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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..3eed720 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #53666 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/53666) diff --git a/old/53666-0.txt b/old/53666-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index c9976dc..0000000 --- a/old/53666-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,8072 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of George in Camp, by Harry Castlemon - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: George in Camp - or Life on the Plains - -Author: Harry Castlemon - -Release Date: December 4, 2016 [EBook #53666] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GEORGE IN CAMP *** - - - - -Produced by Richard Tonsing, David Edwards and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - -[Illustration: SHOOTING THE CATTLE.] - - - - - _ROUGHING IT SERIES._ - - - - - GEORGE IN CAMP: - OR, - LIFE ON THE PLAINS. - - - BY HARRY CASTLEMON, - - AUTHOR OF “THE GUNBOAT SERIES,” “THE FRANK NELSON SERIES,” “THE BOY - TRAPPER SERIES,” &C. - -[Illustration] - - PHILADELPHIA: - - PORTER & COATES. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - FAMOUS CASTLEMON BOOKS. - - - =GUNBOAT SERIES.= By HARRY CASTLEMON. Illustrated. 6 vols. 16mo. - Cloth, extra, black and gold. - - FRANK THE YOUNG NATURALIST. FRANK ON A GUNBOAT. FRANK IN THE - WOODS. FRANK BEFORE VICKSBURG. FRANK ON THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI. - FRANK ON THE PRAIRIE. - - =ROCKY MOUNTAIN SERIES.= By HARRY CASTLEMON. Illustrated. 3 vols. - 16mo. Cloth, extra, black and gold. - - FRANK AMONG THE RANCHEROS. - FRANK AT DON CARLOS’ RANCHO. - FRANK IN THE MOUNTAINS. - - =SPORTSMAN’S CLUB SERIES.= By HARRY CASTLEMON. Illustrated. 3 vols. - 16mo. Cloth, extra, black and gold. - - THE SPORTSMAN’S CLUB IN THE SADDLE. - THE SPORTSMAN’S CLUB AFLOAT. - THE SPORTSMAN’S CLUB AMONG THE TRAPPERS. - - =GO-AHEAD SERIES.= By HARRY CASTLEMON. Illustrated. 3 vols. 16mo. - Cloth, extra, black and gold. - - TOM NEWCOMBE. GO-AHEAD. NO MOSS. - - =FRANK NELSON SERIES.= By HARRY CASTLEMON. Illustrated. 3 vols. - 16mo. Cloth, extra, black and gold. - - SNOWED UP. FRANK IN THE FORECASTLE. BOY TRADERS. - - =BOY TRAPPER SERIES.= By HARRY CASTLEMON. Illustrated. 3 vols. 16mo. - Cloth, extra, black and gold. - - THE BURIED TREASURE; OR, OLD JORDAN’S HAUNT. - THE BOY TRAPPER; OR, HOW DAVE FILLED THE ORDER. - THE MAIL-CARRIER. - - =ROUGHING IT SERIES.= By HARRY CASTLEMON. Illustrated. 16mo. Cloth, - extra, black and gold. - - GEORGE IN CAMP. - - _Other Volumes in Preparation._ - - - - - Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1879, by - - PORTER & COATES, - - In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CONTENTS. - - - CHAPTER I. - - Among the Texans Page 5 - - CHAPTER II. - - A Neighborhood Row 19 - - CHAPTER III. - - Ned’s Experience in Camp 30 - - CHAPTER IV. - - A Discontented Boy 49 - - CHAPTER V. - - The Clerk’s Ruse 70 - - CHAPTER VI. - - A Frontier Hotel 87 - - CHAPTER VII. - - Zeke’s Letter 109 - - CHAPTER VIII. - - Ned’s New Horse 128 - - CHAPTER IX. - - A Visit from the Raiders 150 - - CHAPTER X. - - The Two Friends 172 - - CHAPTER XI. - - Gus Hears from Home 192 - - CHAPTER XII. - - A Narrow Escape 215 - - CHAPTER XIII. - - George has Company 236 - - CHAPTER XIV. - - Good and Bad News 257 - - CHAPTER XV. - - What Happened at the Rancho 282 - - CHAPTER XVI. - - Caught at Last! 304 - - CHAPTER XVII. - - Conclusion 325 - - - - - GEORGE IN CAMP; - - OR, - - LIFE ON THE PLAINS. - - - - - CHAPTER I. - AMONG THE TEXANS. - - -“I don’t like the way things are going at all, and I just wish those two -people were back where they came from. They have turned the ranche -upside down since they have been here, and now I begin to feel as though -they were the masters, and that I have no more rights than a tramp who -had dropped in to beg a night’s lodging!” - -The speaker, a sturdy, broad-shouldered youth, about fifteen years of -age, was sitting on the porch in front of the house in which he lived, -busily engaged in mending a broken bridle with an awl and a piece of -waxed-end. His name was George Ackerman, and he was one of the boys whom -we introduced to the notice of the reader in the concluding volume of -the “Boy Trapper Series,” and of whose adventures and exploits we -promised to say something more than we said then. We find him now at his -home in Texas, where he had been born, and where he had always lived, -with the exception of the two years he had passed in a distant city -attending school. He was dressed, as all the boys and men in that -country were dressed, for hard work; and he had done a good deal of it -during his comparatively short life—not because it was necessary, but -because he had been brought up to it. His father was very wealthy—no one -knew how many horses and cattle he owned—and he had left a property -worth between thirty and forty thousand dollars a year. - -If money is what makes people happy, one would suppose that George -Ackerman ought to be one of the happiest boys in the world; and so he -was, up to the time his only parent died, which was about a year and a -half previous to the beginning of our story. He had everything a boy -could possibly wish for—good health, a kind and indulgent father, a -comfortable and happy home, and all the other aids to complete happiness -so dear to the heart of most boys, and for which Bob Owens and Dan Evans -so impatiently longed—such as horses, dogs, jointed fish-poles and -breech-loading guns. He had made a start in business for himself, and -was thought by the boys of his acquaintance to be pretty well off in the -world. He began when he was only nine years old, by herding cattle for -his father at forty dollars a month, taking his pay in young stock which -he selected himself. These increased in numbers and value during the two -years he was away at school, and now he was the owner of three hundred -head of cattle which he had paid for by his own labor, and which he -could have sold any day for twenty dollars apiece. He had a herdsman of -his own and colts enough to mount all the cronies he had left at school, -and who had faithfully promised to visit him at no distant day in his -far-away home. It was two years and more since he parted from those same -cronies, and not one of them had ever been to see him. He never heard -from them now. His correspondents had dropped off, one after the other, -until he had not a single one remaining. His father was gone, too, and -poor George felt much as he would have felt if he had been dropped -suddenly on Robinson Crusoe’s lonely island, without even a man Friday -to keep him company. - -It is true, that there were plenty of people around him. His Uncle John -and Cousin Ned lived in the same house with him, and there were a score -or more of men, Americans and Mexicans, employed on the ranche as -house-servants and herdsmen. He had four playmates close at hand—that -is, two of them lived five miles east of him and the others eight miles -west—and they were jolly fellows and he liked to be in their company. -The time never hung heavily on his hands, for he was very industrious, -and could always find something useful to do; but still he was lonely -and homesick every hour in the day. The old house was not the same now -that it was during his father’s lifetime. Uncle John had built additions -to it, rearranged the inside of it to suit himself, and filled it with -the most expensive furniture, such as had never been seen in the wilds -of Texas before. - -Uncle John and his son, who dressed as fashionably now as they did when -they came from the States, and who took as much pains with their toilet -as a couple of city dandies would have done, were very much pleased with -the new order of things. They seemed to have been made for no other -purpose than to idle away their time on the luxurious sofas and -easy-chairs with which the old rancho was now so plentifully supplied; -but George, with his heavy cowhide boots, coarse clothing and -sun-browned face and hands, was sadly out of place among them. - -Uncle John Ackerman lived somewhere in the state of Ohio. He was a poor -man, and, up to the time of the death of his only brother, George’s -father, was obliged to work hard for his living. That sad event, which -brought so much sorrow and trouble to George, was the making of Uncle -John, for the time being. It took him and his scapegrace of a son from a -life of toil and placed them just where they had always wanted to be—in -a position to live without work. Uncle John was made his nephew’s -guardian and the executor of his brother’s will, and to him the property -was left in trust, to be cared for and managed for George until the -latter became of age, when it was to be turned over to him, less a -certain sum, which Uncle John was at liberty to keep in payment for his -services. If George died before reaching his majority, Ned Ackerman, -Uncle John’s son, was to be the heir. - -As soon as the terms of the will were made known, Uncle John and Ned -hastened to Texas, and took up their abode at the rancho. At first, -everything passed off smoothly. George could see nothing to admire in -either one of his relatives, whom he had met but once before; but still -he did not absolutely dislike them, until Ned began to show, both by -words and actions, that he considered himself the lawful master of the -ranche and everything belonging to it, and that George had no rights -that he or his father were bound to respect. One change after another -was introduced, in spite of all the rightful owner could say or do to -prevent it, until at last the old house was so changed in appearance, -both inside and out, that George could hardly recognise it as his home. -Then he grew angry and almost made up his mind that he would strike out -for himself, and live on the prairie, with his cattle and his herdsman, -as a good many of the early settlers had done before him. - -But the fact that his cousin Ned was gradually crowding him to the wall, -and usurping the place that George himself ought to have held in the -house, was not the only thing that troubled the young rancheman. That -was bad enough, but it was accompanied by something worse. If he was -snubbed and kept in the background by his relatives while at home, he -was treated but little, if any, better by the people, both young and -old, who lived in the settlement, and that was what hurt him. He was -acquainted with almost every farmer and rancheman in the county, and, -until lately, he had always been very popular among them; but when Uncle -John and his son arrived his troubles began. The neighbors would have -nothing whatever to do with the newcomers. They would not even notice -them when they met them on the highway, and it was not long before they -began to extend the same treatment to George himself. - -The young cattle-herder could not imagine what it was that caused this -change, until one day, while he was riding to Palos, to purchase some -supplies for himself and his hired man, he met one of his young friends, -who, instead of stopping to talk with him, as he usually did, simply -bowed and put spurs to his horse, as if he were in a hurry to pass by -him; but George reined his own nag across the trail and stopped him. - -“Now, Hank Short,” said he, “I want to know what you mean by such work -as this? What’s the reason that you and the other fellows never come to -see me any more, and that you take pains to pass me in this fashion? Do -you take me for a horse-thief?” - -This, according to a Texas boy’s way of thinking, was the worst term of -reproach that could be applied to anybody. In Nantucket, if they want to -convey the impression that a man is utterly detestable, they say he is -mean enough to “mix oil.” In Massachusetts, he will “rob a hen-roost,” -and in Texas, he will “steal horses.” - -“Everybody in the settlement seems to have gone back on me since my -father died,” said George, bitterly, “and I don’t know what to think of -it. Now, Hank, you can’t go by here until you tell me what I have done -to make all the folks angry at me. As soon as I know what it is, I will -try to make amends for it.” - -“You haven’t done anything,” was Hank’s reply. “We don’t take _you_ for -a horse-thief!” - -“Then why do you——Eh? You don’t take _me_ for a horse-thief! What do you -mean by that?” - -“Well, I—you know——” faltered Hank, “those northern relations of yours -sling on a good many frills, and folks who wear store clothes and boiled -shirts are not wanted in this country. We’re afraid of them.” - -“Whew!” whistled George. - -He looked steadily at his friend for a moment, then down at the ground, -and finally he reined his horse out of Hank’s path and went slowly on -his way toward Palos. It was all plain enough to him now. Uncle John and -Ned wore store clothes and boiled shirts, and the settlers took them for -horse-thieves and treated them accordingly. That was the English of it, -and George wondered why he, knowing the customs of the country and the -habits and opinions of the people as well as he did, had not been smart -enough to see it without asking any questions. This was what he thought -at first, and then he suddenly grew so angry that he could scarcely -control himself. He drew up his horse with a jerk, faced about in his -saddle and called after his friend. - -“Look here, Hank,” he shouted, shaking his fist in the air, “you may -tell those people who shun my relatives because they would rather wear -good clothes than shabby ones, and who go back on me because I live with -them—you can tell those people that we are just as good as they dare be -any day and just as honest!” - -“All right,” was Hank’s response. - -“And bear another thing in mind,” cried George, growing angrier every -minute, “and that is, I am boy enough to make you, or any fellow like -you, who says anything against them take back his words. I am going to -stand by them, no matter what happens.” - -“I haven’t said anything against them,” answered Hank. “I think too much -of you to do that. I’ll talk to you the next time I see you. Perhaps you -will be better natured then.” - -This reply completely disarmed George, who promptly turned about, -intending to ride up to his friend and take back every harsh word he had -uttered; but Hank touched his horse with his spurs as soon as he ceased -speaking, and was now almost out of earshot. So George was compelled to -face about again and go on his way toward Palos, without making things -straight with his friend. - -“Hank is a good fellow, that’s a fact,” said he to himself, “and I might -have known that he wouldn’t say a word that he thought would offend me. -But here’s one thing I can’t understand,” continued George, growing -angry again. “If the settlers don’t want anything to do with Uncle John -and Ned, is that any reason why they should give me the cold shoulder? -If they don’t want to come to our rancho, they might at least treat me -civilly when they meet me away from home. This is the strangest world I -ever saw or heard of. If I should walk into Foxboro’, where Uncle John -came from, with these clothes on, folks would look at me suspiciously, -lock their back doors and keep an eye on their smoke-houses. He and Ned -came into the country, dressed as I suppose all city folks dress, and -every body is down on them, and ready to take them for anything in the -world but an honest man and boy.” - -Yes, it is a fact that Uncle John and Ned had been received by the -settlers in about as cordial and friendly a manner as a couple of -ragged, ill-looking tramps would be received if they suddenly made their -appearance in the streets of some retired village in New England. It was -just the sort of reception that these rough frontiersmen always extend -to people of that stamp. This may seem like a strange statement, but it -is nevertheless true. If you want to be certain of it read the following -paragraphs, which have been condensed from a recently published book[1] -written by two men who have spent long years in the wilds of which we -write. - -Footnote 1: - - Two Thousand Miles in Texas on Horseback; by McDanield and Taylor. - -“The men who follow this business of stock raising are peculiar. They -are a stalwart, sinewy race, bronzed and bearded, and always go armed to -the teeth; but they wear their weapons just as other people wear coats -and vests, mainly because it is fashionable. A more peaceably-disposed -people I never saw; and they seem to vie with one another in hospitality -to the stranger. They are nearly all young or middle-aged men. To subdue -the wilderness and stand guard over the watch-towers of civilization, do -not belong to the old; and yet I see a few strong old men here whose -heads are as white as if a hundred winters had sprinkled their snows -upon them—old men youthful in everything except years. They are a sharp, -quick and intelligent people, and there are some who are evidently of -superior education. These are doubtless stray young gentlemen whom a -restless spirit of adventure decoyed from their homes in the old states, -finally stranding them on the shores of this far-away country. They are -appreciated here, for these rough frontiersmen dearly love to have -educated and sensible young men settle among them. But let no -pin-feather youth think that he can come here and be made a lion of at -once. A pretentious, foppish young fellow would be heavily discounted by -them, in spite of all his book learning and elegance of manner. He must -have a good store of common sense and understand how to adapt himself to -the situation. He must throw on no airs, for these frontiersmen are -nearly all men of as much sharpness of wit as boldness of heart. They -have seen a good deal of the world and quickly detect the spurious. The -newcomer must show a heart for honest, manly work, be companionable, -bear himself toward all respectfully and courteously, and he will soon -find that he has a noble army of friends around him who will always be -glad to advance him, and who will feel proud of him as one of -themselves. - -“I have often thought of my first appearance among those frontier people -with considerable amusement. When a boy, almost beardless and just from -the schools, I came on horseback to San Saba, wearing a nice silk hat, -carrying a silver-headed cane, and dressed as young gentlemen generally -dress in the best communities of the older states. The old frontiersmen -looked upon me with almost intolerable scorn, and there was some serious -talk of hanging me as a suspected horse-thief, for no other reason in -the world than because I was well-dressed, well-educated and decidedly -well-behaved, though rather a reserved young fellow. - -“One old chap, rough and bearded, and to my eye quite a monster in -appearance, actually talked of this within my hearing. The look of scorn -he cast upon me was sublime. I was quick to perceive the drift of -things; and as the Indians were then stealing and scalping at a great -rate, I threw aside my nice clothes, and silver-headed cane, put on a -rough suit and went Indian hunting with the frontiersmen, sleeping with -them in their houses, in the woods and on the prairie. They soon grew -fond of me, and I have never been in a country where I had so many warm -friends; but they never ceased to joke me about my three-story hat and -silver-headed cane. Had I not thrown aside these articles it is not at -all impossible that I might have been hanged.” - - * * * * * - -This was the kind of people among whom Uncle John and Ned lived now. - - - - - CHAPTER II. - A NEIGHBORHOOD ROW. - - -What was true of the people who lived in San Saba, during the days when -the incident we have just recorded happened, was equally true of the -people who lived in Palos and the surrounding country, at the time of -which we write. They were nearly all rich—there was hardly a man among -them who could tell how many horses and cattle bore his brand,—but every -man and boy of them kept busy at something, and strangers who came to -that country, and sported their fine clothes and did nothing, were -always objects of suspicion. All the settlers knew that Uncle John and -Ned were the brother and nephew of one of the most popular men who had -ever lived in the county, but that did not alter the facts of the case. -If the newcomers expected to be kindly received and hospitably treated, -they must come down from the high position they had assumed and act like -other folks. - -George mourned in secret over this disagreeable state of affairs, but he -knew that it could not be remedied in any way, unless his relatives -could be prevailed upon to conform to the customs of the people among -whom they lived. When he returned from Palos, after his interview with -Hank Short, he waited and watched for an opportunity to give them a -little advice, and one morning, at the breakfast-table, the chance was -presented. - -“I have always heard that Texans were a friendly and hospitable set of -people,” said Uncle John, as he pushed his chair away from the table; -“but I have learned that they are just the reverse. I have been among -them a good many months, and there hasn’t been a person here to see -me—not one.” - -“They’re a set of boors,” observed Ned. “You and I want nothing to do -with them, father. We must live entirely within ourselves, while we stay -here, and we’re able to do it.” - -“But they won’t let you,” said George. - -“They! Who?” demanded Ned. - -“The settlers about here.” - -“How are they going to help themselves, I’d like to know? Isn’t this a -free country?” - -“Yes, it’s a free country,” answered George, with a smile, “almost _too_ -free, you would think, if you had seen what I have. If you are going to -live among these people, you must be one of them.” - -Ned ran his eye over his cousin’s sturdy figure taking in at a glance -his copper-colored face, large, rough hands and coarse clothing, and -then he looked down at himself. - -“How must I do it?” he asked. - -“You must pull off that finery, the first thing you do,” was George’s -blunt reply. “Throw it away. It is of no use to you in this country.” - -“I found that out long ago,” sneered Ned. “These people look upon a red -shirt as a badge of respectability.” - -“And so it is, in one sense of the word,” returned George. “When you are -dressed for work, you are ready for it; and when people see you at work, -they know that you have an honest way of making a living. People who do -nothing are of no more use here in Texas, than they are in Ohio.” - -“That’s just what I have been trying to drum into his head ever since we -have been here,” said Uncle John, who had not been known to do a stroke -of work of any kind during the long months he had lived in the rancho. -“Go on and tell him what to do, George.” - -“It must be something that will bring me money,” chimed in Ned. “I -shan’t work for nothing.” - -“There are plenty of things that will bring you money,” replied George. -“You can rent a piece of ground, fence it in and go to farming; or you -can be a cattle or pig-raiser.” - -“Pig-raiser!” exclaimed Ned, in great disgust. - -“There’s money in it, I tell you. These post-oak belts that run across -the state, afford the finest pasturage in the world—hundreds of bushels -of acorns to the acre,—and all you would have to do would be to build -you a little hut in some place that suited you, and call up your pigs -twice a day and feed them a little corn, to keep them from straying away -and going wild. If you want to make money without work,” added George, -who knew very well that that was just what his cousin _did_ want, “you -can’t select a better business.” - -“I’m not going to live among pigs!” declared Ned, emphatically. “That’s -settled. If I had a herd of cattle like yours, I might take some -interest in it.” - -“You can get it, if you are willing to work for it, as I did.” - -“That would take too long. If I go into any business, it must be -something that will yield me immediate returns. I think the easiest -thing I could do would be to put in fifty or a hundred acres of wheat. -That is a crop that will require the least work.” - -“Well, there is land enough at your disposal,” said George. “There are -ten thousand acres in this ranche. But where are you going to get the -money to fence your field?” - -“I don’t see why I should fence it at all. Our own cattle (Ned and his -father always spoke of the ranche, and everything belonging to it, as -though it were their own property) will not trouble it, for I shall tell -the herders to keep them at a distance.” - -“But they couldn’t always do it. Besides, suppose some of the neighbors’ -cattle should stray away from the herdsmen and trespass on your field: -what would you do?” - -“I should tell those neighbors, whoever they were, to keep their cattle -at home; and if they didn’t do it, I should watch my field and shoot the -first steer that came into it. That thing has been done in this -country.” - -“Yes, it has,” returned George, “and what was the consequence?” - -“O, it created a neighborhood row, I believe,” answered Ned, -indifferently. - -“It certainly did; and you would never want to live through another if -you had lived through that one. You will need a fence around your field, -and it must be high and strong, too; and if anybody’s cattle break in, -as they will, most likely, no matter how good your fence may be, you -mustn’t take satisfaction by shooting them.” - -“You’ll see whether I will or not. If I can raise a fuss as easily as -that, I’ll do it. The people here seem to think that I’m a nobody, but -they will find that they are very badly mistaken. I can draw a trigger -as well as the next man.” - -“I hope you won’t draw it on anybody’s cattle,” said George, earnestly. -“If you do, you’ll set the whole settlement together by the ears. I’ve -seen one ‘neighborhood row,’ as you call it, and I never want to see -another. I can remember, for it was not so very long ago, when my father -did not dare go to the door after dark for fear that there might be -somebody lying in wait to shoot him. I can remember when I used to lie -awake night after night with my head under the bed clothes, starting at -every sound, and expecting every minute to hear the crackling of flames, -and to rush out to find the house surrounded by armed men, who would -shoot us down as fast as we came out. That very thing was threatened -more than once. You don’t know anything about it, for you were not here -at the time; but I do, and I—Whew!” exclaimed George, pushing his chair -away from the table and drawing his hand across his forehead, at the -same time shuddering all over as he recalled to mind some of the -thrilling scenes through which he had passed during those days and -nights of horror. “If you are going to bring those times back to us you -had better make arrangements to leave here at once, for the country will -be too hot to hold you.” - -There had indeed been troublous days in Miller county a few months -previous to the beginning of our story. In the first place the county -was settled by men who devoted themselves exclusively to raising cattle -and horses for market. Some of them purchased land, but the majority did -not own an acre. They lived in the saddle, slept in the open air the -year round and subsisted principally upon the game that fell to their -rifles. They followed their herds wherever they went, and the raising of -them never cost their owners a dollar, for the prairie afforded abundant -pasturage and was free to any one who might choose to occupy it. In -process of time other settlers came in, some turning their attention to -stock raising, while the others purchased farms from the government, -surrounded them with fences to keep their neighbors’ cattle from -trespassing on them, and put in crops. - -Unfortunately ill-feeling existed between these two classes of men, the -farmers and the ranchemen, almost from the very first. The latter did -not want the farmers there for the reason that every farm that was -fenced in took away just so many acres of their pasture; and the farmers -declared that the ranchemen were a nuisance and ought to be driven out -of the country, because their cattle broke through the fences and -destroyed the crops that had cost so much labor. - -These feelings of hostility grew stronger as the farmers increased in -numbers, and the ranchemen saw their limits growing smaller every year, -and the rich pastures they had so long occupied being turned up by the -plough. The fences that were hastily erected by the farmers were not -strong enough to keep out the half-wild cattle which roamed the -unoccupied territory, and when one of these immense herds gained access -to a cultivated field they made sad work with it. Whenever this happened -the farmers sued the owners of the cattle in the courts for damages; and -as they were by this time largely in the majority and could control the -juries, they always gained their cause. - -This made the stockmen very angry, and they had recourse to a law of -their own—that of force. They drove off cattle belonging to the farmers, -sold them and divided the proceeds among themselves. The farmers took -revenge by shooting the cattle that broke into their fields; the -ranchemen retaliated by shooting the farmers; and this led to a reign of -terror of which our readers may have some very faint conception if they -chanced to live in Chicago, Pittsburgh, Buffalo or Baltimore during the -riots that took place in July 1877. - -Things very soon came to such a pass that no man went abroad, even in -the day time, unless he was loaded with weapons, and even then he -expected to be bushwhacked by some angry neighbor. Every house was -converted into a little fortress, and people were very careful how they -ventured out of doors after dark, or showed themselves in front of a -window opening into a lighted room. - -This state of affairs might have continued until the present day, or -until the thinly-settled county was entirely depopulated, had it not -been for the interference of some lawless men who lived just over the -border. One dark night, a party of Mexicans, headed by renegade -Americans, made a raid across the Rio Grande and drove off a thousand -head of cattle and horses. The robbers were so delighted with their -success that they came again and again, and the settlers, being divided -against themselves, could do nothing to protect their property. This -brought them to their senses, as nothing else could have done. Advances -and concessions were made on both sides; old differences were forgotten; -the farmers repaired their dilapidated fences; the stock-raisers -employed extra herdsmen to keep their cattle within bounds; and a -company of Rangers was promptly organized, composed of the very men who -had been bushwhacking one another for months. - -The Mexican raiders did not come again immediately, for their spies told -them of the preparations that had been made to receive them; and when at -last all fears of another visit from them had passed away, the company -which the settlers had called together for mutual protection ceased to -exist as an organization. But it had served more than one good purpose. -It had not only compelled the raiders to remain on their own side of the -river, but it had brought the stockmen and farmers into intimate -relations with one another, and led to the determination on the part of -all of them that the cause of their troubles should be carefully avoided -in the future. - -Since that time Miller county had been one of the quietest and most -orderly portions of the state. Peace and plenty reigned, and the farmers -and stockmen were the firmest of friends. But now it appeared that a -vindictive boy, who was too lazy to win a name for himself in any -honorable way, was willing and even eager to put an end to this happy -state of affairs just because he wanted the settlers to notice him—to -see that he was not a nobody. The shooting of a single steer that had -broken into a farmer’s field would have been like throwing a blazing -fire-brand upon a dry prairie while the wind was blowing a gale. George -was frightened at the bare thought of such a thing. - - - - - CHAPTER III. - NED’S EXPERIENCE IN CAMP. - - -It was plain enough to George that Ned wanted to take satisfaction out -of the settlers for their refusal to notice him and make much of him, as -he seemed to think they ought to have done. He said all he could to -induce him to give up the idea, but Ned was stubborn, and George finally -abandoned the attempt in despair, hoping that when the trouble came, as -it certainly would come if Ned held to his resolution, he could in some -way protect him from the consequences of his folly. - -“I can at least guide him out of the country, for it will not be safe -for him to stay here,” thought George. “Uncle John will go, too, if he -is wise; but I shall have to remain and shoulder the whole of it.” - -The conversation recorded in the preceding chapter was but one of the -many Ned had with his father and cousin on the subject of farming, and -the result was that the following winter saw him the owner, for the time -being, of fifty acres of rich bottom land, which had been fenced and -planted to wheat. By the terms of the contract made with his father in -George’s hearing, Ned was to pay the same rent for the ground that he -would have had to pay had he leased it from an entire stranger. “You -know the ranche doesn’t belong to me,” said Uncle John. “I am managing -it for George’s benefit, and must make all the money I can for him. You -ought to clear a nice little sum by your venture, and can afford to pay -the usual rent.” - -“O, I’ll pay it after my crop is sold; that is, if I feel like it,” said -Ned to himself. “George has money enough already. A boy who owns six -thousand dollars’ worth of stock ought to be willing to allow his only -cousin the free use of fifty acres of land. I shall have need of every -red cent I make.” - -Ned, who was extravagantly fond of company and pleasure, could hardly -endure the lonely life he was compelled to lead. He hoped that as soon -as it became known throughout the settlement that he had made up his -mind to go to work, he would be in a fair way to gain the favor of the -people; and perhaps he would, if he had gone about it in the right way. -He laid aside the objectionable broadcloth suit and white shirt, it is -true, and put on what he called “working clothes;” but they were more -gorgeous than any that had ever been seen in that part of Texas before -outside of an illustrated story paper. His boots were expensive -Wellingtons, and were made of patent leather, too. He wore gray corduroy -trowsers, a fawnskin vest, a finely-dressed buckskin coat, with silver -buttons, and a Mexican sombrero ornamented with gold cord and tassels. -It was a “nobby” suit, to quote from its delighted owner, and must have -astonished the natives, if one might judge by the way they stared at him -when they met him on the trail; but it did not bring him any more -company than he had always had. - -Ned led a lonely and discontented life all that winter. There were no -boys with whom he could associate except his cousin, and Ned had come to -the conclusion that he would much rather be alone than in George’s -company. The latter did not suit him at all. He was much too -industrious. He was in camp with his herdsman more than half the time, -and when he was at home he was always busy. Ned had expected to see -unbounded pleasure in living on the prairie and sleeping in the open -air, as his cousin did more than six months in the year, and once he had -spent two weeks with him in camp; but that was his first and last -experience in cattle-herding, and as it was not at all to his liking, we -must stop long enough to say something about it. This is a story of camp -life, you know. - -Ned had not been away from the ranche more than three days before he -found, to his great surprise and disappointment, that life in the open -air was not what his lively imagination had pictured it. Many a boy has -been deceived on this point, just as others have been deceived in -looking upon the life of a sailor as one of ease and romance. Ned -thought that those who lived in camp had nothing to do but sit on the -grass, under the spreading branches of some friendly tree, and dream -away the days which would be all sunshine; and that when they grew -hungry, some fat black-tail or antelope would walk up within easy range -of their rifles just on purpose to be shot. The nights would be mild and -pleasant, the fire would somehow keep itself burning all the time, -whether the necessary fuel was supplied or not, and cook his meals for -him without any care or exertion on his part. But one short week’s -experience banished all these absurd ideas, and taught him what a -cattle-herder’s camp-life really was. It was one of almost constant -drudgery and toil. George had three hundred cattle to watch, and as he -had only one herdsman to assist him, he was kept busy from morning until -night. He and Zeke (that was the name of his herdsman, of whom we shall -have a good deal to say by and by), were up and doing long before the -sun arose, and while one cooked the breakfast and performed the -necessary camp-duties, the other drove the cattle out to pasture and -watched them to see that they didn’t stray away. - -Ned, being inexperienced, and an invited guest beside, was not expected -to do anything except to eat his share of the rations, and enjoy himself -as well as he could. Sometimes he went out with the cattle-herder, and -then he stayed with the camp-keeper; but he soon grew tired of both of -them and of their way of life, too. George knew but little about the -city and cared less. He took no interest whatever in his cousin’s -glowing descriptions of the numerous “scrapes” he had been in, and -neither did Zeke, who bluntly told him that he might have been in better -business. Ned, on the other hand, cared nothing for the things in which -George and Zeke were interested, so there was little they could talk -about. - -But there was plenty of hunting, and in this way Ned passed a portion of -each day. He had no luck, however, for he never saw anything in the -shape of game larger than Jack rabbits, and he never bagged one of them. -The only thing he brought back to camp with him from these hunting -excursions was a ravenous appetite, and he had to satisfy it with fried -bacon, hard corn-cakes and coffee without any milk. The juicy venison -steaks and other luxuries he had expected to fatten on were never served -up to him. It rained, too, sometimes, and Ned could find no shelter -under the dripping trees. There was no fun at all in going to bed in wet -clothes, and Ned always shuddered and wished himself safe at the rancho -when his cousin said to him, as he did almost every night— - -“Don’t forget your lasso. The rattlers are tolerable plenty about here.” - -Ned knew that, for he had seen two or three of them killed in the camp. -George had told him that the neighborhood of a fire was a bad place for -rattlesnakes, and Ned could hardly bring himself to believe that his -hair lasso, laid down in a coil about the place where he made his bed, -was a sure protection against these dangerous visitors. - -A few days before he went home, Ned had an experience such as he had -never had before, and which he fervently hoped would never be repeated. -On this particular day he went out with George, whose turn it was to -watch the cattle. He soon grew tired of talking to him, so he mounted -his horse and set out in search of antelopes, which, so his cousin told -him, were often seen in that neighborhood. He rode slowly in a circle -around the place where the cattle were feeding, at distances varying -from a half to three-quarters of a mile from them (there was small -chance of finding an antelope so close to the herd, but Ned dared not go -any farther away for fear of the Apaches, concerning whom he had heard -some dreadful stories told by Zeke the night before), and he had been -gone about an hour when he was suddenly startled by hearing the faint -report of a rifle. Turning his eyes quickly in the direction from which -the report sounded, he saw his cousin sitting in his saddle, and waving -his hat frantically in the air. When he found that the sound of his -rifle had attracted Ned’s attention, he beckoned him to approach. - -“What’s up, I wonder?” thought Ned, not a little alarmed. “George must -have shot at something, for I saw the smoke curling above his head. Are -the Mexicans or Apaches about to make a raid on us?” - -Ned, who had drawn rein on the summit of a high swell, looked all around -but could see no signs of any horsemen. He did see something to increase -his alarm, however. He saw that the cattle, which were quietly grazing -the last time he looked toward them, were now all in motion, and that -they were hurrying toward the belt of post-oaks in which the camp was -located. That was enough for Ned. He put his horse into a gallop and -hastened to join his cousin, who now and then beckoned to him with both -hands as if urging him to ride faster. - -“What’s the matter?” shouted Ned, as soon as he arrived within speaking -distance of George. “Raiders?” - -“O no! We’re going to have a norther, and if there should happen to be -rain with it we don’t want it to catch us out here on the prairie.” - -“Is that all?” exclaimed Ned, somewhat impatiently. “That’s a pretty -excuse for frightening a fellow half to death, isn’t it? I thought -something was going to happen.” - -“Something is going to happen!” replied George. - -“You seem to have grown very much afraid of the rain lately,” continued -Ned. “It was only a day or two ago that you stood out in a hard shower, -and never seemed to care for it.” - -“Yes; but if we have rain now, it will be a different sort, as you will -find.” - -“I don’t see any signs of it yet,” said Ned, looking up at the sky. “I -hope it will cool the air a little,” he added, a moment later, pulling -off his hat and drawing his handkerchief across his face, which was very -much flushed, “for I am almost roasted. I declare, I must have ridden -fast. Just see how my horse sweats!” - -“Mine sweats just as badly,” replied George, “and he has been staked out -ever since you have been gone.” - -Ned looked at his cousin’s horse, then glanced at his own, and was very -much surprised at what he saw. Both animals were wet with perspiration, -and stood with their heads down and their sides heaving, as if they had -been ridden long and rapidly. There was not a breath of air stirring, as -Ned found, when he came to look about him. The atmosphere was close and -oppressive, and filled with a thick haze, which seemed to magnify every -object within the range of his vision, and overhead, the sun rode in a -cloudless sky, sending down his beams with fearful intensity. - -“Whew!” panted Ned. He dropped his reins, hung his rifle upon the horn -of his saddle, peeled off his coat, vest and neck-tie, and threw open -the collar of his shirt. “_Whew!_” he gasped. “We shall be overcome with -the heat before we can reach the timber. I had no idea it was so hot! I -don’t see how you can stand it, with those thick clothes on.” - -“I am pretty warm now, that’s a fact; but I shall be cool enough by and -by, and so will you!” - -While the boys were talking in this way, they were riding toward the -post-oaks, which were now about a mile and a half distant. The sun’s -rays seemed to grow hotter with every step of the way, and the -atmosphere to become more stifling, until at last Ned would gladly have -welcomed a hurricane or an earthquake, if it would have brought him any -relief from his sufferings. Finally, a small, dark-colored cloud -appeared in the horizon, rising into view with wonderful rapidity, -spreading itself over the sky and shooting out great, black arms before -it, until it looked like a gigantic spider. Then the first breath of the -on-coming norther began to ruffle the grass, whereupon George faced -about in his saddle, and began unfastening a bundle, in which he carried -his rubber poncho and heavy overcoat, while Ned pulled off his hat again -and turned his shirt-collar farther back. - -“Aha!” exclaimed the latter, with a great sigh of relief. “Isn’t that a -delightful breeze? What are you going to do?” - -“I am going to bundle up,” was George’s reply, “and if you will take my -advice, you will do the same. You see——” - -“O, let it rain!” exclaimed Ned, without waiting to hear what else his -cousin had to say. “It will be most refreshing, after such a roasting as -we have had!” - -George said no more, for he had been snubbed every time he tried to give -his city relative any advice, and he had long ago resolved that he would -not willingly give him a chance to snub him again. We ought also to say -that there was another reason why George kept silent. A Texan takes -unbounded delight in seeing a greenhorn caught out in a norther. It is -so very different from any storm he ever saw before, and his -astonishment is so overwhelming! George opened his bundle, put on his -overcoat, threw his poncho over that and drew on a pair of heavy gloves. -He looked as if he were preparing to face a snow-storm. - -All this while the norther had been steadily, but almost imperceptibly, -increasing in force, and now, without any further warning, it burst -forth in all its fury, and the roar of the wind sounded like the rumble -of an approaching express train. - -“Whew!” exclaimed Ned, suddenly; “how it blows and how fearfully cold it -is!” - -As he said this he drew his collar together and hastily put on his vest -and coat; but when he tried to button the coat his fingers were so -benumbed that he was almost helpless. - -“Why, I’m freezing,” gasped Ned, as his cousin rode up beside him and -offered his assistance. - -“O, no!” answered George, cheerfully. “No one was ever known to freeze -to death or even to take cold from exposure to a norther. You’ll be all -right as soon as you get to a fire.” - -“I never saw such a country,” said Ned, as plainly as his chattering -teeth would permit. “Summer and winter all in one day.” - -“Yes, in less than a quarter of an hour,” said George, who was busy -untying the bundle Ned carried behind his saddle. “The thermometer has -been known to fall sixty degrees almost instantly.” - -George took his cousin’s overcoat and gloves out of the bundle, but -after they were put on they did not seem to afford the wearer the least -protection from the bitter blast which came stronger and stronger every -moment, and chilled him to the very marrow. It could not have been -colder if it had come off the icebergs within the Arctic circle. It -seemed to blister the skin wherever it touched, and was so cutting and -keen that the boys could not keep their faces toward it. Even the horses -began to grow restive under it, and it was all their riders could do to -control them. - -“O, I shall never see home again!” cried Ned, who was terribly alarmed. -“I shall freeze to death right here. I _can’t_ stand it!” - -“You can and you must,” shouted George, as he seized his cousin’s horse -by the bridle. “Now, pull your hat down over your face, throw yourself -forward in the saddle, and hang on for life. I’ll take care of you.” - -An instant afterward Ned was being carried over the prairie with all the -speed his horse could be induced to put forth. He did not know which way -he was going, for he dared not look up to see. He sat with his hat over -his face, his head bowed over to his horse’s neck, and his hands twisted -in the animal’s mane, while George sat up, braving it all and leading -him to a place of refuge. - -It seemed to Ned that they were a very long time in reaching the timber, -and that he should certainly freeze to death before that mile and a half -of prairie could be crossed; but he didn’t, and neither did he afterward -feel any bad effects from what he suffered during his cold ride. He -found that Zeke, having been warned by signs he could easily read that -the norther was coming, had moved the camp to a more sheltered locality, -and that he had a roaring fire going and a pot of hot coffee on the -coals. Ned drank a good share of that hot coffee, and forgot to grumble -over it, as he usually did. George showed him the way home as soon as -the storm abated, and there Ned resolved to stay, having fully made up -his mind that there was no fun to be seen in camp-life. - -Ned was more lonely and discontented than ever after that. It was harder -work to pass the days in doing nothing than it was to stand behind a -counter, selling dry-goods; and that was what he had done before he came -to Texas. There was literally no way in which he could enjoy himself. -Books, which were his cousin’s delight, Ned did not care for; there was -not game enough in the country to pay for the trouble of hunting for it; -the boys in the settlement were a lot of boors, who would not notice -him, because he was so far above them; and all Ned could do was to spend -the day in loitering about the house, with his hands in his pockets. - -“If I only had some of the jolly fellows here that I used to run with in -Foxboro’!” said Ned to himself, one day, after he had spent an hour or -two in wandering from room to room, in the vain hope of finding -something to interest him. “Wouldn’t we turn this old house upside down! -They all promised to come and see me, but I know they won’t do it, for -they’ll never be able to save money enough to pay their fare. If I ever -see them, I shall have to send them the money to bring them here, and -I——Well, now, why couldn’t I do that? It’s a splendid idea!” - -Ned, all life and animation now, hurried to his room to act upon his -splendid idea, while it was yet fresh in his mind. He wrote a long -letter to one of the cronies, Gus Robbins by name, whom he had left -behind in Foxboro’, giving a glowing description of his new home, -recounting, at great length, a thrilling hunting adventure he had heard -from the lips of George’s herdsman, and of which he made himself the -hero, instead of Zeke, and wound up by urging Gus and his brother to -come on and pay him a long visit. - -“You must not refuse,” Ned wrote. “If money is what you need, let me -know, and I will send you enough to foot all your bills. I am rich now, -and can afford to do it. Your father ought to be willing to give you a -short vacation, after you have worked so hard in the store.” - -The letter was mailed in due time, and Ned impatiently counted the days -that must elapse before an answer could arrive. It came at last, and Ned -almost danced with delight when he read it. We copy one paragraph in it, -just to show what kind of a boy he was whom Ned had invited to his -house. We shall meet him very shortly, and be in his company a good -deal, and one always likes to know something about a fellow before he is -introduced to him. The paragraph referred to ran as follows:— - - * * * * * - -“You must be having jolly times down there, and since I read your letter -I have been more than ever dissatisfied with the store. I should be only -too glad to visit you, and the want of money is the only thing that -stands in my way. It is all that has kept me in Foxboro’ so long. In -regard to the governor’s giving me a holiday—I shall not ask him for it, -for he would be sure to say ‘No;’ and neither can I write you anything -definite about my brother. He is getting to be a regular old -sober-sides, and if I am going down there, I would rather he would stay -at home.” - - * * * * * - -The rest of the letter was taken up by the writer in trying to make Ned -understand that Gus had fully resolved to visit Texas, and that he -should be very much disappointed, if anything happened to keep him at -home. He did not say this in so many words, but Ned was smart enough to -see that he meant it all the same. - -“He shall come,” said Ned, as he folded up the letter and hurried off to -find his father. “And I hope he will come alone, for if his brother is -getting to be a milk-sop, we don’t want him down here. Now, the next -thing is to make father hand over the money.” - -This was a task Ned had been dreading ever since he wrote the -invitation; but he went about it with an air which said plainly enough -that he knew he should succeed. Uncle John objected rather feebly, at -first, and said he wasn’t sure that he had any right to spend George’s -money in that way; but Ned had an answer to every objection, and stuck -to his point until he gained it. - -“You mustn’t forget that I may own this property myself some day,” said -he. “If George does not live until he is of age, everything falls to me. -If that should ever happen, you would think me awful stingy if I should -refuse you a paltry hundred dollars.” - -Ned certainly talked very glibly about spending his cousin’s money. He -had seen the time when, if he chanced to have a hundred cents in his -pocket, over and above what his debts amounted to, he considered himself -lucky. It was not a paltry sum in his eyes, by any means. - -After a little more argument, Ned got a check for the money he wanted, -made payable to the order of Gus Robbins. After that he wrote a letter -to his friend urging him to come on immediately, put the check into it -and mailed it at the first opportunity. Then he was in a fever of -excitement and suspense, and wondered if it would be possible for him to -live until his friend arrived. He judged that Gus intended to leave home -without his father’s knowledge or consent, but Ned did not care for -that. Perhaps he would do the same thing himself under like -circumstances. True, he often asked himself how Gus could ever muster up -courage enough to go home again after doing a thing of that kind, but he -always let the question pass with the reflection that it was none of his -business. It was a matter that Gus must settle for himself. He waited -impatiently for his friend’s coming, little dreaming that his appearance -at the rancho would be the signal for the beginning of a series of -scrapes and adventures that would put the whole settlement into a -turmoil. - - - - - CHAPTER IV. - A DISCONTENTED BOY. - - -“I do think that if there is a mean business in the world, I am engaged -in it.” - -Gus Robbins suspended for a moment the work of folding up the numerous -bolts of calico he had taken down from the shelves for the inspection of -a customer who had just departed without purchasing anything, and -leaning on the counter, gazed longingly through the glass door into the -street. It was a bright winter day. The sleighing was excellent, and the -principal thoroughfare of the thriving little city of Foxboro’ was -filled with sleighs which dashed by in both directions, carrying loads -of gay pleasure-seekers, all of whom, Gus noticed with no little -bitterness of heart, seemed to be enjoying themselves to the fullest -extent. It was just before the holidays, and everybody seemed to be -making unusual preparations for them. The store was filled with -customers almost all the time, and Gus had stood in his place behind the -counter, and taken down and put up bales of goods until he was almost -tired out, and completely disgusted with the store and everything -belonging to it. Just now there was a little lull in business, and Gus -had a few minutes to himself. He improved them, as he generally improved -his moments of leisure, by growling over his hard lot in life, and -drawing a contrast between his own situation and that of some of the -other boys of his acquaintance in the city. - -“There are no such things as peace and pleasure for the unfortunate -fellow who makes his bread and butter by clerking in a dry-goods store,” -continued Gus, spitefully banging a bolt of calico down upon the -counter. “Everybody is happy except me. Other boys are out behind their -fast horses having a good time, and here I am shut up in this miserable -old store, and have been ever since seven o’clock this morning. This -thing is getting to be a little too monotonous, the first thing you -know, and I am not going to put up with it much longer. If I had money, -I wouldn’t stay in this city twenty-four hours longer. Great Cæsar!” - -Gus brought his soliloquy to a sudden close, and the bolt of calico he -had picked up to place upon the shelf dropped from his hands. While he -was talking to himself he kept his gaze directed toward the street, and -saw a red-faced man pass one of the windows and turn toward the door. As -he laid his hand upon the knob, somebody in the street accosted him, and -the red-faced man turned about and entered into conversation with him. -Gus looked at him for a moment, and then ran his eyes hastily around the -store as if he were looking for some way of escape. - -“He’ll be in here in a second more,” said he, to himself, “and how shall -I put him off? I’ve told him so many lies that I shall have to get a -fresh stock on hand before I can tell him any more.” - -The expression that rested on the boy’s face during the next -half-minute, seemed to indicate that he was revolving a very perplexing -problem in his mind. Suddenly he brightened up and with another glance -at the door, passed rapidly around the counter, and crossed over to the -other side of the store, where another clerk was at work folding up some -goods. - -“I say, Sam,” exclaimed Gus, in a hurried whisper; “will you add another -to the long list of favors you have done me?” - -“Well, I don’t know,” replied Sam, hesitatingly. “Depends upon what it -is. If you want to borrow any more——” - -“I don’t,” interrupted Gus. “But Meyers is coming after what I owe him, -and there he is now. Tell him that I have gone out and shan’t be back -for a week. If you will do that much for me I will repay you——” - -Gus did not have time to say how or when he would repay Sam, for at this -moment the red-faced man turned half around and placed his hand on the -door-knob. Gus quickly ducked his head and stole along behind the -counter toward the back part of the store, until he came to a door -opening into the warehouse. - -He straightened up when he reached this place of refuge, and just as he -did so the opening and closing of the front door told him that Mr. -Meyers, the Jew who kept the little cigar and tobacco stand around the -corner, had entered on one of his regular weekly dunning visits. - -“Much good may it do him,” thought Gus, keeping the door open about half -an inch so that he could see all that passed in the store. “He is a -regular leech, and if I could only settle up with him I’d pay him for -his persistency by buying my cigars and fine cut somewhere else.” - -The visitor held a long interview with Sam—so long that Gus began to be -very impatient, and at last to tremble for fear that his father, who was -busy with the books in the office, might come out and find him there. -Gus could not hear what they said, but he could see, by Mr. Meyers’s -emphatic gestures, that he was very much in earnest about something. As -soon as the man left the store, Gus drew a long breath of relief and -came out of his hiding-place. The smile on his face showed that he was -very much pleased with the success of his little stratagem. - -“O, there’s nothing to grin over, old fellow,” said Sam. “If you know -when you are well off you will rake fifteen dollars together pretty -lively, I tell you.” - -“Fifteen dollars!” replied Gus. “I don’t owe him any such sum as that.” - -“He’s got a bill made out for it, anyhow.” - -“What did you say to him?” - -“I told him that you had gone out somewhere on business, and that you -would call and pay him to-morrow afternoon.” - -“To-morrow afternoon!” echoed Gus. “Great Cæsar! How am I going to raise -fifteen dollars between this time and that?” - -“I give it up,” replied Sam. - -“To-morrow afternoon!” gasped Gus, as visions of a stormy interview with -the impatient and angry cigar vendor flitted through his mind. - -“Yes; I tried to put him off, but he wouldn’t be put off, so I had to -tell him something definite.” - -“You had no business to tell him that, at any rate,” snapped Gus. “You -know I couldn’t keep that promise.” - -“Well, the next time you want any lies told you can just stay in the -store and tell them yourself,” retorted Sam. “I shall not do it any -more, and you needn’t waste your time and breath in asking me. I have -stood between you and your creditors just as long as I am going to; but -I’ll tell you one thing: You had better settle with that Jew, or he will -go to your father with his bill. Then won’t you be in a fix?” - -“Whew!” exclaimed Gus, who was not a little alarmed. - -“But remember that my claim is to be settled first,” continued Sam. “You -have owed me money longer than you have owed him, and I want you to -begin to pony up. I am tired of waiting.” - -“You will have plenty of time to get rested again before you get the -money, and so will that Jew,” thought Gus, as he turned and walked back -to his own counter. “Is it any wonder that I want to get away from -here?” - -No, it was no wonder that Gus was always in trouble, but he had no one -to thank for it but himself. He had a comfortable home, a kind father -and mother, and there was more than one boy in the city who would have -been glad to change places with him. The great trouble with Gus was, -that he would not work if he could help it, and he had no idea of the -value of money. - -Mr. Robbins, who had once been a poor boy, and who had earned every -dollar he possessed by his own unaided efforts, thought that every youth -ought to learn how to take care of himself; so as soon as Gus and Bob -(that was the name of Gus’s younger brother) had completed the course at -the High School, they were placed in the store, given the free use of -the money they earned and assured that they would be promoted and their -wages increased as fast as their services would warrant. They each -received two hundred and fifty dollars a year, and that was fifty -dollars more than inexperienced clerks had ever before been paid in that -store; but Gus declared that it was but little better than nothing at -all. He had some very grand ideas, and was frequently heard to say that -he did not intend to be a dry goods’ clerk all his life. - -“I don’t want you to be,” said his father, who one day happened to be -standing near when Gus made this declaration. “Clerks are necessary, but -if you have brains and energy enough to work your way up higher, I shall -be only be too glad to see you do it. I hope you will some day be a -prosperous merchant; but you never can be unless you know all about -business. In order to learn it you must begin at the beginning.” - -“And work for two hundred and fifty dollars,” said Gus. “How is a fellow -to get rich on that, I’d like to know?” - -“By saving; that is the only way.” - -“But I have nothing to save. After I drew my wages last month I bought a -suit of clothes, and a dollar—just one little dollar—was all I had to -show for twenty-six days’ work.” - -“And what did you do with that one little dollar?” - -“I—I believe I spent it.” - -“Of course you did. If you had saved it you would have been just a -dollar ahead.” - -“And if I saved a dollar every month, I should have just twelve dollars -at the end of the year,” said Gus. “That’s a magnificent sum.” - -“But you don’t need a suit of new clothes every thirty days, and most of -the time you could save more than a dollar a month. The amount of your -savings is not so important as it is that you should get in the way of -saving something—no matter how small the amount may be. If you begin by -saving four dollars every month, you will find it just as easy after a -while to save eight; for good habits, like bad ones, grow stronger every -day.” - -“But I can’t be satisfied to plod along in that way,” said Gus, to -himself. “If I could have two or three hundred dollars all in a lump, so -that I could buy some things I need, pay all my debts and have a -good-sized nest-egg left, I might get up ambition enough to go to -saving; but this thing of laying by pennies—Pshaw!” - -Mr. Robbins often talked to his boys in this way, and he had finally -succeeded in convincing Bob that it was not best to despise the day of -small things, and that the surest road to prosperity was the one his -father had pointed out. Like his brother, Bob had been in the habit of -spending every cent he made, and more, too, if he could get it; but of -late he had taken to saving, and now he had grown to be, to quote from -Gus, “the very quintessence of meanness.” But he had money in the bank, -and being safely out of debt, he was not continually harassed by duns as -his brother was. More than that, he got into the way of being very -attentive to his work (one good habit leads to another, you know), and -before he had been in the store a year he was given entire charge of one -branch of his father’s business, and his wages were increased. - -This left Gus at the very lowest round of the ladder. He was obliged to -open the store in the morning, build the fires and sweep out, and he -looked upon this as very degrading work. He grew more negligent and -discontented every day, and always made it a point, after the store was -closed for the night, to make up for the tiresome hours he had spent -behind the counter. He often wished for Ned Ackerman. When the latter -was in his father’s employ he had a companion who was always ready to -join him in any thing; but Ned was in Texas, Bob had gone back on him, -and Gus was very lonely. - -Our discontented dry-goods clerk received a very severe blow, and the -little ambition he had was all crushed out of him when his younger -brother was placed over him. It was a disgrace that he could not put up -with, and so he tried to run away from it. There was a news-depôt for -sale in the city, and Gus could have purchased it on very advantageous -terms, if he had only had the money; but he didn’t have it. Mr. Robbins, -who knew more about his son’s habits than Gus thought he did, would not -advance it, and so Gus was obliged to stay in the store. Everything -seemed to be working against him, and Gus grew desperate. He spent his -money as fast as it was paid to him, and when it gave out, he went as -deeply in debt as he could go. He had always been able to satisfy his -creditors by paying them a little every month; but now they were getting -impatient, and were all presenting their bills at once. - -“Fifteen dollars!” repeated Gus, as he walked toward his own counter. -“To-morrow afternoon!” he murmured, as he chucked one of the bolts of -calico spitefully upon the shelf. “Moses! won’t there be a row, unless I -can think up some plausible story between this time and that! I must owe -at least fifty dollars—almost three months’ wages. I wish I could leave -here this very night, and never set eyes on this town again! But how can -I get away without money? That’s the question.” - -Just then Gus heard something fall on the counter, and looked up to see -his brother Bob walking through the store, with a bundle of letters and -papers in his hand. He had just returned from the post-office, and had -thrown a letter for his brother on the counter, as he passed by. - -“Just look at young Dignity!” said Gus, as his brother disappeared -through the door that led into the office. “One would think, by the airs -he throws on, that he owned the store! Who has been writing to me, I -wonder!” - -Gus allowed the letter to lie where it had fallen, until he had cleared -the counter, folded all the goods and placed them on the shelves, where -they belonged. Then he picked it up and glanced at the envelope, fully -expecting to recognise the handwriting of some of his creditors, who not -unfrequently wrote notes to him, to remind him that there was a little -balance due them, which they would be happy to receive at the earliest -possible moment that he could make it convenient to hand it to them. But -this letter was not from a creditor. It was from Ned Ackerman, the very -boy who had been in his thoughts a score of times that day. Gus ran his -eyes hastily over the last few lines above the signature, and saw -something in them that excited and delighted him. - -“Hurrah!” said he to himself. “Plague take it!” - -These two exclamations, so different in meaning, were called forth by -very different emotions. He had read enough of the letter to learn that -his old friend Ned was having a fine time down there in Texas; that he -was lonely in spite of it, and wanted Gus and his brother to come on and -pay him a long visit; and that the want of money need not prevent them -from doing so, for Ned would send them enough to pay their fare and all -other expenses. But before Gus could read any farther, he was -interrupted by the entrance of two or three ladies, who came up to his -counter. They proved to be very exacting, too, and Gus handed down a -good many different kinds of cloth for their inspection. He fumed -inwardly and used some hard words to himself, while he was doing it, and -as soon as the ladies had departed, he caught up his letter and read it -through. - -“Of course I’ll go,” said he, so delighted with the idea that he hardly -knew what he was about; “but Bob shan’t! We don’t want him, and so I’ll -say nothing to him about this letter. I shan’t say anything to father -either, for he would be sure to tell me to stay at home.” - -Gus had found a way out of his troubles at last. He wrote a reply to -Ned’s letter that very night, and was as impatient to hear from him -again as Ned was to hear from Gus. He made no effort to raise money to -pay his debts, and indeed he did not intend to pay them at all. He went -to see all his creditors, as soon as he could find time, just to keep -them from calling upon him at the store, and by making them some very -fair promises, he succeeded in quieting them for a while. When that was -done, he breathed easier, and the only thing he had to worry over and -feel anxious about was the expected letter from Ned, which he hoped -would bring a check for the money he needed, and contain instructions as -to the route he was to travel, in order to reach Palos. - -“And when I get there I’ll stay,” Gus often told himself. “I shall never -come back. I’ve had enough of this miserable life. What will I do and -where shall I go after I have finished my visit? I am sure I don’t know. -That is a matter I will decide when the time comes. I do hope Ned will -have no trouble in raising the money.” - -Gus was not disappointed in his hopes. Ned was so anxious to have him -there that he did not delay writing, and in due time the looked-for -letter arrived. Gus could hardly control his exultation from those -around him. He wrote to his friend at once, saying that he would start -in a week, and that Ned must make his own calculations as to the time -his visitor would reach Palos, as he (Gus) had not she slightest idea -how long it would take him to make the journey, and Ned had forgotten to -enlighten him on this point. - -Gus wanted to wait a week longer in order that he might draw the twenty -dollars and more that would then be due him from the store. It was the -longest week he had ever lived through, and the hardest too; but it came -to an end at last, and pay-day arrived. Gus drew his money when Bob did, -and as soon as he had put it into his pocket, he slipped out the back -door into an alley that ran behind the store, and started for home. He -made his way to the room in which he and Bob slept, opened his trunk -with a key he took from his pocket, deposited his money therein and took -out the check which he had kept locked up in the trunk ever since it -arrived. - -“It is time to get this cashed now,” said he. “I put it off until the -last moment because I didn’t want to give anybody a chance to talk about -it. I don’t know what the cashier will think when I present it at the -bank, and I don’t care either, if he will only give me the money. I hope -Sam will have a good time getting what I owe him. He was waiting at the -office door to catch me when I came out, and that was the reason I -slipped into the alley.” - -Gus locked his trunk, put the key and check carefully away in his pocket -and hurriedly left the house. Time was precious (he had less than half -an hour left in which to eat his dinner and return to the store) and he -made all the haste he could. He was particularly anxious to get through -with his business at the bank, for he had been dreading it all the week. -What would the folks in there think when he approached the cashier’s -desk and presented a check for a hundred dollars? He ran up the steps -while he was thinking about it, and almost into the arms of the very -person he most wished to avoid just then—the one who had waited to dun -him when he came out of his father’s office. Sam had drawn his month’s -wages and came to the bank to deposit them. - -“Hallo!” exclaimed Sam. “Where did you go in such a hurry after you drew -your money? I didn’t see you come out of the office.” - -“But I did come out, you see; for if I had stayed in, I couldn’t be -here, could I?” - -“Hold on,” said Sam, as Gus tried to push him aside so that he could -enter the door. “This is a good time to settle up.” - -“I will settle with you this afternoon, sure pop,” returned Gus. - -“Why can’t you do it now? You have got your money, for I saw you draw -it.” - -“I know it, but I haven’t got it now. I’ll be on hand this -evening—sure.” - -“You said this afternoon,” answered Sam, looking suspiciously at Gus. - -“Well, this afternoon, then.” - -So saying, Gus crowded past Sam and went into the bank. To his great -relief there was no one in front of the cashier’s desk; no one present -to see him receive his hundred dollars. With a beating heart and -trembling hand he produced his check, and breathed a good deal easier -when he saw that the cashier did not exhibit any surprise at its -magnitude. He was in hopes that the man would be in a hurry about -cashing it, but instead of that he was very deliberate in his movements. -He looked at the check on all sides and then he looked at Gus. - -“Who is this John Ackerman?” he asked. - -“He used to be father’s book-keeper, you know,” said Gus. - -“O, yes! Do you want us to collect this for you?” - -“No, sir; I want the money on it now.” - -“All right,” said the cashier, handing the check over the counter. -“Write your name across the back of it, and then take it home and let -your father sign it.” - -“My father!” exclaimed Gus. “Not much. I mean—what do you want his -signature for?” he added hastily, and in great confusion, for the -cashier looked at him as if he were somewhat surprised at his -earnestness. - -“To make ourselves secure,” said the cashier, by way of explanation. -“You see, Gus, this check is drawn by John Ackerman on the Planters’ -Bank of Austin, Texas. He may have funds there, but he has none here, -and neither have you; and it is our rule in such cases to require an -endorsement other than that of the payee. You are the payee, you -know—the one to whom the check is made payable. Your father will sign -it.” - -Gus felt like giving vent to his astonishment and rage in a series of -the wildest kind of yells, and it was all he could do to choke back his -tears. As soon as he had controlled himself so that he could speak, he -said: - -“I don’t want to ask my father to endorse it. This is my own private -affair, and I don’t want you to say anything about it.” - -“Of course not. We never talk about our business matters.” - -“How long will it take to collect it?” - -“Well, Austin is a long distance from here, and it will take two or -three weeks at least.” - -“Great Cæsar!” was Gus’s mental exclamation. “Can I stand it to stay in -the store so much longer? Very well,” he said aloud, “I shall have to -ask you to collect it for me, if that is the best I can do.” - -Gus turned about and walked out of the bank like one in a dream. He had -never in his life before been so badly disappointed. The reflection that -if he remained in the store a month longer, and could save all the money -he earned in that time, he would have twenty dollars more to be added to -the sum he already possessed, did not encourage him in the least. He -wanted his liberty more than he wanted a month’s wages, and besides he -was by no means sure that he would be able to save what he earned. If -his creditors became weary of having their debts paid by promises, and -presented their bills to his father, Gus knew that they would be -promptly settled, and that he could not draw a cent at the end of the -month. He turned these matters over in his mind while he was eating his -dinner, and the longer he pondered upon them the more he felt like -yelling. There were no customers in the store when he returned, but Sam -was leaning over the counter waiting for him. - - - - - CHAPTER V. - THE CLERK’S RUSE. - - -“I was in hopes we should be kept so busy this afternoon that Sam -wouldn’t have a chance to speak to me,” thought Gus, as he made his way -to the office and hung up his hat and overcoat, “but it is just my luck. -If I wanted a few minutes rest the store would be so full of customers -that you couldn’t crowd a ramrod in among them.” - -“Well?” said Sam, when the boy came out of the office and took his place -behind the counter. - -“Well,” answered Gus, “I can’t pay you this month. I have had so many -calls that my money is all used up. Twenty dollars don’t go far, you -know.” - -Sam’s face grew black at once. “Didn’t I tell you that my claim was to -be settled first?” he demanded, angrily. - -“Yes; but what am I to do when a man stops me in the street and tells me -that if I don’t pay up then and there, he will see my father about it -before I am an hour older?” asked Gus. - -“Put him off with promises, as you do me. Who stopped you on the -street?” - -“That Jew.” - -“Did you pay him?” - -“I did—_not_.” The last word Gus said to himself. - -“Well, you still have five dollars left. Hand that over and I will give -you credit for it.” - -“But I haven’t got it. I paid that out, too.” - -Sam whistled softly to himself and drummed with his fingers on the -counter for a moment; then he drew a sheet of white wrapping-paper -toward him and pulled a pencil from his pocket. The pencil moved rapidly -over the paper for a few seconds, and after Sam had read what he had -written, he crossed over to Gus’s side of the store and laid before him -the following:— - - “$12.00. Foxboro’, Jan. 29th 18— - ROBBINS & CO. - - Please pay Samuel Holmes Twelve Dollars out of my next month’s - wages, and charge the same to my account.” - -“There, Gus,” said he, “sign that, and I shall begin to believe that I -stand a chance of getting the money I lent you to help you out of a -tight place.” - -“Twelve dollars!” exclaimed Gus. “I borrowed only ten.” - -“But I don’t lend money for nothing,” replied Sam, “and besides I must -have something to pay me for waiting so long, and for the trouble I have -had in collecting it.” - -Gus took a minute to think about it, then seized the pencil and wrote -his name at the bottom of the order. Sam thrust it into his pocket and -putting on his hat left the store. - -“I don’t run any risk by that,” said Gus to himself. “Sam will not -present the order before the 1st of March, and by that time, if things -work as I hope they will, I shall be a good many miles from here. What -miserable luck some fellows do have in this world, anyhow. I thought I -should have no trouble in getting the money on that check to-day. Where -has Sam gone, I wonder?” - -As Gus asked himself this question an expression of alarm settled on his -face. He ran quickly to the door, and looking down the street saw that -Sam was just disappearing in the cigar store on the corner. The boy’s -heart began to beat a little faster, for he knew now, as well as he did -five minutes later, what it was that took Sam to Mr. Meyers’s place of -business. He stood in the door until Sam came out, and then he retreated -behind his counter and employed himself in straightening up the goods on -the shelves. - -“Gus,” said Sam, when he had hung his hat in its accustomed place, “lie, -number one thousand and one, is nailed. Meyers says he hasn’t seen you -to-day.” - -“Suppose he hasn’t!” snapped Gus, who had been caught in so many -falsehoods that he had become used to it. - -“Why don’t you tell the truth once in a while?” continued Sam; “say once -a week, or even once a month, if you can’t stand it any oftener. You -will get so, pretty soon, that nobody will believe a word you say.” - -“Why don’t you keep from sticking your nose into matters that don’t -concern you?” exclaimed Gus, angrily. - -“This matter does concern me. Now, I want to know what has become of -that money you drew to-day.” - -“It is none of your business. Do you understand that?” - -“Yes, I understand it,” said Sam, so quietly that Gus looked at him in -surprise. - -“Then you may as well understand another thing, while you are about it,” -continued the latter, “and that is, that from this time out you are to -attend to your own affairs and let me entirely alone. What I do with my -money is none of your business.” - -“I generally do attend to my own affairs,” replied Sam, “and I shall -attend to yours in a way you don’t think of. You haven’t started for -Texas, yet!” - -Gus jumped as if he had been shot. He could hardly bring himself to -believe that he had heard aright. He had guarded his secret as closely -as a boy could. Having no intimate friend to assist him in keeping it, -he had not lisped a word of it to anybody; but it had leaked out after -all, and Sam seemed to know all about it. - -“Tex——” said Gus, drawing a long breath and leaning heavily on the -counter, “as!” - -“Yes! You have laid your plans to skip out and leave us all in the -lurch, but you shan’t do it! I must have what you owe me first; and when -you get the money on that check, I will tell you how much I want of it -to pay me for the trouble of keeping your secret. I know you didn’t get -the money to-day.” - -“How do you know that?” stammered Gus, growing more and more astonished -and bewildered. - -“That’s my business!” was the satisfactory reply. - -Just then a customer came in and moved up to Sam’s side of the store, -and this gave Gus an opportunity to collect his scattered wits, and -think over what Sam had just told him. How in the world had the latter -learned his secret? was a question that Gus asked himself over and over -again, but without finding any satisfactory answer. It was too deep a -mystery for him to solve just then, for he was so utterly confounded -that he could not think at all. - -“You haven’t started for Texas yet,” and “when you get the money on that -check, I will tell you how much I want of it to pay me for the trouble -of keeping your secret,” were the words that were constantly passing -through the boy’s mind, and he could not drive them out long enough to -decide what he ought to do. If he had any means of finding out just how -much Sam knew, he might be able to make up his mind to something. - -“But I don’t see how I am to find that out,” thought Gus, walking -nervously up and down the store, “for of course he won’t tell me, if I -ask him. The whole thing bangs me completely. I know I haven’t said a -word that would lead him or anybody else to suspect anything; but he has -got hold of it somehow, and wants a part of my hundred dollars to pay -him for keeping his mouth shut. He shan’t have it! No matter what -happens, he shan’t have it, for I don’t know how much I shall need to -pay my expenses.” - -Both the clerks were kept busy that afternoon, Gus at his counter and -Sam in unpacking and arranging a new supply of goods that arrived about -one o’clock. Gus could not keep his mind on his work, for he was -continually thinking about this last piece of bad luck, and wondering -how he should go to work to “pump” Sam, in order to find out just how -much the latter knew about his contemplated movements. Once during the -afternoon, when the store was clear of customers, he had occasion to -pass through the warehouse, where Sam was at work, breaking open the -boxes in which the new goods were packed. The latter was at work in his -shirt-sleeves, and his coat lay wrong side out upon one of the boxes. As -Gus passed by it, something caught his eye. He noticed that there were -several letters sticking out of the inside pocket of the coat, and that -they were all enclosed in brown envelopes, except one. That envelope was -white, and there was something about it that looked familiar. Gus drew -nearer to it, and was astonished almost beyond measure to see that it -bore his own name in Ned Ackerman’s handwriting! - -The whole mystery was made perfectly plain to Gus at once. The letter in -question was the last he had received from his friend in Texas—the one -in which the check was sent. On the day it arrived, Gus had kept it by -him all the afternoon, devoting every leisure moment to reading it, and, -instead of taking it home with him at night, as he meant to have done, -and as he thought he _had_ done, he left it on the long shelf behind his -counter, and Sam had found it there. He had been mean enough to read it, -too; and then, instead of putting it back where he found it, he kept it, -intending to use it to extort money from Gus. - -And right here, we may add something that the reader ought to know, and -that Gus never found out. When Sam met Gus going into the bank, his -suspicions were aroused, and he stood in front of the window and watched -his movements. He thought that Gus was going to deposit the wages he had -just received, instead of paying up his debts, as he ought to have done; -but when he saw him present the check, mentioned in the letter he had -stolen, Sam knew that Gus was making arrangements to leave the city very -shortly. He saw that Gus did not receive the money, and that he did not -bring the check out with him; so it must have been left in the bank for -collection. - -The rest of the boy’s plans Sam guessed at. He knew that Gus was very -discontented; that he thought he would rather follow any business in the -world than his own; that he imagined he would be happier anywhere on -earth than he was in Foxboro’; that Mr. Robbins would never permit his -son to go to Texas on a visit, especially to meet such a fellow as Ned -Ackerman, whose influence over his associates was always a bad one. Sam -knew all these things, and by putting them together, he arrived at a -conclusion which we know to be the correct one. - -“That’s Sam’s game,” thought Gus, swelling with indignation. “He intends -to hold that letter over me as a sort of whip to make me do just as he -says; but it’ll not succeed. He knows everything, and I must mind what I -am about. The first thing I do will be to take what belongs to me.” - -Gus came a step nearer to the box, intending to snatch the letter and -walk off with it, leaving Sam to help himself if he could; but after an -instant’s reflection he decided to adopt a different course. It would -not be wise, he thought, to bring on an open rupture with Sam, for the -latter might pay him back by telling his employer about his son’s Texas -scheme, and that was something that must be kept from his father’s ears -at all hazards. - -“That would never do,” said Gus, as these thoughts passed through his -mind. “I must wait until he turns his back.” - -This Sam was accommodating enough to do in a very few minutes. As soon -as he had taken an armful of bales out of the box he had just opened, he -picked them up, carried them into the store and laid them on the -counter. He was gone scarcely more than half a minute, but that was all -the time Gus needed to accomplish his object. He seized the letter, -thrust it into his own pocket and walked out into the store, feeling as -though a heavy load had been removed from his shoulders. He fully -expected that Sam would make trouble for him very shortly, and he -prepared himself for it; but Sam did nothing of the kind. When he -discovered his loss he probably thought that he had mislaid the letter -or that it had dropped out of his pocket. At any rate he said nothing to -Gus about it. - -Gus wrote a long letter to Ned that night, telling him of all the bad -luck that had befallen him of late, and describing his plans for the -future, and then he settled back into his old monotonous life again. The -store had never looked so dreary and uninviting as it did now, and -neither had his work ever been so distasteful to him. Gus never could -have endured it, so he told himself more than once, if he had not been -sustained and encouraged by the belief that it would end in a very few -days, and that when once he was away from home and could do as he -pleased, he would have fun enough to make up for all the gloomy hours he -had spent behind the counter. - -After the second week had passed Gus made it a point to call at the bank -every few days to see if his check had been heard from, and when he came -out he always found that Sam, who went to his meals at the same time Gus -did, was loitering on the sidewalk in front of the window. - -“Let him watch,” thought Gus, who grew angry whenever he caught even the -smallest glimpse of Sam. “If I am not smart enough to outwit him I ought -to lose every cent of that money.” - -“I wonder what’s the matter?” thought Sam, when he saw Gus go into the -bank and come out again with the very long face he always wore when he -was disappointed. “They ought certainly to have heard from that check by -this time. Well, there’s one thing about it: Gus can’t get the money -without my knowing it, because the only time he can get into the bank is -when he goes to his dinner, and I shall always be on hand to watch him.” - -One day, after Gus had grown very impatient, and had begun to fear that -his check had been lost on the way, and that he would never hear from it -again, he happened to meet the cashier, who was also going home to his -dinner. “It is all right at last, Gus,” said the latter, cheerfully. - -The boy’s gloomy expression of countenance, which he had worn for -several days past, vanished at once. “Has the money come?” he asked as -soon as he could speak. - -“No; but we have heard from the check, and will cash it for you whenever -you please.” - -“And you won’t want my father’s signature?” - -“No. You fill out a draft—you’ll find blanks at the bank—making it -payable to ‘self’ and sign your name to it, and I’ll give you the money. -That’s all there is of it.” - -The cashier went on his way, and Gus looked up and down the streets and -on all sides of him to make sure that Sam had not been a witness of the -interview. But the latter was nowhere in sight. He had followed Gus at a -distance, as he did every day, to satisfy himself that he did not go to -the bank and draw the money, and then he turned toward his own home. He -was fooled for once, and with this reflection to encourage him Gus -walked slowly toward his father’s house, and making his way to his own -room threw himself upon the bed. He did not answer the dinner-bell when -it rang, and presently his mother, who had heard him enter the house, -came up to see what was the matter. - -“Why, Augustus, are you ill?” she asked, with some anxiety. - -“No, ma’am; but I don’t want any dinner,” was the reply. - -Moral philosophy teaches us that we can speak the truth and at the same -time tell a lie, and Gus certainly did on this occasion. He told nothing -but the truth when he said that he was not sick and didn’t want any -dinner; but the tone in which he said it, and his manner, made his -mother believe that he was not well, and that was just what he wanted -her to believe. He didn’t want any tea or toast either, he said. He only -asked to be let alone so that he could rest until it was time for him to -go down to the store again. - -But Gus knew very well that he would not be expected to go down to the -store that afternoon, and he wasn’t. His father came up to see him, as -soon as he had eaten his dinner, and told him to stay at home until he -felt better, and Gus did stay until about half-past two o’clock. Then he -got up and went down to the bank. The draft he made out was promptly -cashed, and Gus, with the money in his pocket, crept slowly homeward and -went to bed again. - -“There,” said he, as soon as he had settled his head on the pillow. -“Where are you now, Mr. Sam Holmes? I’ve got my money, and you are none -the wiser for it. I knew I could outwit you when the time came.” - -While Gus was waiting to hear from his check he had ample leisure to -perfect all his plans, and now nothing remained to be done but to pack -his valise with the clothing he had already selected and laid by itself, -and go down to the depôt in time to catch the westward-bound train which -passed through Foxboro’ at half-past eight in the evening. He was -somewhat nervous, for he knew that at the very last moment a thousand -things might happen to interfere with his arrangements: but he did not -think of the step he was about to take with the least regret. He knew -when his father and brother came home at supper time, and heard them -when they went out to return to the store. After that his mother brought -him up some delicacies that sick people are supposed to relish; but Gus, -although he was by this time very hungry, said he didn’t care for -anything, and besides he showed so plainly that he didn’t want his -mother in his room, that she went down stairs and left him to himself -again. - -There was no fear of interruption after that, and Gus set about -completing the preparations for his flight. He quickly packed his -valise, put his money carefully away in his pocket, stopped long enough -to eat all the supper his mother had brought up to him, then seized his -valise and crept down stairs and out of the house. He made his way -toward the depôt, avoiding the principal streets as much as he could, -and finally reached the railroad about a quarter of a mile above the -place where the trains stopped. There was a freight-house opposite the -depôt, and toward this Gus now directed his course, intending to wait -there in the dark until the train arrived. He could thus avoid the crowd -which always gathered about the platform at train time, and by boarding -the cars on the side opposite the depôt, he could escape observation. - -“That’s what I want to do,” said the runaway to himself, as he took his -stand in a dark doorway and looked down the track to see if he could -discover any signs of the approaching train, “for of course I wouldn’t -be very smart if I were to let any of these loafers see me. They would -all want to know where I was going, and then when my folks began to make -inquiries about me, they would say they had seen me take the train for -Chicago. I wouldn’t like to have that known, for there are such things -as telegraphs and detectives in this country.” - -If Gus had only known it, he was putting himself to a great deal of -unnecessary trouble. It might have astonished him to know that even if -his father had been thoroughly posted in all his plans, he would have -made no effort to prevent Gus from carrying them into execution. The boy -found this out in due time, and we shall tell about it in its proper -place. - -A good many incidents that were really worthy of note happened during -Gus’s journey to Texas, but we have so many things to write about that -are more interesting that we must pass them by without further notice. -We have set out to tell what Gus did and how he enjoyed himself in -Texas; and it will be enough now to say that he made the journey in -safety; that Ned’s instructions were so plain and complete that he had -no difficulty in finding his way; and that in due time the mail-coach -deposited him on the verandah of the principal hotel in Palos. - - - - - CHAPTER VI. - A FRONTIER HOTEL. - - -By the time Gus reached Palos he had lost a good deal of the “style” for -which he had been noted in Foxboro’, and if some of the numerous -acquaintances he had left there could have seen him when he stepped out -of the stage and passed through the crowd of cattle-herders, ranchemen -and idlers who had gathered on the verandah of the hotel to see the -coach come in, they would hardly have taken him for Gus Robbins. If some -of the boys who think so much of themselves could get out among entire -strangers for a while they would very soon see how small is the space -they occupy in the world, and how comparatively useless they are. This -was just what Gus had been finding out. He had learned a good deal -during his travels, and he had already seen the time when he would have -been glad to face about and go back where he came from. - -The people he met were different in every way from those with whom he -had been in the habit of associating. The majority of them were rough in -person, dress and manners; and although they treated him civilly, and -were always ready to answer his questions and give him all the -information they could concerning the journey before him, Gus was afraid -of them and felt like avoiding them as much as he could. The nearer he -approached to the frontier the rougher the men became. A good many of -them wore red shirts without any coats, high boots, carried revolvers in -their belts and looked more like brigands than peaceable, law-abiding -citizens. The crowd on the verandah were all armed; and although they -stepped politely out of his way, Gus could not help shuddering as he -passed through their ranks. The man who met him at the door and took his -valise out of his hand, and who proved to be the landlord, looked worse -than any of the rest. He wore no weapons, but the brace of navy -six-shooters that were hung up in the office toward which he conducted -his guest, showed that he was ready for any emergency. He looked equal -to any emergency, too. He was a giant in size, very muscular, and the -voice that came up from his broad chest was as loud as a steam-whistle. - -[Illustration: THE ARRIVAL AT PALOS.] - -“Can I obtain a night’s lodging here?” asked Gus. - -“I reckon ye kin, stranger,” roared the host. “Yer a Yank!” - -“O, no I am not,” replied the boy, who knew there had been a civil war -not so very many years ago, and that the Texans were mostly all rebels. -“I’m from Ohio.” - -“Wal, what’s the odds?” demanded the host. “All Northern men are Yanks, -and they aint ashamed of it, nuther. I’m one myself. I’m from the Green -Mountains.” - -“From Vermont?” cried Gus, who now began to feel more at his ease. - -“That’s the very identical spot.” - -“But you’re a Southerner now, I suppose?” said Gus, who thought that was -the politest way in which he could ask the man if he was a rebel. - -“Do you mean that I’m a gray-back?” exclaimed the host. “Not much. All -the relations I ever had fit under the old flag, and I couldn’t be the -first of the family to go agin it. I’m powerful glad to see you, -stranger. Put it thar.” - -The man held out an immense bony hand as he spoke, and Gus placed his -own within it. A moment later he was doubled up with pain. The Green -Mountain boy’s greeting was almost too cordial. - -“Want lodgin’, do ye? An’ breakfast an’ supper, too, I reckon, don’t -ye?” said he. “Goin’ to stay here long?” - -“No, sir. I want to find a way to reach Ackerman’s rancho,” replied the -boy, after he had pulled his fingers apart and straightened them out. - -“O, goin’ there, be ye? All right. I kin help ye along. One of -Ackerman’s herdsmen is stopping with me now.” - -“Is it far from here?” asked Gus. - -“O, no; just a jump—a hundred and fifty miles mebbe. Ye’ll see lively -times thar, too, ‘kase the raiders come in thar thicker’n huckleberries -last full moon. Want lodgin’, do ye? Take the third bench to the left in -the bar-room. O, Mose!” shouted the landlord, so suddenly that Gus -started involuntarily. - -In response to this call, which was uttered in a tone so loud that it -would have reached the ears of the person for whom it was intended, if -he had been a quarter of a mile away, a young man, roughly dressed and -armed like his companions, left the crowd on the verandah and came into -the office. The host glanced at the register, on which Gus had placed -his name, and introduced the newcomer to his guest. - -“Mose,” said he, “this young feller is the chap yer lookin’ fur—Gus -Robbins. Look out ye don’t lose him, fur he’s so green the cattle’ll eat -him up when ye get him out thar to the ranche.” - -Gus did not know who Mose was, but he shook hands with him, and was -surprised to hear him say, in as good English as he could have used -himself— - -“We were all green when we first came out here. I have been looking for -you for three days,” he added, as he led Gus toward a bench on one side -of the room. “Ned told me he was expecting you, and described you so -accurately that I was certain I knew who you were the moment I set eyes -on you. I am one of Mr. Ackerman’s herdsmen, you know, and have just -driven down five hundred head of stock that he sold the other day.” - -Gus had not talked with his new acquaintance more than five minutes -before he began to feel perfectly at home in his company. Mose was a -good deal like the young men he had known in the North. True, he was -bronzed and weather-beaten, and his clothing looked as though it had -seen the hardest of service; but the words he used showed him to be an -intelligent man, and he did not shout as though he thought his listener -was hard of hearing. When there was a little pause in the conversation, -Gus began to seek information on some points. - -“What is the reason you men down here all go armed?” he asked. - -“O, we don’t. The people who live here in town never think of such a -thing. The men out there on the porch don’t belong here. They live out -on the plains, two or three hundred miles away; and when you have been -out there, and have fallen in with a war-party of Apaches or a band of -Mexican raiders, you will know why it is that they go armed. When they -are at home, they wear their weapons all the time, day and night, for -they never know when they are going to be pounced upon, and their stock -driven off; and they get so in the habit of keeping themselves always in -readiness for a fight, that they do it even in the settlements.” - -“What do you suppose the landlord meant by telling me that I would have -lively times out there on the ranche?” - -“O, the Indians and Mexicans have begun their raids again. My employer -lost about five hundred head of cattle last full moon, and his herdsmen -were expecting another raid when I came away. The country for fifty -miles around Palos is crowded with men who have been obliged to leave -their ranches in the western part of the state, and come nearer to the -settlements for the protection of their families and property.” - -“Gracious!” exclaimed Gus. “Am I so near to hostile Indians?” - -“You are within a hundred miles of the place where they bushwhacked a -lot of herdsmen no longer ago than last week!” - -Gus shuddered, and wondered how Mose could talk about it without showing -some signs of alarm. - -“Do they ever come near Mr. Ackerman’s rancho?” he asked. - -“O, yes; that is, the Mexicans do. There’s hardly a stone in the wall -that hasn’t been hit by bullets. They rode by there a few nights ago, -but they didn’t get the stock they expected to find there, for it was -all out of their reach. You see, they cross the river at some lonely -spot, late in the afternoon, and approach as near to the settlements as -they can without being discovered. Then, as soon as it grows dark, they -dash over the ranches, pick up all the stock they can find, shoot -anybody, man, woman or child, who happens to fall in their way, and -depart as quickly as they came. They lose no time in getting back into -their own country, for the herdsmen always start in pursuit as soon as -they can get together, and if they overtake the raiders, they are sure -to whip them and get the most of their cattle back. The Greasers are -better on the run than they are on the fight.” - -Mose talked to Gus in this way for an hour or two, and during that time -the boy learned a good deal concerning the people, the country, the -raiders, both Indians and Mexicans, and the life he was likely to lead -as long as he remained at Mr. Ackerman’s rancho. He learned also, to his -great surprise, that his father’s old book-keeper and clerk were not -looked upon by the natives of the country with any degree of respect; -but this was a matter upon which Mose had very little to say, and Gus -did not find out why it was that Uncle John and his son were so -unpopular. - -Before Gus had learned all he wanted to know, the landlord came up to -pilot him in to supper. The tables were loaded with frontier delicacies, -and although there were no table-cloths or napkins, and the guests sat -on long benches, instead of chairs, and used their fingers and -formidable-looking bowies, instead of the knives and forks that had been -provided for them, everything was as neat as it could be, and Gus made a -hearty meal. Soon after they arose from the table, Mose went out to -attend to some business for his employer, first telling Gus that he had -better go to bed at an early hour, for they would be miles on their way -toward the rancho by the time the sun arose the next morning. The boy -was only too glad to follow this advice, for he was almost tired out. He -made his way to the office and found the landlord there. - -“Where did you say my room was?” he inquired. - -“Room!” roared the landlord. “The bar-room. Best room in the house, -‘kase it’s the biggest. A good many folk sleep thar, though.” - -“Couldn’t you give me a room to myself?” asked Gus. “I can pay for it.” - -“Can’t possibly crowd ye into ary bed-room in this rancho to-night,” was -the reply. “They’re all full cl’ar up to the ceiling. Every square inch -of my tables is occupied, an’ some of the boarders are glad to hang up -on the hooks in the office. The bench is the best I kin do for ye, an’ -ye’ll find a good bed thar. It’ll make ye that sleepy to look at it that -ye’ll want to tumble right into it. Come on an’ I’ll show it to ye!” - -Gus followed his host into the bar-room, which was crowded with men and -filled so full of tobacco smoke that it was a wonder how the landlord -ever found his way through it. But he did. He had no trouble in finding -the bed Gus was to occupy that night, and when he showed it to him the -boy told himself that it was the worst he had ever seen. It was made of -a buffalo robe and two blankets. The robe was spread over the bench and -one of the blankets was rolled up into a bundle to serve as a pillow, -while the other lay on the foot of the bed and was to be used as a -covering. There were a score of beds in the room just like it, and some -of them were already occupied by weary frontiersmen, who were snoring -lustily in spite of the almost deafening racket made by the wakeful -guests who were gathered in front of the bar. Gus glanced about the -dingy apartment, thought of his cheerful little room at home and sighed -deeply. - -“Father certainly knew what he was talking about when he said that if -boys would spend as much time in thinking about the comforts and -pleasures they have, as they do in worrying over those they _don’t_ -have, they would be a great deal more contented than they generally -are,” thought Gus, as he placed his hat and boots on the bench, and lay -down without taking off any of his clothes. “If I had been asked to -sleep on a bed like this at home wouldn’t I have raised a row about it? -But now I’ve got to take it or go without; and if I should find any -fault with it, that big landlord would throw me out of doors neck and -heels. I wonder if Ned and his father live in this way? There are -hostile Indians and Mexican cattle-thieves where they are, too.” - -Gus slept soundly that night in spite of his unpleasant surroundings, -but it seemed to him that he had scarcely closed his eyes when he was -awakened by a hand laid on his shoulder. He started up and saw Mose -standing over him with a lighted lantern in his hand and a heavy rifle -on his back. “Time to catch up now,” said the latter. - -Gus slowly raised himself to a sitting posture, stretched his aching -legs and arms, and looked out at the windows. Not a ray of light came in -through them. It was as dark as pitch, and there were Indians and -Mexicans somewhere out doors, too. If he could have had his own way he -would have gone back to his hard bed rather than venture out of the -hotel with only a single companion to protect him. - -“Come on,” said Mose. “Everything is ready. I have borrowed a horse for -you—a good one, too.” - -Mose seemed to be in a hurry, and so the boy began to bestir himself. -When he had put on his hat and boots he followed the herdsman to the -office, where he settled his bill and received his valise, and thence to -the verandah, beside which stood two small, shaggy ponies, saddled and -bridled. Mose made the boy’s valise fast behind one of the saddles, and -after assisting him to mount, sprang into the saddle himself and led the -way toward the prairie. - -The journey thus began occupied the best part of five days. Mose himself -could have accomplished it in half the time, but Gus had never been in -the saddle a half a dozen times before in his life, and the first day -used him up completely. If there was anything interesting to be seen -during the first part of the ride he never noticed it, and neither could -he recall a single one of the many stories of adventure with which the -obliging and kind-hearted Mose tried to beguile the long hours of their -journey. - -On the third day the boy