Wells Brothers: The Young Cattle Kings Read online

  CHAPTER IV

  THE BROTHERS CLAIM A RANGE

  The next morning Straw dallied about until Dell brought up the crippledcattle. They were uniform in size; rest was the one thing needful, andit now would be theirs amid bountiful surroundings. They were driven upamong the others, now scattered about in plain sight in the valleyabove, presenting a morning scene of pastoral contentment.

  "Even the calves are playing this morning," said Straw to Forrest, asthe former entered the tent. "A few cattle surely make this valley lookgood. What you want to do now is to keep on drawing more. Don't allow nooutfit to pass without chipping in, at least give them the chance, andthis trail hospital will be on velvet in no time. Of course, all Lovelloutfits will tear their shirts boosting the endowment fund, but thatneedn't bar the other herds. Some outfits may have no cattle, but theycan chip in a sore-back or crippled pony. My idea is to bar no one, andif they won't come in, give them a chance to say they don't want to.You ought to send word back to Dodge; any foreman going east or westfrom there would give you his strays."

  The conception of a trail refuge had taken root. The supply points wereoases for amusement, but a halfway haven for the long stretches ofunsettled country, during the exodus of Texas cattle to the Northwest,was an unknown port. The monotony of from three to five months on thetrail, night and day work, was tiring to men, while a glass of milk oreven an hour in the shade was a distinct relief. Straw was reluctant togo, returning to make suggestions, by way of excuse, and not untilforced by the advancing day did he mount and leave to overtake his herd.

  Again the trio was left alone. Straw had given Forrest a list of brandsand a classification of the cattle contributed, and a lesson in readingbrands was given the boys. "Brands read from left to right," saidForrest to the pair of attentive listeners, "or downward. If more thanone brand is on an animal, the upper one is the holding or one in whichownership is vested. Character brands are known by name, and are usedbecause difficult to alter. There is scarcely a letter in the alphabetthat a cattle thief can't change. When a cow brute leaves its homerange, it's always a temptation to some rustler to alter the brand, andcharacters are not so easily changed."

  The importance of claiming the range was pressing, and now that cattlewere occupying it, the opportunity presented itself. A notice wasaccordingly written, laying claim to all grazing rights, from the Texasand Montana trail crossing on Beaver to the headwaters of the same,including all its tributaries, by virtue of possession and occupancyvested in the claimants, Wells Brothers. "How does that sound?" inquiredForrest, its author, giving a literal reading of the notice. "Nothingsmall or stingy about that, eh? When you're getting, get a-plenty."

  "But where are we to get the cattle to stock such a big country?"pondered Joel. "It's twenty miles to the head of this creek."

  "We might as well lay big plans as little ones. Here's where we make aspoon or spoil a horn. Saddle a horse and post this notice down at thetrail crossing. Sink a stake where every one can see it, and nail yourcolors to the sign-board. We are the people, and must be respected."

  Joel hastened away to post the important notice. Dell was detailed onsentinel duty, on lookout for another herd, but each trip he managed tofind some excuse to ride among the cattle. "What's the brand on my whitecow?" inquired Forrest, the object leading up to another peculiarityin color.

  "I couldn't _read_ it," said Dell, airing his range parlance.

  "No? Well, did you ever see a white cow with a black face?" inquired thewounded man, coming direct to the matter at issue.

  "Not that I remember; why?"

  "Because there never lived such a colored cow. Nature has one color thatshe never mars. You can find any colored cow with a white face, butyou'll never find a milk-white cow with a colored face. That line isdrawn, and you want to remember it. You'll never shoot a wild swan witha blue wing, or see yellow snowflakes fall, or meet a pure white cowwith a black face. Hereafter, if any one attempts to send you on awild-goose chase, to hunt such a cow, tell them that no such animal everwalked this earth."

  Joel returned before noon. No sign of an approaching herd was sighted bythe middle of the afternoon, and the trio resigned themselves to randomconversation.

  "Dell," said Forrest, "it's been on my mind all day to ask you why youpicked a yearling yesterday when you had a chance to take a cow. Strawlaughed at you."

  "Because Joel said red cattle were worth a dollar a head more than anyother color."

  "Young man," inquired Forrest of Joel, "what's your authority for thatstatement?"

