“Yes, strike up right away,” added the other chum.
Of course after that Billie could have no excuse for holding back the harrowing details. To tell the truth he was just wild to relate the adventure; and as he chanced to be a pretty good talker, as has been said before, he made the most out of the material he had in hand.
Both the others laughed heartily when they heard how shrewd old Uncle Fred made a stalking horse out of their stout chum.
“It’s a lucky thing for you, I guess, Billie,” ventured Adrian, “that my aunt arrived just a second or so too late to get her hands in your hair. From what I’ve heard about her ways of doing things first, and then asking questions afterwards, you might have had less combing to do mornings. But I’m glad Uncle got his gun, because it looks like he might find a good use for the same soon, and perhaps
try it out on some of his new brothers-in-law—or other relatives.”
“Between you and me,” added Donald, “I just think he’s itching for that time to happen along. You see, he’s borne so much this last year that the worm is ready to turn at last.”
They made a complete circuit of the cattle corrals, and saw that everything seemed secure.
“They don’t fancy being shut up one little bit,” remarked Donald, as some of the steers brushed up against the side of the pen, as though trying to test the stoutness of the enclosure.
“No,” added Adrian, “and if only one old fellow would make a dead set for the weakest place, and tear some sort of a gap, you’d soon see how fast the others’d pile after him; and before you knew it the whole herd’d be making for the pasture-land again. But we’re going to keep circling around all night, and have fires burning too, Uncle Fred says; because when the cattle see the light they’ll feel easier, thinking that we’re on deck.”
“How do you reckon your uncle means us to stand guard out here?” asked Donald, as he peered through at the dense mass of long-horns herded in the big corral.