CHAPTER XIHIPPY DEFENDS THE RANCHLieutenant Wingate after a refreshing afternoon’s sleep had remained up long enough to brew tea and fry bacon and eggs for himself. It was dusk when he finished his supper.“I ought to wash the dishes, I suppose, but I think I’ll let the girls do that. There is some satisfaction in being a convalescent,” he decided, grinning at his own humor. “Queer thing about convalescence—when you get through with your sleep you are ready for another. Ho, hum!”Hippy, with the aid of a cane, hobbled out to the porch that fronted the valley and sat down on his cot, then lay back breathing in the soft breezes from mountain and plain.“This is the life,” he muttered, sinking into a half doze.All at once the Overland Rider pulled himself into keen wakefulness. He was positive that he heard horses approaching, but they seemed to be a long way off. His first thought was that either the Overlanders or some of the cowboys were on their way home, but with the caution born of experience, he decided to lie quietly and wait.The hoof-beats ceased, so far as he was able to hear, and silence settled over the valley, broken now and then by the howl of a hungry coyote. Somehow this sudden silence got on the nerves of Lieutenant Hippy Wingate, and getting up he hobbled into the ranch-house and strapped on his revolver holster. Bethinking himself of Bindloss’s rifle he got that, examined the chambers and, as he expected, found it fully loaded.“Now we are all set,” he muttered. He had reached the ranch-house door when he halted sharply and gazed into the night over which the stars shed a faint light, making objects within the range of his vision stand out in unreal and fantastic shapes. Hippy, however, did see something moving, something that was quite real. This something was a man, and as he gazed other figures were discovered.“I wonder if that’s some of the boys?” he muttered. Upon second thought he decided that the cowpunchers would not be moving about so quietly. Three appeared to have come from the direction of the Overland camp at the rear of the ranch-house, and Hippy then knew that all was not well at the Circle O ranch. He stepped back, softly closed and bolted the door, and took his place at a window that had been pulled down from the top. From that vantage point he watched with straining eyes.The men appeared to be investigating, undoubtedly for the purpose of learning whether or not there were anyone about the place. One finally turned his attention to the ranch-house, first cautiously trying the door, then peering in through the window. Hippy had stepped aside as the man approached him, and a few seconds later he saw a face pressed against the pane.After a moment of peering, the fellow carefully raised both windows from the bottom and thrust his head in.Hippy pressed his body against the wall and grasped his revolver by the barrel. The fellow’s shoulders were thrust in and the watcher saw that he was about to climb in.Lieutenant Hippy Wingate took instant advantage of the opportunity and brought the butt of his revolver down with full force on the intruder’s head. The whack was so loud that the Overlander thought the others must hear, and, without an instant’s hesitation, he grabbed and dragged the unconscious man into the room.“I hope I haven’t killed the ruffian!” A hand placed over the man’s heart told Hippy that he had not. Hippy, knowing that there was a lasso hanging in Bindloss’s room, in fact that there were several there, hobbled in, and fetching the rope, hog-tied the man, after which he put a handkerchief gag in the fellow’s mouth.“Good! This is like taking candy from babies,” he chuckled, going over to the window and replacing it as it was before. This enabled him to stand up and look out, and also gave him free range in case he found it necessary to use his weapons. Bethinking himself of other windows, Hippy made a circuit of the lower floor and closed and locked them. For a man to get in now would necessitate breaking a window, which he surely would hear.The watcher had no more than returned to his open window than he suddenly ducked to one side, for he discovered that a second man was about to peer in. Unlike the first caller this man walked away and went around to the rear of the house, but he was back in a few moments, this time accompanied by a companion. They were whispering, and at this instant the man on the floor gave a kick with his heel that stopped the whispering instantly.Lieutenant Wingate went over to the bound man.“Do that again and I’ll settle you!” he hissed with all the savageness that he could put into his tone. “I mean what I say!”Returning to the window he stood to one side watching the two men who were again holding a whispered conversation, pausing now and then to listen attentively. After a few moments of this, one raised the window an inch or so at a time and looked in. In the darkness they saw nothing.