Comrades of the Saddle; Or, The Young Rough Riders of the Plains

ught sight of cattle in the distance, which Horace eagerly declared belonged to the Half-Moon, explaining that the biggest he

s! Do you own so much

Wi

nd acres, more or les

e rights to graz

surprise. "Why I can't see any house but yours. I

bors just the same. Anybody within a day's ride is a neighbor," explained the ranchman. And as he noted the look of amusement

e crest of a great roll in the prairies, th

it will lead you to L

en miles there's a pl

hing. It's so deep it

some

d Larry as he repeated

you must remember. The land round the pool is swampy and at night you can sometimes see the lights dancing about. I s

ave died of thirst on the plains searching

by certain gases that come from the marshy ground and glow when the atmosphere is in a

ike to see one

a sign of one," returned the ranchman. And then, as the shadows cast by the mountains were reaching fart

ather push on to the foothills?" he asked

ep going," an

o was beginning to feel the effec

e darker it gets the slower we'll be obliged to go till yo

ll not be compelled to cover the fifteen miles," mused the younger of the

rt, the others readily acquiesced,

rie dog routed out by their approach, the silence of the plains was intense. At first Tom an

alone to herd. Having some one to talk to it a big relief, I can tell you, after you've been a week or so on the prairies

oken. From all sides came the barking of coyotes, as t

than any ghosts or witches," observed Tom. "My,

iscovered which the two visitors feared, "only it gets worse the darker i

ou had a gun with you," interposed La

nce, over on the left,

looked eagerly in the direction indicated. But i

two little balls of f

I'll stop him myself,"

poke the coyote

nced the fact. "You'll have a chance to shoot at somethi

imed in Horace. "Maybe a

o the ranch in the dark. If you keep on, you'll work yourself up so you'll think every

t, and Horace gave up the attempt

the forms of one another. But at last the clouds passed over, revealing the stars, and soon the moo

gazed at the transfor

e like this always. They d

lose to the mountains that they could see the great cliffs gliste

nted," exclaimed Tom. "I can almost believe I se

. Wilder. "It's a good thing we've got to pitc

sought the middle cliff with their

re are men moving along t

camp for the night. But at his elder son's statement he looked up quickly, drawin

he others wait

mountain and above it rose another wall of rock. And it was against the base of

der excitedly. "I never knew there was a t

sly stirred up as they

Lost Lode for the night," Horace whispered. "

n are flesh and blood, don't worry about that. Who they

Larry, whose eagerness to discover a silver mine had receiv

ed. The mountains are full of men hunting and prospecting all the time. Come on, we'll camp

the prize, served to take the boys' thoughts from the mysterious men on th

ht's bivouac was about a quarter of a mile away

the boys urged their jaded

e others, had not tried their mounts

f they get in first, they'll make us haul all the wa

addles to lighten their weight as much as possible,

y belabored their mounts and

ast of the others and then forged ahead, shouting i

d yards were the le

nder him, despite his urg

end of your lasso and th

ly Tom

ed a snort of rage, jerked forward his

antically they strove to keep up with him

yelled Horac

the success of his

reasoning to himself that he had done his share in carrying his rider so many miles, when he felt the sharp cut of the lariat he resented it. And his rese

chman had been close up with the bo

o overtake the runaway, and fearing that som

ck, Bill! He'

as quickly as possi

an to whirl it

e ranchman, "Can't you see you'

for so important a cast of his lass

r go now!" coun

and the rope shot from his hand, the noose o

t hung a moment in the air and drop

ranchman. "Now ride along

ords were

sharp hiss of the lariat the animal had slackened its stride, and the instant it felt t

measuring his length on the ground, while Tom went sai

Bill and then dashed for the kicking bl

you hurt?" call

y, and then their anxiety was

. Wilder, who had reached th

rairie grass," replied the younger

ase up, Bill. I've g

e forward, and as the prostrate pony fel

ed him over and there was a world

ty luckily. There isn't a scrat

," returned the boy. "But what a

wk's back almost to the tree, I re

was, indeed, standing under the bran