The Fighting Edge

by William MacLeod Raine

  CHAPTER XXVI

  CUTTING SIGN

  Dud's observation, when he and Bob took the back trail along the river tofind the missing bronco, confirmed that of Buck Hawks. He found the placewhere a horse had clawed its way out of the stream to the clay bank. Fromhere it had wandered into the sage and turned toward the home ranch. Thetracks showed that Powder River was moving slowly, grazing as it went.

  "I reckon by noon we can say 'Hello!' to yore bronc," Dud prophesied. "Noneed to trail it. All we got to do is follow the river."

  An hour later he drew up and swung from the saddle. "Now I wonder whowe've had with us this glad mawnin'."

  Dud stooped and examined carefully tracks in the mud. Bob joined him.

  "Powder River ain't so lonesome now. Met up with friends, looks like.Takin' a li'l' journey north." The cowpuncher's blue eyes sparkled. Theprosaic pursuit of a stray mount had of a sudden become Adventure.

  "You mean--?"

  "What do _you_ read from this sign we've cut?"

  Bob told his deductions. "Powder River met some one on horseback. The mangot off. Here's his tracks."

  "Fellow, use yore haid," admonished his friend. "Likewise yore eyes. Youwouldn't say this track was made by the same man as this one, wouldyou?"

  "No. It's bigger."

  "An' here's another, all wore off at the heel. We got three men anyhow.Which means also three horses. Point of fact there are four mounts, oneto carry the pack."

  "How do you know there are four?"

  "They had four when they camped close to us night 'fore last."

  Dillon felt a sinking at the pit of his stomach. "You think this isHouck's outfit?"

  "That'd be my guess."

  "An' that they've taken Powder River with them?"

  "I'm doing better than guessin' about that. One of the party saw a broncwith an empty saddle an' tried to rope it. First time he missed, but hemade good when he tried again."

  "If I had yore imagination, Dud--"

  "Straight goods. See here where the loop of the rope dragged along thetop of the mud after the fellow missed his throw."

  Bob saw the evidence after it had been pointed out to him. "But thatdon't prove he got Powder River next time he threw," he protested.

  "Here's where that's proved." Dud showed him the impressions of two hoofsdug deep into the ground. "Powder River bucked after he was roped an'tried to break away. The other horse, like any good cowpony does, leanedback on the rope an' dug a toe-hold."

  "Where's Houck going?"

  "Brown's Park likely, from the way they're headed."

  "What'll we do?"

  "Why, drap in on them to-night kinda casual an' say 'Much obliged forroundin' up our stray bronc for us.'"

  This programme did not appeal to Bob. In that camp were two enemies ofhis. Both of them also hated Dud. Houck and Walker were vindictive. Itwas not likely either of them would forget what they owed these two youngfellows.

  "Maybe we'd better ride back an' tell the boss first," he suggested.

  "Maybe we'd better not," Hollister dissented. "By that time they'd be sofar ahead we'd never catch 'em. No, sir. We'll leave a note here for theboss. Tack it to this cottonwood. If we don't show up in a reasonabletime he'll trail back an' find out what for not."

  "That'd do us a lot of good if Houck had dry-gulched us."

  Dud laughed. "You're the lad with the imagination. Far as Houck goes, an'Bandy Walker, too, for that matter, I'll make you a present of the pairof 'em as two sure-enough bad eggs. But they've got to play the handsdealt 'em without knowin' what we're holdin'."

  "They've prob'ly got rifles, an' we haven't."

  "It's a cinch they've got rifles. But they won't dare use 'em. How dothey know we're playin' this alone? First off, I'll mention that I sentBuck back to tell the boss we'd taken the trail after them. That puts itup to them to act reasonable whether they want to or not. Another thing.We surprise 'em. Give the birds no chance to talk it over. Not knowin'what to do, they do nothing. Ain't that good psycho-ology, as Blistersays when he calls a busted flush?"

  "Trouble is we're holdin' the busted flush."

  "Sure, an' Houck'll figure we wouldn't 'a' trailed him unless we'd fixedthe play right beforehand. His horse sense will tell him we wouldn't gothat strong unless our cards was all blue. We're sittin' in the goldenchair. O' course we'll give the birds a chance to save their faces--makeit plain that we're a whole lot obliged to 'em for lookin' after PowderRiver for us."

  Bob's sagging head went up. He had remembered Blister's injunction. "Allright, Dud. Turn yore wolf loose. I'll ride along an' back the bluff."

  They left the river and climbed to the mesa. The trail took them througha rough country of sagebrush into the hills of greasewood and pinon. Inmid-afternoon they shot a couple of grouse scuttling through the bunchgrass. Now and again they started deer, but they were not looking formeat. A brown bear peered at them from a thicket and went crashing awaywith an awkward gait that carried it over the ground fast.

