The Pony Rider Boys in Texas; Or, The Veiled Riddle of the Plains
Author: Frank Gee Patchin Genre: LiteratureThe Pony Rider Boys in Texas; Or, The Veiled Riddle of the Plains
eman, glancing up at the gathering clouds.
d them. But there was no time now for the animals to satisfy thei
s were bedded down at night, they should be all of fifteen m
in motion, cowboys galloped along the sides of the line giving vent to their
ere detailed on each side, and in a short time the h
he leaders, and by riding forward and closing in occa
heir duty being to see that none of the cattle dropped out o
considerable intere
top to eat?" asked
e are doing so. It's a good rule to go by that you never should let your herd kn
rty seldom allowed it to get far away from them, and never, under ordinary circumstances, out of their sight. The d
is hot forenoon, never leaving his seat until the foreman, by a gesture, indicated that the herd was soon to be ha
others rode back to the rear of the line. In the meantime Pong had been preparing
is, a Chinaman beats anything in the world," la
grin at the compliment, even if
punchers were startled by a volley of revolver
manded Ned Rector a
the outfit had s
ung back the foreman, making
s, uttering sharp "ki-yis" and driving in the spurs while th
re not far behind the cowmen in reaching the
look his surprise and to direct an inquiring look at the Chinama
ng, making a succession of violent ge
s head wisely and wen
peacefully eating its noonday meal
rd was surging back and forth, bellowing and dashing in
not know what
g," decided Ned, riding
Tad. "It looks to me as if so
ha
n awful mix-up, whate
They are
ey ran toward each other, locked horns and engaged in desperate conflict. It was noticed, however, that the muleys kept w
What are they do
imagine what it is all about." Neither could Professor Zepplin, who had ridden up at
ht turn in and help
ere where the men are at work. We may find somethin
distance from the herd as they did so, and halting only when they had re
d as they came within hailing di
iving his pony into the thick of the fig
as I did before," announced Ned,
; I
n't find out what's going on here, pretty soon,
that must mean that a lot of cattle who don't belong the
But, if so, how can they tell one
branded with a capital D in the center of a diamond. That is the brand of Mr. Miller's r
ow, what do you suppose h
d his pony and was now riding toward the
left and drive straight at a bunch of cattle that the c
cket too loud, for their voices
n mind Tad Butler's achievement in driving back a bunch of st
ell as anybody," he told himself, bring
. A few moments more, and he had headed off the rapidly moving bunch, effectually turning the leaders, sendin
erve Stacy Brown's action, nor would they have known anything about it had not
umping his pony at the fleeing cattle
main herd before Tad succeed
s enough fo
had once more mingled and merged with his own
to the air as a signal to his
men do me a fa
r. Stallings,
at we can't do anything with the cows, anyway. You have some sense, but that's more than I can say for your friend, Brown. Of all the
Where did those c
e fence and let them out. That's the worst of the wire fence in the modern cow business. They can
o you think have g
re all of five hundred of
ng-drawn whistle
be able to separat
t it means a hot
, Mr. Stallings?
hole herd. Had it been night, our stock would have been spread over a dozen miles of territory by this time. Be
Tad and Walter going in one direction, while Ned Rector galloped off in
, though they understood what was in the mind of the forem
of the mix-up in voices loud with anger. But, upon discoverin
-that--" bellowed Lump
aw it," l
of a joke, eh?" roared Lumpy,
ny he rode slowly forward toward the angry cowpunche
sh to say to me, Mr. Bate
too great for speech. He cont
yself some day, and clean up o
t way I should prefer to have you do that rather than to try it on any of my comp
t-wh
and I knew that you and I would have to have an understanding before long. We might as
hreate
, and we propose to act like gentlemen. Every other member of the outfit, not excepting the Chinaman, has
ers were opening and
The whole bunch had
l drop that. Will you shake hands and forget your bad temper?"
then with a snarl he jerked his pony ab
nned Big-foot. "Better keep a weather eye on the cay
hing to him before it went too far. I knew he meant mischi
message and rode on t
g killed and trampled under foot, while others were so se
d at a time, until finally the entire herd moved off to the fresher ground that had not been tro
d, Stallings fired a shot as a signal for the c
nion as to whom the stray herd belonged to, none recog
t, which will be starting them back toward where they came from, wherever that may be. At the same ti
consolately on his pony near where the conference was being h
ioned him to ri
ry a message back to ca
hought
e eating done in this outfit till we have cut out that new bunch. Tell the driver to be ready
f importance to delive
coming out usually with his pony pressing against the side of an unwi
was cut out, the boys would ride in behind it and worry the steer alon
ch," Tad informed one of the cowpunche
after we get more of the bunch out," answ
drove out the few cattle that had stray
ing cowboys yelling, their ponies squealing under the terri
the Pony Riders had had little time in wh
over to the edge of the main herd and waited until the foreman dashed out with two re
some of the Diamond D animals
u can do
an t
don't turn back any of the other brands,
s face flushed, the dust standing out o
" he shouted. "I'm going to
to cut out, the pony went at the work with a will. Tad, triumphant and warm, rode out driving a Diamond D steer ahead
y taking no account of the narrow escapes both rider and pony we
e rest that he had cut out, and when once Tad had run him o
o itself, did not wish to return to its own herd. It fought every inch
r. He set his jaw stubbornly and
erstood what he had in hand, for the foreman had made the a
fter half an hour's struggle, when, despite all his effo
the last thing I eve
rope on other occasions, he did not consider himself an expert with it. He had w
moment Tad decide
high above his head, he dashed up to the running steer,
white animal as neatly as a co
y was, he found himself unable to take a hitch a
ope and Tad shot from his saddle sti