began to get “hardened to it” in some degree, -as Mose said, and about that time an incident happened that drove all -thoughts of fatigue out of his mind, and made him doubly anxious to -reach the shelter of Uncle John’s rancho at the earliest possible -moment. By this time our two travellers were fairly in the wilderness. -They had left all signs of civilization behind them, and had ridden far -without seeing a living thing; consequently the sight of a horseman who -came galloping toward them, and who, with a companion, was watching a -small herd of cattle that were feeding beside the trail, was a most -welcome one. The horseman came down to intercept them and learn the -news. Mose told him everything of interest he had heard during his stay -in Palos, and the man in return told him that the Apaches and Mexicans -were making things warm for settlers on the border. There had recently -been four raids through his county, he said, during which some of his -relatives had been killed and wounded, and he had lost more than half -his stock. In order to save the lives of the rest of his family, and -provide for the safety of his remaining cattle, he had tumbled a few -necessary things into a wagon, abandoned his comfortable home and was -striking for the settlements. The man talked about his misfortunes in -much the same way that he would have talked of a profitable bargain he -had just made, and Mose listened to the story without making any remark. -They were used to such things and took them as a matter of course; but -Gus was not used to them, and he was frightened indeed. His hair seemed -to rise up on end while he listened. He had never before talked face to -face with men who had witnessed such thrilling scenes and taken part in -them, and it was no wonder that he wanted to turn around and go back. - -The man rode off after he had finished his story, and while Gus was -thinking about it he and Mose met the wagon of which their visitor had -spoken. It was drawn by a span of scraggy mules, and was loaded with -women, children, cooking utensils and bedding. The occupants were ragged -and dirty, and the driver carried his left arm in a sling and wore a -bandage about his head. - -“It was a close call for me,” said he, in response to some question that -Mose addressed to him. “I got a bullet through my shoulder and a rap -over the head with a hatchet. You want to watch out, you two do. The -reds are most too thick about here to make travelling pleasant. We saw -the trail of a small party only yesterday morning.” - -This information and warning took away every atom of the boy’s courage, -and when he and his companion had ridden beyond earshot of the people in -the wagon, he said suddenly: “Don’t let’s go any farther, Mose.” - -The herdsman ceased the merry whistling which he kept up all the time -when he was not talking, and looked at Gus in great surprise. - -“Let’s go back to Palos,” continued the latter. “We’ll be safe there, -and I am afraid to go any farther.” - -Mose laughed long and heartily. “Why, I’d rather be out here among the -Indians than in the settlements,” said he. “I wouldn’t live in Palos for -anything. There isn’t elbow-room enough there for me. I want to be where -I can stretch my arms when I feel like it without hitting something. You -needn’t worry,” he added, glancing at the boy’s pale face. “You’ll be -just as safe in Mr. Ackerman’s rancho as you would be in Palos.” - -“But perhaps the Indians will catch us before we get there.” - -“No they won’t. We’ve just as much right to keep out of their way as -they have to hunt us up. But they never waste any time in hunting up -settlers. All they care for is the stock; and they gobble it up and get -out of the country with it as quickly as they can. Of course, if a -fellow gets in their way he stands a chance of being popped over.” - -“Do you all go in the house when the raiders come?” - -“Bless you, no. Some of us herdsmen are fifty or a hundred miles away, -and we couldn’t get back there if we tried. Besides, it would be poor -management to bring our different herds all together so that the raiders -could swoop down and stampede them. You see we know about what time to -expect these raids. They are generally made about the time of the full -moon, and if a herder is alert and watchful he will have his stock out -of the way.” - -“What will he do with it?” - -“He will drive it farther back in the country than the Greasers care to -come. Perhaps we had better turn off the trail a little way. It runs -through an open country here, and if there are any reds about, we want -to keep out of their sight.” - -Again Gus wondered how in the world Mose could talk about these things -in this careless, indifferent way. He seemed to care no more for Indians -and Mexicans than his pony did for the grass he trampled under his feet. -While Gus was trembling all over with excitement and apprehension Mose -was as cool as a cucumber, and whistled and talked as cheerfully as he -had done ever since leaving Palos. He slept just as soundly at night, -too, relying on his pony, which was always picketed near the camp, to -give him notice of the approach of danger. - -“You must know,” he said to Gus, one night, “that horses and dogs are a -good deal like the people among whom they live, and seem to share in -their likes and dislikes. An Indian’s dog or pony has no more affection -for a white man than his master has; while a white man’s dog or pony -will raise an awful row, if a redskin shows his ugly face over a hill, -anywhere within smelling or seeing distance of him.” - -But Gus did not place so much confidence in the mustang as his owner -did, and he could not sleep. He lay awake almost every night, starting -at the least unusual sound, and was always greatly relieved when morning -came. It was so gloomy and lonely on the prairie after dark, and the -wolves howled so mournfully! Gus was growing heartily tired of this sort -of life, and although his companion assured him that they were making -good time now, and rapidly nearing their journey’s end, he was -continually urging him to go faster. How his heart bounded, when Mose -one day said, in reply to this request: - -“There is no need of it. We are almost there. When we reach the top of -the next swell, you can see the rancho.” - -Just then a horseman made his appearance on the summit of the swell of -which Mose had spoken, and after gazing steadily at them for a moment, -came forward at a rapid gallop. There was no need that Gus should ask -who he was, for he knew as soon as he saw him that it was Ned Ackerman. -He galloped on ahead to meet him, and if one might judge by the way the -two boys greeted each other, they were very glad to meet again. They had -a multitude of questions to ask and answer, and Mose, seeing that they -were too fully occupied with their own affairs to pay any attention to -him, rode on and left them alone. - -“I declare, Ned, you’re a nobby-looking fellow!” exclaimed Gus, running -his eye over his friend’s neat suit of “working clothes,” and glancing -from the stylish, high-stepping horse he rode to his own shaggy, -ill-conditioned mustang, “and you ride as though you had lived in the -saddle all your life. I see you have a rifle, too! Is that the one you -killed the grizzly bears with? There goes Mose over the swell, out of -sight; hadn’t we better ride on? By the way, what has become of the -Indians? You must have had fearful times here since you wrote!” - -“There are no Indians at all about here,” was Ned’s reassuring reply. -“They have bothered the settlers in the next county above a good deal, -but we have seen nothing of them. It’s the Mexicans who troubled us.” - -“Did you have a fight with them?” - -“I should say so!” exclaimed Ned. “I’ve got so now that I don’t care——” - -Ned suddenly paused and looked at Gus. He had been on the point of -declaring that he did not care any more for a fight with raiders than he -did for a game of snow-ball; but after a little reflection he decided -that he wouldn’t say it. It would do very well to put into a letter, if -he were going to write to Gus, but since the latter was there on the -ground, and in a situation to learn all he wanted to know by making -inquiries of others, Ned thought he had better, for once in his life, -tell the truth. - -“You have got so you don’t care for what?” asked Gus, when his friend -paused. - -“I don’t care to see them any more,” replied Ned. “We had a fearful time -on the night they jumped down on us. They didn’t find any stock about -the rancho to drive off, and so they shot into the house and tried to -cut the doors down with axes.” - -“Gracious!” exclaimed Gus. “Were you in the house at the time?” - -“No, I wasn’t, and that’s just what frightened me. They treed me in a -shed, and I don’t know what they would have done to me, if they had -discovered me. But I’ll tell you about that by-and-by. It is my turn to -ask questions now. Did you let your father know that you were coming -down here?” - -“No, I didn’t. I didn’t _let_ anybody know it, but Sam Holmes found it -out, as I told you in my last letter, and would have made me a great -deal of trouble, if I hadn’t been too sharp for him. Where can I get a -rig like yours, Ned? Is it the fashion?” - -“I bought it in Palos. It is _my_ fashion. I won’t dress as my cousin -and all the other fellows about here do. They are a lot of boors!” - -“All except your cousin, of course.” - -“No, I don’t except even him. He goes looking like a day-laborer, and -he’s rich, too. He has six thousand dollars that he made himself. More -than that, when he becomes of age, he will step into a property worth -forty thousand a year, and father and I will have to step out of it, and -I’ll have to go behind a counter again.” - -“Who gets the property if anything happens to your cousin?” - -“I do.” - -“Where is he now?” - -“I don’t know, and neither does Zeke, his herdsman. He went away to his -camp a few hours before the Greasers came through here, and we begin to -fear that he was carried off by them, although we never heard of their -taking a prisoner.” - -“Well, if I were in your boots I should hope that he would never come -back again.” - -Ned looked down at the horn of his saddle, and made no reply in words; -but his manner seemed to say, at least Gus so interpreted it, that if -George had been so unfortunate as to fall into the hands of the -Mexicans, and they should decide to keep him a life-long prisoner, Ned -would waste no sorrow over it. - - - - - CHAPTER VII. - ZEKE’S LETTER. - - -All the incidents described in the preceding chapters happened before -the beginning of our story; but it was necessary that we should devote -some time to them in order that the reader might be able to follow us -understandingly. We have only one thing more to tell about, and then the -thread of our story will run smoothly. Let us go back to George -Ackerman, whom we left sitting on the porch in front of the rancho, -mending his bridle and talking earnestly to himself. - -“Uncle John and Ned act as though they don’t want me here,” repeated -George, “and I have the best notion in the world to pack up my few -things and clear out. The house doesn’t seem like home to me now. I am a -great deal happier when I am in camp with Zeke than I am anywhere else. -I have put up with a good deal, but I shan’t surrender my herd of cattle -just to please that lazy Ned. If he wants to make a beginning in -stock-raising, let him go to work, as I did. I had nobody to smooth the -way for me.” - -George was expecting a visit from his cousin, who had promised that he -would come to him on this particular morning for an answer to a -proposition he had made him a short time before. That proposition was, -that George should accept him as a full partner in his business. - -During the winter that had just passed, Ned had learned, to his entire -satisfaction, that it is hard work to do nothing. He could not tell how -he had managed to live through the long, dreary weeks, and he had made -up his mind that he would never pass another winter in that way. He -considered himself a full-fledged farmer now, for he had fifty acres of -wheat planted; but wheat was a crop that required no care except for -sowing and harvesting, and all the rest of the year he had to himself to -spend as he pleased. After thinking the matter over he decided to go -into partnership with his cousin. That would be the easiest thing he -could do. As he knew nothing about taking care of cattle, of course -George would not expect him to act as herder. He could stay in camp, -when he felt like it, come home when he pleased, and George and Zeke -would do all the work, and Ned would share in the profits. It was a very -nice plan, no doubt, but George did not seem to be very enthusiastic -over it; so Ned did not press him for an answer when he made the -proposition, but informed him that he would ask for it before George -left for his camp on the plains. The latter was getting ready to start -now, and looking for Ned at the same time. He came just as George -finished his soliloquy. - -“Well,” said he, “have you considered my proposition?” - -“I have, and it can’t be done,” was George’s reply. “Two persons are all -that are needed to take care of so small a herd as mine.” - -“Couldn’t you discharge Zeke and take me in his place?” - -“And do all the work myself?” exclaimed George “No sir; I couldn’t.” - -“You would rather keep him than please your cousin, I suppose,” snapped -Ned, who was always angry when he could not have his own way. - -“I am willing to do anything reasonable,” replied George, “but I can’t -do two men’s work for the sake of pleasing you. Why don’t you make a -start for yourself, as I did?” - -“It would take too long; and besides I don’t know anything about -cattle.” - -“Yes, it will take years; but you will be learning the business all the -while, and by the time you have a herd of your own you will know how to -take care of it. I tell you there’s something back of this,” said -George, to himself, as Ned jumped up and walked into the house, shaking -his head and muttering to himself. “His offer to go into partnership -with me is only a blind. He has another object in view, and I wish I -knew what it is.” - -“There’s only one thing about this business, and you can bet high on -that, my fine lad,” thought Ned, as he disappeared in the house. “You -shan’t treat me with contempt if everybody else does. I’ll show you who -is boss here.” - -George was certain that he had not heard the last of the matter, and in -this he was not mistaken. When Ned had been gone about five minutes -Uncle John came out, and before he had said a dozen words George knew -just what he had to expect. - -“I have concluded to reduce expenses about eighty dollars a month by -discharging two herdsmen,” said Uncle John. - -“All right, sir,” replied George cheerfully, “eighty dollars are worth -saving; but do you think that those who are left will be able to do the -work?” - -“O, yes. Of course I intend that the places of those I discharge shall -be supplied by others.” - -“Then I don’t see how you are going to save anything. Besides, what’s -the use of sending away good men and hiring others whom you don’t know -anything about?” - -“I don’t intend to hire any others. I want you and Zeke to take their -places.” - -“Oh! I thought that was what you were trying to get at,” said George, to -himself. “Ned means to rule or ruin, but he shall do neither. Zeke and I -can’t take their places,” he said, aloud. “We have all we can do now.” - -“I will tell you how I intend to arrange matters,” said Uncle John, and -George thought he looked and acted as though he did not much like the -business he had set out to perform. “I am going to bring your herd in -and distribute it among the others. You two can take care of more than -three hundred cattle.” - -“But I don’t want my herd broken up. I earned it without help; it -belongs to me individually, and I am going to keep it. Zeke belongs to -me, too; and while he is in my employ he shan’t herd cattle for anybody -else.” - -“Why, George!” exclaimed Uncle John, who seemed to be very much -astonished at the emphasis the boy threw into his words. “I never knew -you to be so disobedient before.” - -“You will find me so every time you try to trample on me,” declared -George, boldly. “I don’t know why you should want to take my herd away -from me, but I do know there’s not a man on the place who would help you -do it. Ah! I forgot you,” thought George, as his eye fell upon the -Mexican cook, who just then crossed the yard, walking slowly and -carrying his head on one side as if he were trying to overhear what -passed between Uncle John and his nephew. “I believe that you are mean -enough to do anything, Master Philip!” - -“I intend that you shall obey me,” replied Uncle John, “and if you will -not do it willingly, you must do it unwillingly. I shall discharge Zeke -at once.” - -“I don’t see how you can do that,” thought George, as Uncle John turned -on his heel and walked into the house, “for you don’t pay him his wages. -I don’t see how you are going to take my cattle away from me either, for -the first thing will be to find them, and what would Zeke and I be doing -while you were trying to drive them away? I should call it robbery, and -I wouldn’t submit to it.” - -The emphatic manner in which the boy nodded his head as he said this, -and the look of determination that settled on his face would have -surprised Uncle John if he could have seen them. The boy was resolved to -hold fast to his property and to stubbornly resist any attempt that -might be made to deprive him of it. It would be an act of gross -injustice to take his earnings away from him, and George found it hard -to believe that his uncle could think seriously of such a thing. - -“If he tries it, it will only be in keeping with other mean things he -has done since he has been here,” said George. “He and Ned are coming -down on me harder and harder every month, and I should like to know what -they mean by it.” - -George seemed to put a little more energy into his work as he turned -these matters over in his mind, and when at last the bridle was finished -he threw it upon the porch, put the awl and what was left of the -waxed-end ‘carefully away in a box that lay beside him on the ground, -and taking the box in his hand started toward a little shed which stood -a short distance in the rear of the house. - -As he drew near to the shed, two animals he had left there a little -while before greeted him, each after his own fashion. One was Bonaparte -(called Bony, for short) George’s pack mule, and the other was Ranger, -his favorite riding nag. These animals, which were among the best of -their kind, had been the boy’s almost constant companions, ever since he -returned from school and settled down to the business of herding cattle. -Bony was small and clean-limbed, sleek as a mole and treacherous as -mules generally are. He took unbounded delight in knocking over -everything and everybody that came within reach of his hind feet, and -when he felt in the humor for doing it, he could kick himself out from -under the pack-saddle with the greatest ease. Ranger, on the other hand, -did not know how to kick or bite, but he understood the business of -cattle-herding, and would answer his master’s whistle as promptly as a -well-trained dog. Nothing which his strength or agility could overcome -would keep him from George’s side when he heard that whistle. He would -jump a fence or swim a river to obey it. When in camp George never -confined the animal with a lasso unless it was near the full of the moon -and raids were expected from the Mexicans or Indians, for Ranger never -thought of straying away. He was as black as midnight, very fleet and -enduring, and George had almost as much affection for him as he would -have had for a brother, for he was the last gift he had ever received -from his father. The animals seemed to be ready for a journey, for Bony -carried a loaded pack-saddle on his back, and Ranger was saddled but not -bridled. - -Upon reaching the shed George whistled the mule and led him toward the -house, and Ranger, without waiting for the command, followed at his -heels. He stopped at the porch, and after fastening the mule’s halter to -the horn of the saddle that Ranger wore, he disappeared in the house. -When he came out again he carried in his hands a bundle, a rifle and a -small leather haversack. The bundle contained his overcoat, gloves, -rubber-poncho and blankets; and in the haversack he carried the -ammunition for his rifle—a new model Winchester, holding in its magazine -sixteen cartridges, all of which could be discharged in as many seconds. -He slung the rifle and haversack over his shoulders, tied the bundle -behind his saddle and was just slipping the mended bridle over his -horse’s head when Ned came out. - -“Well, you are off for your last trip, are you?” he exclaimed. - -“Yes, I am off for camp again, but not for the last time, I hope,” -returned George, although he felt like making a very different answer. -“One must do something to earn his bread and butter, you know, and life -in camp suits me better than staying in the house doing nothing.” - -“What have you got in that pack-saddle?” asked Ned. - -“Provisions.” - -“You needn’t have troubled yourself to lay in such a supply, for you -won’t need them all.” - -“Won’t I? Why not?” - -Ned made no reply in words. He only smiled and shook his head as if he -meant to convey the impression that he could tell something wonderful if -he felt like it, and George, who was by this time in the saddle, touched -his horse with his spurs and galloped away. He did not say anything -more, for he was angry and afraid that he might utter some words that he -would be sorry for. He thought he knew what his cousin meant by his nods -and his smiles, and told himself that Ned was destined to be as badly -disappointed as Uncle John was if he imagined that he and Zeke would -surrender their herd of cattle to him any sooner than they would to a -band of raiding Mexicans. It made George almost beside himself to dwell -upon this subject, so he dismissed it altogether from his mind, and -tried to think about pleasanter things. - -That day’s ride was a hard one, and George, who was accustomed to such -things, grew tired long before it was ended. The course he followed led -him through the wildest portion of the country where farms and ranches -were few and far between. Now and then he saw a horseman or two who -would gallop to meet him, as they met every trader, and ask for the -news; but George had little to tell that was of interest, and these -interviewers did not long delay him. He made a short halt for dinner and -in the afternoon travelled with increased speed, reaching the grove, -toward which he had all the day been directing his course, and where he -intended to spend the night, just as the sun was sinking out of sight -behind the distant swells. - -It was in this grove that George had expected to find Zeke, who, when -his employer went after supplies, always brought his cattle as close to -the settlements as he could find pasture for them, and so save time. -George found the camp the herdsman had occupied while the cattle were -feeding in the vicinity, but it was deserted, and had been for three or -four days; consequently Zeke and his herd must be a long way from there, -and George had nothing to do but make himself comfortable for the night -and start in pursuit the next morning. - -As soon as the boy had relieved Ranger of his saddle and Bony of the -heavy load he had so patiently carried all the day, he turned the -animals loose to graze, and started a fire in front of the dilapidated -brush shanty Zeke had recently occupied. Upon the fire were placed a -camp-kettle and frying-pan, one filled with water taken from the brook -that ran close by, and the other with slices of bacon. Supper was fairly -under way in a few minutes, and while he was waiting for the fire to -cook it, George busied himself in repairing the cabin. - -It was while he was thus engaged that he accidentally discovered -something for which he had been looking ever since he reached the grove, -and that was a letter from Zeke. It was written on a piece of bark and -fastened to a tree in plain sight, but somehow George had managed to -overlook it. The letter was made up of rough characters which had been -rudely traced on the bark by the point of the herdsman’s hunting-knife. -The first was an Indian’s arrow—that was drawn so plainly that anybody -could have told what it was—and it pointed toward something that looked -like a whale with an unusually large head which was surmounted by a pair -of horns. It was certainly intended to represent a fish with horns and -the only one of the species in that country that George knew anything -about was a catfish. - -The next two characters might have been taken for almost anything, -except the objects that George knew they were intended to represent, -namely, a couple of water-falls. The next looked like a front view of a -man’s face, but one side of it was flat, while the other was round. This -was meant for the moon in its first quarter. Under the moon were four -short, straight lines, headed by a cross like the sign of -multiplication; and these were intended to represent the days of the -week, the cross standing for Sunday. - -Zeke, who had lived in the mountains and on the prairie all his life, -did not know one letter from another, but he had left behind him a -communication that George read as easily as you can read this printed -page. If he had given it a free translation, it would have read -something like this: - - “I have gone toward Catfish Falls. It is near the time of the full - moon. I left camp on Thursday.” - -After writing this much, Zeke did just as many a school-boy does—he -added a postscript, containing the only item of information that was -really worth knowing. It made George open his eyes, too. It consisted of -drawings of a pair of moccasins, a fire with a thick smoke arising from -it, and several horses’ feet. It meant that there were Indians in the -neighborhood; that they were hostile Apaches (George knew that by the -shape of the moccasins), and that Zeke had seen the smoke of their fires -and the tracks made by their horses. - -George, who was accustomed to sudden surprises and always expecting -them, did not seem to be at all disturbed by this very unpleasant piece -of news. Although he had never had any experience with raiders, he was -brave and self-reliant, knew just what to do in any emergency that might -arise while he was on the plains, and felt abundantly able to take care -of himself. He ran his eye over the letter and postscript once more, to -make sure that he had read them aright, and then walked back to his fire -and sat down. He did not spend any more time in repairing the cabin, for -he knew now that he should not occupy it that night. When his supper was -cooked, he ate it with great deliberation; after which he put out his -fire and returned to the pack-saddle all the articles he had taken out -of it. There was a goodly supply of bacon and coffee left, and this -George intended should serve him for his next morning’s breakfast. - -“I may be out of reach of wood and water by the time I grow hungry,” -thought he, as he buckled the pack-saddle and made it ready for Bony’s -back. “I can’t stop here to-night, for the timber is by no means a safe -place to camp when there are Indians about. I wish Zeke had told me -which way they were going when he saw them, for I don’t want to run -right in among them before I know it!” - -As soon as Bony’s burden was adjusted and Ranger had been saddled and -bridled, George mounted and rode rapidly away from the grove, holding a -straight course for Catfish Falls, but making no effort to find Zeke’s -trail. In fact, he did not want to find it, and if he had stumbled upon -it accidentally, he would have ridden away from it with all haste. The -vicinity of that trail was as dangerous a place as the grove he had just -left. A band of raiders might strike it at any time, and follow it up -for the purpose of capturing the herd, and George, if he chanced to be -in the way, would run the risk of being captured, too. - -The boy rode rapidly as long as he could distinguish objects about him, -and when the darkness had shut him out from the view of any skulking -Indian or Mexican, who might chance to be watching him from a distance, -he slackened his pace and turned off at right angles with the course he -had been pursuing. He rode about a mile in this direction, and then went -into camp, staking out his horse and mule, and lying down to sleep, with -his poncho for a bed, his saddle for a pillow and his hair lasso for a -protection from the visitors of which his cousin Ned stood so much in -fear, the rattlers. He slept soundly, too, relying upon Ranger and Bony -to arouse him, in case any one approached his camp, and awoke at the -first peep, of day, refreshed and invigorated. A couple of hard -biscuits, added to the coffee and bacon he had saved from his last -night’s supper, furnished him with as good a breakfast as he cared for, -and when it had been disposed of, George was ready to begin his day’s -journey. - -The boy spent one more night alone on the prairie, and on the afternoon -of the second day found Zeke’s camp. As he emerged from a belt of -post-oaks, through which he had been riding for the last hour, he saw a -small herd of cattle feeding on the prairie, and was welcomed by a -shrill neigh, which came from the direction of a fire that was burning -in the edge of the timber a short distance away. Bony answered the -greeting with a long-drawn bray, and Ranger, breaking into a gallop, -carried his rider into the camp, where he was met by a tall, -broad-shouldered man, who arose from his blanket as he approached. This -was Zeke. What his other name was George did not know; in fact, he did -not believe that Zeke knew it himself. - -If a stranger had judged Zeke by his appearance, he would have put him -down as anything but an agreeable or safe companion. He was rough and -uncouth in person and manners, and as bronzed and weather-beaten as any -old salt. His hair, which fell down upon his shoulders, and the -luxuriant whiskers and mustache that almost concealed his face, were as -white as snow, and bore evidence to the fact that he carried the weight -of many years on his shoulders; but his form was as erect as an -Indian’s, and his step as firm and quick as it had been in the days of -his youth. He looked like one possessed of immense physical power, as -indeed he was; and those who had seen him in moments of danger, knew -that he had the courage to back up his strength. He was as faithful as a -man could be, and ready to do and dare anything in defence of his young -employer. George had selected him from among the numerous herdsmen -employed on his father’s ranche, and they had been almost inseparable -companions ever since. - -“I am glad to see you, Zeke,” said the boy, as he swung himself out of -the saddle, and placed his hand in the broad palm that was extended -toward him, “for, to tell the truth, I have felt afraid ever since I -found your letter down there in the grove. I can’t help believing that -something is going to happen. Have you seen anything more of the -Indians?” - -“No,” replied Zeke. “They went t’wards the settlements.” - -“That’s bad for the settlers, but good for us. We’re safe,” said George, -drawing a long breath. - -“Not by no means, we hain’t safe. Them Apaches must come back, mustn’t -they?” - -George hadn’t thought of that. Of course, the Indians must come back, if -they intended to return to their own country, and George did not like to -think of what would happen, if he and Zeke and their herd of cattle -should chance to cross their path. They _did_ cross the path of a band -of raiders—some who were looking for them and knew just where to find -them,—and before he was many days older, George was the hero of one or -two startling adventures, and also gained some items of information, -from various sources, that almost overwhelmed him with wonder and -amazement! - - - - - CHAPTER VIII. - NED’S NEW HORSE. - - -“Now, I’ll just tell you what’s a fact, father,” said Ned, who stood on -the porch with Uncle John, watching George as he galloped away, “if you -are going to do anything you must come out and make a square stand. You -don’t want George here any more than I do.” - -“Be careful, Ned,” said Uncle John, in a suppressed whisper, looking -anxiously around. “Some one might hear you.” - -“I don’t care who hears me. I don’t see any sense in being so sly. -George will hang about here just as long as he has that herd of cattle -to take care of. Take that away from him and perhaps he will clear out.” - -“But I don’t know how to do it,” said Uncle John. - -“Why, it is easy enough. Send some men out there with orders to drive -the herd in.” - -“That would only bring on a fight; for George and Zeke would resist. -Besides, you must remember that all the herdsmen on the place are -friendly to George, and I don’t believe they would obey such an order.” - -“Then discharge them and hire others who will do as they are told,” -exclaimed Ned, impatiently. “What’s the use of your trying to run the -ranche if you can’t do as you please?” - -“But there’s one thing you don’t seem to understand. George has -rights——” - -“Don’t he wish he may get them, though?” interrupted Ned, snapping his -fingers in the air. - -“He can get them. If I go too far, he can appeal to the courts, and have -me put out and a new guardian of his own choosing appointed in my -place.” - -“Whew!” exclaimed Ned, opening his eyes in great amazement. “Does George -know that?” - -“I don’t know whether he does or not; but _I_ know it; and I know, too, -that there are plenty in the neighborhood who will tell him of it; so -you see I must be careful and not let him get a good hold on me. You -wouldn’t like to go back to Foxboro’ and work for your bread and -clothes, after living at your ease, as you have ever since you have been -here.” - -“No, I wouldn’t; and what’s more, I never will do it,” replied Ned, -walking up and down the porch with his hands behind his back. “I’ll tell -you what to do,” he added, suddenly, while a smile of triumph lighted up -his face, “take his money away from him. He keeps a lot of it in a box -in his room. I saw it there.” - -“What good will that do?” - -“Why, how is he going to keep a herdsman unless he has money to pay -him?” - -“O, that would never do. He’d raise an awful row about it, and then go -off and sell some of his cattle and get more money.” - -“That’s so,” replied Ned, the triumphant smile disappearing as quickly -as it had come. “He’s got luck on his side, hasn’t he? I wish the -raiders would jump down on him and take the last steer he’s got. I’d be -glad to see some of them long enough to tell them where to find him. I’d -tell them to catch George too and hold fast to him,” added Ned, under -his breath, as his father turned and walked into the house. “I never can -carry out my scheme while he owns those cattle; I can see that very -plainly. If I could only make him lose them some way, I should have -things just as I want them. But how can I do it? I must keep my mind on -it until I hit upon something.” - -This conversation and Ned’s soliloquy will serve to show that certain -plans calculated to work serious injury to the young herdsman had been -laid by the new occupants of the ranche, and that one of them, at least, -was ready to resort to desperate measures in order to carry those plans -into execution. Ned had set himself deliberately to work to drive his -cousin away from his home. One would suppose that if he had any -affection for him, or had possessed the least spark of honor, he would -have been above such a thing; but the truth was, Ned was not above doing -anything that he thought would advance his own interests. He never -forgot that clause in his uncle’s will, which provided that in a certain -contingency all the immense property, of which his father now had -control, was to fall to himself. It was the last thought he dwelt upon -at night when he went to bed and the first that passed through his mind -when he awoke in the morning. George was very much in the way there. Ned -thought so, and he knew that his father thought so, too. They could not -do as they pleased while he was about, for George knew everything that -was going on in the ranche. He knew just what the expenses amounted to -every month, could tell how many cattle had been sold, the price they -brought, and how much money his uncle ought to have put into the bank. - -Uncle John did not like to be watched so closely, and Ned didn’t like it -either, for the reason that his father could not give him as much money -as he wanted. Ned would have cut a fine dash if he had possessed the -necessary funds, and Uncle John would have been only too glad to furnish -him with all the cash he demanded if he could have done so without -George’s knowledge. All Uncle John wanted was to fill his pockets and -Ned’s; and the latter, to assist him in accomplishing his object, set -himself to work to make the house so unpleasant for George that he would -not stay there. He had determined upon this before he had been two days -at the ranche, and he had succeeded beyond his expectations. George -seemed to think a great deal more of Zeke’s company than he did of Uncle -John’s and Ned’s, and often said that he preferred a blanket at night -and a life in the saddle to his room at home and the lonely existence he -led while he was there. He spent more than half his time in camp, but -came home whenever he wanted supplies for himself and herdsman, and -spent three or four days in riding about taking note of things. Ned -always dreaded these visits, and wished he could hit upon some plan to -put a stop to them. - -“I thought I had hit upon something,” said Ned, to himself, as he jumped -down the steps and walked toward the corral, which was the name given to -the enclosure in which the riding-horses belonging to the ranche were -kept. “And I believe yet that if father would only take his herd away -from him he would be too discouraged to start another. He would have to -do something, of course—George isn’t the one to remain long idle—and as -there is no other business he can go into in this country, perhaps he -would go off somewhere to seek his fortune and leave us a clear field. I -wish Gus Robbins was here now. Two heads are better than one, and -perhaps he could suggest something.” - -Ned was looking for his friend Gus every day, although how the latter -was going to find his way over the hundred and fifty miles of wilderness -that lay between Palos, which was the end of the stage route, and the -rancho, Ned didn’t know. If Gus could have told him when he expected to -reach Palos, the case would have been different. Ned could have sent one -of the herdsmen down there to meet him and show him the way home; but, -as it was, Gus would have to take his chances. He would have to wait at -Palos until he fell in with some of the neighbors who might happen to go -there on business, as some of them did nearly every month. But a month -was a long time to wait. He wished his friend was with him now, for he -was growing more lonely every day. He ought to be on the way by this -time, Ned often told himself, and of late he had fallen into the habit -of riding to the top of a high swell about five miles from the rancho, -and spending the most of the day there waiting for Gus. When he came he -would pass along the trail leading over the top of that swell, and Ned -could see him while he was yet a long distance away. - -When Ned was mounted and fully equipped for a gallop, a stranger would -have taken him for a masquerader on his way to a ball. If he had sported -a big mustache and had a few more years on his shoulders, he might have -easily passed for the leader of a band of brigands. He always wore a -Mexican sombrero, buckskin coat, fawnskin vest, corduroy trowsers, and -high top-boots, the heels of which were armed with huge silver-plated -spurs. These was intended for ornament and not for use, for Ned could -not have been hired to touch his horse with them. He had tried it once. -The animal was as steady an old cob as Uncle John could find in the -settlement, but he did not like spurs, and on one occasion he had -convinced his rider of the fact by throwing him head over heels into a -ditch. That was when Ned first purchased him, and before he knew -anything about riding on horseback. He was growing somewhat accustomed -to the saddle now, and was beginning to look about him for a better -mount. There were plenty of horses on the ranche—fleet, hardy animals -they were, too—but Ned wanted a thorough-bred, such as some of the -settlers were purchasing in Kentucky. - -Besides his spurs Ned carried three other ornaments—an ivory-handled -riding-whip, a breech-loading rifle and a silver-mounted hunting-knife. -He expected with that rifle to make sad havoc among the big game which -was so abundant in some parts of Texas, but thus far he had not shot a -single thing with it. He knew nothing about rifles, and besides the -weapon threw a bullet that was altogether too small to possess any -killing power. His cousin had told him that it might answer for shooting -hummingbirds and ground-squirrels, but that nothing larger need be -afraid of it. George had knocked over a jack-rabbit with it, and the -rabbit had jumped up and made off as though there was nothing the matter -with him, carrying the bullet somewhere in his body. The elegant -hunting-knife was intended for skinning the game that fell to his rifle, -but up to this time Ned had found no use for it. - -Ned looked as formidable as usual when he mounted his horse that morning -and rode away to meet the first adventure that had befallen him in -Texas—the first one worthy of record of which he had ever been the hero. -He made his way directly to the top of the swell of which we have -spoken, and after staking out his horse threw himself on his blanket -under the shade of the solitary oak that grew beside the trail, and -comfortably settled himself to idle away the time and watch for his -long-expected friend. - -“If he ever reaches Palos he will have no difficulty in coming the rest -of the way,” thought Ned. “The people from this part of the country -always put up at one hotel, and the landlord will know whether or not -there are any of our herdsmen or neighbors in the town. It is the fear -that Gus may not be able to leave Foxboro’ that troubles me just at -present. If anything should happen to keep him at home, wouldn’t we be a -couple of disappointed boys, though? I don’t believe I could stand it. -Hallo! What’s that?” - -Just then a moving object in the horizon caught Ned’s eye. He -straightened up and looked at it, and presently made out that the moving -object was a horseman. He was coming along the trail toward the swell, -and coming rapidly, too. Ned looked at him for a few minutes and then -settled back on his elbow with an exclamation indicative of great -disappointment. - -“It can’t be Gus,” said he to himself, “for Gus could never find his way -here from Palos alone. It is one of the settlers, probably. I hope he -has brought some mail for us.” - -Ned placed his hands under his head and watched the horseman’s -movements, without feeling any particular interest in them, until he saw -him draw rein and come to a sudden stand-still. He had just caught sight -of Ned’s horse. He sat motionless in his saddle, gazing earnestly toward -the top of the swell and evidently undecided whether to advance or -retreat. - -“I wonder if he takes me for an Indian or a Greaser!” thought Ned, and -to show the horseman that he was neither, he picked up his sombrero, -which lay beside him on his blanket, and waved it over his head. The -horseman saw the motion and must have taken it for a friendly one, for -he once more put his horse into a gallop and came toward the swell. He -rode up within a few feet of Ned before he stopped again, and the two -took a good look at each other before either of them spoke. - -The newcomer was a stranger in that part of the country; Ned knew that -the instant he put his eyes on him. He was a gentleman, if clothes make -the gentleman, and was the first one Ned, had seen in long months. He -was dressed in broadcloth, wore fine boots on his feet, rings on his -fingers and a breastpin in his white shirt-front. He was a good-looking -man, too, and rode a horse that attracted Ned’s attention at once. He -was a perfect beauty—slender and clean-limbed, with a long, arching -neck, well-shaped head and flowing mane and tail, and although his sides -were heaving and his glossy breast was flecked with the foam that had -flown from his month during the long and rapid journey he had evidently -made, his eye was bright, and the tight rein his rider was obliged to -keep upon him showed that there was plenty of spirit left in him. The -saddle and bridle he wore were made after the Mexican pattern, and were -both gaudily ornamented. - -“How do you do, sir?” said the stranger, after he had looked at Ned and -run his eye over the boy’s horse, which had advanced to meet him as far -as the length of his lariat would permit. “Can you tell me whereabouts -in the world I am—I mean how far from the Rio Grande?” - -“Yes, sir; you will have to ride twenty-five miles in a straight line to -reach it,” replied Ned. “By the trail, which leads to the nearest ford, -and takes in all the ranches, it is more than twice as far.” - -“Twenty-five miles!” repeated the stranger, turning about in his saddle -and looking back over the way he had come. “That’s a long pull for a -tired horse!” - -“Hadn’t you better stop and take a rest?” asked Ned, who had learned how -to be hospitable since he came to Texas. “My father’s rancho is only -five miles from here, and every house is a hotel in this country.” - -“I am obliged to you, but I can’t stop,” replied the stranger, quickly. -“I am in a great hurry. I must take the straightest course for the -river, and I don’t want to go by any ranchos. When night overtakes me I -can camp on the prairie. I am used to it. But I wish I had a fresh -horse: How will you trade?” - -“Trade!” cried Ned, jumping to his feet, and looking first at the -stranger’s fine animal and then at his own homely beast. “I’ll trade; -but you’ll have to go home with me to get the boot you want.” - -“I can’t stop for that, and besides, I may not ask any boot. All I want -is a fresh horse and a fast one.” - -“O, mine is fast and as fresh as a daisy!” exclaimed Ned, highly elated -over the prospect of becoming the owner of the handsomest horse he had -ever seen. “And he can stand the pace, too. The man I bought him of says -there’s no tire out to him.” - -[Illustration: THE UNLUCKY HORSE TRADE.] - -“I know a good animal when I see him,” answered the man, with a smile. -“I’ll trade my horse, saddle and bridle, even for yours. What do you -say?” - -“I say, I’ll do it!” said Ned, who was so delighted that he could -scarcely speak. - -“All right!” said the man, as he dismounted. “Catch up!” - -Ned lost no time in putting the saddle and bridle on his own nag, and -while he was doing it, the stranger stood, holding his horse by the -bridle and looking back over the way he had come. When Ned brought up -his horse, the man said: - -“You’re sure this nag belongs to you, are you? I run no risk of being -stopped by anybody, who will lay claim to him, do I?” - -“No, sir,” replied Ned, “he’s mine; and if you will go to our rancho -with me, I will show you a bill of sale of him.” - -“I asked the question because there are such things in the world as -horse-thieves, you know!” said the stranger, as he placed his own bridle -in the boy’s hand and seized Ned’s horse by the bit. - -“There are no such things in this country, I can tell you,” replied Ned, -with a knowing shake of his head. “The settlers would turn out to hunt -down a horse-thief as readily as they would to hunt down a grizzly bear. -It wouldn’t even be safe for a man to be found here with a stolen horse -in his possession, no matter whether he was the thief or not!” - -Why was it that Ned did not ask the man the same question which the -latter had just propounded to him? Perhaps it was because he did not -wish to detain him. The stranger seemed very impatient to mount and -resume his journey, and Ned was impatient to have him do so, for when -the two horses were brought closer together, anybody could see that -there was a vast difference between them. No sane man would have -proposed such an exchange, and just then it occurred to the amateur -horse-trader that there might be something wrong with the animal. -Perhaps he wasn’t quite safe for so inexperienced a person as himself. - -“Is he perfectly gentle?” asked Ned. “He won’t kick or bite or throw a -fellow off, will he?” - -“O no! he’s as quiet as an old cow. A child can manage him.” - -“What’s his name?” - -“I call him Silk Stocking—sometimes Socks, for short.” - -As the stranger said this, he sprang upon Ned’s horse, looked behind him -once more as if to make sure that there was no one following him, and -then waved his hand to the boy and galloped away. Ned stood looking -first at him and then at his new horse, fully expecting to see the man -turn about and come back to trade over again. But he did nothing of the -kind. He kept straight ahead (Ned had no idea that his old horse could -travel as fast as he did), turning in his saddle now and then to look -behind him, and at last he disappeared over a swell. Then Ned, with a -long breath of relief, turned to give his new horse another good looking -over. - -The animal’s name—Silk Stocking—suited him exactly. His color was a very -dark chestnut; but his mane and tail were as white as snow, and so were -his feet and his legs, too, as high up as his knees, and he had a white -star in his forehead. The longer his delighted owner looked at him the -handsomer he seemed to grow. - -“That man, whoever he may be, is a born dunce,” was Ned’s mental -comment. “He says he knows a good horse when he sees one, but I don’t -believe it. Why, I know more than he does. I’d never trade a horse like -this for an old crowbait like mine. I’d take a day longer for my -journey, no matter how great the hurry I might be in.” - -Ned chuckling to himself over his good fortune, fastened his horse to a -swinging branch of the oak, and proceeded to bundle up his blanket and -poncho which he tied behind his saddle. While he was pulling up the -picket-pin and curling his lasso, a startling suspicion suddenly sprung -up in his mind. He stopped his work and looked at his horse and then at -the ridge over which he had seen the stranger disappear. - -“I wonder why I didn’t think of that before!” said Ned, to himself. “He -was very careful to inquire if I owned the horse I traded to him, but it -never occurred to me to ask him how he came by this one. Well, I don’t -know that it makes so very much difference after all,” he added, after a -moment’s reflection. “If he stole the horse—and if he didn’t steal him -why was he so anxious to trade?—he could have told a lie about it very -easily, and no doubt he would.” - -Ned was not at all pleased with the thought, which now kept forcing -itself upon him, that perhaps he had not made so fine a bargain after -all. If the horse was a stolen one, and the lawful owner should succeed -in tracing him, he could demand his property, and Ned would have to give -it up. This was something he did not want to do. He had already taken a -great liking to his new horse, and could not bear the thought of parting -with him. - -“And I never will part with him either, if I can help it,” declared Ned, -after he had taken time to think over the situation. “I was going to -show him to father as soon as I got home, but now I’ll just keep still -about him. It isn’t likely that he was stolen anywhere in the county, -and perhaps the owner will never be able to get on the track of him. -I’ll hold fast to him as long as I can, at any rate, and keep his -existence a profound secret, and if his owner ever finds him I can -say——Well, what’s the use of thinking about that now? I can make up a -story on the spur of the moment that will get me out of the tightest -scrape a boy ever got into. At least I always have been able to do it!” - -With this reflection to comfort and encourage him Ned hung his lasso -upon the horn of his saddle, mounted his new horse and set out for home. -The animal moved off at a free walk until Ned called on him to go -faster, and then he broke into a rapid gallop; but his motions were so -regular and easy that his rider was scarcely moved in the saddle. Ned -was a little afraid of him at first, for he carried his head high and -kept his ears thrown forward and his eyes roving about as if he were -trying to find something to get frightened at; but he could be very -easily controlled, and Ned could stop him while he was going at the top -of his speed by a single word. He seemed perfectly willing to travel at -his best speed all the time, but Ned, after enjoying the rapid motion -for a few minutes, gently checked him, and then the animal settled down -into an easy pace. He proved to be what the natives would have called a -gated horse; that is, he had been broken to amble, fox-trot, pace, run -or square trot, just as his rider desired. Ned knew that some of the -ranchemen in the neighborhood had paid two thousand dollars apiece for -just such horses. - -“I declare it frightens me to think of it,” said Ned, and almost -involuntarily he faced about in his saddle and looked behind him, just -as the stranger had done, to see if there was any one following him. - -“I wish he wasn’t worth so much money, for I shall live in constant fear -that his owner will be along here some day hunting him up. I know that -if he had been stolen from me I should never sleep soundly until I found -him.” - -During the ride to the rancho, Ned often looked behind him, fully -expecting every time he did so to see a horseman or two galloping along -the trail in pursuit; but he was alone on the prairie, and to his great -relief there was no one about the house or yard to see him come home -with his prize or to ask him questions that he did not want to answer. -He hitched the horse under the shed and supplied him with a good feed of -corn, and no one was the wiser for it. - -While the horse was eating Ned stood by with his hands in his pockets -admiring him, and it was with the greatest reluctance that he left him -long enough to go into the house to get his own supper. He said nothing -to his father regarding the events of the afternoon, for he had made up -his mind that, for the present at least, he had better keep his own -counsel. - -It was customary for Ned and his father to start out every evening, as -soon as it began to grow dark, for a short walk up and down the trail in -front of the house, and on this particular evening they continued their -agreeable exercise until a later hour than usual. As they were about to -retrace their steps they heard the clatter of hoofs on the trail, and -presently two horsemen dashed up to them and came to a full stop. They -were rough-looking fellows and carried revolvers in their belts. Ned, -believing that they were raiders, could hardly refrain from screaming at -the sight of them, and even Uncle John acted as though he didn’t know -whether to stand still or run away. The latter’s fears, however, if he -had any, were speedily set at rest, while Ned’s were increased a -thousand fold. - -“Good-evening, gentlemen,” exclaimed one of the horsemen. “Do you live -about here?” - -“My rancho is about a quarter of a mile farther down the trail,” -answered Uncle John. - -“Have you lived here long enough to know all the people in the -neighborhood?” - -“I have lived here a little more than a year.” - -“Have you seen a stranger pass through the settlement to-day, either of -you?” - -“I have seen no one; have you, Ned?” - -Ned, who was trembling in every limb, controlled himself as well as he -could and replied that he had not. - -“There has been one along here,” continued the horseman, “for we have -traced him, and we know that we are not very far behind him. He is -making for the river. He is a stylish-looking fellow, well dressed, -wears a good deal of jewelry, and rides a chestnut-colored horse, with -white mane and tail, four white feet and a star in his forehead.” - -“I haven’t seen any such man or horse,” said Uncle John. - -“I haven’t either,” said Ned, faintly. - -It was well for him that it was so dark. - - - - - CHAPTER IX. - A VISIT FROM THE RAIDERS. - - -“What has this man done?” continued Uncle John. - -“O, he got into a little trouble down there in our settlement, and had -to dig out; so he stole the best horse in the state to help him along. -That will be the means of getting him into _big_ trouble, if we put our -eyes on him; but we don’t much expect to catch him, for the horse he -stole can travel for a week at his best pace, and our nags, which were -fresh this morning, are pretty nearly whipped.” - -“I am sorry that I can give you no information concerning him,” said -Uncle John; “but I will tell you what I can do—I can give you some -supper, and you can take your pick out of twenty fresh horses in my -corral.” - -Both the horsemen expressed hearty thanks for this kind offer of -assistance, and were prompt to accept it. They didn’t care much for -anything to eat, they said, for they were used to going hungry; but they -would take a hasty lunch, while Uncle John was getting their fresh -horses ready, and if he would put them on a straight course for the -nearest ford, they would be much obliged, and would take pleasure in -doing as much for him, if he ever came to their settlement. - -Ned listened to all this in speechless amazement and alarm. The stolen -horse was hitched under the shed, in plain view of the porch, beside -which the strangers would dismount, and if it had been daylight, nothing -could have saved him from discovery. True, it was dark now—so dark that -the boy’s frightened face was effectually concealed,—but Ned knew that -the moon would rise in less than a quarter of an hour, and if anything -should happen to detain the visitors at the rancho, or if they should -take it into their heads to pry into things after they got there, -something disagreeable would be sure to happen. Ned did not like to -think about it. He accompanied the men to his home, where he made -himself very officious, taking charge of their horses, and showing so -much anxiety to have them go right into the house, that it is a wonder -their suspicions were not aroused. He could scarcely breathe until he -saw his father conduct them into the rancho, and close the door behind -them. - -“What’s the trouble?” asked the herdsman who had been sent out to catch -and saddle the fresh horses. “Who are those men, and where are they -travelling to at this time of night?” - -“I don’t know,” was Ned’s reply. “They want to reach the river as soon -as possible, and you had better hurry up and get the horses ready.” - -“Humph!” exclaimed the herdsman, as he led the strangers’ nags toward -the corral. “Horsethieves, for a dollar!” - -Ned did not care what opinions the man formed concerning the visitors, -so long as he did not hit upon the right one. It might be dangerous to -let any of the servants know that the men were in search of a chestnut -horse, with four white feet, and a star in his forehead; for it was very -probable that some of them had by this time found out that there was -such a horse hitched under the shed, and it would be just like them to -say something about it. There were a good many ways in which the -strangers might learn all they wanted to know, and Ned would have been -glad to hide himself somewhere, until they had taken their departure; -but he dared not go away, for fear that, during his absence, his secret -might leak out in some way. He hoped to prevent such a calamity by -staying there and hurrying the men off when they came out. - -Ned walked up and down the porch, in a fever of excitement and suspense, -and at the end of a quarter of an hour was greatly relieved to see the -herdsman coming with the fresh horses. - -“Give them to me,” said Ned, when they had been brought up to the porch. -“I’ll hold them until the men come out.” - -“Well, you hold one and I’ll hold the other,” answered the herdsman, -putting one of the bridles in Ned’s hand. “I want to have a good look at -those fellows.” - -Ned was almost ready to cry with rage and alarm. He could not send the -man away, if he was resolved to remain; and while he was wondering if he -had not better go himself and trust to luck, a door at the farther end -of the porch, which gave entrance into the kitchen, was opened, and the -Mexican cook came out. - -This was the man whom George declared to be mean enough for anything. -The old cook, who had had charge of the culinary department of the -ranche during Mr. Ackerman’s lifetime had been discharged at the request -of Ned, who had some fault to find with the man, and this Mexican, who -came from, nobody seemed to know where, had been employed to take his -place. No one about the ranche liked him. He was an excellent cook, but -he was always slipping about the house on tip-toe, as if he were trying -to find out something, and seemed to have a way of getting at everything -he wanted to know. He walked up the porch in his stealthy, noiseless -way, looked all around, to make sure that he was not observed, then bent -his face close to Ned’s, and was about to whisper something to him, when -he discovered the herdsman, who was standing at the foot of the steps, -holding the other horse. - -“Who’s that?” he demanded. - -“Me!” answered the herdsman. - -“O,” said the cook, recognising the voice. “Well, go in and get your -supper. It is all ready.” - -“I’ll go as soon as I see these visitors off.” - -“You’ll go now or you won’t get it at all,” exclaimed the cook. “I -shan’t keep it waiting for you. I want to get through in that kitchen -some time to-night.” - -The herdsman muttered something under his breath, passed the bridle of -the horse he was holding up to Ned and went into the kitchen. The -Mexican watched him until he disappeared, and then, with another -suspicious glance around, came up to Ned. - -“I know’ where that horse is,” said he, in a low tone. - -“What horse?” Ned almost gasped. - -“The one that was stolen.” - -“I—I don’t know what you mean,” stammered Ned. - -“O, I heard them talking about it in there while I was dishing up the -supper to them,” replied the cook, nodding his head as if to say that it -was of no use whatever for Ned to feign ignorance of the matter. “He’s a -chestnut-colored horse, with four white feet and a star in his forehead. -He’s out under that shed now, ‘cause I saw him there! Eh! He belongs to -the wife of one of those men inside, and she calls him Silk Stocking; -but all the men folks about the ranche poke fun at her and make her mad -by calling him Socks. Eh!” - -The Mexican poked Ned in the ribs with his finger and straightened up -and looked at him. He laughed, too, and seemed to regard the whole -matter in the light of an excellent joke—but Ned didn’t. - -“Powerful men, those in there,” continued the Mexican, jerking his thumb -over his shoulders toward the door. “They carry big revolvers in their -belts, and are dead shots; I know it by the looks of ‘em. They’re mad, -too—so mad that I wouldn’t give much for the man in whose hands they -find that horse.” - -“Gracious!” ejaculated Ned, who trembled all over. He wished now from -the bottom of his heart that he had told everything at the start; and -while he was wondering if it were now too late to do so and escape any -very serious consequences, the door opened and the men came out. One -look at them was enough to drive all thoughts of confession out of the -boy’s mind. How tall and broad-shouldered they were, and how fierce they -looked when the light from the lamp in the hall fell full upon their -bearded faces. They stood upon the porch for a few seconds, talking with -Uncle John and listening to his instructions regarding the course they -ought to follow in order to reach the ford, and then they took the -bridles from Ned’s hand and were about to mount when a loud, shrill -neigh sounded from the direction of the shed. - -Three of those who heard it were visibly affected by it. The visitors -looked at each other in surprise, while Ned leaned heavily upon the -railing of the porch for support. If there had been no railing there he -would have fallen to the ground, for there was no strength in him. - -“That sounds wonderfully like Sock’s voice, doesn’t it?” exclaimed one -of the visitors. - -The other replied that it certainly did. - -“What horse is that out there under the shed,” asked Uncle John. - -“It’s Ned’s old cob, sir,” said the cook, promptly; and Ned was glad -that the man answered for him, for he could not have uttered a word to -save his life. Frightened as he was he wandered at the cook’s reply. Why -did he not say that the stolen horse was there, and claim the liberal -reward that had probably been offered for his recovery? - -“I never heard anything sound so much like Socks’s neigh in my life,” -declared one of the visitors, as he jumped into the saddle. “But of -course it can’t be, for the horse is a long way from here by this time. -Mr. Ackerman, we are indebted to you for your kindness and hospitality.” - -“You are very welcome,” answered Uncle John. “I am only sorry that I -can’t do more for you.” - -The visitors lifted their hats and rode away out of sight; Uncle John -turned about and went into the house; the cook returned to his quarters -in the kitchen, and Ned was left alone clinging to the railing of the -verandah. He could hardly believe that the trying scenes through which -he had just passed were realities. They seemed more like a troubled -dream. - -“If anybody can come as near getting caught as I did and yet escape, I’d -like to see him do it,” thought Ned, when his mind became settled so -that he could think at all. “I never heard of a closer shave, and I -don’t believe there ever was one.” - -Ned was not very highly elated over his escape, for he knew that he was -not yet wholly out of danger. On the contrary, he would never be out of -danger while that horse was in his possession. Those two men would come -back some day to return the horses they had borrowed of Uncle John and -reclaim their own, and they might come, too, when they were least -expected, and before Ned had opportunity to secrete the stolen horse. It -was too late now to avoid trouble by giving the animal up to his lawful -owner, for the latter would want to know why he had not given him up -before, and Ned did not know what answer he could make to so awkward a -question as that. Besides, there was Philip, the Mexican cook. Ned grew -angry and alarmed every time he thought of him. The man was up to -something beyond a doubt, for if he were not, what was the reason he did -not tell the strangers that the horse of which they were in search was -under the shed where Ned had left him? - -The boy was in a very tight place, and he did not know which way to -turn. He was in a scrape at last that he could not lie out of. The -longer he dwelt upon it the plainer he saw the dangers of the situation -and the greater became his alarm. He walked slowly down the steps and -turned his face toward the shed in which the stolen horse was confined. -The animal welcomed him with a low whinny of recognition, and when Ned -patted his sleek neck he rubbed his head against his shoulders as if he -were glad to see him. Beyond a doubt he was somebody’s pet, and the boy -did not wonder that his owner was anxious to recover him. - -Ned, whose nervousness and excitement seemed to increase all the while, -stayed there in the shed for two long hours, walking restlessly about -with his hands in his pockets, and asking himself over and over again -why he did not tell his father all about the new horse when he first -came home, and what he should do to bring himself out of the scrape he -had got into through his foolishness. When bed-time came the servants -began shutting up the rancho for the night. He heard them closing the -heavy shutters and locking and barring the doors, but he did not move. -He could not bear to go to bed just then, and he knew that when his -nervousness abated so that he could sleep he could gain admittance to -the house through the door that was always left unfastened to -accommodate any of the servants who might happen to be out later than -usual. - -The rancho looked gloomy and dark enough after the shutters and doors -were closed. It stood out in bold relief against the sky, looking like -one of the haunted castles of which Ned had so often read. The bright -moonlight gave it an almost unearthly appearance, Ned thought; and when -at last all sounds of life about the building had died away, he began to -feel lonely and afraid—afraid to stay longer where he was and afraid to -pass across the lighted yard between the shed and the back porch of the -rancho. - -“I really must go,” thought Ned, after he had started toward the house -two or three times, and as often drawn back again to wait until he could -gather a fresh supply of courage. “I have been frightened so many times -to-night that I imagine all sorts of things. Every tree and bush I look -at, turns into a horseman, and I am almost——” - -Ned stopped suddenly, and stooping close to the ground, looked sharply -at some object in the distance. “Whew!” he exclaimed, drawing his hand -across his dripping forehead, “it did look like a long line of horsemen -and—so it is. Yes, sir, I can see them plainly enough. It’s all over -with Ned Ackerman now!” - -The boy turned in the instant and placing his hands on the side of the -deep manger which ran the whole length of one end of the shed, vaulted -over it, and concealed himself. He lay for a moment trembling with -alarm, and then pulling off his hat, cautiously raised his head until he -could see over the top of the manger. The objects which had aroused his -fears were certainly mounted men. They were moving in single file by the -side of the trail, and as the long, thick grass deadened the sound of -their horses’ feet, their approach was almost noiseless. - -“What are they?” thought Ned, ducking his head after he had taken one -short, quick glance at the men. “Are they raiders, or have those -strangers found out something and come back with reinforcements?” - -Ned could not have told just then which he stood the more in fear of—the -angry owner of the horse at his side or lawless Mexicans. He knew that -it would be dangerous to fall into the hands of either of them. He could -not reach the shelter of the house—they could easily cut him off if he -attempted it—and his only chance to escape capture, or something worse, -was to remain quiet in his place of concealment, and trust to luck. It -was not at all likely that the horsemen, whoever they were, would think -of looking in the shed for him even if they wanted to find him. - -Just then Ned’s new horse threw up his head, looked over his shoulder -and uttered a loud, shrill neigh. Ned tried hard to stop it, but without -success. The animal neighed not only once, but two or three times in -succession, in spite of the furious jerks the boy gave at his bridle. -Here was a new cause for alarm. The animal wanted company, and he would -keep up that neighing as long as there were any horses in sight. He -would be sure to attract attention by it too. - -“You’ll keep me in trouble as long as you stay with me,” said Ned, -jumping to his feet to act upon an idea that just then came into his -mind, “and the sooner you and I part company the better it will be for -me. There you go,” he added, as he pulled the halter over the horse’s -head and saw him gallop out of the shed. “I hope I shall never see you -again. I wish I had never seen you in the first place.” - -Ned felt a little more at his ease as he sank back into his place of -concealment. The danger of discovery was considerably lessened by this -piece of strategy, but still his situation was anything but an agreeable -one. There he was, cornered in a manger by a lot of men whose actions -indicated that they were there for no good purpose, who were approaching -the house in a stealthy manner, so as not to alarm the inmates, and who, -probably, would think no more of making an end of him, if they knew he -was there in plain sight of them, than they would of knocking over an -antelope for breakfast. The situation would have tried the courage of a -much braver boy than Ned Ackerman. - -The horsemen stopped when they saw the chestnut galloping to meet them, -but moved forward again as soon as they saw that he was riderless. They -rode up to the fence which surrounded the corral, and hitched their -horses to it. The chestnut followed and mingled with their nags, but the -men paid no attention to him. They gathered in a little group in the -shade of one of the oaks that grew beside the corral, and held a -consultation. Ned watched their movements with a good deal of surprise. - -“Why don’t those men catch that horse?” said he to himself. “If they are -raiders, they ought to steal him; and if the man who owns him is there, -he ought to catch him, to keep him from straying away. I don’t -understand it at all.” - -While Ned was talking to himself in this way, he heard a latch softly -raised. He turned his eyes in the direction of the rancho, and saw that -one of the doors, opening on to the back porch, was ajar, and that -somebody was looking out of it. He stood for a moment, turning his head -first on one side and then on the other, as if he were listening for -something, and then came out into full view. It was the Mexican cook. -The moon’s rays fell full upon him, and the boy could see him plainly. - -“Now is my chance!” thought Ned, getting upon his feet, but standing in -a crouching attitude, so that nothing but his head could be seen over -the top of the manger. “If I can run fast enough, I can put myself in a -place of safety and warn Philip at the same time.” - -Ned jumped quickly out of the manger, as he said this; but his feet had -scarcely touched the ground before he turned like a flash and jumped -back again, crouching down in his hiding-place as low as he could, and -still see all that was going on outside the shed. The men were coming in -a body toward the house. There were fifteen or twenty of them in all, -and as soon as they had moved out of the shade of the trees, so that the -moon’s rays could fall plainly upon them, Ned saw that they were dressed -in Mexican costume—short jackets, wide trowsers and sombreros—and that -they were armed to the teeth. They were cattle-thieves, of course; but -what did they mean by approaching the rancho in that stealthy manner? -The boy, trembling in every limb, turned his eyes from the Mexicans to -the porch, where he had last seen the cook. He was there yet, and -standing out in plain view of the raiders, who must have seen him, for -he was not more than twenty feet away. Philip saw them, too, beyond a -doubt; but, instead of running into the house and arousing the inmates, -as Ned expected him to do, he walked up to the rail and rested his hands -upon it. One would have thought from his actions that he was expecting -the raiders. Ned thought so, and in an instant it flashed upon him that -there was some treachery intended. - -“Father always said that Philip was a rascal!” soliloquized Ned, his -rage for the moment getting the better of his terror, “and now I know he -is one! He is a cattle-thief himself, and he and the rest are after the -money-box! But how could Philip have found out that we had a money-box?” -added Ned, as he recalled the fact that the cook belonged in the -kitchen, and had probably never seen the inside of his father’s office; -“and even if he had known all about the box, how could he have told his -friends of it? He hasn’t been away from the house an hour at a time -since he has been here.” - -Ned might have kept on propounding to himself questions that he could -not answer, but his thoughts were carried into other channels by the -actions of the raiders, who walked straight up to the porch where Philip -was standing, and entered into a whispered conversation with him. Ned -could not overhear what was said, but he saw the cook turn toward the -house and extend his hands in different directions, as if he were trying -to give his friends (for such they undoubtedly were) some idea of its -internal arrangements. Probably he was telling them where to find the -office and the strong box. If such was the case, it took him but a -moment to do it; and when the raiders had learned all they wanted to -know, they stepped lightly upon the porch and followed Philip toward the -open door. When they reached it, Philip pushed it farther open, stood on -one side to allow them to pass, and the raiders filed in, one after the -other, on tip-toe! Half their number had disappeared in the house, when -all at once a deafening uproar arose. There was a fight going on in the -hall. First there was a loud yell, that was evidently given by one of -the servants to arouse his sleeping companions, and the yell was -accompanied rather than followed by a crash which made Ned believe that -the inside of the house was being torn in pieces. It was the report of a -revolver. Another and another followed, and an instant afterward, the -raiders, having failed in their efforts to surprise the inmates of the -rancho, appeared in great confusion, crowding through the door in a -body, and in their haste prostrating the cook, who was knocked off the -porch to the ground. He lay for a moment as if stunned by the fall, and -then sprang up and ran away with the rest. - -The baffled raiders scattered in every direction, and taking refuge -behind the outbuildings and lumber piles opened a hot fire on the rancho -from their carbines. To Ned’s intense alarm two of them ran straight for -the shed. He saw them coming, and ducking his head crept swiftly into -the farthest end of the manger and crowded himself into the darkest -corner. One of the men dodged behind a wagon, but the other dashed into -the shed, jumped into the manger and taking up a position in the -opposite end, scarcely fifteen feet from the trembling boy, fired his -carbine at the door from which he and his companions had just been -driven. Ned was almost ready to scream with terror, but knowing that his -safety depended upon his preserving the strictest silence, he choked -back the cry while it was trembling on his lips, and covering his face -with his hands awaited the issue of events with all the fortitude he -could command. - -Fortunately the Mexican in the other end of the manger was so busily -engaged in loading and firing that he could not take time to look about -him during the very few minutes that he remained in his hiding-place. -The inmates of the rancho defended themselves with spirit, and one of -their number, becoming aware that there was an enemy in the shed, fired -three shots from his revolver in that direction. Ned’s hair fairly stood -on end as he heard the bullets crashing through the planks which formed -the outside of the manger. The eccentric and hurried movements of the -Mexican proved that he was no less embarrassed by them, and when the -third bullet came in, striking closer to his head than the others, he -uttered an exclamation in Spanish, and jumping out of the manger ran off -to find a less exposed ambush. Ned was glad to see him go. - -“I wonder what they mean by such work, any how?” thought Ned, who, -frightened as he was, could not resist the temptation to get upon his -knees and look over the top of the manger. “Haven’t they got sense -enough to see that our fellows have the advantage of them, and that -there is nothing to be gained by shooting at stone walls? There! I guess -they are going now!” - -Just then one of the band uttered a shrill whistle, and the firing -ceased almost immediately. Ned looked to see them mount and ride away -without loss of time, but the sequel proved that they were not yet ready -to give up all hopes of handling the money in the strong box, if that -was what they were after. The whistle was given to call the band -together for consultation. They gathered behind the shed out of sight of -the house, and one of them leaned against the boards so close to Ned -that if the latter had pushed his finger through one of the cracks he -could have touched him. The boy could hear their slightest whisper, but -could not understand a word that was said, for they talked altogether in -Spanish. They quickly decided upon a new plan of operations, and -separated to carry it into execution. A portion of the band opened fire -on the rancho again, and the others, having secured an axe, crept around -to the opposite side and furiously attacked one of the doors; but the -tough oak planks of which it was made resisted the blows of the axe -until the herdsmen had time to run to the other side of the building and -drive them away by firing through the loopholes with their revolvers. -Then the attack was renewed on another door with the same result; -finally, the Mexicans, growing discouraged, hurled a volley of Spanish -oaths at the defenders of the rancho, which had about the same effect on -them that their bullets had on the walls, and ran toward their horses. - -Ned kept his eye on the thieves while they were crossing the yard, and -was gratified to see that they had not come off unscathed. Three of -their number were limping along with the assistance of some of their -comrades, and a fourth was being carried in a blanket. Whether he was -killed or badly wounded Ned could not tell. He saw them mount and ride -away, and the last object that caught his eye as they passed out of -sight was the stolen horse, prancing and curveting behind them, his -white legs showing plainly in the moonlight. - - - - - CHAPTER X. - THE TWO FRIENDS. - - -The raiders were gone at last and so was the stolen horse. When the -animal passed out of sight in the darkness, and the sound of his hoofs -on the hard trail died away in the distance, Ned arose slowly to his -feet, but sat down again in much less time than he had consumed in -getting up. The intense excitement which had thus far kept up his -strength was over now, and he was too weak to stand. He had never passed -through such an ordeal before, and it was no wonder that he was terribly -frightened. He wondered how he had lived to see the end of it. - -“But it is an awful mean wind that blows nobody good,” thought Ned, -making another effort to stand on his feet after he had rested awhile. -“This one has brought good to me in that it has taken off the stolen -horse. I thought I had got an elephant on my hands, and I am glad he is -gone. It takes me out of a scrape very nicely. The Mexicans are the only -ones who suffered by this raid. They didn’t get their hands on the safe, -and four of their number were shot, which served them just——” - -“_Carrajo!_” exclaimed some one near him, in muffled tones. - -Ned looked up and was almost ready to drop back into the manger again, -when he saw a Mexican standing in the open part of the shed; but a -second glance reassured him, for it was nobody but the cook. The man was -probably sneaking back to the house after seeing his friends off, and -had approached so noiselessly that Ned had not heard his footsteps. “I -have learned one thing to-night,” said the boy, following out the -thoughts that were in his mind, “and that is, that you are a rascal, Mr. -Philip.” - -“What are you doing out here?” demanded the Mexican, who was so amazed -that he could not speak immediately. - -“I was treed out here, and couldn’t get into the house,” replied Ned. “I -have been out here ever since those strangers went away, and I saw all -that passed between you and the raiders. I wouldn’t give much for you if -the settlers should find out what you have been about to-night.” - -When Ned had said this much, he paused and looked at the man. He was -sorry he had spoken his mind so freely, for if he made Philip angry -there was no telling what might come of it. - -“And I wouldn’t give much for you if the settlers should find out that -you stole that horse,” retorted Philip, after he had said something -angry in Spanish. - -“I didn’t steal him. I traded my own horse for him.” - -“Then why didn’t you give him up when the owner came for him?” asked the -Mexican. - -“Well, he’s gone now,” said Ned, who did not know how to answer this -question, “and the owner is welcome to him if he can find him. I can -tell why you kept my secret: You knew the raiders were coming here -to-night, and you intended to tell them about the horse, so that they -could steal it. I didn’t know before that you were a thief, but I have -often told myself that you looked like one.” - -The Mexican was on the point of replying, and had already prefaced the -remarks he intended to make, by a Spanish oath, when the rattling of a -chain and the sudden opening of a door in the rancho, put a stop to the -conversation. Ned at once jumped out of the manger and started toward -the house, and the Mexican, instead of hiding himself, as the boy -thought he would, followed close behind him. - -“Who’s that?” demanded the herdsman, who had opened the door; and Ned -saw his revolver glisten in the moonlight, as the weapon was raised and -pointed straight at his head. - -“Don’t shoot!” he cried, quickly. - -“Wal, I’ll be dog-goned!” exclaimed the herdsman. “Where have you two -been? We have been looking all over the house for you, and we began to -believe that the raiders had carried you off with them!” - -Ned said just enough in reply to excite the man’s astonishment, but not -enough to explain what had happened, and made his way toward his -father’s room, still followed by the cook. The latter seemed to say by -his actions, that he intended to hear all Ned had to tell his father, -and that if the boy knew when he was well off, he wouldn’t tell too -much. Ned perfectly understood this silent threat, and during the -interview with his father, whom he found in his office, almost -prostrated by excitement and fear, was careful to say nothing at which -Philip could take offence. He said that, being unable to sleep, he had -gone out into the shed and stayed there, with his horse for company; -that the raiders had appeared so suddenly that he could not reach the -house without running the risk of being captured or shot by them; that -his horse had called to them, and that he had been obliged to turn the -animal loose, for fear that he would lead the raiders to his place of -concealment; and that he had lain there in the manger, an unwilling -witness to the first (and he sincerely hoped it would be the last) fight -he had ever seen carried on with firearms. - -“I can’t begin to tell you what a time I had out there!” said he, in -conclusion. “I never had bullets come so close to me before!” - -“Probably not,” said his father. “Where were you all the while, Philip?” - -“I was under the porch, sir,” was the answer; and Ned, who would have -been glad to expose the villain then and there, did not contradict the -statement. “I didn’t have time to get into the house, so I concealed -myself.” - -“I could not imagine how that door came to be open,” said Uncle John, -with something like a sigh of relief, “for I took particular pains to -lock and bolt it myself. I was almost afraid that there was a traitor -among us, and some of the herdsmen thought so, too; but this explains -everything to my satisfaction. Philip went out after I locked the door, -and before he came back the raiders arrived, found the door open and -thought they would walk in and surprise us. But Jake surprised them, I -guess! He happened to be awake, and that was all that saved us.” - -“Was there anybody hurt?” asked Ned. - -“Not on our side, I am glad to say. We escaped without the least -damage.” - -After the various exciting incidents connected with the events of the -night had been talked over, the herdsmen, who had followed the boy into -the office, to listen to his story, went out one by one, and finally Ned -and the Mexican followed. The hall through which they passed was still -filled with smoke; the walls and doors were dotted here and there with -bullet-marks, and the floor was littered with weapons, sombreros and -various other articles, which the raiders had left behind them in their -hurried flight. The sight of these things made Ned tremble again. The -Mexican accompanied him as far as the door of his own room, and when the -latter was about to slam the door in his face, the man gave him a look -and a nod that were full of meaning. - -“That fellow means to make trouble for me, sooner or later,” said the -boy to himself, after he had lighted his lamp and securely fastened his -door. “I can see it in his eye. I wish I had asked father to discharge -him long ago, for I never did like him; but if I have him sent away now, -he will spread it among the men that I had that stolen horse in my -possession and wouldn’t give him up. If that story ever gets wind in the -settlement, I don’t know what will become of me.” - -Ned threw himself upon a sofa—he was still so very nervous and -frightened that he dared not undress and go to bed—and thought over the -exciting adventures which had been crowded into the last few hours, and -racked his brain in the vain hope of finding some way out of the -difficulties he had got into. Two things were plain to him: Philip was -there in the rancho for no good purpose, and he did not intend to expose -Ned, unless the latter said something to direct suspicion toward -himself. It was humiliating, to say the least, to have a servant in the -house who could get him into serious trouble at any time he chose to -open his mouth; but Ned could think of no way to get rid of him, and -there was no one to whom he could go for advice. He must keep his own -counsel until Gus Robbins arrived. Ned knew that his friend had been in -many a scrape himself; that it was a very serious difficulty indeed out -of which he could not work his way, and perhaps Gus could help him. In -the meantime, he resolved he would have as little to do with the Mexican -as possible. He would not speak to him, or even look at him, if he could -help it, and at the same time he would show him by his actions that he -was not afraid of him. - -Having made up his mind to this Ned rearranged his pillow and tried to -go to sleep; but his brain was too active and his senses too keenly -alive to every external impression. If he kept his eyes open he saw the -raiders as plainly as he could have seen them if they had been there in -his room; and if he closed his eyes to shut them out from view he -distinctly heard their yells, the reports of their revolvers and -carbines, and could feel the sofa vibrate under his hand just as the -planks which formed the manger had vibrated when the bullets passed -through them. Once or twice he started up in great alarm, believing that -he heard the porch creak just as it did when he saw the raiders step -upon it. At last the creaking sounded in the hall; and so positive was -Ned that the thieves had returned and the Mexican cook had let them into -the house again that he took his rifle out of the wardrobe which served -him for a closet, put a cartridge into it and sat down on the sofa, -holding the weapon in readiness to send a ball through the door the -instant a hand was laid upon the latch. - -In this way Ned passed the night. It was a long and dreary one to him, -but morning came at last, and then Ned mustered up courage enough to -draw the curtains and throw open the shutters. He felt perfectly safe -now, and being overcome with weariness he sunk back upon the sofa and -fell into a sound sleep. He slept until almost dinner-time, and felt -weak and exhausted when he got up. To his great surprise no one, except -his father, had anything to say about the fight. The servants, who were -all old frontiersmen (there were no women about the house), had passed -through so many similar scenes that they had became accustomed to them, -and seemed to think that they were hardly worth talking about. He found -his father in the office, and his first words were: - -“Well, Ned, the raiders did us some damage, after all. After we drove -them away from here they went out and caught Edwards napping, and we are -ten thousand dollars poorer than we were yesterday!” - -Edwards was one of the herdsmen. His cattle, numbering over a thousand, -had been brought in a few days before for the inspection of a drover who -had purchased half the herd. These the drover had taken to Palos, and -Mose, another herdsman in Uncle John’s employ, had been sent along to -assist him. Edwards ought to have been well out of the way with the rest -of the herd by this time, but he had loitered on the road in order to -visit some of his friends, and the thieves had taken him off his guard. - -“I found Edwards here when I awoke this morning,” added Uncle John. - -“Where is he now?” asked Ned. “I should like to hear him tell his -story.” - -“O, he had no story to tell. He went into camp a few miles from here, -and early this morning the raiders surrounded his stock and drove it -off. Edwards saved himself by jumping on a horse without saddle or -bridle, and came down to tell me about it. I have told him where our -other herds are, and sent him out to see if they are safe. Ten thousand -dollars is a large sum to lose in one night.” - -Ned made no reply. Indeed, he did not seem to take the least interest in -the matter. The money was no loss to him, but it came out of the pockets -of one who could lose three times that amount every year and still have -enough left to support Uncle John and his graceless son in better style -than they had ever been able to support themselves. - -While Ned was eating the breakfast that Philip had kept warm for him, he -talked with his father about the raiders and discussed Gus Robbins’s -chances for meeting Mose at Palos. Ned had given the herdsman a -description of his expected guest, and had also taken it upon himself to -order him to stay in Palos at least a week and wait for Gus. He hoped -that Gus would be on his way to the rancho in company with some of the -neighbors long before Mose reached Palos with his cattle, and it was -this hope that took him to the top of that swell every day. It did not -take him there on this particular morning, however, for he knew now by -experience that their troublesome neighbors had a way of appearing when -they were least expected; and, although he had never heard that a band -of raiders were ever seen in broad daylight, he thought it best to -remain within hailing distance of the rancho. - -Ned’s first care, after he had eaten his breakfast, was to dispose of -the gold-mounted saddle and bridle which had come into his possession -the day before, and which were now hanging up in the shed ready at any -moment to bear testimony against him. Fortunately for him no one had had -occasion to go to the shed that morning, and consequently the only one -who knew they were there was the Mexican cook. - -Ned walked out on the porch, and after making sure that there was no one -in sight to observe his movements, he darted into the shed and as -quickly darted out again with the saddle and bridle thrown over his -shoulders. He ran to the rear of the shed, and there found a pile of -lumber which had been there since he came to the ranche, and which he -had never known to be disturbed. He pulled the lumber all down and at -the end of a quarter of an hour had piled it up again over the saddle -and bridle, arranging the shorter boards on the ends of the pile so that -nothing could be seen. - -“There!” said he, with a sigh of satisfaction. “I feel a great deal -better. Those things can stay there until I find time to put them in a -safer place. The next thing is to select a horse. Father told me that I -could take my pick of the lot.” - -There were a score or more of horses in the corral that had been broken -to the saddle. They were all fine animals, too, and it was a matter of -some difficulty for Ned to make up his mind which one he wanted. He had -grown very particular during the last two days. Having enjoyed the -luxury of a ride on Silk Stocking’s back, he knew what a good saddle -horse was, and he was hard to suit. He wanted one that looked and -carried himself exactly like the stolen horse, and he finally decided -that a small sorrel nag with light mane and tail and one white foot -approached nearer to the mark than any other horse in the corral. Ned -rode him up and down the trail in front of the house for an hour or two, -and looked longingly toward the solitary oak on the summit of the swell, -under whose friendly branches he had dreamed away so many hours while -waiting for his friend, Gus Robbins. But the fear of the raiders kept -him at home, and a week passed away before he could gather courage -enough to venture out of sight of the house. - -On the morning of the eighth day after the raid, one of the herdsmen -told Ned that the band of Hangers who had pursued the thieves in the -hope of overtaking them and recovering the stolen stock, had returned -unsuccessful, the Mexicans having made good their escape across the -river, taking the cattle with them. If that was the case, travelling was -safe, and Ned was only too glad to take his accustomed gallop again. Of -course breakfast was late that morning and everything bothered—it always -does when one is in a hurry; but the horse was brought to the porch at -last, and Ned hastened into the house after his rifle and silver-mounted -riding-whip. These ornaments having been secured, he went into the -kitchen after the lunch which he had ordered Philip to prepare for him, -and while he was putting it into his pocket, he heard the clatter of a -horse’s hoofs in the yard, and voices in conversation. He ran out on the -porch, and found his father talking earnestly to a roughly-dressed man, -who, upon closer examination proved to be Zeke, George’s herdsman. Uncle -John’s face wore an expression of interest, while Zeke’s was gloomy -enough. He looked and acted like a man who had met with some great -misfortune. - -“I don’t know whar he is, more’n the man in the moon,” Zeke was saying -when Ned came out. “I ‘sposed, in course, that I should find him here.” - -“Well, he isn’t here, and we haven’t seen him since the day he left with -the supplies,” said Uncle John. “Can’t you tell me just what has -happened? I may be able to do something.” - -“Thar ain’t much of anything to tell, an’ ye can’t do nothing, either,” -replied Zeke. “He brung them supplies to my camp all right, an’ a few -nights arterwards the Greasers dropped down on us an’ run off the last -hoof we had to bless ourselves with, doggone ‘em!” - -Ned caught his breath, and turned his head quickly away, for fear that -the herdsman, who just then happened to be looking his way, might see -the expression of delight and triumph that came upon it. - -“That’s the best news I ever heard,” thought he. “The Greasers have -cleaned George out at last. Serves him right.” - -“But we got ‘em all back again, me an’ the settlers did,” continued -Zeke. - -The exultant smile faded from Ned’s face as quickly as it had appeared. -“That’s the worst news I ever heard,” said he to himself. “George often -declares that he is the luckiest boy in Texas, and I believe he is. I -know I am the unluckiest.” - -“You got them all back!” exclaimed Uncle John. “I am very glad to hear -it.” - -“Yes, we did. The Greasers didn’t get away with nary horn. But I hain’t -seed nor heared nothing of George since the night they jumped down on -us. I thought mebbe he’d got a trifle outer his reckonin’ an’ come hum -to take a fresh start; so I brung the critters nigher in to wait fur -him. But seein’ as how he ain’t here—good-by!” - -As Zeke said this, he wheeled his horse and rode away at a full gallop, -paying no attention to the entreaties and commands to come back that -Uncle John shouted after him. He was out of hearing in a moment more, -and then the father and son turned and looked at each other. - -“What is the meaning of all this, anyhow?” asked Ned, who had not been -able to gain a very clear idea of the state of affairs. - -“You know as much about it as I do,” answered his father. “George hasn’t -been seen since the night his herd was stampeded. That’s all.” - -“What are you going to do?” - -“I’m going to send a man to make inquiries among the neighbors. That’s -all I can do; for I don’t know where to look for him. He may have been -killed or carried off by the raiders.” - -Uncle John walked into the house with great deliberation, put down the -newspaper he had held in his hand during his conversation with Zeke, and -then came out and moved slowly toward the corral where one of the -herdsmen was at work. - -After watching him for a few minutes Ned struck up a lively whistle, -mounted his horse and rode away. He did not act much like a boy who had -just heard that his cousin had been missing for days, and might be a -captive in the hands of the Mexicans. Suppose he was in George’s place! -Would his father be so very deliberate in his movements, and would he be -satisfied with sending jut a single man to make inquiries among the -neighbors? - -Ned seemed to be in the best of spirits. He kept his horse in a full -gallop, until he reached the top of the swell, and there he reined him -in very suddenly, for he caught sight of two horsemen on the other side. -Shading his eyes with his hand, he gazed earnestly at them for a few -minutes, and then started down the swell to meet them. He recognised one -of them as the herdsman who had been sent to assist the drover in -driving down the cattle he had purchased of Uncle John, and something -told him that his companion could be none other than the long-expected -Gus Robbins. We know that it was Gus, and we have already described the -meeting that took place between the two boys. We know, too, that Mose -rode on to the rancho, to report his arrival to his employer, and that -the boys followed him leisurely, talking every step of the way. - -“I say, Ned,” said Gus, suddenly, “you live in an awful lonesome place, -don’t you?” - -“Yes,” replied Ned; “it is very lonely, and that is one reason why I -wanted you to come down here.” - -“There is plenty of hunting, I suppose,” continued Gus; “but that is -something I don’t know much about. I can handle a yard-stick better than -I can handle a gun. Is there any fishing, or are there any good fellows -to run with?” - -“I haven’t heard of anybody going fishing since I have been here; and as -for the fellows, I don’t know a boy in the neighborhood.” - -“Why, what in the world do you do to pass the time away?” - -“I don’t do anything. I just keep still and let it pass itself away.” - -“That’s a jolly way to live!” said Gus. “It’s better than standing -behind a counter all day, handling over goods for people who don’t want -anything, and who, after they have tired you out, spend five cents for a -spool of thread, and think they have paid you for the trouble they have -caused you. But, Ned, we can’t get into any scrapes here, can we?” - -“Can’t we, though!” exclaimed Ned. “I know a story worth two of that. -Why, boy, I am in a worse scrape to-day than you ever dreamed of, and I -got into it just as easy! It was no trouble at all.” - -“You have been talking too much,” said Gus, who remembered that his -friend had more than once got himself into serious trouble by the too -free use of his tongue. - -“No, I haven’t,” said Ned, quickly. “I have been talking too little; -that’s the trouble. But it is a long story, and I must take a spare half -hour in which to tell it to you; then I want you to give me your advice, -for I don’t know what to do.” - -“I guess I can help you, if anybody can. I have helped you out of more -than one close corner, haven’t I? Do you remember how we used to go -about Foxboro’ of nights, changing gates and signs, and stretching ropes -across the walk to trip the people who passed by?” - -“I haven’t forgotten. Are you up to such things now?” - -“Yes, or anything else that has fun in it!” - -“All right. Some day, when you are in just the right humor for it, I’ll -tell you how you can get yourself into as lively a mess as you ever -heard of—something that will set the whole settlement in a blaze.” - -“I’m your man,” said Gus, readily. “If one is going to raise a row, let -him raise a big one, while he is about it. That’s what I say!” - -The five miles that lay between the swell and the rancho had never -seemed so short to Ned as they did that day. He and Gus had so much to -talk about that they took no note of time, and their ride was ended -almost before they knew it. When they reached the rancho, they found -Uncle John standing on the porch, waiting for them. - - - - - CHAPTER XI. - GUS HEARS FROM HOME. - - -Gus spent the two days following his arrival at the rancho in resting; -and even at the end of that time he had not fully recovered from the -effects of his long, hard ride on horseback. He and Ned passed the time -in roaming about the house and grounds, and at every turn Gus found -something to interest him. The rancho and everything about it, Uncle -John’s manner of living, the appearance, customs and language of the men -he met every day—all these were new to Gus, who could have enjoyed -himself hugely now if it had not been for two disagreeable reflections -which constantly intruded upon him in spite of all he could do to keep -them out of his mind. There were cattle-thieves in that country who made -a practice of shooting everybody who came in their way, and they had -been in that very house not a great while ago. They might come again at -any moment, and there might be another fight—and Gus did not like to -think of that. He would have been safer in his father’s store than he -was in that country, but would he ever be permitted to return to that -store after what he had done? On the whole he was sorry that he had come -to Texas, and Ned was almost sorry that he had invited him, for Gus -didn’t act and talk like the boy he had known in Foxboro’. He was not so -jolly and full of life as he used to be. - -Mr. Ackerman never asked the visitor if he had left home with his -father’s full and free consent. He, no doubt, took it for granted that -Gus had talked the matter over with Mr. Robbins, and so said nothing -about it. This relieved Ned of a burden of anxiety, and another thing -that pleased him was the fact that Gus never asked any questions -concerning the hunting adventure which Ned had so graphically described -in his first letter. - -During these two days nothing was heard of the missing George. The -herdsman who had been sent out to make inquiries among the neighbors -brought back the information that he had not been able to find any -traces of him, and that seemed to settle the matter, so far as Uncle -John and Ned were concerned. The two boys seldom spoke of him. They had -more important matters to occupy their attention. They talked over old -times to their hearts’ content, and Ned told Gus everything of interest -that had happened to him since he came to Texas. The story of the stolen -horse and the description of Philip’s strange conduct on the night of -the fight were so incredible that Gus wouldn’t believe a word until he -had seen the bullet holes in the manger and the lumber pile behind the -shed had been torn down so that he could see the gold-mounted saddle and -bridle. Then he looked bewildered, and, contrary to Ned’s expectation, -could suggest nothing more than he had already thought of himself. - -“You ought to have given the horse up when the owner came for him,” said -he. “You would have made something handsome by it probably.” - -“I know that as well as you do,” replied Ned. “But seeing I didn’t do -it, how am I going to get myself out of the scrape?” - -“I don’t see that you are in any scrape. How far does the man who owns -the horse live from here?” - -“Fifty or sixty miles.” - -“Did you ever see him before that night?” - -“I never did.” - -“Well, comfort yourself with the thought that you may never see him -again. There’s nothing to bring him back here.” - -“O, yes there is. Didn’t I tell you that he and his companion rode off -two of father’s horses? Of course they must bring them back. It isn’t a -safe piece of business in this country, I tell you, for a man to keep a -horse that doesn’t belong to him. The people won’t allow it.” - -“And you knew this all the while, and yet held fast to that stolen -horse!” said Gus. - -“Now, look here,” exclaimed Ned, angrily, “I know that I was a -blockhead. I was bound to keep the horse, and didn’t stop to think of -the consequences. When I had a chance to give him up I did not dare do -it, for fear that the owner would do something to me before I could -explain matters to him.” - -“Well, the horse is gone now, and you are all right. If you are afraid -to meet those men, keep your eyes open and dig out when they come back -with your father’s horses.” - -“But suppose that while I am gone Philip should take it into his head to -tell them that I had the horse in my possession when they were here -before, and wouldn’t give him up?” - -“If he does that, tell your father that he was the one who let the -raiders into the house.” - -“Now, what earthly good would that do me? Would it get me out of the -scrape?” - -“No; but you would have the satisfaction of knowing that you had repaid -Philip by getting him into just as much trouble as he got you into.” - -“But that isn’t what I want. I want to clear myself, and I don’t know -how to do it.” - -“I don’t know either. You’ll have to trust to luck.” - -“I’d rather trust to anything else in the world. Luck never served me a -good turn yet.” - -“You said your father discharged the old cook because you asked him, -didn’t you? Very well; ask him to discharge Philip. You had better get -him away from here as soon as you can. I judge from what you say, that -he had made up his mind to have that safe in your father’s office, and -the first thing you know he’ll bring men enough here to take it. He’s -not a safe person to have about.” - -Ned was very well aware of that fact, but still he could see no way of -getting rid of him without rendering himself liable to exposure, and -neither could Gus. As often as they discussed the matter, they arrived -at this conclusion: that Philip was there in the rancho; that he meant -to stay there; and that Ned could not have him discharged without -getting himself into serious trouble. One would suppose, that while this -state of affairs continued, there would be no such thing as pleasure for -Ned. He never did see a moment’s peace while he was awake, but those -around him did not know it. He seemed to be enjoying himself to the -fullest extent. - -On the third day, Gus began to feel a little more like himself, and when -Ned proposed a short gallop to get up an appetite for dinner, the -visitor did not object. The first thing was to select a gentle horse for -his use; for the one he had ridden from Palos was a borrowed animal, and -must be returned in good order, at the very first opportunity. Ned made -the selection for him, and then went with him into the store-room to -pick out a saddle and bridle. As they came out into the hall, a horseman -drew up beside the porch long enough to throw a letter at them, after -which he turned about and galloped back in the direction from which he -had come. This was the only way in which the neighboring ranchemen and -farmers would have anything to do with Uncle John. They inquired for his -mail when they went to Palos, and brought it to him, if there chanced to -be any, but they did it simply as an act of courtesy, just as they had -banded together and pursued the raiders in the hope of recovering the -stock they had stolen from him. They did not ask Uncle John to join them -in the pursuit, and when they brought him his mail they never visited -with him or stopped to hold conversation, as they did with their other -neighbors. - -Gus picked up the letter and handed it to Ned, who, after glancing at -the name on the envelope passed it back to his companion. The letter was -addressed to him in care of Uncle John. The visitor’s face grew red and -pale by turns, as he looked at his father’s well-known writing. - -“Sam Holmes has blowed the whole business!” he exclaimed, as soon as he -could speak. - -“Well, you expected it, didn’t you?” returned Ned. “What do you care for -Sam Holmes now? You are out of his reach and your father’s too. Why -don’t you read the letter?” - -Gus didn’t want to read it—that was the reason. It took him by surprise, -for it was something he did not expect to receive. In accordance with -Ned’s suggestion, however, he tore open the envelope, and ran his eye -hastily over the few lines the letter contained. - -“Well, I call that pretty cool!” he exclaimed. - -“Any objections to telling what they say?” asked Ned. - -“None whatever. Read it for yourself, and read it aloud, so that I may -be sure I have made no mistake.” - -Ned took the letter and read as follows:— - - * * * * * - -“MY DEAR BOY:—I learn that you have gone to Texas, to visit Ned -Ackerman. I am sorry you thought it best to leave us without saying -good-by, for if we had known that you were resolved to go, we should -have given you all the aid in our power. I am sorry, too, that you went -when you did, for we had anticipated much pleasure in your company -during our summer’s visit to the trout streams of the Adirondacks. If -you think you would like to come home when your visit is ended, I will -send you the necessary funds. I do not suppose Mr. Ackerman will care to -pay your expenses both ways. Your mother and I would be glad to hear -from you as often as you may feel in the humor to write. I have paid all -your debts.” - -Ned was very much astonished, and went over the letter twice, to make -sure that he had read it aright. - -“What do you think of it?” demanded Gus. - -“It _is_ cool, that’s a fact,” answered Ned, who did not know what else -to say; “very cool!” - -“It’s—it’s impudent!” exclaimed Gus, angrily; “downright insulting! Now, -isn’t he a pretty father for a fellow to have!” he added, snatching the -letter from Ned’s hand. “Just listen to this: ‘If we had known that you -were resolved to go, we should have given you all the aid in our power;’ -and ‘_if_ you think you would like to come home when your visit is -ended!’ He might as well say that if I don’t want to return, I can stay -away and welcome!” - -“It seems that the rest of them are going to the Adirondacks,” said Ned. -“You know you always wanted to go there.” - -“That’s just what provokes me!” cried Gus, thrashing his boots angrily -with his riding-whip, as he walked up and down the porch. “Of course, I -always wanted to go there. I have tried more than once to induce father -to consent, but he wouldn’t do it. He treated me like a dog and drove me -away from home, and now he coolly informs me that he’s going -trout-fishing this summer! I hope he’ll catch a whale, and that the -whale will smash his old boat into kindling-wood, and tumble him out -into the water!” - -This remark showed Gus to be possessed of so mean and paltry a spirit, -and the wish expressed in it was so perfectly ridiculous, that Ned burst -into a loud laugh. He could not help it. Gus looked sharply at him for a -moment, and continued his walk up and down the porch, whipping his boots -at every step. He was greatly amazed, as every young fellow is, when he -learns for the first time that he is not an absolute necessity, and that -the world will wag just as well without him as it will with him. Gus -thought, of course, that his parents were very much distressed over what -he had done, and that the letter was written to urge him to return at -once and relieve their suspense; but, instead of that, his father seemed -to take the matter very coolly, and did not even give up his -contemplated trip to the mountains, because Gus was not there to take -part in it. - -“I’ll never go back!” declared the boy, flourishing his whip in the air. -“I’ll stay here until you get tired of keeping me, and then I’ll go to -work at something—I don’t care what it is—so long as I don’t have to -sell dry-goods!” - -“I wish that letter had been lost on the way,” said Ned, “for it has -taken all the spirit out of you. You were bright and lively this -morning, and were beginning to act like the Gus Robbins I used to know -in Foxboro’.” - -“I’m the same fellow now!” said Gus, tearing the letter into the -smallest possible fragments, and throwing them over the railing for the -wind to carry away. “Let’s go somewhere and do something!” - -The boys mounted their horses, which were standing, saddled and bridled, -at the foot of the stairs, and rode away; but the gloom which had been -thrown over their spirits went with them, and the letter was the only -thing they could talk about. Gus could not forget that trouting -excursion to the Adirondacks. He had longed and hoped for that as he had -never longed and hoped for anything else, and it was very provoking to -know that it was to take place now, after he had put it out of his power -to enjoy it. He would have done a year’s hard work in the store and -given up his Texas scheme for it very gladly. He didn’t care for horses, -guns or dogs; but he was an enthusiastic fisherman, and nothing suited -him better than to get away by himself, and wander up and down the banks -of some retired stream, in which the pools were deep and the speckled -beauties abundant. But all his chances for such sport were gone -now—lost, too, by a deliberate act of his own—and Gus felt angry at -himself when he thought about it. - -“Then don’t think about it at all,” said Ned, as Gus gave utterance to -the thoughts that were passing through his mind. “Think about something -more agreeable. Give up all idea of ever going back to Foxboro’!” - -“O, I have given it up!” said Gus. “But it provokes me almost beyond -measure when I think——” - -He finished the sentence by shaking his riding-whip in the air. - -“That they can be happy and lay plans for their amusement when you are -not there; eh, Gus?” said Ned. “I know right where the shoe pinches. -Stay here, and we’ll make money by raising wheat. Do you see that field -over there? That’s mine!” - -“I saw it some time ago,” answered Gus, “but I thought it was a pasture -that somebody had fenced in. I see some cattle in it.” - -“In my wheat field!” cried Ned, with great indignation. “Where? So do -I!” he added, after he had run his eye along the fence. - -Ned put his horse into a gallop and rode toward the field at the top of -his speed, his companion following closely behind. As they drew nearer -they saw that there was a wide gap in the fence, that the field looked -as though somebody’s cattle had used it regularly for a pasture, and -that some of the animals that had caused the mischief were in the -enclosure now. As they drew rein at the gap and looked over the -desolated field the cattle shook their heads as if they were indignant -at the interruption, and went off toward the opposite fence in a gallop. - -“What wild-looking fellows!” exclaimed Gus. “I should think you would be -afraid to go near them.” - -“They are wild, too,” replied Ned. “They’d just as soon go for us as not -if we were on foot, but they’ll not trouble us so long as we are in the -saddle. But just look at this wheat! It’s ruined, isn’t it?” - -“I am no farmer,” returned his companion. - -“It doesn’t need a farmer to tell whether or not there is any wheat -here, does it?” cried Ned angrily. - -“Can’t you make the man who owns the cattle pay damages?” - -“No; you can’t collect a cent. That thing has been tried.” - -“Then shoot the cattle!” - -“I’d do it in a minute if I wasn’t afraid. You remember the story of -that neighborhood row I told you last night, don’t you?” - -“Yes; and if I were in your place I’d raise another. There’s nobody in -sight, and how is the owner of the cattle going to know who did the -shooting? Knock one of ‘em over! I dare you to do it!” - -Ned hesitated. He had talked bravely enough, when in the presence of his -cousin, about doing this very thing, but since that time he had seen a -fight, had heard the reports of firearms and the yells of excited and -angry men, and thought he had some faint conception of the scenes that -had been enacted during that neighborhood row, and which would, no -doubt, be repeated if another should arise. But here was his fine field -of wheat so nearly destroyed that it would not pay for the harvesting; -within easy rifle shot of him were some of the cattle which had done the -mischief and which probably belonged to one of the neighbors who -wouldn’t visit with him or his father because they wore good clothes and -claimed to be gentlemen; and there was no one in sight. - -“Knock one of them over,” repeated Gus, “and perhaps it will teach their -owner to keep his stock out of the way of your field, the next time you -plant wheat in it. Hand me your gun, and I’ll show you that I am Gus -Robbins yet, and not afraid to do anything.” - -The boy leaned forward in his saddle as he said this, and taking the -rifle out of his friend’s grasp, rode toward the cattle (there were -probably a dozen of them in all) which were dashing along the fence and -trampling down the wheat that had escaped destruction during their -former raids. As Gus approached them, they charged in a body in the -direction of the gap; but instead of going through it they ran on by, -kicking up their heels and shaking their heads as if they enjoyed the -sport. While Ned galloped through the field to head them off, Gus -dismounted, and taking his stand near the gap, cocked the rifle in -readiness to shoot one of the herd the next time they went by. - -Ned succeeded in turning the cattle after a short race, and, as before, -they took no notice of the gap, but dashed by it and started for another -gallop around the field. At that moment the rifle cracked, and one of -the finest steers in the herd threw his head and tail higher in the air, -galloped faster for a short distance, then sank to his knees and rolled -over on his side. By the merest chance, Gus had sent a bullet smaller -than a buckshot into some vital part, and there was one less steer in -somebody’s herd to break down fences and destroy wheat crops. - -“What do you think of that?” cried Gus, in great glee. - -“It was a splendid shot,” replied Ned, who just then rode up and -extended his hand for the rifle. “You did it, didn’t you? Since we have -begun the work, we’ll do it up in shape. If they won’t go out they can -stay in; but they’ll stay dead!” - -The horse that Gus rode, having been broken to stand fire, was not at -all alarmed by the report of the rifle. He allowed the boy to catch and -mount him again, and by the time he was fairly in the saddle, Ned had -placed a fresh cartridge in his rifle. “You head them off and drive them -back,” said he, “and I’ll wait here at the gap to salute them as they go -by.” - -In accordance with this request Gus rode off, and in a few minutes the -herd came dashing along the fence again. They must have been growing -tired of the sport by this time, for they headed straight for the gap, -and all got through; but one of them carried a bullet somewhere in his -body, the effects of which very soon became apparent. The rest of the -herd began to leave him behind, and when he followed them over a ridge, -which lay about a quarter of a mile from the field, he was staggering -about as if he could scarcely keep his feet. - -While the work of driving the cattle out of the field was in progress, a -horseman appeared on the ridge of which we have spoken, riding slowly -along, with his eyes fastened on the ground, as if he were following a -trail. Just as he reached the top, he heard the report of a rifle, and -looked up to discover that the cattle of which he was in search, were -running about a wheat field, and that two persons were engaged in -shooting them down. One of the cattle fell just as he raised his eyes. -When he saw this, he placed his hand on one of the revolvers he carried -in his belt, and seemed on the point of dashing forward to take -satisfaction for the loss he had sustained; but he evidently thought -better of it a moment later, for he backed his horse down the swell -until nothing but his own head could be seen over it, and there he sat -and saw all that Ned and Gus did. When the wounded steer came over the -swell, staggering from the effects of the bullet Ned had shot into him, -the man shook his clenched hand in the direction of the wheat field, -muttered something to himself, and galloped off in pursuit of the -uninjured cattle, leaving the wounded one to take care of himself. - -“There!” exclaimed Ned, when the laggard of the drove had disappeared -over the swell, “it’s done, and I am glad of it. If the owner of those -cattle finds out that we did it and has anything to say about it, I -shall tell him that this is my land—it may be mine some day, you know, -and before long, too—and that no cattle except my own have any right on -it.” - -“I wish that steer had got over the fence before he died,” said Gus. - -The boys seemed to be highly elated over what they had done. They had -performed the same feat which, not so very many months ago, had set the -whole settlement together by the ears, and no one was the wiser for it. -Of course some rancheman would some day find out that one of his fattest -steers had been killed and another badly wounded, but how was he going -to find out who did the shooting? Ned fully expected that there would be -trouble about it; that there would be threats and inquiries made, and -that he and Gus, being safe from discovery, would have many a hearty -laugh in secret over the storm they had raised. - -“Remember one thing,” said he. “No matter what is said or done, we don’t -know anything about it. They can’t crowd us into a corner tight enough -to make us own up. That would only make matters worse.” - -Gus readily agreed to this, and the boys shook hands on it. In order to -make assurance doubly sure they rode around the rancho and approached -it, just at dark, from a direction opposite to that they had taken when -they rode away from it in the morning. When the events of the afternoon -became known nobody could fasten the guilt upon them by saying that they -had been seen coming from the direction of the wheat field. They found -supper waiting for them, and when they had eaten it they went into the -office to spend the evening in reading and conversation. - -While they were thus engaged inside the house, a proceeding which looks -strange at the first glance, but which will be plain enough when all the -circumstances connected with it are known, was going on outside of it. A -horseman, who was riding rapidly along the road toward the rancho, -turned off just before he reached it, and made his way to the corral -that was located a short distance to the right of the shed in which Ned -had taken refuge on the night of the fight. He stopped in front of the -gate and uttered an exclamation of disappointment when he found that it -was secured by a heavy padlock. After looking about him for a moment, as -if he were turning some problem over in his mind, he dismounted, pulled -the bridle over his horse’s head and hung it upon the horn of the -saddle; whereupon the animal turned and galloped toward a -watering-trough a short distance away, where he was joined by a small, -dark-colored mule which had followed the horseman down the trail. The -horseman himself moved toward the house, pausing every now and then to -listen and reconnoiter the ground before him, and presently reached the -steps leading to the porch. These he mounted with cautious tread, and -was about to place his hand upon the door when it was suddenly opened -from the inside, a flood of light streamed out into the darkness, and -the horseman was confronted by a stalwart herdsman who started back in -surprise at the sight of him. - -Arresting by a hasty gesture the cry of amazement that arose to the -herdsman’s lips, the visitor stepped into the hall, and, closing the -door behind him, uttered a few short, quick sentences in a low tone of -voice which the other received with subdued ejaculations of wonder. When -he ceased speaking the herdsman hastened away, and the visitor, who -seemed to be perfectly familiar with the internal arrangements of the -house, moved quickly along the hall, turning several corners, and -finally opening a door which gave entrance into Mr. Ackerman’s office. - -There was a happy party gathered in that office, if one might judge by -the ringing peal of laughter which echoed through the hall, when the -door was opened; but it was quickly checked at the sight of the boy who -entered as though he had a perfect right to be there, and whose -appearance was so sudden and unexpected that it brought two of the three -persons in the room to their feet in an instant. - -“Why, George!” they both cried in a breath—and a quick ear would have -discovered that there was more surprise than cordiality in their -tones—“Is this you? Where in the world have you been so long? We have -been worried to death about you!” - -“Yes it is I,” answered George Ackerman, for he it was. “I have come -back safe and sound, and that is all I can say to you now about myself. -I want to talk to you about yourselves, and especially to you Ned. By -the way, I suppose this is the friend from Foxboro’ whom you have so -long been expecting.” - -Ned replied that it was, but he forgot to introduce the two boys to each -other, and so did Uncle John. There was something about George that made -them forget it. When they came to look at him they saw that he was very -much excited, and that his face wore an expression they had never seen -there before. They could not tell whether he was frightened or troubled. - -“Why, George!” exclaimed Uncle John, in some alarm. “What is the matter? -Any bad news? Are the Indians or Mexicans——” - -“Yes, I have bad news,” interrupted George, almost impatiently, “and but -little time to tell it in. Ned, you and your friend must pack up and -leave this rancho, and this county, too, without the loss of an hour’s -time. You are in danger, and I have placed myself in danger by coming -here to tell you of it!” - -The boy’s words produced the utmost surprise and consternation among -those who listened to them. - - - - - CHAPTER XII. - A NARROW ESCAPE. - - -George found his herdsman eager for news from the settlement, as he -always was, but he had nothing to tell him that was very interesting. He -could have given him some information that would have made him open his -eyes and put him in fighting humor at once; but he thought it best to -avoid that subject altogether. If he told Zeke that Uncle John had -threatened to take his herd of cattle away from him, under the plea of -reducing expenses, but really as George believed, for the purpose of -turning it over to Ned, the old man would have been as angry as George -was when he first learned of the fact. But the boy didn’t want to let -Zeke know how mean his uncle was, and so he said nothing about his -plans. They never could be carried out while Zeke was there to protect -his stock, and George could afford to be magnanimous. - -George and his herdsman made an early start on the following morning, -and the third night found them at Catfish Falls. They now felt perfectly -safe, for the raiders had never been known to penetrate so far into the -country. Their depredations were principally confined to the counties -bordering on the river, it being their object to stampede all the stock -they could find in one night’s raid, and drive it across the river into -Mexico, before the settlers could gather in sufficient numbers to pursue -them. They tried as hard to avoid a fight as the ranchemen did to -overtake them. - -George made the camp and cooked the supper, and when they had satisfied -their appetites, the former laid down on his blanket in front of the -fire with his saddle for a pillow, and listened to Zeke, who talked and -smoked incessantly. Their work for the day was over now. The cattle were -always brought close in to camp at dark, the horses and mule were staked -out, and the campers went to bed at an early hour. If they awoke during -the night, they replenished the fire with some of the fuel that was -always kept close at hand, and walked around the herd to see if there -were any restless ones in it who felt inclined to stray away. George -performed this necessary duty twice on this particular night making the -first round about twelve o’clock. To his surprise, he found the most of -the cattle on their feet, and saw that some of them were exhibiting -unmistakable signs of uneasiness and alarm. They stood snuffing the air -eagerly, carrying their heads high and their ears thrown forward, and -now and then they would walk a few steps out of the herd, lower their -horns and paw the ground as if challenging the object that had excited -them, whatever it was, to come out and give them battle. The rest of the -cattle were lying down, chewing their cuds contentedly, and apparently -not at all disturbed by the antics of their nervous companions. - -George threw himself flat upon the ground and swept his eyes around the -horizon. In this position, he could distinctly see any object that might -be approaching the camp (provided, of course, that it was taller than -the grass) for it would be clearly outlined against the sky. But he -could see nothing. He arose to his feet again and listened intently, but -could hear nothing calculated to excite his alarm. The wolves which -serenaded them every night were holding a concert a short distance away, -and that made George believe that if there was any danger approaching, -it was yet a long distance off; for he knew that the wolves would be the -first to discover it, and that they would then bring their concert to a -close and take to their heels. - -“There’s something up,” thought George, once more turning his eyes -toward the cattle. Some of the uneasy ones, reassured by his presence, -were walking about among their companions, as if they were looking for a -good place to lie down, while the others remained in a defiant attitude -and snuffed the air as before. “There’s something up,” repeated George, -“and I have been expecting it. I have felt very nervous and timid for -two or three days, and I don’t know how to account for it. If there is -anybody within hearing or smelling distance who has no business here, I -can find it out.” - -George walked back to the camp, picked up his rifle, and after -unfastening the lasso with which his horse was confined, he jumped on -the animal’s back without saddle or bridle and rode away in the -darkness, paying no heed to a bray of remonstrance from Bony who -followed as far as the length of his lariat would allow him to go. He -rode out on the prairie for a hundred yards or more, and then stopped -his horse and listened again. The animal stood perfectly quiet for a few -seconds, looking first one way and then another, and turning his ears -toward all points of the compass, and apparently satisfied with the -result of his reconnoissance, he put down his head and began cropping -the grass. - -“Hold up, here!” exclaimed George, seizing the horse by the mane and -tapping him gently on the side of his head with the muzzle of his rifle -to make him turn around. “We have nothing to be frightened at yet—that’s -evident. Now, old fellow, I shall leave you loose. Keep your ears open -and wake us up if you hear anything!” - -George rode back to camp and sought his blanket feeling a little more at -his ease. He had as much faith in his horse as he had in Zeke (the -latter used to say that he could smell an Indian or a Greaser at night -as far as he could see him in the daytime), and since the animal could -not discover anything suspicious, it was as good evidence as he wanted -that there was nothing to fear. No doubt some of the wild members of the -herd felt as nervous and uneasy as he did, and took their own way to -show it. - -Although George brought back to his blanket a most refreshing feeling of -security, he did not sleep as soundly as he usually did. He went through -all sorts of terrible things in his dreams, and started every time the -fire snapped. He was wide awake again at one o’clock, and set out on his -second tour of inspection. The moon, now nearly half an hour high, had -brought up with it a cooling breeze which gently rustled the long grass -of the prairie, and sent the sparks from the camp-fire circling high in -the air. The wolves had closed their concert and gone off to find a more -appreciative audience, and there was an air of peaceful quiet brooding -over the scene. George forgot all his fears and continued his round with -a light heart. He found the cattle quiet, but some of them had begun -feeding and were straying away from the rest of the herd. While George -was engaged in driving them back, and forcing the remainder of the herd -into a more compact body, a yell, so sudden and startling that it made -the cold chills creep all over him, arose on the air, and out from a -little thicket of willows that grew a short distance from the belt in -which the camp was located, dashed a party of horsemen who charged -toward the herd at the top of their speed. They were Mexicans; George -could see that at a glance. They had doubtless been hovering about the -camp all night, and it was while they were working their way around to -the leeward of the herd that their presence had been detected by the -wakeful cattle. - -George stood for an instant as if he were rooted to the ground; and then -with a wild cry of alarm he dashed forward, running diagonally across -the front of the herd, hoping almost against hope that he might succeed -in passing them, and thus avoiding the rush which he knew would come in -a moment more. It was the only way in which he could escape being -trampled to death. He ran as he had never run before, but he had made -scarcely half a dozen steps when a rumble like that of an avalanche -sounded close at his side, telling him that the cattle were coming. The -strongest fence that was ever built would not have stopped them now, and -George, had he attempted to drive them back or turn them aside, would -have been trampled under their feet like a blade of grass. He saw and -fully realized his danger, but could not escape it. Even Zeke, who was -as light of foot as an antelope, could not have saved himself by his -speed; and George, giving himself up for lost, fell flat upon the -ground, clasped his hands over his head and awaited his fate. By the -merest chance he threw himself into a little excavation in the prairie, -which, in the years gone by, had doubtless served as a wallow for some -old patriarch of a buffalo; but now it was covered with grass, and there -were two or three little willows growing out of the bottom of it. - -This protection, slight as it was, saved the boy’s life. He had barely -time to crowd himself close against the frail stems of the willows -before the frantic cattle were upon him. The roar of their hoofs on the -hard ground was almost deafening. It was louder than the roar of all the -northers he had ever heard crowded into one; but even while he was -wondering why some of the cattle did not jump upon him the roar -subsided, and George, looking up through the willows which had been bent -over his head, saw the moon shining down upon him. Every steer had -jumped the wallow, and George had escaped with nothing more than a -terrible fright. While he was congratulating himself upon his good -fortune, a clatter of hoofs sounded near, and he ducked his head just as -two horsemen, riding side by side, dashed over the wallow in pursuit of -the flying herd. - -The boy’s first thought, after he had satisfied himself that he had -escaped without injury, was of Zeke. What had become of him? There was -one thing certain—George knew it now as well as he did a few minutes -later—and that was that the herdsman had made a fight, and a good one, -too. Although the old fellow appeared to be a sound sleeper, he would -jump to his feet the instant he heard any unusual noise, and he was wide -awake the moment he opened his eyes. More than that, he kept his -Winchester close at hand, and could discharge it with a rapidity and -accuracy that George had tried in vain to imitate. Zeke was probably on -his feet before the yell that frightened the cattle was half uttered, -and as soon as he got there he was ready to begin shooting. Of course -George had not heard the report of his rifle, for the rumble of that -multitude of hoofs about his ears would have drowned the roar of a -cannon. - -“But I know, all the same, that he _did_ shoot, and that some of those -raiders didn’t get away,” thought George, as he once more raised his -head and looked over the grass in the direction of the camp. “I think I -had better stay here. Zeke will know when the danger is over, and then -he will call to me. I wonder if he is there now? Somebody is punching up -the fire, sure!” - -The old buffalo wallow into which George had thrown himself, was about a -hundred yards distant from the willows, and the grass was so high that -he could not see the camp; but he could see the smoke of the fire as it -arose through the tops of the trees that hung over it. Just now the fire -was blazing brightly, and the sparks were rising from it in volumes. -This was what led George to believe that there was somebody in the camp. -It couldn’t be one of the raiders, he told himself, for they never -stopped. They stampeded the cattle and dashed on after them to get out -of reach of the bullets in the herder’s rifles. - -“Of course Zeke is there,” thought George as he arose from his place of -concealment; but he had scarcely placed himself fairly upon his feet -before he dropped back among the willows again. There were several -figures moving about the fire, and there were riderless horses and -mounted men near by. The men were all dressed in Mexican costume—the -wide brims of their sombreros were plainly visible in the moonlight—and -there were at least a dozen of them in sight. One of them seemed to be -poking up the fire for the purpose of making as bright a light as -possible, while the others were going into the willows with blazing -fire-brands in their hands. Some of their companions had already gone in -there armed in the same manner, for George could see the lights dancing -about among the trees. - -The boy saw all this during the instant of time he was on his feet, and -when he dropped back into his concealment again, his fear had given -place to a feeling of exultation. The raiders were searching the woods -in the vicinity of the camp, and of course they could be looking for -nobody but Zeke. Probably the old fellow had given them a very warm -reception. No doubt he had tumbled three or four of them out of their -saddles, and the survivors were hunting him up with the intention of -taking vengeance on him if they caught him. - -“But they’ll never catch him,” chuckled George, “because he’s too old a -‘coon. He has fought Indians too long to be beaten by a lot of lubberly -Greasers.” - -George drew the tops of the willows closer together, confining them in -that position by twisting their branches, and having thus formed a -screen that was large enough to cover his head, he raised himself upon -his knees, so that he could look over the grass and watch the motions of -the raiders. They were certainly looking for somebody, and they seemed -resolved to find him, too, for they did not grow discouraged and go -away, as George hoped they would. Their failure only seemed to make them -the more determined. First one and then another seized fire-brands and -joined their companions in the woods, and finally those who were -mounted, swung themselves out of their saddles and went in too, leaving -the camp to take care of itself. - -“I wonder what Zeke has done to make them so persistent!” said George to -himself. “Perhaps they’ve got an old grudge against him. They might as -well go away, for they’ll not find him. He’s safe long before this time, -and if I could only make my horse hear me, I’d soon be safe too.” - -George could always find something to feel happy over, no matter how -unpleasant the situation in which he might be placed, and he found -something now. He had lost his fine herd of cattle, but Zeke was left to -him, and so were his horse and pack-mule. The former had been stampeded -with the cattle, but George knew he would not run far before he would -leave them and strike a straight course for home. The two Mexicans who -had followed the herd to head it off and turn it away from the -settlements toward the river, would not bother their heads about him, -for while they had three hundred fat cattle to look out for, they could -not afford to waste time in pursuing a single horse. Bony was still -staked out near the camp, and so was Zeke’s nag. They both made the most -desperate efforts to escape with the herd, but the lariats with which -they were confined were too strong to be broken, and the picket-pins -were driven so firmly into the ground that they could not be easily -pulled up. The Mexicans, when they were ready to leave the camp, would -probably turn these animals loose, expecting them to follow their own -horses, just as Silk Stocking had followed off the raiders who made the -attack on the rancho; but that was something Bony would not do. He was -very much afraid of strangers, and when left to himself he would make -the best of his way home. - -The search for Zeke was continued? until broad daylight, and all this -while George lay in his concealment watching the motions of the raiders -and wondering what his herdsman had done to make the thieves so anxious -to find him. When day began to dawn he discovered something that seemed -to explain it all: there were five wounded men sitting and lying beside -the fire. George knew that they were wounded, for he could see that they -wore bandages, and that one who limped considerably and used a stick to -walk with, would now and then get up to bring a cup of water from the -bayou to two of his companions who kept their blankets. Probably one of -these men was the leader of the band, and that was the reason why the -others were so determined to find Zeke. But they had to give up the -search and go away without him, as George knew they would. Shortly after -daylight they began to come into camp by twos and threes, and when they -were all assembled George counted eighteen of them. They talked -earnestly together for a few minutes and then set about preparing a -hasty breakfast, helping themselves bountifully to the contents of the -pack-saddle, and using the cooking utensils which George had provided -for his own use and Zeke’s. - -George waited with no little impatience to find out what they were going -to do when they made an end of the bacon and coffee, and was very glad -to see that they were preparing for an immediate departure. When all was -ready the wounded members of the band were assisted into their saddles, -Zeke’s horse and George’s pack-mule were set at liberty, and the raiders -moved slowly along the willows in the direction the cattle had taken -when they were stampeded. It was a wonder that their suspicions were not -aroused by the actions of the mule which, foolish as mules generally -are, ran at once to the buffalo wallow in which George was concealed, -and not content with shying at the sight of it and giving it a wide -berth, as Zeke’s horse did, Bony circled around it two or three times, -and finally stopping, thrust out his neck, threw his long ears forward -and looked suspiciously at the crouching form of his master. - -George, who had been in a fever of suspense for long hours, and who -began to breathe more freely when he saw the raiders moving away, was -frightened again; but, as it happened, the thieves paid no attention to -the mule’s actions. Better than that, Zeke’s horse kept on his way -without stopping, and Bony, seeing that he was going to be left behind, -started in pursuit. The danger was over now, but George was much too -wary to run any risks. He saw the raiders disappear over the nearest -swell, but he allowed another hour to pass before he left his -hiding-place. Then he moved very cautiously, crawling along on his hands -and knees, stopping every few feet to look over the grass and listen, -and examining the ground about the camp very thoroughly before he -ventured into the woods. - -He found the camp in the greatest confusion. His rifle and revolvers -were gone, so were his blankets and poncho, and also a good portion of -the contents of the pack-saddle; but there was still a little of the -bacon and hard-tack left, and the raiders had forgotten to take his -haversack and frying-pan. He replenished the fire at once, and while -waiting for it to get fairly started, employed himself in cutting up the -bacon with an old rusty hunting-knife which one of the thieves had -probably left in exchange for his own new one. While he was thus engaged -he did not neglect to keep an eye open for any straggling raiders who -might have fallen behind the main body; but there were none in sight. He -placed the bacon in the frying-pan, and when it was done to his -satisfaction he put it into his haversack, together with the small -supply of hard-tack that was left, extinguished the fire and set out for -home. - -“I am glad the thieves left me provisions enough to last me until I can -get more,” said George, to himself. “If I have to travel all the way on -foot, it will take me four or five days to reach the nearest rancho, and -I have no fears of getting hungry during that time. What brought those -raiders so far from the river? That’s what I can’t understand.” - -During the two days that followed, while the young cattle-herder was -trudging painfully over the lonely prairie, he had ample leisure to turn -this question over in his mind. He travelled early and late, but his -progress was necessarily slow, for one who spends the most of his time -in the saddle, finds it hard work to go on foot, and soon grows weary. -He kept a bright lookout for Zeke, and stopped on the top of every swell -to scan the prairie before and on both sides of him, in the hope of -discovering his horse or pack-mule; but Zeke was miles ahead of him, -hastening toward the settlement, intent on alarming the ranchemen in -time to cut the raiders off from the river, while Bony and Ranger were -making the best of their way toward home. - -“They are all safe, I know, for they are able to take care of -themselves. So am I; but there’s no fun in looking forward to three days -more of such walking as I have had. I shouldn’t mind it so much if I -hadn’t lost my cattle,” said George, with a long-drawn sigh. “Those lazy -Greasers have robbed me of years of hard work, and now I must begin all -over again, or else go to herding cattle for Uncle John. Of course I -can’t loaf about the house all the time and do nothing, as Ned does. -Hallo!” - -While George was talking to himself in this way he came to the top of a -ridge, and found before him a long line of willows which fringed the -banks of a water-course. A solitary horse was feeding near the willows, -and this it was that attracted the boy’s attention and called forth the -exclamation with which he finished his soliloquy. The sight of the -animal alarmed him, for it was not at all likely that a horse, wearing a -saddle and bridle, would be feeding contentedly in that wilderness, so -far from all signs of civilization, unless there was some one with him. -George dropped to the ground, and ran his eyes along the willows in -search of a camp. If there was one in the neighborhood he could not find -it. There was no smoke to be seen, nor were there any other indications -of the presence of human beings. - -“But there’s somebody here all the same,” thought the boy, shifting his -position a little, so that he could obtain a better view of the willows, -“for that horse never came here without a rider. Somebody has stopped in -the willows to rest, and he’s a Mexican, too. I know it by the silver -ornaments on the saddle. I wish I could think up some way to capture -that horse. Shall I try it?” - -Not knowing what else to do just then, George lay there in the grass and -considered the matter. Weary and footsore as he was, the thought of -finishing his journey on horseback was a most agreeable one. The animal -was loose—when he raised his head, George could see that he was not -confined by a lariat—but if he attempted to creep up to him the horse -would doubtless take fright and run off; and that would excite the -suspicions of his owner, who might be tempted to send a bullet from his -carbine in that direction. There was too much danger in it George found -when he came to think it over. He sighed regretfully, thought almost -with a shudder, of the long, weary miles that lay between him and the -nearest rancho, and was about to crawl back down the swell again, when -he was astonished almost beyond measure, to hear his own name pronounced -in a weak and trembling, but still distinct voice. - -“George! George Ackerman!” came the hail from the willows. - -George jumped to his feet, and looking in the direction from which the -voice sounded, saw a sombrero waved in the air, and could dimly discern -the figure of a man, dressed in Mexican costume, who was sitting on the -ground, with his back against one of the willows. - -“George!” repeated the man. - -“Hallo!” was the reply. - -“Come here, will you? I am badly hurt and in need of help!” - -George grew more and more astonished. The man was a Mexican beyond a -doubt, but the voice sounded strangely familiar. - -“Don’t be afeared, George!” continued the man, in a pleading tone. “I -couldn’t hurt you if I wanted to! I’ve got something to tell you!” - -“Who are you?” asked the boy. - -“Why, don’t you know Springer, who used to herd cattle for your father?” - -Yes, George knew him, and he didn’t know anything good of him either. - -“If you are Springer,” he shouted “what are you doing there with those -clothes on?” - -“Come here, an’ I’ll tell you all about it!” was the answer. “I’ll tell -you something else, too—something that’ll make you open your eyes. Do -come, George, and give me a drink of water! I’ve got a chunk of lead -through each leg!” - -“Aha!” said George, who thought he understood the matter now. “You were -with the raiders, and Zeke got two pulls at you with his Winchester!” - -As he said this he ran down the swell, and in a few minutes more was -standing beside the wounded man. It was Springer, sure enough, but he -was so much changed that George could scarcely recognise him. His face -was very pale and his strong frame was convulsed with agony. The sash he -usually wore around his waist had been cut in two, and the pieces were -bound tightly about his legs above the knee to stanch the flow of blood -from the wounds made by the herdsman’s rifle. He was a hard-looking -fellow, and any one would have taken him for just what George knew him -to be—a cattle-thief. - -Without stopping to ask any more questions George seized the man’s hat, -and hastening to the bayou presently returned with the crown filled with -water. The wounded raider drank eagerly and sank back against his tree -with a sigh of great satisfaction. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII. - GEORGE HAS COMPANY. - - -George knew Springer well. The latter had once been in his father’s -employ; but being of no use as a herdsman or anything else, he had been -discharged, to make room for a more industrious and pains-taking man. -This enraged Springer, who threatened vengeance, and followed up his -threats by attempting to fire the rancho. He had been detected in the -act and almost captured; but he succeeded in making his escape, and -since then George had never met him until this particular day. He had -often heard of him, however, as a member of a band of cattle-thieves, -who now and then made a raid through the country farther down the river. -There were a good many others just like Springer, on the opposite side -of the Rio Grande—renegade Americans—who, having left their country for -their country’s good, had taken refuge among the Mexicans, and joined -with them in raiding upon the well-stocked farms and ranches of their -Texan neighbors. - -[Illustration: GEORGE RETURNS GOOD FOR EVIL.] - -“You needn’t be afeared, George,” repeated Springer, seeing that the boy -cast uneasy glances about him, as if half expecting to see the rest of -the band start up from some ambush among the willows. “Thar’s nobody -here but me.” - -“Where are your friends?” asked George. - -“They’ve gone on, an’ I s’pose they’re acrosst the river by this time.” - -“Did they leave you here to take care of yourself?” inquired George, who -found it difficult to believe that men could be so heartless. - -“What else could they do?” asked Springer, wincing a little, as he tried -to move one of his wounded legs into a more comfortable position. “A man -who is fool enough to get hurt, must take his chances. If he can keep up -with the rest, well an’ good; if he can’t, he must fall behind an’ look -out fur himself. I’m glad I ain’t in the settlement. I’d rather stay -here an’ starve, fur want of grub an’ water, than have the ranchemen -catch me. I ain’t had a bite to eat fur two days.” - -“You haven’t!” exclaimed George. “I’ll divide with you.” - -He opened his haversack, as he spoke, and producing from its capacious -depths a goodly supply of bacon and cracker, placed it in the hands of -the wounded man, whose eyes brightened as he received it. George stood -by and saw him eat it, and was glad to see that he enjoyed it, although -he knew that by thus diminishing his store he put himself in a fair way -to go hungry for many a weary mile of his journey. The man was a -scoundrel—no one except himself could tell what deeds of violence he had -been guilty of during his raids—but for all that George was glad that it -was in his power to relieve his distress. - -“I am sorry to see you in this situation, Springer,” said he, when the -bacon and cracker had disappeared. - -“Are you, though?” exclaimed the man, wiping his mouth with the back of -his hand, and looking up in surprise. “I didn’t s’pose you would be.” - -“Well, I am; and I hope that when you get well, you will behave yourself -and live among white men.” - -“That’s unpossible; ‘kase why, white men won’t have nothing to do with -me,” replied Springer, almost fiercely. “Would you hire me to herd -cattle fur you?” - -“Yes, I would. I know you threatened that you would be revenged on my -father for discharging you, but I don’t see why you should follow me up. -I haven’t done anything to you. How did you get shot? And how came you -here?” - -“Wal, you see, we made the dash on your camp, kalkerlatin’ to take you -by surprise; but Zeke, he allers sleeps with his rifle in his hand an’ -one eye open, an’ I was the fust feller he got a crack at. He took two -pulls at me, an’ this yere is the consequence,” said Springer, pointing -with both forefingers toward his bandaged legs. “When we left your camp, -the fellers put me on my hoss, an’ I kept up with ‘em fur a few hours; -but the pace was too fast fur me—I couldn’t stand the joltin’; so I had -to pull up. When I reached this bayou, I thought I’d get a drink of -water; but when I got down I fell, lettin’ go my bridle, an’ my hoss -walked away. I was too weak an’ bad hurt to crawl to the water; I -couldn’t ketch my hoss, an’ I reckoned I’d got to stay right here. I -happened to see you when you come to the top of the ridge, an’ called to -you, thinkin’ mebbe you wouldn’t refuse to give me the drink I was -a’most ready to die fur. But you wouldn’t a done it, if you knowed as -much as I do!” - -“Yes, I would. I don’t bear you any ill-will because you stole my -cattle.” - -“But that aint all!” exclaimed Springer. - -“I know it isn’t! You tried to burn my home over my head; but I don’t -bear you any ill-will for that, either; and I’ll prove it to you by -putting you on your horse and giving you a chance to save yourself!” - -“But _that_ aint all!” said Springer. “How do you reckon we knowed whar -to look for you?” - -“I’m sure I can’t tell! I never knew raiders to venture so far from the -river before!” - -“An’ they never did, nuther! Whar was you when we was in your camp?” - -“I was lying in a buffalo wallow about a hundred yards away!” - -“Did you see the fellars while they was a pokin’ around in the willows -with their fire-brands? What do you reckon they was a lookin’ for?” - -“I supposed they were looking for Zeke!” - -“Wal, they wasn’t lookin’ for Zeke, nuther! They didn’t care nothing -about Zeke! You was the fellow they wanted to find!” - -“I was!” exclaimed George. “What did they want of me?” - -“They wanted you ‘kase there’s a thousand head of fat steers wrapped up -in you, ‘sides them three hundred we stole from you the other night!” - -The boy was greatly astonished, and he was certain, too, that he knew -what Springer was trying to get at. He seated himself on the ground with -his back against a neighboring tree, and said as calmly as he could: - -“You must speak plainer than that if you want me to know just what you -mean!” - -“I mean jist this yere,” said Springer; “an I’ll tell you ‘cause you was -good enough to come here an’ give me the drink of water I was starvin’ -fur, an’ feed me outen your grub when you haint got enough to eat -yourself. George, you are in danger every day you spend at your rancho! -Your uncle and cousin don’t want you there, an’ they aint goin’ to let -you stay nuther!” - -George thought from what Springer said before that he had some such -revelation as this to make, but when it came it almost took his breath -away. He had long been of the opinion that his relatives didn’t want him -at the rancho, but how could this cattle-thief, who lived miles away on -the other side of the river, have found it out? The man talked in a -positive tone, as though he knew all about it, and this was what -surprised George. There was one thing certain, however: He was not going -to discuss family matters with any such fellow as Springer. - -“I’ll tell you what it is,” said he, as he arose to his feet and slung -his haversack over his shoulders. “I’ll not stay here if you are going -to insult my uncle and cousin!” - -“Say, George, whar you goin’?” demanded Springer. - -“I am going to start on again. Shall I put you on your horse before I -go?” - -“You needn’t go off mad,” said the man, earnestly, “‘cause every word -I’m tellin’ you is the gospel truth. We got it all through Philip!” - -“Got all what through Philip?” asked George. - -“I mean we done all our business through him; an’ if I was in your -place, I’d go home an’ bundle him outen the house, neck an’ heels. He’s -makin’ mischief thar, _I_ tell you. He told us we’d find you in that -grove on Brown’s Run; an’ when we didn’t find you thar, we follered your -trail to Catfish Falls.” - -“But how did Philip know I was going to that grove?” demanded George, -growing more and more bewildered. - -“What’s the use of me tellin’ you when you’ll get mad?” asked Springer -in reply. “The under-standin’ atween us, was, that arter we had drove -off your three hundred head of stock, we was to come over agin, in a -week or two, an’ we would find a thousand more head whar we could get -‘em easy.” - -“Who was going to put them where you could get them easy?” - -“If I tell you, you’ll get mad at me. But mind you, we wasn’t to get -them thousand head unless we gobbled you. The fellers done their level -best, but couldn’t find you!” - -“What were you going to do with me if you found me?” - -“That’s something I can’t tell. Nobody but Fletcher knows that.” - -“Who’s Fletcher?” - -“He’s the boss—the cap’n.” - -“Who told you to gobble me?” - -“What’s the use of me tellin’ you when you’ll be sartin to go off mad? -You see, we kalkerlated to make twenty-six thousand dollars clear by two -night’s work, but that didn’t satisfy us. Philip, he told us that thar -was a whole bit of gold and silver in your uncle’s office, an’ we wanted -that too; so we slipped down thar, an’ Philip, he opened the door an’ -let us in.” - -“Into our house!” cried George, who now learned for the first time of -the attack that had been made upon the rancho. - -“Yes, into your house; but we didn’t get nothing but bullets an’ one -hoss fur our pains.” - -“It served you just right,” said George, indignantly. “They are not all -traitors in that house, I tell you.” - -“Not by no means they ain’t,” said Springer, with a knowing shake of the -head. “One of the herders, who was awake, aroused the others by firing -his revolver, an’ it’s the biggest wonder in the world that any of us -got out. We tried to cut down the doors, but they drove us off, and then -we made a strike fur Brown’s Run, whar we allowed to find you. On the -way we run into about five hundred head of stock, an’ thinkin’ that a -bird in the hand was worth a dozen in the woods, we drove ‘em off. We -got ‘em across the river all right, an’ dodgin’ the rangers who follered -us, we came back arter you. We found you too, an’ some of us got more’n -we wanted,” added Springer, looking down at his bandages and groaning -faintly. - -George listened to all this in the greatest amazement. He remembered -now, that just before he left home with his supplies, his uncle had -questioned him closely about some things in which he had previously -shown no interest whatever, and that he seemed particularly anxious to -know where his nephew expected to find his herd, and which way Zeke -would probably drive it after George joined him. The boy never would -have thought of the circumstance again, if it had not been for this -interview with his father’s old herdsman; but now it was recalled very -vividly to his mind, and he was obliged to confess to himself that the -half-formed suspicions he had long entertained were not without -foundation. His Uncle John was at the bottom of all his troubles, and -Philip, the Mexican cook, was his confidential assistant. The boy’s -heart sank within him while he thought about it. He didn’t know what to -do, and there was only one man in the settlement to whom he could go for -advice. - -“Well, Springer,” said George, suddenly, “we have wasted time enough. I -have a long journey to make, and so have you. I hope you will succeed in -getting safely over the river, and that the lesson you have received -will be the means of making you an honest man. I will put you on your -horse and divide my provisions with you, and that is all I can do for -you.” - -“An’ it’s a heap more nor any body else would do for me,” said Springer, -gratefully. “You won’t tell none of the settlers that you seed me, will -you?” - -“I’ll not put any of them on your trail,” replied the boy. “I may be -obliged to say something about you; but if you have good luck, you ought -to be safe across the river before I reach Mr. Gilbert’s house, and that -is where I am going.” - -After bringing Springer another hatful of water from the bayou, and -dividing with him the small supply of bacon and crackers he had left, -George brought up his horse, and with infinite difficulty assisted the -man to mount. Springer groaned a little and swore a great deal during -the operation, and being a heavy man and almost unable to help himself, -it required the outlay of all George’s strength to put him into the -saddle. After thanking the boy over and over again for what he had done, -he rode slowly away, and George feeling as though there was nothing in -the world worth living for now, once more turned his face toward the -settlement. He looked back now and then to see how Springer was getting -on. The last time he saw the man he was standing on the top of a high -swell holding his hat in his hand. When he saw George looking at him he -waved it in the air and rode down the swell out of sight. - -“If he can keep in his saddle for forty-eight hours—and he would have no -trouble at all in doing it if it were not for his wounds—and can dodge -the rangers who are probably out looking for the raiders, he will be all -right,” thought George; “but if he is compelled to dismount, I don’t -know what will become of him. He can’t possibly get on his horse again -without help. Now, what shall I do? I am going back to a home where I am -not wanted.” - -This was the burden of the boy’s thoughts all the rest of the day. He -could not make up his mind to any course of action, for he was so -stunned and bewildered by what he had heard that he could not think -clearly. The only thing he determined upon was, that he would lay the -case before Mr. Gilbert, and be governed by his advice. Mr. Gilbert was -a wealthy cattle-raiser and a prominent man in the settlement, who had -gained his start in life through the assistance of George’s father. He -was a firm friend of the family, and the boy knew that he could trust -him. Toward his rancho he directed his course, making all the haste he -could. He would have been glad to travel all night, but his weary limbs -demanded rest, and when it grew dark George was obliged, much against -his will, to go into camp. He built a fire in the edge of a belt of -post-oaks that ran across his path, and after gathering fuel enough to -last all night, he ate a very light supper and sat down to think over -the situation. When eight o’clock came he scraped a few leaves together -for a bed, and was about to throw himself down upon it, when he was -brought to his feet by the clatter of hoofs, which sounded a short -distance away. - -George seized his haversack and waited with a beating heart for the -horsemen, who he knew were approaching his camp, to come in sight. They -came a moment later, and to the boy’s intense relief the light from his -fire shone not upon silver buttons, gaudy sashes and wide trowsers, but -upon a couple of red shirts and slouch hats. With a long-drawn sigh, -indicative of the greatest satisfaction, George threw down his haversack -and stepped forward to greet the new comers. - -“Good-evening, stranger,” said the foremost horseman. “Have you any -objections to good company to-night?” - -“None whatever,” answered George, readily. “I shall be only too glad to -have it, for it is lonely work keeping house all by one’s self.” - -“We saw the light of your fire,” said the other, “and as we have got a -little out of our reckoning, we made bold to come here, thinking that -perhaps you could set us right.” - -“I am glad to see you,” answered George; “but I hope you have brought -your supper with you, for it is little I can offer you.” - -“O, that’s nothing. It is no uncommon thing for ranchemen to go -supperless to bed, you know. Where did you stake out your horse, my -lad?” - -“I haven’t any, sir. He was stampeded when the Greasers stole my cattle, -and I haven’t seen him since.” - -“Ah! been cleaned out, have you? That’s provoking.” - -The man said this in much the same tone of voice he would have used if -he had been speaking of an event that was of every-day occurrence. They -both listened while George, in accordance with their request, hurriedly -related the story of his loss, and then staked out their horses and came -back to the fire. George offered them what was left of his supply of -provisions, but the ranchemen declined it with thanks, and proceeded to -fill their pipes. - -“We need an adventure now and then to give a little variety to our -life,” said one of the men, after he had taken a few pulls at his pipe, -to make sure that it was well lighted. “My friend and I have been on the -trail of a horse-thief.” - -“Did you overtake him?” asked George. - -“Yes; but we didn’t get the horse, and we wanted him more than we wanted -the thief. He had disposed of the animal, traded him off for a fresher -one, you know, and we offered him his liberty if he would tell us where -the horse was. He told us, and we started back with him to make sure -that he told us the truth, and he gave us the slip. But we think we know -where the horse is.” - -“Is he anywhere about here?” inquired George. - -“Is there anybody living about here who goes by the name of Ackerman?” -asked the rancheman. - -“Yes, there is,” answered George, opening his eyes in great surprise. - -“Well, my horse is at his rancho. We’re going there after him, and we’re -going to smash things when we get there, too.” - -George was so utterly confounded that he could not say a word. He sat -looking from one to the other of the ranchemen, who fortunately did not -notice the expression of astonishment that settled on his face. One of -them sat on the opposite side of the fire, where he could not see the -boy, and the other was stretched out on his blanket, with his hands -clasped under his head, watching the clouds of smoke that arose from his -pipe. - -“It’s a little the strangest piece of business I ever heard of,” said -the latter, “and it doesn’t seem to me that anybody of ordinary common -sense could do such a thing. The thief told us that he traded Silk -Stocking to a young fellow who looked as though he might be going to a -fancy-dress ball somewhere, for he sported a buckskin coat with silver -buttons, high patent-leather boots, and so on, and we saw just such a -fellow as that at Ackerman’s rancho. We stopped there and got fresh -horses—those nags out there belong to Ackerman—and took supper; and when -we came out on the porch Silk Stocking called to us. He was hitched -under an open shed a short distance from the house. I recognised the -call and so did Joe; but we never suspected anything, and so we didn’t -look into the matter as we ought to have done.” - -George had never been more astonished in his life. He was greatly -alarmed too, for he knew that his cousin had got himself into serious -trouble. The man on the blanket, who told the story, looked like one who -could smash things if he once set about it, and the tone of his voice -and the decided manner in which he puffed at his pipe, indicated that he -had fully made up his mind to do it. He and his companion would -certainly make it warm for somebody when they reached the rancho. Was -there any way in which he could save Ned from the consequences of his -folly? George did not believe there was, for he knew too well the -estimation in which horse-thieves and everybody connected with them were -held in that country; but still he determined to make the attempt. Ned -was his cousin, the only one he had in the world, and it was plainly his -duty to stand by him. Controlling himself as well as he could, he said: - -“You told me, I believe, that this boy, whoever he is, traded his horse -for yours: Perhaps he didn’t know it was stolen!” - -“Probably he didn’t at the time he made the trade,” replied the man; -“but he knew it when Joe and I stopped at his father’s rancho, for he -heard us tell the story. Why did he not give him up?” - -“No doubt he was so badly frightened that he dared not do it,” answered -George. “This boy, I believe, has not been long in Texas, and he don’t -know much about the customs of the country.” - -“Now just see here, stranger!” said the rancheman, taking his pipe out -of his mouth and looking steadily at George. “If he knows anything he’d -ought to know that it is a dangerous piece of business for a man to have -stolen property in his possession, knowing it to be stolen, hadn’t he?” - -George could only nod his head in reply. He had made the best excuse for -his cousin that he could think of on the spur of the moment, but it was -a very flimsy one, and he saw plainly that he could not make any more -without arousing suspicion against himself. - -“It is my private opinion that there is a regular nest of thieves in -that house!” said the other rancheman. - -“It’s mine, too!” said the man in the blanket. - -“If that Ackerman is an honest fellow why does he go about wearing his -boiled shirt and broadcloth suit every day? The moment I got a fair look -at him I told myself that there was something wrong about him. If that -chap in the silver buttons was a man I’d fix him; but seeing that he’s -nothing but a boy, I’ll snatch him so bald-headed that his hair will -never grow again. I’ll teach him that one who receives and holds fast to -stolen property, knowing it to be stolen, is as bad as the man who -steals it, and that the law holds good here in Texas as well as it does -in Maine!” - -The man did not bluster when he said this—those who mean just what they -say seldom do—and that was just what made George believe that his cousin -was in a fair way to be severely punished. What the man would do to him -when he found him, George of course did not know, and he dared not ask; -but he was satisfied that it would be something Ned would always -remember. The angry rancheman said several other things in a very -decided tone of voice, all going to show that no boy’s-play was -intended, and when he and his companion had finished their pipes they -arranged their blankets, bade George good-night, and lay down to sleep. -But there was no sleep for George. He was keenly alive to Ned’s danger, -and a thousand wild schemes for extricating him from his troubles -suggested themselves to George’s busy brain; but he could hit upon only -one thing just then. If that succeeded Ned’s peril might be averted -until he could have an interview with Mr. Gilbert. George was certain -that that gentleman could tell him just what ought to be done. - -“I shall put myself in danger by doing it, but it can’t be helped,” -thought the boy. “My cousin must be saved at all hazards; and if these -men, or any of the settlers, want to take revenge on me for putting him -out of harm’s way, they are welcome to do it. How easy it is to get into -trouble and how hard it is to get out of it!” - -With this reflection George scraped his bed of leaves a little closer -together, threw another stick of wood on the fire, and tried to follow -his two guests into the land of dreams; but the sleep he so much needed -to prepare him for the next day’s journey would not come at his bidding. -All the night long he tossed restlessly about on his hard couch, and -about half an hour before daylight sank into an uneasy slumber. - - - - - CHAPTER XIV. - GOOD AND BAD NEWS. - - -When George awoke it was just daylight. The ranchemen were already -stirring, and one was folding the blankets, while the other was punching -up the fire to obtain a light for his pipe. - -“Good-morning, my lad,” said the latter, cheerfully. “We thought, seeing -we had no breakfast to eat, that we would solace ourselves with a smoke. -Now, if you will put us on our course, we shall be much obliged to you.” - -“The rancho you want to reach lies directly east of here and is about -thirty-five miles distant,” answered George, after he had returned the -man’s greeting. “Hold a straight course for the sun, until you strike a -big trail running north and south. Turn south on that trail, and when -you have followed it about ten miles, you will strike Mr. Gilbert’s -rancho. He will direct you the rest of the way. I have thought a good -deal about what you told me last night, and I can’t understand why that -boy kept that horse.” - -“Neither can I,” said the rancheman. - -“As he is a boy, I hope you will be easy with him,” continued George. - -“I will; but the next time he sees a stolen horse he will run from it, I -bet you!” - -It was plain that the rancheman had not yet relented, and that he never -would relent; so George fell back on the plan he had determined upon the -night before. - -“Yes, the boy needs a lesson,” said he; “but for his father’s sake, I -hope you will not be too severe. I have been acquainted with Mr. -Dickerman for a long time, and I know him to be an honest man. You -needn’t think he would——” - -“Dickerman!” interrupted the man who had been called Joe. “Who said -anything about Dickerman? Ackerman is the fellow we are talking about.” - -“O, _Ac_kerman!” repeated George, with a tone of voice and an expression -of countenance which led the man to believe that he had all the while -been mistaken as to the identity of the person they wanted to find. -“Well, you don’t want to travel east, then. Your course lays off here,” -he added, pointing almost due north. “If you ride in that direction, you -ought by dark to strike some of the ranches in the settlement in which -this man lives.” - -“Then we were completely turned around, Joe. I thought we ought to -travel _that_ way,” said one of the men, pointing almost directly toward -the Ackerman rancho. “Well, my lad, good-by. Many thanks for your -information, and the best of luck to you!” - -The men mounted their horses, which they had brought in and saddled -while this conversation was going on, and rode away, leaving George -standing beside his fire. As soon as they disappeared behind the nearest -ridge, he caught up his haversack, plunged into the woods and drew a -straight course for home. His face was whiter than it usually was, and -his heart beat audibly. - -“I did it,” said he to himself, as he hurried along, “and whether or not -I have done any good by it, time will tell. If they don’t get off their -course, they’ll reach Dickerman’s to-night about dark, and then they’ll -find out that they have been put on a wrong scent, and gone forty miles -out of their way. Dickerman will set them right, and the question is: -Can I see Mr. Gilbert and reach home before they can get there? I never -needed a horse so badly before.” - -Little did Ned Ackerman, who spent this particular day in company with -his friend Gus Robbins, shooting down the cattle that had broken into -his wheat-field, know of the race that was begun that morning—a race -between a pair of swift horses, which had between seventy and eighty -miles to travel, and a frightened, panting and footsore boy, who dragged -himself wearily over thirty-five miles of prairie, to save a scapegrace -relative, who would not have lifted a finger in behalf of that same -weary boy, had their situations been reversed. The odds were sadly -against George. He could have spent a week in the saddle with little or -no inconvenience, but three days on foot tested his endurance to the -utmost. Nothing but his will kept him up. He won the race, but, as we -shall see, with little time to spare. - -As the day wore away, and George drew nearer to Mr. Gilbert’s rancho, -which was the first one he would reach on his way to the settlement, he -kept a good lookout for some of that gentleman’s herdsmen, hoping that -he could prevail upon them to lend him a horse; but as he did not see -any of them, he was compelled to make the entire journey on foot. He -reached his destination shortly after nightfall, and found Mr. Gilbert -sitting on the porch, enjoying his after-supper pipe. The gentleman -started up in surprise, when he saw George approaching, and hurried down -the steps to meet him. His greeting was as cordial and friendly as -usual, but there was something in his manner that the boy had never -noticed before. He could not have told what it was, but he could see it -plainly. - -“Come right in, George,” said he, seizing the boy’s hand and shaking it -heartily. “You walk as though you were completely tired out; so I’ll not -trouble you with questions until you’ve had a supper and a good night’s -rest.” - -“I would be thankful for some supper,” replied George, “but I can’t stay -all night. I am in an awful hurry.” - -“And why should you be in such an awful hurry, I’d like to know?” said -Mr. Gilbert, as he assisted George up the steps and led him into the -house. “Here’s an easy-chair, and I know you will find——” - -“Not in there, please,” said George, drawing back as Mr. Gilbert was -about to open the door leading into the cosy living-room, in which his -family was assembled. “Let’s go into the office. I have something -particular to say to you.” - -Again George told himself that Mr. Gilbert did not act as he usually -did. He turned at once, and leading the way into the office, closed and -locked the door; after which he took the boy’s hat and haversack, and -having placed him on the lounge, drew a chair up in front of him and sat -down. - -“Where did you hear of it, George?” said he. “But hold on a moment,” he -added, hastily. “Let’s talk about pleasant things first. Your horse and -mule are here in my corral.” - -“Good!” exclaimed George. “I shall need Ranger at once. I would thank -you to lend me a saddle and bridle, and have him brought to the door -without loss of time.” - -“If you must go on to-night, I’ll do it,” said Mr. Gilbert, rising to -his feet; “but you must have some supper first.” - -He left the office as he ceased speaking, and George lay down on the -lounge to rest for a few minutes. He was used to hard work, but he had -never before been so nearly exhausted. It did not seem to him that he -could possibly spend the rest of the night in the saddle, and yet he -knew he must do it in order to save his cousin. - -Mr. Gilbert was gone but a few minutes, and when he came back, he locked -the door behind him. - -“Another piece of good news I have for you, George,” said he, as he -resumed his seat, “is that all your cattle have been recovered, and one -of my men is now pasturing them on my ranche, about three miles from -here.” - -“Good again!” exclaimed George, brightening a little. “That is -encouraging news indeed.” - -“That Zeke is worth two or three ordinary men,” continued Mr. Gilbert. -“Not being able to find any signs of you or your horse after the -Greasers jumped down on you, he struck out for the settlements on foot. -On the way he fell in with a party of rangers, and with their -assistance, he succeeded in cutting the thieves off from the river and -recapturing every hoof you had lost. He came down here with the cattle, -chuckling over his good luck, and was frightened almost out of his -senses when he found that your horse and mule had come here without you. -He begged me to take care of the herd while he went back to look for -you, and I have done so. Where were you all the while, George? You -haven’t walked all the way from Catfish Falls?” - -“I was hidden in a buffalo wallow while the robbers were in our camp, -and I _have_ walked every step of the way from there. But I don’t mind -that. What troubles me is the bad news I heard on the way. I have come -here to talk to you about it, for you are the only friend I have in the -settlement.” - -“O no, George; don’t say that,” exclaimed Mr. Gilbert, quickly. “If you -knew what a commotion your disappearance has created among the -neighbors, you wouldn’t talk so. Everybody likes you and everybody is a -friend to you.” - -“I am very glad to hear it,” said George, drawing a long breath of -relief and looking a little more cheerful. “I want them to show their -friendship now, and not be too hard on Ned. You know what I mean.” - -“Yes,” said Mr. Gilbert, heaving a deep sigh and fastening his eyes on -the floor, “I know all about it. The settlers are going to meet at -Cook’s to-morrow and talk it over. They are very angry, and I don’t know -what they will make up their minds to do.” - -“Are you going to be at Cook’s with them?” - -“Of course. I am as much interested in the matter as anybody.” - -“Well, you will do your best for Ned, won’t you? He is my cousin, you -know. You won’t let them hurt him, will you?” - -“I’ll do the best I can, certainly; but you might as well try to stem -the Rio Grande with a straw, as to stand in the way of a whole -settlement, when every man in it has made up his mind to a particular -course of action. It was a most outrageous act, and Ned richly deserves -punishment.” - -“I know it; but if the settlers are such friends to me they will let him -off this time, and I’ll promise that he will never do the like again. -Remember, Mr. Gilbert, that he is young and foolish, and that when the -horse came into his possession he didn’t know it was stolen.” - -“Horse!” exclaimed Mr. Gilbert, opening his eyes. “Stolen! What are you -talking about, George!” - -“What are _you_ talking about, Mr. Gilbert?” asked the boy, slowly -raising himself on his elbow, and gazing steadily into the face of his -friend. - -“Why, I refer to something that happened this afternoon in Ned’s wheat -field, when Ned and that Yankee friend of his shot down Cook’s cattle,” -answered Mr. Gilbert. - -“What!” exclaimed George, jumping to his feet in great excitement. “Do -you mean to tell me that Ned has been shooting stock?” - -“That’s just what he has done, and that is what I was talking about. -Cook caught him in the very act.” - -“Worse and worse!” said George, sinking back on the lounge again. “Tell -me all about it. I want to hear the whole story so that I may know just -how to act.” - -“That is all there is to tell,” was Mr. Gilbert’s reply. “Ned and his -friend found Cook’s cattle in the wheat field, and shot two of them, -killing one and severely wounding the other.” - -“He did it with his eyes open,” said George. “He has often threatened -it, and I told him just what would happen.” - -“You said something about a horse,” remarked Mr. Gilbert, when the boy -paused. - -“Yes. Ned met a stranger somewhere and traded horses with him; and when -the owner came to our rancho that night, Ned wouldn’t give the horse -up.” - -“That is something I hadn’t heard of,” said Mr. Gilbert, while an -expression of surprise and anxiety settled on his face. “Now, tell me -your story from beginning to end. If you want my advice I must know -everything.” - -George had a good deal to tell, but he did not consume much time with -his narrative, for every moment was precious. He knew that the two -ranchemen had by this time been made acquainted with the deception that -had been practised upon them, and no doubt they were at that very minute -on their way to Mr. Gilbert’s rancho. It was necessary that George -should be well on his way home before they arrived, both to escape the -vengeance they would doubtless visit upon him if they chanced to meet -him, and also to warn his cousin. He described the attack on the camp, -and told how he had concealed himself in the buffalo wallow and watched -the raiders while they were searching the woods. He told of his -accidental meeting with Springer, and repeated, as nearly as he could, -all the conversation he had had with him, so that Mr. Gilbert might be -enabled to judge whether or not his suspicions concerning Uncle John -were correct. He also repeated the conversation he had had with the -ranchemen who spent the night in his camp, and told what he had done to -put them on the wrong scent. - -“I didn’t have more than half an hour’s sleep last night,” said George, -in conclusion. “I lay awake turning these matters over in my mind, and I -have thought about them all day. The decision at which I arrived was, -that Ned was not safe here in the settlement, and that I had better take -him out on the plains for a few weeks and let this affair of the stolen -horse blow over; but if he has been shooting cattle, I think I had -better show him the nearest way to the coast and let him go north, where -he came from.” - -Mr. Gilbert heard him through without interruption, and when the boy -ceased speaking he leaned back in his chair, looked up at a picture -hanging on the wall over the lounge and rubbed his chin meditatively. -Then he arose and walked up and down the room with his hands behind his -back and his eyes fastened thoughtfully on the floor. - -“I don’t think you could decide upon a better plan,” said he, at length. -“Take them both to the coast by the shortest route, put them aboard a -steamer and let them go north on a visit. Ned can come back after the -matter is forgotten, but when that Yankee friend of his gets home, he -had better stay there. We have no use for fellows of his stamp down -here. Your uncle can perhaps settle the matter by giving up the stolen -horse, paying his owner for the trouble he has had, and also paying Cook -for the cattle that were shot. And in regard to yourself, you had better -apply for a new guardian at once.” - -“I should be only too glad to do so,” replied George, eagerly, “for home -isn’t home to me any longer. But there’s one question I want to ask you, -Mr. Gilbert: If I should apply for a new guardian, would any of these -things I have told you about Uncle John become known—I mean the plans he -has laid to get me out of the way, so that the property would fall to -Ned?” - -“Probably they would. The thing would have to be done by process of law, -for it is your father’s will that gives him the property in trust and -makes him your guardian.” - -“Then I’ll not have a new guardian!” said George. - -Mr. Gilbert stopped and looked at the boy in great surprise. - -“O, I mean it,” said George, decidedly. “I’ll not disgrace the only -brother my father ever had. He may do better after a while.” - -“You are the most confiding boy I ever saw,” said Mr. Gilbert. - -“You must remember that I have nothing but Springer’s word for all -this,” continued George, “and Springer is a rascal, who would just as -soon tell a lie as eat a good dinner. I shall satisfy myself of the -truth of his story before I make any move in the matter.” - -“Well, keep your eyes open and look out for treachery while you are -doing it,” said Mr. Gilbert. “It is my opinion that you would be safer -anywhere in the world than you are here in Texas. If I were in your -place, and was determined to let Uncle John stay where he is, I would go -off somewhere and stay until I became of age. Listen! What’s that?” -exclaimed Mr. Gilbert, holding up his finger warningly. - -The clatter of hoofs on the hard trail came faintly to their ears. It -grew louder every instant, and presently a couple of horsemen galloped -around the building at full speed and drew rein beside the porch in -front of the lighted windows of the office. - -“Hallo, the house!” came the hail, in stentorian tones. - -George sprang to his feet, and his face grew as pale as death. - -“There they are!” he exclaimed, in an excited whisper. - -“I was in hopes they would not come until you were well on your way -home,” said Mr. Gilbert, in the same low whisper. “It wouldn’t be safe -for you to fall into their hands.” - -“I don’t care for myself,” replied George. “But, Mr. Gilbert, if you -don’t do something for Ned now——” - -“Don’t get excited. Stay in here and trust to me. I have seen persons in -tight places before to-night, and I know just what you want me to do.” - -George found a world of encouragement in these words. He sank back on -the lounge again, while Mr. Gilbert hurried out of the office, locking -the door behind him. George heard him pass along the hall and open the -door that led to the porch. - -“Good-evening, stranger!” exclaimed a voice, which the boy knew belonged -to the owner of the stolen horse. “Is this Mr. Gilbert’s rancho?” - -“Yes, sir,” was the reply. “Get down and walk in.” - -“Thank you; we can’t stop. We would be obliged if you would put us on -the road to Ackerman’s.” - -“I am afraid I can’t direct you so that you can find your way there in -the dark. There are a good many trails branching off the main road. -Better come in and wait until morning.” - -“We can’t do it. We are in a great hurry.” - -“Then wait until the moon rises, and I will send a man to show you the -way. Have you ridden far to-day?” - -“We have just come from Dickerman’s.” - -“Then you and your nags need food and rest. Here, Tom! take these -horses.” - -George heard the men dismount on the porch, and presently heavy steps -sounded in the hall. He caught the words “Ackerman’s,” “regular nest of -horse-thieves,” “get my hands on that rascally boy who sent us so far -out of our course,” and then the closing of a door shut out the voices. -After a few minutes’ silence, during which George could plainly hear the -beating of his own heart, footsteps once more sounded in the hall, the -door was unlocked and Mr. Gilbert came in. He shook his finger warningly -at George, and, without saying a word, seized his haversack and hurried -out again. In about five minutes he came back, and George could see that -there was something in the haversack. - -“You’ll have to eat your supper as you go along,” said Mr. Gilbert, in a -cautious whisper. “I have tried to reason with them but it is of no use. -Somebody has told them that Ned has been shooting cattle, and they -declare that they are going to make an example of him.” - -“What do you suppose they will do?” asked George. - -“Haven’t even the shadow of an idea. The least they can do with him is -to put him in jail as a receiver of stolen property; but they act as -though they were going to take the law into their own hands, and for -that reason I think you had better get Ned out of the way. As soon as -they have eaten supper I am going to send a man to guide them to your -house, so you’ll have to ride fast. I’ll delay them in every way I can, -but they are very impatient. Your horse is at the porch on the other -side of the rancho. Keep me posted as to your movements, and I’ll keep -you posted in all that goes on in the settlement. Good-by, and good luck -to you.” - -George slung his haversack over his shoulder, shook Mr. Gilbert warmly -by the hand and hurriedly left the office. He found the horse at the end -of the porch, saddled and bridled, and Bony was cropping the grass a -little distance away. Both the animals recognised and welcomed him, one -uttering a low whinny and the other a suppressed bray, and the man who -was holding the horse nodded his head vigorously and patted George on -the back as if to say that he knew all about it. - -“I am to show them the way,” whispered the herdsman. “Them trails twist -an’ turn about a good deal, an’ mebbe I’ll get lost: I’m a’most afeard I -will, ‘kase it’s so dark.” - -“There’s one thing about it,” said George, to himself, as he mounted his -horse and rode slowly away from the rancho after taking a cordial leave -of the herdsman. “If I have no other friends in the settlement, I have -some here at Mr. Gilbert’s. They are all on my side. So Ned has been -shooting cattle! He always said he’d like to see a ‘neighborhood row,’ -and now I’ll see whether or not he has the pluck to face the -consequences of his foolish act.” - -George kept his horse by the side of the trail until he was out of sight -of the house, and then putting him into a gallop went ahead with all his -speed, Bony following close behind. Ranger knew the road and kept it -without any guidance from his master. - -The ten miles that lay between Mr. Gilbert’s and his home were quickly -passed over, and as George drew near to the end of his ride he gradually -slackened his pace and became cautious in his movements. There was one -man about the house who seemed to have a way of finding out everything -that went on there, and who, George told himself, must know nothing -whatever of this night’s work. Philip might be his Uncle John’s -confidential assistant, as Springer had intimated, and then again he -might not; but even if he were, it was not at all likely that Uncle John -would care to have him know that Ned had got himself into such serious -trouble as this, and George’s object was to warn his cousin and his -guest, and get them out of the house and into the saddle before Philip -knew anything about it. He first made his way to the corral, intending -to put Bony in there; but the gate had already been locked for the -night. Then he turned his horse loose to drink and made his way -cautiously to the house, at the door of which he was met by one of the -herdsman, who started back in surprise at the sight of him. Every one -about the rancho had given him up for lost. - -“Why, George,” exclaimed the man, springing forward as soon as he had -recovered himself, and extending both hands toward the boy, “you don’t -know how glad—Eh?” - -“Not a loud word,” whispered George, raising his finger warningly. -“Jake, you are one of father’s old herdsmen, and I know I can trust you. -My cousin has got himself into a scrape, and it is necessary that he -should leave here at once. I want you to saddle a couple of horses, and -bring them to the door and assist me to get Ned and his friend out of -the house without Philip’s knowledge. That Philip is a born rascal, -Jake.” - -“I was sartin of it,” whispered the herdsman. “Me an’ the rest have -always suspicioned that he let the Greasers in here that night, for we -know the door was locked. But what’s the matter with Ned?” - -“I can’t stop to tell you now. It’s all over the settlement, and you -will know everything to-morrow. Now go into the kitchen and keep Philip -there until I can reach the office; then saddle up and keep a bright -lookout for a couple of horsemen. If you hear anybody coming down the -trail, let me know.” - -The man hastened away to obey these orders, and as soon as George heard -the door of the kitchen close behind him, he ran on tip-toe toward the -office. The peals of laughter that fell upon his ear, told him that -there was a happy party in there, and George wondered how the members of -it would feel when they heard the news he had to tell. Excited and -anxious as he was when he opened the door, he could still take note of -the fact that his presence there was most unwelcome. He saw it plainly -enough. Uncle John and Ned were very much surprised by his abrupt -entrance, and there was not the least cordiality in their greeting. -George watched his uncle’s face and actions closely, and told himself -that Springer’s story was nothing but the truth. - -“Why, George, what is the matter?” asked Uncle John, growing alarmed -when he saw how pale and nervous his nephew was. “Any bad news?” - -“Yes, I have bad news. Ned, you and your friend must pack up and leave -this rancho and this county, too, without the loss of an hour’s time,” -was the astounding reply. “You are in danger, and I have put myself in -danger by coming here to tell you of it!” - -“Why, George,” exclaimed Uncle John, sinking back in his chair, almost -overwhelmed with amazement and alarm, “explain yourself. I don’t -understand you at all. Why should Ned and Gus be in danger?” - -“Because they have deliberately placed themselves there,” answered -George, locking the door to prevent interruption, and at the same time -lowering his voice, so that he could not be overheard by any -eavesdropper who might chance to pass through the hall. “Ned, the owner -of that stolen horse is between here and Mr. Gilbert’s. He’s looking for -you.” - -Ned’s face grew as white as a sheet. He grasped the back of his chair -and leaned heavily on it for support, while Uncle John started up in his -seat and looked first at George and then at his son. The look of alarm -on his face had given away to an expression of intense astonishment. - -“Stolen horse!” he exclaimed. “Looking for Ned! What do you mean?” - -“You remember those two men who came here one night, searching for a -horse they called Silk Stocking, don’t you?” said George. “Well, the -horse was here in Ned’s possession all the while, and the owner has -found it out. He and his companion are on their way here now.” - -“Ned,” said Uncle John, “you told me that you hadn’t seen that horse.” - -“I know it,” whined the frightened boy. “I wanted to keep him.” - -“But after you found out he was stolen, why didn’t you give him up?” -demanded his father. - -“I was afraid the men would do something to me,” gasped Ned. “They -looked so awful mad!” - -“You only made a bad matter worse!” said George. “They will do something -to you now, if they catch you, and they are bound to do it if they can!” - -“Wh—what will they do?” stammered the culprit. - -“They may put you in jail!” - -“Gracious!” gasped Ned. He walked rapidly across the floor once or twice -and then came back and caught hold of his chair again. His strength was -all frightened out of him, and he could not long keep his feet without a -support of some kind. - -“But Mr. Gilbert thinks they are going to take the law into their own -hands, as people very often do it in this country, and that is the -reason I am so anxious to get you away from here,” continued George. -“And that isn’t all. You and your friend have been shooting cattle this -afternoon!” - -“It isn’t so! It isn’t so!” cried Ned, with so much earnestness that he -condemned himself on the spot. “Is it, Gus?” - -“No!” replied Gus, in a feeble voice. - -“I haven’t seen any cattle to-day!” declared Ned, gathering a little -courage as he proceeded. “I haven’t been near my wheat field for a week! -Somebody else did it; didn’t they, Gus?” - -The latter made no reply. He did not even act as though he heard the -question, and probably he did not, for he was frightened almost out of -his wits. - -“All I know is, that Mr. Cook lost two steers to-day, and that he saw -you shoot them,” said George. “He has been around to see all the -neighbors about it, and you will hear from them before this time -to-morrow if you are in this house!” - -“Have you any idea what they will do?” asked Uncle John, who seemed to -be as badly frightened as Ned was. - -“Not the slightest; but they will make it warm for Ned in some way, you -may depend upon it. He has raised a storm, and Mr. Gilbert’s advice to -him is to get out of reach of it. It is my advice, too.” - -Just then somebody tapped lightly on the door. George turned the key, -the door opened a little way and Jake, the herdsman, thrust his head in. - -“They’re comin’,” said he, in a thrilling whisper. “I can hear their -horses a-gallopin!” - -This startling announcement seemed to take the courage out of everybody -except George. Uncle John and the two trembling culprits sank helplessly -into the nearest chairs, their faces betraying the utmost consternation. - - - - - CHAPTER XV. - WHAT HAPPENED AT THE RANCHO. - - -“How far away are they, Jake?” asked George, who seemed to be the only -one besides the herdsman who had any of his wits left about him. - -“They’re so fur off that I couldn’t have heard ‘em at all if the wind -hadn’t brought the sound of their horses’ feet to me,” was the -herdsman’s answer. “But they’re comin’ fast, an’ they’ll be here in five -minutes. The horses are waitin’ at the door!” - -“You have not an instant to lose,” said our hero, turning to the -frightened boys and speaking as rapidly as he could. - -“Where are you going to take them, George?” asked Uncle John, as soon as -he had recovered the use of his tongue. - -“I intend to show them the way to the coast—we shall probably bring up -at Brownsville—and send them up north. But you will have plenty of time -to communicate with us after we get out of harm’s way, and we can then -decide what ought to be done Mr. Gilbert thinks Ned can come back after -a while, but that Gus had better go home and stay there.” - -“I think so, too,” cried Ned. “I wish I had never seen him. If he hadn’t -come here I’d never got into this miserable scrape!” - -“But what am I to do?” asked Uncle John, who seemed to have no mind of -his own. - -“You’ll have to stay here until you have settled this matter, and then -you had better follow us to the coast. Pay Mr. Cook for his cattle and -give up the stolen horse, making the best excuses for Ned that you can -think of.” - -“Where is the horse now, Ned?” asked his father. - -“I don’t know,” replied the boy. “He went off with the raiders. Hurry -up, George! Don’t stop to talk any more!” - -“I am ready if you are. If the horse is gone you’ll have to pay for him, -Uncle John. Ned will need some money to bear his expenses. I’ll be back -in a minute.” - -George left the office and hurried to his own room. He stayed there just -long enough to empty the contents of his money-box into his pocket, and -was back again by the time Ned had received the money his father counted -out to him. There was no leave-taking whatever; the boys were in too -great a hurry for that. They ran through the hall, and found Jake -standing on the porch holding three horses. Ned and Gus lost no time in -getting into the saddle, but George paused a moment to listen. He could -distinctly hear the sound of hoofs, but they did not seem to be coming -toward the rancho. They were moving off to the right, and when George -became satisfied of that fact, he told himself that Mr. Gilbert’s -herdsman had purposely lost his way and was leading the pursuers out of -their course. - -“That’s all right,” said he. “Now put out every light about the house, -or close the shutters, to make them believe that you have gone to bed, -and be as long in answering their hail as you can. We shall stop in -Brownsville, Uncle John, and we shall expect you there in the course of -a few days. Good-by! Easy, boys! We’ll go fast enough after a while!” - -Ned and Gus would have dashed off at the top of their speed and tired -their horses out before they had gone ten miles if George had not -checked them. The latter knew that they were comparatively safe now, and -he breathed a good deal easier than he did while he was in the rancho. -If the owner of the stolen horse had arrived while they were in the -office, something unpleasant might have happened; but now that he and -his companions were in the saddle there was little danger to be -apprehended. The ranchemen could not compete with them in a fair race, -for the horses they rode were weary with their day’s journey, while -those on which the boys were mounted were fresh and vigorous. George -explained this as they rode away from the house, adding: - -“They can’t follow us in the dark, for they have no means of knowing -which trail we have taken. Their only chance is to wait until morning -and make inquiries among the settlers.” - -“That is just what they will do,” said Ned, “and everybody will tell -them all about us. The neighbors are down on me because I am so far -above them.” - -“But we must keep out of sight of the neighbors,” said George, who did -not think it best to notice his cousin’s last remark, “and then they -can’t tell anything about us. The people who live along the river trail -are strangers to us, so we’ll go that way. It is the safest.” - -George kept his horse in a rapid walk until he was out of sight of the -rancho, and then he put him to the top of his speed. Although he had no -fear of being overtaken, he was very anxious to keep out of sight of the -ranchemen, for they carried revolvers and would not hesitate to use them -if they found that Ned could not be captured in any other way. George -was resolved to stand by his cousin, no matter how much risk he might -run by so doing; but perhaps he would not have been so determined on -this point if he had known what was transpiring at the rancho he had -just left. - -In spite of the care he had taken to enter and leave the house without -Philip’s knowledge, that crafty individual knew all about it. As it -happened, he was standing on the porch when George first made his -appearance. He recognised the boy at once, and was not a little -surprised to see him. He knew, and so did Uncle John, that George had -succeeded in eluding the raiders when they made the descent upon his -camp, and that he was probably on his way home; but Philip did not -expect him to get there, for, as we shall presently see, arrangements -had been made to intercept him. When Philip saw him coming, he said -something angry in Spanish, and retreated into a dark doorway, so that -George could not see him. - -“I never expected to put eyes on him again on this side of the river,” -said the Mexican, to himself; “but here he has gone and run the -blockade, and there is no telling when we can get another chance at him. -Where are those fellows who ought to have been watching the trail? I -wonder if he has heard any news! He acts as though he wanted to get into -the house without being seen.” - -The man crouched down in his place of concealment and watched George’s -movements. He saw him when he mounted the steps and placed his hand on -the door leading into the hall. He heard almost every word of the -conversation between him and the herdsman who met him there, and the -ejaculations he uttered under his breath indicated that he was both -astonished and enraged by it. When the conversation ceased, and he heard -Jake moving along the hall, Philip softly opened the door near which he -was concealed, and slipped into the kitchen. When the herdsman entered, -he was filling his pipe, preparatory to indulging in a smoke. Knowing -that the herdsman had been sent in there to watch him, he remained in -the kitchen until Jake went out to catch and saddle the horses; then he -threw down his pipe, and running swiftly but noiselessly along the hall, -stopped in front of the office door. Placing his ear close to the -key-hole, he listened intently, hoping to overhear the conversation that -was carried on by those inside; but George, as we know, spoke in a low -tone of voice, and Philip had little more than his trouble for his -pains. When he heard Jake coming with the horses he ran back to the -kitchen, the door of which he left ajar. He saw the boys when they came -out, and heard George tell his uncle that they were going straight to -Brownsville, and should expect to see him there in a few days. - -When George and his companions had ridden away out of sight, and Uncle -John and the herdsman had gone back into the hall, Philip softly opened -the kitchen door and stepped upon the porch. Almost at the same instant -the door which gave entrance into the hall, was cautiously opened and -Uncle John came in. He looked all around the room as if he was searching -for somebody, and went out upon the porch. He pronounced the Mexican’s -name two or three times, in a low tone of voice, and walked around the -building, looking everywhere for him; but he could neither hear nor see -anything of him, and finally he gave up the search, and went back to the -office again. - -Philip, in the meantime, having caught up a saddle and bridle, belonging -to one of the herdsmen, ran to the corral, opened the gate with the key -which he had taken from its nail in the kitchen, and hurried in. When he -came out, he was leading a horse, which was soon saddled and bridled, -and carrying the Mexican at a full gallop away from the rancho. The -rider directed his course down the trail, and had gone about half a -mile, when he heard the sound of voices away off to his right. It was so -dark that he could not see anybody, but Philip, being confident that he -knew whom the voices belonged to, checked his horse and rode just fast -enough to intercept the horsemen, who were coming along one of the -side-trails. In a few minutes a hail came through the darkness, telling -him that he had been discovered. - -“Hallo, there!” cried a voice. - -“Hallo yourself!” replied Philip, stopping his horse and turning him -around, so that his head pointed toward the rancho, instead of away from -it. - -“O, now you’re all right,” said another voice. “That’s one of Ackerman’s -men. He’ll show you the way, an’ I’ll go hum. I’m sorry I lost the -trail, an’ tuk you so fur outen your way—I am so; but it’s powerful -dark, an’ my eyes ain’t none of the best.” - -“Well, I should think a ten-year-old boy ought to know the trails in his -own neighborhood,” growled the man who had shouted out the hail. “You -have delayed us more than half an hour.” - -“And he did it on purpose, too,” thought Philip. “That’s Gilbert’s man, -and he knows the country like a book for two hundred miles around.” - -“Hallo, there!” came the hail again. - -“Hallo yourself!” was Philip’s answer. - -“Can you show us the way to Ackerman’s?” - -“I can. I am going right there.” - -“Then you can go home,” said the horseman, addressing himself to the man -whom Mr. Gilbert had sent to act as guide. “We’ve seen enough of you.” - -The herdsman, taking him at his word, rode off at once; and presently -the owner of the stolen horse and his companion galloped up to the place -where Philip was standing. The latter looked closely at them for a -moment, and exclaimed: - -“O! I know who you are now. You’re the gentlemen who came to our rancho -the other night and borrowed two fresh horses. Did you catch him?” - -“No,” growled one of the horsemen. - -Philip waited for him to say something more, but the man did not seem to -be in the humor for talking just then. No doubt he was reserving all he -had to say for Uncle John’s private ear. After they had ridden a short -distance, Philip said: - -“I’m sorry you didn’t catch him. Mr. Ackerman will be sure to ask -particularly about it, when he comes home.” - -“When he comes home!” - -“Yes; he isn’t here, you know.” - -“Where is he?” - -“He and his son started for Palos this morning.” - -The horsemen looked at each other and uttered a volley of exclamations, -that seemed to astonish Philip greatly. - -“Perhaps you wanted to see Mr. Ackerman?” said he. - -“I should say we did!” replied the owner of the stolen horse. - -“I am sorry. He’ll not be back for two or three weeks, for he took a -mule-wagon with him, and is going to bring back a heavy load.” - -“You say his son went with him. Did he go in the wagon?” - -“O, no; he rode on horseback.” - -“What sort of a looking horse was it?” - -“A dark chestnut, with white mane and tail and four white feet. It was a -new horse he traded for a few days ago. The house is open, just the same -as if Mr. Ackerman was there, and we shall be glad to give you——” - -“We wouldn’t stay in his house to-night under any circumstances!” was -the angry reply. “Bring out our horses as quick as you can, and let us -get away; that’s all we ask of you!” - -“I’ll do that. Any word to leave for Mr. Ackerman?” - -“Not a word! We’ve got plenty to say to him and that boy of his, but -we’ll say it to their faces.” - -“It is nothing bad, I hope!” - -“It is no business of yours, whether it is or not!” - -These words and the tone in which they were uttered, silenced the -Mexican most effectually. He knew some things that the owner of the -stolen horse did not know; but still he was obliged to exhibit some -curiosity, in order to avoid exciting the man’s suspicions. Not another -word was said during the ride. - -The ranchemen went into the corral with Philip, turned their borrowed -horses loose and caught their own, and, having placed their saddles upon -them, they mounted and rode away. Philip watched them as long as they -were in sight, and when they had disappeared in the darkness, he closed -and locked the gate of the corral, sprang into his saddle and turned his -horse’s head away from the rancho. - -“That was pretty well done if I did do it myself,” thought he. “They’ll -be back again to-morrow or next day, but if Ackerman is sharp they’ll -find him gone, sure enough. I’ll have to go, too, for I shouldn’t like -to have them see me after they learn how they have been tricked.” - -While the Mexican was talking to himself in this way he had ridden -around the corral, and was now galloping