“I really think they’ll try to come up,” said Fred.
“Come ahead! We’ll see if we can’t get a little higher up,” answered Andy. “I don’t think the steers will follow us very far, even if they do come. We can shoot at them if we have to,” he added, for each of them carried a pistol.
Beyond the ledge were more rough rocks, and here the two lads had to proceed with caution for fear one of their horses might slip and perhaps break a leg. As they advanced they looked back and saw that the cowboys were coming closer and were beginning to drive a part of the cattle to the rear.
“Oh, if only they can drive them back!” sighed Fred. “Just look at ’em, Andy! There must be a hundred of the steers directly below us! And see how angry that big black fellow looks! He acts just as if he’d like to come up here and gore us!”
“Listen!” ejaculated Andy, pulling back on the rein. “What’s that funny noise?”
Both listened, and, mingled with the murmurs of the cattle at the foot of the rocks, came to their ears a peculiar whine or growl that was entirely new to the lads.
“It’s a wild animal of some kind!” cried Fred, as the growl was repeated.
“Where did it come from?”
“I don’t know. But it was close at hand.”
Thoroughly scared, both boys looked on all sides. Then, of a sudden, Fred let out another exclamation.
“There it is! Right on the shelf of rocks yonder! Oh, Andy, it’s a mountain lion!”
CHAPTER XXVII
THE MOUNTAIN LION
It was a time of extreme peril, and both of the Rover boys realized it. The shelf of rock was not over twenty feet ahead of them, and on this rested the mountain lion, crouched as if for a spring.
Fred had scarcely spoken when both horses began to snort and stamp their feet as if wanting to turn and run away.
“Look out!” screamed Andy, “or the horses will take us right back among those mad cattle.”
With the discovery of the mountain lion, that lay close to the rocky shelf with glaring eyes and tail that swept nervously from side to side, the boys had noted that the animal was as much penned in as they were themselves. Beyond the shelf was an overhanging cliff, so that further progress in that direction was cut off completely. Had this not been so, it is more than likely that the mountain lion would have turned and slunk away, for like all wild beasts they do not fight unless they think it is necessary to do so.
“Come on—give him a shot!” exclaimed Fred, as soon as he could recover from his astonishment.
His weapon was handy, and in a moment the pistol rang out sharply, and this shot was followed by one from his cousin.
Had the two boys been on the ground their shots might have been more effective. But it was another task to aim from the back of a restive horse that was threatening every instant to bolt, and so both bullets merely grazed the mountain lion’s side.
But these shots, mingled with those coming from the plain below, had one good effect. The cattle had been stopped in their mad flight and now they turned back in the direction in which the cowboys wanted them to go.
As the pistols rang out the mountain lion gave a scream of commingled pain and rage. Then it crept forward several feet and made a movement as if on the point of leaping for Fred and his steed.
“Back up! Back up, Fred!” yelled Andy, and fired a second time, and his cousin did likewise.
This time the aim of the boys was better, and the mountain lion was hit in one of the forelegs and in the flank. It made a sudden leap, but the wound in the leg made it fall short, and it fell down between the rocks directly in front of where Fred’s horse was standing.
As the mountain lion went down in the hollow the horse uttered another wild snort and an instant later leaped directly over the wild beast, coming down at the foot of the rocky ledge beyond. The steed Andy rode backed violently until some other rocks stopped its retreat.
“Hi there! What are you shooting at?” came a cry from below, and the two boys recognized the voice of Joe Jackson.
“It’s a lion!” called back Andy.
“Then plug him! Plug him quick!” yelled Jackson. “Plug him before he gets a chance to get at you!”
There was no need for this advice, for Andy was already taking aim. This time the bullet passed through the body of the lion and the beast leaped up, turning over and over convulsively. Then Fred managed to steady his mount for a moment, and he, too, fired, this time catching the mountain lion in the ear. Then the beast gave a final leap and tumbled down the rocks almost at the feet of the astonished ranch foreman.
“Are you hurt?” demanded Jackson anxiously, as he gave a glance at the lion to make certain that it was breathing its last.
“No,” came from both of the boys. But it must be confessed that their voices were trembling. They had all they could do to quiet their horses, the steeds showing a great inclination to leap over the rough rocks and run away.
By the time that Fred and Andy managed to descend to the plain below them the stampede of the cattle, which had been only momentary, was coming to an end, only two steers having run away for parts unknown.
“But they’ll come back, Boss,” said one of the cowboys to Jackson. “They always do. You can’t hire ’em to herd by themselves. They’ll sure be back.”
“A mountain lion! What do you know about that!” exclaimed Jack, as he came riding up, followed by the other boys.
“Did he hurt you at all?” questioned Spouter quickly.
“He didn’t get a chance,” answered Fred, just a bit proudly. “Andy and I let drive at him almost as soon as we saw him.”
“A pretty powerful beast, I’ll say,” remarked Gif, as he made an examination of the lion that was now dead. “I don’t think I’d like to face such a creature.”
“We had to fight him,” declared Andy. “He was right up on that rocky shelf yonder, and he couldn’t back out. If he had had the chance he’d have leaped right on us.”
