“I reckon Adrian has brought the lot into the
timber; he was just starting out to do the same when I came to wake you up. Yes, here he is, and with all our horses safe and sound. Fasten Jupiter to a tree with his rope, and be quick about it, Billie!”
This was speedily done, after which the trio of Broncho Rider Boys crouched there on the edge of the timber, waiting until the herd of stampeding cattle came along.
“If that moon’d only draw out stronger,” said Adrian, as he cast a look upward toward the sky, over the face of which light clouds were drifting lazily; “but it don’t mean to, and we’ll just have to do the best we can. Look sharp, boys!”
“I can see ’em coming right now!” announced Billie.
In fact all of them saw the fast-moving blurr upon the prairie some little distance away, which they knew must be the cattle rushing headlong toward them, spurred on by some unseen power, either fear, or a more tangible force.
Ten seconds later and they were on a line with the hidden boys, who, crouching there, stared as hard as they could, trying to see whether wolves were chasing after the herd, as might happen when the ferocious animals were in great numbers, but not otherwise; or what other cause there could be for such a great commotion among the cattle.
“Oh! did you see that steer go down?” ejaculated Billie suddenly. “He must a put his forelegs in a
gopher hole, and before he could get up the rest had trampled him into flinders. Whee! ain’t I glad that wasn’t Jupiter and me!”
“You’ve a right to be thankful, believe me,” said Donald, solemnly; “because it’d be all over with you before you could give more’n a single yelp. That steer was a big and powerful beast, but you saw how even he couldn’t get up again, once those many hoofs began to pound him flat. We’ll find him there afterwards, and only food for the coyotes.”