at full speed toward a belt of -timber which lay about two miles from the rancho. All was dark before -him, but Philip seemed to know just where he was going. He brought his -horse to a walk when he reached the woods, and after riding through a -dense thicket of bushes he struck a bridle path, into which he turned. -He followed it for a short distance, ducking his head now and then to -avoid some overhanging branch, and finally dismounted at the door of a -dilapidated cabin that had once been the property of a pig-raiser, who -lived there and watched his droves while they fattened on the acorns -which so plentifully covered the ground at certain seasons of the year. -There was a window beside the door, and a bright light shone out of it. -The light came from the fire-place, which was heaped high with blazing -logs. In front of the fire were two men, dressed in Mexican costume, who -were reclining at their ease on their ponchos and smoking cigarettes. -But they were not Mexicans. They were renegade Americans, and members of -the band that made the attack upon George’s camp. When they heard the -strokes of the horse’s hoofs on the hard path, they started up and -turned toward the door which Philip pushed open without ceremony. - -“You are a pretty pair, I must say!” exclaimed the newcomer, after he -had somewhat relieved his mind by uttering a volley of heavy Spanish -adjectives. “What were you put here for, anyhow—to waste your time in -smoking and loafing?” - -“We have just this moment come in,” replied one of the men. - -“Didn’t you see anybody while you were watching the trail?” inquired -Philip. - -“Yes; there was somebody went by on horseback.” - -“Was there a small, dark-colored mute following the horse? Then it was -the boy you were looking for, and you let him go by.” - -“Of course. You told us to look out for a boy on foot!” - -“So I did,” said Philip, after reflecting a moment. “I didn’t think, at -the time, that he would be likely to find his horse and mule, but it -seems he did. However, you’ve got a chance to try your hands again. -George has just started for Brownsville!” - -Both the men uttered ejaculations when they heard this, and one of them -began to roll up his poncho. - -“There are three of them together,” continued Philip, “but you will have -no trouble in recognising George when you find them. He’s the largest of -the lot, wears a red shirt and high boots, and rides a black horse. You -want to look out for that same black horse, for if you give him the -least show he’ll carry George so far out of your reach that you’ll never -see him again. He’s just lightning. Your best plan would be to wait -until the boys go into camp, and then jump down on them before they know -it. Hold fast to George when you get him, but don’t harm the other two. -Don’t waste your time, either, in following the big trail. Put for the -river as fast as you can, and there’s where you will find them.” - -While Philip was giving these commands the men were busy rolling up -their blankets and ponchos and making their preparations for an -immediate departure. Their horses, which were staked out close by, were -quickly caught and saddled, and when all were mounted, Philip led the -way out of the timber. He paused when he reached the open ground long -enough to add a few words more to the instructions he had already given, -and then galloped off toward the rancho, while the Americans rode away -in pursuit of George. - -When Philip reached home he put his horse into the corral and let -himself into the kitchen without being seen by anybody. After making -sure that the rest of the servants had retired for the night, he -hastened along the hall to the office, at the door of which he paused -for a moment to listen. He heard the sound of footsteps passing back and -forth at regular intervals, but there was no murmur of conversation, and -so Philip knew that the man he wanted to see was alone. He entered -without taking the trouble to knock, and having closed the door and -pushed the bolt into its socket, he hung his sombrero upon the knob to -cover the key-hole. Uncle John, who was walking restlessly about the -room, turned quickly and hastened forward to greet him. - -“Philip, I am overjoyed to see you,” he exclaimed. “Where have you been? -I have hunted the house over to find you. Do you know what has happened -here to-night?” - -“I know all about it,” replied Philip, taking possession of one of the -easy chairs, with the air of a man who felt perfectly at home. “I heard -everything that passed while George was here except the conversation he -had with you in this office. He talked so low that I couldn’t hear much -of that, but I know about what he said.” - -“Then tell me what to do,” said Uncle John, who had not yet recovered -from his fright. “What shall I say to those men when they come here? I -don’t see what keeps them. I have been looking for them every minute -since the boys went away.” - -“They have been here and are gone,” answered Philip. “They’ll not -trouble you to-night.” - -Uncle John could not speak. He could only look the astonishment and -delight he felt. - -“Yes,” continued Philip, “they have come and gone. I sent them away. I -met them on the road and told them you and Ned had gone to Palos, and -that you would not be back under two or three weeks. I told them, too, -that Ned had ridden away a new horse he traded for a few days ago. I -knew they wouldn’t stop here after hearing that. I helped them catch -their horses, and they left as soon as they could put the saddles on -them.” - -Uncle John drew a long breath and sat down in the nearest chair. He was -greatly relieved to know that he would not be called upon to face the -owner of the stolen horse that night. - -“They must have gone away with a very poor opinion of themselves,” -Philip went on. “They’ve been fooled at every turn. The horse they are -looking for was under the shed the night they came here; George sent -them more than thirty-five miles out of their way; Mr. Gilbert sent a -herdsman to guide them to the rancho and he lost them on purpose; and -now I have sent them off on a wild goose chase. It’s lucky for you I -did, for they were just boiling over.” - -“But they’ll come back some day,” said Uncle John, growing frightened -again when he thought of it. - -“Of course they will, but if they catch you here, it will be your own -fault. They’ll not find me, I tell you. You ought to be well on your way -toward Brownsville by this time to-morrow, and I don’t see why you -didn’t go with the boys. I would if I had been in your place.” - -“Why, I thought I ought to stay here and settle the matter.” - -“You can settle it easier through somebody else. You’ll have to pay full -value for that horse, for he went off with the raiders. I saw him go. If -I were in your place, I’d put money enough in Mr. Gilbert’s hands to -straighten up the whole business—he’ll do it if you ask him, just -because he knows it would please George—and then I’d dig out. I wouldn’t -come back either, until Mr. Gilbert thought it safe for me to do so. But -before you go, you might as well tell one of the men to bring in a -thousand head of cattle and pasture them between here and the river.” - -“What do you mean by that?” exclaimed Uncle John, starting up in his -chair. - -“I mean that you won’t find George in Brownsville when you get there. -You know those two fellows who were sent here to watch the rancho, don’t -you? Well, they let George go by them to-night.” - -Uncle John was well aware of that fact. If they had not allowed him to -pass he could not have reached the house. That was what caused him to -exhibit so much astonishment when his nephew first entered the office. -He knew that the trail was watched, and he could not imagine how George -had escaped capture. - -“George came on horseback, and they were looking for a boy on foot,” -said Philip. “He is safe now, however. I have put them on his trail, and -a few hours more will see him on the other side of the river.” - -“But what will become of Ned and Gus?” - -“I told the men not to trouble them.” - -“But they can never find their way without a guide.” - -“Haven’t they got a pair of tongues, and isn’t the trail as plain as -daylight?” - -Uncle John settled back in his chair and fastened his eyes on the floor. -He was silent for a long time, but finally he said: “I wish you hadn’t -done it.” - -“It is too late to talk that way,” answered Philip, drumming with his -fingers on the arms of his chair, and looking up at the ceiling. “You -told me what you wanted done, and what you were willing to give, if it -_was_ done, and I have tried my best to do it.” - -“If I had waited until to-night, I never should have said a word to you -about it. Suppose it should become known among the neighbors!” - -“Now, how are the neighbors going to find it out? Who is going to tell -them?” - -While this conversation, and much more like it, was going on, George was -leading his companions rapidly across the plain, toward the trail which -ran along the bank of the river, in the direction of Brownsville. He had -brought upon himself the wrath of men who would have treated him -roughly, if they could have overtaken him; had run away from his home -like a thief in the night, and he had done it to save a boy whose father -was at that very moment hearing and consenting to plans, which were -intended to bring him into serious trouble. If George had known what we -have just recorded, his after life would not have been what it was, and -a good many thrilling scenes we have yet to describe, and of which he -was the hero, never would have happened. It all came out after a while, -and it came, too, in such shape that George was fully convinced that Mr. -Gilbert was wiser than himself, and he wondered why he had not seen it -before. - -Philip spent more than an hour in conversation with his employer, -minutely describing all the events of the night, in which he had borne a -part, and at last he arose to go. As he was about to leave the room, a -most unexpected and alarming incident occurred. No sooner had he crossed -the threshold, than he received a blow full in the face that would have -felled an ox. It lifted him off his feet, sent him with crushing force -against the wall, and doubled him up on the floor, all in a heap. - -“Set Greasers on the trail of a white boy, will ye?” exclaimed a voice. -“Take that thar fur yer imperdence! Evenin’, Mr. Ackerman!” - -The voice, and the clenched hand that struck the blow, belonged to Jake, -the herdsman, who thrust his head in at the door and nodded to his -employer, as if to say: - -“I know all about it!” - - - - - CHAPTER XVI - CAUGHT AT LAST! - - -“Let’s hold up a little, boys. We mustn’t tire our horses out at the -start, you know. We are safe now, for even if those ranchemen should -come in pursuit of us, they’d never think of looking for us here.” - -The fugitives were five miles from the rancho, and they had not consumed -a great deal of time in accomplishing the distance, either. They had -scarcely exchanged a dozen words since they began their flight, for -George led the way at a pace so rapid that conversation was impossible. -Ned and Gus had never travelled so fast on horseback before, and the -former was obliged to confess to himself that he was by no means so fine -a rider as he thought he was. It was comparatively easy to keep a firm -and upright seat while his nag was ambling leisurely along a smooth -trail, but it was not so easy when the horse was running at the top of -his speed, over rough ground. His feet were out of the stirrups more -than half the time, while Gus was jolted up and down and from side to -side with such violence that it was a wonder he kept in his saddle at -all. Fortunately, Ned’s departure from home had been so hurried that he -had forgotten to take with him the ornaments he usually wore when he -went riding. If he had had his spurs on while his heels were digging -into his horse’s sides, he might not have kept his seat as well as he -did. Both he and Gus were glad when George checked his horse and allowed -him to settle down to a walk. - -“Texas isn’t so dull a place to live in after all, is it?” said George, -who knew he must say something to keep up the spirits of his companions. -“One can get all the excitement he wants, without half trying, can’t -he?” - -“I never would have been in this scrape if it hadn’t been for Gus,” -declared Ned, who, mean-spirited fellow that he was, always tried to -shift the responsibility for any wrongdoing upon the shoulders of -somebody else. “I wish I had never brought him here!” - -“So do I,” replied Gus, who might, with just as much show of reason, -have accused Ned of being the author of all his misfortunes. If Ned had -not written him those letters and offered to pay his travelling -expenses, he never would have been in Texas. “I don’t see how you can -blame me for anything that has happened. Did I have a hand in stealing -that horse?” - -“You had just as much to do with it as I did. What I mean is, that if -you had been at home, where I wish you were this very minute, those -cattle never would have been shot.” - -“That’s a pretty way for you to talk!” exclaimed Gus, angrily. “I hadn’t -been in your house an hour before you told me that you intended to do -that very thing, just to get up a breeze and show the neighbors that you -had some pluck.” - -“But I never would have done it if you hadn’t dared me. What are we -going to do when we reach Brownsville, George?” - -“We’ll put up at a hotel and wait for Uncle John,” was George’s answer. -“When he comes we’ll talk the matter over and decide upon something. I -think we had all better go off somewhere. I am going, for I don’t want -to see anybody in our settlement until this trouble is forgotten.” - -“You haven’t done anything to be ashamed of,” said Gus, who looked upon -George as a hero. He had been perfectly cool and collected while -everybody else was too badly frightened to talk plainly, and Gus greatly -admired his courage. He told himself, too, that he had formed a wrong -opinion of the boy from Ned’s description of him. He was not a boor by -any means. He was more of a gentleman in appearance, in spite of his -rough clothes, than his cousin was, and knew more in five minutes than -Ned could ever hope to know. - -“No; I have done nothing to be ashamed of, but I am taking you out of -danger, and the people will think hard of me for it,” replied George. -“Besides, I deceived the owner of the stolen horse, and that will raise -a storm against me. The folks in these parts are down on anybody who -befriends a horse-thief.” - -“I am not a horse-thief!” exclaimed Ned. - -“Of course you are not. But you acknowledge that you kept Silk Stocking -in your possession after you knew he was stolen, and that’s a crime in -the eyes of our people!” - -“Don’t you think I can ever come back?” asked Ned. - -“O, yes! It will all blow over after a while, but you must be very -careful in future, for a second offence of this kind would be sure to -lead to something serious.” - -Ned was overjoyed to hear this. Now that he had recovered from his -fright so that he could think clearly, he began to ask himself what the -future had in store for him. How could he live if he were obliged to -leave Texas? He knew that his father would be quite willing to support -him, no matter where he might choose to take up his abode, but he could -not do it without drawing heavily on the revenues of the estate, and it -was not at all likely that George would consent to that; consequently -Ned would be compelled to go to work and earn his own support. That was -something the boy did not want to do. He had lived so long in idleness -that the very thought of work was most distasteful to him. He told -himself that he would indeed be careful how he acted when he came back -to the ranche, and that nothing could ever again induce him to foolishly -jeopardise his chances of living a life of ease. - -“Mr. Gilbert has often advised me to go away and see a little of the -world, especially of my own country, and I don’t know that I shall ever -have a better opportunity,” continued George. “I’d like first to go up -the Mississippi, clean up to its source, and come back in a canoe. -Canoeing is getting to be a favorite sport with some people.” - -“That would be splendid,” exclaimed Ned, with great enthusiasm. “I’ll go -with you.” - -George made no reply. He had not looked for so prompt an endorsement of -an idea that had but just suggested itself to him, and besides, his -cousin was the last boy in the world he would have chosen for a -companion during a journey of that kind. If he made it at all, he wanted -to make it a pleasure trip; and for that reason he wanted Ned to have -nothing to do with it. - -“I have read about the cruise of the _Rob Roy_ on the Jordan,” continued -Ned, “and I’d like to make one just like it. I think a voyage down the -Mississippi would be the next best thing. We ought to take our guns and -some fishing tackle with us, and we shall need a tent and cooking -utensils. Won’t we have fun, though? Let’s go, George.” - -“And while you are having so much fun what will I be doing?” asked Gus. - -“You!” said Ned, as if he had forgotten that there was such a boy as Gus -Robbins in existence. “O, you had better go home.” - -“Now, Ned, you know very well that I can’t do it,” said, Gus; and he -spoke so calmly that Ned looked at him in surprise. - -“Yes, you can. Your father said so in his letter.” - -“But I haven’t money enough to pay my way.” - -“Well, I can’t help that. You can’t expect me to pay your bills all the -while.” Ned caught his breath when he said this, and looked toward his -cousin, wondering what the latter would think, if he knew that a hundred -dollars, which ought to have been placed in the bank for his future -benefit, had been spent to bring Gus Robbins to Texas. “Write to your -father,” added Ned. - -“What shall I do while I am waiting for an answer?” asked Gus. “How -shall I live?” - -“You’ll have to go to work at something. I don’t know of anything else -you can do.” - -Gus did not continue the conversation any longer. He had learned all he -wanted to know. Drawing in his reins, he gradually slackened his pace, -and allowed George and his cousin, who rode side by side, to pass on in -advance of him. As soon as they had done so, Gus fell in behind them and -shook his fist angrily at Ned. - -“He’s the meanest boy that was ever heard of,” said he, to himself. “I -knew it all the while, and the trouble I have got into is nothing more -than I deserve. I ought to have had nothing to do with him. He has got -himself and me into a scrape, and now he throws me overboard, and lets -me look out for myself, while he depends upon his cousin to see himself -safely through. He’s got a big pile of money he can draw on, and can go -off and enjoy himself, while I’ve got to stay here. For I shall not go -home,” added Gus, with a most emphatic shake of his head. “Everybody in -Foxboro’ knows by this time that I ran away, and I’ll not go back there -and face them. There’s plenty of work to be had in this country, and -right here I’ll stay until my father writes me a decent letter.” - -Perhaps we shall see that Gus made a great mistake when he came to this -determination. If he had made up his mind to return to his home as soon -as he could get there, he would have saved himself a great deal of -trouble that afterward came to him. He decided that he would accompany -Ned as far as Brownsville, and that when he arrived there he would leave -him and strike out for himself. He would not stay with a boy who did not -want his company. - -As the hours wore away, and the rancho was left farther and farther -behind, and all fears of pursuit died away, Ned’s spirits and courage -all came back to him, and he began to speak of the events of the night -and the incidents that led to them as a “lark” that was just a little -ahead of anything he had ever heard of. He seemed to forget all about -Gus, who took no part in the conversation. Now and then George turned -about in his saddle, and addressed some remark to him, but Gus replied -only in monosyllables, and George, finding that he did not feel in the -humor for talking, left him to the companionship of his own thoughts. - -It was an hour after daylight when the boys came within sight of the -woods which lined the banks of the Rio Grande. By this time Ned and Gus -were completely tired out, and even George began to show signs of -weariness. They were all glad of a chance to rest, and believed they -would be the better for a few hours’ refreshing sleep. They staked out -their horses in the edge of the timber, spread their blankets and -ponchos on the ground, and throwing themselves down upon them, went to -sleep almost immediately. - -There was no one in sight when they went into camp, for George took -particular pains to satisfy himself of this fact; but for all that there -were two persons near enough at hand to observe all their movements. -They had been on the trail of the fugitives for more than half an hour, -following behind them at a respectful distance, and making use of every -inequality in the ground to conceal them from the view of the boys, -should any of them chance to look behind. When the travellers staked out -their horses one of them was lying on the summit of the nearest ridge, -looking at them over the top of the grass. When he had seen all he cared -to see he returned to his companion, who sat on his horse at the foot of -the swell awaiting the result of his observations, and the two rode -along under cover of the ridge until they reached the woods, about half -a mile above the place where the boys had made their camp. Keeping their -horses in a rapid walk they moved along just outside the timber, and -were soon discovered by Ranger, who lifted his head and gave them a good -looking over. But he raised no alarm thinking, no doubt, if he were able -to think at all, that as it was daylight his master ought to be able to -take care of himself. - -When they had approached a little nearer the two men put their horses -into a gallop, and dashed into camp. One of them threw his bridle to his -companion, and swinging himself out of his saddle hurried up to George -and placed his hand on his shoulder just as the boy, aroused out of a -sound sleep by the clatter of the horses’ hoofs, raised himself on his -elbow to see what was the matter. He saw a bearded face bending over -him, and felt a strong grasp on his collar. His two companions were -sitting up on their blankets looking on with mouths and eyes wide open. -Ned probably did not consider this incident a part of the “lark” he had -been talking about, for he was trembling like a leaf. - -“Who are you, and what are you doing here?” demanded George, as soon as -he could speak. - -“We’re somebody who won’t harm you so long as you do just as you’re -told!” replied the man. “We came after you—that’s what’s we are doin’ -here!” - -“Well, now that you have found me, what do you want with me?” asked -George. - -“We want you to get on your hoss an’ take a ride with us. Thar’s -somebody over on the other side of the river who wants to see you -powerful bad!” - -George arose slowly to his feet and looked first at the man who held him -by the collar, and then at the man who sat in his saddle. He knew who -they were before he asked them, and he knew, too, who it was on the -other side of the river who wanted to see him. He was caught at last, -and there was no chance for escape. There was but one course open to -him, and that was to submit and trust to luck. - -“Answer another question while you are about it,” said George. “Are you -Fletcher’s men?” - -“What do you know about Fletcher?” demanded the ruffian, in surprise. - -“I know all about him, and I know what he wants of me, too.” - -“Who told you?” asked his captor, still more astonished. - -“That’s my business!” answered George, who knew better than to mention -Springer’s name. - -“Now, what in the world does this mean?” whined Ned, who just then -recovered his power of speech. “Who are these men, George, and what are -they going to do with us?” - -“We aint agoin’ to do nothing with you an’ the other feller thar,” said -the man, pointing at Gus, “so you don’t need to get so white an’ act so -powerful skeered. This yere is the chap we’ve been lookin’ fur. Now you -two can lay thar an’ sleep jest as long as you please, an’ then you can -strike out fur Brownsville, and nobody won’t say a word to you.” - -“But what are you going to do with George? Are you going to take him -away and leave us alone?” - -“That’s about the way it looks now.” - -“How are we going to find our way without a guide? We don’t know the -road!” - -“You don’t need to know it, ‘cause you can’t miss it. It’s as plain as -the nose on your face.” - -Ned exhibited the greatest astonishment and terror, while Gus sat -staring blankly before him, as if he could hardly realize what was going -on. The former, George noticed, did not ask what the men intended to do -with him, after they had taken him across the river. All he wanted to -know, was how he and Gus were going to find their way to Brownsville -without a guide. - -“O now, I don’t know what to do,” cried Ned, sinking back on his blanket -and covering his face with his hands. - -“Be a man in the first place,” said George, who was surprised at his -cousin’s want of courage. “You have nothing to cry over. Your way is -perfectly plain, but if you miss it, can’t you stop at some of the -ranchos along the road and ask the people to set you right? But there’s -one thing I want to speak to you about. I say! You don’t care if I -change clothes with him, do you?” he added, addressing the man who held -him by the collar. - -“What do you want to do it for?” asked that worthy. - -“Because it may help him.” - -“I don’t reckon it’ll do any harm, will it, Sam?” inquired the man, -appealing to his companion. - -Sam looked down at the horn of his saddle, and after considering the -matter, said he didn’t think it would. - -“All right. Let go my collar,” said George. “Why do you hang on to me in -that fashion?” - -“I was told to look out for you,” answered the ruffian, “an’ I’m jest -goin’ to do it!” - -He let go his prisoner’s collar, but he kept close beside him when the -latter walked over to the place where his cousin was lying on his -blanket. “You had better give me those silver buttons and all the rest -of your finery,” said George, “for they are much too conspicuous for you -to wear. Those ranchemen are not going to give up that horse, and they -may follow you clear to Brownsville. I believe I could take you through -all right; but as I can’t go with you, you will be left to depend upon -yourself, and you can’t take too many precautions.” - -The hint that there was still a possibility of pursuit and capture by -the ranchemen, brought Ned to his feet in great haste. The thought that -perhaps his cousin might get himself into trouble by wearing those same -silver buttons never entered his head, nor would he have paid any -attention to it if it had. He cared for nobody but himself, and he was -quite willing to part with his nobby suit, and put on his cousin’s -coarse clothing, if by so doing, he could secure his own safety. The -exchange was soon effected, the cattle-thief standing so close to -George’s elbow all the while that flight would have been impossible, -even if the boy had thought of such a thing, and although Ned cut a -sorry figure in his new rig, his cousin’s appearance was vastly -improved. The nobby suit, which was rather large for Ned, fitted him as -though it had been made on purpose for him, and Gus, while he looked at -him, wondered why he had never before noticed that George was a very -handsome young fellow. - -“Now, boys,” said the latter, as he placed the sombrero on his head, “as -soon as you have had rest enough, catch up and start again. Don’t waste -an hour, but be careful and not tire your horses out by reckless riding. -When you reach Brownsville, go to the best hotel, and wait for Uncle -John. Ned has all the money you need,” added George, who had taken pains -to see that there was an exchange of purses as well as an exchange of -clothing. - -“But what is going to become of you?” asked Ned, as if the question had -just occurred to him. - -“I am sure I don’t know,” replied George; and it was right on the end of -his tongue to add: “Probably your father will tell you if you will ask -him the next time you see him,” but he did not utter the words. It was -more than likely that Springer’s story was all false, and that Uncle -John knew nothing whatever about this matter. At any rate he would not -accuse him until he had received positive proof of his guilt. - -“What makes you let them carry you off in this way, anyhow?” demanded -Ned. - -“What else can I do? I can’t whip two grown men with my bare hands, can -I?” - -“I always heard that the Ackermans was a plucky lot,” said the man who -was keeping guard over George, “but I didn’t allow to find a kid like -you so cool an’ careless-like. Have you done talkin’ enough now, do you -reckon?” - -“Yes, I have given all the advice I can think of, and I will be ready to -go with you as soon as I can saddle my horse.” - -“You needn’t mind takin’ that lasso off,” said the man, as George was -about to untie the lariat with which his horse was fastened to the -picket-pin. “‘Cause why, we’ll leave it jist as it is, you know, an’ -I’ll hang on to this yere eend of it.” - -The boy was surprised at the precautions his captor thought it necessary -to take in order to prevent any attempt at escape, and told himself that -the man was going to a good deal of trouble for nothing. If there had -been the least chance for flight or successful resistance George would -promptly have taken advantage of it, as he did a few days afterward, but -he was not foolhardy enough to run a race with a bullet from the -ruffian’s revolver. While he was putting the saddle and bridle on his -horse he repeated all the instructions he had given Ned, and when he -could no longer find an excuse for delaying his departure, he shook -hands with his companions, bade them good-by and rode away between the -two cattle-thieves, one of whom held fast to the lasso which was around -the neck of George’s horse. Ned and Gus stood in the edge of the timber -watching him as long as he remained in sight, and when he disappeared -behind the nearest swell, they sat down on their blankets and looked at -each other. - -“O, Gus, I don’t know what I should do if you were not here with me!” -exclaimed Ned, who was the first to speak. - -“Don’t you, indeed!” replied his companion. “Have you forgotten how -squarely you went back on me no longer ago than last night? You just as -good as told me that you had seen enough of me. You could get along -without me well enough while you had your cousin to lean on, but now -that he is gone, I am a bully boy again. No, sir; you can’t throw me -away and pick me up again when you please, now I tell you!” - -“O, don’t talk that way!” whined Ned, who knew that he was powerless, -and that everything depended upon Gus. “I didn’t mean it. I was -frightened out of my senses, and didn’t know what I was saying.” - -“No, you were not frightened. You had got all over it and were laughing -about the ‘lark’ you had had. You said it, whether you meant it or not, -and I shall take you at your word.” - -“You are not going to leave me?” Ned almost gasped. - -“Yes, I am. When we reach Brownsville, if we ever do, you will see the -last of me.” - -“What are you going to do?” - -“I don’t know. I haven’t made up my mind yet. I know what I am going to -do now: I am going to sleep.” - -Ned could not understand how Gus could take the matter so coolly. He was -slumbering heavily in less than five minutes after he arranged his -blankets, while Ned, whose excitement would not permit him to sleep, -tossed uneasily about, thinking over the incidents of the last few -hours, and trembling when he looked forward to the long journey before -him and its possible ending. - -“I am not out of danger yet,” he kept saying to himself, “for if I were, -George would not have traded clothes with me. He has been pretty good to -me, I must say. It isn’t every fellow who would stand by a cousin as he -has stood by me, and I almost wish I had treated him a little better. -Perhaps I shall never see him again. Well, if I don’t——” - -Clasping his hands under his head Ned lay back on his blanket and -proceeded to follow out the train of thought that had so suddenly -suggested itself to him. The prospect of stepping into possession of a -property worth forty thousand dollars a year was a pleasing one; and -while he was wondering what he should do with so much money, and how he -could spend it to the best advantage, his weariness overcame him, and he -sank into a dreamless sleep. When he awoke the sun had climbed around to -the other side of the woods, and the shadows of the trees were thrown -far out on the plain, showing that the day was drawing to a close. Gus -was already stirring. He had rolled up his blankets, and was just -putting the saddle on his horse when Ned opened his eyes. - -“Where are you going?” demanded the latter, in some alarm. - -“I am going to start out and see if I can find a house,” replied Gus. “I -have a little money in my pocket, and while it lasts I am not going to -sleep out of doors or go hungry, either!” - -“You needn’t spend a cent of it,” said Ned, hastily jumping to his feet -and folding his blankets. “I’ve got enough for both of us. You were not -going away without me, were you?” - -Gus, who was whistling softly to himself, made no reply to this -question, although his companion was sure he had heard it. His silence -was enough to excite Ned’s suspicions, and to thoroughly frighten him, -also. Did Gus intend to desert him? If so, what would he (Ned) do when -he was left to himself? - -“I’ve made him mad and I don’t know how to get him good-natured again,” -was Ned’s mental reflection. “If I can only keep him with me until -father comes to Brownsville, he can clear out and welcome. I must keep a -close watch over him or he’ll come up minus some fine morning.” - -While these thoughts were passing through Ned’s mind, he caught up his -saddle and bridle and hurried out to put them on his horse. - - - - - CHAPTER XVII. - CONCLUSION. - - -It was a very unsociable pair who rode away from the woods that -afternoon. Ned, who knew that he could not take care of himself, tried -his best to heal the breach that had been caused between himself and his -companion, by the hasty and ungenerous words he had uttered the night -before, but Gus repelled all his advances. Knowing that his old friend -would drop him again as soon as he could find some one else to lean on, -Gus would have nothing to say to him; so Ned gave up in despair, and -rode along in silence. We may add that this was the way they travelled -every day, until they reached Brownsville. Gus stopped for the night -when and where he pleased, resumed his journey in the morning when he -got ready, and never consulted Ned, who was at liberty to follow or stay -behind, just as he chose. - -The boys soon found the trail which they had no difficulty in following, -for it was as plain as a wagon road. Indeed, it was a wagon road, for it -was used by the settlers and army teamsters in hauling goods up and down -the river. Gus at once set off at a sharp gallop and Ned lumbered along -a few paces in his rear. They rode in this way until the sun sank out of -sight, and the shadows of twilight began to deepen into the gloom of -night, and Gus was telling himself that there was a fair prospect that -they would be obliged to go supperless to bed, when his eyes were -gladdened by the sight of a rancho a little distance away. Urging his -horse forward at a faster pace, he drew up in front of the building a -moment later, and was welcomed by a half a dozen ill-looking curs, which -ran out and barked at him vociferously. - -“Hallo, in there!” shouted Gus, hardly believing that he could make -himself heard above the din raised by the angry pack which surrounded -him. “Anybody at home?” - -“Get out, ye brutes!” roared a voice from the inside. “Alight an’ hitch, -strangers.” - -The dogs retreated under the porch, where they remained growling -savagely, and now and then giving utterance to an impatient bark, and -presently the owner of the voice appeared in the open door. In dress and -appearance he was in perfect keeping with his surroundings, which, when -the boys c to look at them, they found to be of the most primitive -character. The house was a rambling old structure, built of logs and -rough, unpainted boards. There were wide gaps in the shingles on the -roof, and the rickety porch groaned and creaked as the man stepped upon -it. The few outbuildings that could be seen were in the same dilapidated -condition. The house was undoubtedly the home of a squatter, who made -his living by pasturing cattle on government land. - -“Alight an’ hitch, strangers,” repeated the man. “You’re welcome to sich -as we’ve got, an’ that ain’t none of the best, I can tell you. You see -we went back into the country to git shet of the raiders an’ we’ve jest -come hum to-day.” - -“Did you lose any of your cattle?” asked Gus, and after he had asked the -question, he was surprised at himself for doing it. Probably the man -owned two or three cows, which supplied his family with milk, and the -raiders would not go far out of their way to pick up such a herd as -that. - -“Nary hoof,” replied the squatter, with a triumphant air. “I tuk my -three thousand head safe off an’ brung ‘em all back agin!” - -Gus was astonished. The man was rich. He was worth at least sixty -thousand dollars (Gus had heard that beef cattle were worth twenty -dollars a piece) and yet he lived in a hovel at which a respectable dog -would turn up his nose. It looked so untidy and altogether forbidding -that Gus did not want to go into it; but knowing that he would find -plenty to eat in there, and believing that he could find a shelter -somewhere under the leaky roof, he dismounted, and the squatter came -down the steps and took charge of his horse. - -“Go right in, strangers,” said he. “The ole woman’s in thar, an’ I -reckon supper’s ‘most ready.” - -Gus went in, but Ned, who felt very lonely and down-hearted, seated -himself on the porch and brooded over his troubles. The former found -that the living-room, which was the one he entered, was as uninviting as -the outside of the house. The floor was littered with various odds and -ends, including saddles, bridles, horse-blankets and old boots, and the -holes in the walls were covered with hides which were hung up over them -to keep out the wind and rain. One side of the room was occupied by an -immense fire-place, in front of which stood the squatter’s wife, who was -busy with her preparations for supper. She looked up when the boy -entered, waved a case-knife toward an old chest which stood beside the -door, and requested him to sit down; and that was the only time Gus -heard her speak while he remained at the rancho. - -The boys fared a great deal better than they expected. The supper was -abundant and well cooked, but the dishes on which it was served up might -have been a little cleaner. The squatter was very sociable in his way, -and after entertaining the young travellers with many stories of -exciting and amusing adventure drawn from his own experience, he asked -them where they came from and where they were going. - -“I don’t know where I am going,” answered Gus, ignoring the first part -of the question, and speaking entirely for himself. “I am looking for a -chance to go into business of some kind, and if I could get stock enough -to begin on I might be tempted to try cattle-raising on the squatter -plan.” - -This was enough to set their host to going again, and during the rest of -the evening he kept the boys interested. He told of his own trials and -failures, and gave Gus some advice which might have been valuable to him -had he thought seriously of going into the business of cattle-raising. -The squatter talked almost incessantly until ten o’clock, and then -seeing that Gus began to yawn he stopped abruptly and led the boys into -an adjoining room. - -“I brung your saddles an’ things in yere,” said he. “You can spread your -blankets on the floor an’ sleep as comfor’ble as you please. Mebbe the -roof’ll leak a little if it rains, an’ if it does, you can come in an’ -lay down in front of the fire. All night to you!” - -So saying the squatter left the room, and the boys began groping about -in the dark in search of their saddles, to which their blankets and -ponchos were fastened. They found them at last, and after making their -beds they lay down on them without bidding each other good-night, and -prepared to go to sleep. It was very probable that the room would leak a -little in case of a sudden shower, Gus thought, as he looked up at the -roof. There were several holes in it, and some of them were so large -that he could have crept through them. He lay there for a long time -looking up at the stars, thinking of his home, and telling himself how -foolish he was to run away from it just in time to miss that excursion -to the trout streams of the Adirondacks, and when his eye-lids were -beginning to grow heavy and the holes in the roof to assume fantastic -shapes, Ned suddenly started up and laid a hand on his shoulder. - -“What’s that?” said he, in a low whisper. “Don’t you hear something?” - -Gus was wide awake in an instant. He held his breath and listened for a -moment, and then sank back in his blanket again. - -“I don’t see any sense in frightening a fellow half to death for -nothing!” said he. “Let me alone, now. I want to go to sleep!” - -“But I hear horses,” whispered Ned. “They’re coming fast, too.” - -“So do I hear them; but what of it?” replied Gus. - -He spoke as though he took no interest whatever in the matter, but if -Ned could have seen his face, he would have found that it was growing -whiter every moment. Gus heard the sound of the hoofs plainly enough, -but until Ned spoke it never occurred to him that the horses which made -the noise might be ridden by men who were in pursuit of himself and his -companion. A few seconds later the dogs were aroused and rushed out in a -body to salute the approaching horsemen. Ned hoped from the bottom of -his heart that they would pass on without stopping, but in this he was -disappointed. The horsemen came straight toward the house, the sound of -the hoofs ceased suddenly in front of the porch, and a voice that made -Ned tremble all over rang out on the air. - -“Hallo, the house!” came the hail. - -“Get out, ye brutes!” shouted the squatter; whereupon the dogs scattered -and took refuge under the porch. “Alight an’ hitch, strangers. I’ll be -thar in a minute!” - -The boys heard their host moving about the living-room and mending the -fire to make it blaze. Then he opened the door and they listened with -all their ears to hear what passed between him and the new comers. As -there was but one thin board partition (and that was full of wide -cracks) between them and the door, they could catch every word that was -uttered. - -“Alight an’ hitch, strangers,” said the squatter, repeating his -stereotyped invitation. “You’re welcome to sich as we’ve got, an’ that -ain’t none of the best, I can tell you.” - -“Thank you,” replied the same voice that had hailed the house; and when -Ned heard it he trembled again. “If you will let us spread our blankets -on your porch, and will give us a bite to eat in the morning, we shall -be much obliged. We’ll not ask you to get supper for us. It is too -late.” - -“No occasion, stranger; no occasion,” replied the hospitable squatter. -“Ole woman, here’s a couple of hungry gentle_men_ out here who want -something to eat. Travellin’ fur, strangers?” - -“We’ve ridden about seventy-five miles. Have you seen a party of four -persons pass this way to-day, one of them a young fellow, riding a dark -chestnut horse with white mane and tail, and four white feet?” - -“Gracious!” thought Ned. - -“Aha!” said Gus, to himself, at the same time drawing a long breath of -relief. “He didn’t say a word about the cattle that were shot, so I have -nothing to fear. Ned can look out for number one; that’s what he was -going to make me do. But he asked after _four_ persons. Who is the -other, I wonder? There were but three of us before George was taken -away.” - -“Ain’t seed no sich,” replied the squatter. - -“That’s very strange,” said the voice. “They must have come this way, -for they are going to Brownsville. The fellow who rode this horse wore a -sombrero, high patent leather boots and a buckskin coat with silver -buttons. He carried an ivory-handled riding-whip, had silver-plated -spurs on his heels, and the horse wore a gold-mounted saddle and -bridle.” - -“Ain’t seed no sich,” repeated the squatter, while Ned wondered where -the man had obtained so accurate a description of him. - -“They couldn’t have gone by without attracting your attention, could -they?” - -“Nary time. I see everybody who goes along this trail by daylight. Come -in, gentle_men_. The ole woman’ll cook you a bite of something an’ I’ll -look arter your critters.” - -The listening boys knew when the unwelcome visitors dismounted and -entered the house, and Gus, who sat where he could look through one of -the widest cracks into the living-room, the interior of which was now -brightly lighted up by the fire on the hearth, noticed that the -squatter’s wife motioned to them with a case-knife, to sit down on the -chest by the side of the door. After Gus had taken a good look at them, -he did not wonder that their appearance frightened Ned so badly that he -dared not confess that the stolen horse was in his possession. Ned could -not see the men, but he knew they were in the next room, and not more -than twelve or fifteen feet from him. What would become of him when they -discovered that he was in the house? He would certainly meet them the -next morning at the breakfast table, and if they recognised him, it -would be all over with Ned Ackerman. - -“I wonder why father didn’t settle the matter with them, as George told -him to do!” thought Ned, who always blamed somebody beside himself for -the trouble he got into. “He had the money, he ought to have done it, -and he has got me into a pretty mess by not doing it. If I ever see him -again, I’ll give him a piece of my mind, I bet you.” - -Another thing that aroused the boy’s anger, was the manner in which Gus -conducted himself. While Ned was sitting upon his blanket, trembling in -every muscle and living in momentary expectation of discovery, Gus had -the impudence to lie down and roll over on his side with his hand under -his cheek, as if he were trying to go to sleep. Ned could see it all by -the aid of the light which streamed in through the cracks in the -partition. - -“Say, Gus,” he whispered, shaking his companion as roughly as he dared, -“what am I to do? Get up and suggest something.” - -“I don’t care what you do,” answered Gus, who thought this a good time -to pay Ned for what he had said the night before. “It is none of my -funeral. I didn’t steal the horse.” - -“Neither did I,” said Ned, who was so angry that it was all he could do -to control himself. “Shall I creep out of the house, if I can get out, -or shall I stay here and take my chances?” - -“Do just as you please. I am not interested in the matter at all.” - -“Your critters is done took care on!” exclaimed the squatter, who came -in at that moment. “What’s this yere feller with the silver buttons an’ -the hoss with the white stockins on been a doin’ of?” - -“The boy is a receiver of stolen property,” came the reply, in a tone -which made Ned tremble more violently than ever. “Do you know anything -about the people who live in the Ackerman settlement?” - -“Never heard tell of none of ‘em,” answered the squatter. - -“It is my opinion that they are no better than they should be,” -continued the owner of the stolen horse. “Every man and boy we met -except one is a friend to this fellow who ran off with my property. That -one’s name was Cook. He has lost some cattle through this same Ned -Ackerman, and is very anxious he should be caught. I am going to have -that horse if he is in the state.” - -“And we’re going to have the boy who ran away with him, too,” added the -other rancheman. - -Slowly and cautiously Ned stretched himself upon his blanket, and -drawing his body into as small a compass as he could, as if he hoped in -this way to lessen the chances for discovery, he lay and listened to the -conversation that followed. The visitors talked principally about -cattle-raising, and there was little more said concerning the lost steed -and the boy who was supposed to have run away with him; but that little -served to convince Ned, if he needed any further proof, that the men -were determined they would not go home until they had captured him and -recovered the horse. As soon as they had eaten the supper that had been -prepared for them the squatter offered to show them where they could -spread their blankets; and Ned’s heart almost stopped beating when he -heard the three men enter the narrow hall leading to the room occupied -by himself and Gus. At the same time a faint light shone in upon him, -and Ned saw that the doorway was concealed by a tattered blanket. The -light shone through this blanket, which, while Ned looked at it, was -raised, admitting the squatter, who carried a blazing fire-brand in his -hand. - -“Come right in here,” said he, as he held up the blanket; and Ned was -almost ready to faint when he saw the ranchemen enter, each carrying his -saddle in his hand. “These yere is two chaps who is out cattle-buyin’,” -continued the squatter, waving his fire-brand toward the boys. “An’ -these yere is two fellers lookin’ for a hoss-thief. Know yourselves, -gentle_men_!” - -Believing that by this introduction he had made the two parties -acquainted with each other, the squatter relapsed into silence and held -up his fire-brand so that the ranchemen could see to arrange their beds. -The latter nodded to the boys and wished a hearty good-evening to which -Gus alone responded. Ned could not have uttered a word to save his life. -Was it possible that he could stay in the same room with those men all -night? He thought they looked at him a little suspiciously, and to show -them that he was not the boy who wore the high patent-leather boots and -silver buttons, Ned threw off his blanket so that all his clothes could -be seen. - -“Buying cattle, eh?” said the owner of the horse. “Going into the ranche -business?” - -“I don’t know that I can do anything better,” replied Gus. - -“You don’t want anything better if you manage rightly,” said the man. “I -have known young fellows like you and your partner to start out with a -few head of stock and make themselves rich before they were forty years -old. But of course they worked hard and attended strictly to business. -That’s the only way to get on in this world. Now, my friend, we shall -not need your light any longer.” - -Ned was glad indeed when the squatter dropped the blanket to its place -and went out with his fire-brand. He was glad, too, that the ranchemen -were tired and sleepy, for he did not want to hear them talk. He was -afraid that they might address some of their remarks to him. They did -not know him in his cousin’s clothes, and they did not recognise his -face for the reason that they had not obtained a fair view of it on the -night they visited the rancho; but they had heard his voice, and they -might remember it if they heard it again. So Ned determined that he -would not speak. He pretended to fall asleep immediately, but the fact -was he did not sleep a wink that night. The mere presence of the men who -were hunting him so perseveringly was enough to keep him wide awake. The -long hours of night had never dragged so slowly away before, nor had Ned -ever longed so impatiently for the daylight. The first gray streaks of -dawn which came creeping in through the wide cracks in the walls around -the slumbering ranchemen who, after exchanging a few words in a low tone -of voice, arose and left the room, taking their blankets and saddles -with them. Ned heard them in conversation with the squatter, and wished -most heartily that the latter would not be so persistent in his efforts -to keep them until breakfast was over. He did not want the ranchemen to -see him by daylight, and he was overjoyed to hear them declare that all -they wanted was a cold bite, and if their host would provide them with -that they would be off. The cold bite was speedily forthcoming, and when -the ranchemen had done full justice to it, they mounted their horses and -rode away. Then Ned breathed easily for the first time in long hours. - -This was the last adventure that befell our young travellers while they -were on their way to Brownsville. They never went a mile out of their -way; they fared well along the route, and their meals and lodging did -not cost them a cent. The door of any rancho or farm-house that happened -to be in sight when night came was open to them, the owner treated them -like honored guests, and always refused to accept any remuneration. They -rode into Brownsville one morning about ten o’clock. Having made -inquiries at their last night’s stopping-place they knew the name of the -best hotel and where to go to find it, and toward it they directed their -course. Giving their horses in charge of a man who came out to meet them -as they drew up in front of the door, they went in, and Ned, having -signed his name to the register, called for a room. - -“Gus has treated me as though I wasn’t Ned Ackerman at all,” thought he, -as he followed the bell-boy up the stairs. “He has travelled on his own -hook, leaving me to take care of myself, and now I am going to pay him -back in his own coin. He ought to come and make things straight with me, -if he only knew it, for he can’t have the cheek to go home again after -what he has done.” - -But Gus had not the slightest intention of making things straight. He -had had quite enough of his old friend, and he was just as independent -as Ned was. He did not register his name, but went into the wash-room, -and after removing all the travel-stains from his hands, face and -clothing, he came out, and left the hotel. It was a long time before Ned -heard where he went and what he did. - -Meanwhile, Ned was working hard with a brush broom, a piece of soap and -a coarse towel, to make himself presentable; but when he got through and -took a look at himself in the mirror, he was anything but pleased with -the result. His hands and face were very brown, and his red shirt looked -as though it had been through two or three wars. “I can’t stand this. I -am ashamed of myself,” thought he. “I noticed as I came along, that -there were a good many stylish young fellows on the street, and I am not -going among them with such clothes as these on. Fortunately, I have -money enough to rig myself out equal to the best of them. If I only had -my nobby suit now, wouldn’t I make folks stare?” - -Ned went down stairs and out of the hotel. When he returned, about half -an hour later, he carried a satchel in his hand and a bundle under his -arm. He made his way to his room, and when he came out again, no one who -had seen him when he rode into town would have taken him for the same -boy. Gus Robbins would have been obliged to look twice at him before he -could have recognised him. His cousin’s coarse clothing had been -exchanged for a broadcloth suit of the latest and most fashionable cut, -and the wearer looked like a dapper young clerk out for a holiday. - -Being satisfied now that he could appear on the streets without -attracting any but admiring glances, Ned went down to the office. The -clerk was not there, and while the boy stood leaning against the -counter, waiting for him to come in so that he could give him his key, -he heard a voice behind him—a familiar voice, that made the cold chills -creep all over him. He knew who the owner of the voice was, but some -strange fascination compelled him to turn his head and look at him over -his shoulder. There were two men standing in front of the counter with -the register before them. One held a pen in his hand, and was on the -point of writing his name, when another name above the first vacant line -attracted his attention. - -“Why, look here, Joe,” said he. “‘_Edward Ackerman._’ That’s our man. He -was coming to Brownsville, you know.” - -“So he was,” said Joe. - -Just then the clerk passed around behind the counter. He looked at Ned -as he went by, but did not act as though he had ever seen him before. - -“Mr. Clerk,” said the owner of the stolen horse, for it was he, “who is -this Edward Ackerman?” - -“Don’t know’ him,” answered the clerk. “He’s a stranger.” - -“What sort of a looking fellow is he?” - -“O, he’s roughly dressed, and looks as though he might be a cow-boy!” - -“That doesn’t answer the description, but we might have a peep at him if -he is in his room. Show us up, will you?” - -The clerk sounded his signal-bell, and when the boy came up in answer to -it, he was commanded to show the gentlemen up to number thirty-three. -Ned watched them as they followed the boy up the stairs, and then left -the counter and went out on the street. He would have been glad to give -up the key of his room and send for his valise, which contained the rest -of the clothing he had just purchased, but he could do neither without -exposing himself on the spot. - -“Am I never going to see the last of those men?” thought Ned, as he -hurried along, turning every corner he came to, as if he hoped in that -way, to leave his pursuers behind for ever. “I can’t stay at that hotel -if they are going to stop there. I wish father would hurry up. I shall -be in danger as long as I am in this town.” - -Ned found a second-rate hotel, after a few minutes’ walk, and concluded -to stop there. Profiting by his past experience, he signed a fictitious -name to the register, and then settled down to wait as patiently as he -could for his father’s arrival. He waited almost a week, and was -beginning to fear that he would never come, when one day, to his great -delight, he met him on the street. Ned’s first act was to relate the -particulars of his two adventures with the ranchemen, and to take his -father to task for not settling the matter with them. He never said a -word about his cousin’s capture or Gus Robbins’s sudden disappearance, -for those little incidents were of no consequence whatever. - -“Those men are following me around under the impression that I still -have the horse in my possession,” said Ned, angrily. “Why didn’t you -tell them that he went off with the raiders?” - -“Because I didn’t have the chance,” replied his father. “They never came -near my house that night. If they will go back to Mr. Gilbert’s they -will find money enough in his hands to pay for the horse and for their -trouble, too. By the way, where’s George?” - -Ned looked up at his father in surprise. He had never before known him -to throw so much earnestness into a simple question, or seem so eager -for an answer to it. - -“O, a couple of Greasers took him away from us!” said Ned, -indifferently. “I’ll tell you all about it by and by.” - -“Come around to my hotel,” said Uncle John, hurriedly. “I want to know -all about it now. We have a good many other things to talk about also.” - -Yes, they had many things to talk about, and it took them a long time to -explain matters so that each might know what had happened to the other -during their short separation. Ned told a truthful story, but he did not -learn so very much from his father in return. There were some things -that Uncle John thought it best to keep to himself. - -And where were George and Gus all this while? The story of their -adventures is too long to be told in this book. We shall begin it -immediately in the second volume of this series, and as we go along we -shall take up the history of another runaway, Tony Richardson by name, -of whose short experience with the ways of the world we have already had -something to say. We shall also take our hero, George Ackerman, away -from his home, and tell of his experience and exploits in an occupation -he had never dreamed of following. The volume will be entitled, “GEORGE -AT THE WHEEL; OR, LIFE IN THE PILOT-HOUSE.” - - - THE END. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -[Illustration: Specimen Cover of the Gunboat Series.] - - - - - THE - - FAMOUS - - CASTLEMON - - BOOKS. - - BY - - HARRY - - CASTLEMON. - - - No author of the present day has become a greater favorite with - boys than “Harry Castlemon;” every book by him is sure to meet - with hearty reception by young readers generally. His naturalness - and vivacity lead his readers from page to page with breathless - interest, and when one volume is finished the fascinated reader, - like Oliver Twist, asks “for more.” - - ⁂Any volume sold separately. - - - =GUNBOAT SERIES.= By Harry Castlemon. 6 vols., 12mo. Fully $7 50 - illustrated. Cloth, extra, printed in colors. In box - - =Frank, the Young Naturalist= 1 25 - - =Frank in the Woods= 1 25 - - =Frank on the Prairie= 1 25 - - =Frank on a Gunboat= 1 25 - - =Frank before Vicksburg= 1 25 - - =Frank on the Lower Mississippi= 1 25 - - - =GO AHEAD SERIES.= By Harry Castlemon. 3 vols., 12mo. Fully $3 75 - illustrated. Cloth, extra, printed in colors. In box - - =Go Ahead=; or, The Fisher Boy’s Motto 1 25 - - =No Moss=; or, The Career of a Rolling Stone 1 25 - - =Tom Newcombe=; or, The Boy of Bad Habits 1 25 - - - =ROCKY MOUNTAIN SERIES.= By Harry Castlemon. 3 vols., 12mo. Fully $3 75 - illustrated. Cloth, extra, printed in colors. In box - - =Frank at Don Carlos’ Rancho= 1 25 - - =Frank among the Rancheros= 1 25 - - =Frank in the Mountains= 1 25 - - - =SPORTSMAN’S CLUB SERIES.= By Harry Castlemon. 3 vols., 12mo. $3 75 - Fully illustrated. Cloth, extra, printed in colors. In box - - =The Sportsman’s Club in the Saddle= 1 25 - - =The Sportsman’s Club Afloat= 1 25 - - =The Sportsman’s Club among the Trappers= 1 25 - - - =FRANK NELSON SERIES.= By Harry Castlemon. 3 vols. 12mo. Fully $3 75 - illustrated. Cloth, extra, printed in colors. In box - - =Snowed Up=; or, The Sportsman’s Club in the Mts. 1 25 - - =Frank Nelson in the Forecastle=; or, The Sportsman’s Club among 1 25 - the Whalers - - =The Boy Traders=; or, The Sportsman’s Club among the Boers 1 25 - - - =BOY TRAPPER SERIES.= By Harry Castlemon. 3 vols., 12mo. Fully $3 75 - illustrated. Cloth, extra, printed in colors. In box - - =The Buried Treasure=; or, Old Jordan’s “Haunt” 1 25 - - =The Boy Trapper=; or, How Dave Filled the Order 1 25 - - =The Mail Carrier= 1 25 - - =ROUGHING IT SERIES.= By Harry Castlemon. 3 vols., 12mo. Fully $3 75 - illustrated. Cloth, extra, printed in colors. In box - - =George in Camp=; or, Life on the Plains 1 25 - - =George at the Wheel=; or, Life in a Pilot House 1 25 - - =George at the Fort=; or, Life Among the Soldiers 1 25 - - - =ROD AND GUN SERIES.= By Harry Castlemon. 3 vols., 12mo. Fully $3 75 - illustrated. Cloth, extra, printed in colors. In box - - =Don Gordon’s Shooting Box= 1 25 - - =Rod and Gun= 1 25 - - =The Young Wild Fowlers= 1 25 - - - =FOREST AND STREAM SERIES.= By Harry Castlemon. 3 vols., 12mo. $3 75 - Fully illustrated. Cloth, extra, printed in colors. In box - - =Joe Wayring at Home=; or, Story of a Fly Rod 1 25 - - =Snagged and Sunk=; or, The Adventures of a Canvas Canoe 1 25 - - =Steel Horse=; or, The Rambles of a Bicycle 1 25 - - - =WAR SERIES.= By Harry Castlemon. 4 vols., 12mo. Fully $5 00 - illustrated. Cloth, extra, printed in colors. In box - - =True to his Colors= 1 25 - - =Rodney, the Partisan= 1 25 - - =Marcy, the Blockade Runner= 1 25 - - =Marcy, the Refugee= 1 25 - - - =OUR FELLOWS=; or, Skirmishes with the Swamp Dragoons. By Harry 1 25 - Castlemon. 16mo. Fully illustrated. Cloth, extra - -[Illustration: Specimen Cover of the Ragged Dick Series.] - - - - - ALGER’S - - RENOWNED - - BOOKS. - - BY - - HORATIO - - ALGER, JR. - - - Horatio Alger, Jr., has attained distinction as one of the most - popular writers of books for boys, and the following list - comprises all of his best books. - - ⁂Any volume sold separately. - - - =RAGGED DICK SERIES.= By Horatio Alger, Jr. 6 vols., 12mo. Fully $7 50 - illustrated. Cloth, extra, printed in colors. In box - - =Ragged Dick=; or, Street Life in New York 1 25 - - =Fame and Fortune=; or, The Progress of Richard Hunter 1 25 - - =Mark, the Match Boy=; or, Richard Hunter’s Ward 1 25 - - =Rough and Ready=; or, Life among the New York Newsboys 1 25 - - =Ben, the Luggage Boy=; or, Among the Wharves 1 25 - - =Rufus and Rose=; or, the Fortunes of Rough and Ready 1 25 - - - =TATTERED TOM SERIES.= (FIRST SERIES.) By Horatio Alger, Jr. 4 5 00 - vols., 12mo. Fully illustrated. Cloth, extra, printed in - colors. In box - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES - - - 1. Both words ‘ranche’ and ‘rancho’ appear numerous times in the text. - Did not change either. - 2. Added the word ‘less’ between the words ‘a’ and ‘exposed’ on p. 169. - 3. Changed ‘did’ to ‘died’ on p. 209. - 4. Changed ‘Probable’ to ‘Probably’ on p. 228. - 5. Changed ‘me’ to ‘himself’ on p. 311. - 6. Changed ‘recurred’ to ‘occurred’ on p. 331. - 7. Silently corrected typographical errors. - 8. Retained anachronistic and non-standard spellings as printed. - 9. Enclosed italics font in _underscores_. -10. Enclosed bold font in =equals=. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of George in Camp, by Harry Castlemon - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GEORGE IN CAMP *** - -***** This file should be named 53666-0.txt or 53666-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/3/6/6/53666/ - -Produced by Richard Tonsing, David Edwards and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: George in Camp - or Life on the Plains - -Author: Harry Castlemon - -Release Date: December 4, 2016 [EBook #53666] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GEORGE IN CAMP *** - - - - -Produced by Richard Tonsing, David Edwards and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class='tnotes covernote'> - -<p class='c000'><strong>Transcriber's Note:</strong></p> - -<p class='c000'>The cover image was created by the transcriber and is placed in the public domain.</p> - -</div> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/frontis.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p><span class='sc'>Shooting the Cattle.</span></p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c1'> -<div class='nf-center c001'> - <div><em>ROUGHING IT SERIES.</em></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div> - <h1 class='c002'>GEORGE IN CAMP:<br /> <span class='small'>OR,</span><br /> <span class='xlarge'>LIFE ON THE PLAINS.</span></h1> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c1'> -<div class='nf-center c003'> - <div><span class='large'><span class='sc'>By</span> HARRY CASTLEMON,</span></div> - <div class='c004'><span class='xsmall'>AUTHOR OF “THE GUNBOAT SERIES,” “THE FRANK NELSON SERIES,” “THE BOY TRAPPER SERIES,” &C.</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<img src='images/titlepage.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c1'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div><span class='large'>PHILADELPHIA:</span></div> - <div class='c004'><span class='large'>PORTER & COATES.</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c004' /> -</div> - -<div class='ph2'> - -<div class='nf-center-c1'> -<div class='nf-center c001'> - <div>FAMOUS CASTLEMON BOOKS.</div> - </div> -</div> - -</div> - -<p class='c005'><strong>GUNBOAT SERIES.</strong> By <span class='sc'>Harry Castlemon</span>. Illustrated. 6 vols. -16mo. Cloth, extra, black and gold.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='sc'>Frank the Young Naturalist. Frank on a Gunboat. Frank -in the Woods. Frank before Vicksburg. Frank on the Lower -Mississippi. Frank on the Prairie.</span></p> - -<p class='c007'><strong>ROCKY MOUNTAIN SERIES.</strong> By <span class='sc'>Harry Castlemon</span>. -Illustrated. 3 vols. 16mo. Cloth, extra, black and gold.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-l c008'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Frank among the Rancheros.</span></div> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Frank at Don Carlos’ Rancho.</span></div> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Frank in the Mountains.</span></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c007'><strong>SPORTSMAN’S CLUB SERIES.</strong> By <span class='sc'>Harry Castlemon</span>. -Illustrated. 3 vols. 16mo. Cloth, extra, black and gold.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-l c008'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>The Sportsman’s Club in the Saddle.</span></div> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>The Sportsman’s Club Afloat.</span></div> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>The Sportsman’s Club among the Trappers.</span></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c007'><strong>GO-AHEAD SERIES.</strong> By <span class='sc'>Harry Castlemon</span>. Illustrated. 3 -vols. 16mo. Cloth, extra, black and gold.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-l c008'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Tom Newcombe. Go-Ahead. No Moss.</span></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c007'><strong>FRANK NELSON SERIES.</strong> By <span class='sc'>Harry Castlemon</span>. Illustrated. -3 vols. 16mo. Cloth, extra, black and gold.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-l c008'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Snowed Up. Frank in the Forecastle. Boy Traders.</span></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c007'><strong>BOY TRAPPER SERIES.</strong> By <span class='sc'>Harry Castlemon</span>. Illustrated. -3 vols. 16mo. Cloth, extra, black and gold.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-l c008'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>The Buried Treasure; or, Old Jordan’s Haunt.</span></div> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>The Boy Trapper; or, How Dave Filled the Order.</span></div> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>The Mail-Carrier.</span></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c007'><strong>ROUGHING IT SERIES.</strong> By <span class='sc'>Harry Castlemon</span>. Illustrated. -16mo. Cloth, extra, black and gold.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-l c008'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>George in Camp.</span></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c1'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div><em>Other Volumes in Preparation.</em></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c1'> -<div class='nf-center c001'> - <div>Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1879, by</div> - <div class='c004'>PORTER & COATES,</div> - <div class='c004'>In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c004' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_iii'>iii</span> - <h2 class='c009'>CONTENTS.</h2> -</div> - -<table class='table0' summary='CONTENTS'> - <tr><td class='c010' colspan='2'>CHAPTER I.</td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c011'>Among the Texans</td> - <td class='c012'>Page <a href='#Page_5'>5</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c010' colspan='2'>CHAPTER II.</td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c011'>A Neighborhood Row</td> - <td class='c012'><a href='#Page_19'>19</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c010' colspan='2'>CHAPTER III.</td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c011'>Ned’s Experience in Camp</td> - <td class='c012'><a href='#Page_30'>30</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c010' colspan='2'>CHAPTER IV.</td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c011'>A Discontented Boy</td> - <td class='c012'><a href='#Page_49'>49</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c010' colspan='2'>CHAPTER V.</td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c011'>The Clerk’s Ruse</td> - <td class='c012'><a href='#Page_70'>70</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c010' colspan='2'>CHAPTER VI.</td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c011'>A Frontier Hotel</td> - <td class='c012'><a href='#Page_87'>87</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c010' colspan='2'>CHAPTER VII.</td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c011'>Zeke’s Letter</td> - <td class='c012'><a href='#Page_109'>109</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c010' colspan='2'>CHAPTER VIII.</td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c011'>Ned’s New Horse</td> - <td class='c012'><a href='#Page_128'>128</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c010' colspan='2'>CHAPTER IX.</td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c011'>A Visit from the Raiders</td> - <td class='c012'><a href='#Page_150'>150</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c010' colspan='2'>CHAPTER X.</td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c011'>The Two Friends</td> - <td class='c012'><a href='#Page_172'>172</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c010' colspan='2'><span class='pageno' id='Page_iv'>iv</span>CHAPTER XI.</td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c011'>Gus Hears from Home</td> - <td class='c012'><a href='#Page_192'>192</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c010' colspan='2'>CHAPTER XII.</td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c011'>A Narrow Escape</td> - <td class='c012'><a href='#Page_215'>215</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c010' colspan='2'>CHAPTER XIII.</td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c011'>George has Company</td> - <td class='c012'><a href='#Page_236'>236</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c010' colspan='2'>CHAPTER XIV.</td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c011'>Good and Bad News</td> - <td class='c012'><a href='#Page_257'>257</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c010' colspan='2'>CHAPTER XV.</td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c011'>What Happened at the Rancho</td> - <td class='c012'><a href='#Page_282'>282</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c010' colspan='2'>CHAPTER XVI.</td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c011'>Caught at Last!</td> - <td class='c012'><a href='#Page_304'>304</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c010' colspan='2'>CHAPTER XVII.</td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c011'>Conclusion</td> - <td class='c012'><a href='#Page_325'>325</a></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<div class='ph1'> - -<div class='nf-center-c1'> -<div class='nf-center c001'> - <div>GEORGE IN CAMP;</div> - <div class='c004'>OR,</div> - <div class='c004'>LIFE ON THE PLAINS.</div> - </div> -</div> - -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_5'>5</span> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER I.<br /> <span class='large'>AMONG THE TEXANS.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_4 c013'>“I don’t like the way things are going at all, and I -just wish those two people were back where -they came from. They have turned the ranche -upside down since they have been here, and now I -begin to feel as though they were the masters, and -that I have no more rights than a tramp who had -dropped in to beg a night’s lodging!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>The speaker, a sturdy, broad-shouldered youth, -about fifteen years of age, was sitting on the porch -in front of the house in which he lived, busily engaged -in mending a broken bridle with an awl and -a piece of waxed-end. His name was George Ackerman, -and he was one of the boys whom we introduced -<span class='pageno' id='Page_6'>6</span>to the notice of the reader in the concluding -volume of the “Boy Trapper Series,” and of whose -adventures and exploits we promised to say something -more than we said then. We find him now at -his home in Texas, where he had been born, and -where he had always lived, with the exception of the -two years he had passed in a distant city attending -school. He was dressed, as all the boys and men in -that country were dressed, for hard work; and he -had done a good deal of it during his comparatively -short life—not because it was necessary, but because -he had been brought up to it. His father was very -wealthy—no one knew how many horses and cattle -he owned—and he had left a property worth between -thirty and forty thousand dollars a year.</p> - -<p class='c000'>If money is what makes people happy, one would -suppose that George Ackerman ought to be one of -the happiest boys in the world; and so he was, up to -the time his only parent died, which was about a -year and a half previous to the beginning of our -story. He had everything a boy could possibly wish -for—good health, a kind and indulgent father, a -comfortable and happy home, and all the other aids -to complete happiness so dear to the heart of most -boys, and for which Bob Owens and Dan Evans so -<span class='pageno' id='Page_7'>7</span>impatiently longed—such as horses, dogs, jointed -fish-poles and breech-loading guns. He had made a -start in business for himself, and was thought by -the boys of his acquaintance to be pretty well off in -the world. He began when he was only nine years -old, by herding cattle for his father at forty dollars -a month, taking his pay in young stock which he -selected himself. These increased in numbers and -value during the two years he was away at school, -and now he was the owner of three hundred head -of cattle which he had paid for by his own labor, -and which he could have sold any day for twenty -dollars apiece. He had a herdsman of his own and -colts enough to mount all the cronies he had left at -school, and who had faithfully promised to visit him -at no distant day in his far-away home. It was two -years and more since he parted from those same -cronies, and not one of them had ever been to see -him. He never heard from them now. His correspondents -had dropped off, one after the other, until -he had not a single one remaining. His father was -gone, too, and poor George felt much as he would -have felt if he had been dropped suddenly on -Robinson Crusoe’s lonely island, without even a man -Friday to keep him company.</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_8'>8</span>It is true, that there were plenty of people around -him. His Uncle John and Cousin Ned lived in the -same house with him, and there were a score or more -of men, Americans and Mexicans, employed on the -ranche as house-servants and herdsmen. He had -four playmates close at hand—that is, two of them -lived five miles east of him and the others eight -miles west—and they were jolly fellows and he liked -to be in their company. The time never hung -heavily on his hands, for he was very industrious, and -could always find something useful to do; but still -he was lonely and homesick every hour in the day. -The old house was not the same now that it was -during his father’s lifetime. Uncle John had built -additions to it, rearranged the inside of it to suit -himself, and filled it with the most expensive furniture, -such as had never been seen in the wilds of -Texas before.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Uncle John and his son, who dressed as fashionably -now as they did when they came from the -States, and who took as much pains with their toilet -as a couple of city dandies would have done, were -very much pleased with the new order of things. -They seemed to have been made for no other purpose -than to idle away their time on the luxurious -<span class='pageno' id='Page_9'>9</span>sofas and easy-chairs with which the old rancho -was now so plentifully supplied; but George, with -his heavy cowhide boots, coarse clothing and sun-browned -face and hands, was sadly out of place -among them.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Uncle John Ackerman lived somewhere in the -state of Ohio. He was a poor man, and, up to the -time of the death of his only brother, George’s -father, was obliged to work hard for his living. -That sad event, which brought so much sorrow and -trouble to George, was the making of Uncle John, -for the time being. It took him and his scapegrace -of a son from a life of toil and placed them just -where they had always wanted to be—in a position -to live without work. Uncle John was made his -nephew’s guardian and the executor of his brother’s -will, and to him the property was left in trust, to -be cared for and managed for George until the -latter became of age, when it was to be turned over -to him, less a certain sum, which Uncle John was -at liberty to keep in payment for his services. If -George died before reaching his majority, Ned -Ackerman, Uncle John’s son, was to be the heir.</p> - -<p class='c000'>As soon as the terms of the will were made -known, Uncle John and Ned hastened to Texas, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_10'>10</span>and took up their abode at the rancho. At first, -everything passed off smoothly. George could see -nothing to admire in either one of his relatives, -whom he had met but once before; but still he did -not absolutely dislike them, until Ned began to -show, both by words and actions, that he considered -himself the lawful master of the ranche and everything -belonging to it, and that George had no -rights that he or his father were bound to respect. -One change after another was introduced, in spite -of all the rightful owner could say or do to prevent -it, until at last the old house was so changed in -appearance, both inside and out, that George could -hardly recognise it as his home. Then he grew -angry and almost made up his mind that he would -strike out for himself, and live on the prairie, with -his cattle and his herdsman, as a good many of the -early settlers had done before him.</p> - -<p class='c000'>But the fact that his cousin Ned was gradually -crowding him to the wall, and usurping the place -that George himself ought to have held in the -house, was not the only thing that troubled the -young rancheman. That was bad enough, but it -was accompanied by something worse. If he was -snubbed and kept in the background by his relatives -<span class='pageno' id='Page_11'>11</span>while at home, he was treated but little, if -any, better by the people, both young and old, who -lived in the settlement, and that was what hurt -him. He was acquainted with almost every farmer -and rancheman in the county, and, until lately, he -had always been very popular among them; but -when Uncle John and his son arrived his troubles -began. The neighbors would have nothing whatever -to do with the newcomers. They would not -even notice them when they met them on the highway, -and it was not long before they began to -extend the same treatment to George himself.</p> - -<p class='c000'>The young cattle-herder could not imagine what -it was that caused this change, until one day, while -he was riding to Palos, to purchase some supplies -for himself and his hired man, he met one of his -young friends, who, instead of stopping to talk -with him, as he usually did, simply bowed and put -spurs to his horse, as if he were in a hurry to pass -by him; but George reined his own nag across the -trail and stopped him.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Now, Hank Short,” said he, “I want to know -what you mean by such work as this? What’s the -reason that you and the other fellows never come to -see me any more, and that you take pains to pass -<span class='pageno' id='Page_12'>12</span>me in this fashion? Do you take me for a horse-thief?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>This, according to a Texas boy’s way of thinking, -was the worst term of reproach that could be -applied to anybody. In Nantucket, if they want to -convey the impression that a man is utterly detestable, -they say he is mean enough to “mix oil.” -In Massachusetts, he will “rob a hen-roost,” and -in Texas, he will “steal horses.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Everybody in the settlement seems to have -gone back on me since my father died,” said -George, bitterly, “and I don’t know what to think -of it. Now, Hank, you can’t go by here until you -tell me what I have done to make all the folks -angry at me. As soon as I know what it is, I will -try to make amends for it.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“You haven’t done anything,” was Hank’s -reply. “We don’t take <em>you</em> for a horse-thief!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Then why do you——Eh? You don’t take -<em>me</em> for a horse-thief! What do you mean by that?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Well, I—you know——” faltered Hank, “those -northern relations of yours sling on a good many -frills, and folks who wear store clothes and boiled -shirts are not wanted in this country. We’re afraid -of them.”</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_13'>13</span>“Whew!” whistled George.</p> - -<p class='c000'>He looked steadily at his friend for a moment, -then down at the ground, and finally he reined his -horse out of Hank’s path and went slowly on his -way toward Palos. It was all plain enough to him -now. Uncle John and Ned wore store clothes and -boiled shirts, and the settlers took them for horse-thieves -and treated them accordingly. That was the -English of it, and George wondered why he, knowing -the customs of the country and the habits and -opinions of the people as well as he did, had not -been smart enough to see it without asking any -questions. This was what he thought at first, and -then he suddenly grew so angry that he could -scarcely control himself. He drew up his horse -with a jerk, faced about in his saddle and called -after his friend.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Look here, Hank,” he shouted, shaking his fist -in the air, “you may tell those people who shun my -relatives because they would rather wear good clothes -than shabby ones, and who go back on me because I -live with them—you can tell those people that we -are just as good as they dare be any day and just as -honest!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“All right,” was Hank’s response.</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_14'>14</span>“And bear another thing in mind,” cried George, -growing angrier every minute, “and that is, I am -boy enough to make you, or any fellow like you, -who says anything against them take back his words. -I am going to stand by them, no matter what happens.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I haven’t said anything against them,” answered -Hank. “I think too much of you to do that. I’ll -talk to you the next time I see you. Perhaps you -will be better natured then.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>This reply completely disarmed George, who -promptly turned about, intending to ride up to his -friend and take back every harsh word he had -uttered; but Hank touched his horse with his spurs -as soon as he ceased speaking, and was now almost -out of earshot. So George was compelled to face -about again and go on his way toward Palos, without -making things straight with his friend.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Hank is a good fellow, that’s a fact,” said he to -himself, “and I might have known that he wouldn’t -say a word that he thought would offend me. But -here’s one thing I can’t understand,” continued -George, growing angry again. “If the settlers don’t -want anything to do with Uncle John and Ned, is -that any reason why they should give me the cold -<span class='pageno' id='Page_15'>15</span>shoulder? If they don’t want to come to our -rancho, they might at least treat me civilly when -they meet me away from home. This is the strangest -world I ever saw or heard of. If I should walk -into Foxboro’, where Uncle John came from, with -these clothes on, folks would look at me suspiciously, -lock their back doors and keep an eye on their -smoke-houses. He and Ned came into the country, -dressed as I suppose all city folks dress, and every -body is down on them, and ready to take them for -anything in the world but an honest man and boy.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Yes, it is a fact that Uncle John and Ned had -been received by the settlers in about as cordial and -friendly a manner as a couple of ragged, ill-looking -tramps would be received if they suddenly made -their appearance in the streets of some retired village -in New England. It was just the sort of -reception that these rough frontiersmen always -extend to people of that stamp. This may seem -like a strange statement, but it is nevertheless true. -If you want to be certain of it read the following -paragraphs, which have been condensed from a -recently published book<a id='r1' /><a href='#f1' class='c014'><sup>[1]</sup></a> written by two men who -have spent long years in the wilds of which we -write.</p> - -<div class='footnote' id='f1'> -<p class='c000'><span class='label'><a href='#r1'>1</a>. </span>Two Thousand Miles in Texas on Horseback; by McDanield -and Taylor.</p> -</div> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_16'>16</span>“The men who follow this business of stock raising -are peculiar. They are a stalwart, sinewy race, -bronzed and bearded, and always go armed to the -teeth; but they wear their weapons just as other -people wear coats and vests, mainly because it is -fashionable. A more peaceably-disposed people I -never saw; and they seem to vie with one another -in hospitality to the stranger. They are nearly all -young or middle-aged men. To subdue the wilderness -and stand guard over the watch-towers of civilization, -do not belong to the old; and yet I see a -few strong old men here whose heads are as white -as if a hundred winters had sprinkled their snows -upon them—old men youthful in everything except -years. They are a sharp, quick and intelligent -people, and there are some who are evidently of -superior education. These are doubtless stray young -gentlemen whom a restless spirit of adventure decoyed -from their homes in the old states, finally -stranding them on the shores of this far-away -country. They are appreciated here, for these -rough frontiersmen dearly love to have educated and -sensible young men settle among them. But let -<span class='pageno' id='Page_17'>17</span>no pin-feather youth think that he can come here -and be made a lion of at once. A pretentious, -foppish young fellow would be heavily discounted -by them, in spite of all his book learning and elegance -of manner. He must have a good store of -common sense and understand how to adapt himself -to the situation. He must throw on no airs, for -these frontiersmen are nearly all men of as much -sharpness of wit as boldness of heart. They have -seen a good deal of the world and quickly detect -the spurious. The newcomer must show a heart -for honest, manly work, be companionable, bear -himself toward all respectfully and courteously, and -he will soon find that he has a noble army of friends -around him who will always be glad to advance him, -and who will feel proud of him as one of themselves.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I have often thought of my first appearance -among those frontier people with considerable amusement. -When a boy, almost beardless and just from -the schools, I came on horseback to San Saba, wearing -a nice silk hat, carrying a silver-headed cane, -and dressed as young gentlemen generally dress in -the best communities of the older states. The old -frontiersmen looked upon me with almost intolerable -<span class='pageno' id='Page_18'>18</span>scorn, and there was some serious talk of hanging -me as a suspected horse-thief, for no other reason in -the world than because I was well-dressed, well-educated -and decidedly well-behaved, though rather -a reserved young fellow.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“One old chap, rough and bearded, and to my -eye quite a monster in appearance, actually talked -of this within my hearing. The look of scorn he -cast upon me was sublime. I was quick to perceive -the drift of things; and as the Indians were then -stealing and scalping at a great rate, I threw aside -my nice clothes, and silver-headed cane, put on a -rough suit and went Indian hunting with the frontiersmen, -sleeping with them in their houses, in the -woods and on the prairie. They soon grew fond of -me, and I have never been in a country where I had -so many warm friends; but they never ceased to -joke me about my three-story hat and silver-headed -cane. Had I not thrown aside these articles it is -not at all impossible that I might have been hanged.”</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<p class='c000'>This was the kind of people among whom Uncle -John and Ned lived now.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_19'>19</span> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER II.<br /> <span class='large'>A NEIGHBORHOOD ROW.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_4 c013'>What was true of the people who lived in San -Saba, during the days when the incident we -have just recorded happened, was equally true of -the people who lived in Palos and the surrounding -country, at the time of which we write. They were -nearly all rich—there was hardly a man among -them who could tell how many horses and cattle -bore his brand,—but every man and boy of them -kept busy at something, and strangers who came to -that country, and sported their fine clothes and did -nothing, were always objects of suspicion. All the -settlers knew that Uncle John and Ned were the -brother and nephew of one of the most popular men -who had ever lived in the county, but that did not -alter the facts of the case. If the newcomers -expected to be kindly received and hospitably -treated, they must come down from the high position -they had assumed and act like other folks.</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_20'>20</span>George mourned in secret over this disagreeable -state of affairs, but he knew that it could not be -remedied in any way, unless his relatives could be -prevailed upon to conform to the customs of the -people among whom they lived. When he returned -from Palos, after his interview with Hank Short, he -waited and watched for an opportunity to give them -a little advice, and one morning, at the breakfast-table, -the chance was presented.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I have always heard that Texans were a -friendly and hospitable set of people,” said Uncle -John, as he pushed his chair away from the table; -“but I have learned that they are just the reverse. -I have been among them a good many months, and -there hasn’t been a person here to see me—not -one.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“They’re a set of boors,” observed Ned. “You -and I want nothing to do with them, father. We -must live entirely within ourselves, while we stay -here, and we’re able to do it.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“But they won’t let you,” said George.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“They! Who?” demanded Ned.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“The settlers about here.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“How are they going to help themselves, I’d -like to know? Isn’t this a free country?”</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_21'>21</span>“Yes, it’s a free country,” answered George, -with a smile, “almost <em>too</em> free, you would think, -if you had seen what I have. If you are going -to live among these people, you must be one of -them.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Ned ran his eye over his cousin’s sturdy figure -taking in at a glance his copper-colored face, large, -rough hands and coarse clothing, and then he -looked down at himself.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“How must I do it?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“You must pull off that finery, the first thing -you do,” was George’s blunt reply. “Throw it -away. It is of no use to you in this country.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I found that out long ago,” sneered Ned. -“These people look upon a red shirt as a badge -of respectability.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“And so it is, in one sense of the word,” -returned George. “When you are dressed for -work, you are ready for it; and when people see -you at work, they know that you have an honest -way of making a living. People who do nothing -are of no more use here in Texas, than they are in -Ohio.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“That’s just what I have been trying to drum -into his head ever since we have been here,” said -<span class='pageno' id='Page_22'>22</span>Uncle John, who had not been known to do a -stroke of work of any kind during the long months -he had lived in the rancho. “Go on and tell -him what to do, George.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“It must be something that will bring me -money,” chimed in Ned. “I shan’t work for -nothing.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“There are plenty of things that will bring you -money,” replied George. “You can rent a piece -of ground, fence it in and go to farming; or you -can be a cattle or pig-raiser.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Pig-raiser!” exclaimed Ned, in great disgust.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“There’s money in it, I tell you. These post-oak -belts that run across the state, afford the -finest pasturage in the world—hundreds of bushels -of acorns to the acre,—and all you would have to -do would be to build you a little hut in some place -that suited you, and call up your pigs twice a day -and feed them a little corn, to keep them from -straying away and going wild. If you want to -make money without work,” added George, who -knew very well that that was just what his cousin -<em>did</em> want, “you can’t select a better business.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I’m not going to live among pigs!” declared -Ned, emphatically. “That’s settled. If I had a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_23'>23</span>herd of cattle like yours, I might take some interest -in it.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“You can get it, if you are willing to work for -it, as I did.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“That would take too long. If I go into any -business, it must be something that will yield me -immediate returns. I think the easiest thing I -could do would be to put in fifty or a hundred -acres of wheat. That is a crop that will require -the least work.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Well, there is land enough at your disposal,” -said George. “There are ten thousand acres in -this ranche. But where are you going to get the -money to fence your field?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I don’t see why I should fence it at all. Our -own cattle (Ned and his father always spoke of the -ranche, and everything belonging to it, as though -it were their own property) will not trouble it, for I -shall tell the herders to keep them at a distance.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“But they couldn’t always do it. Besides, suppose -some of the neighbors’ cattle should stray away -from the herdsmen and trespass on your field: what -would you do?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I should tell those neighbors, whoever they -were, to keep their cattle at home; and if they -<span class='pageno' id='Page_24'>24</span>didn’t do it, I should watch my field and shoot the -first steer that came into it. That thing has been -done in this country.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Yes, it has,” returned George, “and what was -the consequence?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“O, it created a neighborhood row, I believe,” -answered Ned, indifferently.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“It certainly did; and you would never want to -live through another if you had lived through that -one. You will need a fence around your field, and it -must be high and strong, too; and if anybody’s cattle -break in, as they will, most likely, no matter how -good your fence may be, you mustn’t take satisfaction -by shooting them.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“You’ll see whether I will or not. If I can raise -a fuss as easily as that, I’ll do it. The people here -seem to think that I’m a nobody, but they will find -that they are very badly mistaken. I can draw a -trigger as well as the next man.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I hope you won’t draw it on anybody’s cattle,” -said George, earnestly. “If you do, you’ll set the -whole settlement together by the ears. I’ve seen -one ‘neighborhood row,’ as you call it, and I never -want to see another. I can remember, for it was -not so very long ago, when my father did not dare -<span class='pageno' id='Page_25'>25</span>go to the door after dark for fear that there might -be somebody lying in wait to shoot him. I can -remember when I used to lie awake night after -night with my head under the bed clothes, starting -at every sound, and expecting every minute to hear -the crackling of flames, and to rush out to find the -house surrounded by armed men, who would shoot -us down as fast as we came out. That very thing -was threatened more than once. You don’t know -anything about it, for you were not here at the -time; but I do, and I—Whew!” exclaimed George, -pushing his chair away from the table and drawing -his hand across his forehead, at the same time shuddering -all over as he recalled to mind some of the -thrilling scenes through which he had passed during -those days and nights of horror. “If you are going -to bring those times back to us you had better make -arrangements to leave here at once, for the country -will be too hot to hold you.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>There had indeed been troublous days in Miller -county a few months previous to the beginning of -our story. In the first place the county was settled -by men who devoted themselves exclusively to raising -cattle and horses for market. Some of them -purchased land, but the majority did not own an -<span class='pageno' id='Page_26'>26</span>acre. They lived in the saddle, slept in the open -air the year round and subsisted principally upon -the game that fell to their rifles. They followed their -herds wherever they went, and the raising of them -never cost their owners a dollar, for the prairie -afforded abundant pasturage and was free to any one -who might choose to occupy it. In process of time -other settlers came in, some turning their attention -to stock raising, while the others purchased farms -from the government, surrounded them with fences -to keep their neighbors’ cattle from trespassing on -them, and put in crops.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Unfortunately ill-feeling existed between these -two classes of men, the farmers and the ranchemen, -almost from the very first. The latter did not want -the farmers there for the reason that every farm that -was fenced in took away just so many acres of their -pasture; and the farmers declared that the ranchemen -were a nuisance and ought to be driven out of -the country, because their cattle broke through the -fences and destroyed the crops that had cost so much -labor.</p> - -<p class='c000'>These feelings of hostility grew stronger as the -farmers increased in numbers, and the ranchemen -saw their limits growing smaller every year, and the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_27'>27</span>rich pastures they had so long occupied being turned -up by the plough. The fences that were hastily -erected by the farmers were not strong enough to -keep out the half-wild cattle which roamed the -unoccupied territory, and when one of these immense -herds gained access to a cultivated field -they made sad work with it. Whenever this happened -the farmers sued the owners of the cattle in -the courts for damages; and as they were by this -time largely in the majority and could control the -juries, they always gained their cause.</p> - -<p class='c000'>This made the stockmen very angry, and they -had recourse to a law of their own—that of force. -They drove off cattle belonging to the farmers, sold -them and divided the proceeds among themselves. -The farmers took revenge by shooting the cattle -that broke into their fields; the ranchemen retaliated -by shooting the farmers; and this led to a reign of -terror of which our readers may have some very -faint conception if they chanced to live in Chicago, -Pittsburgh, Buffalo or Baltimore during the riots -that took place in July 1877.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Things very soon came to such a pass that no man -went abroad, even in the day time, unless he was -loaded with weapons, and even then he expected to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_28'>28</span>be bushwhacked by some angry neighbor. Every -house was converted into a little fortress, and people -were very careful how they ventured out of doors -after dark, or showed themselves in front of a window -opening into a lighted room.</p> - -<p class='c000'>This state of affairs might have continued until -the present day, or until the thinly-settled county -was entirely depopulated, had it not been for the -interference of some lawless men who lived just over -the border. One dark night, a party of Mexicans, -headed by renegade Americans, made a raid across -the Rio Grande and drove off a thousand head of -cattle and horses. The robbers were so delighted -with their success that they came again and again, -and the settlers, being divided against themselves, -could do nothing to protect their property. This -brought them to their senses, as nothing else could -have done. Advances and concessions were made -on both sides; old differences were forgotten; the -farmers repaired their dilapidated fences; the stock-raisers -employed extra herdsmen to keep their cattle -within bounds; and a company of Rangers was -promptly organized, composed of the very men who -had been bushwhacking one another for months.</p> - -<p class='c000'>The Mexican raiders did not come again immediately, -for their spies told them of the preparations -<span class='pageno' id='Page_29'>29</span>that had been made to receive them; and when at -last all fears of another visit from them had passed -away, the company which the settlers had called -together for mutual protection ceased to exist as an -organization. But it had served more than one -good purpose. It had not only compelled the -raiders to remain on their own side of the river, but -it had brought the stockmen and farmers into intimate -relations with one another, and led to the -determination on the part of all of them that the -cause of their troubles should be carefully avoided -in the future.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Since that time Miller county had been one of -the quietest and most orderly portions of the state. -Peace and plenty reigned, and the farmers and -stockmen were the firmest of friends. But now it -appeared that a vindictive boy, who was too lazy to -win a name for himself in any honorable way, was -willing and even eager to put an end to this happy -state of affairs just because he wanted the settlers to -notice him—to see that he was not a nobody. The -shooting of a single steer that had broken into a -farmer’s field would have been like throwing a blazing -fire-brand upon a dry prairie while the wind -was blowing a gale. George was frightened at the -bare thought of such a thing.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_30'>30</span> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER III.<br /> <span class='large'>NED’S EXPERIENCE IN CAMP.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_4 c013'>It was plain enough to George that Ned wanted -to take satisfaction out of the settlers for their -refusal to notice him and make much of him, as he -seemed to think they ought to have done. He said -all he could to induce him to give up the idea, but -Ned was stubborn, and George finally abandoned the -attempt in despair, hoping that when the trouble -came, as it certainly would come if Ned held to his -resolution, he could in some way protect him from -the consequences of his folly.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I can at least guide him out of the country, for -it will not be safe for him to stay here,” thought -George. “Uncle John will go, too, if he is wise; -but I shall have to remain and shoulder the whole -of it.