down to camp, and pack, and start the whole outfit on before it
gets day; and pretty soon I'm going to begin to hurry 'em. I want
you two boys to drive the horses, and when we get out of the
valley, I'm going to ride round them, and go ahead of them and
lead them. Keep them going well until you hear me whoop; or if you
can't hear me, until you see me. I shall ride pretty hard until
we get near the camp, but we must stop the horses before we get
there; otherwise they'll frighten our pack animals, and we won't
be able to catch them. Now," said Hugh, as they came to a little
enlargement of the valley, "I'll go ahead, and you give me a few
minutes to get around them, and then start them up. When I hear
them beginning to gallop, I'll go just ahead of them, and they'll
all follow me."

The cavalcade proceeded at a walk for ten minutes more, and then
Joe and Jack began to hurry the animals, and before long they
were galloping at a good rate of speed down the valley. When they
reached the Platte bottom the horses turned off, following the
trail by which they had come up, and swung steadily along at a good
gait. Now and then Jack recognized, even in the darkness, a place
that they had passed before, but for the most part the country all
looked strange to him. It seemed as if they had been going for a
long time when he thought he heard a faint whoop from in front, and
at the same moment Joe called out to him:

"Hold on, Jack; drop back. Hugh called, and we must let the horses
stop."

They drew their horses into a walk, and before long the animals
they were driving also slowed down. Then, after a little while they
heard Hugh, not far in front of them, calling out:

"Come round here, boys, and help catch the pack animals, and put
the packs on."

They rode through the horses, which had now stopped and begun to
feed, and it took but a short time to catch their pack horses, and
saddle and pack up. Then turning loose the packs, they all three
rode round behind the herd, and started it on again.

CHAPTER XXIII

"DIED WITH HIS BOOTS ON"

It was now growing light, and they drove the horses hard. Hugh rode
steadily behind the bunch, while the boys were out on either flank,
keeping them straight, and not permitting any lagging. Once they
stopped for a little while and caught three fresh horses which Hugh
pointed out, put their saddles on them and turned loose their own
horses.

The morning passed, and it was now the middle of the afternoon.
The boys had noticed that Hugh often turned about and looked
back up the level valley, and they themselves were also watching
the back trail to see whether there was any pursuit. The sun was
getting low, when far back up the valley was seen a speck of dust,
which gradually grew larger, and underneath it they could see a
black spot that was constantly growing nearer and nearer. It was
evidently a man on horseback. After they had watched it for some
time, Hugh motioned both boys to come over toward him, and riding
there side by side in the thick dust kicked up by the hurrying
herd, Hugh said to them:

"Boys, there's one man coming, and he's on a good horse, and we've
got to kill him, I expect. Let these horses stop now, and catch up
three other animals and change the packs onto them, and by that
time this fellow will be close up to us, and we can see what he
wants."

They slowed down their horses, the willing herd stopped and began
to feed.

Jack and Joe rode through it, and one by one caught the pack
horses, which they brought back to Hugh. Then Hugh, sitting on his
horse, pointed out to them other animals to catch, and they roped
them, brought them up, and one by one the packs were transferred
to the new horses. The horses did not like it very much, and one
or two of them bucked, and to Jack it seemed rather nervous work
to be doing this when the approaching horseman kept growing larger
and larger, and when, for all he knew, before long bullets would be
flying. The work was finished before the horseman was near them,
and then Hugh told the boys to start the herd on again. But Jack
demurred, and said:

"Hold on, Hugh; are you going to stay here and meet this man? I
think we all ought to stay, because something may happen."

"Well," said Hugh, "I don't like the idea of your stopping. I'd
rather have you go on and start these horses. Nothing's going to
happen to me; I feel pretty sure of that. I shall be on the ground,
and have every advantage over this fellow, if he wants trouble."

"Hugh," said Joe, "how will this do: suppose Jack gets off twenty
steps one side of you and I get off twenty steps on the other, and
we won't do anything unless it looks like you were going to get
hurt; then we can shoot."

"All right," said Hugh, "if it will make you boys feel any easier;
but I tell you nothing is going to happen. If that fellow don't
stop when he gets within good rifle shot I'll stop him, and I won't
hurt him either. If he's got so much sand that he won't know when a
man's got the drop on him, I may have to hurt him, but I don't look
to."

The man came on; his horse was a great powerful beast and had been
ridden hard, for it was covered with dust and foam. When he got
within a hundred yards, Hugh dismounted, and stepping out in front
of his horse, raised his rifle to his shoulder, and pointed it at
the man. The man paid no attention to the motion, save to put his
hand behind him and jerk from his holster a six-shooter. He called
out something as he came on, but they could not distinguish what he
said.

"Hands up!" Hugh called; but the man paid no attention, and the
distance between the party and the rider grew smaller.

"Hands up!" Hugh shouted again, and then a third time; and still
the man came on. Hugh fired, and the horse plunged forward on his
knees throwing the rider far before him. It was Dowling.

He struck on his head and hands and slid a little way along the
earth, and then springing to his feet, with his left hand he pulled
another six-shooter from his belt; but as he raised it, Hugh's
rifle sounded again, and the man fell.

