Ted Strong in Montana

by Edward C. Taylor

  CHAPTER XXVI.

  A COMPROMISE.

  Ted hurried back to the cow camp.

  "Stuff's off," he shouted, when he came within shouting distance. Theboys, who were lounging around the fire, resting from their arduousdrive, sprang to their feet.

  "What's the row?" asked big Ben Tremont.

  "They insist upon our driving the herd about five miles farther into thereservation to-night, so that that lazy lieutenant who is to do theinspecting in the morning will have as little trouble as possible. Irefused to do it, and they tried to run a sandy on me, but I wouldn'tstand for it. If they'd been white to me I would have had the cattle inthere if it took me all night."

  "That duck o' a lootenant wuz a trifle gay," said Bud. "He tried to runa blazer on yer Uncle Dudley, but I told him to run along, an' I reckonhe'll have no Christmas present for me this year."

  "Did you tell the boss there was nothing doing in the moving line?"asked Ben.

  "You bet I did," answered Ted. "That gay lieutenant who was here ran atonce to the boss with his tale of woe, and the boss threw his chest outat me and tried the little-boy game on me. He thought he had me bluffedwhen in comes another officer, who told him that a beef issue to theIndians was due to-morrow, and that there wasn't an animal in the postpasture."

  "Wow!" exclaimed Bud. "That means trouble for some one, unless they candig up something to take its place, for an Indian who has his mouth madeup fer fresh meat is lierble ter become rantankerous if he don't getit."

  "I guess that's why they were so anxious to get the beef up to thepasture to-night," said Kit.

  "Of course. When I heard that all my nerve came back to me, and Idecided that I would give those officers a lesson."

  "What are you going to do?" asked Ben.

  "Drive the herd off the reservation."

  "Gee, that will put us in the hole bad."

  "Oh, I don't know. We'll trail them a little farther north, keep them afew months on free range, then drive them to the railroad and slide theminto Chicago on a rising market. I had the whole thing figured out incase we got here too late, which I expected to do on account of ourbeing held back by dry weather and too much water, coming in streaks."

  "I'd like to have been there when you were throwing your bluff into thecolonel. I suppose he had the surprise of his life."

  "He looked like it. By Jove, he has a mighty pretty daughter, if he is agrouch himself."

  "Seem to have an eye for beauty yourself."

  "Not as keen as yours." Ben blushed when Ted said this, for Ben wasalways having a new girl and talking about her.

  "I noticed her because she was so pleasant, and so different from herfather, and that fellow Barrows, who seems to be very soft on her."

  "Well, we have no fight with the ladies of the post," said Ben.

  "How did it end?" asked Kit, who always wanted results.

  "I simply told them that they couldn't have the cattle now, and walkedaway."

  "That must have been a facer."

  "Seemed to be, for the colonel called after me to know if I was awarethat if the beef issue didn't come off there would probably be an Indianuprising, and I told him it was up to him."

  "Well, I suppose it's hike," said Bud, pulling on his boots.

  "Yes, get the dogies up, and we'll trail them back until we are out ofthe reservation. It's not far."

  The boys mounted, and rode among the cattle, getting them to their feet.

  Soon the herd was moving slowly along the back trail, with Ted and Budpointing them out.

  Suddenly, from the woods to the right rode a band of horsemen in thedark, for the sun had long since gone down.

  "What's this? A holdup?" asked Bud.

  "Can't tell yet. By Jove, I believe they are soldiers. I wonder if theyare going to try to stop us."

  "S'posing they try it?"

  "We'll have to ride it out. I wouldn't be held up on the reservation nowfor anything. That would spoil it all. They would do anything theywanted with us if we stood for that, and throw out a lot of legitimatestock to get square with us."

  "What do you mean?"

  "If they're soldiers, and try to keep us in, you ride back and start theherd to stampeding. Let the soldiers take care of themselves. If they'reregular cavalry, they will be able to ride well enough to get out of theway."