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>The conversation recorded in the preceding chapter -was but one of the many Ned had with his -father and cousin on the subject of farming, and the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_31'>31</span>result was that the following winter saw him the -owner, for the time being, of fifty acres of rich bottom -land, which had been fenced and planted to -wheat. By the terms of the contract made with -his father in George’s hearing, Ned was to pay the -same rent for the ground that he would have had to -pay had he leased it from an entire stranger. “You -know the ranche doesn’t belong to me,” said Uncle -John. “I am managing it for George’s benefit, and -must make all the money I can for him. You ought -to clear a nice little sum by your venture, and can -afford to pay the usual rent.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“O, I’ll pay it after my crop is sold; that is, if I -feel like it,” said Ned to himself. “George has -money enough already. A boy who owns six thousand -dollars’ worth of stock ought to be willing to -allow his only cousin the free use of fifty acres of -land. I shall have need of every red cent I make.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Ned, who was extravagantly fond of company and -pleasure, could hardly endure the lonely life he was -compelled to lead. He hoped that as soon as it -became known throughout the settlement that he -had made up his mind to go to work, he would be in -a fair way to gain the favor of the people; and perhaps -he would, if he had gone about it in the right -<span class='pageno' id='Page_32'>32</span>way. He laid aside the objectionable broadcloth -suit and white shirt, it is true, and put on what -he called “working clothes;” but they were more -gorgeous than any that had ever been seen in that -part of Texas before outside of an illustrated story -paper. His boots were expensive Wellingtons, and -were made of patent leather, too. He wore gray -corduroy trowsers, a fawnskin vest, a finely-dressed -buckskin coat, with silver buttons, and a Mexican -sombrero ornamented with gold cord and tassels. -It was a “nobby” suit, to quote from its delighted -owner, and must have astonished the natives, if one -might judge by the way they stared at him when -they met him on the trail; but it did not bring him -any more company than he had always had.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Ned led a lonely and discontented life all that -winter. There were no boys with whom he could -associate except his cousin, and Ned had come to -the conclusion that he would much rather be alone -than in George’s company. The latter did not suit -him at all. He was much too industrious. He -was in camp with his herdsman more than half -the time, and when he was at home he was always -busy. Ned had expected to see unbounded pleasure -in living on the prairie and sleeping in the open air, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_33'>33</span>as his cousin did more than six months in the year, -and once he had spent two weeks with him in camp; -but that was his first and last experience in cattle-herding, -and as it was not at all to his liking, we -must stop long enough to say something about it. -This is a story of camp life, you know.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Ned had not been away from the ranche more -than three days before he found, to his great surprise -and disappointment, that life in the open air -was not what his lively imagination had pictured it. -Many a boy has been deceived on this point, just as -others have been deceived in looking upon the life -of a sailor as one of ease and romance. Ned -thought that those who lived in camp had nothing -to do but sit on the grass, under the spreading -branches of some friendly tree, and dream away -the days which would be all sunshine; and that -when they grew hungry, some fat black-tail or antelope -would walk up within easy range of their rifles -just on purpose to be shot. The nights would be -mild and pleasant, the fire would somehow keep -itself burning all the time, whether the necessary -fuel was supplied or not, and cook his meals for him -without any care or exertion on his part. But one -short week’s experience banished all these absurd -<span class='pageno' id='Page_34'>34</span>ideas, and taught him what a cattle-herder’s camp-life -really was. It was one of almost constant -drudgery and toil. George had three hundred -cattle to watch, and as he had only one herdsman -to assist him, he was kept busy from morning until -night. He and Zeke (that was the name of his -herdsman, of whom we shall have a good deal to say -by and by), were up and doing long before the sun -arose, and while one cooked the breakfast and performed -the necessary camp-duties, the other drove -the cattle out to pasture and watched them to see -that they didn’t stray away.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Ned, being inexperienced, and an invited guest -beside, was not expected to do anything except to -eat his share of the rations, and enjoy himself as -well as he could. Sometimes he went out with the -cattle-herder, and then he stayed with the camp-keeper; -but he soon grew tired of both of them and -of their way of life, too. George knew but little -about the city and cared less. He took no interest -whatever in his cousin’s glowing descriptions of the -numerous “scrapes” he had been in, and neither did -Zeke, who bluntly told him that he might have been -in better business. Ned, on the other hand, cared -nothing for the things in which George and Zeke -<span class='pageno' id='Page_35'>35</span>were interested, so there was little they could talk -about.</p> - -<p class='c000'>But there was plenty of hunting, and in this -way Ned passed a portion of each day. He had -no luck, however, for he never saw anything in the -shape of game larger than Jack rabbits, and he -never bagged one of them. The only thing he -brought back to camp with him from these hunting -excursions was a ravenous appetite, and he had to -satisfy it with fried bacon, hard corn-cakes and -coffee without any milk. The juicy venison steaks -and other luxuries he had expected to fatten on -were never served up to him. It rained, too, sometimes, -and Ned could find no shelter under the -dripping trees. There was no fun at all in going to -bed in wet clothes, and Ned always shuddered and -wished himself safe at the rancho when his cousin -said to him, as he did almost every night—</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Don’t forget your lasso. The rattlers are tolerable -plenty about here.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Ned knew that, for he had seen two or three of -them killed in the camp. George had told him that -the neighborhood of a fire was a bad place for rattlesnakes, -and Ned could hardly bring himself to -believe that his hair lasso, laid down in a coil about -<span class='pageno' id='Page_36'>36</span>the place where he made his bed, was a sure protection -against these dangerous visitors.</p> - -<p class='c000'>A few days before he went home, Ned had an -experience such as he had never had before, and -which he fervently hoped would never be repeated. -On this particular day he went out with George, -whose turn it was to watch the cattle. He soon -grew tired of talking to him, so he mounted his -horse and set out in search of antelopes, which, so -his cousin told him, were often seen in that neighborhood. -He rode slowly in a circle around the -place where the cattle were feeding, at distances -varying from a half to three-quarters of a mile from -them (there was small chance of finding an antelope -so close to the herd, but Ned dared not go any -farther away for fear of the Apaches, concerning -whom he had heard some dreadful stories told by -Zeke the night before), and he had been gone about -an hour when he was suddenly startled by hearing -the faint report of a rifle. Turning his eyes quickly -in the direction from which the report sounded, he -saw his cousin sitting in his saddle, and waving his -hat frantically in the air. When he found that the -sound of his rifle had attracted Ned’s attention, he -beckoned him to approach.</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_37'>37</span>“What’s up, I wonder?” thought Ned, not a -little alarmed. “George must have shot at something, -for I saw the smoke curling above his head. -Are the Mexicans or Apaches about to make a raid -on us?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Ned, who had drawn rein on the summit of a -high swell, looked all around but could see no signs -of any horsemen. He did see something to increase -his alarm, however. He saw that the cattle, which -were quietly grazing the last time he looked toward -them, were now all in motion, and that they were -hurrying toward the belt of post-oaks in which the -camp was located. That was enough for Ned. He -put his horse into a gallop and hastened to join his -cousin, who now and then beckoned to him with -both hands as if urging him to ride faster.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“What’s the matter?” shouted Ned, as soon as -he arrived within speaking distance of George. -“Raiders?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“O no! We’re going to have a norther, and if -there should happen to be rain with it we don’t want -it to catch us out here on the prairie.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Is that all?” exclaimed Ned, somewhat impatiently. -“That’s a pretty excuse for frightening a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_38'>38</span>fellow half to death, isn’t it? I thought something -was going to happen.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Something is going to happen!” replied -George.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“You seem to have grown very much afraid of -the rain lately,” continued Ned. “It was only a -day or two ago that you stood out in a hard shower, -and never seemed to care for it.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Yes; but if we have rain now, it will be a different -sort, as you will find.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I don’t see any signs of it yet,” said Ned, looking -up at the sky. “I hope it will cool the air a -little,” he added, a moment later, pulling off his hat -and drawing his handkerchief across his face, which -was very much flushed, “for I am almost roasted. -I declare, I must have ridden fast. Just see how -my horse sweats!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Mine sweats just as badly,” replied George, -“and he has been staked out ever since you have -been gone.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Ned looked at his cousin’s horse, then glanced at -his own, and was very much surprised at what he -saw. Both animals were wet with perspiration, and -stood with their heads down and their sides heaving, -as if they had been ridden long and rapidly. There -<span class='pageno' id='Page_39'>39</span>was not a breath of air stirring, as Ned found, when -he came to look about him. The atmosphere was -close and oppressive, and filled with a thick haze, -which seemed to magnify every object within the -range of his vision, and overhead, the sun rode in a -cloudless sky, sending down his beams with fearful -intensity.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Whew!” panted Ned. He dropped his reins, -hung his rifle upon the horn of his saddle, peeled -off his coat, vest and neck-tie, and threw open the -collar of his shirt. “<em>Whew!</em>” he gasped. “We -shall be overcome with the heat before we can reach -the timber. I had no idea it was so hot! I don’t -see how you can stand it, with those thick clothes -on.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I am pretty warm now, that’s a fact; but I -shall be cool enough by and by, and so will you!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>While the boys were talking in this way, they -were riding toward the post-oaks, which were now -about a mile and a half distant. The sun’s rays -seemed to grow hotter with every step of the way, -and the atmosphere to become more stifling, until at -last Ned would gladly have welcomed a hurricane -or an earthquake, if it would have brought him any -relief from his sufferings. Finally, a small, dark-colored -<span class='pageno' id='Page_40'>40</span>cloud appeared in the horizon, rising into -view with wonderful rapidity, spreading itself over -the sky and shooting out great, black arms before -it, until it looked like a gigantic spider. Then the -first breath of the on-coming norther began to ruffle -the grass, whereupon George faced about in his -saddle, and began unfastening a bundle, in which -he carried his rubber poncho and heavy overcoat, -while Ned pulled off his hat again and turned his -shirt-collar farther back.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Aha!” exclaimed the latter, with a great sigh -of relief. “Isn’t that a delightful breeze? What -are you going to do?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I am going to bundle up,” was George’s reply, -“and if you will take my advice, you will do the -same. You see——”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“O, let it rain!” exclaimed Ned, without waiting -to hear what else his cousin had to say. “It -will be most refreshing, after such a roasting as we -have had!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>George said no more, for he had been snubbed -every time he tried to give his city relative any -advice, and he had long ago resolved that he would -not willingly give him a chance to snub him again. -We ought also to say that there was another reason -<span class='pageno' id='Page_41'>41</span>why George kept silent. A Texan takes -unbounded delight in seeing a greenhorn caught -out in a norther. It is so very different from any -storm he ever saw before, and his astonishment is -so overwhelming! George opened his bundle, put -on his overcoat, threw his poncho over that and -drew on a pair of heavy gloves. He looked as if he -were preparing to face a snow-storm.</p> - -<p class='c000'>All this while the norther had been steadily, but -almost imperceptibly, increasing in force, and now, -without any further warning, it burst forth in all -its fury, and the roar of the wind sounded like the -rumble of an approaching express train.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Whew!” exclaimed Ned, suddenly; “how it -blows and how fearfully cold it is!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>As he said this he drew his collar together and -hastily put on his vest and coat; but when he tried -to button the coat his fingers were so benumbed that -he was almost helpless.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Why, I’m freezing,” gasped Ned, as his cousin -rode up beside him and offered his assistance.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“O, no!” answered George, cheerfully. “No -one was ever known to freeze to death or even to -take cold from exposure to a norther. You’ll be all -right as soon as you get to a fire.”</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_42'>42</span>“I never saw such a country,” said Ned, as plainly -as his chattering teeth would permit. “Summer -and winter all in one day.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Yes, in less than a quarter of an hour,” said -George, who was busy untying the bundle Ned -carried behind his saddle. “The thermometer has -been known to fall sixty degrees almost instantly.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>George took his cousin’s overcoat and gloves out -of the bundle, but after they were put on they did -not seem to afford the wearer the least protection -from the bitter blast which came stronger and -stronger every moment, and chilled him to the very -marrow. It could not have been colder if it had -come off the icebergs within the Arctic circle. It -seemed to blister the skin wherever it touched, and -was so cutting and keen that the boys could not -keep their faces toward it. Even the horses began -to grow restive under it, and it was all their riders -could do to control them.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“O, I shall never see home again!” cried Ned, -who was terribly alarmed. “I shall freeze to death -right here. I <em>can’t</em> stand it!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“You can and you must,” shouted George, as he -seized his cousin’s horse by the bridle. “Now, pull -your hat down over your face, throw yourself forward -<span class='pageno' id='Page_43'>43</span>in the saddle, and hang on for life. I’ll take -care of you.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>An instant afterward Ned was being carried over -the prairie with all the speed his horse could be -induced to put forth. He did not know which way -he was going, for he dared not look up to see. He -sat with his hat over his face, his head bowed over -to his horse’s neck, and his hands twisted in the -animal’s mane, while George sat up, braving it all -and leading him to a place of refuge.</p> - -<p class='c000'>It seemed to Ned that they were a very long time -in reaching the timber, and that he should certainly -freeze to death before that mile and a half of prairie -could be crossed; but he didn’t, and neither did he -afterward feel any bad effects from what he suffered -during his cold ride. He found that Zeke, having -been warned by signs he could easily read that the -norther was coming, had moved the camp to a more -sheltered locality, and that he had a roaring fire -going and a pot of hot coffee on the coals. Ned -drank a good share of that hot coffee, and forgot to -grumble over it, as he usually did. George showed -him the way home as soon as the storm abated, and -there Ned resolved to stay, having fully made up his -mind that there was no fun to be seen in camp-life.</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_44'>44</span>Ned was more lonely and discontented than ever -after that. It was harder work to pass the days in -doing nothing than it was to stand behind a counter, -selling dry-goods; and that was what he had done -before he came to Texas. There was literally no -way in which he could enjoy himself. Books, -which were his cousin’s delight, Ned did not care -for; there was not game enough in the country to -pay for the trouble of hunting for it; the boys in -the settlement were a lot of boors, who would not -notice him, because he was so far above them; and -all Ned could do was to spend the day in loitering -about the house, with his hands in his pockets.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“If I only had some of the jolly fellows here -that I used to run with in Foxboro’!” said Ned to -himself, one day, after he had spent an hour or two -in wandering from room to room, in the vain hope -of finding something to interest him. “Wouldn’t -we turn this old house upside down! They all promised -to come and see me, but I know they won’t -do it, for they’ll never be able to save money -enough to pay their fare. If I ever see them, I -shall have to send them the money to bring them -here, and I——Well, now, why couldn’t I do -that? It’s a splendid idea!”</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_45'>45</span>Ned, all life and animation now, hurried to his -room to act upon his splendid idea, while it was yet -fresh in his mind. He wrote a long letter to one -of the cronies, Gus Robbins by name, whom he had -left behind in Foxboro’, giving a glowing description -of his new home, recounting, at great length, a -thrilling hunting adventure he had heard from the -lips of George’s herdsman, and of which he made -himself the hero, instead of Zeke, and wound up by -urging Gus and his brother to come on and pay him -a long visit.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“You must not refuse,” Ned wrote. “If money -is what you need, let me know, and I will send you -enough to foot all your bills. I am rich now, and -can afford to do it. Your father ought to be willing -to give you a short vacation, after you have -worked so hard in the store.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>The letter was mailed in due time, and Ned impatiently -counted the days that must elapse before -an answer could arrive. It came at last, and Ned -almost danced with delight when he read it. We -copy one paragraph in it, just to show what kind of -a boy he was whom Ned had invited to his house. -We shall meet him very shortly, and be in his company -a good deal, and one always likes to know -<span class='pageno' id='Page_46'>46</span>something about a fellow before he is introduced to -him. The paragraph referred to ran as follows:—</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<p class='c000'>“You must be having jolly times down there, -and since I read your letter I have been more than -ever dissatisfied with the store. I should be only -too glad to visit you, and the want of money is the -only thing that stands in my way. It is all that -has kept me in Foxboro’ so long. In regard to the -governor’s giving me a holiday—I shall not ask -him for it, for he would be sure to say ‘No;’ and -neither can I write you anything definite about my -brother. He is getting to be a regular old sober-sides, -and if I am going down there, I would rather -he would stay at home.”</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<p class='c000'>The rest of the letter was taken up by the writer -in trying to make Ned understand that Gus had -fully resolved to visit Texas, and that he should be -very much disappointed, if anything happened to -keep him at home. He did not say this in so many -words, but Ned was smart enough to see that he -meant it all the same.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“He shall come,” said Ned, as he folded up the -letter and hurried off to find his father. “And I -hope he will come alone, for if his brother is getting -<span class='pageno' id='Page_47'>47</span>to be a milk-sop, we don’t want him down here. -Now, the next thing is to make father hand over -the money.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>This was a task Ned had been dreading ever -since he wrote the invitation; but he went about it -with an air which said plainly enough that he knew -he should succeed. Uncle John objected rather -feebly, at first, and said he wasn’t sure that he had -any right to spend George’s money in that way; -but Ned had an answer to every objection, and -stuck to his point until he gained it.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“You mustn’t forget that I may own this property -myself some day,” said he. “If George does -not live until he is of age, everything falls to me. -If that should ever happen, you would think me -awful stingy if I should refuse you a paltry hundred -dollars.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Ned certainly talked very glibly about spending -his cousin’s money. He had seen the time when, -if he chanced to have a hundred cents in his pocket, -over and above what his debts amounted to, he considered -himself lucky. It was not a paltry sum in -his eyes, by any means.</p> - -<p class='c000'>After a little more argument, Ned got a check for -the money he wanted, made payable to the order of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_48'>48</span>Gus Robbins. After that he wrote a letter to his -friend urging him to come on immediately, put the -check into it and mailed it at the first opportunity. -Then he was in a fever of excitement and suspense, -and wondered if it would be possible for him to live -until his friend arrived. He judged that Gus -intended to leave home without his father’s knowledge -or consent, but Ned did not care for that. -Perhaps he would do the same thing himself under -like circumstances. True, he often asked himself -how Gus could ever muster up courage enough to go -home again after doing a thing of that kind, but he -always let the question pass with the reflection that -it was none of his business. It was a matter that -Gus must settle for himself. He waited impatiently -for his friend’s coming, little dreaming that his -appearance at the rancho would be the signal for the -beginning of a series of scrapes and adventures that -would put the whole settlement into a turmoil.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_49'>49</span> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER IV.<br /> <span class='large'>A DISCONTENTED BOY.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_4 c013'>“I do think that if there is a mean business in the -world, I am engaged in it.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Gus Robbins suspended for a moment the work -of folding up the numerous bolts of calico he had -taken down from the shelves for the inspection of a -customer who had just departed without purchasing -anything, and leaning on the counter, gazed longingly -through the glass door into the street. It was -a bright winter day. The sleighing was excellent, -and the principal thoroughfare of the thriving little -city of Foxboro’ was filled with sleighs which dashed -by in both directions, carrying loads of gay pleasure-seekers, -all of whom, Gus noticed with no little -bitterness of heart, seemed to be enjoying themselves -to the fullest extent. It was just before the -holidays, and everybody seemed to be making -unusual preparations for them. The store was filled -with customers almost all the time, and Gus had -<span class='pageno' id='Page_50'>50</span>stood in his place behind the counter, and taken -down and put up bales of goods until he was almost -tired out, and completely disgusted with the store -and everything belonging to it. Just now there -was a little lull in business, and Gus had a few -minutes to himself. He improved them, as he generally -improved his moments of leisure, by growling -over his hard lot in life, and drawing a contrast -between his own situation and that of some of the -other boys of his acquaintance in the city.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“There are no such things as peace and pleasure -for the unfortunate fellow who makes his bread and -butter by clerking in a dry-goods store,” continued -Gus, spitefully banging a bolt of calico down upon -the counter. “Everybody is happy except me. -Other boys are out behind their fast horses having -a good time, and here I am shut up in this miserable -old store, and have been ever since seven o’clock -this morning. This thing is getting to be a little -too monotonous, the first thing you know, and I am -not going to put up with it much longer. If I -had money, I wouldn’t stay in this city twenty-four -hours longer. Great Cæsar!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Gus brought his soliloquy to a sudden close, and -the bolt of calico he had picked up to place upon -<span class='pageno' id='Page_51'>51</span>the shelf dropped from his hands. While he was -talking to himself he kept his gaze directed toward -the street, and saw a red-faced man pass one of the -windows and turn toward the door. As he laid his -hand upon the knob, somebody in the street accosted -him, and the red-faced man turned about and -entered into conversation with him. Gus looked at -him for a moment, and then ran his eyes hastily -around the store as if he were looking for some way -of escape.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“He’ll be in here in a second more,” said he, to -himself, “and how shall I put him off? I’ve told -him so many lies that I shall have to get a fresh -stock on hand before I can tell him any more.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>The expression that rested on the boy’s face during -the next half-minute, seemed to indicate that he -was revolving a very perplexing problem in his -mind. Suddenly he brightened up and with another -glance at the door, passed rapidly around the counter, -and crossed over to the other side of the store, -where another clerk was at work folding up some -goods.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I say, Sam,” exclaimed Gus, in a hurried whisper; -“will you add another to the long list of favors -you have done me?”</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_52'>52</span>“Well, I don’t know,” replied Sam, hesitatingly. -“Depends upon what it is. If you want to borrow -any more——”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I don’t,” interrupted Gus. “But Meyers is -coming after what I owe him, and there he is now. -Tell him that I have gone out and shan’t be back -for a week. If you will do that much for me I will -repay you——”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Gus did not have time to say how or when he -would repay Sam, for at this moment the red-faced -man turned half around and placed his hand on the -door-knob. Gus quickly ducked his head and stole -along behind the counter toward the back part of -the store, until he came to a door opening into the -warehouse.</p> - -<p class='c000'>He straightened up when he reached this place -of refuge, and just as he did so the opening -and closing of the front door told him that Mr. -Meyers, the Jew who kept the little cigar and -tobacco stand around the corner, had entered on one -of his regular weekly dunning visits.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Much good may it do him,” thought Gus, keeping -the door open about half an inch so that he -could see all that passed in the store. “He is a -regular leech, and if I could only settle up with -<span class='pageno' id='Page_53'>53</span>him I’d pay him for his persistency by buying my -cigars and fine cut somewhere else.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>The visitor held a long interview with Sam—so -long that Gus began to be very impatient, and at -last to tremble for fear that his father, who was busy -with the books in the office, might come out and -find him there. Gus could not hear what they said, -but he could see, by Mr. Meyers’s emphatic gestures, -that he was very much in earnest about something. -As soon as the man left the store, Gus drew a long -breath of relief and came out of his hiding-place. -The smile on his face showed that he was very much -pleased with the success of his little stratagem.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“O, there’s nothing to grin over, old fellow,” said -Sam. “If you know when you are well off you -will rake fifteen dollars together pretty lively, I tell -you.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Fifteen dollars!” replied Gus. “I don’t owe -him any such sum as that.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“He’s got a bill made out for it, anyhow.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“What did you say to him?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I told him that you had gone out somewhere on -business, and that you would call and pay him to-morrow -afternoon.”</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_54'>54</span>“To-morrow afternoon!” echoed Gus. “Great -Cæsar! How am I going to raise fifteen dollars -between this time and that?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I give it up,” replied Sam.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“To-morrow afternoon!” gasped Gus, as visions -of a stormy interview with the impatient and angry -cigar vendor flitted through his mind.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Yes; I tried to put him off, but he wouldn’t be -put off, so I had to tell him something definite.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“You had no business to tell him that, at any -rate,” snapped Gus. “You know I couldn’t keep -that promise.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Well, the next time you want any lies told you -can just stay in the store and tell them yourself,” -retorted Sam. “I shall not do it any more, and -you needn’t waste your time and breath in asking -me. I have stood between you and your creditors -just as long as I am going to; but I’ll tell you one -thing: You had better settle with that Jew, or he -will go to your father with his bill. Then won’t -you be in a fix?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Whew!” exclaimed Gus, who was not a little -alarmed.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“But remember that my claim is to be settled -<span class='pageno' id='Page_55'>55</span>first,” continued Sam. “You have owed me money -longer than you have owed him, and I want you to -begin to pony up. I am tired of waiting.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“You will have plenty of time to get rested again -before you get the money, and so will that Jew,” -thought Gus, as he turned and walked back to his -own counter. “Is it any wonder that I want to -get away from here?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>No, it was no wonder that Gus was always in -trouble, but he had no one to thank for it but himself. -He had a comfortable home, a kind father and -mother, and there was more than one boy in the city -who would have been glad to change places with -him. The great trouble with Gus was, that he -would not work if he could help it, and he had no -idea of the value of money.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Mr. Robbins, who had once been a poor boy, and -who had earned every dollar he possessed by his -own unaided efforts, thought that every youth ought -to learn how to take care of himself; so as soon as -Gus and Bob (that was the name of Gus’s younger -brother) had completed the course at the High -School, they were placed in the store, given the free -use of the money they earned and assured that they -<span class='pageno' id='Page_56'>56</span>would be promoted and their wages increased as fast -as their services would warrant. They each received -two hundred and fifty dollars a year, and that was -fifty dollars more than inexperienced clerks had ever -before been paid in that store; but Gus declared -that it was but little better than nothing at all. He -had some very grand ideas, and was frequently heard -to say that he did not intend to be a dry goods’ -clerk all his life.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I don’t want you to be,” said his father, who -one day happened to be standing near when Gus -made this declaration. “Clerks are necessary, but -if you have brains and energy enough to work your -way up higher, I shall be only be too glad to see -you do it. I hope you will some day be a prosperous -merchant; but you never can be unless you -know all about business. In order to learn it you -must begin at the beginning.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“And work for two hundred and fifty dollars,” -said Gus. “How is a fellow to get rich on that, I’d -like to know?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“By saving; that is the only way.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“But I have nothing to save. After I drew my -wages last month I bought a suit of clothes, and a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_57'>57</span>dollar—just one little dollar—was all I had to show -for twenty-six days’ work.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“And what did you do with that one little -dollar?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I—I believe I spent it.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Of course you did. If you had saved it you -would have been just a dollar ahead.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“And if I saved a dollar every month, I should -have just twelve dollars at the end of the year,” said -Gus. “That’s a magnificent sum.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“But you don’t need a suit of new clothes every -thirty days, and most of the time you could save -more than a dollar a month. The amount of your -savings is not so important as it is that you should -get in the way of saving something—no matter how -small the amount may be. If you begin by saving -four dollars every month, you will find it just as -easy after a while to save eight; for good habits, -like bad ones, grow stronger every day.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“But I can’t be satisfied to plod along in that -way,” said Gus, to himself. “If I could have two -or three hundred dollars all in a lump, so that I -could buy some things I need, pay all my debts and -have a good-sized nest-egg left, I might get up -<span class='pageno' id='Page_58'>58</span>ambition enough to go to saving; but this thing of -laying by pennies—Pshaw!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Mr. Robbins often talked to his boys in this way, -and he had finally succeeded in convincing Bob that -it was not best to despise the day of small things, -and that the surest road to prosperity was the one -his father had pointed out. Like his brother, Bob -had been in the habit of spending every cent he -made, and more, too, if he could get it; but of late -he had taken to saving, and now he had grown to be, -to quote from Gus, “the very quintessence of meanness.” -But he had money in the bank, and being -safely out of debt, he was not continually harassed -by duns as his brother was. More than that, he got -into the way of being very attentive to his work -(one good habit leads to another, you know), and -before he had been in the store a year he was given -entire charge of one branch of his father’s business, -and his wages were increased.</p> - -<p class='c000'>This left Gus at the very lowest round of the -ladder. He was obliged to open the store in the -morning, build the fires and sweep out, and he -looked upon this as very degrading work. He grew -more negligent and discontented every day, and -always made it a point, after the store was closed for -<span class='pageno' id='Page_59'>59</span>the night, to make up for the tiresome hours he had -spent behind the counter. He often wished for Ned -Ackerman. When the latter was in his father’s -employ he had a companion who was always ready -to join him in any thing; but Ned was in Texas, -Bob had gone back on him, and Gus was very -lonely.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Our discontented dry-goods clerk received a very -severe blow, and the little ambition he had was all -crushed out of him when his younger brother was -placed over him. It was a disgrace that he could -not put up with, and so he tried to run away from -it. There was a news-depôt for sale in the city, -and Gus could have purchased it on very advantageous -terms, if he had only had the money; but -he didn’t have it. Mr. Robbins, who knew more -about his son’s habits than Gus thought he did, -would not advance it, and so Gus was obliged to -stay in the store. Everything seemed to be working -against him, and Gus grew desperate. He -spent his money as fast as it was paid to him, and -when it gave out, he went as deeply in debt as he -could go. He had always been able to satisfy his -creditors by paying them a little every month; but -<span class='pageno' id='Page_60'>60</span>now they were getting impatient, and were all presenting -their bills at once.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Fifteen dollars!” repeated Gus, as he walked -toward his own counter. “To-morrow afternoon!” -he murmured, as he chucked one of the bolts of -calico spitefully upon the shelf. “Moses! won’t -there be a row, unless I can think up some plausible -story between this time and that! I must owe at -least fifty dollars—almost three months’ wages. I -wish I could leave here this very night, and never -set eyes on this town again! But how can I get -away without money? That’s the question.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Just then Gus heard something fall on the -counter, and looked up to see his brother Bob -walking through the store, with a bundle of letters -and papers in his hand. He had just returned -from the post-office, and had thrown a letter for his -brother on the counter, as he passed by.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Just look at young Dignity!” said Gus, as his -brother disappeared through the door that led into -the office. “One would think, by the airs he -throws on, that he owned the store! Who has -been writing to me, I wonder!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Gus allowed the letter to lie where it had fallen, -until he had cleared the counter, folded all the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_61'>61</span>goods and placed them on the shelves, where they -belonged. Then he picked it up and glanced at the -envelope, fully expecting to recognise the handwriting -of some of his creditors, who not unfrequently -wrote notes to him, to remind him that -there was a little balance due them, which they -would be happy to receive at the earliest possible -moment that he could make it convenient to hand -it to them. But this letter was not from a creditor. -It was from Ned Ackerman, the very boy who had -been in his thoughts a score of times that day. -Gus ran his eyes hastily over the last few lines -above the signature, and saw something in them -that excited and delighted him.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Hurrah!” said he to himself. “Plague take -it!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>These two exclamations, so different in meaning, -were called forth by very different emotions. He -had read enough of the letter to learn that his old -friend Ned was having a fine time down there in -Texas; that he was lonely in spite of it, and -wanted Gus and his brother to come on and pay -him a long visit; and that the want of money need -not prevent them from doing so, for Ned would -send them enough to pay their fare and all other -<span class='pageno' id='Page_62'>62</span>expenses. But before Gus could read any farther, -he was interrupted by the entrance of two or three -ladies, who came up to his counter. They proved -to be very exacting, too, and Gus handed down a -good many different kinds of cloth for their inspection. -He fumed inwardly and used some hard -words to himself, while he was doing it, and as -soon as the ladies had departed, he caught up his -letter and read it through.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Of course I’ll go,” said he, so delighted with the -idea that he hardly knew what he was about; “but -Bob shan’t! We don’t want him, and so I’ll say -nothing to him about this letter. I shan’t say anything -to father either, for he would be sure to tell -me to stay at home.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Gus had found a way out of his troubles at last. -He wrote a reply to Ned’s letter that very night, -and was as impatient to hear from him again as -Ned was to hear from Gus. He made no effort to -raise money to pay his debts, and indeed he did not -intend to pay them at all. He went to see all his -creditors, as soon as he could find time, just to keep -them from calling upon him at the store, and by -making them some very fair promises, he succeeded -in quieting them for a while. When that was done, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_63'>63</span>he breathed easier, and the only thing he had to -worry over and feel anxious about was the expected -letter from Ned, which he hoped would bring a -check for the money he needed, and contain instructions -as to the route he was to travel, in order to -reach Palos.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“And when I get there I’ll stay,” Gus often told -himself. “I shall never come back. I’ve had -enough of this miserable life. What will I do and -where shall I go after I have finished my visit? I -am sure I don’t know. That is a matter I will -decide when the time comes. I do hope Ned will -have no trouble in raising the money.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Gus was not disappointed in his hopes. Ned was -so anxious to have him there that he did not delay -writing, and in due time the looked-for letter arrived. -Gus could hardly control his exultation from -those around him. He wrote to his friend at once, -saying that he would start in a week, and that Ned -must make his own calculations as to the time his -visitor would reach Palos, as he (Gus) had not she -slightest idea how long it would take him to make -the journey, and Ned had forgotten to enlighten him -on this point.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Gus wanted to wait a week longer in order that -<span class='pageno' id='Page_64'>64</span>he might draw the twenty dollars and more that -would then be due him from the store. It was the -longest week he had ever lived through, and the -hardest too; but it came to an end at last, and pay-day -arrived. Gus drew his money when Bob did, -and as soon as he had put it into his pocket, he -slipped out the back door into an alley that ran -behind the store, and started for home. He made -his way to the room in which he and Bob slept, -opened his trunk with a key he took from his pocket, -deposited his money therein and took out the check -which he had kept locked up in the trunk ever since -it arrived.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“It is time to get this cashed now,” said he. “I -put it off until the last moment because I didn’t -want to give anybody a chance to talk about it. I -don’t know what the cashier will think when I -present it at the bank, and I don’t care either, if he -will only give me the money. I hope Sam will have -a good time getting what I owe him. He was waiting -at the office door to catch me when I came out, -and that was the reason I slipped into the alley.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Gus locked his trunk, put the key and check -carefully away in his pocket and hurriedly left the -house. Time was precious (he had less than half -<span class='pageno' id='Page_65'>65</span>an hour left in which to eat his dinner and return -to the store) and he made all the haste he could. -He was particularly anxious to get through with -his business at the bank, for he had been dreading -it all the week. What would the folks in there -think when he approached the cashier’s desk and -presented a check for a hundred dollars? He ran -up the steps while he was thinking about it, and -almost into the arms of the very person he most -wished to avoid just then—the one who had waited -to dun him when he came out of his father’s office. -Sam had drawn his month’s wages and came to the -bank to deposit them.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Hallo!” exclaimed Sam. “Where did you go -in such a hurry after you drew your money? I -didn’t see you come out of the office.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“But I did come out, you see; for if I had -stayed in, I couldn’t be here, could I?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Hold on,” said Sam, as Gus tried to push him -aside so that he could enter the door. “This is a -good time to settle up.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I will settle with you this afternoon, sure pop,” -returned Gus.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Why can’t you do it now? You have got your -money, for I saw you draw it.”</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_66'>66</span>“I know it, but I haven’t got it now. I’ll be on -hand this evening—sure.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“You said this afternoon,” answered Sam, looking -suspiciously at Gus.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Well, this afternoon, then.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>So saying, Gus crowded past Sam and went into -the bank. To his great relief there was no one in -front of the cashier’s desk; no one present to see -him receive his hundred dollars. With a beating -heart and trembling hand he produced his check, -and breathed a good deal easier when he saw that -the cashier did not exhibit any surprise at its -magnitude. He was in hopes that the man would -be in a hurry about cashing it, but instead of that -he was very deliberate in his movements. He looked -at the check on all sides and then he looked at -Gus.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Who is this John Ackerman?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“He used to be father’s book-keeper, you know,” -said Gus.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“O, yes! Do you want us to collect this for -you?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“No, sir; I want the money on it now.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“All right,” said the cashier, handing the check -over the counter. “Write your name across the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_67'>67</span>back of it, and then take it home and let your father -sign it.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“My father!” exclaimed Gus. “Not much. I -mean—what do you want his signature for?” he -added hastily, and in great confusion, for the cashier -looked at him as if he were somewhat surprised at -his earnestness.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“To make ourselves secure,” said the cashier, by -way of explanation. “You see, Gus, this check is -drawn by John Ackerman on the Planters’ Bank of -Austin, Texas. He may have funds there, but he -has none here, and neither have you; and it is our -rule in such cases to require an endorsement other -than that of the payee. You are the payee, you -know—the one to whom the check is made payable. -Your father will sign it.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Gus felt like giving vent to his astonishment and -rage in a series of the wildest kind of yells, and it -was all he could do to choke back his tears. As -soon as he had controlled himself so that he could -speak, he said:</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I don’t want to ask my father to endorse it. -This is my own private affair, and I don’t want you -to say anything about it.”</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_68'>68</span>“Of course not. We never talk about our business -matters.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“How long will it take to collect it?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Well, Austin is a long distance from here, and -it will take two or three weeks at least.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Great Cæsar!” was Gus’s mental exclamation. -“Can I stand it to stay in the store so much longer? -Very well,” he said aloud, “I shall have to ask you -to collect it for me, if that is the best I can do.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Gus turned about and walked out of the bank like -one in a dream. He had never in his life before -been so badly disappointed. The reflection that if -he remained in the store a month longer, and could -save all the money he earned in that time, he would -have twenty dollars more to be added to the sum he -already possessed, did not encourage him in the -least. He wanted his liberty more than he wanted -a month’s wages, and besides he was by no means -sure that he would be able to save what he earned. -If his creditors became weary of having their debts -paid by promises, and presented their bills to his -father, Gus knew that they would be promptly -settled, and that he could not draw a cent at the -end of the month. He turned these matters over in -his mind while he was eating his dinner, and the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_69'>69</span>longer he pondered upon them the more he felt like -yelling. There were no customers in the store when -he returned, but Sam was leaning over the counter -waiting for him.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_70'>70</span> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER V.<br /> <span class='large'>THE CLERK’S RUSE.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_4 c013'>“I was in hopes we should be kept so busy this -afternoon that Sam wouldn’t have a chance to -speak to me,” thought Gus, as he made his way to -the office and hung up his hat and overcoat, “but -it is just my luck. If I wanted a few minutes -rest the store would be so full of customers that you -couldn’t crowd a ramrod in among them.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Well?” said Sam, when the boy came out of -the office and took his place behind the counter.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Well,” answered Gus, “I can’t pay you this -month. I have had so many calls that my money -is all used up. Twenty dollars don’t go far, you -know.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Sam’s face grew black at once. “Didn’t I tell -you that my claim was to be settled first?” he demanded, -angrily.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Yes; but what am I to do when a man stops -me in the street and tells me that if I don’t pay up -<span class='pageno' id='Page_71'>71</span>then and there, he will see my father about it before -I am an hour older?” asked Gus.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Put him off with promises, as you do me. Who -stopped you on the street?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“That Jew.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Did you pay him?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I did—<em>not</em>.” The last word Gus said to himself.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Well, you still have five dollars left. Hand -that over and I will give you credit for it.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“But I haven’t got it. I paid that out, too.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Sam whistled softly to himself and drummed with -his fingers on the counter for a moment; then he -drew a sheet of white wrapping-paper toward him -and pulled a pencil from his pocket. The pencil -moved rapidly over the paper for a few seconds, and -after Sam had read what he had written, he crossed -over to Gus’s side of the store and laid before him -the following:—</p> - -<table class='table1' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='36%' /> -<col width='63%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c011'>“$12.00.</td> - <td class='c012'>Foxboro’, Jan. 29th 18—</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c011'><span class='sc'>Robbins & Co.</span></td> - <td class='c012'> </td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p class='c016'>Please pay Samuel Holmes Twelve Dollars out -of my next month’s wages, and charge the same to -my account.”</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_72'>72</span>“There, Gus,” said he, “sign that, and I shall -begin to believe that I stand a chance of getting the -money I lent you to help you out of a tight place.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Twelve dollars!” exclaimed Gus. “I borrowed -only ten.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“But I don’t lend money for nothing,” replied -Sam, “and besides I must have something to pay -me for waiting so long, and for the trouble I have -had in collecting it.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Gus took a minute to think about it, then seized -the pencil and wrote his name at the bottom of the -order. Sam thrust it into his pocket and putting -on his hat left the store.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I don’t run any risk by that,” said Gus to himself. -“Sam will not present the order before the -1st of March, and by that time, if things work as -I hope they will, I shall be a good many miles from -here. What miserable luck some fellows do have in -this world, anyhow. I thought I should have no -trouble in getting the money on that check to-day. -Where has Sam gone, I wonder?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>As Gus asked himself this question an expression -of alarm settled on his face. He ran quickly to -the door, and looking down the street saw that Sam -was just disappearing in the cigar store on the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_73'>73</span>corner. The boy’s heart began to beat a little -faster, for he knew now, as well as he did five minutes -later, what it was that took Sam to Mr. -Meyers’s place of business. He stood in the door -until Sam came out, and then he retreated behind -his counter and employed himself in straightening -up the goods on the shelves.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Gus,” said Sam, when he had hung his hat in -its accustomed place, “lie, number one thousand and -one, is nailed. Meyers says he hasn’t seen you -to-day.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Suppose he hasn’t!” snapped Gus, who had -been caught in so many falsehoods that he had -become used to it.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Why don’t you tell the truth once in a while?” -continued Sam; “say once a week, or even once a -month, if you can’t stand it any oftener. You will -get so, pretty soon, that nobody will believe a word -you say.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Why don’t you keep from sticking your nose -into matters that don’t concern you?” exclaimed -Gus, angrily.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“This matter does concern me. Now, I want to -know what has become of that money you drew -to-day.”</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_74'>74</span>“It is none of your business. Do you understand -that?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Yes, I understand it,” said Sam, so quietly that -Gus looked at him in surprise.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Then you may as well understand another thing, -while you are about it,” continued the latter, “and -that is, that from this time out you are to attend to -your own affairs and let me entirely alone. What I -do with my money is none of your business.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I generally do attend to my own affairs,” replied -Sam, “and I shall attend to yours in a way -you don’t think of. You haven’t started for Texas, -yet!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Gus jumped as if he had been shot. He could -hardly bring himself to believe that he had heard -aright. He had guarded his secret as closely as a -boy could. Having no intimate friend to assist him -in keeping it, he had not lisped a word of it to anybody; -but it had leaked out after all, and Sam -seemed to know all about it.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Tex——” said Gus, drawing a long breath and -leaning heavily on the counter, “as!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Yes! You have laid your plans to skip out -and leave us all in the lurch, but you shan’t do it! -I must have what you owe me first; and when you -<span class='pageno' id='Page_75'>75</span>get the money on that check, I will tell you how -much I want of it to pay me for the trouble of keeping -your secret. I know you didn’t get the money -to-day.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“How do you know that?” stammered Gus, -growing more and more astonished and bewildered.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“That’s my business!” was the satisfactory -reply.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Just then a customer came in and moved up to -Sam’s side of the store, and this gave Gus an opportunity -to collect his scattered wits, and think over -what Sam had just told him. How in the world -had the latter learned his secret? was a question -that Gus asked himself over and over again, but -without finding any satisfactory answer. It was too -deep a mystery for him to solve just then, for he -was so utterly confounded that he could not think -at all.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“You haven’t started for Texas yet,” and -“when you get the money on that check, I will tell -you how much I want of it to pay me for the trouble -of keeping your secret,” were the words that were -constantly passing through the boy’s mind, and he -could not drive them out long enough to decide -what he ought to do. If he had any means of finding -<span class='pageno' id='Page_76'>76</span>out just how much Sam knew, he might be able -to make up his mind to something.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“But I don’t see how I am to find that out,” -thought Gus, walking nervously up and down the -store, “for of course he won’t tell me, if I ask him. -The whole thing bangs me completely. I know I -haven’t said a word that would lead him or anybody -else to suspect anything; but he has got hold of it -somehow, and wants a part of my hundred dollars -to pay him for keeping his mouth shut. He shan’t -have it! No matter what happens, he shan’t have -it, for I don’t know how much I shall need to pay -my expenses.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Both the clerks were kept busy that afternoon, -Gus at his counter and Sam in unpacking and -arranging a new supply of goods that arrived about -one o’clock. Gus could not keep his mind on his -work, for he was continually thinking about this -last piece of bad luck, and wondering how he should -go to work to “pump” Sam, in order to find out -just how much the latter knew about his contemplated -movements. Once during the afternoon, -when the store was clear of customers, he had occasion -to pass through the warehouse, where Sam was -at work, breaking open the boxes in which the new -<span class='pageno' id='Page_77'>77</span>goods were packed. The latter was at work in his -shirt-sleeves, and his coat lay wrong side out upon -one of the boxes. As Gus passed by it, something -caught his eye. He noticed that there were several -letters sticking out of the inside pocket of the coat, -and that they were all enclosed in brown envelopes, -except one. That envelope was white, and there -was something about it that looked familiar. Gus -drew nearer to it, and was astonished almost beyond -measure to see that it bore his own name in Ned -Ackerman’s handwriting!</p> - -<p class='c000'>The whole mystery was made perfectly plain to -Gus at once. The letter in question was the last he -had received from his friend in Texas—the one in -which the check was sent. On the day it arrived, -Gus had kept it by him all the afternoon, devoting -every leisure moment to reading it, and, instead of -taking it home with him at night, as he meant to -have done, and as he thought he <em>had</em> done, he left -it on the long shelf behind his counter, and Sam -had found it there. He had been mean enough to -read it, too; and then, instead of putting it back -where he found it, he kept it, intending to use it to -extort money from Gus.</p> - -<p class='c000'>And right here, we may add something that the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_78'>78</span>reader ought to know, and that Gus never found -out. When Sam met Gus going into the bank, his -suspicions were aroused, and he stood in front of the -window and watched his movements. He thought -that Gus was going to deposit the wages he had just -received, instead of paying up his debts, as he ought -to have done; but when he saw him present the -check, mentioned in the letter he had stolen, Sam -knew that Gus was making arrangements to leave -the city very shortly. He saw that Gus did not -receive the money, and that he did not bring the -check out with him; so it must have been left in -the bank for collection.</p> - -<p class='c000'>The rest of the boy’s plans Sam guessed at. He -knew that Gus was very discontented; that he -thought he would rather follow any business in the -world than his own; that he imagined he would be -happier anywhere on earth than he was in Foxboro’; -that Mr. Robbins would never permit his -son to go to Texas on a visit, especially to meet -such a fellow as Ned Ackerman, whose influence -over his associates was always a bad one. Sam -knew all these things, and by putting them -together, he arrived at a conclusion which we -know to be the correct one.</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_79'>79</span>“That’s Sam’s game,” thought Gus, swelling -with indignation. “He intends to hold that letter -over me as a sort of whip to make me do just as he -says; but it’ll not succeed. He knows everything, -and I must mind what I am about. The first thing -I do will be to take what belongs to me.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Gus came a step nearer to the box, intending to -snatch the letter and walk off with it, leaving Sam -to help himself if he could; but after an instant’s -reflection he decided to adopt a different course. It -would not be wise, he thought, to bring on an open -rupture with Sam, for the latter might pay him back -by telling his employer about his son’s Texas scheme, -and that was something that must be kept from his -father’s ears at all hazards.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“That would never do,” said Gus, as these -thoughts passed through his mind. “I must wait -until he turns his back.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>This Sam was accommodating enough to do in a -very few minutes. As soon as he had taken an -armful of bales out of the box he had just opened, -he picked them up, carried them into the store and -laid them on the counter. He was gone scarcely -more than half a minute, but that was all the time -Gus needed to accomplish his object. He seized the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_80'>80</span>letter, thrust it into his own pocket and walked out -into the store, feeling as though a heavy load had -been removed from his shoulders. He fully expected -that Sam would make trouble for him very shortly, -and he prepared himself for it; but Sam did nothing -of the kind. When he discovered his loss he -probably thought that he had mislaid the letter or -that it had dropped out of his pocket. At any rate -he said nothing to Gus about it.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Gus wrote a long letter to Ned that night, telling -him of all the bad luck that had befallen him of -late, and describing his plans for the future, and -then he settled back into his old monotonous life -again. The store had never looked so dreary and -uninviting as it did now, and neither had his work -ever been so distasteful to him. Gus never could -have endured it, so he told himself more than once, -if he had not been sustained and encouraged by the -belief that it would end in a very few days, and that -when once he was away from home and could do as -he pleased, he would have fun enough to make up -for all the gloomy hours he had spent behind the -counter.</p> - -<p class='c000'>After the second week had passed Gus made it a -point to call at the bank every few days to see if his -<span class='pageno' id='Page_81'>81</span>check had been heard from, and when he came out -he always found that Sam, who went to his meals at -the same time Gus did, was loitering on the sidewalk -in front of the window.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Let him watch,” thought Gus, who grew angry -whenever he caught even the smallest glimpse of -Sam. “If I am not smart enough to outwit him I -ought to lose every cent of that money.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I wonder what’s the matter?” thought Sam, -when he saw Gus go into the bank and come out -again with the very long face he always wore when -he was disappointed. “They ought certainly to -have heard from that check by this time. Well, -there’s one thing about it: Gus can’t get the -money without my knowing it, because the only -time he can get into the bank is when he goes to his -dinner, and I shall always be on hand to watch him.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>One day, after Gus had grown very impatient, -and had begun to fear that his check had been lost -on the way, and that he would never hear from it -again, he happened to meet the cashier, who was -also going home to his dinner. “It is all right -at last, Gus,” said the latter, cheerfully.</p> - -<p class='c000'>The boy’s gloomy expression of countenance, -which he had worn for several days past, vanished -<span class='pageno' id='Page_82'>82</span>at once. “Has the money come?” he asked as soon -as he could speak.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“No; but we have heard from the check, and -will cash it for you whenever you please.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“And you won’t want my father’s signature?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“No. You fill out a draft—you’ll find blanks at -the bank—making it payable to ‘self’ and sign -your name to it, and I’ll give you the money. -That’s all there is of it.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>The cashier went on his way, and Gus looked up -and down the streets and on all sides of him to -make sure that Sam had not been a witness of the -interview. But the latter was nowhere in sight. -He had followed Gus at a distance, as he did every -day, to satisfy himself that he did not go to the -bank and draw the money, and then he turned -toward his own home. He was fooled for once, and -with this reflection to encourage him Gus walked -slowly toward his father’s house, and making his way -to his own room threw himself upon the bed. He -did not answer the dinner-bell when it rang, and -presently his mother, who had heard him enter -the house, came up to see what was the matter.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Why, Augustus, are you ill?” she asked, with -some anxiety.</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_83'>83</span>“No, ma’am; but I don’t want any dinner,” was -the reply.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Moral philosophy teaches us that we can speak -the truth and at the same time tell a lie, and Gus -certainly did on this occasion. He told nothing but -the truth when he said that he was not sick and -didn’t want any dinner; but the tone in which he -said it, and his manner, made his mother believe -that he was not well, and that was just what he -wanted her to believe. He didn’t want any tea or -toast either, he said. He only asked to be let alone -so that he could rest until it was time for him to go -down to the store again.</p> - -<p class='c000'>But Gus knew very well that he would not be -expected to go down to the store that afternoon, and -he wasn’t. His father came up to see him, as soon -as he had eaten his dinner, and told him to stay at -home until he felt better, and Gus did stay until -about half-past two o’clock. Then he got up and -went down to the bank. The draft he made out was -promptly cashed, and Gus, with the money in his -pocket, crept slowly homeward and went to bed -again.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“There,” said he, as soon as he had settled his -head on the pillow. “Where are you now, Mr. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_84'>84</span>Sam Holmes? I’ve got my money, and you are -none the wiser for it. I knew I could outwit you -when the time came.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>While Gus was waiting to hear from his check he -had ample leisure to perfect all his plans, and now -nothing remained to be done but to pack his valise -with the clothing he had already selected and laid -by itself, and go down to the depôt in time to catch -the westward-bound train which passed through -Foxboro’ at half-past eight in the evening. He was -somewhat nervous, for he knew that at the very last -moment a thousand things might happen to interfere -with his arrangements: but he did not think -of the step he was about to take with the least regret. -He knew when his father and brother came home at -supper time, and heard them when they went out to -return to the store. After that his mother brought -him up some delicacies that sick people are supposed -to relish; but Gus, although he was by this time -very hungry, said he didn’t care for anything, and -besides he showed so plainly that he didn’t want his -mother in his room, that she went down stairs and -left him to himself again.</p> - -<p class='c000'>There was no fear of interruption after that, and -Gus set about completing the preparations for his -<span class='pageno' id='Page_85'>85</span>flight. He quickly packed his valise, put his money -carefully away in his pocket, stopped long enough -to eat all the supper his mother had brought up to -him, then seized his valise and crept down stairs and -out of the house. He made his way toward the -depôt, avoiding the principal streets as much as he -could, and finally reached the railroad about a -quarter of a mile above the place where the trains -stopped. There was a freight-house opposite the -depôt, and toward this Gus now directed his course, -intending to wait there in the dark until the train -arrived. He could thus avoid the crowd which -always gathered about the platform at train time, -and by boarding the cars on the side opposite the -depôt, he could escape observation.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“That’s what I want to do,” said the runaway to -himself, as he took his stand in a dark doorway and -looked down the track to see if he could discover -any signs of the approaching train, “for of course -I wouldn’t be very smart if I were to let any of -these loafers see me. They would all want to know -where I was going, and then when my folks began -to make inquiries about me, they would say they -had seen me take the train for Chicago. I wouldn’t -<span class='pageno' id='Page_86'>86</span>like to have that known, for there are such things as -telegraphs and detectives in this country.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>If Gus had only known it, he was putting himself -to a great deal of unnecessary trouble. It -might have astonished him to know that even if his -father had been thoroughly posted in all his plans, -he would have made no effort to prevent Gus from -carrying them into execution. The boy found this -out in due time, and we shall tell about it in its -proper place.</p> - -<p class='c000'>A good many incidents that were really worthy -of note happened during Gus’s journey to Texas, -but we have so many things to write about that are -more interesting that we must pass them by without -further notice. We have set out to tell what Gus -did and how he enjoyed himself in Texas; and it -will be enough now to say that he made the journey -in safety; that Ned’s instructions were so plain and -complete that he had no difficulty in finding his -way; and that in due time the mail-coach deposited -him on the verandah of the principal hotel in -Palos.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_87'>87</span> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER VI.<br /> <span class='large'>A FRONTIER HOTEL.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_4 c013'>By the time Gus reached Palos he had lost a -good deal of the “style” for which he had -been noted in Foxboro’, and if some of the numerous -acquaintances he had left there could have seen -him when he stepped out of the stage and passed -through the crowd of cattle-herders, ranchemen and -idlers who had gathered on the verandah of the -hotel to see the coach come in, they would hardly -have taken him for Gus Robbins. If some of the -boys who think so much of themselves could get out -among entire strangers for a while they would very -soon see how small is the space they occupy in the -world, and how comparatively useless they are. -This was just what Gus had been finding out. He -had learned a good deal during his travels, and he -had already seen the time when he would have been -glad to face about and go back where he came from.</p> - -<p class='c000'>The people he met were different in every way -<span class='pageno' id='Page_88'>88</span>from those with whom he had been in the habit of -associating. The majority of them were rough in -person, dress and manners; and although they -treated him civilly, and were always ready to answer -his questions and give him all the information they -could concerning the journey before him, Gus was -afraid of them and felt like avoiding them as much -as he could. The nearer he approached to the -frontier the rougher the men became. A good many -of them wore red shirts without any coats, high -boots, carried revolvers in their belts and looked -more like brigands than peaceable, law-abiding -citizens. The crowd on the verandah were all -armed; and although they stepped politely out of -his way, Gus could not help shuddering as he passed -through their ranks. The man who met him at the -door and took his valise out of his hand, and who -proved to be the landlord, looked worse than any of -the rest. He wore no weapons, but the brace of -navy six-shooters that were hung up in the office -toward which he conducted his guest, showed that he -was ready for any emergency. He looked equal to -any emergency, too. He was a giant in size, very -muscular, and the voice that came up from his broad -chest was as loud as a steam-whistle.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i001.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p><span class='sc'>The arrival at Palos.</span></p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_89'>89</span>“Can I obtain a night’s lodging here?” asked -Gus.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I reckon ye kin, stranger,” roared the host. -“Yer a Yank!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“O, no I am not,” replied the boy, who knew -there had been a civil war not so very many years -ago, and that the Texans were mostly all rebels. -“I’m from Ohio.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Wal, what’s the odds?” demanded the host. -“All Northern men are Yanks, and they aint -ashamed of it, nuther. I’m one myself. I’m from -the Green Mountains.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“From Vermont?” cried Gus, who now began to -feel more at his ease.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“That’s the very identical spot.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“But you’re a Southerner now, I suppose?” said -Gus, who thought that was the politest way in which -he could ask the man if he was a rebel.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Do you mean that I’m a gray-back?” exclaimed -the host. “Not much. All the relations I ever -had fit under the old flag, and I couldn’t be the first -of the family to go agin it. I’m powerful glad to -see you, stranger. Put it thar.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>The man held out an immense bony hand as he -spoke, and Gus placed his own within it. A -<span class='pageno' id='Page_90'>90</span>moment later he was doubled up with pain. The -Green Mountain boy’s greeting was almost too -cordial.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Want lodgin’, do ye? An’ breakfast an’ supper, -too, I reckon, don’t ye?” said he. “Goin’ to -stay here long?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“No, sir. I want to find a way to reach Ackerman’s -rancho,” replied the boy, after he had pulled -his fingers apart and straightened them out.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“O, goin’ there, be ye? All right. I kin help -ye along. One of Ackerman’s herdsmen is stopping -with me now.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Is it far from here?” asked Gus.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“O, no; just a jump—a hundred and fifty miles -mebbe. Ye’ll see lively times thar, too, ‘kase the -raiders come in thar thicker’n huckleberries last -full moon. Want lodgin’, do ye? Take the third -bench to the left in the bar-room. O, Mose!” -shouted the landlord, so suddenly that Gus started -involuntarily.</p> - -<p class='c000'>In response to this call, which was uttered in a -tone so loud that it would have reached the ears of -the person for whom it was intended, if he had been -a quarter of a mile away, a young man, roughly -dressed and armed like his companions, left the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_91'>91</span>crowd on the verandah and came into the office. -The host glanced at the register, on which Gus had -placed his name, and introduced the newcomer to -his guest.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Mose,” said he, “this young feller is the chap -yer lookin’ fur—Gus Robbins. Look out ye don’t -lose him, fur he’s so green the cattle’ll eat him up -when ye get him out thar to the ranche.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Gus did not know who Mose was, but he shook -hands with him, and was surprised to hear him say, -in as good English as he could have used himself—</p> - -<p class='c000'>“We were all green when we first came out here. -I have been looking for you for three days,” he -added, as he led Gus toward a bench on one side of -the room. “Ned told me he was expecting you, -and described you so accurately that I was certain I -knew who you were the moment I set eyes on you. -I am one of Mr. Ackerman’s herdsmen, you know, -and have just driven down five hundred head of -stock that he sold the other day.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Gus had not talked with his new acquaintance -more than five minutes before he began to feel perfectly -at home in his company. Mose was a good -deal like the young men he had known in the -North. True, he was bronzed and weather-beaten, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_92'>92</span>and his clothing looked as though it had seen the -hardest of service; but the words he used showed -him to be an intelligent man, and he did not shout -as though he thought his listener was hard of hearing. -When there was a little pause in the conversation, -Gus began to seek information on some -points.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“What is the reason you men down here all go -armed?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“O, we don’t. The people who live here in -town never think of such a thing. The men out -there on the porch don’t belong here. They live -out on the plains, two or three hundred miles away; -and when you have been out there, and have fallen -in with a war-party of Apaches or a band of Mexican -raiders, you will know why it is that they go -armed. When they are at home, they wear their -weapons all the time, day and night, for they never -know when they are going to be pounced upon, and -their stock driven off; and they get so in the habit -of keeping themselves always in readiness for a -fight, that they do it even in the settlements.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“What do you suppose the landlord meant by -telling me that I would have lively times out there -on the ranche?”</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_93'>93</span>“O, the Indians and Mexicans have begun their -raids again. My employer lost about five hundred -head of cattle last full moon, and his herdsmen were -expecting another raid when I came away. The -country for fifty miles around Palos is crowded with -men who have been obliged to leave their ranches -in the western part of the state, and come nearer to -the settlements for the protection of their families -and property.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Gracious!” exclaimed Gus. “Am I so near -to hostile Indians?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“You are within a hundred miles of the place -where they bushwhacked a lot of herdsmen no -longer ago than last week!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Gus shuddered, and wondered how Mose could -talk about it without showing some signs of alarm.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Do they ever come near Mr. Ackerman’s -rancho?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“O, yes; that is, the Mexicans do. There’s -hardly a stone in the wall that hasn’t been hit by -bullets. They rode by there a few nights ago, but -they didn’t get the stock they expected to find -there, for it was all out of their reach. You see, -they cross the river at some lonely spot, late in the -afternoon, and approach as near to the settlements -<span class='pageno' id='Page_94'>94</span>as they can without being discovered. Then, as -soon as it grows dark, they dash over the ranches, -pick up all the stock they can find, shoot anybody, -man, woman or child, who happens to fall in their -way, and depart as quickly as they came. They -lose no time in getting back into their own country, -for the herdsmen always start in pursuit as soon as -they can get together, and if they overtake the -raiders, they are sure to whip them and get the -most of their cattle back. The Greasers are better -on the run than they are on the fight.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Mose talked to Gus in this way for an hour or -two, and during that time the boy learned a good -deal concerning the people, the country, the raiders, -both Indians and Mexicans, and the life he was -likely to lead as long as he remained at Mr. Ackerman’s -rancho. He learned also, to his great surprise, -that his father’s old book-keeper and clerk -were not looked upon by the natives of the country -with any degree of respect; but this was a matter -upon which Mose had very little to say, and Gus -did not find out why it was that Uncle John and -his son were so unpopular.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Before Gus had learned all he wanted to know, -the landlord came up to pilot him in to supper. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_95'>95</span>The tables were loaded with frontier delicacies, and -although there were no table-cloths or napkins, and -the guests sat on long benches, instead of chairs, -and used their fingers and formidable-looking -bowies, instead of the knives and forks that had -been provided for them, everything was as neat as -it could be, and Gus made a hearty meal. Soon -after they arose from the table, Mose went out to -attend to some business for his employer, first telling -Gus that he had better go to bed at an early -hour, for they would be miles on their way toward -the rancho by the time the sun arose the next -morning. The boy was only too glad to follow this -advice, for he was almost tired out. He made his -way to the office and found the landlord there.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Where did you say my room was?” he inquired.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Room!” roared the landlord. “The bar-room. -Best room in the house, ‘kase it’s the biggest. A -good many folk sleep thar, though.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Couldn’t you give me a room to myself?” asked -Gus. “I can pay for it.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Can’t possibly crowd ye into ary bed-room in -this rancho to-night,” was the reply. “They’re all -full cl’ar up to the ceiling. Every square inch of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_96'>96</span>my tables is occupied, an’ some of the boarders are -glad to hang up on the hooks in the office. The -bench is the best I kin do for ye, an’ ye’ll find a -good bed thar. It’ll make ye that sleepy to look at -it that ye’ll want to tumble right into it. Come on -an’ I’ll show it to ye!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Gus followed his host into the bar-room, which -was crowded with men and filled so full of tobacco -smoke that it was a wonder how the landlord ever -found his way through it. But he did. He had no -trouble in finding the bed Gus was to occupy that -night, and when he showed it to him the boy told -himself that it was the worst he had ever seen. It -was made of a buffalo robe and two blankets. The -robe was spread over the bench and one of the -blankets was rolled up into a bundle to serve as a -pillow, while the other lay on the foot of the bed -and was to be used as a covering. There were a -score of beds in the room just like it, and some of -them were already occupied by weary frontiersmen, -who were snoring lustily in spite of the almost -deafening racket made by the wakeful guests who -were gathered in front of the bar. Gus glanced -about the dingy apartment, thought of his cheerful -little room at home and sighed deeply.</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_97'>97</span>“Father certainly knew what he was talking -about when he said that if boys would spend as -much time in thinking about the comforts and -pleasures they have, as they do in worrying over -those they <em>don’t</em> have, they would be a great deal -more contented than they generally are,” thought -Gus, as he placed his hat and boots on the bench, -and lay down without taking off any of his clothes. -“If I had been asked to sleep on a bed like this at -home wouldn’t I have raised a row about it? But -now I’ve got to take it or go without; and if I -should find any fault with it, that big landlord -would throw me out of doors neck and heels. I -wonder if Ned and his father live in this way? -There are hostile Indians and Mexican cattle-thieves -where they are, too.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Gus slept soundly that night in spite of his -unpleasant surroundings, but it seemed to him that -he had scarcely closed his eyes when he was -awakened by a hand laid on his shoulder. He -started up and saw Mose standing over him with a -lighted lantern in his hand and a heavy rifle on his -back. “Time to catch up now,” said the latter.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Gus slowly raised himself to a sitting posture, -stretched his aching legs and arms, and looked out -<span class='pageno' id='Page_98'>98</span>at the windows. Not a ray of light came in -through them. It was as dark as pitch, and there -were Indians and Mexicans somewhere out doors, -too. If he could have had his own way he would -have gone back to his hard bed rather than venture -out of the hotel with only a single companion to -protect him.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Come on,” said Mose. “Everything is ready. -I have borrowed a horse for you—a good one, too.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Mose seemed to be in a hurry, and so the boy -began to bestir himself. When he had put on his -hat and boots he followed the herdsman to the office, -where he settled his bill and received his valise, and -thence to the verandah, beside which stood two -small, shaggy ponies, saddled and bridled. Mose -made the boy’s valise fast behind one of the saddles, -and after assisting him to mount, sprang into the -saddle himself and led the way toward the prairie.</p> - -<p class='c000'>The journey thus began occupied the best part of -five days. Mose himself could have accomplished -it in half the time, but Gus had never been in the -saddle a half a dozen times before in his life, and -the first day used him up completely. If there was -anything interesting to be seen during the first part -of the ride he never noticed it, and neither could he -<span class='pageno' id='Page_99'>99</span>recall a single one of the many stories of adventure -with which the obliging and kind-hearted Mose -tried to beguile the long hours of their journey.</p> - -<p class='c000'>On the third day the boy began to get “hardened -to it” in some degree, as Mose said, and about that -time an incident happened that drove all thoughts -of fatigue out of his mind, and made him doubly -anxious to reach the shelter of Uncle John’s rancho -at the earliest possible moment. By this time our -two travellers were fairly in the wilderness. They -had left all signs of civilization behind them, and -had ridden far without seeing a living thing; consequently -the sight of a horseman who came galloping -toward them, and who, with a companion, was -watching a small herd of cattle that were feeding -beside the trail, was a most welcome one. The -horseman came down to intercept them and learn -the news. Mose told him everything of interest he -had heard during his stay in Palos, and the man in -return told him that the Apaches and Mexicans -were making things warm for settlers on the border. -There had recently been four raids through his -county, he said, during which some of his relatives -had been killed and wounded, and he had lost more -than half his stock. In order to save the lives of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_100'>100</span>the rest of his family, and provide for the safety -of his remaining cattle, he had tumbled a few necessary -things into a wagon, abandoned his comfortable -home and was striking for the settlements. The -man talked about his misfortunes in much the same -way that he would have talked of a profitable bargain -he had just made, and Mose listened to the -story without making any remark. They were used -to such things and took them as a matter of course; -but Gus was not used to them, and he was frightened -indeed. His hair seemed to rise up on end while -he listened. He had never before talked face to -face with men who had witnessed such thrilling -scenes and taken part in them, and it was no wonder -that he wanted to turn around and go back.</p> - -<p class='c000'>The man rode off after he had finished his story, -and while Gus was thinking about it he and Mose -met the wagon of which their visitor had spoken. -It was drawn by a span of scraggy mules, and was -loaded with women, children, cooking utensils and -bedding. The occupants were ragged and dirty, -and the driver carried his left arm in a sling and -wore a bandage about his head.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“It was a close call for me,” said he, in response -to some question that Mose addressed to him. “I -<span class='pageno' id='Page_101'>101</span>got a bullet through my shoulder and a rap over the -head with a hatchet. You want to watch out, you -two do. The reds are most too thick about here to -make travelling pleasant. We saw the trail of a -small party only yesterday morning.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>This information and warning took away every -atom of the boy’s courage, and when he and his -companion had ridden beyond earshot of the people -in the wagon, he said suddenly: “Don’t let’s go -any farther, Mose.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>The herdsman ceased the merry whistling which -he kept up all the time when he was not talking, -and looked at Gus in great surprise.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Let’s go back to Palos,” continued the latter. -“We’ll be safe there, and I am afraid to go any -farther.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Mose laughed long and heartily. “Why, I’d -rather be out here among the Indians than in the -settlements,” said he. “I wouldn’t live in Palos -for anything. There isn’t elbow-room enough there -for me. I want to be where I can stretch my arms -when I feel like it without hitting something. You -needn’t worry,” he added, glancing at the boy’s pale -face. “You’ll be just as safe in Mr. Ackerman’s -rancho as you would be in Palos.”</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_102'>102</span>“But perhaps the Indians will catch us before we -get there.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“No they won’t. We’ve just as much right to -keep out of their way as they have to hunt us up. -But they never waste any time in hunting up -settlers. All they care for is the stock; and they -gobble it up and get out of the country with it -as quickly as they can. Of course, if a fellow gets -in their way he stands a chance of being popped -over.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Do you all go in the house when the raiders -come?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Bless you, no. Some of us herdsmen are fifty -or a hundred miles away, and we couldn’t get back -there if we tried. Besides, it would be poor management -to bring our different herds all together so -that the raiders could swoop down and stampede -them. You see we know about what time to expect -these raids. They are generally made about the -time of the full moon, and if a herder is alert and -watchful he will have his stock out of the way.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“What will he do with it?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“He will drive it farther back in the country -than the Greasers care to come. Perhaps we had -better turn off the trail a little way. It runs through -<span class='pageno' id='Page_103'>103</span>an open country here, and if there are any reds -about, we want to keep out of their sight.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Again Gus wondered how in the world Mose -could talk about these things in this careless, indifferent -way. He seemed to care no more for Indians -and Mexicans than his pony did for the grass he -trampled under his feet. While Gus was trembling -all over with excitement and apprehension Mose was -as cool as a cucumber, and whistled and talked as -cheerfully as he had done ever since leaving Palos. -He slept just as soundly at night, too, relying on -his pony, which was always picketed near the camp, -to give him notice of the approach of danger.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“You must know,” he said to Gus, one night, -“that horses and dogs are a good deal like the people -among whom they live, and seem to share in -their likes and dislikes. An Indian’s dog or pony -has no more affection for a white man than his master -has; while a white man’s dog or pony will raise -an awful row, if a redskin shows his ugly face over -a hill, anywhere within smelling or seeing distance -of him.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>But Gus did not place so much confidence in the -mustang as his owner did, and he could not sleep. -He lay awake almost every night, starting at the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_104'>104</span>least unusual sound, and was always greatly relieved -when morning came. It was so gloomy and lonely -on the prairie after dark, and the wolves howled so -mournfully! Gus was growing heartily tired of -this sort of life, and although his companion assured -him that they were making good time now, and -rapidly nearing their journey’s end, he was continually -urging him to go faster. How his heart -bounded, when Mose one day said, in reply to this -request:</p> - -<p class='c000'>“There is no need of it. We are almost there. -When we reach the top of the next swell, you can -see the rancho.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Just then a horseman made his appearance on the -summit of the swell of which Mose had spoken, and -after gazing steadily at them for a moment, came -forward at a rapid gallop. There was no need that -Gus should ask who he was, for he knew as soon as -he saw him that it was Ned Ackerman. He galloped -on ahead to meet him, and if one might judge -by the way the two boys greeted each other, they -were very glad to meet again. They had a multitude -of questions to ask and answer, and Mose, seeing -that they were too fully occupied with their own -<span class='pageno' id='Page_105'>105</span>affairs to pay any attention to him, rode on and left -them alone.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I declare, Ned, you’re a nobby-looking fellow!” -exclaimed Gus, running his eye over his friend’s -neat suit of “working clothes,” and glancing from -the stylish, high-stepping horse he rode to his own -shaggy, ill-conditioned mustang, “and you ride as -though you had lived in the saddle all your life. I -see you have a rifle, too! Is that the one you -killed the grizzly bears with? There goes Mose -over the swell, out of sight; hadn’t we better ride -on? By the way, what has become of the Indians? -You must have had fearful times here since you -wrote!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“There are no Indians at all about here,” was -Ned’s reassuring reply. “They have bothered the -settlers in the next county above a good deal, but -we have seen nothing of them. It’s the Mexicans -who troubled us.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Did you have a fight with them?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I should say so!” exclaimed Ned. “I’ve got -so now that I don’t care——”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Ned suddenly paused and looked at Gus. He -had been on the point of declaring that he did not -care any more for a fight with raiders than he did -<span class='pageno' id='Page_106'>106</span>for a game of snow-ball; but after a little reflection -he decided that he wouldn’t say it. It would do -very well to put into a letter, if he were going to -write to Gus, but since the latter was there on the -ground, and in a situation to learn all he wanted to -know by making inquiries of others, Ned thought -he had better, for once in his life, tell the truth.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“You have got so you don’t care for what?” -asked Gus, when his friend paused.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I don’t care to see them any more,” replied -Ned. “We had a fearful time on the night they -jumped down on us. They didn’t find any stock -about the rancho to drive off, and so they shot into -the house and tried to cut the doors down with -axes.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Gracious!” exclaimed Gus. “Were you in -the house at the time?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“No, I wasn’t, and that’s just what frightened -me. They treed me in a shed, and I don’t know -what they would have done to me, if they had discovered -me. But I’ll tell you about that by-and-by. -It is my turn to ask questions now. Did you -let your father know that you were coming down -here?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“No, I didn’t. I didn’t <em>let</em> anybody know it, but -<span class='pageno' id='Page_107'>107</span>Sam Holmes found it out, as I told you in my last -letter, and would have made me a great deal of -trouble, if I hadn’t been too sharp for him. Where -can I get a rig like yours, Ned? Is it the -fashion?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I bought it in Palos. It is <em>my</em> fashion. I -won’t dress as my cousin and all the other fellows -about here do. They are a lot of boors!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“All except your cousin, of course.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“No, I don’t except even him. He goes looking -like a day-laborer, and he’s rich, too. He has six -thousand dollars that he made himself. More than -that, when he becomes of age, he will step into a -property worth forty thousand a year, and father -and I will have to step out of it, and I’ll have to go -behind a counter again.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Who gets the property if anything happens to -your cousin?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I do.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Where is he now?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I don’t know, and neither does Zeke, his herdsman. -He went away to his camp a few hours before -the Greasers came through here, and we begin to -fear that he was carried off by them, although we -never heard of their taking a prisoner.”</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_108'>108</span>“Well, if I were in your boots I should hope that -he would never come back again.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Ned looked down at the horn of his saddle, and -made no reply in words; but his manner seemed to -say, at least Gus so interpreted it, that if George -had been so unfortunate as to fall into the hands of -the Mexicans, and they should decide to keep him a -life-long prisoner, Ned would waste no sorrow -over it.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_109'>109</span> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER VII.<br /> <span class='large'>ZEKE’S LETTER.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_4 c013'>All the incidents described in the preceding -chapters happened before the beginning of -our story; but it was necessary that we should -devote some time to them in order that the reader -might be able to follow us understandingly. We -have only one thing more to tell about, and then the -thread of our story will run smoothly. Let us go -back to George Ackerman, whom we left sitting on -the porch in front of the rancho, mending his bridle -and talking earnestly to himself.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Uncle John and Ned act as though they don’t -want me here,” repeated George, “and I have the -best notion in the world to pack up my few things -and clear out. The house doesn’t seem like home -to me now. I am a great deal happier when I am -in camp with Zeke than I am anywhere else. I have -put up with a good deal, but I shan’t surrender my -herd of cattle just to please that lazy Ned. If he -wants to make a beginning in stock-raising, let him -<span class='pageno' id='Page_110'>110</span>go to work, as I did. I had nobody to smooth the -way for me.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>George was expecting a visit from his cousin, who -had promised that he would come to him on this particular -morning for an answer to a proposition he -had made him a short time before. That proposition -was, that George should accept him as a full partner -in his business.</p> - -<p class='c000'>During the winter that had just passed, Ned had -learned, to his entire satisfaction, that it is hard -work to do nothing. He could not tell how he had -managed to live through the long, dreary weeks, and -he had made up his mind that he would never pass -another winter in that way. He considered himself -a full-fledged farmer now, for he had fifty acres of -wheat planted; but wheat was a crop that required -no care except for sowing and harvesting, and all -the rest of the year he had to himself to spend as -he pleased. After thinking the matter over he -decided to go into partnership with his cousin. -That would be the easiest thing he could do. As -he knew nothing about taking care of cattle, of -course George would not expect him to act as herder. -He could stay in camp, when he felt like it, come -home when he pleased, and George and Zeke would -<span class='pageno' id='Page_111'>111</span>do all the work, and Ned would share in the profits. -It was a very nice plan, no doubt, but George did -not seem to be very enthusiastic over it; so Ned did -not press him for an answer when he made the proposition, -but informed him that he would ask for it -before George left for his camp on the plains. The -latter was getting ready to start now, and looking -for Ned at the same time. He came just as George -finished his soliloquy.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Well,” said he, “have you considered my proposition?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I have, and it can’t be done,” was George’s -reply. “Two persons are all that are needed to -take care of so small a herd as mine.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Couldn’t you discharge Zeke and take me in -his place?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“And do all the work myself?” exclaimed George -“No sir; I couldn’t.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“You would rather keep him than please your -cousin, I suppose,” snapped Ned, who was always -angry when he could not have his own way.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I am willing to do anything reasonable,” -replied George, “but I can’t do two men’s work for -the sake of pleasing you. Why don’t you make -a start for yourself, as I did?”</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_112'>112</span>“It would take too long; and besides I don’t -know anything about cattle.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Yes, it will take years; but you will be learning -the business all the while, and by the time you have -a herd of your own you will know how to take care -of it. I tell you there’s something back of this,” -said George, to himself, as Ned jumped up and -walked into the house, shaking his head and muttering -to himself. “His offer to go into partnership -with me is only a blind. He has another object in -view, and I wish I knew what it is.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“There’s only one thing about this business, and -you can bet high on that, my fine lad,” thought -Ned, as he disappeared in the house. “You shan’t -treat me with contempt if everybody else does. I’ll -show you who is boss here.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>George was certain that he had not heard the -last of the matter, and in this he was not mistaken. -When Ned had been gone about five minutes Uncle -John came out, and before he had said a dozen -words George knew just what he had to expect.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I have concluded to reduce expenses about -eighty dollars a month by discharging two herdsmen,” -said Uncle John.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“All right, sir,” replied George cheerfully, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_113'>113</span>“eighty dollars are worth saving; but do you think -that those who are left will be able to do the work?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“O, yes. Of course I intend that the places of -those I discharge shall be supplied by others.