  [Illustration: "'HANDS UP!' HUGH CALLED."--_Page 268_]

"Look out for him, boys! Don't go near him; he's like a grizzly
bear; likely to be playing possum." Hugh watched the man with
a wary eye, and was not surprised to see him after a moment
raise himself on one elbow and feel about over the ground, in the
effort to recover the pistol which he had dropped. Hugh had seen it
fall, and knowing the man's quickness with the pistol, watched him
carefully. In a moment, however, the man sank back and seemed to be
breathing hard, and Hugh called to the boys:

"Watch him, now, and I'll step up to him and get that gun; I'll be
ready for him if he moves."

Hugh stepped carefully but quickly forward, with his gun ready, and
had almost reached the man, when he moved slightly, and Hugh sprang
swiftly to one side, as the pistol was discharged without being
raised. In a moment Hugh was on the man, and had taken the arm from
him and thrown it to one side.

Dowling was badly wounded, and it was evident he could not live
long. When his pistols had been secured they did what they could to
make him comfortable. Joe went to the river and brought water in
his hat, and after a little, Dowling opened his eyes and spoke.

"Well, you've got me," he said; "I was in hopes I'd get you. I
couldn't stand it to have those horses taken, but I wish you'd
taken this one, instead of leaving it for me to ride. However, we
made a good try to get the stock, and we would have got it if it
hadn't been for you. Where did you come from? We never saw anything
of you."

"We were just travelling down the river," said Hugh, "and saw the
tracks, and I knew there wasn't any reason for a bunch of horses to
be driven through this country; so I went back to look up and see
what it meant, and I found that you'd got our horses."

"Well," said Dowling, "a fool for luck! Anybody else coming through
the country wouldn't have paid any attention to that horse trail,
but you just had to do it.

"I reckon I've got it," he went on; "and I expect it's about time
too, but I hate almightily to be downed by an old man. I'd a heap
sight rather have had one of them young fellows kill me."

"Well," said Hugh, "I expect when a man's time comes, it don't make
much difference how he gets killed."

"No," said Dowling, "I expect maybe it don't. I always allowed I
die with my boots on, anyhow, and here I am."

During the few moments that had elapsed since he had received his
wound his voice had grown much weaker. He was not bleeding much,
but Hugh shook his head as he looked at the wound.

"Have some more water, Dowling?" he said.

"Yes, a little," said Dowling; but as Hugh raised him up to drink,
he began to choke, and in a moment, after a shudder or two, lay
dead.

"Well, boys," said Hugh, "we've got to bury him, and then move
along. Suppose you two go over onto the edge of that bluff and
scrape away the clay, as much as you can with your knives, and I'll
bring the body over, and put his saddle-blanket over him, and we'll
cover him up."

It had all happened so quickly, and there had been so much
excitement about it, that Jack hardly understood or realized what
had happened. He and Joe walked over to the bluff, and scraping
away the soft yellow clay, soon made a place six or eight feet
long, and presently Hugh came over, carrying the man on his
shoulder, and they laid him in his shallow grave. Hugh took off his
belt, and looked through his pockets to see if he had any papers by
which he might be identified, but found none. They covered him with
the earth, and brought flat stones that had fallen down from the
top of the bluff, and piled them upon the grave, to protect it from
the wolves.

Then Hugh went back, and picking up the two pistols that Dowling
had dropped, shoved them in the holsters, and holding out the belt
to Jack, he said, "You want to wear this, son?"

"Why, yes, Hugh, I'd like to have it to remember this day by,
though there are some things that I don't much care to remember."

"Well," said Hugh, "this is the way things used to be in the far
west, but I thought we'd about got through with it by this time.
However, some of the old spirit seems to crop out now and then."

They mounted, and started the herd along again. They had not gone
far before Hugh said, "I want you boys to drive these animals on
three or four miles down the creek, and leave them there; but cut
out the pack horses, and we'll camp right here."

Camp was made in a bunch of cottonwood brush, but the lodge was not
put up. The pack horses were hobbled, and then the boys drove the
loose horses some distance further down the stream, and returning
found the camp dark, but supper ready.

"I thought," said Hugh, "that there was just a chance that those
two other fellows might follow us down and try to take some of the
horses back again; so we had better stop here, without any fire,
and with the horses kept close, and make an early start in the
morning."

Hugh had them up long before day. They built no fire, but ate some
dried meat, and started on. The tired horses were found just where
they had been left, were pushed along at a good gait all day and
crossed the Platte; and the next night they drove them into Mr.
Sturgis' ranch to the great astonishment of all there, and later of
Powell, and the other men from whom horses had been stolen.

Great was the credit received by all three of those who had brought
back the stolen horses. Mr. Sturgis gave to Jack and Joe each three
good riding animals; and to this day Jack talks of the only horse
stealing expedition he was ever on.

Transcriber's note:
    In Chapter I there is the word "Hi d[)a]t sa" which contains an
    "a" with a breve accent mark above it which is rendered as [)a].
    In Chapter II  is the word " Ass[)i]ne" which contains an "i"
    with breve accent mark above, [)i].

End of Project Gutenberg's Jack in the Rockies, by George Bird Grinnell