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thā€™ Double Arrow anā€™ went back south again. Thatā€™s different. Itā€™s plain to some of us they was lookinā€™ us over for future use; learninā€™ our ways anā€™ thā€™ lay of thā€™ land. There was seven of us at thā€™ time, but we could ā€˜aā€™ licked ā€˜em in a fair fight.

ā€œIn them days we only had two line houses. Number One was near Big Coulee, with Cowanā€™s at thā€™ far end of its fifteen miles of north line; thā€™ west line was a twenty-five-mile ride south to Lookout Peak. Number Two was where thā€™ Jumpinā€™ Bear empties into thā€™ river, now part of Meekerā€™s range. From it thā€™ riders went west twenty-five miles to thā€™ Peak anā€™ north from it twenty-five miles along thā€™ east line. There was a hundred thousanā€™ acres in Conroy Valley anā€™ thirty thousanā€™ in thā€™ Meeker triangle, which made up Section Two. At that time mebby ten thousanā€™ cows was on this section two-thirds of all of ā€˜em. When we built Number Three on thā€™ Peak this section was cut down to a reasonable size. Thā€™ third headquarters then was thā€™ bunkhouse, with only thā€™ east line to ride. One part, thā€™ shortest, ran north to Cowanā€™s; thā€™ other run about seventeen miles south to Liā€™l Timber, where thā€™ line went on as part of Number Twoā€™s. We paired off anā€™ had two weeks in each of ā€˜em in them days.

ā€œWhen we shifted at thā€™ end of that week Jimmy Price anā€™ Ace Fisher got Number One;

Skinny anā€™ Lanky was in Number Two; anā€™ me anā€™ Buck anā€™ Hoppy took life easy in thā€™ bunkhouse, with thā€™ cook to feed us. Buck, he scouted all over thā€™ ranch between thā€™ lines anā€™ worked harder than any of us, spendinā€™ his nights in thā€™ nearest house.

ā€œOne morninā€™, about a week after thā€™ campers left, Buck looked out of thā€™ bunkhouse door anā€™ cautions me anā€™ Hoppy to ride prepared for cold weather. I can see heā€™s worried, anā€™ to please him we straps a blanket anā€™ a buffalo robe behind our saddles, cussinā€™ thā€™ size of ā€˜em under our breath. Iā€™ve got thā€™ short ride that day, anā€™ Buck says heā€™ll wait for me to come back, after which weā€™ll scout around Medicine Bend. Heā€™s still worried about them campers. In thā€™ Valley thā€™ cows are thicker ā€˜n thā€™ other parts of thā€™ range, anā€™ it wouldnā€™t take no time to get a big herd together. Heā€™s got a few things to mend, so he says heā€™ll do thā€™ work before I get back.

ā€œDown on Section Two things is happeninā€™ fast, like they mostly do out here. Twelve rustlers can do a lot if they have things planned, anā€™ ā€˜most any fair plan will work once. They only wanted one day after that it would be a runninā€™ fight, with eight or nine of ā€˜em layinā€™ back to hold us off while thā€™ others drove thā€™ cows hard. Why, Slippery Trendley anā€™ Tamale Jose was thā€™ only ones that ever slid across our lines with that many men.

ā€œThree rustlers slipped up to Number Two at night anā€™ waited. When Skinny opened thā€™ door in thā€™ morninā€™ he was drove back with a hole in his shoulder. Then there was hā€”l a-poppinā€™ in that liā€™l mud shack. But it didnā€™t do no good, for neither of ā€˜em could get out alive until after dark. They learned that with sorrow, anā€™ pain. Anā€™ they shore was het up about it. Ace Fisher, ridinā€™ along thā€™ west line from Number One, was dropped from ambush. Two more rustlers lay back of Medicine Bend lookinā€™ for any of us that might ride down from the bunkhouse. Anā€™ they sent two more over to Liā€™l Timber to lay under that ledge of rock that sticks out of thā€™ south side of thā€™ bluff like a porch roof. Either me or

Hoppy would be ridinā€™ that way. They stacked thā€™ deck clever; but Providence cut it square.