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Then I don’t see how you are going to save anything. -Besides, what’s the use of sending away -good men and hiring others whom you don’t know -anything about?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I don’t intend to hire any others. I want you -and Zeke to take their places.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Oh! I thought that was what you were trying -to get at,” said George, to himself. “Ned means -to rule or ruin, but he shall do neither. Zeke and I -can’t take their places,” he said, aloud. “We have -all we can do now.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I will tell you how I intend to arrange matters,” -said Uncle John, and George thought he looked and -acted as though he did not much like the business -he had set out to perform. “I am going to bring -your herd in and distribute it among the others. -You two can take care of more than three hundred -cattle.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“But I don’t want my herd broken up. I earned -it without help; it belongs to me individually, and -I am going to keep it. Zeke belongs to me, too; -<span class='pageno' id='Page_114'>114</span>and while he is in my employ he shan’t herd cattle -for anybody else.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Why, George!” exclaimed Uncle John, who -seemed to be very much astonished at the emphasis -the boy threw into his words. “I never knew you -to be so disobedient before.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“You will find me so every time you try to -trample on me,” declared George, boldly. “I don’t -know why you should want to take my herd away -from me, but I do know there’s not a man on the -place who would help you do it. Ah! I forgot -you,” thought George, as his eye fell upon the -Mexican cook, who just then crossed the yard, walking -slowly and carrying his head on one side as if -he were trying to overhear what passed between -Uncle John and his nephew. “I believe that you -are mean enough to do anything, Master Philip!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I intend that you shall obey me,” replied Uncle -John, “and if you will not do it willingly, you -must do it unwillingly. I shall discharge Zeke at -once.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I don’t see how you can do that,” thought -George, as Uncle John turned on his heel and -walked into the house, “for you don’t pay him his -wages. I don’t see how you are going to take my -<span class='pageno' id='Page_115'>115</span>cattle away from me either, for the first thing will -be to find them, and what would Zeke and I be -doing while you were trying to drive them away? -I should call it robbery, and I wouldn’t submit -to it.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>The emphatic manner in which the boy nodded -his head as he said this, and the look of determination -that settled on his face would have surprised -Uncle John if he could have seen them. The boy -was resolved to hold fast to his property and to -stubbornly resist any attempt that might be made to -deprive him of it. It would be an act of gross -injustice to take his earnings away from him, and -George found it hard to believe that his uncle could -think seriously of such a thing.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“If he tries it, it will only be in keeping with -other mean things he has done since he has been -here,” said George. “He and Ned are coming -down on me harder and harder every month, and -I should like to know what they mean by it.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>George seemed to put a little more energy into -his work as he turned these matters over in his -mind, and when at last the bridle was finished he -threw it upon the porch, put the awl and what was -left of the waxed-end ‘carefully away in a box that -<span class='pageno' id='Page_116'>116</span>lay beside him on the ground, and taking the box in -his hand started toward a little shed which stood a -short distance in the rear of the house.</p> - -<p class='c000'>As he drew near to the shed, two animals he had -left there a little while before greeted him, each -after his own fashion. One was Bonaparte (called -Bony, for short) George’s pack mule, and the other -was Ranger, his favorite riding nag. These animals, -which were among the best of their kind, had been -the boy’s almost constant companions, ever since he -returned from school and settled down to the business -of herding cattle. Bony was small and clean-limbed, -sleek as a mole and treacherous as mules -generally are. He took unbounded delight in -knocking over everything and everybody that came -within reach of his hind feet, and when he felt in -the humor for doing it, he could kick himself out -from under the pack-saddle with the greatest ease. -Ranger, on the other hand, did not know how to -kick or bite, but he understood the business of -cattle-herding, and would answer his master’s -whistle as promptly as a well-trained dog. Nothing -which his strength or agility could overcome would -keep him from George’s side when he heard that -whistle. He would jump a fence or swim a river to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_117'>117</span>obey it. When in camp George never confined the -animal with a lasso unless it was near the full of -the moon and raids were expected from the Mexicans -or Indians, for Ranger never thought of -straying away. He was as black as midnight, very -fleet and enduring, and George had almost as much -affection for him as he would have had for a brother, -for he was the last gift he had ever received from -his father. The animals seemed to be ready for a -journey, for Bony carried a loaded pack-saddle on -his back, and Ranger was saddled but not bridled.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Upon reaching the shed George whistled the mule -and led him toward the house, and Ranger, without -waiting for the command, followed at his heels. He -stopped at the porch, and after fastening the mule’s -halter to the horn of the saddle that Ranger wore, -he disappeared in the house. When he came out -again he carried in his hands a bundle, a rifle and a -small leather haversack. The bundle contained his -overcoat, gloves, rubber-poncho and blankets; and -in the haversack he carried the ammunition for his -rifle—a new model Winchester, holding in its magazine -sixteen cartridges, all of which could be discharged -in as many seconds. He slung the rifle -and haversack over his shoulders, tied the bundle -<span class='pageno' id='Page_118'>118</span>behind his saddle and was just slipping the mended -bridle over his horse’s head when Ned came out.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Well, you are off for your last trip, are you?” -he exclaimed.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Yes, I am off for camp again, but not for the -last time, I hope,” returned George, although he -felt like making a very different answer. “One -must do something to earn his bread and butter, you -know, and life in camp suits me better than staying -in the house doing nothing.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“What have you got in that pack-saddle?” asked -Ned.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Provisions.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“You needn’t have troubled yourself to lay in -such a supply, for you won’t need them all.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Won’t I? Why not?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Ned made no reply in words. He only smiled -and shook his head as if he meant to convey the -impression that he could tell something wonderful -if he felt like it, and George, who was by this time -in the saddle, touched his horse with his spurs and -galloped away. He did not say anything more, for -he was angry and afraid that he might utter some -words that he would be sorry for. He thought -he knew what his cousin meant by his nods and his -<span class='pageno' id='Page_119'>119</span>smiles, and told himself that Ned was destined to -be as badly disappointed as Uncle John was if he -imagined that he and Zeke would surrender their -herd of cattle to him any sooner than they would to -a band of raiding Mexicans. It made George almost -beside himself to dwell upon this subject, so he dismissed -it altogether from his mind, and tried to -think about pleasanter things.</p> - -<p class='c000'>That day’s ride was a hard one, and George, who -was accustomed to such things, grew tired long -before it was ended. The course he followed led -him through the wildest portion of the country -where farms and ranches were few and far between. -Now and then he saw a horseman or two who would -gallop to meet him, as they met every trader, and -ask for the news; but George had little to tell that -was of interest, and these interviewers did not long -delay him. He made a short halt for dinner and in -the afternoon travelled with increased speed, reaching -the grove, toward which he had all the day been -directing his course, and where he intended to spend -the night, just as the sun was sinking out of sight -behind the distant swells.</p> - -<p class='c000'>It was in this grove that George had expected to -find Zeke, who, when his employer went after supplies, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_120'>120</span>always brought his cattle as close to the settlements -as he could find pasture for them, and so -save time. George found the camp the herdsman -had occupied while the cattle were feeding in the -vicinity, but it was deserted, and had been for three -or four days; consequently Zeke and his herd must -be a long way from there, and George had nothing -to do but make himself comfortable for the night -and start in pursuit the next morning.</p> - -<p class='c000'>As soon as the boy had relieved Ranger of his -saddle and Bony of the heavy load he had so -patiently carried all the day, he turned the animals -loose to graze, and started a fire in front of the -dilapidated brush shanty Zeke had recently occupied. -Upon the fire were placed a camp-kettle and -frying-pan, one filled with water taken from the -brook that ran close by, and the other with slices of -bacon. Supper was fairly under way in a few -minutes, and while he was waiting for the fire to -cook it, George busied himself in repairing the -cabin.</p> - -<p class='c000'>It was while he was thus engaged that he accidentally -discovered something for which he had been -looking ever since he reached the grove, and that -was a letter from Zeke. It was written on a piece -<span class='pageno' id='Page_121'>121</span>of bark and fastened to a tree in plain sight, but -somehow George had managed to overlook it. The -letter was made up of rough characters which had -been rudely traced on the bark by the point of the -herdsman’s hunting-knife. The first was an Indian’s -arrow—that was drawn so plainly that anybody -could have told what it was—and it pointed toward -something that looked like a whale with an unusually -large head which was surmounted by a pair of horns. -It was certainly intended to represent a fish with -horns and the only one of the species in that -country that George knew anything about was a -catfish.</p> - -<p class='c000'>The next two characters might have been taken -for almost anything, except the objects that George -knew they were intended to represent, namely, a -couple of water-falls. The next looked like a front -view of a man’s face, but one side of it was flat, -while the other was round. This was meant for the -moon in its first quarter. Under the moon were -four short, straight lines, headed by a cross like the -sign of multiplication; and these were intended to -represent the days of the week, the cross standing -for Sunday.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Zeke, who had lived in the mountains and on the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_122'>122</span>prairie all his life, did not know one letter from -another, but he had left behind him a communication -that George read as easily as you can read this -printed page. If he had given it a free translation, -it would have read something like this:</p> - -<p class='c016'>“I have gone toward Catfish Falls. It is near -the time of the full moon. I left camp on Thursday.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>After writing this much, Zeke did just as many -a school-boy does—he added a postscript, containing -the only item of information that was really worth -knowing. It made George open his eyes, too. It -consisted of drawings of a pair of moccasins, a fire -with a thick smoke arising from it, and several -horses’ feet. It meant that there were Indians in -the neighborhood; that they were hostile Apaches -(George knew that by the shape of the moccasins), -and that Zeke had seen the smoke of their fires and -the tracks made by their horses.</p> - -<p class='c000'>George, who was accustomed to sudden surprises -and always expecting them, did not seem to be at -all disturbed by this very unpleasant piece of news. -Although he had never had any experience with -raiders, he was brave and self-reliant, knew just -<span class='pageno' id='Page_123'>123</span>what to do in any emergency that might arise while -he was on the plains, and felt abundantly able to -take care of himself. He ran his eye over the -letter and postscript once more, to make sure that -he had read them aright, and then walked back to -his fire and sat down. He did not spend any more -time in repairing the cabin, for he knew now that -he should not occupy it that night. When his supper -was cooked, he ate it with great deliberation; -after which he put out his fire and returned to the -pack-saddle all the articles he had taken out of it. -There was a goodly supply of bacon and coffee left, -and this George intended should serve him for his -next morning’s breakfast.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I may be out of reach of wood and water by the -time I grow hungry,” thought he, as he buckled the -pack-saddle and made it ready for Bony’s back. “I -can’t stop here to-night, for the timber is by no -means a safe place to camp when there are Indians -about. I wish Zeke had told me which way they -were going when he saw them, for I don’t want to -run right in among them before I know it!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>As soon as Bony’s burden was adjusted and -Ranger had been saddled and bridled, George -mounted and rode rapidly away from the grove, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_124'>124</span>holding a straight course for Catfish Falls, but -making no effort to find Zeke’s trail. In fact, he -did not want to find it, and if he had stumbled upon -it accidentally, he would have ridden away from it -with all haste. The vicinity of that trail was as -dangerous a place as the grove he had just left. A -band of raiders might strike it at any time, and follow -it up for the purpose of capturing the herd, and -George, if he chanced to be in the way, would run -the risk of being captured, too.</p> - -<p class='c000'>The boy rode rapidly as long as he could distinguish -objects about him, and when the darkness had -shut him out from the view of any skulking Indian -or Mexican, who might chance to be watching him -from a distance, he slackened his pace and turned -off at right angles with the course he had been pursuing. -He rode about a mile in this direction, and -then went into camp, staking out his horse and -mule, and lying down to sleep, with his poncho for -a bed, his saddle for a pillow and his hair lasso for a -protection from the visitors of which his cousin Ned -stood so much in fear, the rattlers. He slept -soundly, too, relying upon Ranger and Bony to -arouse him, in case any one approached his camp, -and awoke at the first peep, of day, refreshed and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_125'>125</span>invigorated. A couple of hard biscuits, added to the -coffee and bacon he had saved from his last night’s -supper, furnished him with as good a breakfast as -he cared for, and when it had been disposed of, -George was ready to begin his day’s journey.</p> - -<p class='c000'>The boy spent one more night alone on the prairie, -and on the afternoon of the second day found -Zeke’s camp. As he emerged from a belt of post-oaks, -through which he had been riding for the last -hour, he saw a small herd of cattle feeding on the -prairie, and was welcomed by a shrill neigh, which -came from the direction of a fire that was burning -in the edge of the timber a short distance away. -Bony answered the greeting with a long-drawn -bray, and Ranger, breaking into a gallop, carried -his rider into the camp, where he was met by a tall, -broad-shouldered man, who arose from his blanket -as he approached. This was Zeke. What his -other name was George did not know; in fact, he -did not believe that Zeke knew it himself.</p> - -<p class='c000'>If a stranger had judged Zeke by his appearance, -he would have put him down as anything but an -agreeable or safe companion. He was rough and -uncouth in person and manners, and as bronzed -and weather-beaten as any old salt. His hair, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_126'>126</span>which fell down upon his shoulders, and the luxuriant -whiskers and mustache that almost concealed -his face, were as white as snow, and bore evidence -to the fact that he carried the weight of many years -on his shoulders; but his form was as erect as an -Indian’s, and his step as firm and quick as it had -been in the days of his youth. He looked like one -possessed of immense physical power, as indeed he -was; and those who had seen him in moments of -danger, knew that he had the courage to back up -his strength. He was as faithful as a man could -be, and ready to do and dare anything in defence -of his young employer. George had selected him -from among the numerous herdsmen employed on -his father’s ranche, and they had been almost inseparable -companions ever since.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I am glad to see you, Zeke,” said the boy, as -he swung himself out of the saddle, and placed his -hand in the broad palm that was extended toward -him, “for, to tell the truth, I have felt afraid ever -since I found your letter down there in the grove. -I can’t help believing that something is going to -happen. Have you seen anything more of the -Indians?”</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_127'>127</span>“No,” replied Zeke. “They went t’wards the -settlements.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“That’s bad for the settlers, but good for us. -We’re safe,” said George, drawing a long breath.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Not by no means, we hain’t safe. Them -Apaches must come back, mustn’t they?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>George hadn’t thought of that. Of course, the -Indians must come back, if they intended to return -to their own country, and George did not like to -think of what would happen, if he and Zeke and -their herd of cattle should chance to cross their -path. They <em>did</em> cross the path of a band of raiders—some -who were looking for them and knew just -where to find them,—and before he was many days -older, George was the hero of one or two startling -adventures, and also gained some items of information, -from various sources, that almost overwhelmed -him with wonder and amazement!</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_128'>128</span> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER VIII.<br /> <span class='large'>NED’S NEW HORSE.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_4 c013'>“Now, I’ll just tell you what’s a fact, father,” -said Ned, who stood on the porch with Uncle -John, watching George as he galloped away, “if -you are going to do anything you must come out -and make a square stand. You don’t want George -here any more than I do.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Be careful, Ned,” said Uncle John, in a suppressed -whisper, looking anxiously around. “Some -one might hear you.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I don’t care who hears me. I don’t see any -sense in being so sly. George will hang about here -just as long as he has that herd of cattle to take -care of. Take that away from him and perhaps he -will clear out.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“But I don’t know how to do it,” said Uncle -John.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Why, it is easy enough. Send some men out -there with orders to drive the herd in.”</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_129'>129</span>“That would only bring on a fight; for George -and Zeke would resist. Besides, you must remember -that all the herdsmen on the place are friendly to -George, and I don’t believe they would obey such -an order.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Then discharge them and hire others who will -do as they are told,” exclaimed Ned, impatiently. -“What’s the use of your trying to run the ranche -if you can’t do as you please?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“But there’s one thing you don’t seem to understand. -George has rights——”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Don’t he wish he may get them, though?” interrupted -Ned, snapping his fingers in the air.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“He can get them. If I go too far, he can -appeal to the courts, and have me put out and a new -guardian of his own choosing appointed in my -place.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Whew!” exclaimed Ned, opening his eyes in -great amazement. “Does George know that?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I don’t know whether he does or not; but <em>I</em> -know it; and I know, too, that there are plenty in -the neighborhood who will tell him of it; so you -see I must be careful and not let him get a good -hold on me. You wouldn’t like to go back to -Foxboro’ and work for your bread and clothes, after -<span class='pageno' id='Page_130'>130</span>living at your ease, as you have ever since you have -been here.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“No, I wouldn’t; and what’s more, I never will -do it,” replied Ned, walking up and down the porch -with his hands behind his back. “I’ll tell you -what to do,” he added, suddenly, while a smile of -triumph lighted up his face, “take his money away -from him. He keeps a lot of it in a box in his -room. I saw it there.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“What good will that do?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Why, how is he going to keep a herdsman -unless he has money to pay him?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“O, that would never do. He’d raise an awful -row about it, and then go off and sell some of his -cattle and get more money.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“That’s so,” replied Ned, the triumphant smile -disappearing as quickly as it had come. “He’s got -luck on his side, hasn’t he? I wish the raiders -would jump down on him and take the last steer -he’s got. I’d be glad to see some of them long -enough to tell them where to find him. I’d tell -them to catch George too and hold fast to him,” -added Ned, under his breath, as his father turned -and walked into the house. “I never can carry out -my scheme while he owns those cattle; I can see -<span class='pageno' id='Page_131'>131</span>that very plainly. If I could only make him lose -them some way, I should have things just as I want -them. But how can I do it? I must keep my mind -on it until I hit upon something.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>This conversation and Ned’s soliloquy will serve -to show that certain plans calculated to work serious -injury to the young herdsman had been laid by the -new occupants of the ranche, and that one of them, -at least, was ready to resort to desperate measures -in order to carry those plans into execution. Ned -had set himself deliberately to work to drive his -cousin away from his home. One would suppose -that if he had any affection for him, or had possessed -the least spark of honor, he would have been above -such a thing; but the truth was, Ned was not above -doing anything that he thought would advance his -own interests. He never forgot that clause in his -uncle’s will, which provided that in a certain contingency -all the immense property, of which his father -now had control, was to fall to himself. It was the -last thought he dwelt upon at night when he went -to bed and the first that passed through his mind -when he awoke in the morning. George was very -much in the way there. Ned thought so, and he -knew that his father thought so, too. They could -<span class='pageno' id='Page_132'>132</span>not do as they pleased while he was about, for -George knew everything that was going on in the -ranche. He knew just what the expenses amounted -to every month, could tell how many cattle had been -sold, the price they brought, and how much money -his uncle ought to have put into the bank.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Uncle John did not like to be watched so closely, -and Ned didn’t like it either, for the reason that his -father could not give him as much money as he -wanted. Ned would have cut a fine dash if he had -possessed the necessary funds, and Uncle John would -have been only too glad to furnish him with all the -cash he demanded if he could have done so without -George’s knowledge. All Uncle John wanted was -to fill his pockets and Ned’s; and the latter, to -assist him in accomplishing his object, set himself to -work to make the house so unpleasant for George -that he would not stay there. He had determined -upon this before he had been two days at the -ranche, and he had succeeded beyond his expectations. -George seemed to think a great deal more -of Zeke’s company than he did of Uncle John’s and -Ned’s, and often said that he preferred a blanket at -night and a life in the saddle to his room at home -and the lonely existence he led while he was there. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_133'>133</span>He spent more than half his time in camp, but -came home whenever he wanted supplies for himself -and herdsman, and spent three or four days in -riding about taking note of things. Ned always -dreaded these visits, and wished he could hit upon -some plan to put a stop to them.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I thought I had hit upon something,” said Ned, -to himself, as he jumped down the steps and walked -toward the corral, which was the name given to the -enclosure in which the riding-horses belonging to -the ranche were kept. “And I believe yet that if -father would only take his herd away from him he -would be too discouraged to start another. He -would have to do something, of course—George -isn’t the one to remain long idle—and as there is no -other business he can go into in this country, perhaps -he would go off somewhere to seek his fortune -and leave us a clear field. I wish Gus Robbins was -here now. Two heads are better than one, and perhaps -he could suggest something.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Ned was looking for his friend Gus every day, -although how the latter was going to find his way -over the hundred and fifty miles of wilderness that -lay between Palos, which was the end of the stage -route, and the rancho, Ned didn’t know. If Gus -<span class='pageno' id='Page_134'>134</span>could have told him when he expected to reach -Palos, the case would have been different. Ned -could have sent one of the herdsmen down there to -meet him and show him the way home; but, as it -was, Gus would have to take his chances. He -would have to wait at Palos until he fell in with -some of the neighbors who might happen to go -there on business, as some of them did nearly every -month. But a month was a long time to wait. -He wished his friend was with him now, for he was -growing more lonely every day. He ought to be -on the way by this time, Ned often told himself, -and of late he had fallen into the habit of riding -to the top of a high swell about five miles from the -rancho, and spending the most of the day there -waiting for Gus. When he came he would pass -along the trail leading over the top of that swell, -and Ned could see him while he was yet a long distance -away.</p> - -<p class='c000'>When Ned was mounted and fully equipped for a -gallop, a stranger would have taken him for a masquerader -on his way to a ball. If he had sported a -big mustache and had a few more years on his -shoulders, he might have easily passed for the leader -of a band of brigands. He always wore a Mexican -<span class='pageno' id='Page_135'>135</span>sombrero, buckskin coat, fawnskin vest, corduroy -trowsers, and high top-boots, the heels of which -were armed with huge silver-plated spurs. These -was intended for ornament and not for use, for Ned -could not have been hired to touch his horse with -them. He had tried it once. The animal was as -steady an old cob as Uncle John could find in the -settlement, but he did not like spurs, and on one -occasion he had convinced his rider of the fact by -throwing him head over heels into a ditch. That -was when Ned first purchased him, and before he -knew anything about riding on horseback. He was -growing somewhat accustomed to the saddle now, -and was beginning to look about him for a better -mount. There were plenty of horses on the ranche—fleet, -hardy animals they were, too—but Ned -wanted a thorough-bred, such as some of the settlers -were purchasing in Kentucky.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Besides his spurs Ned carried three other ornaments—an -ivory-handled riding-whip, a breech-loading -rifle and a silver-mounted hunting-knife. He -expected with that rifle to make sad havoc among -the big game which was so abundant in some parts -of Texas, but thus far he had not shot a single thing -with it. He knew nothing about rifles, and besides -<span class='pageno' id='Page_136'>136</span>the weapon threw a bullet that was altogether too -small to possess any killing power. His cousin had -told him that it might answer for shooting hummingbirds -and ground-squirrels, but that nothing larger -need be afraid of it. George had knocked over a -jack-rabbit with it, and the rabbit had jumped up -and made off as though there was nothing the matter -with him, carrying the bullet somewhere in his -body. The elegant hunting-knife was intended for -skinning the game that fell to his rifle, but up to -this time Ned had found no use for it.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Ned looked as formidable as usual when he -mounted his horse that morning and rode away to -meet the first adventure that had befallen him in -Texas—the first one worthy of record of which he -had ever been the hero. He made his way directly -to the top of the swell of which we have spoken, -and after staking out his horse threw himself on his -blanket under the shade of the solitary oak that -grew beside the trail, and comfortably settled himself -to idle away the time and watch for his long-expected -friend.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“If he ever reaches Palos he will have no difficulty -in coming the rest of the way,” thought Ned. -“The people from this part of the country always put -<span class='pageno' id='Page_137'>137</span>up at one hotel, and the landlord will know whether -or not there are any of our herdsmen or neighbors in -the town. It is the fear that Gus may not be able -to leave Foxboro’ that troubles me just at present. -If anything should happen to keep him at home, -wouldn’t we be a couple of disappointed boys, -though? I don’t believe I could stand it. Hallo! -What’s that?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Just then a moving object in the horizon caught -Ned’s eye. He straightened up and looked at it, -and presently made out that the moving object was -a horseman. He was coming along the trail toward -the swell, and coming rapidly, too. Ned looked at -him for a few minutes and then settled back on his -elbow with an exclamation indicative of great disappointment.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“It can’t be Gus,” said he to himself, “for Gus -could never find his way here from Palos alone. It -is one of the settlers, probably. I hope he has -brought some mail for us.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Ned placed his hands under his head and watched -the horseman’s movements, without feeling any particular -interest in them, until he saw him draw rein -and come to a sudden stand-still. He had just -caught sight of Ned’s horse. He sat motionless in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_138'>138</span>his saddle, gazing earnestly toward the top of the -swell and evidently undecided whether to advance -or retreat.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I wonder if he takes me for an Indian or a -Greaser!” thought Ned, and to show the horseman -that he was neither, he picked up his sombrero, -which lay beside him on his blanket, and waved it -over his head. The horseman saw the motion and -must have taken it for a friendly one, for he once -more put his horse into a gallop and came toward -the swell. He rode up within a few feet of Ned -before he stopped again, and the two took a good -look at each other before either of them spoke.</p> - -<p class='c000'>The newcomer was a stranger in that part of the -country; Ned knew that the instant he put his eyes -on him. He was a gentleman, if clothes make the -gentleman, and was the first one Ned, had seen in -long months. He was dressed in broadcloth, wore -fine boots on his feet, rings on his fingers and a -breastpin in his white shirt-front. He was a good-looking -man, too, and rode a horse that attracted -Ned’s attention at once. He was a perfect beauty—slender -and clean-limbed, with a long, arching neck, -well-shaped head and flowing mane and tail, and -although his sides were heaving and his glossy -<span class='pageno' id='Page_139'>139</span>breast was flecked with the foam that had flown from -his month during the long and rapid journey he had -evidently made, his eye was bright, and the tight -rein his rider was obliged to keep upon him showed -that there was plenty of spirit left in him. The -saddle and bridle he wore were made after the -Mexican pattern, and were both gaudily ornamented.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“How do you do, sir?” said the stranger, after -he had looked at Ned and run his eye over the boy’s -horse, which had advanced to meet him as far as the -length of his lariat would permit. “Can you tell -me whereabouts in the world I am—I mean how far -from the Rio Grande?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Yes, sir; you will have to ride twenty-five -miles in a straight line to reach it,” replied Ned. -“By the trail, which leads to the nearest ford, and -takes in all the ranches, it is more than twice as -far.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Twenty-five miles!” repeated the stranger, -turning about in his saddle and looking back over -the way he had come. “That’s a long pull for a -tired horse!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Hadn’t you better stop and take a rest?” asked -Ned, who had learned how to be hospitable since he -<span class='pageno' id='Page_140'>140</span>came to Texas. “My father’s rancho is only five -miles from here, and every house is a hotel in this -country.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I am obliged to you, but I can’t stop,” replied -the stranger, quickly. “I am in a great hurry. I -must take the straightest course for the river, and I -don’t want to go by any ranchos. When night -overtakes me I can camp on the prairie. I am -used to it. But I wish I had a fresh horse: How -will you trade?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Trade!” cried Ned, jumping to his feet, and -looking first at the stranger’s fine animal and then -at his own homely beast. “I’ll trade; but you’ll -have to go home with me to get the boot you -want.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I can’t stop for that, and besides, I may not -ask any boot. All I want is a fresh horse and a -fast one.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“O, mine is fast and as fresh as a daisy!” exclaimed -Ned, highly elated over the prospect of -becoming the owner of the handsomest horse he had -ever seen. “And he can stand the pace, too. The -man I bought him of says there’s no tire out to -him.”</p> - -<div class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i002.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p><span class='sc'>The Unlucky Horse Trade.</span></p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_141'>141</span>“I know a good animal when I see him,” answered -the man, with a smile. “I’ll trade my -horse, saddle and bridle, even for yours. What do -you say?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I say, I’ll do it!” said Ned, who was so delighted -that he could scarcely speak.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“All right!” said the man, as he dismounted. -“Catch up!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Ned lost no time in putting the saddle and bridle -on his own nag, and while he was doing it, the -stranger stood, holding his horse by the bridle and -looking back over the way he had come. When -Ned brought up his horse, the man said:</p> - -<p class='c000'>“You’re sure this nag belongs to you, are you? -I run no risk of being stopped by anybody, who will -lay claim to him, do I?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“No, sir,” replied Ned, “he’s mine; and if you -will go to our rancho with me, I will show you a bill -of sale of him.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I asked the question because there are such -things in the world as horse-thieves, you know!” -said the stranger, as he placed his own bridle in the -boy’s hand and seized Ned’s horse by the bit.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“There are no such things in this country, I can -tell you,” replied Ned, with a knowing shake of his -head. “The settlers would turn out to hunt down -<span class='pageno' id='Page_142'>142</span>a horse-thief as readily as they would to hunt down -a grizzly bear. It wouldn’t even be safe for a man -to be found here with a stolen horse in his possession, -no matter whether he was the thief or not!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Why was it that Ned did not ask the man the -same question which the latter had just propounded -to him? Perhaps it was because he did not wish to -detain him. The stranger seemed very impatient to -mount and resume his journey, and Ned was impatient -to have him do so, for when the two horses -were brought closer together, anybody could see that -there was a vast difference between them. No sane -man would have proposed such an exchange, and -just then it occurred to the amateur horse-trader -that there might be something wrong with the -animal. Perhaps he wasn’t quite safe for so inexperienced -a person as himself.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Is he perfectly gentle?” asked Ned. “He -won’t kick or bite or throw a fellow off, will he?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“O no! he’s as quiet as an old cow. A child -can manage him.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“What’s his name?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I call him Silk Stocking—sometimes Socks, -for short.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>As the stranger said this, he sprang upon Ned’s -<span class='pageno' id='Page_143'>143</span>horse, looked behind him once more as if to make -sure that there was no one following him, and then -waved his hand to the boy and galloped away. Ned -stood looking first at him and then at his new horse, -fully expecting to see the man turn about and come -back to trade over again. But he did nothing of -the kind. He kept straight ahead (Ned had no idea -that his old horse could travel as fast as he did), -turning in his saddle now and then to look behind -him, and at last he disappeared over a swell. Then -Ned, with a long breath of relief, turned to give his -new horse another good looking over.</p> - -<p class='c000'>The animal’s name—Silk Stocking—suited him -exactly. His color was a very dark chestnut; but -his mane and tail were as white as snow, and so -were his feet and his legs, too, as high up as his -knees, and he had a white star in his forehead. The -longer his delighted owner looked at him the handsomer -he seemed to grow.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“That man, whoever he may be, is a born dunce,” -was Ned’s mental comment. “He says he knows a -good horse when he sees one, but I don’t believe it. -Why, I know more than he does. I’d never trade -a horse like this for an old crowbait like mine. I’d -<span class='pageno' id='Page_144'>144</span>take a day longer for my journey, no matter how -great the hurry I might be in.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Ned chuckling to himself over his good fortune, -fastened his horse to a swinging branch of the oak, -and proceeded to bundle up his blanket and poncho -which he tied behind his saddle. While he was -pulling up the picket-pin and curling his lasso, a -startling suspicion suddenly sprung up in his mind. -He stopped his work and looked at his horse and -then at the ridge over which he had seen the stranger -disappear.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I wonder why I didn’t think of that before!” -said Ned, to himself. “He was very careful to -inquire if I owned the horse I traded to him, but it -never occurred to me to ask him how he came by -this one. Well, I don’t know that it makes so very -much difference after all,” he added, after a moment’s -reflection. “If he stole the horse—and if he didn’t -steal him why was he so anxious to trade?—he could -have told a lie about it very easily, and no doubt he -would.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Ned was not at all pleased with the thought, -which now kept forcing itself upon him, that perhaps -he had not made so fine a bargain after all. If -the horse was a stolen one, and the lawful owner -<span class='pageno' id='Page_145'>145</span>should succeed in tracing him, he could demand his -property, and Ned would have to give it up. This -was something he did not want to do. He had -already taken a great liking to his new horse, and -could not bear the thought of parting with him.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“And I never will part with him either, if I can -help it,” declared Ned, after he had taken time to -think over the situation. “I was going to show him -to father as soon as I got home, but now I’ll just -keep still about him. It isn’t likely that he was -stolen anywhere in the county, and perhaps the -owner will never be able to get on the track of him. -I’ll hold fast to him as long as I can, at any rate, -and keep his existence a profound secret, and if his -owner ever finds him I can say——Well, what’s the -use of thinking about that now? I can make up a -story on the spur of the moment that will get me out -of the tightest scrape a boy ever got into. At least -I always have been able to do it!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>With this reflection to comfort and encourage him -Ned hung his lasso upon the horn of his saddle, -mounted his new horse and set out for home. The -animal moved off at a free walk until Ned called on -him to go faster, and then he broke into a rapid -gallop; but his motions were so regular and easy -<span class='pageno' id='Page_146'>146</span>that his rider was scarcely moved in the saddle. -Ned was a little afraid of him at first, for he carried -his head high and kept his ears thrown forward and -his eyes roving about as if he were trying to find -something to get frightened at; but he could be very -easily controlled, and Ned could stop him while he -was going at the top of his speed by a single word. -He seemed perfectly willing to travel at his best -speed all the time, but Ned, after enjoying the rapid -motion for a few minutes, gently checked him, and -then the animal settled down into an easy pace. He -proved to be what the natives would have called a -gated horse; that is, he had been broken to amble, -fox-trot, pace, run or square trot, just as his rider -desired. Ned knew that some of the ranchemen -in the neighborhood had paid two thousand dollars -apiece for just such horses.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I declare it frightens me to think of it,” said -Ned, and almost involuntarily he faced about in his -saddle and looked behind him, just as the stranger -had done, to see if there was any one following -him.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I wish he wasn’t worth so much money, for I -shall live in constant fear that his owner will be -along here some day hunting him up. I know that -<span class='pageno' id='Page_147'>147</span>if he had been stolen from me I should never sleep -soundly until I found him.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>During the ride to the rancho, Ned often looked -behind him, fully expecting every time he did so to -see a horseman or two galloping along the trail in -pursuit; but he was alone on the prairie, and to his -great relief there was no one about the house or -yard to see him come home with his prize or to ask -him questions that he did not want to answer. He -hitched the horse under the shed and supplied him -with a good feed of corn, and no one was the wiser -for it.</p> - -<p class='c000'>While the horse was eating Ned stood by with -his hands in his pockets admiring him, and it was -with the greatest reluctance that he left him long -enough to go into the house to get his own supper. -He said nothing to his father regarding the events -of the afternoon, for he had made up his mind that, -for the present at least, he had better keep his own -counsel.</p> - -<p class='c000'>It was customary for Ned and his father to start -out every evening, as soon as it began to grow dark, -for a short walk up and down the trail in front of -the house, and on this particular evening they continued -their agreeable exercise until a later hour than -<span class='pageno' id='Page_148'>148</span>usual. As they were about to retrace their steps -they heard the clatter of hoofs on the trail, and -presently two horsemen dashed up to them and -came to a full stop. They were rough-looking -fellows and carried revolvers in their belts. Ned, -believing that they were raiders, could hardly refrain -from screaming at the sight of them, and even -Uncle John acted as though he didn’t know whether -to stand still or run away. The latter’s fears, however, -if he had any, were speedily set at rest, while -Ned’s were increased a thousand fold.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Good-evening, gentlemen,” exclaimed one of -the horsemen. “Do you live about here?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“My rancho is about a quarter of a mile farther -down the trail,” answered Uncle John.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Have you lived here long enough to know all -the people in the neighborhood?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I have lived here a little more than a year.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Have you seen a stranger pass through the -settlement to-day, either of you?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I have seen no one; have you, Ned?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Ned, who was trembling in every limb, controlled -himself as well as he could and replied that he had -not.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“There has been one along here,” continued the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_149'>149</span>horseman, “for we have traced him, and we know -that we are not very far behind him. He is making -for the river. He is a stylish-looking fellow, well -dressed, wears a good deal of jewelry, and rides a -chestnut-colored horse, with white mane and tail, -four white feet and a star in his forehead.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I haven’t seen any such man or horse,” said -Uncle John.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I haven’t either,” said Ned, faintly.</p> - -<p class='c000'>It was well for him that it was so dark.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_150'>150</span> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER IX.<br /> <span class='large'>A VISIT FROM THE RAIDERS.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_4 c013'>“What has this man done?” continued Uncle -John.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“O, he got into a little trouble down there in -our settlement, and had to dig out; so he stole the -best horse in the state to help him along. That -will be the means of getting him into <em>big</em> trouble, -if we put our eyes on him; but we don’t much -expect to catch him, for the horse he stole can -travel for a week at his best pace, and our nags, -which were fresh this morning, are pretty nearly -whipped.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I am sorry that I can give you no information -concerning him,” said Uncle John; “but I will tell -you what I can do—I can give you some supper, -and you can take your pick out of twenty fresh -horses in my corral.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Both the horsemen expressed hearty thanks for -this kind offer of assistance, and were prompt to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_151'>151</span>accept it. They didn’t care much for anything to -eat, they said, for they were used to going hungry; -but they would take a hasty lunch, while Uncle -John was getting their fresh horses ready, and if he -would put them on a straight course for the nearest -ford, they would be much obliged, and would take -pleasure in doing as much for him, if he ever came -to their settlement.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Ned listened to all this in speechless amazement -and alarm. The stolen horse was hitched under -the shed, in plain view of the porch, beside which -the strangers would dismount, and if it had been -daylight, nothing could have saved him from discovery. -True, it was dark now—so dark that the -boy’s frightened face was effectually concealed,—but -Ned knew that the moon would rise in less than -a quarter of an hour, and if anything should happen -to detain the visitors at the rancho, or if they should -take it into their heads to pry into things after they -got there, something disagreeable would be sure to -happen. Ned did not like to think about it. He -accompanied the men to his home, where he made -himself very officious, taking charge of their horses, -and showing so much anxiety to have them go right -into the house, that it is a wonder their suspicions -<span class='pageno' id='Page_152'>152</span>were not aroused. He could scarcely breathe until -he saw his father conduct them into the rancho, and -close the door behind them.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“What’s the trouble?” asked the herdsman who -had been sent out to catch and saddle the fresh -horses. “Who are those men, and where are they -travelling to at this time of night?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I don’t know,” was Ned’s reply. “They want -to reach the river as soon as possible, and you had -better hurry up and get the horses ready.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Humph!” exclaimed the herdsman, as he led -the strangers’ nags toward the corral. “Horsethieves, -for a dollar!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Ned did not care what opinions the man formed -concerning the visitors, so long as he did not hit -upon the right one. It might be dangerous to let -any of the servants know that the men were in -search of a chestnut horse, with four white feet, and -a star in his forehead; for it was very probable that -some of them had by this time found out that there -was such a horse hitched under the shed, and it -would be just like them to say something about it. -There were a good many ways in which the -strangers might learn all they wanted to know, and -Ned would have been glad to hide himself somewhere, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_153'>153</span>until they had taken their departure; but -he dared not go away, for fear that, during his -absence, his secret might leak out in some way. -He hoped to prevent such a calamity by staying -there and hurrying the men off when they came -out.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Ned walked up and down the porch, in a fever -of excitement and suspense, and at the end of a -quarter of an hour was greatly relieved to see the -herdsman coming with the fresh horses.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Give them to me,” said Ned, when they had -been brought up to the porch. “I’ll hold them -until the men come out.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Well, you hold one and I’ll hold the other,” -answered the herdsman, putting one of the bridles -in Ned’s hand. “I want to have a good look at -those fellows.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Ned was almost ready to cry with rage and -alarm. He could not send the man away, if he -was resolved to remain; and while he was wondering -if he had not better go himself and trust to -luck, a door at the farther end of the porch, which -gave entrance into the kitchen, was opened, and the -Mexican cook came out.</p> - -<p class='c000'>This was the man whom George declared to be -<span class='pageno' id='Page_154'>154</span>mean enough for anything. The old cook, who had -had charge of the culinary department of the ranche -during Mr. Ackerman’s lifetime had been discharged -at the request of Ned, who had some fault -to find with the man, and this Mexican, who came -from, nobody seemed to know where, had been employed -to take his place. No one about the ranche -liked him. He was an excellent cook, but he was -always slipping about the house on tip-toe, as if he -were trying to find out something, and seemed to -have a way of getting at everything he wanted to -know. He walked up the porch in his stealthy, -noiseless way, looked all around, to make sure that -he was not observed, then bent his face close to -Ned’s, and was about to whisper something to him, -when he discovered the herdsman, who was standing -at the foot of the steps, holding the other -horse.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Who’s that?” he demanded.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Me!” answered the herdsman.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“O,” said the cook, recognising the voice. “Well, -go in and get your supper. It is all ready.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I’ll go as soon as I see these visitors off.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“You’ll go now or you won’t get it at all,” -exclaimed the cook. “I shan’t keep it waiting for -<span class='pageno' id='Page_155'>155</span>you. I want to get through in that kitchen some -time to-night.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>The herdsman muttered something under his -breath, passed the bridle of the horse he was holding -up to Ned and went into the kitchen. The -Mexican watched him until he disappeared, and -then, with another suspicious glance around, came -up to Ned.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I know’ where that horse is,” said he, in a low -tone.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“What horse?” Ned almost gasped.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“The one that was stolen.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I—I don’t know what you mean,” stammered -Ned.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“O, I heard them talking about it in there while -I was dishing up the supper to them,” replied the -cook, nodding his head as if to say that it was of -no use whatever for Ned to feign ignorance of the -matter. “He’s a chestnut-colored horse, with four -white feet and a star in his forehead. He’s out -under that shed now, ‘cause I saw him there! Eh! -He belongs to the wife of one of those men inside, -and she calls him Silk Stocking; but all the men -folks about the ranche poke fun at her and make -her mad by calling him Socks. Eh!”</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_156'>156</span>The Mexican poked Ned in the ribs with his -finger and straightened up and looked at him. He -laughed, too, and seemed to regard the whole matter -in the light of an excellent joke—but Ned didn’t.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Powerful men, those in there,” continued the -Mexican, jerking his thumb over his shoulders -toward the door. “They carry big revolvers in -their belts, and are dead shots; I know it by the -looks of ‘em. They’re mad, too—so mad that I -wouldn’t give much for the man in whose hands -they find that horse.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Gracious!” ejaculated Ned, who trembled all -over. He wished now from the bottom of his heart -that he had told everything at the start; and while -he was wondering if it were now too late to do so -and escape any very serious consequences, the door -opened and the men came out. One look at them -was enough to drive all thoughts of confession out -of the boy’s mind. How tall and broad-shouldered -they were, and how fierce they looked when the light -from the lamp in the hall fell full upon their bearded -faces. They stood upon the porch for a few seconds, -talking with Uncle John and listening to his instructions -regarding the course they ought to follow in -order to reach the ford, and then they took the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_157'>157</span>bridles from Ned’s hand and were about to mount -when a loud, shrill neigh sounded from the direction -of the shed.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Three of those who heard it were visibly affected -by it. The visitors looked at each other in surprise, -while Ned leaned heavily upon the railing of the -porch for support. If there had been no railing -there he would have fallen to the ground, for there -was no strength in him.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“That sounds wonderfully like Sock’s voice, -doesn’t it?” exclaimed one of the visitors.</p> - -<p class='c000'>The other replied that it certainly did.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“What horse is that out there under the shed,” -asked Uncle John.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“It’s Ned’s old cob, sir,” said the cook, promptly; -and Ned was glad that the man answered for him, -for he could not have uttered a word to save his life. -Frightened as he was he wandered at the cook’s -reply. Why did he not say that the stolen horse -was there, and claim the liberal reward that had -probably been offered for his recovery?</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I never heard anything sound so much like -Socks’s neigh in my life,” declared one of the visitors, -as he jumped into the saddle. “But of course -it can’t be, for the horse is a long way from here by -<span class='pageno' id='Page_158'>158</span>this time. Mr. Ackerman, we are indebted to you -for your kindness and hospitality.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“You are very welcome,” answered Uncle John. -“I am only sorry that I can’t do more for you.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>The visitors lifted their hats and rode away out of -sight; Uncle John turned about and went into the -house; the cook returned to his quarters in the -kitchen, and Ned was left alone clinging to the railing -of the verandah. He could hardly believe that -the trying scenes through which he had just passed -were realities. They seemed more like a troubled -dream.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“If anybody can come as near getting caught as -I did and yet escape, I’d like to see him do it,” -thought Ned, when his mind became settled so that -he could think at all. “I never heard of a closer -shave, and I don’t believe there ever was one.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Ned was not very highly elated over his escape, -for he knew that he was not yet wholly out of danger. -On the contrary, he would never be out of danger -while that horse was in his possession. Those two -men would come back some day to return the horses -they had borrowed of Uncle John and reclaim their -own, and they might come, too, when they were -least expected, and before Ned had opportunity to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_159'>159</span>secrete the stolen horse. It was too late now to -avoid trouble by giving the animal up to his lawful -owner, for the latter would want to know why he -had not given him up before, and Ned did not know -what answer he could make to so awkward a question -as that. Besides, there was Philip, the Mexican -cook. Ned grew angry and alarmed every time -he thought of him. The man was up to something -beyond a doubt, for if he were not, what was the -reason he did not tell the strangers that the horse of -which they were in search was under the shed where -Ned had left him?</p> - -<p class='c000'>The boy was in a very tight place, and he did not -know which way to turn. He was in a scrape at -last that he could not lie out of. The longer he -dwelt upon it the plainer he saw the dangers of the -situation and the greater became his alarm. He -walked slowly down the steps and turned his face -toward the shed in which the stolen horse was confined. -The animal welcomed him with a low whinny -of recognition, and when Ned patted his sleek neck -he rubbed his head against his shoulders as if he -were glad to see him. Beyond a doubt he was -somebody’s pet, and the boy did not wonder that his -owner was anxious to recover him.</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_160'>160</span>Ned, whose nervousness and excitement seemed -to increase all the while, stayed there in the shed for -two long hours, walking restlessly about with his -hands in his pockets, and asking himself over and -over again why he did not tell his father all about -the new horse when he first came home, and what -he should do to bring himself out of the scrape he -had got into through his foolishness. When bed-time -came the servants began shutting up the rancho for -the night. He heard them closing the heavy shutters -and locking and barring the doors, but he did -not move. He could not bear to go to bed just -then, and he knew that when his nervousness abated -so that he could sleep he could gain admittance to -the house through the door that was always left -unfastened to accommodate any of the servants who -might happen to be out later than usual.</p> - -<p class='c000'>The rancho looked gloomy and dark enough after -the shutters and doors were closed. It stood out in -bold relief against the sky, looking like one of the -haunted castles of which Ned had so often read. -The bright moonlight gave it an almost unearthly -appearance, Ned thought; and when at last all -sounds of life about the building had died away, he -began to feel lonely and afraid—afraid to stay -<span class='pageno' id='Page_161'>161</span>longer where he was and afraid to pass across the -lighted yard between the shed and the back porch -of the rancho.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I really must go,” thought Ned, after he had -started toward the house two or three times, and as -often drawn back again to wait until he could -gather a fresh supply of courage. “I have been -frightened so many times to-night that I imagine all -sorts of things. Every tree and bush I look at, -turns into a horseman, and I am almost——”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Ned stopped suddenly, and stooping close to the -ground, looked sharply at some object in the distance. -“Whew!” he exclaimed, drawing his hand -across his dripping forehead, “it did look like a -long line of horsemen and—so it is. Yes, sir, I can -see them plainly enough. It’s all over with Ned -Ackerman now!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>The boy turned in the instant and placing his -hands on the side of the deep manger which ran the -whole length of one end of the shed, vaulted over it, -and concealed himself. He lay for a moment trembling -with alarm, and then pulling off his hat, cautiously -raised his head until he could see over the -top of the manger. The objects which had aroused -his fears were certainly mounted men. They were -<span class='pageno' id='Page_162'>162</span>moving in single file by the side of the trail, and as -the long, thick grass deadened the sound of their -horses’ feet, their approach was almost noiseless.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“What are they?” thought Ned, ducking his -head after he had taken one short, quick glance -at the men. “Are they raiders, or have those -strangers found out something and come back with -reinforcements?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Ned could not have told just then which he stood -the more in fear of—the angry owner of the horse -at his side or lawless Mexicans. He knew that it -would be dangerous to fall into the hands of either -of them. He could not reach the shelter of the -house—they could easily cut him off if he attempted -it—and his only chance to escape capture, or something -worse, was to remain quiet in his place of concealment, -and trust to luck. It was not at all likely -that the horsemen, whoever they were, would think -of looking in the shed for him even if they wanted -to find him.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Just then Ned’s new horse threw up his head, -looked over his shoulder and uttered a loud, shrill -neigh. Ned tried hard to stop it, but without success. -The animal neighed not only once, but two or -three times in succession, in spite of the furious -<span class='pageno' id='Page_163'>163</span>jerks the boy gave at his bridle. Here was a new -cause for alarm. The animal wanted company, and -he would keep up that neighing as long as there -were any horses in sight. He would be sure to -attract attention by it too.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“You’ll keep me in trouble as long as you stay -with me,” said Ned, jumping to his feet to act upon -an idea that just then came into his mind, “and the -sooner you and I part company the better it will be -for me. There you go,” he added, as he pulled the -halter over the horse’s head and saw him gallop out -of the shed. “I hope I shall never see you again. -I wish I had never seen you in the first place.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Ned felt a little more at his ease as he sank back -into his place of concealment. The danger of discovery -was considerably lessened by this piece of -strategy, but still his situation was anything but an -agreeable one. There he was, cornered in a manger -by a lot of men whose actions indicated that they -were there for no good purpose, who were approaching -the house in a stealthy manner, so as not to -alarm the inmates, and who, probably, would think -no more of making an end of him, if they knew he -was there in plain sight of them, than they would -of knocking over an antelope for breakfast. The -<span class='pageno' id='Page_164'>164</span>situation would have tried the courage of a much -braver boy than Ned Ackerman.</p> - -<p class='c000'>The horsemen stopped when they saw the chestnut -galloping to meet them, but moved forward -again as soon as they saw that he was riderless. -They rode up to the fence which surrounded the -corral, and hitched their horses to it. The chestnut -followed and mingled with their nags, but the men -paid no attention to him. They gathered in a little -group in the shade of one of the oaks that grew -beside the corral, and held a consultation. Ned -watched their movements with a good deal of surprise.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Why don’t those men catch that horse?” said -he to himself. “If they are raiders, they ought to -steal him; and if the man who owns him is there, -he ought to catch him, to keep him from straying -away. I don’t understand it at all.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>While Ned was talking to himself in this way, he -heard a latch softly raised. He turned his eyes in -the direction of the rancho, and saw that one of the -doors, opening on to the back porch, was ajar, and -that somebody was looking out of it. He stood for -a moment, turning his head first on one side and -then on the other, as if he were listening for something, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_165'>165</span>and then came out into full view. It was the -Mexican cook. The moon’s rays fell full upon him, -and the boy could see him plainly.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Now is my chance!” thought Ned, getting -upon his feet, but standing in a crouching attitude, -so that nothing but his head could be seen over the -top of the manger. “If I can run fast enough, I -can put myself in a place of safety and warn Philip -at the same time.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Ned jumped quickly out of the manger, as he -said this; but his feet had scarcely touched the -ground before he turned like a flash and jumped -back again, crouching down in his hiding-place as -low as he could, and still see all that was going on -outside the shed. The men were coming in a body -toward the house. There were fifteen or twenty of -them in all, and as soon as they had moved out of -the shade of the trees, so that the moon’s rays could -fall plainly upon them, Ned saw that they were -dressed in Mexican costume—short jackets, wide -trowsers and sombreros—and that they were armed -to the teeth. They were cattle-thieves, of course; -but what did they mean by approaching the rancho -in that stealthy manner? The boy, trembling in -every limb, turned his eyes from the Mexicans to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_166'>166</span>the porch, where he had last seen the cook. He -was there yet, and standing out in plain view of the -raiders, who must have seen him, for he was not -more than twenty feet away. Philip saw them, too, -beyond a doubt; but, instead of running into the -house and arousing the inmates, as Ned expected -him to do, he walked up to the rail and rested his -hands upon it. One would have thought from his -actions that he was expecting the raiders. Ned -thought so, and in an instant it flashed upon him -that there was some treachery intended.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Father always said that Philip was a rascal!” -soliloquized Ned, his rage for the moment getting -the better of his terror, “and now I know he is -one! He is a cattle-thief himself, and he and the -rest are after the money-box! But how could -Philip have found out that we had a money-box?” -added Ned, as he recalled the fact that the cook -belonged in the kitchen, and had probably never -seen the inside of his father’s office; “and even if -he had known all about the box, how could he have -told his friends of it? He hasn’t been away from -the house an hour at a time since he has been -here.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Ned might have kept on propounding to himself -<span class='pageno' id='Page_167'>167</span>questions that he could not answer, but his thoughts -were carried into other channels by the actions of -the raiders, who walked straight up to the porch -where Philip was standing, and entered into a whispered -conversation with him. Ned could not overhear -what was said, but he saw the cook turn -toward the house and extend his hands in different -directions, as if he were trying to give his friends -(for such they undoubtedly were) some idea of its -internal arrangements. Probably he was telling -them where to find the office and the strong box. -If such was the case, it took him but a moment to -do it; and when the raiders had learned all they -wanted to know, they stepped lightly upon the -porch and followed Philip toward the open door. -When they reached it, Philip pushed it farther -open, stood on one side to allow them to pass, and -the raiders filed in, one after the other, on tip-toe! -Half their number had disappeared in the house, -when all at once a deafening uproar arose. There -was a fight going on in the hall. First there was a -loud yell, that was evidently given by one of the -servants to arouse his sleeping companions, and the -yell was accompanied rather than followed by a -crash which made Ned believe that the inside of the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_168'>168</span>house was being torn in pieces. It was the report -of a revolver. Another and another followed, and -an instant afterward, the raiders, having failed in -their efforts to surprise the inmates of the rancho, -appeared in great confusion, crowding through the -door in a body, and in their haste prostrating the -cook, who was knocked off the porch to the ground. -He lay for a moment as if stunned by the fall, and -then sprang up and ran away with the rest.</p> - -<p class='c000'>The baffled raiders scattered in every direction, -and taking refuge behind the outbuildings and lumber -piles opened a hot fire on the rancho from their -carbines. To Ned’s intense alarm two of them ran -straight for the shed. He saw them coming, and -ducking his head crept swiftly into the farthest -end of the manger and crowded himself into the -darkest corner. One of the men dodged behind a -wagon, but the other dashed into the shed, jumped -into the manger and taking up a position in the -opposite end, scarcely fifteen feet from the trembling -boy, fired his carbine at the door from which he and -his companions had just been driven. Ned was -almost ready to scream with terror, but knowing -that his safety depended upon his preserving the -strictest silence, he choked back the cry while it was -<span class='pageno' id='Page_169'>169</span>trembling on his lips, and covering his face with his -hands awaited the issue of events with all the fortitude -he could command.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Fortunately the Mexican in the other end of the -manger was so busily engaged in loading and firing -that he could not take time to look about him during -the very few minutes that he remained in his -hiding-place. The inmates of the rancho defended -themselves with spirit, and one of their number, -becoming aware that there was an enemy in the -shed, fired three shots from his revolver in that -direction. Ned’s hair fairly stood on end as he -heard the bullets crashing through the planks which -formed the outside of the manger. The eccentric -and hurried movements of the Mexican proved that -he was no less embarrassed by them, and when the -third bullet came in, striking closer to his head than -the others, he uttered an exclamation in Spanish, -and jumping out of the manger ran off to find a less<a id='t169'></a> -exposed ambush. Ned was glad to see him go.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I wonder what they mean by such work, any -how?” thought Ned, who, frightened as he was, -could not resist the temptation to get upon his knees -and look over the top of the manger. “Haven’t -they got sense enough to see that our fellows have -<span class='pageno' id='Page_170'>170</span>the advantage of them, and that there is nothing to -be gained by shooting at stone walls? There! I -guess they are going now!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Just then one of the band uttered a shrill whistle, -and the firing ceased almost immediately. Ned -looked to see them mount and ride away without -loss of time, but the sequel proved that they were -not yet ready to give up all hopes of handling the -money in the strong box, if that was what they were -after. The whistle was given to call the band -together for consultation. They gathered behind -the shed out of sight of the house, and one of them -leaned against the boards so close to Ned that if the -latter had pushed his finger through one of the -cracks he could have touched him. The boy could -hear their slightest whisper, but could not understand -a word that was said, for they talked altogether -in Spanish. They quickly decided upon a -new plan of operations, and separated to carry it -into execution. A portion of the band opened fire -on the rancho again, and the others, having secured -an axe, crept around to the opposite side and -furiously attacked one of the doors; but the tough -oak planks of which it was made resisted the blows -of the axe until the herdsmen had time to run to the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_171'>171</span>other side of the building and drive them away by -firing through the loopholes with their revolvers. -Then the attack was renewed on another door with -the same result; finally, the Mexicans, growing discouraged, -hurled a volley of Spanish oaths at the -defenders of the rancho, which had about the same -effect on them that their bullets had on the walls, -and ran toward their horses.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Ned kept his eye on the thieves while they were -crossing the yard, and was gratified to see that they -had not come off unscathed. Three of their number -were limping along with the assistance of some -of their comrades, and a fourth was being carried in -a blanket. Whether he was killed or badly wounded -Ned could not tell. He saw them mount and ride -away, and the last object that caught his eye as they -passed out of sight was the stolen horse, prancing -and curveting behind them, his white legs showing -plainly in the moonlight.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_172'>172</span> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER X.<br /> <span class='large'>THE TWO FRIENDS.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_4 c013'>The raiders were gone at last and so was the -stolen horse. When the animal passed out of -sight in the darkness, and the sound of his hoofs on -the hard trail died away in the distance, Ned arose -slowly to his feet, but sat down again in much less -time than he had consumed in getting up. The -intense excitement which had thus far kept up his -strength was over now, and he was too weak to -stand. He had never passed through such an ordeal -before, and it was no wonder that he was terribly -frightened. He wondered how he had lived to see -the end of it.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“But it is an awful mean wind that blows nobody -good,” thought Ned, making another effort to stand -on his feet after he had rested awhile. “This one -has brought good to me in that it has taken off the -stolen horse. I thought I had got an elephant on -my hands, and I am glad he is gone. It takes me -<span class='pageno' id='Page_173'>173</span>out of a scrape very nicely. The Mexicans are the -only ones who suffered by this raid. They didn’t -get their hands on the safe, and four of their number -were shot, which served them just——”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“<em>Carrajo!</em>” exclaimed some one near him, in -muffled tones.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Ned looked up and was almost ready to drop -back into the manger again, when he saw a Mexican -standing in the open part of the shed; but a second -glance reassured him, for it was nobody but the -cook. The man was probably sneaking back to the -house after seeing his friends off, and had approached -so noiselessly that Ned had not heard his footsteps. -“I have learned one thing to-night,” said the boy, -following out the thoughts that were in his mind, -“and that is, that you are a rascal, Mr. Philip.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“What are you doing out here?” demanded the -Mexican, who was so amazed that he could not -speak immediately.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I was treed out here, and couldn’t get into the -house,” replied Ned. “I have been out here ever -since those strangers went away, and I saw all that -passed between you and the raiders. I wouldn’t -give much for you if the settlers should find out -what you have been about to-night.”</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_174'>174</span>When Ned had said this much, he paused and -looked at the man. He was sorry he had spoken -his mind so freely, for if he made Philip angry -there was no telling what might come of it.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“And I wouldn’t give much for you if the settlers -should find out that you stole that horse,” -retorted Philip, after he had said something angry -in Spanish.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I didn’t steal him. I traded my own horse for -him.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Then why didn’t you give him up when the -owner came for him?” asked the Mexican.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Well, he’s gone now,” said Ned, who did not -know how to answer this question, “and the owner is -welcome to him if he can find him. I can tell why -you kept my secret: You knew the raiders were -coming here to-night, and you intended to tell them -about the horse, so that they could steal it. I didn’t -know before that you were a thief, but I have often -told myself that you looked like one.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>The Mexican was on the point of replying, and -had already prefaced the remarks he intended to -make, by a Spanish oath, when the rattling of a -chain and the sudden opening of a door in the -rancho, put a stop to the conversation. Ned at -<span class='pageno' id='Page_175'>175</span>once jumped out of the manger and started toward -the house, and the Mexican, instead of hiding himself, -as the boy thought he would, followed close -behind him.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Who’s that?” demanded the herdsman, who -had opened the door; and Ned saw his revolver -glisten in the moonlight, as the weapon was raised -and pointed straight at his head.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Don’t shoot!” he cried, quickly.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Wal, I’ll be dog-goned!” exclaimed the herdsman. -“Where have you two been? We have -been looking all over the house for you, and we -began to believe that the raiders had carried you -off with them!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Ned said just enough in reply to excite the man’s -astonishment, but not enough to explain what had -happened, and made his way toward his father’s -room, still followed by the cook. The latter seemed -to say by his actions, that he intended to hear all -Ned had to tell his father, and that if the boy knew -when he was well off, he wouldn’t tell too much. -Ned perfectly understood this silent threat, and -during the interview with his father, whom he -found in his office, almost prostrated by excitement -and fear, was careful to say nothing at which Philip -<span class='pageno' id='Page_176'>176</span>could take offence. He said that, being unable to -sleep, he had gone out into the shed and stayed -there, with his horse for company; that the raiders -had appeared so suddenly that he could not reach -the house without running the risk of being captured -or shot by them; that his horse had called to -them, and that he had been obliged to turn the animal -loose, for fear that he would lead the raiders to -his place of concealment; and that he had lain -there in the manger, an unwilling witness to the -first (and he sincerely hoped it would be the last) -fight he had ever seen carried on with firearms.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I can’t begin to tell you what a time I had out -there!” said he, in conclusion. “I never had bullets -come so close to me before!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Probably not,” said his father. “Where were -you all the while, Philip?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I was under the porch, sir,” was the answer; -and Ned, who would have been glad to expose the -villain then and there, did not contradict the statement. -“I didn’t have time to get into the house, -so I concealed myself.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I could not imagine how that door came to be -open,” said Uncle John, with something like a sigh -of relief, “for I took particular pains to lock and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_177'>177</span>bolt it myself. I was almost afraid that there was -a traitor among us, and some of the herdsmen -thought so, too; but this explains everything to my -satisfaction. Philip went out after I locked the -door, and before he came back the raiders arrived, -found the door open and thought they would walk -in and surprise us. But Jake surprised them, I -guess! He happened to be awake, and that was all -that saved us.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Was there anybody hurt?” asked Ned.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Not on our side, I am glad to say. We escaped -without the least damage.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>After the various exciting incidents connected -with the events of the night had been talked over, -the herdsmen, who had followed the boy into the -office, to listen to his story, went out one by one, -and finally Ned and the Mexican followed. The -hall through which they passed was still filled with -smoke; the walls and doors were dotted here and -there with bullet-marks, and the floor was littered -with weapons, sombreros and various other articles, -which the raiders had left behind them in their hurried -flight. The sight of these things made Ned -tremble again. The Mexican accompanied him as -far as the door of his own room, and when the latter -<span class='pageno' id='Page_178'>178</span>was about to slam the door in his face, the man gave -him a look and a nod that were full of meaning.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“That fellow means to make trouble for me, -sooner or later,” said the boy to himself, after he -had lighted his lamp and securely fastened his door. -“I can see it in his eye. I wish I had asked father -to discharge him long ago, for I never did like him; -but if I have him sent away now, he will spread it -among the men that I had that stolen horse in my -possession and wouldn’t give him up. If that story -ever gets wind in the settlement, I don’t know what -will become of me.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Ned threw himself upon a sofa—he was still so -very nervous and frightened that he dared not undress -and go to bed—and thought over the exciting -adventures which had been crowded into the last -few hours, and racked his brain in the vain hope of -finding some way out of the difficulties he had got -into. Two things were plain to him: Philip was -there in the rancho for no good purpose, and he did -not intend to expose Ned, unless the latter said -something to direct suspicion toward himself. It -was humiliating, to say the least, to have a servant -in the house who could get him into serious trouble -at any time he chose to open his mouth; but Ned -<span class='pageno' id='Page_179'>179</span>could think of no way to get rid of him, and there -was no one to whom he could go for advice. He -must keep his own counsel until Gus Robbins -arrived. Ned knew that his friend had been in -many a scrape himself; that it was a very serious -difficulty indeed out of which he could not work his -way, and perhaps Gus could help him. In the -meantime, he resolved he would have as little to do -with the Mexican as possible. He would not speak -to him, or even look at him, if he could help it, and -at the same time he would show him by his actions -that he was not afraid of him.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Having made up his mind to this Ned rearranged -his pillow and tried to go to sleep; but his brain -was too active and his senses too keenly alive to -every external impression. If he kept his eyes open -he saw the raiders as plainly as he could have seen -them if they had been there in his room; and if he -closed his eyes to shut them out from view he distinctly -heard their yells, the reports of their revolvers -and carbines, and could feel the sofa vibrate -under his hand just as the planks which formed the -manger had vibrated when the bullets passed through -them. Once or twice he started up in great alarm, -believing that he heard the porch creak just as it did -<span class='pageno' id='Page_180'>180</span>when he saw the raiders step upon it. At last the -creaking sounded in the hall; and so positive was -Ned that the thieves had returned and the Mexican -cook had let them into the house again that he took -his rifle out of the wardrobe which served him for a -closet, put a cartridge into it and sat down on the -sofa, holding the weapon in readiness to send a ball -through the door the instant a hand was laid upon -the latch.</p> - -<p class='c000'>In this way Ned passed the night. It was a long -and dreary one to him, but morning came at last, -and then Ned mustered up courage enough to draw -the curtains and throw open the shutters. He felt -perfectly safe now, and being overcome with weariness -he sunk back upon the sofa and fell into a -sound sleep. He slept until almost dinner-time, and -felt weak and exhausted when he got up. To his -great surprise no one, except his father, had anything -to say about the fight. The servants, who -were all old frontiersmen (there were no women -about the house), had passed through so many similar -scenes that they had became accustomed to them, -and seemed to think that they were hardly worth -talking about. He found his father in the office, and -his first words were:</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_181'>181</span>“Well, Ned, the raiders did us some damage, -after all. After we drove them away from here they -went out and caught Edwards napping, and we are -ten thousand dollars poorer than we were yesterday!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Edwards was one of the herdsmen. His cattle, -numbering over a thousand, had been brought in a -few days before for the inspection of a drover who -had purchased half the herd. These the drover had -taken to Palos, and Mose, another herdsman in -Uncle John’s employ, had been sent along to assist -him. Edwards ought to have been well out of the -way with the rest of the herd by this time, but he -had loitered on the road in order to visit some of his -friends, and the thieves had taken him off his guard.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I found Edwards here when I awoke this morning,” -added Uncle John.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Where is he now?” asked Ned. “I should -like to hear him tell his story.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“O, he had no story to tell. He went into camp -a few miles from here, and early this morning the -raiders surrounded his stock and drove it off. -Edwards saved himself by jumping on a horse without -saddle or bridle, and came down to tell me about -it. I have told him where our other herds are, and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_182'>182</span>sent him out to see if they are safe. Ten thousand -dollars is a large sum to lose in one night.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Ned made no reply. Indeed, he did not seem to -take the least interest in the matter. The money -was no loss to him, but it came out of the pockets -of one who could lose three times that amount every -year and still have enough left to support Uncle -John and his graceless son in better style than they -had ever been able to support themselves.</p> - -<p class='c000'>While Ned was eating the breakfast that Philip -had kept warm for him, he talked with his father -about the raiders and discussed Gus Robbins’s -chances for meeting Mose at Palos. Ned had given -the herdsman a description of his expected guest, -and had also taken it upon himself to order him to -stay in Palos at least a week and wait for Gus. He -hoped that Gus would be on his way to the rancho -in company with some of the neighbors long before -Mose reached Palos with his cattle, and it was this -hope that took him to the top of that swell every day. -It did not take him there on this particular morning, -however, for he knew now by experience that -their troublesome neighbors had a way of appearing -when they were least expected; and, although he -had never heard that a band of raiders were ever -<span class='pageno' id='Page_183'>183</span>seen in broad daylight, he thought it best to remain -within hailing distance of the rancho.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Ned’s first care, after he had eaten his breakfast, -was to dispose of the gold-mounted saddle and bridle -which had come into his possession the day before, -and which were now hanging up in the shed ready -at any moment to bear testimony against him. -Fortunately for him no one had had occasion to -go to the shed that morning, and consequently the -only one who knew they were there was the Mexican -cook.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Ned walked out on the porch, and after making -sure that there was no one in sight to observe his -movements, he darted into the shed and as quickly -darted out again with the saddle and bridle thrown -over his shoulders. He ran to the rear of the shed, -and there found a pile of lumber which had been -there since he came to the ranche, and which he -had never known to be disturbed. He pulled the -lumber all down and at the end of a quarter of an -hour had piled it up again over the saddle and -bridle, arranging the shorter boards on the ends of -the pile so that nothing could be seen.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“There!” said he, with a sigh of satisfaction. “I -feel a great deal better. Those things can stay there -<span class='pageno' id='Page_184'>184</span>until I find time to put them in a safer place. The -next thing is to select a horse. Father told me that -I could take my pick of the lot.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>There were a score or more of horses in the corral -that had been broken to the saddle. They were -all fine animals, too, and it was a matter of some -difficulty for Ned to make up his mind which one he -wanted. He had grown very particular during the -last two days. Having enjoyed the luxury of a ride -on Silk Stocking’s back, he knew what a good saddle -horse was, and he was hard to suit. He wanted one -that looked and carried himself exactly like the stolen -horse, and he finally decided that a small sorrel nag -with light mane and tail and one white foot approached -nearer to the mark than any other horse -in the corral. Ned rode him up and down the trail -in front of the house for an hour or two, and looked -longingly toward the solitary oak on the summit of -the swell, under whose friendly branches he had -dreamed away so many hours while waiting for his -friend, Gus Robbins. But the fear of the raiders -kept him at home, and a week passed away before -he could gather courage enough to venture out of -sight of the house.</p> - -<p class='c000'>On the morning of the eighth day after the raid, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_185'>185</span>one of the herdsmen told Ned that the band of -Hangers who had pursued the thieves in the hope -of overtaking them and recovering the stolen stock, -had returned unsuccessful, the Mexicans having -made good their escape across the river, taking the -cattle with them. If that was the case, travelling -was safe, and Ned was only too glad to take his -accustomed gallop again. Of course breakfast was -late that morning and everything bothered—it -always does when one is in a hurry; but the horse -was brought to the porch at last, and Ned hastened -into the house after his rifle and silver-mounted -riding-whip. These ornaments having been secured, -he went into the kitchen after the lunch which he -had ordered Philip to prepare for him, and while he -was putting it into his pocket, he heard the clatter -of a horse’s hoofs in the yard, and voices in conversation. -He ran out on the porch, and found his -father talking earnestly to a roughly-dressed man, -who, upon closer examination proved to be Zeke, -George’s herdsman. Uncle John’s face wore an -expression of interest, while Zeke’s was gloomy -enough. He looked and acted like a man who had -met with some great misfortune.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I don’t know whar he is, more’n the man in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_186'>186</span>the moon,” Zeke was saying when Ned came out. -“I ‘sposed, in course, that I should find him here.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Well, he isn’t here, and we haven’t seen him -since the day he left with the supplies,” said Uncle -John. “Can’t you tell me just what has happened? -I may be able to do something.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Thar ain’t much of anything to tell, an’ ye -can’t do nothing, either,” replied Zeke. “He brung -them supplies to my camp all right, an’ a few nights -arterwards the Greasers dropped down on us an’ run -off the last hoof we had to bless ourselves with, doggone -‘em!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Ned caught his breath, and turned his head -quickly away, for fear that the herdsman, who just -then happened to be looking his way, might see the -expression of delight and triumph that came upon it.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“That’s the best news I ever heard,” thought he. -“The Greasers have cleaned George out at last. -Serves him right.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“But we got ‘em all back again, me an’ the settlers -did,” continued Zeke.</p> - -<p class='c000'>The exultant smile faded from Ned’s face as -quickly as it had appeared. “That’s the worst -news I ever heard,” said he to himself. “George -often declares that he is the luckiest boy in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_187'>187</span>Texas, and I believe he is. I know I am the -unluckiest.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“You got them all back!” exclaimed Uncle -John. “I am very glad to hear it.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Yes, we did. The Greasers didn’t get away -with nary horn. But I hain’t seed nor heared -nothing of George since the night they jumped -down on us. I thought mebbe he’d got a trifle -outer his reckonin’ an’ come hum to take a fresh -start; so I brung the critters nigher in to wait fur -him. But seein’ as how he ain’t here—good-by!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>As Zeke said this, he wheeled his horse and rode -away at a full gallop, paying no attention to the -entreaties and commands to come back that Uncle -John shouted after him. He was out of hearing in -a moment more, and then the father and son turned -and looked at each other.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“What is the meaning of all this, anyhow?” -asked Ned, who had not been able to gain a very -clear idea of the state of affairs.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“You know as much about it as I do,” answered -his father. “George hasn’t been seen since the -night his herd was stampeded. That’s all.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“What are you going to do?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I’m going to send a man to make inquiries -<span class='pageno' id='Page_188'>188</span>among the neighbors. That’s all I can do; for I -don’t know where to look for him. He may have -been killed or carried off by the raiders.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Uncle John walked into the house with great -deliberation, put down the newspaper he had held -in his hand during his conversation with Zeke, and -then came out and moved slowly toward the corral -where one of the herdsmen was at work.</p> - -<p class='c000'>After watching him for a few minutes Ned struck -up a lively whistle, mounted his horse and rode -away. He did not act much like a boy who had -just heard that his cousin had been missing for -days, and might be a captive in the hands of the -Mexicans. Suppose he was in George’s place! -Would his father be so very deliberate in his movements, -and would he be satisfied with sending -jut a single man to make inquiries among the -neighbors?</p> - -<p class='c000'>Ned seemed to be in the best of spirits. He -kept his horse in a full gallop, until he reached the -top of the swell, and there he reined him in very -suddenly, for he caught sight of two horsemen on -the other side. Shading his eyes with his hand, he -gazed earnestly at them for a few minutes, and then -started down the swell to meet them. He recognised -<span class='pageno' id='Page_189'>189</span>one of them as the herdsman who had been -sent to assist the drover in driving down the cattle -he had purchased of Uncle John, and something -told him that his companion could be none other -than the long-expected Gus Robbins. We know -that it was Gus, and we have already described the -meeting that took place between the two boys. We -know, too, that Mose rode on to the rancho, to -report his arrival to his employer, and that the boys -followed him leisurely, talking every step of the way.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I say, Ned,” said Gus, suddenly, “you live in -an awful lonesome place, don’t you?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Yes,” replied Ned; “it is very lonely, and -that is one reason why I wanted you to come down -here.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“There is plenty of hunting, I suppose,” continued -Gus; “but that is something I don’t know -much about. I can handle a yard-stick better than -I can handle a gun. Is there any fishing, or are -there any good fellows to run with?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I haven’t heard of anybody going fishing since -I have been here; and as for the fellows, I don’t -know a boy in the neighborhood.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Why, what in the world do you do to pass the -time away?”</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_190'>190</span>“I don’t do anything. I just keep still and let -it pass itself away.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“That’s a jolly way to live!” said Gus. “It’s -better than standing behind a counter all day, handling -over goods for people who don’t want anything, -and who, after they have tired you out, spend five -cents for a spool of thread, and think they have -paid you for the trouble they have caused you. -But, Ned, we can’t get into any scrapes here, can -we?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Can’t we, though!” exclaimed Ned. “I know -a story worth two of that. Why, boy, I am in a -worse scrape to-day than you ever dreamed of, and -I got into it just as easy! It was no trouble at -all.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“You have been talking too much,” said Gus, -who remembered that his friend had more than -once got himself into serious trouble by the too -free use of his tongue.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“No, I haven’t,” said Ned, quickly. “I have -been talking too little; that’s the trouble. But it -is a long story, and I must take a spare half hour -in which to tell it to you; then I want you to give -me your advice, for I don’t know what to do.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I guess I can help you, if anybody can. I -<span class='pageno' id='Page_191'>191</span>have helped you out of more than one close corner, -haven’t I? Do you remember how we used to go -about Foxboro’ of nights, changing gates and signs, -and stretching ropes across the walk to trip the people -who passed by?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I haven’t forgotten. Are you up to such -things now?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Yes, or anything else that has fun in it!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“All right. Some day, when you are in just -the right humor for it, I’ll tell you how you can get -yourself into as lively a mess as you ever heard -of—something that will set the whole settlement in -a blaze.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I’m your man,” said Gus, readily. “If one is -going to raise a row, let him raise a big one, while -he is about it. That’s what I say!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>The five miles that lay between the swell and the -rancho had never seemed so short to Ned as they -did that day. He and Gus had so much to talk -about that they took no note of time, and their ride -was ended almost before they knew it. When they -reached the rancho, they found Uncle John standing -on the porch, waiting for them.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_192'>192</span> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER XI.<br /> <span class='large'>GUS HEARS FROM HOME.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_4 c013'>Gus spent the two days following his arrival at -the rancho in resting; and even at the end of -that time he had not fully recovered from the effects -of his long, hard ride on horseback. He and Ned -passed the time in roaming about the house and -grounds, and at every turn Gus found something to -interest him. The rancho and everything about it, -Uncle John’s manner of living, the appearance, customs -and language of the men he met every day—all -these were new to Gus, who could have enjoyed -himself hugely now if it had not been for two disagreeable -reflections which constantly intruded upon -him in spite of all he could do to keep them out of -his mind. There were cattle-thieves in that country -who made a practice of shooting everybody who -came in their way, and they had been in that very -house not a great while ago. They might come -again at any moment, and there might be another -<span class='pageno' id='Page_193'>193</span>fight—and Gus did not like to think of that. He -would have been safer in his father’s store than he -was in that country, but would he ever be permitted -to return to that store after what he had done? On -the whole he was sorry that he had come to Texas, -and Ned was almost sorry that he had invited him, -for Gus didn’t act and talk like the boy he had -known in Foxboro’. He was not so jolly and full -of life as he used to be.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Mr. Ackerman never asked the visitor if he had -left home with his father’s full and free consent. -He, no doubt, took it for granted that Gus had -talked the matter over with Mr. Robbins, and so -said nothing about it. This relieved Ned of a burden -of anxiety, and another thing that pleased him -was the fact that Gus never asked any questions concerning -the hunting adventure which Ned had so -graphically described in his first letter.</p> - -<p class='c000'>During these two days nothing was heard of the -missing George. The herdsman who had been sent -out to make inquiries among the neighbors brought -back the information that he had not been able to find -any traces of him, and that seemed to settle the matter, -so far as Uncle John and Ned were concerned. -The two boys seldom spoke of him. They had more -<span class='pageno' id='Page_194'>194</span>important matters to occupy their attention. They -talked over old times to their hearts’ content, and -Ned told Gus everything of interest that had happened -to him since he came to Texas. The story -of the stolen horse and the description of Philip’s -strange conduct on the night of the fight were so -incredible that Gus wouldn’t believe a word until he -had seen the bullet holes in the manger and the -lumber pile behind the shed had been torn down so -that he could see the gold-mounted saddle and bridle. -Then he looked bewildered, and, contrary to Ned’s -expectation, could suggest nothing more than he had -already thought of himself.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“You ought to have given the horse up when the -owner came for him,” said he. “You would have -made something handsome by it probably.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I know that as well as you do,” replied Ned. -“But seeing I didn’t do it, how am I going to get -myself out of the scrape?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I don’t see that you are in any scrape. How -far does the man who owns the horse live from -here?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Fifty or sixty miles.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Did you ever see him before that night?