Nobody did. They were on the hunt for their own wagons themselves, and the only thing they could do was to keep on going until they found them. That seemed to be the only thing for us to do, too, so we rode down to the willows, and every time we saw a team we sent one of our number in to make enquiries. When it came my turn I went in and found only two men, who were engaged in getting their supper.
“That’s Mr. Davenport’s wagon up there in the bend,” said one, pointing up the river. “Do you belong?”
I replied that I did belong there, and that I was somewhat anxious to find it, for I was in need of something to eat.
“I hope you aint any relative of the man who owns it,” said the cowboy. “If you are you will find him as dead as a smoked herring.”
These words were all I wanted to hear. A queer pang shot over me when I thought of Bob. How was I to break the news to him?
“Why, how did anybody find it out?” I managed to say at last.
“Oh, he’s there! They found him breathing his last on the plains, and brought him in. Say, do you know what hold Chisholm has got on him? He has got a guard over him, and won’t let nobody go nigh him.”
“It ’pears to me that he’s got some documents on him that he does not want to give up,” said the other cowboy. “If you belong there, why, of course, you will know all about it.”
I never had anything come quite so hard as I did in riding back through those willows to the place where Bob sat on his horse, for I didn’t know how in the world I could tell him of his father’s death; but when I got within sight of him I found that Mr. Chisholm was ahead of me. When he found that Bob didn’t come in with the rest of the cowboys he had come out to find him, believing that he could tell him better than anybody else. I saw that he had been very easy about it, but it was all Bob could do to stand it. Elam Storm was his friend. He did not go to anyone else, but rose up close to him and threw both his arms around his neck.
“Oh, Elam! you’re the only friend I’ve got now,” said Bob, striving hard to keep back his sobs.