  "Bully idea. O' course, we can't help it if the cattle get scared atthem bright uniforms, an' git ter runnin'." Bud chuckled at the thought.

  "Halt!"

  The voice of Lieutenant Barrows rang out commandingly.

  "Now's your chance, Bud," said Ted. "Mind you, get them started good andplenty. I don't care if they run five miles."

  Presently, from the rear of the herd came a shout of warning, and theherd increased its speed from a lazy walk into a trot.

  Back in the darkness the cowboys were riding through the herd hurryingup the cattle with their quirts.

  From a trot they broke into a gallop, and this soon grew into a perfectrout, for cattle are easily frightened at night.

  As soon as Ted saw that the cattle were going to run, sure enough, hedashed across the intervening space to where the dark forms werestanding in the path of the oncoming cattle.

  He saw at once that it was Lieutenant Barrows and a squad of cavalrymen,and that they were armed with carbines. He resented this, as thelieutenant had no business to arm his men in this way for such anerrand.

  As Ted rode up, he shouted:

  "Get out of the way, if you don't want to be trampled to death."

  "What do you mean, you scoundrel?" shouted Barrows. "Halt, when I givethe command, or take the consequences."

  "Out of the way, you fool!" shouted Ted, as he swept past. "Don't yousee that the cattle are stampeding?"

  If the lieutenant did not know it, being so recently out of West Point,the men did, for with a yell they turned and rode like mad for the sidelines.

  Then, for the first time, the young officer, hearing the sullen bellowof the cattle and the thunder of the hoofs, turned and followed Ted.

  But the leaders were almost upon him, and, realizing that death wasfollowing him fast, he gave an agonizing cry.

  Ted heard the cry, and understood its import.

  While he disliked and despised the bullying officer, he had no desire tosee harm come to him.

  The lieutenant's horse, while a good-enough cavalry animal in times ofpeace, was not the match of the cow ponies, and was already badlywinded, as well as frightened, and was losing ground steadily.

  "Bear off to the right!" shouted Ted repeatedly. But the officer wasevidently too frightened or rattled to understand, and kept blunderingalong.

  Ted saw that disaster was sure to follow in a short while if Barrowsdidn't change his tactics.

  The herd was going at regulation stampede speed now, but this did notcause Ted to think of his own danger when he deliberately turned Sultanand came galloping back upon the advancing sea of sharp horns.

  In a moment he was beside Barrows, wheeled suddenly, and began to rideagainst the cavalry horse, forcing it to one side, and urging it on withlashes of his quirt.

  At last he got the heavy brute going the way he wanted and soon it wasout of danger, as the frantic herd swept by with a roar like that of alightning express rushing over a culvert.

  Barrows was sitting on his trembling horse, pale, and with beads ofperspiration standing out on his forehead.

  "You did that on purpose, curse you," snarled the lieutenant. "You madethose cattle run."

  Ted looked at him in astonishment. He thought at least that the soldierwould murmur some few words of gratitude for having been saved from ahorrible death.

  "You're a grateful chap, I must say," said Ted. "You weren't far fromkingdom come then, I can tell you."

  "I'll see that you are punished for this," said Barrows, wheeling hishorse and riding out of sight in the direction of the post.

  It was two hours before the boys headed the cattle and got them tomill
ing, and then broke them up and succeeded in getting them beddeddown.

  As they got a new camp fire made, and were lying around it, Bud said,with a laugh:

  "That was a mighty slick trick o' yours, Ted. It certainly took therherd off ther reservation in a hurry."

  "I don't see yet why it was necessary to stampede them," said Ben, whowas sore at having had to do so much work getting the herd togetheragain.

  "Can't, eh?" said Bud. "That's all er collidge eddication done fer yer?Why, if we hadn't got them cattle off'n thar pretty pronto, thet tharlootenant would hev bagged every animile on foot. But Ted, he foreseewhat they wuz up ter, an' ther simplest way wuz ter run 'em off in afake stampede. It done ther work, too, fer we're out o' ther reservationwhar they can't touch us."

