“We wouldn’t think of letting you do such a thing, sir!” exclaimed Frank.
“And besides,” added his cousin, “if Frank is all right tomorrow, you may see us sailing along to hunt you up, and with a map of the whole ranch spread out before us.”
“You mean you’ll take a spin in your biplane, is that it, boys?” Mr. Witherspoon went on, “Good! Nothing would please us better. I can imagine the antics of the cattle when they see a great bird settling down over them.”
“Oh! we’ll be careful, and try and not start a stampede, Uncle; if we do come, after we’ve located where you’re working at the time, we’ll drop down some distance away, and walk over; or you can send mounts for us. But I don’t care to go without Frank, you see. And to tell the honest truth, I’m a bit leery about riding through such a scorching hot day as this promises to be.”
“Perhaps you’re wise, my boy,” said the ranchman, reflectively, “it’s hard enough on us old shellbacks, used to breathing this alkali dust from one end of the year to the other, and must be rough on tenderfeet. Make yourselves at home; the best is none too good for you. Charley Woo thinks you are a couple of little tin gods on wheels, and he’ll do anything in the wide world for the wizards who can mount up to the clouds, and play tag there with the winds.”
Frank, though looking badly, would not go in and lie down while the outfit was getting in readiness to start. He wanted to see all that went on, for the chance might never come to him again.
And Andy was busy snapping off several pictures of the scene, as the bunch of active cow punchers galloped around on their ponies, making the animals do all sorts of wonderful feats as they curvetted and pranced, and snorted with the excitement.
“I’ve just got another film of a dozen exposures,” he complained to Frank, after he had taken several views of the chuck wagon, and the string of led ponies that had to be taken along for service when the hard riding boys wore out their first mounts, “and with that I want to get my pictures of the round-up; also one of the dinner hour, when the entire crowd gathers around the chuck wagon.”
“But how is it that Charley Woo doesn’t go along this time; I thought he always did the cooking for the crowd when they went off like this?” Frank remarked.
“I asked Uncle about that, and he said that the boys had been complaining somewhat lately about the Chinaman’s way of cooking. He thought they were just spoiled by having things too good; and to show them the difference he has arranged to let Shorty do the cooking on this trip. He used to, long ago, before Charley came along, and got the job.”