limping toward the ranchman, who was busily engaged doing some mending at a weak place in the corral, which was made partly of ropes, and the balance of heavy poles brought from the river bottom miles and miles away; “I can see dust in two places; yes, and when the wind picked up just now I believe I heard the bellowing of cows.”
So the ranchman clapped his glasses to his eyes, and immediately corroborated what the boy had so confidently declared.
“That’s right, Billie!” he remarked, in some excitement; “and as sure as you live I can see that the boys are shoving them along quite lively. I hope now they haven’t sighted the Walker clan coming with a rush; because, until we get those herds in the corrals with the rest here I’ll never feel satisfied,” and he fingered his gun, as though half tempted to jump on a horse, and gallop out to meet the drivers.
[CHAPTER XXII.—SAFE IN THE CORRAL.]
“Well, I feel some easier now that they’re getting in closer, and no signs of a pack of rough riders anywhere in sight beyond!” announced the rancher, after a little while had elapsed, which
counted anxious minutes for both himself and Billie.
Even Mr. Thomas had deigned to limp out, and offer to assist in any sort of work he might be able to do; but the stockman, after taking one look at his shrinking figure, told him he need not bother, since everything had been done looking to the safety of the corrals.
And so the pilgrim of the trail hung around; but as before, he impressed Billie as a very timid sort of a fellow, and ready to run or dodge at the first sign of any trouble.
Now the first herd was well in, and the punchers could be seen waving their hats as they darted this way and that on their active ponies, cutting off the dash of an obstreperous cow that took a sudden notion she did not want to head for the corrals, when the grass was so sweet away out on the hills, and under the trees growing along the watercourse.
“I’m glad to see that all the boys are working with a vim,” Billie heard the late manager of the ranch say to himself, as he took note of the way the punchers carried on their business, every one seeming to be actively employed; and the boy could easily understand what he meant by those significant words.