  From a summit they saw before them a thin spiral of smoke rising out ofan arroyo.

  "I reckon that's the end of the trail," Dud drawled. "We're real pleasedto meet up with you, Mr. Houck. Last time I had the pleasure was a sortaspecial picnic in yore honor. You was ridin' a rail outa Bear Cat an'being jounced up considerable."

  "If he thinks of that--"

  "He'll think of it," Dud cut in cheerfully. "He's gritted his teeth a lotof times over that happenstance, Mr. Houck has. It tastes right bitter inhis mouth every time he recollects it. First off, soon as he sees us,he'll figure that his enemies have been delivered into his hand. It'll beup to us to change his mind. If you're all set, Sure-Shot, we'll driftdown an' start the peace talk."

  Bob moistened his dry lips. "All set."

  They rode down the hillside, topped another rise, and descended into thedraw where a camp was pitched.

  A young fellow chopping firewood moved forward to meet them.

  "There's Powder River with the broncs," Bob said in a low voice to hisfriend.

  "Yes," said Dud, and he swung from the saddle.

  "'Lo, fellows. Where you headed for?" the wood-chopper asked amiably.

  Two men were sitting by the fire. They waited, in an attitude oflistening. Dusk had fallen. The glow of the fire lighted their faces, butthe men who had just ridden up were in the gathering darkness beyond thecircle lit by the flames.

  "We came to get Powder River, the bronc you rounded up for us," Hollistersaid evenly. "Harshaw sent us ahead. We're sure much obliged to you foryore trouble."

  The larger of the two men by the fire rose and straddled forward. Helooked at Dud and he looked at Bob. His face was a map of conflictingemotions.

  "Harshaw sent you, did he?"

  "Yes, sir. Bob had bad luck in the river an' the horse got away from him.I reckon the pony was lightin' out for home when yore rope stopped thejourney." The voice of Dud was cheerful and genial. It ignored any littledifferences of the past with this hook-nosed individual whose eyes wereso sultry and passionate.

  "So he sent you two fellows, did he? I'll say he's a good picker. I beenwantin' to meet you," he said harshly.

  "Same here, Houck." Bandy Walker pushed to the front, jerking aforty-five from its scabbard.

  Houck's hand shot forward and caught the cowpuncher by the wrist. "What'sbitin' you, Bandy? Time enough for that when I give the word."

  The yellow teeth of the bow-legged man showed in a snarl of rage andpain. "I'd 'a' got Dillon if you'd let me be."

  "Didn't you hear this guy say Harshaw sent them here? Use yore horsesense, man." Houck turned to Hollister. "Yore bronc's with the others.The saddle's over by that rock. Take 'em an' hit the trail."

  In sullen rage Houck watched Dud saddle and cinch. Not till the SlashLazy D riders were ready to go did he speak again.

  "Tell you what I'll do," he proposed. "Get down off'n yore horses, botho' you, an' I'll whale the daylight outa the pair of you. Bandy'll staywhere he's at
an' not mix in."

  Hollister looked at Bandy, and he knew the fellow's trigger fingeritched. There was not a chance in the world that he would stand back andplay fair. But that was not the reason why Dud declined the invitation.He had not come to get into trouble. He meant to keep out of it if hecould.

  "Last fellow that licked me hauled me down off'n my bronc, Mr. Houck,"Dud answered, laughing. "No, sir. We got to turn down that invite to awhalin'. The boss gave us our orders straight. No trouble a-tall. Iexpect if it was our own say-so we might accommodate you. But not the waythings are."

  "No guts, either of you. Ain't two to one good enough?" jeered Houckangrily.

  "Not good enough right now. Maybe some other time, Mr. Houck," Dudreplied, his temper unruffled.

  "You want it to be twelve to one, like it was last time, eh?"

  "Harshaw will be lookin' for us, so we'll be sayin' good-evenin'," therider for the Slash Lazy D said quietly.

  He turned his horse to go, as did his companion. Houck cursed them bothbitterly. While they rode into the gloom Bob's heart lifted to histhroat. Goosequills ran up and down his spine. Would one of his enemiesshoot him in the back? He could hardly keep from swinging his head tomake sure they were not aiming at him. He wanted to touch his mount witha spur to quicken the pace.

  But Dud, riding by his side, held his bronco to the slow even road gaitof the traveler who has many miles to cover. Apparently he had forgottenthe existence of the furious, bitter men who were watching their exitfrom the scene. Bob set his teeth and jogged along beside him.

  Not till they were over the hill did either of them speak.

  "Wow!" grunted Dud as he wiped the sweat from his face. "I'm sure enoughglad to have that job done with. My back aches right between the shoulderblades where a bullet might 'a' hit it."

  Bob relaxed in the saddle. He felt suddenly faint. Even now he foundhimself looking round apprehensively to make sure that a man carrying arifle was not silhouetted on the hilltop against the sky-line.