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I never did.”</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_195'>195</span>“Well, comfort yourself with the thought that -you may never see him again. There’s nothing to -bring him back here.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“O, yes there is. Didn’t I tell you that he and -his companion rode off two of father’s horses? Of -course they must bring them back. It isn’t a safe -piece of business in this country, I tell you, for a -man to keep a horse that doesn’t belong to him. -The people won’t allow it.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“And you knew this all the while, and yet held -fast to that stolen horse!” said Gus.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Now, look here,” exclaimed Ned, angrily, “I -know that I was a blockhead. I was bound to -keep the horse, and didn’t stop to think of the consequences. -When I had a chance to give him up I -did not dare do it, for fear that the owner would -do something to me before I could explain matters -to him.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Well, the horse is gone now, and you are all -right. If you are afraid to meet those men, keep -your eyes open and dig out when they come back -with your father’s horses.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“But suppose that while I am gone Philip should -take it into his head to tell them that I had the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_196'>196</span>horse in my possession when they were here before, -and wouldn’t give him up?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“If he does that, tell your father that he was the -one who let the raiders into the house.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Now, what earthly good would that do me? -Would it get me out of the scrape?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“No; but you would have the satisfaction of -knowing that you had repaid Philip by getting him -into just as much trouble as he got you into.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“But that isn’t what I want. I want to clear -myself, and I don’t know how to do it.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I don’t know either. You’ll have to trust to luck.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I’d rather trust to anything else in the world. -Luck never served me a good turn yet.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“You said your father discharged the old cook -because you asked him, didn’t you? Very well; -ask him to discharge Philip. You had better get -him away from here as soon as you can. I judge -from what you say, that he had made up his mind -to have that safe in your father’s office, and the first -thing you know he’ll bring men enough here to take -it. He’s not a safe person to have about.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Ned was very well aware of that fact, but still he -could see no way of getting rid of him without rendering -himself liable to exposure, and neither could -<span class='pageno' id='Page_197'>197</span>Gus. As often as they discussed the matter, they -arrived at this conclusion: that Philip was there in -the rancho; that he meant to stay there; and that -Ned could not have him discharged without getting -himself into serious trouble. One would suppose, -that while this state of affairs continued, there -would be no such thing as pleasure for Ned. He -never did see a moment’s peace while he was awake, -but those around him did not know it. He seemed -to be enjoying himself to the fullest extent.</p> - -<p class='c000'>On the third day, Gus began to feel a little more -like himself, and when Ned proposed a short gallop -to get up an appetite for dinner, the visitor did not -object. The first thing was to select a gentle horse -for his use; for the one he had ridden from Palos -was a borrowed animal, and must be returned in -good order, at the very first opportunity. Ned -made the selection for him, and then went with him -into the store-room to pick out a saddle and bridle. -As they came out into the hall, a horseman drew up -beside the porch long enough to throw a letter at -them, after which he turned about and galloped -back in the direction from which he had come. -This was the only way in which the neighboring -ranchemen and farmers would have anything to do -<span class='pageno' id='Page_198'>198</span>with Uncle John. They inquired for his mail when -they went to Palos, and brought it to him, if there -chanced to be any, but they did it simply as an act -of courtesy, just as they had banded together and -pursued the raiders in the hope of recovering the -stock they had stolen from him. They did not ask -Uncle John to join them in the pursuit, and when -they brought him his mail they never visited with -him or stopped to hold conversation, as they did -with their other neighbors.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Gus picked up the letter and handed it to Ned, -who, after glancing at the name on the envelope -passed it back to his companion. The letter was -addressed to him in care of Uncle John. The visitor’s -face grew red and pale by turns, as he looked -at his father’s well-known writing.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Sam Holmes has blowed the whole business!” -he exclaimed, as soon as he could speak.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Well, you expected it, didn’t you?” returned -Ned. “What do you care for Sam Holmes now? -You are out of his reach and your father’s too. -Why don’t you read the letter?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Gus didn’t want to read it—that was the reason. -It took him by surprise, for it was something he did -not expect to receive. In accordance with Ned’s -<span class='pageno' id='Page_199'>199</span>suggestion, however, he tore open the envelope, and -ran his eye hastily over the few lines the letter contained.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Well, I call that pretty cool!” he exclaimed.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Any objections to telling what they say?” -asked Ned.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“None whatever. Read it for yourself, and read -it aloud, so that I may be sure I have made no -mistake.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Ned took the letter and read as follows:—</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<p class='c000'>“<span class='sc'>My Dear Boy</span>:—I learn that you have gone -to Texas, to visit Ned Ackerman. I am sorry you -thought it best to leave us without saying good-by, -for if we had known that you were resolved to go, -we should have given you all the aid in our power. -I am sorry, too, that you went when you did, for -we had anticipated much pleasure in your company -during our summer’s visit to the trout streams of -the Adirondacks. If you think you would like to -come home when your visit is ended, I will send you -the necessary funds. I do not suppose Mr. Ackerman -will care to pay your expenses both ways. -Your mother and I would be glad to hear from you -as often as you may feel in the humor to write. I -have paid all your debts.”</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_200'>200</span>Ned was very much astonished, and went over -the letter twice, to make sure that he had read it -aright.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“What do you think of it?” demanded Gus.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“It <em>is</em> cool, that’s a fact,” answered Ned, who -did not know what else to say; “very cool!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“It’s—it’s impudent!” exclaimed Gus, angrily; -“downright insulting! Now, isn’t he a pretty -father for a fellow to have!” he added, snatching -the letter from Ned’s hand. “Just listen to this: -‘If we had known that you were resolved to go, we -should have given you all the aid in our power;’ -and ‘<em>if</em> you think you would like to come home -when your visit is ended!’ He might as well say -that if I don’t want to return, I can stay away and -welcome!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“It seems that the rest of them are going to the -Adirondacks,” said Ned. “You know you always -wanted to go there.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“That’s just what provokes me!” cried Gus, -thrashing his boots angrily with his riding-whip, -as he walked up and down the porch. “Of course, -I always wanted to go there. I have tried more -than once to induce father to consent, but he -wouldn’t do it. He treated me like a dog and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_201'>201</span>drove me away from home, and now he coolly -informs me that he’s going trout-fishing this summer! -I hope he’ll catch a whale, and that the -whale will smash his old boat into kindling-wood, -and tumble him out into the water!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>This remark showed Gus to be possessed of so -mean and paltry a spirit, and the wish expressed in -it was so perfectly ridiculous, that Ned burst into a -loud laugh. He could not help it. Gus looked -sharply at him for a moment, and continued his -walk up and down the porch, whipping his boots at -every step. He was greatly amazed, as every -young fellow is, when he learns for the first time -that he is not an absolute necessity, and that the -world will wag just as well without him as it will -with him. Gus thought, of course, that his parents -were very much distressed over what he had done, -and that the letter was written to urge him to -return at once and relieve their suspense; but, -instead of that, his father seemed to take the matter -very coolly, and did not even give up his contemplated -trip to the mountains, because Gus was not -there to take part in it.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I’ll never go back!” declared the boy, flourishing -his whip in the air. “I’ll stay here until you -<span class='pageno' id='Page_202'>202</span>get tired of keeping me, and then I’ll go to work at -something—I don’t care what it is—so long as I -don’t have to sell dry-goods!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I wish that letter had been lost on the way,” -said Ned, “for it has taken all the spirit out of you. -You were bright and lively this morning, and were -beginning to act like the Gus Robbins I used to -know in Foxboro’.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I’m the same fellow now!” said Gus, tearing -the letter into the smallest possible fragments, and -throwing them over the railing for the wind to -carry away. “Let’s go somewhere and do something!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>The boys mounted their horses, which were -standing, saddled and bridled, at the foot of the -stairs, and rode away; but the gloom which had -been thrown over their spirits went with them, and -the letter was the only thing they could talk about. -Gus could not forget that trouting excursion to the -Adirondacks. He had longed and hoped for that as -he had never longed and hoped for anything else, -and it was very provoking to know that it was to -take place now, after he had put it out of his power -to enjoy it. He would have done a year’s hard -work in the store and given up his Texas scheme -<span class='pageno' id='Page_203'>203</span>for it very gladly. He didn’t care for horses, guns -or dogs; but he was an enthusiastic fisherman, and -nothing suited him better than to get away by himself, -and wander up and down the banks of some -retired stream, in which the pools were deep and -the speckled beauties abundant. But all his chances -for such sport were gone now—lost, too, by a deliberate -act of his own—and Gus felt angry at himself -when he thought about it.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Then don’t think about it at all,” said Ned, as -Gus gave utterance to the thoughts that were passing -through his mind. “Think about something -more agreeable. Give up all idea of ever going -back to Foxboro’!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“O, I have given it up!” said Gus. “But it -provokes me almost beyond measure when I -think——”</p> - -<p class='c000'>He finished the sentence by shaking his riding-whip -in the air.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“That they can be happy and lay plans for their -amusement when you are not there; eh, Gus?” -said Ned. “I know right where the shoe pinches. -Stay here, and we’ll make money by raising wheat. -Do you see that field over there? That’s mine!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I saw it some time ago,” answered Gus, “but I -<span class='pageno' id='Page_204'>204</span>thought it was a pasture that somebody had fenced -in. I see some cattle in it.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“In my wheat field!” cried Ned, with great indignation. -“Where? So do I!” he added, after he -had run his eye along the fence.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Ned put his horse into a gallop and rode toward -the field at the top of his speed, his companion following -closely behind. As they drew nearer they -saw that there was a wide gap in the fence, that the -field looked as though somebody’s cattle had used it -regularly for a pasture, and that some of the animals -that had caused the mischief were in the enclosure -now. As they drew rein at the gap and looked over -the desolated field the cattle shook their heads as if -they were indignant at the interruption, and went -off toward the opposite fence in a gallop.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“What wild-looking fellows!” exclaimed Gus. -“I should think you would be afraid to go near -them.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“They are wild, too,” replied Ned. “They’d -just as soon go for us as not if we were on foot, but -they’ll not trouble us so long as we are in the saddle. -But just look at this wheat! It’s ruined, isn’t it?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I am no farmer,” returned his companion.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“It doesn’t need a farmer to tell whether or -<span class='pageno' id='Page_205'>205</span>not there is any wheat here, does it?” cried Ned -angrily.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Can’t you make the man who owns the cattle -pay damages?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“No; you can’t collect a cent. That thing has -been tried.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Then shoot the cattle!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I’d do it in a minute if I wasn’t afraid. You -remember the story of that neighborhood row I told -you last night, don’t you?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Yes; and if I were in your place I’d raise -another. There’s nobody in sight, and how is the -owner of the cattle going to know who did the -shooting? Knock one of ‘em over! I dare you -to do it!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Ned hesitated. He had talked bravely enough, -when in the presence of his cousin, about doing this -very thing, but since that time he had seen a fight, -had heard the reports of firearms and the yells of -excited and angry men, and thought he had some -faint conception of the scenes that had been enacted -during that neighborhood row, and which would, no -doubt, be repeated if another should arise. But -here was his fine field of wheat so nearly destroyed -that it would not pay for the harvesting; within -<span class='pageno' id='Page_206'>206</span>easy rifle shot of him were some of the cattle which -had done the mischief and which probably belonged -to one of the neighbors who wouldn’t visit with him -or his father because they wore good clothes and -claimed to be gentlemen; and there was no one in -sight.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Knock one of them over,” repeated Gus, “and -perhaps it will teach their owner to keep his stock -out of the way of your field, the next time you plant -wheat in it. Hand me your gun, and I’ll show you -that I am Gus Robbins yet, and not afraid to do -anything.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>The boy leaned forward in his saddle as he said -this, and taking the rifle out of his friend’s grasp, -rode toward the cattle (there were probably a dozen -of them in all) which were dashing along the fence -and trampling down the wheat that had escaped -destruction during their former raids. As Gus -approached them, they charged in a body in the -direction of the gap; but instead of going through -it they ran on by, kicking up their heels and shaking -their heads as if they enjoyed the sport. While -Ned galloped through the field to head them off, -Gus dismounted, and taking his stand near the gap, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_207'>207</span>cocked the rifle in readiness to shoot one of the herd -the next time they went by.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Ned succeeded in turning the cattle after a short -race, and, as before, they took no notice of the gap, -but dashed by it and started for another gallop -around the field. At that moment the rifle cracked, -and one of the finest steers in the herd threw his -head and tail higher in the air, galloped faster for a -short distance, then sank to his knees and rolled -over on his side. By the merest chance, Gus had -sent a bullet smaller than a buckshot into some vital -part, and there was one less steer in somebody’s -herd to break down fences and destroy wheat crops.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“What do you think of that?” cried Gus, in -great glee.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“It was a splendid shot,” replied Ned, who just -then rode up and extended his hand for the rifle. -“You did it, didn’t you? Since we have begun the -work, we’ll do it up in shape. If they won’t go out -they can stay in; but they’ll stay dead!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>The horse that Gus rode, having been broken to -stand fire, was not at all alarmed by the report of -the rifle. He allowed the boy to catch and mount -him again, and by the time he was fairly in the -saddle, Ned had placed a fresh cartridge in his rifle. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_208'>208</span>“You head them off and drive them back,” said he, -“and I’ll wait here at the gap to salute them as -they go by.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>In accordance with this request Gus rode off, and -in a few minutes the herd came dashing along the -fence again. They must have been growing tired -of the sport by this time, for they headed straight -for the gap, and all got through; but one of them -carried a bullet somewhere in his body, the effects -of which very soon became apparent. The rest of -the herd began to leave him behind, and when he -followed them over a ridge, which lay about a -quarter of a mile from the field, he was staggering -about as if he could scarcely keep his feet.</p> - -<p class='c000'>While the work of driving the cattle out of the -field was in progress, a horseman appeared on the -ridge of which we have spoken, riding slowly along, -with his eyes fastened on the ground, as if he were -following a trail. Just as he reached the top, he -heard the report of a rifle, and looked up to discover -that the cattle of which he was in search, were running -about a wheat field, and that two persons were -engaged in shooting them down. One of the cattle -fell just as he raised his eyes. When he saw this, -he placed his hand on one of the revolvers he carried -<span class='pageno' id='Page_209'>209</span>in his belt, and seemed on the point of dashing -forward to take satisfaction for the loss he had sustained; -but he evidently thought better of it a -moment later, for he backed his horse down the -swell until nothing but his own head could be seen -over it, and there he sat and saw all that Ned and -Gus did. When the wounded steer came over the -swell, staggering from the effects of the bullet Ned -had shot into him, the man shook his clenched hand -in the direction of the wheat field, muttered something -to himself, and galloped off in pursuit of the -uninjured cattle, leaving the wounded one to take -care of himself.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“There!” exclaimed Ned, when the laggard of -the drove had disappeared over the swell, “it’s done, -and I am glad of it. If the owner of those cattle -finds out that we did it and has anything to say -about it, I shall tell him that this is my land—it -may be mine some day, you know, and before long, -too—and that no cattle except my own have any -right on it.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I wish that steer had got over the fence before -he died<a id='t209'></a>,” said Gus.</p> - -<p class='c000'>The boys seemed to be highly elated over what -they had done. They had performed the same feat -<span class='pageno' id='Page_210'>210</span>which, not so very many months ago, had set the -whole settlement together by the ears, and no one -was the wiser for it. Of course some rancheman -would some day find out that one of his fattest steers -had been killed and another badly wounded, but how -was he going to find out who did the shooting? -Ned fully expected that there would be trouble -about it; that there would be threats and inquiries -made, and that he and Gus, being safe from discovery, -would have many a hearty laugh in secret -over the storm they had raised.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Remember one thing,” said he. “No matter -what is said or done, we don’t know anything about -it. They can’t crowd us into a corner tight enough -to make us own up. That would only make matters -worse.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Gus readily agreed to this, and the boys shook -hands on it. In order to make assurance doubly -sure they rode around the rancho and approached -it, just at dark, from a direction opposite to that -they had taken when they rode away from it in the -morning. When the events of the afternoon became -known nobody could fasten the guilt upon them by -saying that they had been seen coming from the -direction of the wheat field. They found supper -<span class='pageno' id='Page_211'>211</span>waiting for them, and when they had eaten it they -went into the office to spend the evening in reading -and conversation.</p> - -<p class='c000'>While they were thus engaged inside the house, a -proceeding which looks strange at the first glance, -but which will be plain enough when all the circumstances -connected with it are known, was going on -outside of it. A horseman, who was riding rapidly -along the road toward the rancho, turned off just -before he reached it, and made his way to the corral -that was located a short distance to the right of the -shed in which Ned had taken refuge on the night -of the fight. He stopped in front of the gate and -uttered an exclamation of disappointment when he -found that it was secured by a heavy padlock. -After looking about him for a moment, as if he -were turning some problem over in his mind, he -dismounted, pulled the bridle over his horse’s head -and hung it upon the horn of the saddle; whereupon -the animal turned and galloped toward a -watering-trough a short distance away, where he -was joined by a small, dark-colored mule which had -followed the horseman down the trail. The horseman -himself moved toward the house, pausing every -now and then to listen and reconnoiter the ground -<span class='pageno' id='Page_212'>212</span>before him, and presently reached the steps leading -to the porch. These he mounted with cautious -tread, and was about to place his hand upon the -door when it was suddenly opened from the inside, -a flood of light streamed out into the darkness, and -the horseman was confronted by a stalwart herdsman -who started back in surprise at the sight of -him.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Arresting by a hasty gesture the cry of amazement -that arose to the herdsman’s lips, the visitor -stepped into the hall, and, closing the door behind -him, uttered a few short, quick sentences in a low -tone of voice which the other received with subdued -ejaculations of wonder. When he ceased speaking -the herdsman hastened away, and the visitor, who -seemed to be perfectly familiar with the internal -arrangements of the house, moved quickly along the -hall, turning several corners, and finally opening -a door which gave entrance into Mr. Ackerman’s -office.</p> - -<p class='c000'>There was a happy party gathered in that office, -if one might judge by the ringing peal of laughter -which echoed through the hall, when the door was -opened; but it was quickly checked at the sight of -the boy who entered as though he had a perfect -<span class='pageno' id='Page_213'>213</span>right to be there, and whose appearance was so sudden -and unexpected that it brought two of the three -persons in the room to their feet in an instant.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Why, George!” they both cried in a breath—and -a quick ear would have discovered that there -was more surprise than cordiality in their tones—“Is -this you? Where in the world have you been -so long? We have been worried to death about -you!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Yes it is I,” answered George Ackerman, for he -it was. “I have come back safe and sound, and -that is all I can say to you now about myself. I -want to talk to you about yourselves, and especially -to you Ned. By the way, I suppose this is the -friend from Foxboro’ whom you have so long been -expecting.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Ned replied that it was, but he forgot to introduce -the two boys to each other, and so did Uncle John. -There was something about George that made them -forget it. When they came to look at him they saw -that he was very much excited, and that his face -wore an expression they had never seen there before. -They could not tell whether he was frightened or -troubled.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Why, George!” exclaimed Uncle John, in some -<span class='pageno' id='Page_214'>214</span>alarm. “What is the matter? Any bad news? -Are the Indians or Mexicans——”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Yes, I have bad news,” interrupted George, -almost impatiently, “and but little time to tell it -in. Ned, you and your friend must pack up and -leave this rancho, and this county, too, without the -loss of an hour’s time. You are in danger, and I -have placed myself in danger by coming here to tell -you of it!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>The boy’s words produced the utmost surprise -and consternation among those who listened to them.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_215'>215</span> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER XII.<br /> <span class='large'>A NARROW ESCAPE.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_4 c013'>George found his herdsman eager for news -from the settlement, as he always was, but he -had nothing to tell him that was very interesting. -He could have given him some information that -would have made him open his eyes and put him in -fighting humor at once; but he thought it best to -avoid that subject altogether. If he told Zeke that -Uncle John had threatened to take his herd of cattle -away from him, under the plea of reducing expenses, -but really as George believed, for the purpose -of turning it over to Ned, the old man would have -been as angry as George was when he first learned -of the fact. But the boy didn’t want to let Zeke -know how mean his uncle was, and so he said -nothing about his plans. They never could be carried -out while Zeke was there to protect his stock, -and George could afford to be magnanimous.</p> - -<p class='c000'>George and his herdsman made an early start on -<span class='pageno' id='Page_216'>216</span>the following morning, and the third night found -them at Catfish Falls. They now felt perfectly safe, -for the raiders had never been known to penetrate -so far into the country. Their depredations were -principally confined to the counties bordering on the -river, it being their object to stampede all the stock -they could find in one night’s raid, and drive it -across the river into Mexico, before the settlers could -gather in sufficient numbers to pursue them. They -tried as hard to avoid a fight as the ranchemen did -to overtake them.</p> - -<p class='c000'>George made the camp and cooked the supper, -and when they had satisfied their appetites, the -former laid down on his blanket in front of the fire -with his saddle for a pillow, and listened to Zeke, -who talked and smoked incessantly. Their work for -the day was over now. The cattle were always -brought close in to camp at dark, the horses and -mule were staked out, and the campers went to bed -at an early hour. If they awoke during the night, -they replenished the fire with some of the fuel that -was always kept close at hand, and walked around -the herd to see if there were any restless ones in it -who felt inclined to stray away. George performed -this necessary duty twice on this particular night -<span class='pageno' id='Page_217'>217</span>making the first round about twelve o’clock. To -his surprise, he found the most of the cattle on their -feet, and saw that some of them were exhibiting -unmistakable signs of uneasiness and alarm. They -stood snuffing the air eagerly, carrying their heads -high and their ears thrown forward, and now and -then they would walk a few steps out of the herd, -lower their horns and paw the ground as if challenging -the object that had excited them, whatever it -was, to come out and give them battle. The rest of -the cattle were lying down, chewing their cuds contentedly, -and apparently not at all disturbed by the -antics of their nervous companions.</p> - -<p class='c000'>George threw himself flat upon the ground and -swept his eyes around the horizon. In this position, -he could distinctly see any object that might -be approaching the camp (provided, of course, that -it was taller than the grass) for it would be clearly -outlined against the sky. But he could see nothing. -He arose to his feet again and listened intently, but -could hear nothing calculated to excite his alarm. -The wolves which serenaded them every night were -holding a concert a short distance away, and that -made George believe that if there was any danger -approaching, it was yet a long distance off; for he -<span class='pageno' id='Page_218'>218</span>knew that the wolves would be the first to discover -it, and that they would then bring their concert to a -close and take to their heels.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“There’s something up,” thought George, once -more turning his eyes toward the cattle. Some of -the uneasy ones, reassured by his presence, were -walking about among their companions, as if they -were looking for a good place to lie down, while the -others remained in a defiant attitude and snuffed the -air as before. “There’s something up,” repeated -George, “and I have been expecting it. I have felt -very nervous and timid for two or three days, and I -don’t know how to account for it. If there is anybody -within hearing or smelling distance who has -no business here, I can find it out.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>George walked back to the camp, picked up his -rifle, and after unfastening the lasso with which his -horse was confined, he jumped on the animal’s back -without saddle or bridle and rode away in the darkness, -paying no heed to a bray of remonstrance from -Bony who followed as far as the length of his lariat -would allow him to go. He rode out on the prairie -for a hundred yards or more, and then stopped his -horse and listened again. The animal stood perfectly -quiet for a few seconds, looking first one way -<span class='pageno' id='Page_219'>219</span>and then another, and turning his ears toward all -points of the compass, and apparently satisfied with -the result of his reconnoissance, he put down his -head and began cropping the grass.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Hold up, here!” exclaimed George, seizing the -horse by the mane and tapping him gently on the -side of his head with the muzzle of his rifle to make -him turn around. “We have nothing to be frightened -at yet—that’s evident. Now, old fellow, I shall -leave you loose. Keep your ears open and wake us -up if you hear anything!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>George rode back to camp and sought his blanket -feeling a little more at his ease. He had as much -faith in his horse as he had in Zeke (the latter used -to say that he could smell an Indian or a Greaser at -night as far as he could see him in the daytime), -and since the animal could not discover anything -suspicious, it was as good evidence as he wanted that -there was nothing to fear. No doubt some of the -wild members of the herd felt as nervous and uneasy -as he did, and took their own way to show it.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Although George brought back to his blanket a -most refreshing feeling of security, he did not sleep -as soundly as he usually did. He went through all -sorts of terrible things in his dreams, and started -<span class='pageno' id='Page_220'>220</span>every time the fire snapped. He was wide awake -again at one o’clock, and set out on his second tour -of inspection. The moon, now nearly half an hour -high, had brought up with it a cooling breeze which -gently rustled the long grass of the prairie, and -sent the sparks from the camp-fire circling high in -the air. The wolves had closed their concert and -gone off to find a more appreciative audience, and -there was an air of peaceful quiet brooding over the -scene. George forgot all his fears and continued -his round with a light heart. He found the cattle -quiet, but some of them had begun feeding and were -straying away from the rest of the herd. While -George was engaged in driving them back, and -forcing the remainder of the herd into a more compact -body, a yell, so sudden and startling that it -made the cold chills creep all over him, arose on the -air, and out from a little thicket of willows that -grew a short distance from the belt in which the -camp was located, dashed a party of horsemen who -charged toward the herd at the top of their speed. -They were Mexicans; George could see that at a -glance. They had doubtless been hovering about -the camp all night, and it was while they were working -their way around to the leeward of the herd that -<span class='pageno' id='Page_221'>221</span>their presence had been detected by the wakeful -cattle.</p> - -<p class='c000'>George stood for an instant as if he were rooted -to the ground; and then with a wild cry of alarm -he dashed forward, running diagonally across the -front of the herd, hoping almost against hope that -he might succeed in passing them, and thus avoiding -the rush which he knew would come in a moment -more. It was the only way in which he could -escape being trampled to death. He ran as he had -never run before, but he had made scarcely half a -dozen steps when a rumble like that of an avalanche -sounded close at his side, telling him that the cattle -were coming. The strongest fence that was ever -built would not have stopped them now, and George, -had he attempted to drive them back or turn them -aside, would have been trampled under their feet -like a blade of grass. He saw and fully realized -his danger, but could not escape it. Even Zeke, -who was as light of foot as an antelope, could not -have saved himself by his speed; and George, giving -himself up for lost, fell flat upon the ground, clasped -his hands over his head and awaited his fate. By -the merest chance he threw himself into a little -excavation in the prairie, which, in the years gone -<span class='pageno' id='Page_222'>222</span>by, had doubtless served as a wallow for some old -patriarch of a buffalo; but now it was covered with -grass, and there were two or three little willows -growing out of the bottom of it.</p> - -<p class='c000'>This protection, slight as it was, saved the boy’s -life. He had barely time to crowd himself close -against the frail stems of the willows before the -frantic cattle were upon him. The roar of their -hoofs on the hard ground was almost deafening. It -was louder than the roar of all the northers he had -ever heard crowded into one; but even while he was -wondering why some of the cattle did not jump -upon him the roar subsided, and George, looking up -through the willows which had been bent over his -head, saw the moon shining down upon him. Every -steer had jumped the wallow, and George had -escaped with nothing more than a terrible fright. -While he was congratulating himself upon his good -fortune, a clatter of hoofs sounded near, and he -ducked his head just as two horsemen, riding side -by side, dashed over the wallow in pursuit of the -flying herd.</p> - -<p class='c000'>The boy’s first thought, after he had satisfied himself -that he had escaped without injury, was of -Zeke. What had become of him? There was one -<span class='pageno' id='Page_223'>223</span>thing certain—George knew it now as well as he -did a few minutes later—and that was that the -herdsman had made a fight, and a good one, too. -Although the old fellow appeared to be a sound -sleeper, he would jump to his feet the instant he -heard any unusual noise, and he was wide awake -the moment he opened his eyes. More than that, -he kept his Winchester close at hand, and could discharge -it with a rapidity and accuracy that George -had tried in vain to imitate. Zeke was probably on -his feet before the yell that frightened the cattle was -half uttered, and as soon as he got there he was -ready to begin shooting. Of course George had not -heard the report of his rifle, for the rumble of that -multitude of hoofs about his ears would have drowned -the roar of a cannon.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“But I know, all the same, that he <em>did</em> shoot, -and that some of those raiders didn’t get away,” -thought George, as he once more raised his head -and looked over the grass in the direction of the -camp. “I think I had better stay here. Zeke will -know when the danger is over, and then he will call -to me. I wonder if he is there now? Somebody -is punching up the fire, sure!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>The old buffalo wallow into which George had -<span class='pageno' id='Page_224'>224</span>thrown himself, was about a hundred yards distant -from the willows, and the grass was so high that he -could not see the camp; but he could see the smoke -of the fire as it arose through the tops of the trees -that hung over it. Just now the fire was blazing -brightly, and the sparks were rising from it in -volumes. This was what led George to believe that -there was somebody in the camp. It couldn’t be -one of the raiders, he told himself, for they never -stopped. They stampeded the cattle and dashed on -after them to get out of reach of the bullets in the -herder’s rifles.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Of course Zeke is there,” thought George as he -arose from his place of concealment; but he had -scarcely placed himself fairly upon his feet before he -dropped back among the willows again. There were -several figures moving about the fire, and there were -riderless horses and mounted men near by. The -men were all dressed in Mexican costume—the wide -brims of their sombreros were plainly visible in the -moonlight—and there were at least a dozen of them -in sight. One of them seemed to be poking up the -fire for the purpose of making as bright a light as -possible, while the others were going into the willows -with blazing fire-brands in their hands. Some of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_225'>225</span>their companions had already gone in there armed -in the same manner, for George could see the lights -dancing about among the trees.</p> - -<p class='c000'>The boy saw all this during the instant of time he -was on his feet, and when he dropped back into his -concealment again, his fear had given place to a feeling -of exultation. The raiders were searching the -woods in the vicinity of the camp, and of course -they could be looking for nobody but Zeke. Probably -the old fellow had given them a very warm -reception. No doubt he had tumbled three or four -of them out of their saddles, and the survivors were -hunting him up with the intention of taking vengeance -on him if they caught him.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“But they’ll never catch him,” chuckled George, -“because he’s too old a ‘coon. He has fought -Indians too long to be beaten by a lot of lubberly -Greasers.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>George drew the tops of the willows closer together, -confining them in that position by twisting -their branches, and having thus formed a screen -that was large enough to cover his head, he raised -himself upon his knees, so that he could look over -the grass and watch the motions of the raiders. -They were certainly looking for somebody, and they -<span class='pageno' id='Page_226'>226</span>seemed resolved to find him, too, for they did not -grow discouraged and go away, as George hoped -they would. Their failure only seemed to make -them the more determined. First one and then -another seized fire-brands and joined their companions -in the woods, and finally those who were -mounted, swung themselves out of their saddles -and went in too, leaving the camp to take care of -itself.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I wonder what Zeke has done to make them -so persistent!” said George to himself. “Perhaps -they’ve got an old grudge against him. They might -as well go away, for they’ll not find him. He’s safe -long before this time, and if I could only make my -horse hear me, I’d soon be safe too.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>George could always find something to feel happy -over, no matter how unpleasant the situation in -which he might be placed, and he found something -now. He had lost his fine herd of cattle, but Zeke -was left to him, and so were his horse and pack-mule. -The former had been stampeded with the cattle, but -George knew he would not run far before he would -leave them and strike a straight course for home. -The two Mexicans who had followed the herd to -head it off and turn it away from the settlements -<span class='pageno' id='Page_227'>227</span>toward the river, would not bother their heads about -him, for while they had three hundred fat cattle to -look out for, they could not afford to waste time in -pursuing a single horse. Bony was still staked out -near the camp, and so was Zeke’s nag. They both -made the most desperate efforts to escape with the -herd, but the lariats with which they were confined -were too strong to be broken, and the picket-pins -were driven so firmly into the ground that they -could not be easily pulled up. The Mexicans, when -they were ready to leave the camp, would probably -turn these animals loose, expecting them to follow -their own horses, just as Silk Stocking had followed -off the raiders who made the attack on the rancho; -but that was something Bony would not do. He -was very much afraid of strangers, and when left to -himself he would make the best of his way home.</p> - -<p class='c000'>The search for Zeke was continued? until broad -daylight, and all this while George lay in his concealment -watching the motions of the raiders and -wondering what his herdsman had done to make -the thieves so anxious to find him. When day began -to dawn he discovered something that seemed to -explain it all: there were five wounded men sitting -and lying beside the fire. George knew that they -<span class='pageno' id='Page_228'>228</span>were wounded, for he could see that they wore bandages, -and that one who limped considerably and used -a stick to walk with, would now and then get up to -bring a cup of water from the bayou to two of his -companions who kept their blankets. Probably<a id='t228'></a> one -of these men was the leader of the band, and that -was the reason why the others were so determined to -find Zeke. But they had to give up the search and -go away without him, as George knew they would. -Shortly after daylight they began to come into camp -by twos and threes, and when they were all assembled -George counted eighteen of them. They talked earnestly -together for a few minutes and then set about -preparing a hasty breakfast, helping themselves -bountifully to the contents of the pack-saddle, and -using the cooking utensils which George had provided -for his own use and Zeke’s.</p> - -<p class='c000'>George waited with no little impatience to find -out what they were going to do when they made an -end of the bacon and coffee, and was very glad to -see that they were preparing for an immediate departure. -When all was ready the wounded members -of the band were assisted into their saddles, Zeke’s -horse and George’s pack-mule were set at liberty, -and the raiders moved slowly along the willows in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_229'>229</span>the direction the cattle had taken when they were -stampeded. It was a wonder that their suspicions -were not aroused by the actions of the mule which, -foolish as mules generally are, ran at once to the -buffalo wallow in which George was concealed, and -not content with shying at the sight of it and giving -it a wide berth, as Zeke’s horse did, Bony circled -around it two or three times, and finally stopping, -thrust out his neck, threw his long ears forward -and looked suspiciously at the crouching form of -his master.</p> - -<p class='c000'>George, who had been in a fever of suspense for -long hours, and who began to breathe more freely -when he saw the raiders moving away, was frightened -again; but, as it happened, the thieves paid no -attention to the mule’s actions. Better than that, -Zeke’s horse kept on his way without stopping, and -Bony, seeing that he was going to be left behind, -started in pursuit. The danger was over now, but -George was much too wary to run any risks. He -saw the raiders disappear over the nearest swell, but -he allowed another hour to pass before he left his -hiding-place. Then he moved very cautiously, crawling -along on his hands and knees, stopping every few -feet to look over the grass and listen, and examining -<span class='pageno' id='Page_230'>230</span>the ground about the camp very thoroughly before -he ventured into the woods.</p> - -<p class='c000'>He found the camp in the greatest confusion. -His rifle and revolvers were gone, so were his -blankets and poncho, and also a good portion of the -contents of the pack-saddle; but there was still a -little of the bacon and hard-tack left, and the -raiders had forgotten to take his haversack and frying-pan. -He replenished the fire at once, and while -waiting for it to get fairly started, employed himself -in cutting up the bacon with an old rusty hunting-knife -which one of the thieves had probably left in -exchange for his own new one. While he was thus -engaged he did not neglect to keep an eye open for -any straggling raiders who might have fallen behind -the main body; but there were none in sight. He -placed the bacon in the frying-pan, and when it was -done to his satisfaction he put it into his haversack, -together with the small supply of hard-tack that -was left, extinguished the fire and set out for home.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I am glad the thieves left me provisions enough -to last me until I can get more,” said George, to -himself. “If I have to travel all the way on foot, -it will take me four or five days to reach the nearest -rancho, and I have no fears of getting hungry during -<span class='pageno' id='Page_231'>231</span>that time. What brought those raiders so far -from the river? That’s what I can’t understand.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>During the two days that followed, while the -young cattle-herder was trudging painfully over the -lonely prairie, he had ample leisure to turn this -question over in his mind. He travelled early and -late, but his progress was necessarily slow, for one -who spends the most of his time in the saddle, -finds it hard work to go on foot, and soon grows -weary. He kept a bright lookout for Zeke, and -stopped on the top of every swell to scan the prairie -before and on both sides of him, in the hope of -discovering his horse or pack-mule; but Zeke was -miles ahead of him, hastening toward the settlement, -intent on alarming the ranchemen in time -to cut the raiders off from the river, while Bony -and Ranger were making the best of their way -toward home.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“They are all safe, I know, for they are able to -take care of themselves. So am I; but there’s no -fun in looking forward to three days more of such -walking as I have had. I shouldn’t mind it so much -if I hadn’t lost my cattle,” said George, with a long-drawn -sigh. “Those lazy Greasers have robbed me -of years of hard work, and now I must begin all -<span class='pageno' id='Page_232'>232</span>over again, or else go to herding cattle for Uncle -John. Of course I can’t loaf about the house all -the time and do nothing, as Ned does. Hallo!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>While George was talking to himself in this way -he came to the top of a ridge, and found before him -a long line of willows which fringed the banks of a -water-course. A solitary horse was feeding near the -willows, and this it was that attracted the boy’s -attention and called forth the exclamation with -which he finished his soliloquy. The sight of the -animal alarmed him, for it was not at all likely that a -horse, wearing a saddle and bridle, would be feeding -contentedly in that wilderness, so far from all signs -of civilization, unless there was some one with him. -George dropped to the ground, and ran his eyes -along the willows in search of a camp. If there was -one in the neighborhood he could not find it. There -was no smoke to be seen, nor were there any other -indications of the presence of human beings.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“But there’s somebody here all the same,” -thought the boy, shifting his position a little, so -that he could obtain a better view of the willows, -“for that horse never came here without a rider. -Somebody has stopped in the willows to rest, and -he’s a Mexican, too. I know it by the silver ornaments -<span class='pageno' id='Page_233'>233</span>on the saddle. I wish I could think up some -way to capture that horse. Shall I try it?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Not knowing what else to do just then, George -lay there in the grass and considered the matter. -Weary and footsore as he was, the thought of -finishing his journey on horseback was a most -agreeable one. The animal was loose—when he -raised his head, George could see that he was not -confined by a lariat—but if he attempted to creep -up to him the horse would doubtless take fright and -run off; and that would excite the suspicions of his -owner, who might be tempted to send a bullet from -his carbine in that direction. There was too much -danger in it George found when he came to think -it over. He sighed regretfully, thought almost -with a shudder, of the long, weary miles that lay -between him and the nearest rancho, and was about -to crawl back down the swell again, when he was -astonished almost beyond measure, to hear his own -name pronounced in a weak and trembling, but still -distinct voice.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“George! George Ackerman!” came the hail -from the willows.</p> - -<p class='c000'>George jumped to his feet, and looking in the -direction from which the voice sounded, saw a sombrero -<span class='pageno' id='Page_234'>234</span>waved in the air, and could dimly discern the -figure of a man, dressed in Mexican costume, who -was sitting on the ground, with his back against one -of the willows.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“George!” repeated the man.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Hallo!” was the reply.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Come here, will you? I am badly hurt and in -need of help!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>George grew more and more astonished. The -man was a Mexican beyond a doubt, but the voice -sounded strangely familiar.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Don’t be afeared, George!” continued the man, -in a pleading tone. “I couldn’t hurt you if I -wanted to! I’ve got something to tell you!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Who are you?” asked the boy.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Why, don’t you know Springer, who used to -herd cattle for your father?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Yes, George knew him, and he didn’t know anything -good of him either.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“If you are Springer,” he shouted “what are -you doing there with those clothes on?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Come here, an’ I’ll tell you all about it!” was -the answer. “I’ll tell you something else, too—something -that’ll make you open your eyes. Do -<span class='pageno' id='Page_235'>235</span>come, George, and give me a drink of water! I’ve -got a chunk of lead through each leg!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Aha!” said George, who thought he understood -the matter now. “You were with the raiders, and -Zeke got two pulls at you with his Winchester!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>As he said this he ran down the swell, and in a -few minutes more was standing beside the wounded -man. It was Springer, sure enough, but he was so -much changed that George could scarcely recognise -him. His face was very pale and his strong frame -was convulsed with agony. The sash he usually -wore around his waist had been cut in two, and the -pieces were bound tightly about his legs above the -knee to stanch the flow of blood from the wounds -made by the herdsman’s rifle. He was a hard-looking -fellow, and any one would have taken him for -just what George knew him to be—a cattle-thief.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Without stopping to ask any more questions -George seized the man’s hat, and hastening to the -bayou presently returned with the crown filled with -water. The wounded raider drank eagerly and sank -back against his tree with a sigh of great satisfaction.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_236'>236</span> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER XIII.<br /> <span class='large'>GEORGE HAS COMPANY.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_4 c013'>George knew Springer well. The latter had -once been in his father’s employ; but being -of no use as a herdsman or anything else, he had -been discharged, to make room for a more industrious -and pains-taking man. This enraged Springer, -who threatened vengeance, and followed up his -threats by attempting to fire the rancho. He had -been detected in the act and almost captured; but -he succeeded in making his escape, and since then -George had never met him until this particular day. -He had often heard of him, however, as a member -of a band of cattle-thieves, who now and then made -a raid through the country farther down the river. -There were a good many others just like Springer, -on the opposite side of the Rio Grande—renegade -Americans—who, having left their country for their -country’s good, had taken refuge among the Mexicans, -and joined with them in raiding upon the -well-stocked farms and ranches of their Texan -neighbors.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i003.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p><span class='sc'>George returns Good for Evil.</span></p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_237'>237</span>“You needn’t be afeared, George,” repeated -Springer, seeing that the boy cast uneasy glances -about him, as if half expecting to see the rest of the -band start up from some ambush among the willows. -“Thar’s nobody here but me.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Where are your friends?” asked George.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“They’ve gone on, an’ I s’pose they’re acrosst -the river by this time.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Did they leave you here to take care of yourself?” -inquired George, who found it difficult to -believe that men could be so heartless.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“What else could they do?” asked Springer, -wincing a little, as he tried to move one of his -wounded legs into a more comfortable position. -“A man who is fool enough to get hurt, must take -his chances. If he can keep up with the rest, well -an’ good; if he can’t, he must fall behind an’ look -out fur himself. I’m glad I ain’t in the settlement. -I’d rather stay here an’ starve, fur want of grub an’ -water, than have the ranchemen catch me. I ain’t -had a bite to eat fur two days.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“You haven’t!” exclaimed George. “I’ll divide -with you.”</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_238'>238</span>He opened his haversack, as he spoke, and producing -from its capacious depths a goodly supply -of bacon and cracker, placed it in the hands of the -wounded man, whose eyes brightened as he received -it. George stood by and saw him eat it, and was -glad to see that he enjoyed it, although he knew -that by thus diminishing his store he put himself in -a fair way to go hungry for many a weary mile of -his journey. The man was a scoundrel—no one -except himself could tell what deeds of violence he -had been guilty of during his raids—but for all that -George was glad that it was in his power to relieve -his distress.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I am sorry to see you in this situation, -Springer,” said he, when the bacon and cracker -had disappeared.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Are you, though?” exclaimed the man, wiping -his mouth with the back of his hand, and looking -up in surprise. “I didn’t s’pose you would be.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Well, I am; and I hope that when you get -well, you will behave yourself and live among white -men.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“That’s unpossible; ‘kase why, white men won’t -have nothing to do with me,” replied Springer, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_239'>239</span>almost fiercely. “Would you hire me to herd -cattle fur you?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Yes, I would. I know you threatened that -you would be revenged on my father for discharging -you, but I don’t see why you should follow me -up. I haven’t done anything to you. How did -you get shot? And how came you here?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Wal, you see, we made the dash on your camp, -kalkerlatin’ to take you by surprise; but Zeke, he -allers sleeps with his rifle in his hand an’ one eye -open, an’ I was the fust feller he got a crack at. -He took two pulls at me, an’ this yere is the consequence,” -said Springer, pointing with both forefingers -toward his bandaged legs. “When we left -your camp, the fellers put me on my hoss, an’ I -kept up with ‘em fur a few hours; but the pace was -too fast fur me—I couldn’t stand the joltin’; so I -had to pull up. When I reached this bayou, I -thought I’d get a drink of water; but when I got -down I fell, lettin’ go my bridle, an’ my hoss -walked away. I was too weak an’ bad hurt to -crawl to the water; I couldn’t ketch my hoss, an’ I -reckoned I’d got to stay right here. I happened to -see you when you come to the top of the ridge, an’ -called to you, thinkin’ mebbe you wouldn’t refuse -<span class='pageno' id='Page_240'>240</span>to give me the drink I was a’most ready to die fur. -But you wouldn’t a done it, if you knowed as -much as I do!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Yes, I would. I don’t bear you any ill-will -because you stole my cattle.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“But that aint all!” exclaimed Springer.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I know it isn’t! You tried to burn my home -over my head; but I don’t bear you any ill-will for -that, either; and I’ll prove it to you by putting you -on your horse and giving you a chance to save yourself!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“But <em>that</em> aint all!” said Springer. “How do -you reckon we knowed whar to look for you?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I’m sure I can’t tell! I never knew raiders to -venture so far from the river before!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“An’ they never did, nuther! Whar was you -when we was in your camp?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I was lying in a buffalo wallow about a hundred -yards away!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Did you see the fellars while they was a pokin’ -around in the willows with their fire-brands? What -do you reckon they was a lookin’ for?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I supposed they were looking for Zeke!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Wal, they wasn’t lookin’ for Zeke, nuther! -<span class='pageno' id='Page_241'>241</span>They didn’t care nothing about Zeke! You was the -fellow they wanted to find!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I was!” exclaimed George. “What did they -want of me?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“They wanted you ‘kase there’s a thousand head -of fat steers wrapped up in you, ‘sides them three -hundred we stole from you the other night!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>The boy was greatly astonished, and he was certain, -too, that he knew what Springer was trying to -get at. He seated himself on the ground with his -back against a neighboring tree, and said as calmly -as he could:</p> - -<p class='c000'>“You must speak plainer than that if you want -me to know just what you mean!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I mean jist this yere,” said Springer; “an I’ll -tell you ‘cause you was good enough to come here -an’ give me the drink of water I was starvin’ fur, -an’ feed me outen your grub when you haint got -enough to eat yourself. George, you are in danger -every day you spend at your rancho! Your uncle -and cousin don’t want you there, an’ they aint goin’ -to let you stay nuther!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>George thought from what Springer said before -that he had some such revelation as this to make, -but when it came it almost took his breath away. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_242'>242</span>He had long been of the opinion that his relatives -didn’t want him at the rancho, but how could this -cattle-thief, who lived miles away on the other side -of the river, have found it out? The man talked in -a positive tone, as though he knew all about it, and -this was what surprised George. There was one -thing certain, however: He was not going to discuss -family matters with any such fellow as Springer.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I’ll tell you what it is,” said he, as he arose to -his feet and slung his haversack over his shoulders. -“I’ll not stay here if you are going to insult my -uncle and cousin!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Say, George, whar you goin’?” demanded -Springer.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I am going to start on again. Shall I put you -on your horse before I go?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“You needn’t go off mad,” said the man, earnestly, -“‘cause every word I’m tellin’ you is the gospel -truth. We got it all through Philip!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Got all what through Philip?” asked George.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I mean we done all our business through him; -an’ if I was in your place, I’d go home an’ bundle -him outen the house, neck an’ heels. He’s makin’ -mischief thar, <em>I</em> tell you. He told us we’d find -you in that grove on Brown’s Run; an’ when we -<span class='pageno' id='Page_243'>243</span>didn’t find you thar, we follered your trail to Catfish -Falls.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“But how did Philip know I was going to that -grove?” demanded George, growing more and more -bewildered.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“What’s the use of me tellin’ you when you’ll -get mad?” asked Springer in reply. “The under-standin’ -atween us, was, that arter we had drove -off your three hundred head of stock, we was to -come over agin, in a week or two, an’ we would -find a thousand more head whar we could get ‘em -easy.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Who was going to put them where you could -get them easy?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“If I tell you, you’ll get mad at me. But mind -you, we wasn’t to get them thousand head unless we -gobbled you. The fellers done their level best, but -couldn’t find you!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“What were you going to do with me if you -found me?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“That’s something I can’t tell. Nobody but -Fletcher knows that.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Who’s Fletcher?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“He’s the boss—the cap’n.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Who told you to gobble me?”</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_244'>244</span>“What’s the use of me tellin’ you when you’ll be -sartin to go off mad? You see, we kalkerlated to -make twenty-six thousand dollars clear by two -night’s work, but that didn’t satisfy us. Philip, he -told us that thar was a whole bit of gold and silver -in your uncle’s office, an’ we wanted that too; -so we slipped down thar, an’ Philip, he opened -the door an’ let us in.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Into our house!” cried George, who now -learned for the first time of the attack that had -been made upon the rancho.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Yes, into your house; but we didn’t get nothing -but bullets an’ one hoss fur our pains.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“It served you just right,” said George, indignantly. -“They are not all traitors in that house, I -tell you.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Not by no means they ain’t,” said Springer, -with a knowing shake of the head. “One of the -herders, who was awake, aroused the others by -firing his revolver, an’ it’s the biggest wonder in the -world that any of us got out. We tried to cut down -the doors, but they drove us off, and then we made a -strike fur Brown’s Run, whar we allowed to find -you. On the way we run into about five hundred -head of stock, an’ thinkin’ that a bird in the hand -<span class='pageno' id='Page_245'>245</span>was worth a dozen in the woods, we drove ‘em off. -We got ‘em across the river all right, an’ dodgin’ -the rangers who follered us, we came back arter you. -We found you too, an’ some of us got more’n we -wanted,” added Springer, looking down at his -bandages and groaning faintly.</p> - -<p class='c000'>George listened to all this in the greatest amazement. -He remembered now, that just before he left -home with his supplies, his uncle had questioned -him closely about some things in which he had previously -shown no interest whatever, and that he -seemed particularly anxious to know where his -nephew expected to find his herd, and which way -Zeke would probably drive it after George joined -him. The boy never would have thought of the circumstance -again, if it had not been for this interview -with his father’s old herdsman; but now it was -recalled very vividly to his mind, and he was obliged -to confess to himself that the half-formed suspicions -he had long entertained were not without foundation. -His Uncle John was at the bottom of all his -troubles, and Philip, the Mexican cook, was his confidential -assistant. The boy’s heart sank within -him while he thought about it. He didn’t know -<span class='pageno' id='Page_246'>246</span>what to do, and there was only one man in the -settlement to whom he could go for advice.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Well, Springer,” said George, suddenly, “we -have wasted time enough. I have a long journey -to make, and so have you. I hope you will succeed -in getting safely over the river, and that the lesson -you have received will be the means of making you -an honest man. I will put you on your horse and -divide my provisions with you, and that is all I can -do for you.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“An’ it’s a heap more nor any body else would -do for me,” said Springer, gratefully. “You won’t -tell none of the settlers that you seed me, will -you?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I’ll not put any of them on your trail,” replied -the boy. “I may be obliged to say something -about you; but if you have good luck, you ought to -be safe across the river before I reach Mr. Gilbert’s -house, and that is where I am going.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>After bringing Springer another hatful of water -from the bayou, and dividing with him the small -supply of bacon and crackers he had left, George -brought up his horse, and with infinite difficulty -assisted the man to mount. Springer groaned a -little and swore a great deal during the operation, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_247'>247</span>and being a heavy man and almost unable to help -himself, it required the outlay of all George’s -strength to put him into the saddle. After thanking -the boy over and over again for what he had -done, he rode slowly away, and George feeling as -though there was nothing in the world worth living -for now, once more turned his face toward the settlement. -He looked back now and then to see how -Springer was getting on. The last time he saw the -man he was standing on the top of a high swell -holding his hat in his hand. When he saw George -looking at him he waved it in the air and rode down -the swell out of sight.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“If he can keep in his saddle for forty-eight -hours—and he would have no trouble at all in doing -it if it were not for his wounds—and can dodge the -rangers who are probably out looking for the raiders, -he will be all right,” thought George; “but if he -is compelled to dismount, I don’t know what will -become of him. He can’t possibly get on his horse -again without help. Now, what shall I do? I am -going back to a home where I am not wanted.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>This was the burden of the boy’s thoughts all the -rest of the day. He could not make up his mind to -any course of action, for he was so stunned and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_248'>248</span>bewildered by what he had heard that he could not -think clearly. The only thing he determined upon -was, that he would lay the case before Mr. Gilbert, -and be governed by his advice. Mr. Gilbert was a -wealthy cattle-raiser and a prominent man in the -settlement, who had gained his start in life through -the assistance of George’s father. He was a firm -friend of the family, and the boy knew that he could -trust him. Toward his rancho he directed his course, -making all the haste he could. He would have been -glad to travel all night, but his weary limbs demanded -rest, and when it grew dark George was -obliged, much against his will, to go into camp. -He built a fire in the edge of a belt of post-oaks -that ran across his path, and after gathering fuel -enough to last all night, he ate a very light supper -and sat down to think over the situation. When -eight o’clock came he scraped a few leaves together -for a bed, and was about to throw himself down upon -it, when he was brought to his feet by the clatter of -hoofs, which sounded a short distance away.</p> - -<p class='c000'>George seized his haversack and waited with a -beating heart for the horsemen, who he knew were -approaching his camp, to come in sight. They came -a moment later, and to the boy’s intense relief the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_249'>249</span>light from his fire shone not upon silver buttons, -gaudy sashes and wide trowsers, but upon a couple -of red shirts and slouch hats. With a long-drawn -sigh, indicative of the greatest satisfaction, George -threw down his haversack and stepped forward to -greet the new comers.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Good-evening, stranger,” said the foremost -horseman. “Have you any objections to good company -to-night?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“None whatever,” answered George, readily. -“I shall be only too glad to have it, for it is lonely -work keeping house all by one’s self.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“We saw the light of your fire,” said the other, -“and as we have got a little out of our reckoning, -we made bold to come here, thinking that perhaps -you could set us right.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I am glad to see you,” answered George; “but -I hope you have brought your supper with you, for -it is little I can offer you.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“O, that’s nothing. It is no uncommon thing -for ranchemen to go supperless to bed, you know. -Where did you stake out your horse, my lad?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I haven’t any, sir. He was stampeded when -the Greasers stole my cattle, and I haven’t seen him -since.”</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_250'>250</span>“Ah! been cleaned out, have you? That’s provoking.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>The man said this in much the same tone of voice -he would have used if he had been speaking of an -event that was of every-day occurrence. They both -listened while George, in accordance with their -request, hurriedly related the story of his loss, and -then staked out their horses and came back to the -fire. George offered them what was left of his supply -of provisions, but the ranchemen declined it -with thanks, and proceeded to fill their pipes.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“We need an adventure now and then to give a -little variety to our life,” said one of the men, after -he had taken a few pulls at his pipe, to make sure -that it was well lighted. “My friend and I have -been on the trail of a horse-thief.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Did you overtake him?” asked George.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Yes; but we didn’t get the horse, and we -wanted him more than we wanted the thief. He -had disposed of the animal, traded him off for a -fresher one, you know, and we offered him his -liberty if he would tell us where the horse was. -He told us, and we started back with him to make -sure that he told us the truth, and he gave us the -slip. But we think we know where the horse is.”</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_251'>251</span>“Is he anywhere about here?” inquired George.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Is there anybody living about here who goes by -the name of Ackerman?” asked the rancheman.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Yes, there is,” answered George, opening his -eyes in great surprise.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Well, my horse is at his rancho. We’re going -there after him, and we’re going to smash things -when we get there, too.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>George was so utterly confounded that he could -not say a word. He sat looking from one to the -other of the ranchemen, who fortunately did not -notice the expression of astonishment that settled on -his face. One of them sat on the opposite side of -the fire, where he could not see the boy, and the -other was stretched out on his blanket, with his -hands clasped under his head, watching the clouds -of smoke that arose from his pipe.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“It’s a little the strangest piece of business I -ever heard of,” said the latter, “and it doesn’t seem -to me that anybody of ordinary common sense could -do such a thing. The thief told us that he traded -Silk Stocking to a young fellow who looked as -though he might be going to a fancy-dress ball -somewhere, for he sported a buckskin coat with -silver buttons, high patent-leather boots, and so on, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_252'>252</span>and we saw just such a fellow as that at Ackerman’s -rancho. We stopped there and got fresh horses—those -nags out there belong to Ackerman—and took -supper; and when we came out on the porch Silk -Stocking called to us. He was hitched under an -open shed a short distance from the house. I recognised -the call and so did Joe; but we never suspected -anything, and so we didn’t look into the -matter as we ought to have done.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>George had never been more astonished in his life. -He was greatly alarmed too, for he knew that his -cousin had got himself into serious trouble. The -man on the blanket, who told the story, looked like -one who could smash things if he once set about it, -and the tone of his voice and the decided manner in -which he puffed at his pipe, indicated that he had -fully made up his mind to do it. He and his companion -would certainly make it warm for somebody -when they reached the rancho. Was there any way -in which he could save Ned from the consequences -of his folly? George did not believe there was, for -he knew too well the estimation in which horse-thieves -and everybody connected with them were -held in that country; but still he determined to -make the attempt. Ned was his cousin, the only -<span class='pageno' id='Page_253'>253</span>one he had in the world, and it was plainly his duty -to stand by him. Controlling himself as well as he -could, he said:</p> - -<p class='c000'>“You told me, I believe, that this boy, whoever -he is, traded his horse for yours: Perhaps he didn’t -know it was stolen!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Probably he didn’t at the time he made the -trade,” replied the man; “but he knew it when -Joe and I stopped at his father’s rancho, for he -heard us tell the story. Why did he not give him -up?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“No doubt he was so badly frightened that he -dared not do it,” answered George. “This boy, I -believe, has not been long in Texas, and he don’t -know much about the customs of the country.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Now just see here, stranger!” said the rancheman, -taking his pipe out of his mouth and looking -steadily at George. “If he knows anything he’d -ought to know that it is a dangerous piece of business -for a man to have stolen property in his possession, -knowing it to be stolen, hadn’t he?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>George could only nod his head in reply. He had -made the best excuse for his cousin that he could -think of on the spur of the moment, but it was a -very flimsy one, and he saw plainly that he could -<span class='pageno' id='Page_254'>254</span>not make any more without arousing suspicion -against himself.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“It is my private opinion that there is a regular -nest of thieves in that house!” said the other rancheman.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“It’s mine, too!” said the man in the blanket.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“If that Ackerman is an honest fellow why does -he go about wearing his boiled shirt and broadcloth -suit every day? The moment I got a fair look at -him I told myself that there was something wrong -about him. If that chap in the silver buttons was a -man I’d fix him; but seeing that he’s nothing but a -boy, I’ll snatch him so bald-headed that his hair will -never grow again. I’ll teach him that one who -receives and holds fast to stolen property, knowing -it to be stolen, is as bad as the man who steals it, -and that the law holds good here in Texas as well as -it does in Maine!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>The man did not bluster when he said this—those -who mean just what they say seldom do—and that -was just what made George believe that his cousin -was in a fair way to be severely punished. What the -man would do to him when he found him, George -of course did not know, and he dared not ask; but -he was satisfied that it would be something Ned -<span class='pageno' id='Page_255'>255</span>would always remember. The angry rancheman -said several other things in a very decided tone of -voice, all going to show that no boy’s-play was -intended, and when he and his companion had -finished their pipes they arranged their blankets, -bade George good-night, and lay down to sleep. -But there was no sleep for George. He was keenly -alive to Ned’s danger, and a thousand wild schemes -for extricating him from his troubles suggested themselves -to George’s busy brain; but he could hit upon -only one thing just then. If that succeeded Ned’s -peril might be averted until he could have an interview -with Mr. Gilbert. George was certain that -that gentleman could tell him just what ought to be -done.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I shall put myself in danger by doing it, but it -can’t be helped,” thought the boy. “My cousin -must be saved at all hazards; and if these men, or -any of the settlers, want to take revenge on me for -putting him out of harm’s way, they are welcome to -do it. How easy it is to get into trouble and how -hard it is to get out of it!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>With this reflection George scraped his bed of -leaves a little closer together, threw another stick of -wood on the fire, and tried to follow his two guests -<span class='pageno' id='Page_256'>256</span>into the land of dreams; but the sleep he so much -needed to prepare him for the next day’s journey -would not come at his bidding. All the night long -he tossed restlessly about on his hard couch, and -about half an hour before daylight sank into an -uneasy slumber.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_257'>257</span> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER XIV.<br /> <span class='large'>GOOD AND BAD NEWS.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_4 c013'>When George awoke it was just daylight. -The ranchemen were already stirring, and -one was folding the blankets, while the other was -punching up the fire to obtain a light for his pipe.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Good-morning, my lad,” said the latter, cheerfully. -“We thought, seeing we had no breakfast -to eat, that we would solace ourselves with a smoke. -Now, if you will put us on our course, we shall be -much obliged to you.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“The rancho you want to reach lies directly east -of here and is about thirty-five miles distant,” answered -George, after he had returned the man’s -greeting. “Hold a straight course for the sun, -until you strike a big trail running north and south. -Turn south on that trail, and when you have followed -it about ten miles, you will strike Mr. Gilbert’s -rancho. He will direct you the rest of the -way. I have thought a good deal about what you -<span class='pageno' id='Page_258'>258</span>told me last night, and I can’t understand why that -boy kept that horse.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Neither can I,” said the rancheman.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“As he is a boy, I hope you will be easy with -him,” continued George.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I will; but the next time he sees a stolen horse -he will run from it, I bet you!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>It was plain that the rancheman had not yet -relented, and that he never would relent; so -George fell back on the plan he had determined -upon the night before.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Yes, the boy needs a lesson,” said he; “but -for his father’s sake, I hope you will not be too -severe. I have been acquainted with Mr. Dickerman -for a long time, and I know him to be an -honest man. You needn’t think he would——”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Dickerman!” interrupted the man who had -been called Joe. “Who said anything about Dickerman? -Ackerman is the fellow we are talking -about.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“O, <em>Ac</em>kerman!” repeated George, with a tone -of voice and an expression of countenance which led -the man to believe that he had all the while been -mistaken as to the identity of the person they -wanted to find. “Well, you don’t want to travel -<span class='pageno' id='Page_259'>259</span>east, then. Your course lays off here,” he added, -pointing almost due north. “If you ride in that -direction, you ought by dark to strike some of the -ranches in the settlement in which this man lives.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Then we were completely turned around, Joe. -I thought we ought to travel <em>that</em> way,” said one -of the men, pointing almost directly toward the -Ackerman rancho. “Well, my lad, good-by. -Many thanks for your information, and the best -of luck to you!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>The men mounted their horses, which they had -brought in and saddled while this conversation was -going on, and rode away, leaving George standing -beside his fire. As soon as they disappeared behind -the nearest ridge, he caught up his haversack, -plunged into the woods and drew a straight course -for home. His face was whiter than it usually was, -and his heart beat audibly.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I did it,” said he to himself, as he hurried -along, “and whether or not I have done any good -by it, time will tell. If they don’t get off their -course, they’ll reach Dickerman’s to-night about -dark, and then they’ll find out that they have been -put on a wrong scent, and gone forty miles out of -their way. Dickerman will set them right, and the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_260'>260</span>question is: Can I see Mr. Gilbert and reach home -before they can get there? I never needed a horse -so badly before.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Little did Ned Ackerman, who spent this particular -day in company with his friend Gus Robbins, -shooting down the cattle that had broken into his -wheat-field, know of the race that was begun that -morning—a race between a pair of swift horses, -which had between seventy and eighty miles to -travel, and a frightened, panting and footsore boy, -who dragged himself wearily over thirty-five miles -of prairie, to save a scapegrace relative, who would -not have lifted a finger in behalf of that same weary -boy, had their situations been reversed. The odds -were sadly against George. He could have spent a -week in the saddle with little or no inconvenience, -but three days on foot tested his endurance to the -utmost. Nothing but his will kept him up. He -won the race, but, as we shall see, with little time -to spare.</p> - -<p class='c000'>As the day wore away, and George drew nearer -to Mr. Gilbert’s rancho, which was the first one he -would reach on his way to the settlement, he kept a -good lookout for some of that gentleman’s herdsmen, -hoping that he could prevail upon them to lend him -<span class='pageno' id='Page_261'>261</span>a horse; but as he did not see any of them, he was -compelled to make the entire journey on foot. He -reached his destination shortly after nightfall, and -found Mr. Gilbert sitting on the porch, enjoying his -after-supper pipe. The gentleman started up in -surprise, when he saw George approaching, and -hurried down the steps to meet him. His greeting -was as cordial and friendly as usual, but there was -something in his manner that the boy had never -noticed before. He could not have told what it was, -but he could see it plainly.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Come right in, George,” said he, seizing the -boy’s hand and shaking it heartily. “You walk as -though you were completely tired out; so I’ll not -trouble you with questions until you’ve had a supper -and a good night’s rest.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I would be thankful for some supper,” replied -George, “but I can’t stay all night. I am in an -awful hurry.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“And why should you be in such an awful -hurry, I’d like to know?” said Mr. Gilbert, as he -assisted George up the steps and led him into the -house. “Here’s an easy-chair, and I know you -will find——”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Not in there, please,” said George, drawing -<span class='pageno' id='Page_262'>262</span>back as Mr. Gilbert was about to open the door -leading into the cosy living-room, in which his -family was assembled. “Let’s go into the office. -I have something particular to say to you.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Again George told himself that Mr. Gilbert did -not act as he usually did. He turned at once, and -leading the way into the office, closed and locked -the door; after which he took the boy’s hat and -haversack, and having placed him on the lounge, -drew a chair up in front of him and sat down.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Where did you hear of it, George?” said he. -“But hold on a moment,” he added, hastily. -“Let’s talk about pleasant things first. Your horse -and mule are here in my corral.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Good!” exclaimed George. “I shall need -Ranger at once. I would thank you to lend me a -saddle and bridle, and have him brought to the door -without loss of time.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“If you must go on to-night, I’ll do it,” said Mr. -Gilbert, rising to his feet; “but you must have -some supper first.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>He left the office as he ceased speaking, and -George lay down on the lounge to rest for a few -minutes. He was used to hard work, but he had -never before been so nearly exhausted. It did not -<span class='pageno' id='Page_263'>263</span>seem to him that he could possibly spend the rest of -the night in the saddle, and yet he knew he must do -it in order to save his cousin.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Mr. Gilbert was gone but a few minutes, and -when he came back, he locked the door behind him.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Another piece of good news I have for you, -George,” said he, as he resumed his seat, “is that -all your cattle have been recovered, and one of my -men is now pasturing them on my ranche, about -three miles from here.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Good again!” exclaimed George, brightening a -little. “That is encouraging news indeed.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“That Zeke is worth two or three ordinary men,” -continued Mr. Gilbert. “Not being able to find -any signs of you or your horse after the Greasers -jumped down on you, he struck out for the settlements -on foot. On the way he fell in with a party -of rangers, and with their assistance, he succeeded -in cutting the thieves off from the river and recapturing -every hoof you had lost. He came down -here with the cattle, chuckling over his good luck, -and was frightened almost out of his senses when he -found that your horse and mule had come here without -you. He begged me to take care of the herd -while he went back to look for you, and I have done -<span class='pageno' id='Page_264'>264</span>so. Where were you all the while, George? You -haven’t walked all the way from Catfish Falls?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I was hidden in a buffalo wallow while the robbers -were in our camp, and I <em>have</em> walked every -step of the way from there. But I don’t mind that. -What troubles me is the bad news I heard on the -way. I have come here to talk to you about it, for -you are the only friend I have in the settlement.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“O no, George; don’t say that,” exclaimed Mr. -Gilbert, quickly. “If you knew what a commotion -your disappearance has created among the neighbors, -you wouldn’t talk so. Everybody likes you and -everybody is a friend to you.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I am very glad to hear it,” said George, drawing -a long breath of relief and looking a little more -cheerful. “I want them to show their friendship -now, and not be too hard on Ned. You know what -I mean.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Yes,” said Mr. Gilbert, heaving a deep sigh -and fastening his eyes on the floor, “I know all -about it. The settlers are going to meet at Cook’s -to-morrow and talk it over. They are very angry, -and I don’t know what they will make up their -minds to do.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Are you going to be at Cook’s with them?”</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_265'>265</span>“Of course. I am as much interested in the -matter as anybody.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Well, you will do your best for Ned, won’t -you? He is my cousin, you know. You won’t let -them hurt him, will you?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I’ll do the best I can, certainly; but you might -as well try to stem the Rio Grande with a straw, as -to stand in the way of a whole settlement, when -every man in it has made up his mind to a particular -course of action. It was a most outrageous -act, and Ned richly deserves punishment.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I know it; but if the settlers are such friends -to me they will let him off this time, and I’ll -promise that he will never do the like again. -Remember, Mr. Gilbert, that he is young and -foolish, and that when the horse came into his possession -he didn’t know it was stolen.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Horse!” exclaimed Mr. Gilbert, opening his -eyes. “Stolen! What are you talking about, -George!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“What are <em>you</em> talking about, Mr. Gilbert?” -asked the boy, slowly raising himself on his elbow, -and gazing steadily into the face of his friend.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Why, I refer to something that happened this -afternoon in Ned’s wheat field, when Ned and that -<span class='pageno' id='Page_266'>266</span>Yankee friend of his shot down Cook’s cattle,” -answered Mr. Gilbert.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“What!” exclaimed George, jumping to his feet -in great excitement. “Do you mean to tell me that -Ned has been shooting stock?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“That’s just what he has done, and that is what -I was talking about. Cook caught him in the very -act.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Worse and worse!” said George, sinking back -on the lounge again. “Tell me all about it. I -want to hear the whole story so that I may know -just how to act.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“That is all there is to tell,” was Mr. Gilbert’s -reply. “Ned and his friend found Cook’s cattle in -the wheat field, and shot two of them, killing one -and severely wounding the other.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“He did it with his eyes open,” said George. -“He has often threatened it, and I told him just -what would happen.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“You said something about a horse,” remarked -Mr. Gilbert, when the boy paused.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Yes. Ned met a stranger somewhere and traded -horses with him; and when the owner came to -our rancho that night, Ned wouldn’t give the horse -up.”</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_267'>267</span>“That is something I hadn’t heard of,” said Mr. -Gilbert, while an expression of surprise and anxiety -settled on his face. “Now, tell me your story from -beginning to end. If you want my advice I must -know everything.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>George had a good deal to tell, but he did not -consume much time with his narrative, for every -moment was precious. He knew that the two ranchemen -had by this time been made acquainted with -the deception that had been practised upon them, -and no doubt they were at that very minute on their -way to Mr. Gilbert’s rancho. It was necessary that -George should be well on his way home before they -arrived, both to escape the vengeance they would -doubtless visit upon him if they chanced to meet -him, and also to warn his cousin. He described the -attack on the camp, and told how he had concealed -himself in the buffalo wallow and watched the raiders -while they were searching the woods. He told of -his accidental meeting with Springer, and repeated, -as nearly as he could, all the conversation he had -had with him, so that Mr. Gilbert might be enabled -to judge whether or not his suspicions concerning -Uncle John were correct. He also repeated the conversation -he had had with the ranchemen who spent -<span class='pageno' id='Page_268'>268</span>the night in his camp, and told what he had done to -put them on the wrong scent.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I didn’t have more than half an hour’s sleep -last night,” said George, in conclusion. “I lay -awake turning these matters over in my mind, and -I have thought about them all day. The decision at -which I arrived was, that Ned was not safe here in -the settlement, and that I had better take him out on -the plains for a few weeks and let this affair of the -stolen horse blow over; but if he has been shooting -cattle, I think I had better show him the nearest -way to the coast and let him go north, where he -came from.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Mr. Gilbert heard him through without interruption, -and when the boy ceased speaking he -leaned back in his chair, looked up at a picture -hanging on the wall over the lounge and rubbed -his chin meditatively. Then he arose and walked -up and down the room with his hands behind his -back and his eyes fastened thoughtfully on the -floor.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I don’t think you could decide upon a better -plan,” said he, at length. “Take them both to the -coast by the shortest route, put them aboard a -steamer and let them go north on a visit. Ned can -<span class='pageno' id='Page_269'>269</span>come back after the matter is forgotten, but when -that Yankee friend of his gets home, he had better -stay there. We have no use for fellows of his -stamp down here. Your uncle can perhaps settle -the matter by giving up the stolen horse, paying his -owner for the trouble he has had, and also paying -Cook for the cattle that were shot. And in regard -to yourself, you had better apply for a new guardian -at once.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I should be only too glad to do so,” replied -George, eagerly, “for home isn’t home to me any -longer. But there’s one question I want to ask -you, Mr. Gilbert: If I should apply for a new -guardian, would any of these things I have told you -about Uncle John become known—I mean the plans -he has laid to get me out of the way, so that the -property would fall to Ned?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Probably they would. The thing would have -to be done by process of law, for it is your father’s -will that gives him the property in trust and makes -him your guardian.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Then I’ll not have a new guardian!” said -George.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Mr. Gilbert stopped and looked at the boy in -great surprise.</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_270'>270</span>“O, I mean it,” said George, decidedly. “I’ll -not disgrace the only brother my father ever had. -He may do better after a while.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“You are the most confiding boy I ever saw,” -said Mr. Gilbert.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“You must remember that I have nothing but -Springer’s word for all this,” continued George, -“and Springer is a rascal, who would just as soon -tell a lie as eat a good dinner. I shall satisfy myself -of the truth of his story before I make any -move in the matter.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Well, keep your eyes open and look out for -treachery while you are doing it,” said Mr. Gilbert. -“It is my opinion that you would be safer anywhere -in the world than you are here in Texas. -If I were in your place, and was determined to let -Uncle John stay where he is, I would go off somewhere -and stay until I became of age. Listen! -What’s that?” exclaimed Mr. Gilbert, holding up -his finger warningly.</p> - -<p class='c000'>The clatter of hoofs on the hard trail came faintly -to their ears. It grew louder every instant, and -presently a couple of horsemen galloped around the -building at full speed and drew rein beside the -porch in front of the lighted windows of the office.</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_271'>271</span>“Hallo, the house!” came the hail, in stentorian -tones.</p> - -<p class='c000'>George sprang to his feet, and his face grew as -pale as death.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“There they are!” he exclaimed, in an excited -whisper.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I was in hopes they would not come until you -were well on your way home,” said Mr. Gilbert, in -the same low whisper. “It wouldn’t be safe for -you to fall into their hands.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I don’t care for myself,” replied George. -“But, Mr. Gilbert, if you don’t do something for -Ned now——”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Don’t get excited. Stay in here and trust -to me. I have seen persons in tight places before -to-night, and I know just what you want me to -do.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>George found a world of encouragement in these -words. He sank back on the lounge again, while -Mr. Gilbert hurried out of the office, locking the -door behind him. George heard him pass along -the hall and open the door that led to the porch.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Good-evening, stranger!” exclaimed a voice, -which the boy knew belonged to the owner of the -stolen horse. “Is this Mr. Gilbert’s rancho?”</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_272'>272</span>“Yes, sir,” was the reply. “Get down and -walk in.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Thank you; we can’t stop. We would be -obliged if you would put us on the road to Ackerman’s.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I am afraid I can’t direct you so that you can -find your way there in the dark. There are a good -many trails branching off the main road. Better -come in and wait until morning.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“We can’t do it. We are in a great hurry.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Then wait until the moon rises, and I will send -a man to show you the way. Have you ridden far -to-day?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“We have just come from Dickerman’s.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Then you and your nags need food and rest. -Here, Tom! take these horses.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>George heard the men dismount on the porch, -and presently heavy steps sounded in the hall. He -caught the words “Ackerman’s,” “regular nest of -horse-thieves,” “get my hands on that rascally boy -who sent us so far out of our course,” and then the -closing of a door shut out the voices. After a few -minutes’ silence, during which George could plainly -hear the beating of his own heart, footsteps once -more sounded in the hall, the door was unlocked -<span class='pageno' id='Page_273'>273</span>and Mr. Gilbert came in. He shook his finger -warningly at George, and, without saying a word, -seized his haversack and hurried out again. In -about five minutes he came back, and George could -see that there was something in the haversack.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“You’ll have to eat your supper as you go along,” -said Mr. Gilbert, in a cautious whisper. “I have -tried to reason with them but it is of no use. Somebody -has told them that Ned has been shooting cattle, -and they declare that they are going to make an -example of him.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“What do you suppose they will do?” asked -George.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Haven’t even the shadow of an idea. The least -they can do with him is to put him in jail as a -receiver of stolen property; but they act as though -they were going to take the law into their own -hands, and for that reason I think you had better -get Ned out of the way. As soon as they have -eaten supper I am going to send a man to guide -them to your house, so you’ll have to ride fast. I’ll -delay them in every way I can, but they are very -impatient. Your horse is at the porch on the other -side of the rancho. Keep me posted as to your -movements, and I’ll keep you posted in all that goes -<span class='pageno' id='Page_274'>274</span>on in the settlement. Good-by, and good luck to -you.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>George slung his haversack over his shoulder, -shook Mr. Gilbert warmly by the hand and hurriedly -left the office. He found the horse at the end of the -porch, saddled and bridled, and Bony was cropping -the grass a little distance away. Both the animals -recognised and welcomed him, one uttering a low -whinny and the other a suppressed bray, and the -man who was holding the horse nodded his head -vigorously and patted George on the back as if to -say that he knew all about it.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I am to show them the way,” whispered the -herdsman. “Them trails twist an’ turn about a -good deal, an’ mebbe I’ll get lost: I’m a’most afeard -I will, ‘kase it’s so dark.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“There’s one thing about it,” said George, to -himself, as he mounted his horse and rode slowly -away from the rancho after taking a cordial leave -of the herdsman. “If I have no other friends in -the settlement, I have some here at Mr. Gilbert’s. -They are all on my side. So Ned has been shooting -cattle! He always said he’d like to see a -‘neighborhood row,’ and now I’ll see whether or -<span class='pageno' id='Page_275'>275</span>not he has the pluck to face the consequences of his -foolish act.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>George kept his horse by the side of the trail -until he was out of sight of the house, and then putting -him into a gallop went ahead with all his speed, -Bony following close behind. Ranger knew the road -and kept it without any guidance from his master.</p> - -<p class='c000'>The ten miles that lay between Mr. Gilbert’s and -his home were quickly passed over, and as George -drew near to the end of his ride he gradually -slackened his pace and became cautious in his movements. -There was one man about the house who -seemed to have a way of finding out everything that -went on there, and who, George told himself, must -know nothing whatever of this night’s work. Philip -might be his Uncle John’s confidential assistant, as -Springer had intimated, and then again he might -not; but even if he were, it was not at all likely -that Uncle John would care to have him know that -Ned had got himself into such serious trouble as -this, and George’s object was to warn his cousin and -his guest, and get them out of the house and into -the saddle before Philip knew anything about it. -He first made his way to the corral, intending to -put Bony in there; but the gate had already been -<span class='pageno' id='Page_276'>276</span>locked for the night. Then he turned his horse -loose to drink and made his way cautiously to the -house, at the door of which he was met by one -of the herdsman, who started back in surprise at the -sight of him. Every one about the rancho had given -him up for lost.