Two Boys in Wyoming: A Tale of Adventure Read online

  CHAPTER II.

  RIDING NORTHWARD.

  And so it came about that on a sharp, crisp day early in the month ofOctober, two sturdy youths left the Union Pacific train at Fort Steele,which is situated in a broad depression between two divisions of theWind River Mountains, themselves forming a part of the vast RockyMountain chain, which, under different names, stretches along thewestern portion of the two continents from the Arctic Ocean on the northto the extreme southern end of South America.

  Like the sensible youths they were, Jack Dudley and Fred Greenwood hadmade the fullest preparation possible for the experience which wasdestined to prove tenfold more eventful than either anticipated. Mr.Dudley, in accordance with his promise, had presented each with a finerepeating Winchester rifle, an excellent revolver, an abundant supply ofcartridges, and various knick-knacks which the hunter is sure to findare more in the nature of necessities than luxuries.

  They had tough corduroy suits, a material which, as everyone knows,wears like leather, though it is unpopular in the West because of itsunpleasant odor when wet. From the knees downward the lower part of thelegs were protected by strong leathern leggings, and the shoes were madefor wear rather than display. The coats were rather short and gatheredat the waists by a belt, while beneath the garment it was intended towear the cartridge-belt. The revolver rested in a sheath, instead ofbeing thrust into a trouser's-pocket at the hip, while their hatssuggested the sombrero pattern, so popular among cowboys and cattlemen.The brim was broad and stiff, so that it was not liable to bother theirvision when the wind was blowing, and it could be depended upon toprotect the eyes and face from the sun and rain. Their whole outfit, inshort, was strong, comfortable and serviceable.

  The two were generously furnished with money, while Mr. Dudley arrangedwith a banker at Laramie City to furnish the boys with whatever fundsthey might need through accident or robbery. They were going into aregion where there were many lawless characters, and everything was doneto provide against all possible contingencies.

  Their extra clothing and articles were contained in a couple of valises,which were put off the train upon the lonely platform at Fort Steele.But while this marked the farthest distance they could travel by rail, along ride still confronted them before reaching the ranch, which wasalmost half-way between the railroad and the Big Horn Mountains to thenortheast. Several streams had to be crossed, the country in many placeswas rough, and there was no stage line to help them. All this, however,had been discounted before the boys left the city of Chicago, and whatthey encountered was only what was expected, and only that for whichthey were prepared.

  Word having been sent in advance of their expected arrival, the firstact of the youths was to look around for the man or men who were to meetand conduct them to the ranch. A few people were moving about the long,low platform, several in the uniform of United States infantry andcavalry, while a couple of Indians in blankets, untidy and sullen,surveyed them with scowls. Few passengers were in the habit of leavingthe train at this point, so that some curiosity on the part of theloungers was natural. Perhaps the agent at the station suspected them ofbeing runaways whose heads had been turned by stories of wild adventure,and who had set out to annihilate the aborigines of the West; but ifsuch a fancy came to the man, it must have vanished when he noticedtheir intelligent appearance and the completeness of their outfit. Boyswho start on such whimsical careers are never rightly prepared, and haveno conception of the absurdity of their schemes until it is forced uponthem by sad and woeful experience.

  "Are you looking for any one?" asked the agent; respectfully.

  "Yes, sir," replied Jack Dudley; "we are on our way to a ranch whichlies to the eastward of Camp Brown, not far from Wind River."

  "May I ask your errand thither?"

  "My father is part owner of the ranch, and we wish to visit it for a fewweeks."

  "Ah, you are the young men that Hank Hazletine was asking aboutyesterday. He has charge of Bowman's ranch."

  "That's the place. What has become of Mr. Hazletine?"

  "I think he is over at the fort, and will soon be here. He brought acouple of horses for you to ride. Ah, here he comes now."

  The boys saw the man at the same moment. He was walking rapidly from thedirection of the fort, and looking curiously at the youths, who surveyedhim with interest as he approached. He was full-bearded, tall, and asstraight as an arrow, dressed in cowboy costume, and the picture ofrugged strength and activity. His manner was that of a man who, havingmade a mistake as to the hour of the arrival of the train, was doing hisbest to make up for lost time.