“Well, you’re the prize hunters of this crowd,”declared Randy.
“You can’t put that down to hunting,” answered his twin promptly. “That was simply a case of necessity.”
“Anyway, you’ve got the lion, and that skin will make some rug,” declared Spouter.
“I wonder if there are any other mountain lions around?” remarked Gif. “I’d like to get a shot at one of them myself.”
“They often travel in pairs,” answered Joe Jackson. “But if you’re going after lions you had better arm yourselves with rifles. It was only good luck that brought this beast down with pistol bullets.”
“The pistols were good enough at close quarters,”answered Andy. “Just the same, I’d rather shoot the next mountain lion from a distance,”he added dryly.
Of course, when the boys rode up to the ranch home with the carcass of the dead lion there was a good deal of excitement among the older folks and the girls, and Fred and Andy had to tell their story in detail.
“You really must be more careful in the future, boys,” declared Mrs. Sam Rover. “Why, you might have been trampled under foot by the cattle, as well as chewed up by this mountain lion!”
“I didn’t know there was any danger of the cattle stampeding,” put in Mrs. Tom Rover.
“Oh, Jackson assures me that the stampede wasn’t of much consequence,” remarked Songbird Powell. “But, of course, the boys shouldn’t have gotten in front of the animals. But this question of facing a mountain lion is another story.”
“Py chimminy! you don’t vas cotch me facin’no mountain lions,” declared Hans Mueller emphatically.“I did me dot years ago, ven I go oud mit your faders. But I ton’t do him no more alreatty.”
“Oh, Fred, you must be more careful!” protested May to the youngest Rover, when she got the chance. “Suppose that lion had jumped right on top of you?”
/> “Believe me, May, I didn’t want to get so close,” he answered. “When we discovered the beast he wasn’t over twenty feet away.”
“And they told us there weren’t very many wild beasts around here!” came from Martha. “After this I guess we had better be careful how we roam through the woods and along the river.”
“Oh, they’re not likely to harm you unless you corner them,” said Songbird Powell. “They’ll sneak away from you if you give them half a chance. It’s only when they’re cornered or when they’re needing food that they are really combative.”
The mountain lion was skinned and the pelt taken away by the ranch foreman to be cured, and then Fred and Andy took it easy for the rest of the day.
“Isn’t it queer that Brassy Bangs has never showed himself around this place?” remarked Spouter that evening. “Wouldn’t you think he’d at least ride over to see what sort of an outfit we had here?”
“More than likely he’s afraid of his welcome,”said Jack. “He knows that none of us care for him.”
“I’d like to know if he really started that auto,”put in Fred.
“Gosh, what a sour fellow that Jarley Bangs was!” exclaimed Andy.
There had been an indication of a storm, but this had passed away, and one day found the Rover boys and their chums off on a trip along a trail which led across the river and to the mountains westward, a trail which they were informed by Jackson led between the ranches owned by Jarley Bangs and Bimbel.
“I’d like to get a better view of Bimbel’s ranch and also of Bangs’ place,” declared Jack. “And maybe we’ll see something of Bud Haddon and his crowd.”
All of the boys were now on good terms with Hop Lung, and he had prepared for them a substantial lunch and also something extra in case they should remain out after the supper hour.
“Now you lads take good care of yourselves,”admonished Tom Rover, when they were ready to depart on their day’s outing. “No more rattlesnakes or mountain lions!”
“Or mix-ups with runaway cattle,” put in Sam Rover.
Spouter and Jack carried small rifles, and the others were armed with pistols. They, however, were not going out to hunt, but thought best to provide themselves with the firearms in case any game presented itself.
It did not take the boys long to cross the river, and then they followed a trail which led up a long hill and through a somewhat dense forest.
They had journeyed along the best part of two hours when they noticed the sun going under a cloud. This caused the trail under the trees to become dark.
“Gee! I wonder if we’re going to have a storm?” remarked Randy.
“Oh, maybe it’s nothing but a wind cloud,”answered Spouter.
They continued to move along the trail, and presently reached a small opening where there was a spring.
“Halt!” called out Jack, who was riding ahead with Spouter.
“What’s the matter?” questioned Gif quickly.
“Look there! Isn’t that a wolf?” asked Jack. He pointed with his rifle, which he had already unslung, and all the boys looked in the direction pointed out.
“Maybe it’s a dog,” put in Fred quickly.
“You don’t want to shoot somebody’s pet,” admonished Gif.
The animal had slunk away behind some brushwood, and now they saw it trying to retreat, pulling something through the dead leaves as it did so.
“It’s a wolf! I’m sure of it!” declared Jack, and, raising his rifle, he took quick aim and fired.
As the echo of the firearm died away the lads heard a snarl and a yelp, and an instant later a gaunt wolf showed himself, his fangs gleaming dangerously as he came closer.
Several shots rang out, for all of the boys had their weapons ready. The wolf was hit in three places, and gave a single leap into the air and then dropped lifeless.
“Hurrah! We’ve got him!” yelled Randy, with satisfaction.
