Ranching For Sylvia Volume-554 - Harold Bindloss (best black authors TXT) 📗

The Hollow, And The Men.

Had Trouble In Forcing The Cattle To Leave The Water.  Before They

Accomplished It, Edgar Had Got Very Wet And Had Scratched Himself Badly

In Scrambling Through The Brush.

 

"Driving Stock Is By No Means So Easy As It Looks," He Grumbled, When

They Had Climbed The Opposite Ascent, Leading Their Horses.  "The Way

These Beasts Jump About Among The Bushes Confuses You; I'd Have Sworn

There Were Forty Of Them In The Ravine."

 

"I See Only Nine Now," George Said Pointedly.

 

Edgar Looked Back Into The Hollow.

 

"There Are Three Of The Brutes Slipping Away Upstream As Fast As They

Can Go!  You're Smarter At The Thing Than I Am--Hadn't You Better Go

After Them?"

 

"I Expect I'll Be Needed To Keep This Bunch Together," George Rejoined.

 

Edgar Strode Away, But It Was Half An Hour Later When He Came Back, Hot

And Angry, With The Cattle Crashing Through The Brush In Front Of Him.

Then The Reunited Herd Set Off At A Smart Pace Across The Plain.

 

"They Seem Fond Of An Evening Gallop," Edgar Remarked.  "Anyhow,

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They're Going The Right Way, Which Strikes Me As Something To Be

Thankful For."

 

They Rode On, And It Was Getting Dark When They Checked The Herd Near A

Straggling Poplar Bluff.  The Grass Was Good, The Beasts Began To Feed

Quietly, And After Picketing Their Horses The Men Lay Down On Their

Blankets.  It Was Growing Cooler, A Vivid Band Of Green Still Flickered

Along The Prairie's Rim, And The Deep Silence Was Intensified By The

Soft Sound The Cattle Made Cropping The Dew-Damped Herbage.

 

"I Wonder If They Go To Sleep," Mused Edgar.  "I'm Beginning To Think

This Kind Of Thing Must Be Rather Fine When One Gets Used To It.  It's

A Glorious Night."

 

By And By He Drew His Blanket Round Him And Sank Into Slumber; But For

A While George, Who Had Paid A High Price For A Hereford Bull, Lay

Awake, Thinking And Calculating.  It Would Cost A Good Deal More Than

He Had Anticipated To Work The Farm; Sylvia Had No Funds That Could Be

Drawn Upon, And His Means Were Not Large.  Economy And Good Management

Would Be Needed, But He Was Determined To Make A Success Of His

Undertaking.  At Last, Seeing That The Herd Showed No Signs Of Moving,

He Went To Sleep.

 

Awakening At Sunrise George Found That, Except For The Horses, There

Was Not A Beast In Sight.  For An Hour He And West Hunted Them Through

The Bluff; And Then, After Making A Hurried Breakfast, They Went On

Their Way Again.  It Rapidly Got Hotter, The Stock Traveled Quietly,

And, With A Halt Or Two Where A Clump Of Poplars Offered A Little

Shade, They Rode, Scorched By Dazzling Sunshine, Across The Limitless

Plain.  In The Afternoon George Began To Look Eagerly For The Bluff

That The Rancher Mentioned.  They Had Found No Water, And The Cattle

Seemed Distressed.  The Glare And Heat Were Getting Intolerable, But

The Vast, Gradual Rise In Front Of Them Ran On, Unbroken, To The

Skyline.  Its Crest, However, Must Be Crossed Before Evening; And They

Toiled On.

 

At Last, The Long Ascent Was Made, And George Felt Relieved When He Saw

A Dark Line Of Trees In The Wide Basin Below Him.

 

"That Must Be The Big Bluff Where The Well Is; Though I Don't See A

House," He Said.

 

They Had Some Trouble In Urging The Herd Down The Slope, But After A

While They Reached The Welcome Shadow Of The Trees, And Edgar Broke

Into A Shout When He Saw A Rude Wooden Platform With A Windlass Upon It

And A Trough Near By.

 

"Ride Ahead With The Horses And Water Them," Said George, Dismounting.

 

Edgar Did As He Was Bidden, But Presently The Herd, Attracted By The

Sight Of Water, Came Surging Round The Trough, Savagely Jostling One

Another.  The Lad Worked Hard With The Windlass, But He Could Not Keep

Them Supplied, And They Crowded On The Low Platform Covering The Well,

With Heads Stretched Out Eagerly Toward The Dripping Bucket.  After

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Being Flung Against The Windlass By A Thirsty Beast, Edgar Called To

His Companion.

 

"They'll Break Through If You're Not Quick!  It's My Opinion They're

Bent On Getting Down The Well!"

 

George Came To His Assistance With His Riding Quirt, But When They Were

Supplying The Last Two Or Three Unsatisfied Animals, A Man Ran Out Of

The Bluff.

 

"What In Thunder Are You Doing With Our Water?" He Cried.

 

"He Looks Angry," Edgar Commented.  "When That Rancher Fellow Told Us

About The Well, He Didn't Mention The Necessity Of Asking Mr. Baxter's

Permission."  Then He Waved His Hand To The Stranger.

 

"Come Here And Have A Talk!"

