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"Here we'll wait," said Rathburn coolly as he dismounted. "What?" cried the other, staring at him incredulously. "We ain't quite surrounded yet. We haven't seen anybody in the south. That way may be open an' it's liable to be closed while we're stayin' here." "Get off your horse and unsaddle him," commanded Rathburn sternly. "The best place to hide from a posse is in the middle of it!"
One by one they rode up, and whistled to announce their coming, and then rode on to the stable to unsaddle their horses. About the supper table all gathered with the exception of Bud Mansie. So they waited the meal and each from time to time stole a glance at the fifth plate where Bud should sit.
Chip met them at the bed wagon, where they slipped dispiritedly off their horses and began to unsaddle all save Weary; he stared around him, got cautiously to the ground and walked, with that painfully circumspect stride sometimes affected by the intoxicated, over to the cook-tent. "Well," snapped Chip to the others, "For once in his life, Happy was right."
As usual, when we reached the next stage, the diggers were before us; and when our men began to unsaddle at a hut about fifty yards from where they were feeding their horses, one of them, the biggest blackguard to look at of the lot, and though the fiercest probably the greatest cur, shouted at us to put the saddles on again and 'get out of that. He had warned us in the morning that they'd had enough of us, and, with a volley of oaths, advised us to be off.
They crossed the log fence again by what Norah termed "the direct route," traversed the home paddock, and drew up with a clatter of hoofs at the stable yard. Billy, a black youth of some fame concerning horses, came forward as they dismounted and took the bridles. But Norah preferred to unsaddle Bobs herself and let him go; she held it only civil after he had carried her well.
"It's your show, Belle," Tom assented, and very obligingly rode to the other side of the stable to unsaddle his horse, and grinned to himself when the sound of wailing and pleading and promises of the "I'll-never-do-it-again" variety came to his ears. Belle's lickings were distinguished chiefly by their uproar. "Belle wallops 'em like brandin' calves," Tom used to chuckle.
Never did I see him so disturbed or undecided as on this occasion. Orders were immediately given that we should retreat through the city, into the opposite suburb, where we were to halt, but not unsaddle. We had not been here long before a most heavy rain fell, and the night became exceedingly dark.
"Where's the other boy?" he demanded. "Has he run away?" Musq'oosis shook his head. "Jack good boy," he said. "I send him look for ot'er horse. I 'fraid horse run home." Sam ordered St. Paul to unsaddle the horses, to make a fire, and put on water. "How do you feel?" he asked Musq'oosis solicitously. "Pretty good," the old man answered, smiling. "I not feel bad no more I guess."
"Head still ache, William?" he asked, in the tone which he could make a fair substitute for a caress. "Yes," said Billy Louise, and did not look at him. Ward was inwardly skeptical, but he did not tell her so. He swung off his horse, set down the pail of currants, and took Blue by the bridle. "You go on in. I'll unsaddle," he commanded her quietly.
"How d'you do, Stepka?" he said to his dumb sister, who, smartly dressed like the others, came in from the street to take his horse; and he made signs to her to take the horse to the hay, but not to unsaddle it. The dumb girl made her usual humming noise, smacked her lips as she pointed to the horse and kissed it on the nose, as much as to say that she loved it and that it was a fine horse.
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