Bert looked out in time to see a large herd of cattle rushing up the lane that led from the main road to the biggest of the Cloverbank barns. The animals seemed to have been frightened by something, and were now running away, or “stampeding,” as a Western cowboy would have called it.
“Where’d they come from?” asked Mr. Bobbsey. “Are they your cattle, Mr. Watson?”
“No, they don’t belong to me. I haven’t as many as that. They must be a herd some drover was driving to market, and they got wild for some reason or other.”
“Well, if we don’t shut these doors they’ll be in the barn in another minute!” cried Zeek. “And if they knock over the peach baskets and bins and trample the fruit, there’ll be a big loss. Help me close the doors!” he shouted.
“That’s a good idea!” exclaimed Mr. Bobbsey, and while some of the peach sorters ran out to help the drover and his men quiet the runaway cattle, others began closing the big doors of the barn.
By this time the excited cattle were all about the building, running this way and that, kicking up their heels, shaking their horned heads, and acting wildly.
“They’ll break down my fences and let out my cattle if we don’t drive them away!” said Mr. Watson, when he, with Mr. Bobbsey and the other men, had gone outside, after closing the doors to save the peaches.
“Help me get ’em back into the road and they’ll be all right!” shouted a man with a long whip. He evidently was in charge of the herd, and had two other men to help. “Drive ’em back into the road!” he cried.
“What happened?” Mr. Watson wanted to know.
“Dogs and bees!” was the answer. “A stray dog started one of the heifers off on a run. She got in among some bee hives down the road and kicked over some of the hives. The bees swarmed out and stung a lot of the cows, and they got wild and started to run. Then the whole bunch started off!”