"Dave, are you hurt?" gasped the ranchman.

"Well, I've felt better," Dave answered, slowly, making a wry face as he limped to one, side. He leaned heavily on the arm of Mr. Carson.

Then, as if remembering something he had forgotten, Dave looked toward his pony. To his great relief he saw Crow rise to his feet, shake himself and run off a little way, seemingly little the worse for his adventure.

"Thank goodness!" murmured Dave, and there was a prayer of grat.i.tude in his heart. "I thought he was a goner."

"And we thought you were," put in Tubby Larkin, as he strode up. "That was some fall--believe me!"

"Must have got tangled up in the rope," commented Pocus Pete, who had finished a task he was at, and who now spurred forward.

"That's what happened," Dave explained, as he rubbed the back of his head and threw out one leg as if to test whether or not it had been knocked out of joint. "I didn't see the trailing la.s.so, and it got around Crow's feet."

"Yes, that's how it happened," said Mr. Carson. "But I certainly thought both steer and pony fell on you."

"I managed to roll out of the way," said Dave, grimly.

"Lucky for you," commented Pocus Pete. "That's one of the biggest and worst steers on the ranch, and he weighs something, too."

"His own weight broke his neck," said Tubby, reflectively. "Well, we was needin' some beef an' now we've got it."

"I'm sorry he had to go," remarked Dave, as he walked off toward his pony, having made sure that none of his bones was broken.

"Better him than you," murmured Mr. Carson. "Are you sure you're all right, Dave, my boy?" he asked anxiously.

"Oh, yes I'm a bit shaken up, but I'll be all right. I can go on with the round-up."

"You can--but you'll not!" was the ranch owner's decision. "I want you to take a little rest. The worst of the job's over, anyhow."

Dave was nothing loath to have a little respite, and as he came up to the chuck wagon, where Mr. Bellmore was eagerly waiting for him, the Chicago man said:

"Well, I never expected to see you come up this way, Dave," and he held out a welcoming hand.

"Oh, we get used to little things like that."

"Little things!" exclaimed the irrigation engineer. "Well, I thought I had a hard time when I was hanging over that gully. But that wasn't a circ.u.mstance to yours."

"It's all in the day's work," said Dave with a shrug of his shoulders, as he sank down on a pile of sacks.

"He's grit clear through," thought the visitor. "I like him more every day I see him."

As for Dave, in addition to the thankfulness in his heart that he was not hurt, and that his favorite pony had escaped, was a deep sense of grat.i.tude for the manner manifested toward him by Mr. Carson. No father could have showed more love toward his own son than the ranch owner did toward his ward, his nameless ward.

The excitement caused by Dave's fall soon pa.s.sed, for, after all, such things are comparatively common on the ranch, and he had really been more than usually fortunate.

And so the work of the round-up went on, day after day. Hard, hot, sweaty and dusty work it was, too, with little of the romance that attaches to the book stories of life on a cattle range. But no one complained, least of all Dave Carson.

It was about a week after this that Dave was sent out again to look up some stray cattle. He was not riding his own pony Crow, who had, after all, developed a lame shoulder from his fall. So he was left in the stable for a day or two.

As the animal Dave had was rather strange he took the precaution of staking him out as he halted for a bite to eat at noon. Dave was taking his nooning, resting lazily on the silent plain, when he heard a noise that caused him to rouse up suddenly.

What he saw brought an exclamation of anger to his lips, for in the act of cutting the rope that held the somewhat restive pony was Len Molick. Dave had caught him in the nick of time.

Len had looked around, to make sure he was un.o.bserved, but his back was toward our hero, who was down in a little hollow.

"The sneak!" murmured Dave.

Then, silently, he began stalking the bully, who was preparing to go back to his own horse, that was standing with reins over its head.

Len's object was plain. He wanted to let Dave's pony run back to the ranch, so our hero would have a long walk. But his plan failed.

Just as Len was about to sever the lariat Dave sprang up, and with a yell that startled both horses, fairly threw himself on the back of the bully.

"At last I've got you just where I want you, Len Molick!" Dave cried.

"Maybe I can't prove you sawed the fence posts, but I don't need any more evidence than I've just had of what you were going to do. I've got you!"

"You--you let me alone!" whimpered Len, who was a coward, as most bullies are.

"I will, when I've finished," said Dave, laying aside his coat.

"What are you going to do?" asked Len, who had straightened up, after having been rolled on the ground by Dave.

"What am I going to do? I'm going to give you the best drubbing you ever had. Stand up and fight now, you big coward!"

CHAPTER XIII

SOME NEWS

Perhaps if Len had done the manly thing--if he had owned to some of his misdeeds, and had promised not to repeat them, Dave might have forgiven him. For Dave was not a fighter by nature.

Physically the two were well matched, with the advantage, if any, in favor of Len, who was larger than Dave. And if Len had acknowledged that he was afraid to fight, Dave would not have pressed it.

But the bully and coward made the mistake of his life. As he sprang to his feet he caught up a stone and suddenly hurled it at Dave. The latter ducked just in time to save his head. And then his anger welled up.

"So that's your game; is it?" he cried.

Even then Len might have gotten out of it, only he did not. He aimed a wild blow at Dave, and then the fight was on.

Len was no match for Dave in skill. The young cowboy easily dodged the blows aimed at him, and for a moment, he refrained from hitting Len hard.

Then, as he saw Len again look about for a stone, Dave struck him so hard that the bully toppled over.

"It's no more than you deserve!" Dave exclaimed.

Len got up, and with a cry rushed at his opponent. Again, Dave sent him down.