  "Didn't you pick me a red cow yesterday, and didn't you admit to Mr.Straw that red cattle were worth the most?" said Joel, in defense ofhis actions.

  "And you rushed away and palmed my random talking off on Dell asoriginal advice? You'll do. Claiming a little more than you actuallyknow will never hurt you any. Now here's a prize for the best brandreader: The boy who brings me a correct list of brands, as furnished byStraw, gets my white cow and calf as a reward. I want the road and ranchbrand on the cripples, and the only or holding brand on the others. Now,fool one another if you can. Ride through them slowly, and the one whobrings me a perfect list is my bully boy."

  The incentive of reward stimulated the brothers to action. Theyscampered away on ponies, not even waiting to saddle, and several hourswere spent in copying brands. These included characters, figures, andletters, and to read them with skill was largely a matter of practice.Any novice ought to copy brands, but in this instance the amateur's listwould be compared with that of an experienced trail foreman, a neutraljudge from which there was no appeal.

  The task occupied the entire evening. Forrest not only had them read,but looked over each copy, lending impartial assistance in readingcharacters that might baffle a boy. There were some half dozen of thelatter in Straw's list, a _turkey track_ being the most difficult tointerpret, but when all characters were fully understood, Joel still hadfour errors to Dell's three. The cripples were found to be correct ineach instance, and were exempt from further disturbance. Forrest nowinsisted that to classify, by enumerating each grade, would assist inlocating the errors, which work would have to be postponeduntil morning.

  The boys were thoroughly in earnest in mastering the task. Forrestregaled them with examples of the wonderful expertness of the Texans inreading brands and classifying cattle. "Down home," said he, "we haveboys who read brands as easily as a girl reads a novel. I know men whocan count one hundred head of mixed cattle, as they leave a corral, ortrail along, and not only classify them but also give you every brandcorrectly. Now, that's the kind of cowmen I aim to make out of you boys,and to-morrow morning you must get these brands accurate. Whatwas that?"

  Both boys sprang to the tent opening and listened. It sounded like ashot, and within a few moments was seconded by a distant hail.

  "Some one must be lost," suggested Joel. "He's down the creek."

  "Lost your grandmother!" exclaimed Forrest. "We're all lost in thiscountry. Here, fire this six-shooter in the air, and follow it up with aComanche yell. Dell, build a little fire on the nearest knoll. It's morethan likely some trail man hunting this camp."

  The signal-fire was soon burning. The only answer vouchsafed was somefifteen minutes later, when the clatter of an approaching horse wasdistinctly heard. A lantern shone through the tent walls, and the prompthail of the horseman proved him no stranger. "Is Quince Forrest here?"he inquired, as his horse shied at the tent.

  "He is. Come in, Dorg," said Forrest, recognizing by his voice thehorseman without to be Dorg Seay, one of Don Lovell's foremen. "Come inand let us feast our eyes on your handsome face."

  Seay peeped within and timidly entered. "Well," said he, pulling at astraggling mustache, "evidently it isn't as bad as reported. Priestwrote back to old man Don that you had attempted suicide--unfortunate inlove was the reason given--and I have orders to inquire into your healthor scatter flowers on your grave. Able to sit up and take notice?--nocomplications, I hope?"

  "When d
id you leave Dodge?" inquired Forrest, ignoring Seay'spersiflage.

  "About a week ago. A telegram was waiting me on the railroad, and I rodethrough this afternoon. If this ranch boasts anything to eat, now wouldbe an awful nice time to mention it."

  Seay's wants were looked after.

  "How many herds between here and the railroad?" inquired Forrest,resuming the conversation.

  "Only one ahead of mine. In fact, I'm foreman of both herds--live withthe lead one and occasionally go back and see my own. It all depends onwho feeds best."

  "And when will your herd reach the Beaver?" continued Forrest.

  "I left orders to water my lead herd in the Beaver at three o'clockto-morrow, and my own dear cattle will be at their heels. My outfit actsas rear-guard to Blocker's herd."

  These men, in the employ of the same drover, had not seen each other inmonths, and a fire of questions followed, and were answered. Thechronicle of the long drive, of accident by flood and field, led up tothe prospects for a northern demand for cattle.

