Part 12 (2/2)

himself that everything was all right, why, it was all right. Then when I suggested 'at we were dyin' of hunger, why, he actually began to die of hunger; an' it was wonderful to see the change in him. He showed us how he had ganted down; and the fact was, his bones had become purty prominent without any help from suggestin'. He didn't have any more belly 'n a snake; but his eyes were bright, an' his skin clear, except that it was peelin' off purty splotchy, from sun-burn.

We finally left him an' started on; and after we'd got some distance, he staggered after us; but he was just goin' on his nerve now, an' not gettin' much joy out of existence.

About four in the afternoon, we reached Nufty's Corral, a fine little park with only a narrow entrance at each end. Horace was up with us by this time, an' we were all ploddin' along head down. Suddenly Horace grabbed us by the arms. ”Hus.h.!.+” he sez.

”What's up?” sez I, lookin' at him.

”Look,” he whispers, pointin' at the cow an' calf; ”there's food.”

We drew back an' consulted about it. ”The great danger after a fast,”

I sez in warnin', ”lies in overeatin'. All we can do is to drink a little blood for the first few hours.”

”Why can't we broil a steak over some coals?” sez Horace.

”It would kill us to eat steak now,” sez I.

He held out for the steak; but I finally sez that if he won't promise to be temperate an' eat only what I tell him, I'll drive off the cow; and then he comes around, and agrees to it.

”You sneak around to the far openin', Tank,” I sez, then I pauses, an'

looks at him as though shocked. ”Where's your cartridges, man?” I asked.

Tank felt of his belt, and seemed plumb beat out, then he looked at mine, an' yelled, ”Where's yours?”

We both sat down on stones an' went over what we had done every minute o' the time since we had started out; until Horace became frantic, an'

sez: ”What's the difference what became of 'em? Your revolvers are loaded. You can sure kill one cow out o' twenty-four shots.”

”Twenty shots,” I corrected. ”We allus carry the hammer on an empty chamber; an' I'm so bloomin' weak I doubt if I could hit a cow in ten shots.”

Horace turned loose an' told us what he thought of us, an' it was edifyin' to hearken to him-he hit the nail on the head so often.

Finally I sez: ”Well, a man can do no more than try-Go ahead, Tank, but don't let her get by you, whatever happens.”

The cow, which was a homely grade-whiteface with a splotch on her nose which made it look as if most of the nose had been cut off, stood in the center of the park, an' she was beginnin' to get uneasy, although the wind was from her way.

As soon as Tank got to his entrance he shot in the air; an' she came chargin' down on me. I shot over her, an' she charged back. We kept this up until Horace lost patience an' called me a confounded dub.

”Here,” sez I, ”the's two cartridges left. You fire 'em, I won't.”

At first he refused, but he was desperate, and finally after I'd told him to use both hands, he took a shot. The cow was standin' closest to us, but lookin' Tank's way, an' Horace nicked her in the ham. Instead of chargin' Tank, like a sensible cow, she came for us head on. Now, when a bull charges, he picks out somethin' to steer for, then closes his eyes, and sets sail; but a cow keeps her eyes open, an' she don't aim to waste any plunges either. Horace stood out in the center of the entrance an' banged away again, strikin' the ground about ten feet in front of him.

”Run!” I yells to him, jumpin' back behind a big rock, ”Run!”

He forgot all about bein' hungry, an' he started to backtrail like a scared jack-rabbit. The cow had forgot all about havin' had her hoofs pared, an' she took after him like a hungry coyote. As she pa.s.sed me, I roped her, took a snub around the rock, an' flopped her; but she did just what I thought she'd do-rolled to her feet an' took after me.

She was angry. I'd have given right smart for a tough little pony between my knees.

[Ill.u.s.tration: The cow had forgot all about havin' had her hoofs pared, an' she took after him like a hungry coyote]

The rock was too big to get a half hitch over, so I just ran at right angles from her, hopin' to stretch out more rope 'n she could cover. I did it by a few feet; but she swung around into my rope head on, an'

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