ā€œThā€™ first miss-cue comes when a pert gray wolf lopes past ahead of Hoppy when heā€™s quite some distance above Liā€™l Timber. This gray wolf was a whopper, anā€™ Hoppy was all set to get him. He wanted that sassy . devil more ā€˜n he wanted money just then, so he starts after it. Mr. Gray Wolf leads him a long chase over thā€™ middle of thā€™ range anā€™ then suddenly disappears. Hoppy hunts around quite a spell, anā€™ then heads back for thā€™ line. While heā€™s huntinā€™ for thā€™ wolf it gets cold, anā€™ it keeps on gettinā€™ colder fast.

ā€œMe, I leaves later ā€˜n usual that morninā€™. Anā€™ I donā€™t get to Cowanā€™s until late. Iā€™m there when I notices how cussed cold itā€™s got all of a sudden. Cowan looks at his thermometer, which Jimmy later busts, anā€™ says she has gone down thirty degrees since daylight. He gives me a bottle of liquor Buck wanted, anā€™ I ride west along thā€™ north line, hopinā€™ to meet Jimmy or Ace for a short talk.

ā€œAll at once I notice somebodyā€™s pullinā€™ a slate-covered blanket over thā€™ north sky, anā€™ I drag my blanket out anā€™ wrap it around me. Iā€™m gettinā€™ blamed cold, anā€™ also a liā€™l worried. Shall I go back to Cowanā€™s or head straight for thā€™ bunkhouse? Cowanā€™s the nearest by three miles, but whatā€™s three miles out here? Itā€™s got a lot colder than it was when I was at Cowanā€™s, anā€™ while Iā€™m debatinā€™ about it thā€™ wind dies out. I look up anā€™ see that thā€™ slate-covered blanket has traveled fast. Itā€™s ā€˜most over my head, anā€™ thā€™ light is gettinā€™ poor. When I look down again I notice my cayusesā€™s ears movinā€™ back anā€™ forth, anā€™ he starts pawinā€™ anā€™ actinā€™ restless. That settles it. Iā€™m backinā€™ instinct just then, anā€™ I head for home. I ainā€™t cussinā€™ that blanket none now, anā€™ Iā€™m glad I got thā€™ robe handy; anā€™ that quart of liquor ainā€™t bulky no more.

ā€œAll at once thā€™ bottom falls out of that lead sky, anā€™ flakes as big as quarters sift down so fast they hurts my eyes, anā€™ so thick I canā€™t see twenty feet. In ten minutes everythinā€™ is white, anā€™ in ten more Iā€™m in a strange country. My hands anā€™ feet ache with cold, anā€™ Iā€™m drawinā€™ thā€™ blanket closer, when thereā€™s a puff of wind so cold it cuts into my back like a knife. It passes quick, but it donā€™t fool me. I know whatā€™s behind it. I reach for thā€™ robe anā€™ has it ā€˜most unfastened when thereā€™s a roar anā€™ Iā€™m ā€˜most unseated by thā€™ wind before I can get set. I didnā€™t know then that itā€™s goinā€™ to blow that hard for three days, anā€™ itā€™s just as well. Itā€™s full of ice liā€™l slivers that are sharp as needles anā€™ cut anā€™ sting till they make thā€™ skin raw. I let loose of thā€™ robe anā€™ tie my bandanna around my face, so my nose anā€™ mouth is covered. My throat burns already almost to my lungs. Good Lord, but it is cold! My hands are stiff when I go back for thā€™ robe, anā€™ itā€™s all I can do to keep it from blowinā€™ away from me. It takes me a long time to get it over thā€™ blanket, anā€™ my hands are ā€˜most froze when itā€™s fastened. That was a good robe, but it didnā€™t make much difference that day. Thā€™ cold cuts through it anā€™ into my back as if it wasnā€™t there. My feet are gettinā€™ worse all thā€™ time, anā€™ it ainā€™t long before I ainā€™t got none, for thā€™ achinā€™ stops at thā€™ ankles. Purty soon only my knees ache, anā€™ I know it wonā€™t be long till they wonā€™t ache no more.