  "The market has barely opened in Dodge," said Seay, in reply to aquestion. "Unless the herds are sold or contracted, very few will leaveDodge for the Platte River before the first of July. Old man Don isn'tdriving a hoof that isn't placed, so all his herds will pass Ogalallabefore the first of the month. The bulk of the drive going north of thePlatte will come next month. With the exception of scattering herds, thefirst of August will end the drive."

  The men talked far into the night. When they were left alone in thetent, Forrest unfolded his plans for starting the boys in life.

  "We found them actually on their uppers," said he; "they hadn't tastedmeat in months, and were living on greens and garden truck. It's a goodrange, and we must get them some cattle. The first year may be a littletough, but by drawing on all of Lovell's wagons for the necessarystaples, we can provision them until next spring. You must leave someflour and salt and beans and the like."

  "Beans!" echoed Seay. "That will surely tickle my cook. Did you evernotice that the farther north it goes, a Texas trail outfit getstastier? Let it start out on bacon and beans and blackstrap, and afterthe herd crosses the Platte, the varmints want prairie chicken and friedtrout. Tasty! Why, those old boys develop an elegant taste for dainties.Nothing but good old beef ever makes them even think of home again. Yes,my cook will give you his last bean, and make a presentationspeech gratis."

  Forrest's wound had begun to mend, the soreness and swelling had leftthe knee joint, and the following morning Seay spent in making crutches.Crude and for temporary use, the wounded man tried them out, and byassistance reached the entrance, where he was eased into an old familyrocking-chair in the shade of the tent.

  "This has been the dream of my life," said he, "to sit like some oldpatriarch in my tent door and count my cattle. See that white cowyonder?" pointing with a crutch. "Well, she belongs to your uncle JohnQuincy. And that reminds me that she and her calf are up as a reward tocomplete the roll of brands. Boys, are you ready?"

  The revised lists were submitted for inspection. Compared with the onerendered by Straw, there was still a difference in Dell's regarding adun cow, while Joel's list varied on three head. Under theclassification the errors were easily located, and summoning thevisiting foreman, Forrest explained the situation.

  "I'll have to appoint you umpire in deciding this matter. Here's theroll furnished by Nat Straw, and you'll compare it with Dell and Joel's.Of course, old Nat didn't care a whoopee about getting the list perfect,and my boy may be right on that dun cow. Joel differs on athree-year-old, a heifer, and a yearling steer. Now, get them straight,because we're expecting to receive more cattle this evening. Pass onthese brands before you leave to meet your herd this afternoon. Andremember, there's a cow and calf at stake for whichever one of theseboys first gets the roll correct."

  After dinner the three rode away for a final inspection. The cattle werelazy and logy from water, often admitting of riding within a rod, thusrendering the brands readable at a glance. Dell led the way to the duncow, but before Seay could pass an opinion, the boy called for his listin possession of the man. "Let me take my roll a minute," said he, "andI'll make the correction. It isn't a four bar four, it's four equalsfour; there's two bars instead of one. The cow and calf is mine. Thatgives me three."

  The lust of possession was in Dell's voice. The reward had been fairlyearned, and turning to the other cattle in dispute, Joel's errors wereeasily corrected. All three were in one brand, and the mere failure tonote the lines of difference between the figure eight and the letter Shad resulted in repeating the mistake. Seay amused himself by pointingout different animals and calling for their brands, and an enviousrivalry resulted between the brothers, in their ability to readrange script.

  "A good eye and a good memory," said Seay, as they rode homeward, "aregifts to a cowman. A brand once seen is hardly ever forgotten. Twentyyears hence, you boys will remember all these brands. One man can readbrands at twice the distance of another, and I have seen many who coulddistinguish cattle from horses, with the naked eye, at a distance ofthree miles. When a man learns to know all there is about cattle, heought to be getting gray around the edges."

  Forrest accepted the umpire's report. "I thought some novice might triphis toe on that equality sign," said he. "There's nothing like havingstudied your arithmetic. Dell's been to school, and it won him a cow andcalf when he saw the sign used as a brand. I wonder how he is ondriving mules."

  "I can drive them," came the prompt reply.

