As Bob said this he directed our attention to a long line of horsemen, who, moving in a compact body, were rapidly approaching the place on which the farmers stood. They moved four abreast and didn’t scatter out enough from the ranks to be farmers, and therefore I knew them to be something else.
“They are soldiers,” I said.
“Texas Rangers!” exclaimed Bob. “I am glad to see them, for they won’t let us fight, anyway. Their object is to preserve order on the frontier, and they will arrest anybody who doesn’t obey them. Let’s wait a few minutes and see what they are going to do.”
We waited, and in a short time saw that the farmers were not as glad to see them as we were. The column halted and the three officers in command rode up to see what the trouble was about, and in two minutes were surrounded by a wall of clenched fists, which were flourished in the air. The farmers seemed bent on telling their story before the cattlemen could get in a word, but presently we heard a loud voice commanding silence, and after that everything became as quiet as could be. One man had been called upon to tell what he knew, and the others consented to wait until he got through.
“I guess there won’t be any fighting as long as the Rangers are here, and so we will go back and see to the cattle,” said I. “We’re going to have a hard time in getting them over the hill, so that they can see the water, but if we can do that for even one it will be just so much money saved.”
If anybody has tried to get cattle up when once they have laid down and abandoned themselves to their fate, he will know what a time we had of it. Whips didn’t do any good. The only thing we could do was to use our lariats upon them and fairly drag them to their feet. In this way, by taking two boys to each cow, we managed to get half a dozen of them to the top of the hill, where they could see their companions, and by that time it was pitch dark. We didn’t know whose cows they were, and that made no difference. We saw several other men engaged as we were, and when the last squad of them came along we joined them and rode toward the wagon.
“Let the balance go,” said one of the cowboys. “If the cool night air of the prairie don’t revive them nothing else will. I believe I would like to have a drink of water myself.”
“We got along without a fight, didn’t we?” said Bob, who seemed to know everybody on the plains.
“Of course; but it looked pretty blue for a while, I tell you. The farmers can’t begin a fight now, anyway. They ought to have pitched into us the moment we came in sight.”
“Does anybody know where our wagon is?” I enquired.