ā€œIā€™m squirminā€™ in my clothes tryinā€™ to rub myself warm when I remember that flask of liquor. Thā€™ cork was out far enough for my teeth to get at it, anā€™ I drink a quarter of it quick. Itā€™s an awful load any other time it would ā€˜aā€™ knocked me cold, for Cowan sold a lot worse stuff then than he does now. But it donā€™t phase me, except for takinā€™ most of thā€™ lininā€™ out of my mouth anā€™ throat. It warms me a liā€™l, anā€™ it makes my knees ache a liā€™l harder. But it donā€™t last long thā€™ cold eats through me just as hard as ever a liā€™l later, anā€™ then I begin to see things anā€™ get sleepy. Cows anā€™ cayuses float around in thā€™ air, anā€™ Iā€™m countinā€™ money, piles of it. I get warm anā€™ drowsy anā€™ find myself noddinā€™. That scares me a liā€™l, anā€™ I fight hard agā€™in it. If I go to sleep itā€™s all over. It keeps gettinā€™ worse, anā€™ I finds my eyes shuttinā€™ more anā€™ more frequent, anā€™ more anā€™ more frequent thinkinā€™ I donā€™t care, anyhow. Anā€™ so I drifts along pullinā€™ at thā€™ bottle till itā€™s empty. That should ā€˜aā€™ killed me, then anā€™ there but it donā€™t even make me real drunk. Mebby I spilled some of it, my hands beinā€™ nothinā€™ but sticks. I canā€™t see more ā€˜n five feet now, anā€™ my eyes water, which freezes on ā€˜em. Iā€™ve given up all hope of hearinā€™ any shootinā€™. So I close thā€™ peekhole in thā€™ blanket anā€™ robe, drawinā€™ ā€˜em tight to keep out some of thā€™ cold. I am sittinā€™ up stiff in thā€™ saddle, like a soldier, just from force of habit, and after a liā€™l while I donā€™t know nothinā€™ more. Pete says I was a corpse, froze stiff as a ramrod, anā€™ he calls me ghost for a long time in fun. But Pete wasnā€™t none too clear in his head about that time.

ā€œDown at Liā€™l Timber, Hoppy managed to get under thā€™ shelter of that projectinā€™ ledge of rock on thā€™ south side of thā€™ bluff. Thā€™ snow anā€™ ice is whirlinā€™ under it because of a sort of back draft, but thā€™ wind donā€™t hit so hard. Heā€™s fightinā€™ that cayuse every foot, tryinā€™ to get to thā€™ cave at thā€™ west end, anā€™ disputinā€™ thā€™ right of way with thā€™ cows that are packed under it.

Thereā€™s firewood under that ledge anā€™ thereā€™s food on thā€™ hoof, anā€™ snow water for drink; so if he can make thā€™ cave heā€™s safe. Heā€™s more worried about his supply of smokinā€™ tobacco than anythinā€™ else, so far as heā€™s concerned.

ā€œAll at once he runs onto four men huddled half -froze in a bunch right ahead of him. He knows in a flash who they are, anā€™ he draws fumblingly, anā€™ holds thā€™ gun in his two hands, they are so cold. One clean hit anā€™ five clean misses in twenty feet! Theyā€™re gropinā€™ for their guns when a sudden gust of wind whirls down from thā€™ top of thā€™ hill, pilinā€™ snow anā€™ ice on ā€˜em till they canā€™t see nor breathe. Anā€™ a couple of old trees come down to make things nicer. Hoppy is blinded, anā€™ when he gets so he can see again thereā€™s one rustlerā€™s arm stickinā€™ up out of thā€™ snow, but no signs of thā€™ other three. They blundered out into thā€™ open tryinā€™ to get away from thā€™ stuff cominā€™ down on ā€˜em, anā€™ that means they wonā€™t be back no more.

ā€œHoppy manages to get to thā€™ cave, tie his cayuse to a fallen tree, anā€™ gather enough firewood for a good blaze, which he puts in front of thā€™ cave. It takes him a long time to use up his matches one by one, anā€™ then he pulls thā€™ lead out of a cartridge with his teeth, shakes thā€™ powder loose in it anā€™ along thā€™ barrel. Usinā€™ his cigarette papers for tinder he gets thā€™ fire started anā€™ goinā€™ good

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