“I reckon it’s all right. I’ll go in an’ ye foller me,” said one in a low, guarded tone of voice, whereupon he began crawling in. As he landed on his hands on the floor, Lieutenant Wingate hit him a terrific wallop on the head with the butt of his revolver, then made a swift pass with it at the head of the other man whose head was just inside the window.It hit the fellow a glancing blow, and jerking his head from the window he fell over backwards, then staggering to his feet he ran, uttering a warning cry.The time for secrecy, so far as Lieutenant Hippy Wingate was concerned, had passed. He sent a bullet from his revolver after the man and then discovering other prowlers trying to get into the corral, he snatched up the rifle, and fired at the ground just behind them.The prowlers scattered in record time and a volley of shots pinged into the ranch-house in reply.The Overland Rider now hastily turned his attention to his second victim, and in a few minutes he had the man bound and dragged to the other side of the room at a distance from the first prisoner.“Confound the ruffians! Why couldn’t they have come singly?” he growled. “I could have caught the whole bunch. I reckon maybe there will be something doing in a few moments.”There was. A rifle crashed out, then another, and a snapping fire was directed at the Circle O ranch-house, with Hippy lying flat on the floor waiting for the shooting to stop. It soon did, whereupon the Overlander crept to the window and peered out. Not a human being was in sight, but the watcher was too old a hand at campaigning to believe that the prowlers had gone away. He reasoned, too, that by making no return of their fire, they might believe that they had hit him. As he had surmised would be the case, a man appeared after a time just beyond the corral. The fellow darted across and disappeared behind the stable where saddles and other equipment were stored.The man’s next appearance was a few moments later when he walked to the corral, looked in and strolled back to the protection of the stable. Others then appeared, at first exercising the utmost caution, but little by little showing that they believed danger to them had passed.Hippy Wingate chuckled. His ruse had succeeded, but he knew the end was not yet. At the same time he was groping for the reason for the presence of these prowlers. From their actions he believed that they were trying to steal the ponies, and a moment later he saw them again at work trying to break the locked gate of the corral. They were battering away at it so boldly that he knew they now feared no interruption.“I’ve got to take a chance,” muttered the Overland Rider, “but I’ll shoot low. Perhaps I won’t hit any of the stock.”There was no time to lose, for in a few moments those sledge-hammer blows, that were probably delivered with a maul or an axe, must produce results.Taking as careful aim as he could in the uncertain light, he pulled the trigger and Old Joe Bindloss’s rifle roared.A yell greeted the shot, by which sign Lieutenant Wingate knew that the bullet had found a mark. He fired again, but this time there was no answering yell. Two men grabbed up one of their number, the party started on a run for the stable and Hippy deliberately fired right into the group. One man staggered and fell. He was quickly dragged away, but not before the Overland Rider had emptied his rifle at them, though, so far as he was able to discover, without results. Accurate shooting was impossible under the conditions.The rancher’s rifle was now empty, nor did Lieutenant Wingate know where to find more ammunition. He possessed his revolver and a belt of cartridges which would keep him going for some time, provided he were conservative in their use, so the rifle was laid aside and the revolver took its place. A quick examination of the two captives informed him that both were conscious.“You fellows! Don’t you make a sound or I’ll use the business end of my gun on you,” he warned.Rifle bullets at this juncture again began ripping through the side of the house, and while they were still crunching about the room with a chilling sound the Overlander, who was on the floor, heard a powerful blow delivered on the door. It was followed by other blows. The ruffians were trying to beat the door down, and already a panel had been shattered.Hippy hopped to his feet and placed himself before the door, feeling reasonably safe there so long as men were standing in front of it.Thrusting the muzzle of his weapon close to the shattered panel he pulled the trigger, and a howl of rage answered it. This shot had not missed.Before giving the attackers a chance to do further damage Hippy fired the remaining chambers of his revolver through the door in quick succession. He did not know whether or not he had made a hit, but he knew that, for the moment, he had effectively checked operations out there.A few seconds were lost in reloading, during which not a sound reached him from the outside. Stooping over, he peered through the shattered panel. As he did so there came a sudden burst of rifle fire and a dozen bullets ripped through the door.Lieutenant Wingate straightened up, staggered, clapped a hand to his head, half turned and crashed full length to the floor. As he lay there, bullets continued to thud through the door and the siding of the ranch-house, then ceased as suddenly as they had begun, but Hippy, some moments since, had ceased to hear or know.
