your opinion I'll let you know. What are you doing here,
anyway? Get into that cut out and be mighty quick about it!"
Lumpy rode away growling.
"I'll ride in no trail wagon," announced Tad Butler, with emphasis.
"I guess you will have to, my boy."
"I'll ride my pony if I have to be tied on," he declared resolutely.
The foreman laughed heartily.
"Well, we'll see about that. You boys all have good stuff in you. I see that
Master Walter and the gopher are still out there looking after that bunch of
cattle."
"I told them to do so," spoke up Tad.
"And they are obeying orders. That's the first thing to learn in this
business."
"May I sit up now?"
"You may try."
Tad's head spun round when he raised himself up. The lad fought his dizziness
pluckily, and mastered it. After a little while they helped him to his feet.
Finally feeling himself able to walk he started unsteadily away from them.
"Where are you going?" demanded the Professor.
"Pony," answered Tad.
"I protest, Tad. You will come back here at once."
Tad turned obediently.
"Please, Professor. I'm all right."
"Let the boy go. He will be all right in a few moments after he has gotten
into the saddle," urged the foreman. "Besides, he's too much of a man to be
treated like a weakling. He'll get more bumps than that before he leaves this
outfit, if I'm any judge."
The Professor motioned to Tad to go on, which the lad did, petting his pony
as he reached him, and then pulling himself into the saddle with considerable
effort.
"I'm ready for business now," he smiled, waving a hand to the foreman.
"Better look on and let the rest do the work," advised Stallings, mounting
his own tough pony and riding into the thick of the cutting out process.
But Tad Butler could no more sit idly by while the exciting work was going on
than could the foreman himself. The first steer that was cut out from the main
herd, after Stallings went back, found Tad Butler alongside of it, crowding it
toward his own herd farther out. And this work he kept up until all the
strangers had been separated from the Diamond D stock.
"There, I'm glad that job is done," exclaimed Stallings, whipping off his hat
and drawing a sleeve across his perspiring brow.
"Too bad I had to go and upset things so," said Tad.
"Never mind. It's all in a day's work. On a cattle drive if it isn't one
thing it's sure to be another. We have been lucky enough not to have a stampede
thus far. That isn't saying we won't, however. If you feel like working you can
ride up and join the point men. We'll make five or six miles before it is time
to bed down the herd."
To Tad's companions was left the task of driving the strange cattle a couple
of miles to the west and leaving them there.
The boys could not well lose the main herd; for, no sooner had they started
on the trail than a great cloud of dust slowly floated up into the air. Tad, in
his position near the head of the line, and well out to one side of it, was free
from this annoyance. The longer the lad was in the saddle, the stronger he
seemed to feel, and the only trace that was now left of his recent experience
among the hoofs of the Mexican steers was a bump on one side of his head almost
as large as a hen's egg.
It was near sundown when the foreman, who had ridden on ahead some time
before, came back with the information that a broad stream that was not down on
his map lay just ahead of them.
"There's not more than thirty feet of swimming water there, and I believe
I'll make a crossing before we go into camp," he announced briefly.
"How deep is the water?" asked Big-foot Sanders.
"In the middle, deep enough to drown, but on the edges it's fordable. The
cows will be glad of a drink and a swim after the heat of to-day."
With this in mind the cowmen were instructed to urge the cattle along at a
little stronger pace, that they might all get well over before the night came
on.
The animals seemed to feel the presence of water ahead
anyway? Get into that cut out and be mighty quick about it!"
Lumpy rode away growling.
"I'll ride in no trail wagon," announced Tad Butler, with emphasis.
"I guess you will have to, my boy."
"I'll ride my pony if I have to be tied on," he declared resolutely.
The foreman laughed heartily.
"Well, we'll see about that. You boys all have good stuff in you. I see that
Master Walter and the gopher are still out there looking after that bunch of
cattle."
"I told them to do so," spoke up Tad.
"And they are obeying orders. That's the first thing to learn in this
business."
"May I sit up now?"
"You may try."
Tad's head spun round when he raised himself up. The lad fought his dizziness
pluckily, and mastered it. After a little while they helped him to his feet.
Finally feeling himself able to walk he started unsteadily away from them.
"Where are you going?" demanded the Professor.
"Pony," answered Tad.
"I protest, Tad. You will come back here at once."
Tad turned obediently.
"Please, Professor. I'm all right."
"Let the boy go. He will be all right in a few moments after he has gotten
into the saddle," urged the foreman. "Besides, he's too much of a man to be
treated like a weakling. He'll get more bumps than that before he leaves this
outfit, if I'm any judge."
The Professor motioned to Tad to go on, which the lad did, petting his pony
as he reached him, and then pulling himself into the saddle with considerable
effort.
"I'm ready for business now," he smiled, waving a hand to the foreman.
"Better look on and let the rest do the work," advised Stallings, mounting
his own tough pony and riding into the thick of the cutting out process.
But Tad Butler could no more sit idly by while the exciting work was going on
than could the foreman himself. The first steer that was cut out from the main
herd, after Stallings went back, found Tad Butler alongside of it, crowding it
toward his own herd farther out. And this work he kept up until all the
strangers had been separated from the Diamond D stock.
"There, I'm glad that job is done," exclaimed Stallings, whipping off his hat
and drawing a sleeve across his perspiring brow.
"Too bad I had to go and upset things so," said Tad.
"Never mind. It's all in a day's work. On a cattle drive if it isn't one
thing it's sure to be another. We have been lucky enough not to have a stampede
thus far. That isn't saying we won't, however. If you feel like working you can
ride up and join the point men. We'll make five or six miles before it is time
to bed down the herd."
To Tad's companions was left the task of driving the strange cattle a couple
of miles to the west and leaving them there.
The boys could not well lose the main herd; for, no sooner had they started
on the trail than a great cloud of dust slowly floated up into the air. Tad, in
his position near the head of the line, and well out to one side of it, was free
from this annoyance. The longer the lad was in the saddle, the stronger he
seemed to feel, and the only trace that was now left of his recent experience
among the hoofs of the Mexican steers was a bump on one side of his head almost
as large as a hen's egg.
It was near sundown when the foreman, who had ridden on ahead some time
before, came back with the information that a broad stream that was not down on
his map lay just ahead of them.
"There's not more than thirty feet of swimming water there, and I believe
I'll make a crossing before we go into camp," he announced briefly.
"How deep is the water?" asked Big-foot Sanders.
"In the middle, deep enough to drown, but on the edges it's fordable. The
cows will be glad of a drink and a swim after the heat of to-day."
With this in mind the cowmen were instructed to urge the cattle along at a
little stronger pace, that they might all get well over before the night came
on.
The animals seemed to feel the presence of water ahead
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