  "Very well. Hook up the old team. I'm sending you down to the trailcrossing to levy on two commissary wagons. Take everything they give youand throw out a few hints for more. This afternoon we begin laying in ayear's provisions. It may be a cold winter, followed by a late spring,and there's nothing like having enough. Relieve them of all their driedfruits, and make a strong talk for the staples of life. I may want towinter here myself, and a cow camp should make provision for more orless company."

  Seay lent his approval. "Hitch up and rattle along ahead of me," saidhe. "The wagons may reach the crossing an hour or two ahead of theherds, and I'll be there to help you trim them down to lighttraveling form."

  It proved an active afternoon. The wagon was started for the trailcrossing, followed by Seay within half an hour. Joel was in a quandary,between duty and desire, as he was anxious to see the passing herds, yeta bond of obligation to the wounded man required his obedience. Forresthad noticed the horse under saddle, the impatience of the boy, buttactfully removed all uneasiness.

  "I have been trying to figure out," said he, "how I could spare you thisafternoon, as no doubt you would like to see the herds, but we have somuch to do at home. Now that I can hobble out, you must get me fourpoles, and we will strip this fly off the tent and make a sunshade outof it--make an arbor in front of our quarters. Have the props ready, andin the morning Seay will show you how to stretch a tarpaulin for asunshade. And then along towards evening, you must drift our littlebunch of cattle at least a mile up the creek. I'm expecting more thisevening, and until we learn the brands on this second contingent, theymust be kept separate. And then, since we've claimed it, we want to makea showing of occupying the range, by scattering the cattle over it.Within a month, our cows must rest in the shade of Hackberry Grove andbe watering out of those upper springs. When you take a country, thenext thing is to hold it."

  Something to do was a relief to Joel. Willow stays, for the arbor, werecut, the bark peeled off, and the poles laid ready at hand. When thecattle arose, of their own accord, from the noonday rest, the impatientlad was allowed to graze them around the bend of the creek. There washardly enough work to keep an active boy employed, and a social hourensued. "Things are coming our way," said Forrest. "This man Seay willjust about rob Blocker's outfit. When it comes to making a poor mouth,that boy Dorg is in a class by himself. Dell will just about have awagon load. You boys will have to sleep in the tent hereafter."

  It proved so. The team returned an hour before sunse
t, loaded to thecarrying capacity of the wagon. Not only were there remnants in thestaples of life, but kegs of molasses and bags of flour and beans, whilea good saddle, coils of rope, and a pair of new boots which, after awetting, had proven too small for the owner, were among the assets. Itwas a motley assortment of odds and ends, a free discard of two trailoutfits, all of which found an acceptable lodgment at the new ranch.

  "They're coming up to supper," announced Dell to Forrest. "Mr. Blocker'sforeman knows you, and sent word to get up a spread. He says that whenhe goes visiting, he expects his friends to not only put on the littleand big pot, but kill a chicken and churn. He's such a funny fellow. Hemade me try on those boots, and when he saw they would fit, he orderedtheir owner, one of Mr. Seay's men, to give them to me or he would fighthim at sunrise."

  "Had them robbing each other for us, eh?" said Forrest, smiling. "Well,that's the kind of friend to have when settling up a new country. Thisranch is like a fairy story. Here I sit and wave my crutch for a wand,and everything we need seems to just bob up out of the plain. Cattlecoming along to stock a ranch, old chum coming to supper, in fact,everything coming our way. Dell, get up a banquet--who caresfor expense!"

  It was barely dusk when the second contingent of cattle passed above thehomestead and were turned loose for the night. As before, the crippleshad been dropped midway, and would be nursed up the next morning. Withthe assistance of crutches, Forrest managed to reach the opening, and byclinging to the tent-pole, waved a welcome to the approaching trail men.

  Blocker's foreman, disdaining an invitation to dismount, saluted hishost. "There's some question in my mind," said he, "as to what kind of adead-fall you're running up here, but if it's on the square, there goesmy contribution to your hospital. Of course, the gift carries thecompliments of my employer, Captain John. That red-headed boy deliveredmy messages, I reckon? Well, now, make out that I'm somebody that's comea long way, and that you're tickled to death to see me, and order thefatted calf killed. Otherwise, I won't even dismount."