Lieutenant Wingate after a refreshing afternoon’s sleep had remained up long enough to brew tea and fry bacon and eggs for himself. It was dusk when he finished his supper.
“I ought to wash the dishes, I suppose, but I think I’ll let the girls do that. There is some satisfaction in being a convalescent,” he decided, grinning at his own humor. “Queer thing about convalescence—when you get through with your sleep you are ready for another. Ho, hum!”
Hippy, with the aid of a cane, hobbled out to the porch that fronted the valley and sat down on his cot, then lay back breathing in the soft breezes from mountain and plain.
“This is the life,” he muttered, sinking into a half doze.
All at once the Overland Rider pulled himself into keen wakefulness. He was positive that he heard horses approaching, but they seemed to be a long way off. His first thought was that either the Overlanders or some of the cowboys were on their way home, but with the caution born of experience, he decided to lie quietly and wait.
The hoof-beats ceased, so far as he was able to hear, and silence settled over the valley, broken now and then by the howl of a hungry coyote. Somehow this sudden silence got on the nerves of Lieutenant Hippy Wingate, and getting up he hobbled into the ranch-house and strapped on his revolver holster. Bethinking himself of Bindloss’s rifle he got that, examined the chambers and, as he expected, found it fully loaded.
“Now we are all set,” he muttered. He had reached the ranch-house door when he halted sharply and gazed into the night over which the stars shed a faint light, making objects within the range of his vision stand out in unreal and fantastic shapes. Hippy, however, did see something moving, something that was quite real. This something was a man, and as he gazed other figures were discovered.
“I wonder if that’s some of the boys?” he muttered. Upon second thought he decided that the cowpunchers would not be moving about so quietly. Three appeared to have come from the direction of the Overland camp at the rear of the ranch-house, and Hippy then knew that all was not well at the Circle O ranch. He stepped back, softly closed and bolted the door, and took his place at a window that had been pulled down from the top. From that vantage point he watched with straining eyes.
The men appeared to be investigating, undoubtedly for the purpose of learning whether or not there were anyone about the place. One finally turned his attention to the ranch-house, first cautiously trying the door, then peering in through the window. Hippy had stepped aside as the man approached him, and a few seconds later he saw a face pressed against the pane.
After a moment of peering, the fellow carefully raised both windows from the bottom and thrust his head in.
Hippy pressed his body against the wall and grasped his revolver by the barrel. The fellow’s shoulders were thrust in and the watcher saw that he was about to climb in.
Lieutenant Hippy Wingate took instant advantage of the opportunity and brought the butt of his revolver down with full force on the intruder’s head. The whack was so loud that the Overlander thought the others must hear, and, without an instant’s hesitation, he grabbed and dragged the unconscious man into the room.
“I hope I haven’t killed the ruffian!” A hand placed over the man’s heart told Hippy that he had not. Hippy, knowing that there was a lasso hanging in Bindloss’s room, in fact that there were several there, hobbled in, and fetching the rope, hog-tied the man, after which he put a handkerchief gag in the fellow’s mouth.
“Good! This is like taking candy from babies,” he chuckled, going over to the window and replacing it as it was before. This enabled him to stand up and look out, and also gave him free range in case he found it necessary to use his weapons. Bethinking himself of other windows, Hippy made a circuit of the lower floor and closed and locked them. For a man to get in now would necessitate breaking a window, which he surely would hear.
The watcher had no more than returned to his open window than he suddenly ducked to one side, for he discovered that a second man was about to peer in. Unlike the first caller this man walked away and went around to the rear of the house, but he was back in a few moments, this time accompanied by a companion. They were whispering, and at this instant the man on the floor gave a kick with his heel that stopped the whispering instantly.
Lieutenant Wingate went over to the bound man.