  Stepping upon the long, low platform, he walked toward the lads, hisWinchester in his left hand, while he extended his right in salutation.

  "Howdy?" he said, heartily, as he took the hand of Fred Greenwood, whoadvanced several paces to meet him. "I reckon you're the younkers I'mwaiting for."

  "If you are Hank Hazletine, you are the man."

  "That's the name I gin'rally go by; which one of you is Jack Dudley?"

  "I am," replied that young gentleman.

  "Then t'other one is Fred Greenwood, eh?" he asked, turning toward theyounger.

  "You have our names right."

  "Glad to know it; I got your letter and looked for you yesterday; havebeen loafing 'round here since then."

  "We were not sure of the exact time of our arrival and missed it bytwenty-four hours," said Jack; "I hope it caused you no inconvenience."

  "Not at all--not at all. Wal, I s'pose you're ready to start for theranch, younkers?"

  "We are at your disposal; we have quite a long ride before us."

  "We have; it'll take us two or three days to git there, if all goeswell."

  "Suppose all doesn't go well?" remarked Fred.

  "We shall be longer on the road; and if it goes too bad we'll never gitthere; but I ain't looking for anything like that. Where's yourbaggage?"

  Jack pointed to the two plump valises lying on the platform, near thelittle building.

  "That and what we have on us and in our hands make up our worldlypossessions."

  "That's good," said Hazletine. "I was afeard you might bring a load oftrunks, which we'd had a purty time getting to the ranch; but therewon't be any trouble in managing them; I'll be right back."

  He turned away, and soon reappeared, mounted on a fine, wiry pony, andleading on either side a tough little animal, saddled and bridled andready for the boys.

  "There ain't any better animals in Wyoming or Colorado," he explained;"they can travel fast and fur a long time. We'll strap on that stuff andbe off."

  There was no trouble in securing the baggage to the rear of the saddles,when Jack and Fred swung themselves upon the backs of the ponies,adjusted their Winchesters across the saddles in front, following thesuggestions of Hazletine, and announced themselves ready to set out onthe long ride northward. The animals struck into an easy canter, and afew minutes later all signs of civilization were left behind them.

  The boys were in buoyant spirits. There was just enough coolness in theair to make the exercise invigorating. Here and there a few snowy flecksdotted the blue sky, but the sun shone with undimmed splendor, thewarmth slightly increasing as the orb climbed the heavens. To thenorthward the undulating plain was unbroken by hill or stream, so far asthe eye could note, while to the eastward the prospect was similar,though they knew that the North Platte curved over in that direction,and, after winding around the upper end of the Laramie Mountains, joinedthe main stream far over in Nebraska.

  To the westward the prospect was romantic and awe-inspiring. The WindRiver range towered far up in the sky in rugged grandeur, following acourse almost parallel with their own, though gradually trending more tothe left, in the direction of Yellowstone Park. The snow-crowned peakslooked like vast banks of clouds in the sky, while the craggy portionsbelow the frost-line were mellowed by the distance and softly tinted inthe clear, crystalline atmosphere. The mountains formed a grandbackground to the picture which more
closely environed them.

  As the three galloped easily forward they kept nearly abreast, with theranchman between them. He was in a pleasant mood, and seemed to haveformed a fancy for the youths, who felt a natural admiration for thebig, muscular veteran of the plains and mountains.

  "Yes," said he, in answer to their inquiries; "I've spent all my life asa cattleman, cowboy, hunter or trapper. I left the States with myparents, when a small younker, with an emigrant train fur Californy.Over in Utah, when crawling through the mountains, and believing theworst of the bus'ness was over, the Injins come down on us one rainynight and wiped out nearly all. My father, mother and an older brotherwas killed, and I don't understand how I got off with my scalp, but Idid, with half a dozen others."

  "Did you go on to California?"

  "No; I've never been in that country, which I s'pose you'll thinkstrange; but I was on my way there, when I met the great scout KitCarson and several hunters. They took me along with 'em, and the nexttwenty years of my life was spent in New Mexico, Arizona and Texas.Since then I've ranged from the Panhandle to Montana, most of the timein the cattle bus'ness."