“Be careful! Don’t go too close before we’re sure,” warned Jack. “Better reload first.”
But the wolf was past doing further harm, and having assured themselves of this the boys looked at what he had been carrying away.
“It’s the side of a calf!” exclaimed Spouter.“Isn’t this the limit? I’m glad we brought him down!”
“He must have been raiding some cow yard,”said Jack.
“No ranch cow yard,” said Gif. “This half of a calf was skinned by some person. I’ll bet he stole it out of some ranch larder.” And later on it was learned that the calf meat had been stolen from Jarley Bangs’ place the night before.
The boys had become so interested in bringing down the wolf that they had paid no attention to what was taking place overhead. But now they noticed that the sky was more overcast than ever. The wind began to blow through the woods, and of a sudden there came a downpour as surprising as it was dismaying.
CHAPTER XXVIII
IN THE CAVE
“We’re in for it now!” cried Jack, as he looked up at the sky and at the trees beginning to bend in the wind.
“And it’s going to be some storm, or I miss my guess,” added Gif.
“I wonder if we can find any shelter around here?” put in Randy. “If we can’t we’ll be soaked to the skin in no time.”
“Jackson was telling me of a couple of caves toward the end of these woods,” said Spouter quickly. “I wonder if we could reach the nearest of them? It might help us to get out of the rain.”
“Come on—let’s try it!” put in Fred eagerly.
Leaving the dead wolf where it had fallen, the boys pushed forward on the trail, which now led downward on the other side of the hill. Here they noticed the going was getting rougher, and presently they found themselves entering a defile among the rocks. Here the trees were more scattering and consequently they were exposed to the full fury of the elements. Ever and anon a flash of lightning would illumine the sky, followed by the crack and rumble of thunder.
“Say, maybe we had better stay under the trees,” suggested Andy.
“Suppose the trees should be struck by lightning?”questioned Jack. “I think we had better go on, especially if we’re anywhere near those caves Jackson mentioned.”
A turn in the defile brought them to something of an open place. Here on one side the rocks towered fully fifty feet above their heads and at one point there was an opening perhaps fifteen feet square and leading into the side of the hill.
“This must be the first of the caves!” cried Spouter. “Come on in!” And without ceremony he led the way, and the others followed, glad to get out of the storm.
They found the cave an irregular one, running in somewhat of a semicircle and with a flooring that was comparatively level. It was dry and fairly comfortable, and once beyond the fury of the storm the lads dismounted and proceeded to make themselves at home.
The rain continued to come down and, with nothing better to do, the boys proceeded to make themselves as comfortable as possible. Near the entrance to the cave they found some leaves and dead tree branches which were still dry, and these they dragged inside and then made themselves a campfire.
“I reckon we’ll have to cut out going any further,” announced Spouter. “Even if the storm clears away, the trail will be very wet and slippery.”
It still lacked an hour to noon, and with nothing else to do the boys tethered their horses and then proceeded to investigate their surroundings. From the campfire they obtained several torches, and with these in hand they moved along slowly around the bend of the cave and over a series of rocks which led upward.
“It certainly is a larger cave than I supposed,”said Jack, as he and Gif led the way, with the others close behind.
“I think I see a light ahead, Jack,” was Gif’s remark. “That must be another opening to the cave.”
“Maybe the two caves that Jackso
n mentioned are really one, and this passageway connects them.”
“We’ll soon find out.”
By this time all but one of the torches had burnt themselves out. But this the lads did not mind, for the light ahead was steadily increasing, showing that they could not be far from another opening.
“Look!” called Jack suddenly. And then he added: “Keep quiet, all of you!”
He pointed ahead and there, around a bend of the rocks, all saw two figures moving around on horseback. One was the figure of a tall man, and the other that of a well-grown youth.
“Why, that’s Brassy Bangs!” whispered Fred excitedly.
“Yes. And the man is Bud Haddon,” returned Andy.
“What do you bet Haddon isn’t after Brassy for more money?” put in Fred excitedly.
While the youngest Rover was speaking, he and the others saw that the two figures on horseback had disappeared behind a mass of rocks.
“I’m going ahead and find out about this,” declared Jack. “Come on! So far as we can see there are only two of them, so the six of us have nothing to fear.”
“Especially as we’re armed,” added Fred, who carried his pistol with him.
Throwing down the last of their torches, the six boys advanced with caution. They heard the horses beyond the rocks occasionally stamping a hoof and caught a faint murmur of voices. Then, led by Jack, they mounted the rocks noiselessly, presently gaining a point where they could look directly down upon Brassy Bangs and his companion.
“It’s all wrong, Bud Haddon, and you know it!” they heard Brassy declare. “And sooner or later the authorities will get after you for this.”
“See here, Lester Bangs, you don’t have to preach to me!” growled Bud Haddon. “You’re just as deep in some things as I am in others.”
“It isn’t true, and you know it!” whined Brassy. And now the lads who were listening could see that their fellow-cadet was very much upset. “I’m not guilty, and I never have been guilty of any wrongdoing!”
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