 

The Man Came On At A Quicker Run.  His Face Was Hot With Indignation,

And On Reaching Them He Broke Into Breathless And Pointed

Expostulations.

 

"When You're Quite Through, We'll Assess The Damages," George Quietly

Told Him.

 

The Farmer's Anger Began To Dissipate.

 

"No," He Said; "That Would Be Taking A Pretty Mean Pull On You; But

Water's Scarce, And You Can't Have Any More."

 

"Well," Requested George, "Have You A Paddock Or Corral You Could Let

Me Put This Bunch Of Cattle Into Until The Morning?  I'm Willing To Pay

For The Accommodation."

 

"I Can't Do It," Replied The Other.  "I Want All The Fenced Grass I've

Got.  Take Them Right Along, And You'll Strike A Creek About Six Miles

Ahead.  Then You Ought To Make The River To-Morrow Night."

 

It Was Obvious That He Desired To Be Rid Of Them; And As It Was Getting

Cooler George Resumed His Journey.  He Found The Creek Early The Next

Morning, And As The Day Promised To Be Unusually Hot He Delayed Only

Until He Had Watered The Stock.  In An Hour Or Two The Sun Was Hidden

By Banks Of Leaden Cloud, But The Temperature Did Not Fall And There

Was An Oppressive Heaviness In The Air.  The Prairie Had Faded To A

Sweep Of Lifeless Gray, Obscured Above Its Verge.  The Men Made

Progress, However; And Late In The Afternoon A Winding Line Of Timber

That Marked The River's Course Appeared Ahead.  Shortly Afterward,

Edgar Looked Around.

 

"That's A Curious Streak Of Haze In The Distance," He Remarked.

 

"It's Smoke," Said George.  "Grass Fires Are Not Uncommon In Hot

Weather.  It Looks Like A Big One."

 

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They Urged The Cattle On A Little Faster, But It Was Evening When They

Reached The First Of The Trees.  George Rode Forward Between Them And

Pulled Up His Horse In Some Concern.  The Ford Had Been Difficult When

They Crossed It On The Outward Journey, But Now The Space Between Bank

And Bank Was Filled By An Angry Flood.  It Rolled By Furiously, Lapping

In Frothy Ripples Upon The Steep Slope That Led Down To It.

 

"Nearly An Extra Three Feet Of Water; There'd Be A Risk In Crossing,"

He Said, When Edgar Joined Him.

 

"We Couldn't Make The Place Where The Trail Runs In, And The Landing

Down-Stream From It Looks Bad."

 

"Then What Ought We To Do?" Edgar Inquired.

 

"Wait Until To-Morrow.  There's No Doubt Been A Heavy Thunderstorm

Higher Up, But The Water Should Soon Run Down."  George Glanced Back

Toward The Prairie Dubiously.  "I'm A Little Anxious About The Fire;

But, After All, It May Not Come Near Us."

 

The Cattle Did Not Wander Far After Drinking, And The Men Ate Their

Supper.  It Grew Dark, But The Heat Did Not Lessen, And The Oppressive

Air Was Filled With A Smell Of Burning.  Looking Back Between The

Trees, They Could See A Long Streak Of Yellow Radiance Leaping Up, And

Growing Dim When The View Was Obstructed By Clouds Of Smoke.

 

"It's An Awkward Situation, And, As If It Were Not Bad Enough, There's

A Big Thunderstorm Brewing," Edgar Said At Length.  "I'll Go Along And

Look At The Mark You Made Upon The Bank."

 

He Strode Away Among The Trees.  It Was Very Dark.  The Tethered Horses

Were Moving Restlessly; But, So Far As Edgar Could Make Out, The Cattle

Were Bunched Together.  After Lighting A Match He Came Back.

 

"The Water's Falling, But Only Slowly," He Reported.  "Should We Try To

Drive The Stock Along The Bank?"

 

"We Couldn't Herd Them In The Dark.  Besides, It's An Extensive Fire,

And I'm Doubtful Whether We Could Get Down To The Water Farther Along."

 

They Waited For An Hour, Keeping The Cattle Together With Some Trouble,

And Watching The Blaze, Which Grew Brighter Rapidly.  At Last, Wisps Of

Pungent Smoke Rolled Into The Bluff.

 

"The Beasts Are Ready To Stampede!" George Suddenly Called To Edgar.

"We'll Have To Make A Start!  Get Into The Saddle And Drive Them Toward

The Ford!"

 

They Were Very Busy For A While.  Their Horses Were Hard To Manage, The

Timber Was Thick, And The Herd Attempted To Break Away Through It; But

At Last They Reached The Steep Dip To The Waterside.  One Beast Plunged

In And Vanished, More Followed, And George, Plying His Quirt And

Shouting, Rode In Among The Diminishing Drove.  He Felt The Water

Lapping About His Boots, And Then The Horse Lost Its Footing.  George

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Dropped From The Saddle And Seized A Stirrup.  For Some Minutes He

Could See A Few Dark Objects About Him, But They Disappeared, And He

And The Horse Were Swept Away Down-Stream.

 

He Kept Hold--The Animal Was Swimming Strongly--And After A Time A

Lurid Flash Of Lightning Showed Him A Black Mass Of Trees Close Ahead.

They Vanished, The Succeeding Darkness Was Impenetrable, And The Crash

Of Thunder Was Deadened