  "At what are you engaged just now?" inquired Jack.

  "The same--that is, the cattle bus'ness. You may know that afterthousands of the critters have spent the summer in Texas, New Mexico andArizona, they drive 'em north into Wyoming, Montana and the Dakotas, togit their finishing touches. The grazing is so much better than in thesouth that in a few months they're ready for the market, and are eitherkilled and their carcasses shipped to the East, or they are took thereby train in as fine condition as anybody could ask. You obsarve that thegrass under our feet is powerful good."

  The boys replied that it seemed to be.

  "Wal, there's hundreds of thousands of acres better than this; there'sthirty thousand of 'em in Bowman's ranch, where we're going, and it'sthe best kind of grazing land."

  "I believe it extends to the Wind River Mountains," said Jack.

  "It takes in a part of the foot-hills; there are plenty of streamsthere, and some of the finest grass in the world."

  Jack Dudley did not forget the real object of the coming of himself andcompanion to this section, and he could not gather the information toosoon.

  "How does Bowman's ranch compare with others in Central Wyoming?"

  "You may ride over the whole State without finding a better. If youdoubt it, look at the country for yourself."

  "We don't doubt anything you tell us," said Fred Greenwood. "I supposeyou know that Mr. Dudley, the father of my friend, owns half the ranch?"

  "I've heerd that."

  "He didn't intend to buy it, but matters so shaped themselves that hecouldn't help doing so. Before selling it, he sent us to take a look atit and find out whether it is all that was claimed. We have come to dothat, but, at the same time, are eager to have some hunting among themountains."

  "You won't have any trouble about that. As I was saying, we're close tothe mountains, and when you're ready I'll go with you, and promise thatyou'll have something to talk about as long as you live."

  The eyes of the boys sparkled as they looked across at each other, andJack said:

  "Nothing could delight us more. We need a veteran like yourself, and arehappy to know you can serve us."

  "How many months can you stay in Wyoming?"

  "How many months?" laughed Jack. "We are under promise to be back atschool in New York on the first of November."

  "Whew! I wish the time was longer."

  "So do we; but we had a hard enough task to get the month, so we mustmake the best use of it."

  "Wal, we can crowd a good 'eal into two or three weeks, and I won't letyou go to sleep in the daytime--I'll promise you that."

  Hazletine produced a brierwood pipe and pressed some tobacco in thebowl. Although the motion of their ponies caused quite a brisk breeze,he lighted a match and communicated the flame to the tobacco withoutchecking the speed of his animal. Then he glanced admiringly to theright and left, at his companions.

  "You're a couple of as fine-looking younkers as I've seed in a longtime; but you're almost as tall as me, and it seems to me you orter bethrough with school."

  "We expect to stay in school another year and then spend four incollege, after which several years will be needed to get ready for someprofession."

  "Great Jiminy!" exclaimed the astonished ranchman; "you must be powerfuldumb, or else there's more to larn than I ever dreamed of."

  "Well," said Jack, with a laugh at the simplicity of the fellow, "thereare plenty of boys a great deal smarter then we, but the smartest ofthem can spend their whole lives in study and not learn a hundredth partof what is to be learned."

  Hank puffed his pipe slowly and looked seriously at the youth for aminute without speaking. Then he said, as if partly speaking to himself:

  "I s'pose that's so; a chap can go on larning forever, and then diewithout knowing half of it. I never had much chance at eddycation, butmanaged to pick up 'nough to read and write a letter and to do a littlefiggering, but that's all."

  "That is what you may call your book education; but how much more youknow of the rivers, the mountains, the climate, the soil, the game, theIndians, and everything relating to the western half of our country! Inthat respect we are but as babes compared with you."

  "I s'pose that's so, too," replied the hunter, evidently impressed bythe fact that these youths were destined, if their lives were spared, tobecome excellent scholars. He was so thoughtful that they did notinterrupt his meditations, and for a considerable while the three rodein silence.

