The golden west boys, Injun and Whitey to the rescueHart, William S. (William Surrey)
General
The golden west boys, Injun and Whitey to the rescue
Hart, William S. (William Surrey)
Adventure stories; Teenage boys -- Juvenile fiction; Western stories
There seemed no need for words just then, for after their grief for
their friend the men's faces showed the turn of thought to his
murderers, the sheepmen. Whitey never had seen the intent to kill come
into men's faces before. It was grim, but not repulsive, for in a way
there was justice in it. And poor Tom, who yesterday had been less than
a name to Whitey, had now become the central figure in a tragedy.
But no one could have told what Injun thought. He, who came of a race
that held vengeance above most things, looked on, seemingly unmoved.
Followed busy days on the Star Circle, during which Walt Lampson
probably forgot the existence of Whitey and Injun. It was doubtful to
the boys that he even noticed them when they rode back to the ranch
house, after the funeral of Buck's friend Tom. Whatever thoughts of
revenge were cherished by Walt and Buck had to be held in check while
the stampeded herds were rounded up from the many-mile radius of prairie
over which they had strayed.
To do this the entire force of the Star Circle was needed. Divided into
parties the men rode north, east, south, and west for a distance of
about twenty miles. Then they trailed round and round, in a great,
narrowing circle that took in that wide radius, and as the cattle were
met, in bunches or small herds, they were gathered and driven into a
common center until they formed one great herd.
Whitey and Injun managed to go with Buck Milton's men, as Whitey liked
Buck better than any of the other punchers, but the death of Tom had
left Buck in a gloomy mood, and he spoke but little, either to the men
or to the boys. The others were loud in their oaths and threats of
vengeance; Buck was silent--and somehow, Whitey could not help feeling
that Buck was the most dangerous enemy the sheepmen would have to deal
with.
This round-up lasted a full week. During it Walt Lampson had found time
to consider his course of action against the stampeders of his herd. So
when Whitey and Injun returned, they found that the Star Circle was to
be involved in one of the scourges of the time--a range war.
If you had been there would you have wanted to stay and see the thing
out? The answer is so simple that you know what Whitey and Injun wanted
to do. But Whitey knew that hardened as Walt Lampson was, he would not
allow the boys to accompany the coming expedition against the sheepmen,
so Injun and Whitey did what you probably would have done, and what
Br'er Rabbit did--they lay low. And Walt either forgot to send them
home, or thought that they would stay at the Star Circle while the war
was on.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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