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display: none; } - div.tnotes p { text-align:left; } - @media handheld { .covernote { visibility: visible; display: block;} } - img {max-width: 100%; height:auto; } - .ph1 { text-indent: 0em; font-weight: bold; font-size: xx-large; - margin: .67em auto; } - .ph2 { text-indent: 0em; font-weight: bold; font-size: x-large; margin: .75em auto; - } - </style> - </head> - <body> - - -<pre> - -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) - - - - - - -</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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