  It need not be said that Jack and Fred kept their wits about them andtook note of everything in their field of vision. The season had been anunusually favorable one for Wyoming, the rains having been all that wasrequired to make the grass succulent, nourishing and abundant. Theycould have turned their ponies loose at any point, after leaving therailway behind them, and the animals would have been able to crop theirfill. It was the same over hundreds of square miles, a fact whichreadily explains why many portions of Wyoming rank as the best grazingcountry in the world.

  It was not yet noon when they rode down a slight declivity to a streamseveral rods in width. The water was so clear that the bottom could beplainly seen from their saddles, the depth being no more than two orthree feet. The ponies paused to drink, and, as they emerged on theother side and started up the gentle slope, Hazletine suggested that fora time at least they should be held down to a walk.

  One anxiety began to impress itself upon the minds of Jack and Fred.They were not only hungrier than they had been for months, but thathunger was increasing at an alarming rate. Neither had brought any lunchwith them, and they wondered how food was to be obtained. Jack almostfainted at the awful suspicion that perhaps their friend intended tobreak them in by making the two or three days' journey to the ranchwithout eating anything at all!

  "I suppose it would be no trouble for _him_," was the lugubrious thoughtof the youth, "but it will be the death of us!"

  Happily this dread proved unfounded. The sun had hardly crossed themeridian when both lads were thrilled by the declaration of Hazletine:

  "Wal, if you younkers are as hungry as me, we'll have a bite."

  They were in the middle of the undulating plain, with no wood or waterin sight; but that was a small matter. In a twinkling all three were outof their saddles, and the guide unstrapped a large bundle from itsfastening to the saddle of his pony. This, being unwrapped, disclosed agoodly portion of cooked and tender steak and plenty of well-baked brownbread. Furthermore, there were a couple of bottles of milk--enough fortwo meals at least.

  These having been placed on the grass, the bits were removed from themouths of their horses, who were allowed to graze while their masterswere partaking of one of the most enjoyable meals they had ever eaten.

  "If I'd expected to be alone," explained Hazletine, "I wouldn't havebrought this stuff with me, but we may not see a maverick or any gameall the way home. I wouldn't
mind it, but I don't s'pose you are used toit."

  "I should say not," replied Jack, as well as he could, while his mouthwas filled with bread, meat and milk; "I'm hungry enough to eat a mule."

  "And I feel as if I could chew his saddle," added Fred, laboring underthe same difficulty in speaking clearly. "If our appetites keep up atthis rate, there will be a shrinkage among the cattle in Wyoming beforewe go home."

  "What do you mean by a maverick?" asked Jack of their guide.

  "It's an unbranded cow or calf that don't b'long to nobody, andconsequently it don't make no difference whether nobody or somebodybrands or kills it."

  The rhetoric of this sentence may not have been faultless, but itsmeaning was clear to the boys. They ate until they wished no more, andwere vastly relieved to note that something was left for another meal.

  "That'll see us through till morning," said Jack, "but how aboutto-morrow and the next day?"

  "If we don't see anything to kill, we must wait till we git to theranch."

  Fred groaned.

  "You'll have to tie me in the saddle, for I shan't be able to sit up."

  The smile on the face of the guide raised the hope that he was not inearnest in making this dreadful announcement, but neither Jack nor Fredwere quite easy in mind.

  The halt was less than an hour, when the three were in the saddle again.Hazletine, instead of pressing directly toward the ranch that was theirdestination, bore to the left, thus approaching the Wind River range.

  "There's a little settlement off to the right," he said, "of the name ofSweetwater; we could reach it by night, but it takes us a good manymiles out of our path, and there's nothing to be gained by losing thetime."

  "Are you following a straight course to the ranch?"

  "Pretty near; but I'm edging to the left, toward the foot-hills, 'causethere's better camping-ground over there."

  This was satisfactory, and the youths were not the ones to question adecision of so experienced a guide and mountaineer. Besides, they hadhope that one reason for the slight change of course was that itincreased the chance of obtaining game. For the present, the question offood supply was the most absorbing one that demanded attention. Othermatters could wait, but a sturdy, growing lad finds his appetitesomething whose cravings can be soothed only by the one method thatnature intended.