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Why, George,” exclaimed the man, springing -forward as soon as he had recovered himself, and -extending both hands toward the boy, “you don’t -know how glad—Eh?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Not a loud word,” whispered George, raising -his finger warningly. “Jake, you are one of -father’s old herdsmen, and I know I can trust you. -My cousin has got himself into a scrape, and it is -necessary that he should leave here at once. I want -you to saddle a couple of horses, and bring them to -the door and assist me to get Ned and his friend out -of the house without Philip’s knowledge. That -Philip is a born rascal, Jake.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I was sartin of it,” whispered the herdsman. -“Me an’ the rest have always suspicioned that he -let the Greasers in here that night, for we know the -door was locked. But what’s the matter with Ned?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I can’t stop to tell you now. It’s all over the -settlement, and you will know everything to-morrow. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_277'>277</span>Now go into the kitchen and keep Philip there until -I can reach the office; then saddle up and keep a -bright lookout for a couple of horsemen. If you -hear anybody coming down the trail, let me know.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>The man hastened away to obey these orders, and -as soon as George heard the door of the kitchen -close behind him, he ran on tip-toe toward the office. -The peals of laughter that fell upon his ear, told -him that there was a happy party in there, and -George wondered how the members of it would feel -when they heard the news he had to tell. Excited -and anxious as he was when he opened the door, he -could still take note of the fact that his presence -there was most unwelcome. He saw it plainly -enough. Uncle John and Ned were very much surprised -by his abrupt entrance, and there was not the -least cordiality in their greeting. George watched -his uncle’s face and actions closely, and told himself -that Springer’s story was nothing but the truth.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Why, George, what is the matter?” asked -Uncle John, growing alarmed when he saw how -pale and nervous his nephew was. “Any bad -news?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Yes, I have bad news. Ned, you and your -friend must pack up and leave this rancho and this -<span class='pageno' id='Page_278'>278</span>county, too, without the loss of an hour’s time,” was -the astounding reply. “You are in danger, and I -have put myself in danger by coming here to tell -you of it!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Why, George,” exclaimed Uncle John, sinking -back in his chair, almost overwhelmed with amazement -and alarm, “explain yourself. I don’t understand -you at all. Why should Ned and Gus be in -danger?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Because they have deliberately placed themselves -there,” answered George, locking the door to -prevent interruption, and at the same time lowering -his voice, so that he could not be overheard by any -eavesdropper who might chance to pass through the -hall. “Ned, the owner of that stolen horse is -between here and Mr. Gilbert’s. He’s looking for -you.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Ned’s face grew as white as a sheet. He grasped -the back of his chair and leaned heavily on it for -support, while Uncle John started up in his seat -and looked first at George and then at his son. The -look of alarm on his face had given away to an -expression of intense astonishment.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Stolen horse!” he exclaimed. “Looking for -Ned! What do you mean?”</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_279'>279</span>“You remember those two men who came here -one night, searching for a horse they called Silk -Stocking, don’t you?” said George. “Well, the -horse was here in Ned’s possession all the while, -and the owner has found it out. He and his companion -are on their way here now.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Ned,” said Uncle John, “you told me that you -hadn’t seen that horse.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I know it,” whined the frightened boy. “I -wanted to keep him.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“But after you found out he was stolen, why -didn’t you give him up?” demanded his father.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I was afraid the men would do something to -me,” gasped Ned. “They looked so awful mad!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“You only made a bad matter worse!” said -George. “They will do something to you now, if -they catch you, and they are bound to do it if they -can!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Wh—what will they do?” stammered the culprit.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“They may put you in jail!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Gracious!” gasped Ned. He walked rapidly -across the floor once or twice and then came back -and caught hold of his chair again. His strength -<span class='pageno' id='Page_280'>280</span>was all frightened out of him, and he could not long -keep his feet without a support of some kind.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“But Mr. Gilbert thinks they are going to take -the law into their own hands, as people very often -do it in this country, and that is the reason I am so -anxious to get you away from here,” continued -George. “And that isn’t all. You and your -friend have been shooting cattle this afternoon!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“It isn’t so! It isn’t so!” cried Ned, with so -much earnestness that he condemned himself on the -spot. “Is it, Gus?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“No!” replied Gus, in a feeble voice.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I haven’t seen any cattle to-day!” declared -Ned, gathering a little courage as he proceeded. -“I haven’t been near my wheat field for a week! -Somebody else did it; didn’t they, Gus?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>The latter made no reply. He did not even act -as though he heard the question, and probably he -did not, for he was frightened almost out of his -wits.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“All I know is, that Mr. Cook lost two steers to-day, -and that he saw you shoot them,” said George. -“He has been around to see all the neighbors about -it, and you will hear from them before this time to-morrow -if you are in this house!”</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_281'>281</span>“Have you any idea what they will do?” asked -Uncle John, who seemed to be as badly frightened -as Ned was.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Not the slightest; but they will make it warm -for Ned in some way, you may depend upon it. He -has raised a storm, and Mr. Gilbert’s advice to him -is to get out of reach of it. It is my advice, too.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Just then somebody tapped lightly on the door. -George turned the key, the door opened a little way -and Jake, the herdsman, thrust his head in.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“They’re comin’,” said he, in a thrilling whisper. -“I can hear their horses a-gallopin!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>This startling announcement seemed to take the -courage out of everybody except George. Uncle -John and the two trembling culprits sank helplessly -into the nearest chairs, their faces betraying the -utmost consternation.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_282'>282</span> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER XV.<br /> <span class='large'>WHAT HAPPENED AT THE RANCHO.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_4 c013'>“How far away are they, Jake?” asked George, -who seemed to be the only one besides the -herdsman who had any of his wits left about him.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“They’re so fur off that I couldn’t have heard ‘em -at all if the wind hadn’t brought the sound of their -horses’ feet to me,” was the herdsman’s answer. -“But they’re comin’ fast, an’ they’ll be here in five -minutes. The horses are waitin’ at the door!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“You have not an instant to lose,” said our hero, -turning to the frightened boys and speaking as rapidly -as he could.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Where are you going to take them, George?” -asked Uncle John, as soon as he had recovered the -use of his tongue.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I intend to show them the way to the coast—we -shall probably bring up at Brownsville—and send -them up north. But you will have plenty of time -to communicate with us after we get out of harm’s -way, and we can then decide what ought to be done -<span class='pageno' id='Page_283'>283</span>Mr. Gilbert thinks Ned can come back after a while, -but that Gus had better go home and stay there.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I think so, too,” cried Ned. “I wish I had -never seen him. If he hadn’t come here I’d never -got into this miserable scrape!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“But what am I to do?” asked Uncle John, who -seemed to have no mind of his own.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“You’ll have to stay here until you have settled -this matter, and then you had better follow us to the -coast. Pay Mr. Cook for his cattle and give up the -stolen horse, making the best excuses for Ned that -you can think of.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Where is the horse now, Ned?” asked his father.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I don’t know,” replied the boy. “He went off -with the raiders. Hurry up, George! Don’t stop -to talk any more!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I am ready if you are. If the horse is gone -you’ll have to pay for him, Uncle John. Ned will -need some money to bear his expenses. I’ll be back -in a minute.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>George left the office and hurried to his own room. -He stayed there just long enough to empty the contents -of his money-box into his pocket, and was -back again by the time Ned had received the money -his father counted out to him. There was no leave-taking -<span class='pageno' id='Page_284'>284</span>whatever; the boys were in too great a hurry -for that. They ran through the hall, and found -Jake standing on the porch holding three horses. -Ned and Gus lost no time in getting into the saddle, -but George paused a moment to listen. He could -distinctly hear the sound of hoofs, but they did not -seem to be coming toward the rancho. They were -moving off to the right, and when George became -satisfied of that fact, he told himself that Mr. Gilbert’s -herdsman had purposely lost his way and was -leading the pursuers out of their course.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“That’s all right,” said he. “Now put out every -light about the house, or close the shutters, to make -them believe that you have gone to bed, and be as -long in answering their hail as you can. We shall -stop in Brownsville, Uncle John, and we shall expect -you there in the course of a few days. Good-by! -Easy, boys! We’ll go fast enough after a while!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Ned and Gus would have dashed off at the top of -their speed and tired their horses out before they -had gone ten miles if George had not checked them. -The latter knew that they were comparatively safe -now, and he breathed a good deal easier than he did -while he was in the rancho. If the owner of the -stolen horse had arrived while they were in the office, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_285'>285</span>something unpleasant might have happened; but -now that he and his companions were in the saddle -there was little danger to be apprehended. The -ranchemen could not compete with them in a fair -race, for the horses they rode were weary with their -day’s journey, while those on which the boys -were mounted were fresh and vigorous. George -explained this as they rode away from the house, -adding:</p> - -<p class='c000'>“They can’t follow us in the dark, for they have -no means of knowing which trail we have taken. -Their only chance is to wait until morning and -make inquiries among the settlers.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“That is just what they will do,” said Ned, “and -everybody will tell them all about us. The neighbors -are down on me because I am so far above -them.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“But we must keep out of sight of the neighbors,” -said George, who did not think it best to notice his -cousin’s last remark, “and then they can’t tell anything -about us. The people who live along the -river trail are strangers to us, so we’ll go that way. -It is the safest.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>George kept his horse in a rapid walk until he -was out of sight of the rancho, and then he put him -<span class='pageno' id='Page_286'>286</span>to the top of his speed. Although he had no fear -of being overtaken, he was very anxious to keep out -of sight of the ranchemen, for they carried revolvers -and would not hesitate to use them if they found -that Ned could not be captured in any other way. -George was resolved to stand by his cousin, no matter -how much risk he might run by so doing; but -perhaps he would not have been so determined on -this point if he had known what was transpiring at -the rancho he had just left.</p> - -<p class='c000'>In spite of the care he had taken to enter and -leave the house without Philip’s knowledge, that -crafty individual knew all about it. As it happened, -he was standing on the porch when George -first made his appearance. He recognised the boy -at once, and was not a little surprised to see him. -He knew, and so did Uncle John, that George had -succeeded in eluding the raiders when they made the -descent upon his camp, and that he was probably on -his way home; but Philip did not expect him to get -there, for, as we shall presently see, arrangements -had been made to intercept him. When Philip saw -him coming, he said something angry in Spanish, -and retreated into a dark doorway, so that George -could not see him.</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_287'>287</span>“I never expected to put eyes on him again on -this side of the river,” said the Mexican, to himself; -“but here he has gone and run the blockade, and -there is no telling when we can get another chance -at him. Where are those fellows who ought to have -been watching the trail? I wonder if he has heard -any news! He acts as though he wanted to get -into the house without being seen.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>The man crouched down in his place of concealment -and watched George’s movements. He saw -him when he mounted the steps and placed his hand -on the door leading into the hall. He heard almost -every word of the conversation between him and the -herdsman who met him there, and the ejaculations -he uttered under his breath indicated that he was -both astonished and enraged by it. When the conversation -ceased, and he heard Jake moving along -the hall, Philip softly opened the door near which -he was concealed, and slipped into the kitchen. -When the herdsman entered, he was filling his pipe, -preparatory to indulging in a smoke. Knowing that -the herdsman had been sent in there to watch him, -he remained in the kitchen until Jake went out to -catch and saddle the horses; then he threw down -his pipe, and running swiftly but noiselessly along -<span class='pageno' id='Page_288'>288</span>the hall, stopped in front of the office door. Placing -his ear close to the key-hole, he listened intently, -hoping to overhear the conversation that was carried -on by those inside; but George, as we know, spoke -in a low tone of voice, and Philip had little more -than his trouble for his pains. When he heard Jake -coming with the horses he ran back to the kitchen, -the door of which he left ajar. He saw the boys -when they came out, and heard George tell his uncle -that they were going straight to Brownsville, and -should expect to see him there in a few days.</p> - -<p class='c000'>When George and his companions had ridden -away out of sight, and Uncle John and the herdsman -had gone back into the hall, Philip softly opened -the kitchen door and stepped upon the porch. -Almost at the same instant the door which gave -entrance into the hall, was cautiously opened and -Uncle John came in. He looked all around the -room as if he was searching for somebody, and went -out upon the porch. He pronounced the Mexican’s -name two or three times, in a low tone of voice, and -walked around the building, looking everywhere for -him; but he could neither hear nor see anything of -him, and finally he gave up the search, and went -back to the office again.</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_289'>289</span>Philip, in the meantime, having caught up a saddle -and bridle, belonging to one of the herdsmen, -ran to the corral, opened the gate with the key -which he had taken from its nail in the kitchen, -and hurried in. When he came out, he was leading -a horse, which was soon saddled and bridled, -and carrying the Mexican at a full gallop away -from the rancho. The rider directed his course -down the trail, and had gone about half a mile, -when he heard the sound of voices away off to his -right. It was so dark that he could not see anybody, -but Philip, being confident that he knew -whom the voices belonged to, checked his horse and -rode just fast enough to intercept the horsemen, -who were coming along one of the side-trails. In a -few minutes a hail came through the darkness, telling -him that he had been discovered.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Hallo, there!” cried a voice.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Hallo yourself!” replied Philip, stopping his -horse and turning him around, so that his head -pointed toward the rancho, instead of away -from it.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“O, now you’re all right,” said another voice. -“That’s one of Ackerman’s men. He’ll show you -<span class='pageno' id='Page_290'>290</span>the way, an’ I’ll go hum. I’m sorry I lost the -trail, an’ tuk you so fur outen your way—I am so; -but it’s powerful dark, an’ my eyes ain’t none of the -best.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Well, I should think a ten-year-old boy ought -to know the trails in his own neighborhood,” -growled the man who had shouted out the hail. -“You have delayed us more than half an hour.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“And he did it on purpose, too,” thought Philip. -“That’s Gilbert’s man, and he knows the country -like a book for two hundred miles around.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Hallo, there!” came the hail again.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Hallo yourself!” was Philip’s answer.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Can you show us the way to Ackerman’s?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I can. I am going right there.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Then you can go home,” said the horseman, -addressing himself to the man whom Mr. Gilbert -had sent to act as guide. “We’ve seen enough -of you.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>The herdsman, taking him at his word, rode off -at once; and presently the owner of the stolen -horse and his companion galloped up to the place -where Philip was standing. The latter looked -closely at them for a moment, and exclaimed:</p> - -<p class='c000'>“O! I know who you are now. You’re the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_291'>291</span>gentlemen who came to our rancho the other night -and borrowed two fresh horses. Did you catch -him?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“No,” growled one of the horsemen.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Philip waited for him to say something more, but -the man did not seem to be in the humor for talking -just then. No doubt he was reserving all he -had to say for Uncle John’s private ear. After -they had ridden a short distance, Philip said:</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I’m sorry you didn’t catch him. Mr. Ackerman -will be sure to ask particularly about it, when -he comes home.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“When he comes home!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Yes; he isn’t here, you know.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Where is he?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“He and his son started for Palos this morning.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>The horsemen looked at each other and uttered -a volley of exclamations, that seemed to astonish -Philip greatly.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Perhaps you wanted to see Mr. Ackerman?” -said he.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I should say we did!” replied the owner of the -stolen horse.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I am sorry. He’ll not be back for two or three -<span class='pageno' id='Page_292'>292</span>weeks, for he took a mule-wagon with him, and is -going to bring back a heavy load.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“You say his son went with him. Did he go in -the wagon?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“O, no; he rode on horseback.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“What sort of a looking horse was it?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“A dark chestnut, with white mane and tail and -four white feet. It was a new horse he traded for -a few days ago. The house is open, just the same -as if Mr. Ackerman was there, and we shall be glad -to give you——”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“We wouldn’t stay in his house to-night under -any circumstances!” was the angry reply. “Bring -out our horses as quick as you can, and let us get -away; that’s all we ask of you!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I’ll do that. Any word to leave for Mr. Ackerman?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Not a word! We’ve got plenty to say to -him and that boy of his, but we’ll say it to their -faces.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“It is nothing bad, I hope!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“It is no business of yours, whether it is or -not!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>These words and the tone in which they were -uttered, silenced the Mexican most effectually. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_293'>293</span>He knew some things that the owner of the stolen -horse did not know; but still he was obliged to -exhibit some curiosity, in order to avoid exciting -the man’s suspicions. Not another word was said -during the ride.</p> - -<p class='c000'>The ranchemen went into the corral with Philip, -turned their borrowed horses loose and caught their -own, and, having placed their saddles upon them, -they mounted and rode away. Philip watched -them as long as they were in sight, and when they -had disappeared in the darkness, he closed and -locked the gate of the corral, sprang into his -saddle and turned his horse’s head away from the -rancho.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“That was pretty well done if I did do it myself,” -thought he. “They’ll be back again to-morrow or -next day, but if Ackerman is sharp they’ll find him -gone, sure enough. I’ll have to go, too, for I -shouldn’t like to have them see me after they learn -how they have been tricked.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>While the Mexican was talking to himself in this -way he had ridden around the corral, and was now -galloping at full speed toward a belt of timber which -lay about two miles from the rancho. All was dark -before him, but Philip seemed to know just where -<span class='pageno' id='Page_294'>294</span>he was going. He brought his horse to a walk when -he reached the woods, and after riding through a -dense thicket of bushes he struck a bridle path, into -which he turned. He followed it for a short distance, -ducking his head now and then to avoid some -overhanging branch, and finally dismounted at the -door of a dilapidated cabin that had once been the -property of a pig-raiser, who lived there and watched -his droves while they fattened on the acorns which -so plentifully covered the ground at certain seasons -of the year. There was a window beside the door, -and a bright light shone out of it. The light came -from the fire-place, which was heaped high with -blazing logs. In front of the fire were two men, -dressed in Mexican costume, who were reclining at -their ease on their ponchos and smoking cigarettes. -But they were not Mexicans. They were renegade -Americans, and members of the band that made the -attack upon George’s camp. When they heard the -strokes of the horse’s hoofs on the hard path, they -started up and turned toward the door which Philip -pushed open without ceremony.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“You are a pretty pair, I must say!” exclaimed -the newcomer, after he had somewhat relieved his -mind by uttering a volley of heavy Spanish adjectives. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_295'>295</span>“What were you put here for, anyhow—to -waste your time in smoking and loafing?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“We have just this moment come in,” replied -one of the men.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Didn’t you see anybody while you were watching -the trail?” inquired Philip.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Yes; there was somebody went by on horseback.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Was there a small, dark-colored mute following -the horse? Then it was the boy you were looking -for, and you let him go by.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Of course. You told us to look out for a boy -on foot!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“So I did,” said Philip, after reflecting a moment. -“I didn’t think, at the time, that he would be likely -to find his horse and mule, but it seems he did. -However, you’ve got a chance to try your hands -again. George has just started for Brownsville!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Both the men uttered ejaculations when they heard -this, and one of them began to roll up his poncho.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“There are three of them together,” continued -Philip, “but you will have no trouble in recognising -George when you find them. He’s the largest of -the lot, wears a red shirt and high boots, and rides -a black horse. You want to look out for that same -<span class='pageno' id='Page_296'>296</span>black horse, for if you give him the least show he’ll -carry George so far out of your reach that you’ll -never see him again. He’s just lightning. Your -best plan would be to wait until the boys go into -camp, and then jump down on them before they -know it. Hold fast to George when you get him, -but don’t harm the other two. Don’t waste your -time, either, in following the big trail. Put for the -river as fast as you can, and there’s where you will -find them.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>While Philip was giving these commands the men -were busy rolling up their blankets and ponchos -and making their preparations for an immediate -departure. Their horses, which were staked out -close by, were quickly caught and saddled, and -when all were mounted, Philip led the way out of -the timber. He paused when he reached the open -ground long enough to add a few words more to the -instructions he had already given, and then galloped -off toward the rancho, while the Americans rode -away in pursuit of George.</p> - -<p class='c000'>When Philip reached home he put his horse into -the corral and let himself into the kitchen without -being seen by anybody. After making sure that -the rest of the servants had retired for the night, he -<span class='pageno' id='Page_297'>297</span>hastened along the hall to the office, at the door of -which he paused for a moment to listen. He heard -the sound of footsteps passing back and forth at regular -intervals, but there was no murmur of conversation, -and so Philip knew that the man he wanted to -see was alone. He entered without taking the trouble -to knock, and having closed the door and pushed the -bolt into its socket, he hung his sombrero upon the -knob to cover the key-hole. Uncle John, who was -walking restlessly about the room, turned quickly -and hastened forward to greet him.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Philip, I am overjoyed to see you,” he exclaimed. -“Where have you been? I have hunted -the house over to find you. Do you know what has -happened here to-night?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I know all about it,” replied Philip, taking possession -of one of the easy chairs, with the air of a -man who felt perfectly at home. “I heard everything -that passed while George was here except -the conversation he had with you in this office. -He talked so low that I couldn’t hear much of that, -but I know about what he said.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Then tell me what to do,” said Uncle John, who -had not yet recovered from his fright. “What shall -I say to those men when they come here? I don’t -<span class='pageno' id='Page_298'>298</span>see what keeps them. I have been looking for them -every minute since the boys went away.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“They have been here and are gone,” answered -Philip. “They’ll not trouble you to-night.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Uncle John could not speak. He could only look -the astonishment and delight he felt.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Yes,” continued Philip, “they have come and -gone. I sent them away. I met them on the road -and told them you and Ned had gone to Palos, and -that you would not be back under two or three -weeks. I told them, too, that Ned had ridden away -a new horse he traded for a few days ago. I knew -they wouldn’t stop here after hearing that. I helped -them catch their horses, and they left as soon as they -could put the saddles on them.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Uncle John drew a long breath and sat down in -the nearest chair. He was greatly relieved to know -that he would not be called upon to face the owner -of the stolen horse that night.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“They must have gone away with a very poor -opinion of themselves,” Philip went on. “They’ve -been fooled at every turn. The horse they are looking -for was under the shed the night they came here; -George sent them more than thirty-five miles out of -their way; Mr. Gilbert sent a herdsman to guide -<span class='pageno' id='Page_299'>299</span>them to the rancho and he lost them on purpose; -and now I have sent them off on a wild goose chase. -It’s lucky for you I did, for they were just boiling -over.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“But they’ll come back some day,” said Uncle -John, growing frightened again when he thought -of it.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Of course they will, but if they catch you here, -it will be your own fault. They’ll not find me, I -tell you. You ought to be well on your way toward -Brownsville by this time to-morrow, and I don’t see -why you didn’t go with the boys. I would if I had -been in your place.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Why, I thought I ought to stay here and settle -the matter.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“You can settle it easier through somebody else. -You’ll have to pay full value for that horse, for he -went off with the raiders. I saw him go. If I -were in your place, I’d put money enough in Mr. -Gilbert’s hands to straighten up the whole business—he’ll -do it if you ask him, just because he knows -it would please George—and then I’d dig out. I -wouldn’t come back either, until Mr. Gilbert -thought it safe for me to do so. But before you -go, you might as well tell one of the men to bring -<span class='pageno' id='Page_300'>300</span>in a thousand head of cattle and pasture them -between here and the river.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“What do you mean by that?” exclaimed Uncle -John, starting up in his chair.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I mean that you won’t find George in Brownsville -when you get there. You know those two -fellows who were sent here to watch the rancho, -don’t you? Well, they let George go by them to-night.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Uncle John was well aware of that fact. If they -had not allowed him to pass he could not have -reached the house. That was what caused him to -exhibit so much astonishment when his nephew first -entered the office. He knew that the trail was -watched, and he could not imagine how George had -escaped capture.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“George came on horseback, and they were looking -for a boy on foot,” said Philip. “He is safe -now, however. I have put them on his trail, and a -few hours more will see him on the other side of the -river.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“But what will become of Ned and Gus?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I told the men not to trouble them.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“But they can never find their way without a -guide.”</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_301'>301</span>“Haven’t they got a pair of tongues, and isn’t -the trail as plain as daylight?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Uncle John settled back in his chair and fastened -his eyes on the floor. He was silent for a long -time, but finally he said: “I wish you hadn’t done -it.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“It is too late to talk that way,” answered Philip, -drumming with his fingers on the arms of his chair, -and looking up at the ceiling. “You told me what -you wanted done, and what you were willing to -give, if it <em>was</em> done, and I have tried my best -to do it.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“If I had waited until to-night, I never should -have said a word to you about it. Suppose it -should become known among the neighbors!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Now, how are the neighbors going to find it -out? Who is going to tell them?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>While this conversation, and much more like it, -was going on, George was leading his companions -rapidly across the plain, toward the trail which ran -along the bank of the river, in the direction of -Brownsville. He had brought upon himself the -wrath of men who would have treated him roughly, -if they could have overtaken him; had run away -from his home like a thief in the night, and he had -<span class='pageno' id='Page_302'>302</span>done it to save a boy whose father was at that very -moment hearing and consenting to plans, which -were intended to bring him into serious trouble. -If George had known what we have just recorded, -his after life would not have been what it was, and -a good many thrilling scenes we have yet to describe, -and of which he was the hero, never would -have happened. It all came out after a while, and -it came, too, in such shape that George was fully -convinced that Mr. Gilbert was wiser than himself, -and he wondered why he had not seen it before.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Philip spent more than an hour in conversation -with his employer, minutely describing all the -events of the night, in which he had borne a part, -and at last he arose to go. As he was about to -leave the room, a most unexpected and alarming -incident occurred. No sooner had he crossed the -threshold, than he received a blow full in the face -that would have felled an ox. It lifted him off his -feet, sent him with crushing force against the wall, -and doubled him up on the floor, all in a heap.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Set Greasers on the trail of a white boy, will -ye?” exclaimed a voice. “Take that thar fur yer -imperdence! Evenin’, Mr. Ackerman!”</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_303'>303</span>The voice, and the clenched hand that struck the -blow, belonged to Jake, the herdsman, who thrust -his head in at the door and nodded to his employer, -as if to say:</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I know all about it!”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_304'>304</span> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER XVI<br /> <span class='large'>CAUGHT AT LAST!</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_4 c013'>“Let’s hold up a little, boys. We mustn’t tire -our horses out at the start, you know. We -are safe now, for even if those ranchemen should -come in pursuit of us, they’d never think of looking -for us here.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>The fugitives were five miles from the rancho, -and they had not consumed a great deal of time -in accomplishing the distance, either. They had -scarcely exchanged a dozen words since they began -their flight, for George led the way at a pace so -rapid that conversation was impossible. Ned and -Gus had never travelled so fast on horseback before, -and the former was obliged to confess to himself -that he was by no means so fine a rider as he -thought he was. It was comparatively easy to -keep a firm and upright seat while his nag was -ambling leisurely along a smooth trail, but it was -not so easy when the horse was running at the top -<span class='pageno' id='Page_305'>305</span>of his speed, over rough ground. His feet were -out of the stirrups more than half the time, while -Gus was jolted up and down and from side to side -with such violence that it was a wonder he kept in -his saddle at all. Fortunately, Ned’s departure -from home had been so hurried that he had forgotten -to take with him the ornaments he usually -wore when he went riding. If he had had his -spurs on while his heels were digging into his -horse’s sides, he might not have kept his seat as -well as he did. Both he and Gus were glad when -George checked his horse and allowed him to settle -down to a walk.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Texas isn’t so dull a place to live in after all, -is it?” said George, who knew he must say something -to keep up the spirits of his companions. -“One can get all the excitement he wants, without -half trying, can’t he?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I never would have been in this scrape if it -hadn’t been for Gus,” declared Ned, who, mean-spirited -fellow that he was, always tried to shift the -responsibility for any wrongdoing upon the shoulders -of somebody else. “I wish I had never brought -him here!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“So do I,” replied Gus, who might, with just as -<span class='pageno' id='Page_306'>306</span>much show of reason, have accused Ned of being -the author of all his misfortunes. If Ned had not -written him those letters and offered to pay his -travelling expenses, he never would have been in -Texas. “I don’t see how you can blame me for -anything that has happened. Did I have a hand in -stealing that horse?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“You had just as much to do with it as I did. -What I mean is, that if you had been at home, -where I wish you were this very minute, those cattle -never would have been shot.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“That’s a pretty way for you to talk!” exclaimed -Gus, angrily. “I hadn’t been in your house an -hour before you told me that you intended to do that -very thing, just to get up a breeze and show the -neighbors that you had some pluck.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“But I never would have done it if you hadn’t -dared me. What are we going to do when we reach -Brownsville, George?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“We’ll put up at a hotel and wait for Uncle -John,” was George’s answer. “When he comes -we’ll talk the matter over and decide upon something. -I think we had all better go off somewhere. -I am going, for I don’t want to see anybody in our -settlement until this trouble is forgotten.”</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_307'>307</span>“You haven’t done anything to be ashamed of,” -said Gus, who looked upon George as a hero. He -had been perfectly cool and collected while everybody -else was too badly frightened to talk plainly, -and Gus greatly admired his courage. He told himself, -too, that he had formed a wrong opinion of the -boy from Ned’s description of him. He was not a -boor by any means. He was more of a gentleman -in appearance, in spite of his rough clothes, than -his cousin was, and knew more in five minutes than -Ned could ever hope to know.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“No; I have done nothing to be ashamed of, but -I am taking you out of danger, and the people will -think hard of me for it,” replied George. “Besides, -I deceived the owner of the stolen horse, and that -will raise a storm against me. The folks in these -parts are down on anybody who befriends a horse-thief.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I am not a horse-thief!” exclaimed Ned.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Of course you are not. But you acknowledge -that you kept Silk Stocking in your possession after -you knew he was stolen, and that’s a crime in -the eyes of our people!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Don’t you think I can ever come back?” asked -Ned.</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_308'>308</span>“O, yes! It will all blow over after a while, -but you must be very careful in future, for a second -offence of this kind would be sure to lead to something -serious.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Ned was overjoyed to hear this. Now that he -had recovered from his fright so that he could think -clearly, he began to ask himself what the future had -in store for him. How could he live if he were -obliged to leave Texas? He knew that his father -would be quite willing to support him, no matter -where he might choose to take up his abode, but he -could not do it without drawing heavily on the revenues -of the estate, and it was not at all likely that -George would consent to that; consequently Ned -would be compelled to go to work and earn his own -support. That was something the boy did not want -to do. He had lived so long in idleness that the -very thought of work was most distasteful to him. -He told himself that he would indeed be careful -how he acted when he came back to the ranche, -and that nothing could ever again induce him to -foolishly jeopardise his chances of living a life of -ease.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Mr. Gilbert has often advised me to go away -and see a little of the world, especially of my own -<span class='pageno' id='Page_309'>309</span>country, and I don’t know that I shall ever have a -better opportunity,” continued George. “I’d like -first to go up the Mississippi, clean up to its source, -and come back in a canoe. Canoeing is getting to -be a favorite sport with some people.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“That would be splendid,” exclaimed Ned, with -great enthusiasm. “I’ll go with you.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>George made no reply. He had not looked for -so prompt an endorsement of an idea that had but -just suggested itself to him, and besides, his cousin -was the last boy in the world he would have chosen -for a companion during a journey of that kind. If -he made it at all, he wanted to make it a pleasure -trip; and for that reason he wanted Ned to have -nothing to do with it.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I have read about the cruise of the <em>Rob Roy</em> on -the Jordan,” continued Ned, “and I’d like to make -one just like it. I think a voyage down the Mississippi -would be the next best thing. We ought to -take our guns and some fishing tackle with us, and -we shall need a tent and cooking utensils. Won’t -we have fun, though? Let’s go, George.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“And while you are having so much fun what -will I be doing?” asked Gus.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“You!” said Ned, as if he had forgotten that -<span class='pageno' id='Page_310'>310</span>there was such a boy as Gus Robbins in existence. -“O, you had better go home.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Now, Ned, you know very well that I can’t do -it,” said, Gus; and he spoke so calmly that Ned -looked at him in surprise.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Yes, you can. Your father said so in his -letter.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“But I haven’t money enough to pay my way.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Well, I can’t help that. You can’t expect me -to pay your bills all the while.” Ned caught his -breath when he said this, and looked toward his -cousin, wondering what the latter would think, if he -knew that a hundred dollars, which ought to have -been placed in the bank for his future benefit, had -been spent to bring Gus Robbins to Texas. “Write -to your father,” added Ned.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“What shall I do while I am waiting for an -answer?” asked Gus. “How shall I live?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“You’ll have to go to work at something. I -don’t know of anything else you can do.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Gus did not continue the conversation any longer. -He had learned all he wanted to know. Drawing -in his reins, he gradually slackened his pace, and -allowed George and his cousin, who rode side by -side, to pass on in advance of him. As soon as -<span class='pageno' id='Page_311'>311</span>they had done so, Gus fell in behind them and -shook his fist angrily at Ned.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“He’s the meanest boy that was ever heard of,” -said he, to himself. “I knew it all the while, and -the trouble I have got into is nothing more than I -deserve. I ought to have had nothing to do with -him. He has got himself and me into a scrape, and -now he throws me overboard, and lets me look out -for myself, while he depends upon his cousin to see -himself<a id='t311'></a> safely through. He’s got a big pile of money -he can draw on, and can go off and enjoy himself, -while I’ve got to stay here. For I shall not go -home,” added Gus, with a most emphatic shake of -his head. “Everybody in Foxboro’ knows by this -time that I ran away, and I’ll not go back there and -face them. There’s plenty of work to be had in -this country, and right here I’ll stay until my father -writes me a decent letter.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Perhaps we shall see that Gus made a great mistake -when he came to this determination. If he -had made up his mind to return to his home as soon -as he could get there, he would have saved himself -a great deal of trouble that afterward came to him. -He decided that he would accompany Ned as far as -Brownsville, and that when he arrived there he -<span class='pageno' id='Page_312'>312</span>would leave him and strike out for himself. He -would not stay with a boy who did not want his -company.</p> - -<p class='c000'>As the hours wore away, and the rancho was left -farther and farther behind, and all fears of pursuit -died away, Ned’s spirits and courage all came back -to him, and he began to speak of the events of the -night and the incidents that led to them as a -“lark” that was just a little ahead of anything -he had ever heard of. He seemed to forget all -about Gus, who took no part in the conversation. -Now and then George turned about in his saddle, -and addressed some remark to him, but Gus replied -only in monosyllables, and George, finding that he -did not feel in the humor for talking, left him to the -companionship of his own thoughts.</p> - -<p class='c000'>It was an hour after daylight when the boys came -within sight of the woods which lined the banks of -the Rio Grande. By this time Ned and Gus were -completely tired out, and even George began to -show signs of weariness. They were all glad of a -chance to rest, and believed they would be the better -for a few hours’ refreshing sleep. They staked out -their horses in the edge of the timber, spread their -blankets and ponchos on the ground, and throwing -<span class='pageno' id='Page_313'>313</span>themselves down upon them, went to sleep almost -immediately.</p> - -<p class='c000'>There was no one in sight when they went into -camp, for George took particular pains to satisfy -himself of this fact; but for all that there were two -persons near enough at hand to observe all their -movements. They had been on the trail of the -fugitives for more than half an hour, following -behind them at a respectful distance, and making -use of every inequality in the ground to conceal -them from the view of the boys, should any of them -chance to look behind. When the travellers staked -out their horses one of them was lying on the summit -of the nearest ridge, looking at them over the top of -the grass. When he had seen all he cared to see he -returned to his companion, who sat on his horse at -the foot of the swell awaiting the result of his observations, -and the two rode along under cover of the -ridge until they reached the woods, about half a -mile above the place where the boys had made their -camp. Keeping their horses in a rapid walk they -moved along just outside the timber, and were soon -discovered by Ranger, who lifted his head and gave -them a good looking over. But he raised no alarm -thinking, no doubt, if he were able to think at all, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_314'>314</span>that as it was daylight his master ought to be able to -take care of himself.</p> - -<p class='c000'>When they had approached a little nearer the two -men put their horses into a gallop, and dashed into -camp. One of them threw his bridle to his companion, -and swinging himself out of his saddle -hurried up to George and placed his hand on his -shoulder just as the boy, aroused out of a sound -sleep by the clatter of the horses’ hoofs, raised himself -on his elbow to see what was the matter. He -saw a bearded face bending over him, and felt a -strong grasp on his collar. His two companions -were sitting up on their blankets looking on with -mouths and eyes wide open. Ned probably did not -consider this incident a part of the “lark” he had -been talking about, for he was trembling like a -leaf.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Who are you, and what are you doing here?” -demanded George, as soon as he could speak.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“We’re somebody who won’t harm you so long as -you do just as you’re told!” replied the man. “We -came after you—that’s what’s we are doin’ here!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Well, now that you have found me, what do you -want with me?” asked George.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“We want you to get on your hoss an’ take a ride -<span class='pageno' id='Page_315'>315</span>with us. Thar’s somebody over on the other side of -the river who wants to see you powerful bad!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>George arose slowly to his feet and looked first at -the man who held him by the collar, and then at the -man who sat in his saddle. He knew who they were -before he asked them, and he knew, too, who it was -on the other side of the river who wanted to see him. -He was caught at last, and there was no chance for -escape. There was but one course open to him, and -that was to submit and trust to luck.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Answer another question while you are about -it,” said George. “Are you Fletcher’s men?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“What do you know about Fletcher?” demanded -the ruffian, in surprise.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I know all about him, and I know what he -wants of me, too.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Who told you?” asked his captor, still more -astonished.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“That’s my business!” answered George, who -knew better than to mention Springer’s name.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Now, what in the world does this mean?” -whined Ned, who just then recovered his power of -speech. “Who are these men, George, and what -are they going to do with us?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“We aint agoin’ to do nothing with you an’ the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_316'>316</span>other feller thar,” said the man, pointing at Gus, -“so you don’t need to get so white an’ act so powerful -skeered. This yere is the chap we’ve been -lookin’ fur. Now you two can lay thar an’ sleep -jest as long as you please, an’ then you can strike -out fur Brownsville, and nobody won’t say a word to -you.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“But what are you going to do with George? -Are you going to take him away and leave us -alone?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“That’s about the way it looks now.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“How are we going to find our way without a -guide? We don’t know the road!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“You don’t need to know it, ‘cause you can’t -miss it. It’s as plain as the nose on your face.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Ned exhibited the greatest astonishment and terror, -while Gus sat staring blankly before him, as if -he could hardly realize what was going on. The former, -George noticed, did not ask what the men -intended to do with him, after they had taken him -across the river. All he wanted to know, was how -he and Gus were going to find their way to Brownsville -without a guide.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“O now, I don’t know what to do,” cried Ned, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_317'>317</span>sinking back on his blanket and covering his face -with his hands.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Be a man in the first place,” said George, who -was surprised at his cousin’s want of courage. -“You have nothing to cry over. Your way is perfectly -plain, but if you miss it, can’t you stop at -some of the ranchos along the road and ask the -people to set you right? But there’s one thing I -want to speak to you about. I say! You don’t -care if I change clothes with him, do you?” he -added, addressing the man who held him by the -collar.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“What do you want to do it for?” asked that -worthy.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Because it may help him.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I don’t reckon it’ll do any harm, will it, Sam?” -inquired the man, appealing to his companion.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Sam looked down at the horn of his saddle, and -after considering the matter, said he didn’t think it -would.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“All right. Let go my collar,” said George. -“Why do you hang on to me in that fashion?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I was told to look out for you,” answered the -ruffian, “an’ I’m jest goin’ to do it!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>He let go his prisoner’s collar, but he kept close -<span class='pageno' id='Page_318'>318</span>beside him when the latter walked over to the place -where his cousin was lying on his blanket. “You -had better give me those silver buttons and all the -rest of your finery,” said George, “for they are -much too conspicuous for you to wear. Those -ranchemen are not going to give up that horse, and -they may follow you clear to Brownsville. I -believe I could take you through all right; but as I -can’t go with you, you will be left to depend upon -yourself, and you can’t take too many precautions.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>The hint that there was still a possibility of pursuit -and capture by the ranchemen, brought Ned to -his feet in great haste. The thought that perhaps -his cousin might get himself into trouble by wearing -those same silver buttons never entered his head, -nor would he have paid any attention to it if it had. -He cared for nobody but himself, and he was quite -willing to part with his nobby suit, and put on his -cousin’s coarse clothing, if by so doing, he could -secure his own safety. The exchange was soon -effected, the cattle-thief standing so close to George’s -elbow all the while that flight would have been -impossible, even if the boy had thought of such a -thing, and although Ned cut a sorry figure in his -new rig, his cousin’s appearance was vastly improved. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_319'>319</span>The nobby suit, which was rather large -for Ned, fitted him as though it had been made on -purpose for him, and Gus, while he looked at him, -wondered why he had never before noticed that -George was a very handsome young fellow.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Now, boys,” said the latter, as he placed the -sombrero on his head, “as soon as you have had -rest enough, catch up and start again. Don’t waste -an hour, but be careful and not tire your horses out -by reckless riding. When you reach Brownsville, -go to the best hotel, and wait for Uncle John. Ned -has all the money you need,” added George, who -had taken pains to see that there was an exchange -of purses as well as an exchange of clothing.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“But what is going to become of you?” asked -Ned, as if the question had just occurred to him.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I am sure I don’t know,” replied George; and -it was right on the end of his tongue to add: -“Probably your father will tell you if you will ask -him the next time you see him,” but he did not -utter the words. It was more than likely that -Springer’s story was all false, and that Uncle John -knew nothing whatever about this matter. At any -rate he would not accuse him until he had received -positive proof of his guilt.</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_320'>320</span>“What makes you let them carry you off in this -way, anyhow?” demanded Ned.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“What else can I do? I can’t whip two grown -men with my bare hands, can I?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I always heard that the Ackermans was a -plucky lot,” said the man who was keeping guard -over George, “but I didn’t allow to find a kid like -you so cool an’ careless-like. Have you done talkin’ -enough now, do you reckon?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Yes, I have given all the advice I can think of, -and I will be ready to go with you as soon as I can -saddle my horse.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“You needn’t mind takin’ that lasso off,” said -the man, as George was about to untie the lariat -with which his horse was fastened to the picket-pin. -“‘Cause why, we’ll leave it jist as it is, you know, -an’ I’ll hang on to this yere eend of it.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>The boy was surprised at the precautions his -captor thought it necessary to take in order to prevent -any attempt at escape, and told himself that -the man was going to a good deal of trouble for -nothing. If there had been the least chance for -flight or successful resistance George would promptly -have taken advantage of it, as he did a few days -afterward, but he was not foolhardy enough to run a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_321'>321</span>race with a bullet from the ruffian’s revolver. While -he was putting the saddle and bridle on his horse he -repeated all the instructions he had given Ned, -and when he could no longer find an excuse for -delaying his departure, he shook hands with his -companions, bade them good-by and rode away -between the two cattle-thieves, one of whom held -fast to the lasso which was around the neck of -George’s horse. Ned and Gus stood in the edge of -the timber watching him as long as he remained in -sight, and when he disappeared behind the nearest -swell, they sat down on their blankets and looked at -each other.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“O, Gus, I don’t know what I should do if you -were not here with me!” exclaimed Ned, who was -the first to speak.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Don’t you, indeed!” replied his companion. -“Have you forgotten how squarely you went back -on me no longer ago than last night? You just as -good as told me that you had seen enough of me. -You could get along without me well enough while -you had your cousin to lean on, but now that he is -gone, I am a bully boy again. No, sir; you can’t -throw me away and pick me up again when you -please, now I tell you!”</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_322'>322</span>“O, don’t talk that way!” whined Ned, who -knew that he was powerless, and that everything -depended upon Gus. “I didn’t mean it. I was -frightened out of my senses, and didn’t know what -I was saying.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“No, you were not frightened. You had got all -over it and were laughing about the ‘lark’ you had -had. You said it, whether you meant it or not, and -I shall take you at your word.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“You are not going to leave me?” Ned almost -gasped.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Yes, I am. When we reach Brownsville, if we -ever do, you will see the last of me.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“What are you going to do?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I don’t know. I haven’t made up my mind yet. -I know what I am going to do now: I am going to -sleep.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Ned could not understand how Gus could take -the matter so coolly. He was slumbering heavily in -less than five minutes after he arranged his blankets, -while Ned, whose excitement would not permit him -to sleep, tossed uneasily about, thinking over the -incidents of the last few hours, and trembling when -he looked forward to the long journey before him -and its possible ending.</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_323'>323</span>“I am not out of danger yet,” he kept saying to -himself, “for if I were, George would not have -traded clothes with me. He has been pretty good -to me, I must say. It isn’t every fellow who would -stand by a cousin as he has stood by me, and I -almost wish I had treated him a little better. Perhaps -I shall never see him again. Well, if I -don’t——”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Clasping his hands under his head Ned lay back -on his blanket and proceeded to follow out the train -of thought that had so suddenly suggested itself to -him. The prospect of stepping into possession of a -property worth forty thousand dollars a year was a -pleasing one; and while he was wondering what he -should do with so much money, and how he could -spend it to the best advantage, his weariness overcame -him, and he sank into a dreamless sleep. -When he awoke the sun had climbed around to the -other side of the woods, and the shadows of the -trees were thrown far out on the plain, showing that -the day was drawing to a close. Gus was already -stirring. He had rolled up his blankets, and was -just putting the saddle on his horse when Ned -opened his eyes.</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_324'>324</span>“Where are you going?” demanded the latter, in -some alarm.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I am going to start out and see if I can find a -house,” replied Gus. “I have a little money in -my pocket, and while it lasts I am not going to sleep -out of doors or go hungry, either!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“You needn’t spend a cent of it,” said Ned, -hastily jumping to his feet and folding his blankets. -“I’ve got enough for both of us. You were not -going away without me, were you?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Gus, who was whistling softly to himself, made no -reply to this question, although his companion was -sure he had heard it. His silence was enough to -excite Ned’s suspicions, and to thoroughly frighten -him, also. Did Gus intend to desert him? If so, -what would he (Ned) do when he was left to himself?</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I’ve made him mad and I don’t know how to -get him good-natured again,” was Ned’s mental -reflection. “If I can only keep him with me until -father comes to Brownsville, he can clear out and -welcome. I must keep a close watch over him or -he’ll come up minus some fine morning.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>While these thoughts were passing through Ned’s -mind, he caught up his saddle and bridle and hurried -out to put them on his horse.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_325'>325</span> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER XVII.<br /> <span class='large'>CONCLUSION.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_4 c013'>It was a very unsociable pair who rode away from -the woods that afternoon. Ned, who knew that -he could not take care of himself, tried his best to -heal the breach that had been caused between himself -and his companion, by the hasty and ungenerous -words he had uttered the night before, but Gus -repelled all his advances. Knowing that his old -friend would drop him again as soon as he could -find some one else to lean on, Gus would have -nothing to say to him; so Ned gave up in despair, -and rode along in silence. We may add that this -was the way they travelled every day, until they -reached Brownsville. Gus stopped for the night -when and where he pleased, resumed his journey in -the morning when he got ready, and never consulted -Ned, who was at liberty to follow or stay behind, -just as he chose.</p> - -<p class='c000'><span class='pageno' id='Page_326'>326</span>The boys soon found the trail which they had no -difficulty in following, for it was as plain as a wagon -road. Indeed, it was a wagon road, for it was used -by the settlers and army teamsters in hauling goods -up and down the river. Gus at once set off at a -sharp gallop and Ned lumbered along a few paces in -his rear. They rode in this way until the sun sank -out of sight, and the shadows of twilight began to -deepen into the gloom of night, and Gus was telling -himself that there was a fair prospect that they -would be obliged to go supperless to bed, when his -eyes were gladdened by the sight of a rancho a little -distance away. Urging his horse forward at a faster -pace, he drew up in front of the building a moment -later, and was welcomed by a half a dozen ill-looking -curs, which ran out and barked at him vociferously.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Hallo, in there!” shouted Gus, hardly believing -that he could make himself heard above the din -raised by the angry pack which surrounded him. -“Anybody at home?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Get out, ye brutes!” roared a voice from the -inside. “Alight an’ hitch, strangers.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>The dogs retreated under the porch, where they -remained growling savagely, and now and then -giving utterance to an impatient bark, and presently -<span class='pageno' id='Page_327'>327</span>the owner of the voice appeared in the open door. -In dress and appearance he was in perfect keeping -with his surroundings, which, when the boys c -to look at them, they found to be of the most primitive -character. The house was a rambling old -structure, built of logs and rough, unpainted boards. -There were wide gaps in the shingles on the roof, -and the rickety porch groaned and creaked as the -man stepped upon it. The few outbuildings that -could be seen were in the same dilapidated condition. -The house was undoubtedly the home of a -squatter, who made his living by pasturing cattle on -government land.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Alight an’ hitch, strangers,” repeated the man. -“You’re welcome to sich as we’ve got, an’ that ain’t -none of the best, I can tell you. You see we went -back into the country to git shet of the raiders an’ -we’ve jest come hum to-day.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Did you lose any of your cattle?” asked Gus, -and after he had asked the question, he was surprised -at himself for doing it. Probably the man -owned two or three cows, which supplied his family -with milk, and the raiders would not go far out of -their way to pick up such a herd as that.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Nary hoof,” replied the squatter, with a triumphant -<span class='pageno' id='Page_328'>328</span>air. “I tuk my three thousand head safe -off an’ brung ‘em all back agin!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Gus was astonished. The man was rich. He -was worth at least sixty thousand dollars (Gus had -heard that beef cattle were worth twenty dollars -a piece) and yet he lived in a hovel at which a -respectable dog would turn up his nose. It looked -so untidy and altogether forbidding that Gus did -not want to go into it; but knowing that he would -find plenty to eat in there, and believing that he -could find a shelter somewhere under the leaky roof, -he dismounted, and the squatter came down the -steps and took charge of his horse.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Go right in, strangers,” said he. “The ole -woman’s in thar, an’ I reckon supper’s ‘most -ready.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Gus went in, but Ned, who felt very lonely and -down-hearted, seated himself on the porch and -brooded over his troubles. The former found that -the living-room, which was the one he entered, was -as uninviting as the outside of the house. The floor -was littered with various odds and ends, including -saddles, bridles, horse-blankets and old boots, and -the holes in the walls were covered with hides which -were hung up over them to keep out the wind and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_329'>329</span>rain. One side of the room was occupied by an -immense fire-place, in front of which stood the -squatter’s wife, who was busy with her preparations -for supper. She looked up when the boy entered, -waved a case-knife toward an old chest which stood -beside the door, and requested him to sit down; and -that was the only time Gus heard her speak while -he remained at the rancho.</p> - -<p class='c000'>The boys fared a great deal better than they -expected. The supper was abundant and well -cooked, but the dishes on which it was served up -might have been a little cleaner. The squatter was -very sociable in his way, and after entertaining the -young travellers with many stories of exciting and -amusing adventure drawn from his own experience, -he asked them where they came from and where they -were going.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I don’t know where I am going,” answered Gus, -ignoring the first part of the question, and speaking -entirely for himself. “I am looking for a chance to -go into business of some kind, and if I could get -stock enough to begin on I might be tempted to try -cattle-raising on the squatter plan.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>This was enough to set their host to going again, -and during the rest of the evening he kept the boys -<span class='pageno' id='Page_330'>330</span>interested. He told of his own trials and failures, -and gave Gus some advice which might have been -valuable to him had he thought seriously of going -into the business of cattle-raising. The squatter -talked almost incessantly until ten o’clock, and then -seeing that Gus began to yawn he stopped abruptly -and led the boys into an adjoining room.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I brung your saddles an’ things in yere,” said he. -“You can spread your blankets on the floor an’ sleep -as comfor’ble as you please. Mebbe the roof’ll leak -a little if it rains, an’ if it does, you can come in -an’ lay down in front of the fire. All night to -you!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>So saying the squatter left the room, and the boys -began groping about in the dark in search of their -saddles, to which their blankets and ponchos were -fastened. They found them at last, and after making -their beds they lay down on them without bidding -each other good-night, and prepared to go to -sleep. It was very probable that the room would -leak a little in case of a sudden shower, Gus thought, -as he looked up at the roof. There were several -holes in it, and some of them were so large that he -could have crept through them. He lay there for a -long time looking up at the stars, thinking of his -<span class='pageno' id='Page_331'>331</span>home, and telling himself how foolish he was to run -away from it just in time to miss that excursion to -the trout streams of the Adirondacks, and when his -eye-lids were beginning to grow heavy and the holes -in the roof to assume fantastic shapes, Ned suddenly -started up and laid a hand on his shoulder.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“What’s that?” said he, in a low whisper. -“Don’t you hear something?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Gus was wide awake in an instant. He held his -breath and listened for a moment, and then sank -back in his blanket again.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I don’t see any sense in frightening a fellow -half to death for nothing!” said he. “Let me alone, -now. I want to go to sleep!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“But I hear horses,” whispered Ned. “They’re -coming fast, too.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“So do I hear them; but what of it?” replied -Gus.</p> - -<p class='c000'>He spoke as though he took no interest whatever -in the matter, but if Ned could have seen his face, -he would have found that it was growing whiter -every moment. Gus heard the sound of the hoofs -plainly enough, but until Ned spoke it never occurred<a id='t331'></a> -to him that the horses which made the noise -might be ridden by men who were in pursuit of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_332'>332</span>himself and his companion. A few seconds later -the dogs were aroused and rushed out in a body to -salute the approaching horsemen. Ned hoped from -the bottom of his heart that they would pass on -without stopping, but in this he was disappointed. -The horsemen came straight toward the house, the -sound of the hoofs ceased suddenly in front of the -porch, and a voice that made Ned tremble all over -rang out on the air.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Hallo, the house!” came the hail.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Get out, ye brutes!” shouted the squatter; -whereupon the dogs scattered and took refuge under -the porch. “Alight an’ hitch, strangers. I’ll be -thar in a minute!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>The boys heard their host moving about the living-room -and mending the fire to make it blaze. Then -he opened the door and they listened with all their -ears to hear what passed between him and the new -comers. As there was but one thin board partition -(and that was full of wide cracks) between them and -the door, they could catch every word that was -uttered.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Alight an’ hitch, strangers,” said the squatter, -repeating his stereotyped invitation. “You’re welcome -<span class='pageno' id='Page_333'>333</span>to sich as we’ve got, an’ that ain’t none of the -best, I can tell you.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Thank you,” replied the same voice that had -hailed the house; and when Ned heard it he trembled -again. “If you will let us spread our blankets -on your porch, and will give us a bite to eat in the -morning, we shall be much obliged. We’ll -not ask you to get supper for us. It is too late.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“No occasion, stranger; no occasion,” replied the -hospitable squatter. “Ole woman, here’s a couple -of hungry gentle<em>men</em> out here who want something -to eat. Travellin’ fur, strangers?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“We’ve ridden about seventy-five miles. Have -you seen a party of four persons pass this way to-day, -one of them a young fellow, riding a dark -chestnut horse with white mane and tail, and four -white feet?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Gracious!” thought Ned.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Aha!” said Gus, to himself, at the same time -drawing a long breath of relief. “He didn’t say a -word about the cattle that were shot, so I have -nothing to fear. Ned can look out for number one; -that’s what he was going to make me do. But he -asked after <em>four</em> persons. Who is the other, I -<span class='pageno' id='Page_334'>334</span>wonder? There were but three of us before George -was taken away.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Ain’t seed no sich,” replied the squatter.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“That’s very strange,” said the voice. “They -must have come this way, for they are going to -Brownsville. The fellow who rode this horse wore -a sombrero, high patent leather boots and a buckskin -coat with silver buttons. He carried an ivory-handled -riding-whip, had silver-plated spurs on his -heels, and the horse wore a gold-mounted saddle -and bridle.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Ain’t seed no sich,” repeated the squatter, while -Ned wondered where the man had obtained so accurate -a description of him.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“They couldn’t have gone by without attracting -your attention, could they?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Nary time. I see everybody who goes along -this trail by daylight. Come in, gentle<em>men</em>. The -ole woman’ll cook you a bite of something an’ I’ll -look arter your critters.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>The listening boys knew when the unwelcome -visitors dismounted and entered the house, and Gus, -who sat where he could look through one of the -widest cracks into the living-room, the interior of -which was now brightly lighted up by the fire on -<span class='pageno' id='Page_335'>335</span>the hearth, noticed that the squatter’s wife motioned -to them with a case-knife, to sit down on the chest -by the side of the door. After Gus had taken a -good look at them, he did not wonder that their -appearance frightened Ned so badly that he dared -not confess that the stolen horse was in his possession. -Ned could not see the men, but he knew they -were in the next room, and not more than twelve or -fifteen feet from him. What would become of him -when they discovered that he was in the house? He -would certainly meet them the next morning at the -breakfast table, and if they recognised him, it would -be all over with Ned Ackerman.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I wonder why father didn’t settle the matter -with them, as George told him to do!” thought Ned, -who always blamed somebody beside himself for the -trouble he got into. “He had the money, he ought -to have done it, and he has got me into a pretty -mess by not doing it. If I ever see him again, I’ll -give him a piece of my mind, I bet you.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Another thing that aroused the boy’s anger, was -the manner in which Gus conducted himself. While -Ned was sitting upon his blanket, trembling in every -muscle and living in momentary expectation of discovery, -Gus had the impudence to lie down and roll -<span class='pageno' id='Page_336'>336</span>over on his side with his hand under his cheek, -as if he were trying to go to sleep. Ned could see -it all by the aid of the light which streamed in -through the cracks in the partition.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Say, Gus,” he whispered, shaking his companion -as roughly as he dared, “what am I to do? -Get up and suggest something.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I don’t care what you do,” answered Gus, who -thought this a good time to pay Ned for what he -had said the night before. “It is none of my -funeral. I didn’t steal the horse.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Neither did I,” said Ned, who was so angry -that it was all he could do to control himself. -“Shall I creep out of the house, if I can get out, -or shall I stay here and take my chances?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Do just as you please. I am not interested in -the matter at all.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Your critters is done took care on!” exclaimed -the squatter, who came in at that moment. “What’s -this yere feller with the silver buttons an’ the -hoss with the white stockins on been a doin’ -of?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“The boy is a receiver of stolen property,” came -the reply, in a tone which made Ned tremble more -violently than ever. “Do you know anything -<span class='pageno' id='Page_337'>337</span>about the people who live in the Ackerman settlement?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Never heard tell of none of ‘em,” answered the -squatter.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“It is my opinion that they are no better than -they should be,” continued the owner of the stolen -horse. “Every man and boy we met except one is a -friend to this fellow who ran off with my property. -That one’s name was Cook. He has lost some -cattle through this same Ned Ackerman, and is very -anxious he should be caught. I am going to have -that horse if he is in the state.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“And we’re going to have the boy who ran away -with him, too,” added the other rancheman.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Slowly and cautiously Ned stretched himself upon -his blanket, and drawing his body into as small a -compass as he could, as if he hoped in this way to -lessen the chances for discovery, he lay and listened -to the conversation that followed. The visitors -talked principally about cattle-raising, and there was -little more said concerning the lost steed and the boy -who was supposed to have run away with him; but -that little served to convince Ned, if he needed any -further proof, that the men were determined they -would not go home until they had captured him and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_338'>338</span>recovered the horse. As soon as they had eaten the -supper that had been prepared for them the squatter -offered to show them where they could spread their -blankets; and Ned’s heart almost stopped beating -when he heard the three men enter the narrow hall -leading to the room occupied by himself and Gus. -At the same time a faint light shone in upon him, -and Ned saw that the doorway was concealed by a -tattered blanket. The light shone through this -blanket, which, while Ned looked at it, was raised, -admitting the squatter, who carried a blazing fire-brand -in his hand.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Come right in here,” said he, as he held up the -blanket; and Ned was almost ready to faint when -he saw the ranchemen enter, each carrying his saddle -in his hand. “These yere is two chaps who is out -cattle-buyin’,” continued the squatter, waving his -fire-brand toward the boys. “An’ these yere is two -fellers lookin’ for a hoss-thief. Know yourselves, -gentle<em>men</em>!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Believing that by this introduction he had made -the two parties acquainted with each other, the -squatter relapsed into silence and held up his fire-brand -so that the ranchemen could see to arrange -their beds. The latter nodded to the boys and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_339'>339</span>wished a hearty good-evening to which Gus alone -responded. Ned could not have uttered a word to -save his life. Was it possible that he could stay in -the same room with those men all night? He -thought they looked at him a little suspiciously, and -to show them that he was not the boy who wore the -high patent-leather boots and silver buttons, Ned -threw off his blanket so that all his clothes could be -seen.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Buying cattle, eh?” said the owner of the horse. -“Going into the ranche business?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“I don’t know that I can do anything better,” -replied Gus.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“You don’t want anything better if you manage -rightly,” said the man. “I have known young fellows -like you and your partner to start out with a -few head of stock and make themselves rich before -they were forty years old. But of course they -worked hard and attended strictly to business. -That’s the only way to get on in this world. Now, -my friend, we shall not need your light any longer.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Ned was glad indeed when the squatter dropped -the blanket to its place and went out with his fire-brand. -He was glad, too, that the ranchemen were -tired and sleepy, for he did not want to hear them -<span class='pageno' id='Page_340'>340</span>talk. He was afraid that they might address some -of their remarks to him. They did not know him -in his cousin’s clothes, and they did not recognise -his face for the reason that they had not obtained a -fair view of it on the night they visited the rancho; -but they had heard his voice, and they might -remember it if they heard it again. So Ned determined -that he would not speak. He pretended to -fall asleep immediately, but the fact was he did not -sleep a wink that night. The mere presence of the -men who were hunting him so perseveringly was -enough to keep him wide awake. The long hours -of night had never dragged so slowly away before, -nor had Ned ever longed so impatiently for the daylight. -The first gray streaks of dawn which came -creeping in through the wide cracks in the walls -around the slumbering ranchemen who, after exchanging -a few words in a low tone of voice, arose -and left the room, taking their blankets and saddles -with them. Ned heard them in conversation with -the squatter, and wished most heartily that the latter -would not be so persistent in his efforts to keep them -until breakfast was over. He did not want the -ranchemen to see him by daylight, and he was overjoyed -to hear them declare that all they wanted was -<span class='pageno' id='Page_341'>341</span>a cold bite, and if their host would provide them -with that they would be off. The cold bite was -speedily forthcoming, and when the ranchemen had -done full justice to it, they mounted their horses -and rode away. Then Ned breathed easily for the -first time in long hours.</p> - -<p class='c000'>This was the last adventure that befell our young -travellers while they were on their way to Brownsville. -They never went a mile out of their way; -they fared well along the route, and their meals and -lodging did not cost them a cent. The door of any -rancho or farm-house that happened to be in sight -when night came was open to them, the owner -treated them like honored guests, and always refused -to accept any remuneration. They rode into Brownsville -one morning about ten o’clock. Having made -inquiries at their last night’s stopping-place they -knew the name of the best hotel and where to go to -find it, and toward it they directed their course. -Giving their horses in charge of a man who came -out to meet them as they drew up in front of the -door, they went in, and Ned, having signed his name -to the register, called for a room.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Gus has treated me as though I wasn’t Ned -Ackerman at all,” thought he, as he followed the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_342'>342</span>bell-boy up the stairs. “He has travelled on his -own hook, leaving me to take care of myself, and -now I am going to pay him back in his own coin. -He ought to come and make things straight with -me, if he only knew it, for he can’t have the cheek -to go home again after what he has done.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>But Gus had not the slightest intention of making -things straight. He had had quite enough of his old -friend, and he was just as independent as Ned was. -He did not register his name, but went into the -wash-room, and after removing all the travel-stains -from his hands, face and clothing, he came out, and -left the hotel. It was a long time before Ned heard -where he went and what he did.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Meanwhile, Ned was working hard with a brush -broom, a piece of soap and a coarse towel, to make -himself presentable; but when he got through and -took a look at himself in the mirror, he was anything -but pleased with the result. His hands and face -were very brown, and his red shirt looked as though -it had been through two or three wars. “I can’t -stand this. I am ashamed of myself,” thought he. -“I noticed as I came along, that there were a good -many stylish young fellows on the street, and I am -not going among them with such clothes as these on. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_343'>343</span>Fortunately, I have money enough to rig myself out -equal to the best of them. If I only had my nobby -suit now, wouldn’t I make folks stare?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Ned went down stairs and out of the hotel. -When he returned, about half an hour later, he carried -a satchel in his hand and a bundle under his -arm. He made his way to his room, and when he -came out again, no one who had seen him when he -rode into town would have taken him for the same -boy. Gus Robbins would have been obliged to look -twice at him before he could have recognised him. -His cousin’s coarse clothing had been exchanged for -a broadcloth suit of the latest and most fashionable -cut, and the wearer looked like a dapper young clerk -out for a holiday.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Being satisfied now that he could appear on the -streets without attracting any but admiring glances, -Ned went down to the office. The clerk was not -there, and while the boy stood leaning against the -counter, waiting for him to come in so that he could -give him his key, he heard a voice behind him—a -familiar voice, that made the cold chills creep all over -him. He knew who the owner of the voice was, but -some strange fascination compelled him to turn his -head and look at him over his shoulder. There -<span class='pageno' id='Page_344'>344</span>were two men standing in front of the counter with -the register before them. One held a pen in his -hand, and was on the point of writing his name, -when another name above the first vacant line -attracted his attention.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Why, look here, Joe,” said he. “‘<em>Edward -Ackerman.</em>’ That’s our man. He was coming to -Brownsville, you know.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“So he was,” said Joe.</p> - -<p class='c000'>Just then the clerk passed around behind the -counter. He looked at Ned as he went by, but did -not act as though he had ever seen him before.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Mr. Clerk,” said the owner of the stolen horse, -for it was he, “who is this Edward Ackerman?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Don’t know’ him,” answered the clerk. “He’s -a stranger.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“What sort of a looking fellow is he?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“O, he’s roughly dressed, and looks as though he -might be a cow-boy!”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“That doesn’t answer the description, but we -might have a peep at him if he is in his room. -Show us up, will you?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>The clerk sounded his signal-bell, and when the -boy came up in answer to it, he was commanded to -show the gentlemen up to number thirty-three. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_345'>345</span>Ned watched them as they followed the boy up the -stairs, and then left the counter and went out on the -street. He would have been glad to give up the -key of his room and send for his valise, which contained -the rest of the clothing he had just purchased, -but he could do neither without exposing himself on -the spot.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Am I never going to see the last of those men?” -thought Ned, as he hurried along, turning every -corner he came to, as if he hoped in that way, to -leave his pursuers behind for ever. “I can’t stay at -that hotel if they are going to stop there. I wish -father would hurry up. I shall be in danger as -long as I am in this town.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Ned found a second-rate hotel, after a few -minutes’ walk, and concluded to stop there. Profiting -by his past experience, he signed a fictitious -name to the register, and then settled down to wait -as patiently as he could for his father’s arrival. He -waited almost a week, and was beginning to fear -that he would never come, when one day, to -his great delight, he met him on the street. Ned’s -first act was to relate the particulars of his two -adventures with the ranchemen, and to take his -father to task for not settling the matter with them. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_346'>346</span>He never said a word about his cousin’s capture or -Gus Robbins’s sudden disappearance, for those little -incidents were of no consequence whatever.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Those men are following me around under the -impression that I still have the horse in my possession,” -said Ned, angrily. “Why didn’t you tell -them that he went off with the raiders?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Because I didn’t have the chance,” replied his -father. “They never came near my house that -night. If they will go back to Mr. Gilbert’s they -will find money enough in his hands to pay for the -horse and for their trouble, too. By the way, -where’s George?”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Ned looked up at his father in surprise. He had -never before known him to throw so much earnestness -into a simple question, or seem so eager for an -answer to it.</p> - -<p class='c000'>“O, a couple of Greasers took him away from -us!” said Ned, indifferently. “I’ll tell you all -about it by and by.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>“Come around to my hotel,” said Uncle John, -hurriedly. “I want to know all about it now. We -have a good many other things to talk about also.”</p> - -<p class='c000'>Yes, they had many things to talk about, and -it took them a long time to explain matters so that -<span class='pageno' id='Page_347'>347</span>each might know what had happened to the other -during their short separation. Ned told a truthful -story, but he did not learn so very much from his -father in return. There were some things that -Uncle John thought it best to keep to himself.</p> - -<p class='c000'>And where were George and Gus all this while? -The story of their adventures is too long to be told -in this book. We shall begin it immediately in the -second volume of this series, and as we go along we -shall take up the history of another runaway, Tony -Richardson by name, of whose short experience -with the ways of the world we have already had -something to say. We shall also take our hero, -George Ackerman, away from his home, and tell -of his experience and exploits in an occupation he -had never dreamed of following. The volume will -be entitled, “<span class='sc'>George at the Wheel; or, Life in -the Pilot-house</span>.”</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c1'> -<div class='nf-center c003'> - <div>THE END.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c004' /> -</div> - -<div class='figright id004'> -<span class='pageno' id='Page_Ad1'>Ad1</span> -<img src='images/ad1.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>Specimen Cover of the Gunboat Series.</p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='ph2'> - -<div class='nf-center-c1'> -<div class='nf-center c001'> - <div><span class='sc'>The</span></div> - <div class='c004'><span class='sc'>Famous</span></div> - <div class='c004'><span class='sc'>Castlemon</span></div> - <div class='c004'><span class='sc'>Books.</span></div> - <div class='c004'><span class='fss'>BY</span></div> - <div class='c004'><span class='sc'>Harry</span></div> - <div class='c004'><span class='sc'>Castlemon</span>.</div> - </div> -</div> - -</div> - -<p class='c017'>No author of the present day has become a greater favorite with boys than -“Harry Castlemon;” every book by him is sure to meet with hearty reception -by young readers generally. His naturalness and vivacity lead his -readers from page to page with breathless interest, and when one volume is -finished the fascinated reader, like Oliver Twist, asks “for more.”</p> - -<p class='c016'>⁂Any volume sold separately.</p> - -<table class='table0' summary=''> - <tr> - <td class='c018'><strong>GUNBOAT SERIES.</strong> By Harry Castlemon. 6 vols., 12mo. Fully illustrated. Cloth, extra, printed in colors. In box</td> - <td class='c012'>$7 50</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c018'><strong>Frank, the Young Naturalist</strong></td> - <td class='c012'>1 25</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c018'><strong>Frank in the Woods</strong></td> - <td class='c012'>1 25</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c018'><strong>Frank on the Prairie</strong></td> - <td class='c012'>1 25</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c018'><strong>Frank on a Gunboat</strong></td> - <td class='c012'>1 25</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c018'><strong>Frank before Vicksburg</strong></td> - <td class='c012'>1 25</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c018'><strong>Frank on the Lower Mississippi</strong></td> - <td class='c012'>1 25</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c018'><span class='pageno' id='Page_Ad2'>Ad2</span><strong>GO AHEAD SERIES.</strong> By Harry Castlemon. 3 vols., 12mo. Fully illustrated. Cloth, extra, printed in colors. In box</td> - <td class='c012'>$3 75</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c018'><strong>Go Ahead</strong>; or, The Fisher Boy’s Motto</td> - <td class='c012'>1 25</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c018'><strong>No Moss</strong>; or, The Career of a Rolling Stone</td> - <td class='c012'>1 25</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c018'><strong>Tom Newcombe</strong>; or, The Boy of Bad Habits</td> - <td class='c012'>1 25</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c018'><strong>ROCKY MOUNTAIN SERIES.</strong> By Harry Castlemon. 3 vols., 12mo. Fully illustrated. Cloth, extra, printed in colors. In box</td> - <td class='c012'>$3 75</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c018'><strong>Frank at Don Carlos’ Rancho</strong></td> - <td class='c012'>1 25</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c018'><strong>Frank among the Rancheros</strong></td> - <td class='c012'>1 25</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c018'><strong>Frank in the Mountains</strong></td> - <td class='c012'>1 25</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c018'><strong>SPORTSMAN’S CLUB SERIES.</strong> By Harry Castlemon. 3 vols., 12mo. Fully illustrated. Cloth, extra, printed in colors. In box</td> - <td class='c012'>$3 75</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c018'><strong>The Sportsman’s Club in the Saddle</strong></td> - <td class='c012'>1 25</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c018'><strong>The Sportsman’s Club Afloat</strong></td> - <td class='c012'>1 25</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c018'><strong>The Sportsman’s Club among the Trappers</strong></td> - <td class='c012'>1 25</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c018'><strong>FRANK NELSON SERIES.</strong> By Harry Castlemon. 3 vols. 12mo. Fully illustrated. Cloth, extra, printed in colors. In box</td> - <td class='c012'>$3 75</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c018'><strong>Snowed Up</strong>; or, The Sportsman’s Club in the Mts.</td> - <td class='c012'>1 25</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c018'><strong>Frank Nelson in the Forecastle</strong>; or, The Sportsman’s Club among the Whalers</td> - <td class='c012'>1 25</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c018'><strong>The Boy Traders</strong>; or, The Sportsman’s Club among the Boers</td> - <td class='c012'>1 25</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c018'><strong>BOY TRAPPER SERIES.</strong> By Harry Castlemon. 3 vols., 12mo. Fully illustrated. Cloth, extra, printed in colors. In box</td> - <td class='c012'>$3 75</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c018'><strong>The Buried Treasure</strong>; or, Old Jordan’s “Haunt”</td> - <td class='c012'>1 25</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c018'><strong>The Boy Trapper</strong>; or, How Dave Filled the Order</td> - <td class='c012'>1 25</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c018'><strong>The Mail Carrier</strong></td> - <td class='c012'>1 25</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c018'><span class='pageno' id='Page_Ad3'>Ad3</span><strong>ROUGHING IT SERIES.</strong> By Harry Castlemon. 3 vols., 12mo. Fully illustrated. Cloth, extra, printed in colors. In box</td> - <td class='c012'>$3 75</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c018'><strong>George in Camp</strong>; or, Life on the Plains</td> - <td class='c012'>1 25</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c018'><strong>George at the Wheel</strong>; or, Life in a Pilot House</td> - <td class='c012'>1 25</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c018'><strong>George at the Fort</strong>; or, Life Among the Soldiers</td> - <td class='c012'>1 25</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c018'><strong>ROD AND GUN SERIES.</strong> By Harry Castlemon. 3 vols., 12mo. Fully illustrated. Cloth, extra, printed in colors. In box</td> - <td class='c012'>$3 75</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c018'><strong>Don Gordon’s Shooting Box</strong></td> - <td class='c012'>1 25</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c018'><strong>Rod and Gun</strong></td> - <td class='c012'>1 25</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c018'><strong>The Young Wild Fowlers</strong></td> - <td class='c012'>1 25</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c018'><strong>FOREST AND STREAM SERIES.</strong> By Harry Castlemon. 3 vols., 12mo. Fully illustrated. Cloth, extra, printed in colors. In box</td> - <td class='c012'>$3 75</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c018'><strong>Joe Wayring at Home</strong>; or, Story of a Fly Rod</td> - <td class='c012'>1 25</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c018'><strong>Snagged and Sunk</strong>; or, The Adventures of a Canvas Canoe</td> - <td class='c012'>1 25</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c018'><strong>Steel Horse</strong>; or, The Rambles of a Bicycle</td> - <td class='c012'>1 25</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c018'><strong>WAR SERIES.</strong> By Harry Castlemon. 4 vols., 12mo. Fully illustrated. Cloth, extra, printed in colors. In box</td> - <td class='c012'>$5 00</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c018'><strong>True to his Colors</strong></td> - <td class='c012'>1 25</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c018'><strong>Rodney, the Partisan</strong></td> - <td class='c012'>1 25</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c018'><strong>Marcy, the Blockade Runner</strong></td> - <td class='c012'>1 25</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c018'><strong>Marcy, the Refugee</strong></td> - <td class='c012'>1 25</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c018'><strong>OUR FELLOWS</strong>; or, Skirmishes with the Swamp Dragoons. By Harry Castlemon. 16mo. Fully illustrated. Cloth, extra</td> - <td class='c012'>1 25</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<div class='figright id004'> -<span class='pageno' id='Page_Ad4'>Ad4</span> -<img src='images/ad2.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>Specimen Cover of the Ragged Dick Series.</p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='ph2'> - -<div class='nf-center-c1'> -<div class='nf-center c001'> - <div><span class='sc'>Alger’s</span></div> - <div class='c004'><span class='sc'>Renowned</span></div> - <div class='c004'><span class='sc'>Books.</span></div> - <div class='c004'><span class='sc'>by</span></div> - <div class='c004'><span class='sc'>Horatio</span></div> - <div class='c004'><span class='sc'>Alger, Jr.</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -</div> - -<p class='c017'>Horatio Alger, Jr., has attained distinction as one of the most popular -writers of books for boys, and the following list comprises all of his best -books.</p> - -<p class='c016'>⁂Any volume sold separately.</p> - -<table class='table0' summary=''> - <tr> - <td class='c018'><strong>RAGGED DICK SERIES.</strong> By Horatio Alger, Jr. 6 vols., 12mo. Fully illustrated. Cloth, extra, printed in colors. In box</td> - <td class='c012'>$7 50</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c018'><strong>Ragged Dick</strong>; or, Street Life in New York</td> - <td class='c012'>1 25</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c018'><strong>Fame and Fortune</strong>; or, The Progress of Richard Hunter</td> - <td class='c012'>1 25</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c018'><strong>Mark, the Match Boy</strong>; or, Richard Hunter’s Ward</td> - <td class='c012'>1 25</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c018'><strong>Rough and Ready</strong>; or, Life among the New York Newsboys</td> - <td class='c012'>1 25</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c018'><strong>Ben, the Luggage Boy</strong>; or, Among the Wharves</td> - <td class='c012'>1 25</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c018'><strong>Rufus and Rose</strong>; or, the Fortunes of Rough and Ready</td> - <td class='c012'>1 25</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c018'><strong>TATTERED TOM SERIES.</strong> (<span class='sc'>First Series.</span>) By Horatio Alger, Jr. 4 vols., 12mo. Fully illustrated. Cloth, extra, printed in colors. In box</td> - <td class='c012'>5 00</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c004' /> -</div> -<div class='tnotes'> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c009'>TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES</h2> -</div> - <ol class='ol_1 c003'> - <li>Both words ‘ranche’ and ‘rancho’ appear numerous times in the text. Did not change - either. - - </li> - <li>Added the word ‘less’ between the words ‘a’ and ‘exposed’ on p. <a href='#t169'>169</a>. - - </li> - <li>Changed ‘did’ to ‘died’ on p. <a href='#t209'>209</a>. - - </li> - <li>Changed ‘Probable’ to ‘Probably’ on p. <a href='#t228'>228</a>. - - </li> - <li>Changed ‘me’ to ‘himself’ on p. <a href='#t311'>311</a>. - - </li> - <li>Changed ‘recurred’ to ‘occurred’ on p. <a href='#t331'>331</a>. - - </li> - <li>Silently corrected typographical errors. - - </li> - <li>Retained anachronistic and non-standard spellings as printed. - </li> - </ol> - -</div> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of George in Camp, by Harry Castlemon - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GEORGE IN CAMP *** - -***** This file should be named 53666-h.htm or 53666-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/3/6/6/53666/ - -Produced by Richard Tonsing, David Edwards and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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