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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (May 1, 1885)
142 THE WEST SHORE. For a week or two aftnr the adventures just doscribed, Jack Halliday lived a peaceful, though lonely and dreary, life. The irrational blind sort of terror experienced the firat night in cninp soon diod away, but in its place came a dull, calloua reckhwanoBB, bred by the unvarying mo notony and utter loneliness of the life. Oh, for some human companion! How gladly would he do any drudg ery, any overwork, if he could but live with his fellow creatures again I But there was no help for it Borne one in nut take the sheep into camp, and why not he? All those who called themselves " Western men " had done it before him. Once a week hia employer nxlo down, bring ing provision aixl any letter or papers from homa Thoan, tognthnr with hia Bible, hymn look and Randall's " Sheep HtiMbandry," were all the literature with which to paaa the weary tiraa Novels were not allowed, nor, in fact, continued rending of any kind, aa it might take hia attention off tho aheep. Ho day after day went by, and thia hard indifference grew ateadily upon him; he had become more and more careloss of exposing himaelf to an attack from the moun tain lion, and had he seen it would have fired instantly, though, even if it were mortally wounded, there would be mall chance of hia eacaping with hia life. Even the rough, oaroluaa obaervation of hia employer rongh and careleas bocauae he had lived thia life for month at a time, and had forgotten the effoct of hia firat few week iu camp noticed a change; a grim oomprea aion of tho lipa and aullon lowering of tho eyobrowg not aeon before. But theae were aatiafautory signs to the txiierienoad raucliman, who knew what qunlitiea moat re quired fostering in the embryo " Weatern man." " The Ixty'a getting ootiaiderablo tonod down," he soliloquized, aa he rtxlo homo, " Not much left of the tenderfoot now; he haa a lot more 'get up' to him than he had before he went into camp. There's joat one more thing he's got to know about, which I'd half a mind to toll him of, only they can't l around yet And if he stands that all riulit why he'll do." The "one mora thing" that was to complete Jack's education occurred about a month after his firat arrival in camp. The sun had just act, and the young herder had kindled hia fire and put the coffee pot on to boil. Accord ing to cuatom, when he reached thia stage in his cooking, he want ouUide and. climled to the brow of the hill behind to see how the sheeploft about half a mile off were getting on; whether they wore dutifully turning Uieir heads toward camp, or perversely going another way. This evening he had hardly made sure that they were coming in the right directum when, sweeping the horiaon careloaaly with his eye, he saw two men on horso liack riding at full gallop and striking straight for camp Jack instantly descended to the house, and buckling on his loaded revolver, and placing the coffee pot at a safe diataoca from the fire, ha strolled out to meet the new. oomors, now rapidly approaching. Tha strangers, to judga from their personal appear aoca, ware "cowboy," i, men employed, driva Rn,l handle the wild Texan and half-bred cattle that roam tho Western prairies. They wore the usual dress of their profession broad-brimmed grey hats, blue flannel shirts, buckskin riding-trousers, ith a fringe running down the sides (Indian fashion), and long boots. Two peculiarities were noticeable about these men firstly, their horses were without saddles; secondly, they were continually looking behind them, as if expecting pursuit of some kind They did not speak a word until they had pulled up close to Jack, when one, apparently the elder of the two with a red face set in lines of iron, especially about tho mouth, but somewhat redeemed by a kindly pair of blue eyes rolled off his horse, and after slinking Halliday's hand for a moment or two in silence, to got breath after his hard gallop, said: "Say, stranger, can you put us up to-night at yor cirnp? We're both dead-beat, and I don't b'lieve our horses can git another step." " Oh, yes," was the reply, " if you don't mind bacon and beana. But what's the matter, boys? you look kind of wild, your ponies' bare backs, too, and " " You bet we've not been skinning along at this rate for nothing, cap'n. But wait till we've put the horses out, and had a bit of supper, and I'll tell yer all about it The brutea won't be 'round for the next hour or two, Jim, will they?" he added, addressing his companion, a quiet, taciturn-looking lad of nineteen, who, replying with a shake of the head, and a curt " I guess not," moved tow ard the hut The two strangers then, without further ceremony, borrowing a picket rope from Jack, put their horses out to feed, and followed him into tho cabin. The younger man, Jim, flung himself on the ground without a word, but tho other man, taking hold of tho frying pan, began to help Jack to prepare tho supper. No further conversation passed between tho young herder and his strange guests, except a question or two concerning the whereabouts of the food or utensils. Soon a substantial moal was prepared, and tho threo sat down to devour it with butcher knives and fingers. After ho had demolished the best part of a panful of beans, several slices of bread and bacon, and drank some deep draughts of coffee, the elder stranger, who was addressed by his companion aa "Luke," raised hia head, and, with out further preface, began his story in these words: "You would like to know, cap'n, what me and Jim hero wore loping along in such a cussed hurry for, eh? Well, young man, don't get more scared than you can help, but I guess by the time the moon rises, at ten o'clock to-night, there may bo something like one hun dfed Indians around this 'ere dug-out" "Indiana!" exclaimed Jack. "Good God! what do you mean?" "What I say, I guess," replied Luke, drily, helping himself to tho last alico of bacon. "The facta is these. M and two other boys, Jim here, and another, Tom Lakin, -were hunting up soma beef steers, supposed to bo unr" "'ity 80mP,r,,orei longing to our boea, old man lmlUtnI don't k.q9w whether you're acquainted with
