Boy Ranchers at Spur Creek; Or, Fighting the Sheep Herders

by Frank V. Webster

  CHAPTER XIV

  THE SHEEP ARRIVE

  Among the saddles, horse-gear, weapons, grub and other equipment thathad been put in the fort at Spur Creek was a telescope. Rememberingthis, Bud rushed in to get it, while his companions stood in front ofthe place, gazing across the stream at the ever-increasing cloud ofdust.

  "Something's comin' on, anyhow," observed Yellin' Kid.

  "Can't be cattle," remarked Snake Purdee. "They ain't spread outenough for cattle."

  This was one way of telling, for, as the cowboy said, cattle, meaningby that steers or a herd of grazing horses, separate much more than dosheep, which stick in a bunch as they feed. Still there was no beingcertain of it until Bud should take an observation through the glass.

  "Might be another bunch of Greasers--or rustlers," said Snake, musingly.

  "There's plenty of both kinds down there," agreed Nort, with a wave ofhis hand in the general direction of Mexico, the border of whichmisruled, unhappy and greatly-misunderstood country was not far away.

  Bud came running out with the telescope, pulling shiny brass lengths totheir limit before focusing it.

  "We'll soon tell now," he said, as he raised the objective glass andpointed it at the cloud of dust, while he squinted through theeye-piece. A moment later, after he had made a better adjustment ofthe focus, he cried: "It's sheep all right! A big bunch of 'em!"

  "Any men with 'em? No, I shouldn't call 'em men," hastily correctedDick. "No decent man would raise sheep."

  In this, of course, he was wrong. Sheep are needful and many a rancheris making a fortune out of them, but at this time, and in this part ofthe west, a sheep herder was despised and hated by his fellows.

  "Yes, there's a bunch of Greasers or some one hazin' 'em on," reportedBud. "Here, Kid, take a look," and he passed the glass to the oldercowboy.

  The latter could but confirm what Bud had seen and then, in turn, theother three had a look through the telescope, which brought the detailsof the oncoming herd of "woollies" startlingly near.

  "Well, what we goin' to do about it?" asked Yellin' Kid, after they hadmade sure the sheep were headed toward the east bank of Spur Creek.

  "We're going to stop 'em from coming over here," declared Buddeterminedly.

  "Maybe they don't intend to come," suggested Nort.

  "What are they heading this way for, then?" demanded his cousin.

  "To get better pasture."

  "Well, what pasture there is on that side of Spur Creek won't last thesheep very long!" exclaimed Snake Purdee. "They'll be over here in acouple of days at the most. Reckon they think they have a right tothis range."

  "Which they haven't," said Bud, "though how dad is going to prove hisclaim, with the papers gone, I don't see."

  "We'll prove it with force--that's what we'll do!" shouted Yellin' Kid."That's what we're here for. That's what we got our guns for!" andsignificantly he tapped the one on his hip.

  "Yes, I reckon we'll have to fight," conceded Bud with a half sigh. Hewas not afraid, but he knew in a fight some would be hurt and perhapsmore than one killed. And this was not as it ought to be. Still witheach side standing on what it considered its rights, what else could beexpected?

  "How many Greasers they got?" asked Yellin' Kid, after a pause, duringwhich Bud took another observation through the glass.

  The boy rancher looked, seemed to be counting and then, as he loweredthe glass from his eye, he answered:

  "There's a dozen of 'em!"

  Significantly Nort silently, but obviously, counted those of his ownparty. There were but five, for some of the cowboys had been left atDiamond X after the defeat of the rustlers.

  "We'd better let your dad know--what say?" asked Kid of Bud.

  "I think so--yes. And he'd better send out a few more men. We don'twant to take any chances."

  This was considered a wise move. But before going in to telephone tohis father--for that was the most rapid method of letting him know thesituation so he could send help--before going to the instrument Budasked:

  "Say, I'm wondering how, if those fellows intend to take this openrange pasture--how are they going to get their sheep over?"

  "You mean over the river?" asked Nort.

  "Yes. How they going to get the animals across so they can feed onthis side?"

  For a moment no one answered, then Yellin' Kid replied:

  "Why, they'll just naturally haze 'em over; that's all."

  "You mean drive 'em through the creek?" asked Bud.

  "Sure."

  "The water's too deep."

  "Maybe there's a ford," suggested Kid.

  Bud shook his head.

  "I tried to find one for my horse the other day," he said. "I thoughtI had but it was a quicksand and I was glad enough to get out withoutbeing stuck. There's no ford now for miles up and down the Creek fromhere--that is, none that I know of, especially not since high water."

  For the level of Spur Creek had risen in the last few days, since theprofessor crossed, caused, it was learned later, by the diversion intothe creek of a larger stream by some irrigation plan company furthernorth.

  "Well, if they can't make the sheep wade over they can swim 'em, can'tthey?" asked Dick.

  "'Tisn't so easy to make sheep swim," declared Yellin' Kid with a shakeof his head. "Sheep are scary critters at best. You might get them inthe water if you had a good leader, but if I was a sheep man--which Inever hope to be--I'd think twice 'fore I'd float 'em across a stream,'specially if it had quicksands in."

  "Well, this has," affirmed Bud. "They come and go, the quicksands.They weren't here the other day but they're here now."

  "Maybe they're going to ferry 'em across," suggested Nort.

  "Where they going to get boats?" asked Snake, and that seemed todispose of this question.

  "Though maybe they carry collapsible craft," suggested Dick, but this,of course, was not reasonable or practical.

  "No," said Bud, "they either know some way of getting the sheep overhere, or else they aren't going to cross."

  "They'll cross all right," asserted Snake. "Better let your fatherknow how matters are," he suggested.

  Bud went in to ring the home ranch up on the telephone, but he had nosooner given a few turns to the crank--for this was the old-styleinstrument--than he called out:

  "Telephone wire is cut!"