

"Yes," added Donald, who did not like to see the good-natured fat chum worried in any way; "and as we agreed before, since the cattle were already blowing hard when they passed here, chances are they'll come to a halt before many miles; so after all we won't have to go so very far."

"I'm glad to hear it," mumbled Billie, who was not feeling very much like taking a lengthy gallop, after his late experiences in that line; the saddle chafed him more or less, because of his heft, and he suffered to a greater extent than either of his comrades knew about.

They were hastily getting their things packed. This was not so much of a job to fellows who had done such things a long time. The blankets made a small roll, to be fastened behind their saddles; then the few cooking things were distributed around, each one being responsible for a certain utensil, which he was expected to produce when next it was needed. In this way coffee-pot, frying-pan, tin platters and tin cups were stowed away, and occupied very little space.

Each boy had a small bag in which he kept a few extras, a fresh flannel shirt and necessities. Billie also lugged along some other things in the way of a jar of marmalade, of which he was especially fond, a strip of breakfast bacon, tea, coffee, and such things. He would not let his chums think of loading themselves down with anything that poor Jupiter could carry on his broad back; and so when he was fully fixed for riding he looked like a nomadic peddler starting out on his trip.

But Billie at least had long ago learned the art of packing his stuff securely. Only for that fact he must surely have left a lot of his packages scattered along the trail at the time Jupiter ran away with him, after the stable boy at the inn had played that mean trick with the poison-tipped sand spurs.

Of course he was only partly packed when both the others announced themselves as ready to move.

"But I hope now, you won't think of starting out, and leaving me behind, fellows?" Billie voiced his new alarm by saying.

They hastened to reassure him.

"We're not in such a big hurry as all that, Billie," said Adrian.

"And here, let me give you a hand," remarked Donald.

"That's the stuff!" gurgled the fat chum, who had all along been hoping to have some assistance; for Donald knew how to put things in ship-shape so well; while on the other hand Adrian was the best hand at cinching girths, and tightening up ropes on a pack animal Billie had ever struck.

Between them they soon made things ready; and Billy hastened to climb up into his saddle. That word would appear to be the only one capable of doing justice to his method of attaining a seat; for Billie was very clumsy, it must be remembered; and then those packages were forever getting in the way, so that even an agile fellow like Donald for instance might have found it difficult to leap into his saddle while his animal was thus encumbered.

But they were all ready at last; and Donald led the little bunch of riders out from the timber that grew along the little stream.

It was now bright moonlight. The clouds had drifted past, and the sky seemed to be free from horizon to horizon, which fact pleased the Broncho Rider Boys not a little. There is always more or less danger of a nasty spill when galloping over the prairie in pitch darkness, for no one can tell when a prairie dog village may be encountered; and if a pony sets his foot in one of their burrows the chances are he will go down in a heap, possibly with a broken leg; and his rider may account himself lucky if he escapes a similar fate, or gets his neck broken in addition.

Billie in particular was always worried when circumstances compelled them to ride in the dark. He declared that, not being nimble like his comrades, and spry enough to play the cat act so as to land on his hands and feet, a tumble was apt to go much harder with him; and perhaps there was good reason for this feeling of uneasiness on Billie's part. At any rate his chums were always willing to cater to his wishes in the matter, when it could be reasonably done.

But now that smiling moon made the fat boy feel quite at his ease.

As soon as they were clear of the trees Donald headed directly southwest, for that was the direction taken by the stampeded herd. Looking down he could easily discover where their hoofs had torn up the soil of the prairie; and as long as the friendly light from above held out, the ranch boy believed that he could follow that plain trail, even though they heard no sound from ahead to give them pointers as to where the cattle had gone.

He and Adrian rode side by side, so that from time to time they could exchange sentences. Billie on the other hand was quite willing to bring up the rear. He was accustomed to "taking other people's dust," as he himself frankly admitted, and did not object seriously to such a thing.

So far as he could discover Jupiter was feeling all right again after his rest, and offered no objection to keeping up the swift pace set by the others.

"Of course after we begin to haul up on them," said Donald, presently, "we'll cut down the pace more or less, so they won't get wind of our being around."

"I wonder what sort of luck we'll have," Adrian was saying, showing that he had been trying to figure things out in his mind. "Of course I take it for granted that we'll come up with the rustlers; but it's another thing to get them off their guard, so we can make them prisoners, and take the cattle away with us."

"Yes, that's so," assented Donald, "but you never know what you can do till you make a try; and we've carried out a few jobs on our own hook, you and me, Adrian, if you stop to think."

"As big as this one seems to be, for a fact, Donald," agreed the other, brightening up under the inspiring remarks of his chum, just as Donald supposed would be the case.

"Of course, Ad, we can't lay any plans till we see how the ground lies," the other went on to say; "after they've got the cattle quieted down I reckon those rustler fellows will take things easy. They've run matters with such a free hand up around here so long now, that they just can't imagine anybody daring to interfere with their business."

"Yes," added Adrian, "and perhaps if they were held up and asked to give an account of the cattle they were running off they'd have the nerve to say they'd even _bought_ them from Fred Comstock at the Bar-S Ranch; and refer the questioners to the lady who has taken the whip hand up at my place. Oh! it's all a mighty clever game, I can see that plain enough; only it's a case of 'heads they win, tails I lose.' I'm on the wrong side of the fence every time. But something told me I ought to be wandering up this way; and say, Donald, it's lucky now I didn't write to Uncle Fred, and give him the least hint about my plans?"

"Luck is no name for it!" exclaimed the other; "it was the finest thing ever happened to you, Adrian. And let me tell you, I feel it in my bones right now that we're going to kick up a dickens of a row up here by coming just when these same Walkers are playing one of their periodical little sneak games."

"Perhaps you're right, Donald; I hope so, anyhow."

"It's my impression," continued the other, "that all the ranchers around here need is for some one to take the bit between their teeth and play leader, when they'll all jump in, and join in the hunt. These Walkers appear to have terrorized the lot so that every man is afraid to have it known he means to take a stand against the hard crowd. That's the idea I got from what that puncher said to us yesterday afternoon."

"But my uncle used to be the leading spirit around here; they all looked to him to do things when there was any need," remonstrated Adrian.

"Oh, shucks!" laughed Donald, "I've seen men that were great hands to boast, and even do things when among their kind, knuckle down, and cringe when they heard their wives speak. And your uncle must have caught a Tartar when he married that Walker widow."

They had already covered several miles, and were going strong at the time these few remarks were exchanged between the chums. Every now and then one of the two who were in the lead would glance over his shoulder to make sure that Billie had not been left far behind; and the fat chum on such occasions would sing out reassuring words, or else wave a hand at his comrade.

As yet they had not caught even the distant sound of the retreating herd. This might be accounted for in any one of several ways; the cattle had possibly gone further than even Donald surmised; or else they had already been brought to a stand by the rustlers, the flight having reached a section of the country suited to their plans, and doubtless often used for the same purposes as were intended at the present time.

When they chanced upon a bit of soft ground where the thud of their ponies' hoofs was for the time being stilled almost completely, Donald strained his hearing in the hope of catching some indication from ahead that would be encouraging.

And Adrian, hearing him give utterance to an ejaculation, jumped to the conclusion that he had been in a measure successful.

"Get it, Donald?" he called out, eagerly.

"Just what I do," came the immediate answer, in a tone of triumph; "and from the indications I reckon the cattle are about used up, so far as running goes. If you listen right smart you can hear the rustlers urging them on, which shows they haven't yet got to where they mean to stop, though it must be close by, I feel sure!"