He rides all over the
ground instead of straight ahead when he is going anywhere, seemin' as
if he wanted to get his money's worth of the ride. If it had been
Indians who were driving off these cattle, you would see pony tracks all
over the prairie about here."
"Then we've struck the wrong trail."
"Well, we've missed the Indians, but we've struck another and a better
lead. Ther boys under Ted will most likely git in ther trail o' ther
pony snatchers, but we're on another lay--cattle thieves."
"This is something of a surprise, isn't it?"
"You bet. If we hadn't run ercross this yere trail we mightn't have got
on ter ther fact thet our steers wuz bein' lifted ontil so many o' them
wuz gone thet it would make a big hole in our herd."
"Have they much the start of us?"
"I reckon they have." Bud was down on his knees, looking closely at the
tracks.
"Yes," he continued, "they went by here shortly after midnight."
"How do you know?"
"Against ther east side o' each o' these leetle depressions made by a
hoof is some fresh snow."
"I don't see how that tells the time."
"I do. Along about midnight last night a wind come up an' blew from ther
west fer half an hour. It drifted a little snow before it, which settled
inter these depressions an' banked up against ther east side o' these
tracks.
Pages:
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111