  Except for the night guard, the boys rolled themselves in their blanketsand were soon sound asleep.

  The next morning Ted began to drift the herd slowly into the north,where there was plenty of free range. They were still well within viewof the fort.

  It was almost time for the beef issue at the post, and Ted and Bud,walking their ponies slowly along in the lead of the herd, were talkingabout it.

  "Wonder they ain't been out to head us off this morning?" said Bud.

  "They know they cannot take forcible possession of our cattle when weare off the reservation," answered Ted. "Hello, what's that heading thisway?"

  Coming toward them from the direction of the fort, several riders werekicking up the dust in lively fashion.

  As they got nearer the riders revealed themselves as four soldiers,accompanied by two ladies.

  Suddenly Ted pulled in his pony, and grasped Bud's arm.

  "If that don't look like Stella I'll eat my saddle blanket fried inbutter," he said.

  "Shore do look some like her," answered Bud, "an' that's ther samelittle ole red jacket what she wears."

  In a few moments they heard Stella's hail, and answered it.

  Then up galloped Stella and Miss Croffut, accompanied by the commandantof the post, Lieutenant Barrows, and two other officers, a captain and amajor.

  After greeting the boys, and formally introducing Miss Croffut, Stellatold them that from their last telegram she thought she might be able tocatch them at Fort Felton, and had not hesitated in coming on,particularly as she happened to know Miss Croffut.

  "What's this trouble you fellows have been getting into with the folksat the fort?" asked Stella.

  "We're not having any trouble, but we had some in the night when thedogies stampeded us," replied Ted, with an almost imperceptible wink ather.

  "None of my business, I suppose?"

  "None in the least."

  "See here, Mr. Strong," the colonel broke in, "I suppose I was somewhathasty last night in talking with you, especially as you had arrived ontime. I wish you'd turn back, and let us have those cattle."

  "Like to if you'd said so a little earlier, but since morning, and theexpiration of the contract, beef has gone up."

  "What do you mean?"

  "I mean that you haven't money enough to buy these cattle. What's thematter? Want a few head to feed to the Indians?"

  "We want the whole herd, but as you have guessed the truth, we must havea few head to keep those crazy Indians from making trouble. They haveheard that the cattle are gone, and I'm afraid that they will breakloose and murder a lot of settlers to get even with Uncle Sam."

  "What are the troops for?"

  "We wouldn't dare go after them without orders from Washington."

  "Well, you started it, and I would advise you to go on to the finish."

  "If we don't get enough cattle to feed the Indians the post is ruined."

  "You should have thought of that contingency when you sent your amiableyoung assistant out to me." He looked at Barrows.

  "Well, I apologize for him. He was dead wrong, but so was I."

  "Nothing doing! You would have given me the worst of it if I had beenchump enough not to know the cow business as I do. But these cattle aredue on the high range in a few days, and we must be moving on. Adios."

  "Oh, Mr. Strong, please do let us have enough cattle for those poorIndians. The squaws and babies and growing children are actuallystarving, for the government has kept them on short allowance lately.Let a few head go to us."

  Ted said nothing for several moments, during which they all looked athim anxiously.

  "Come on, Ted, be a good fellow," said Stella, with a laugh.

  "All right," said Ted. "How many do you want cut out?" Ted was lookingat the colonel.

  "I'd like to have the whole herd," answered the colonel.

  "They're not for sale. They're going up to the high range for the restof the summer, then to market, and I hope it will be a fairer one thanthis. But for the sake of the young ladies, who have more influence withthis bunch in a minute than all the officers at Fort Felton have in ayear, I'll cut out enough for the beef issue. How many head do you needfor the Indians?"

  "About five hundred," answered the colonel, in a very different voicefrom that he had used the night before.

  "Bud, cut out, count, and deliver five hundred head at the post pasture.Stella, we're going on. Where's your aunt?"

  "Up at the post. Say, Ted Strong, don't believe for a minute that I'mnot going, too. I'll get a wagon for auntie, and we'll hit your trail ina couple of hours."