“Do that again and I’ll settle you!” he hissed with all the savageness that he could put into his tone. “I mean what I say!”
Returning to the window he stood to one side watching the two men who were again holding a whispered conversation, pausing now and then to listen attentively. After a few moments of this, one raised the window an inch or so at a time and looked in. In the darkness they saw nothing.
“I reckon it’s all right. I’ll go in an’ ye foller me,” said one in a low, guarded tone of voice, whereupon he began crawling in. As he landed on his hands on the floor, Lieutenant Wingate hit him a terrific wallop on the head with the butt of his revolver, then made a swift pass with it at the head of the other man whose head was just inside the window.
It hit the fellow a glancing blow, and jerking his head from the window he fell over backwards, then staggering to his feet he ran, uttering a warning cry.
The time for secrecy, so far as Lieutenant Hippy Wingate was concerned, had passed. He sent a bullet from his revolver after the man and then discovering other prowlers trying to get into the corral, he snatched up the rifle, and fired at the ground just behind them.
The prowlers scattered in record time and a volley of shots pinged into the ranch-house in reply.
The Overland Rider now hastily turned his attention to his second victim, and in a few minutes he had the man bound and dragged to the other side of the room at a distance from the first prisoner.
“Confound the ruffians! Why couldn’t they have come singly?” he growled. “I could have caught the whole bunch. I reckon maybe there will be something doing in a few moments.”
There was. A rifle crashed out, then another, and a snapping fire was directed at the Circle O ranch-house, with Hippy lying flat on the floor waiting for the shooting to stop. It soon did, whereupon the Overlander crept to the window and peered out. Not a human being was in sight, but the watcher was too old a hand at campaigning to believe that the prowlers had gone away. He reasoned, too, that by making no return of their fire, they might believe that they had hit him. As he had surmised would be the case, a man appeared after a time just beyond the corral. The fellow darted across and disappeared behind the stable where saddles and other equipment were stored.
The man’s next appearance was a few moments later when he walked to the corral, looked in and strolled back to the protection of the stable. Others then appeared, at first exercising the utmost caution, but little by little showing that they believed danger to them had passed.
Hippy Wingate chuckled. His ruse had succeeded, but he knew the end was not yet. At the same time he was groping for the reason for the presence of these prowlers. From their actions he believed that they were trying to steal the ponies, and a moment later he saw them again at work trying to break the locked gate of the corral. They were battering away at it so boldly that he knew they now feared no interruption.
“I’ve got to take a chance,” muttered the Overland Rider, “but I’ll shoot low. Perhaps I won’t hit any of the stock.”
There was no time to lose, for in a few moments those sledge-hammer blows, that were probably delivered with a maul or an axe, must produce results.
Taking as careful aim as he could in the uncertain light, he pulled the trigger and Old Joe Bindloss’s rifle roared.
A yell greeted the shot, by which sign Lieutenant Wingate knew that the bullet had found a mark. He fired again, but this time there was no answering yell. Two men grabbed up one of their number, the party started on a run for the stable and Hippy deliberately fired right into the group. One man staggered and fell. He was quickly dragged away, but not before the Overland Rider had emptied his rifle at them, though, so far as he was able to discover, without results. Accurate shooting was impossible under the conditions.
The rancher’s rifle was now empty, nor did Lieutenant Wingate know where to find more ammunition. He possessed his revolver and a belt of cartridges which would keep him going for some time, provided he were conservative in their use, so the rifle was laid aside and the revolver took its place. A quick examination of the two captives informed him that both were conscious.
“You fellows! Don’t you make a sound or I’ll use the business end of my gun on you,” he warned.
Rifle bullets at this juncture again began ripping through the side of the house, and while they were still crunching about the room with a chilling sound the Overlander, who was on the floor, heard a powerful blow delivered on the door. It was followed by other blows. The ruffians were trying to beat the door down, and already a panel had been shattered.
Hippy hopped to his feet and placed himself before the door, feeling reasonably safe there so long as men were standing in front of it.
Thrusting the muzzle of his weapon close to the shattered panel he pulled the trigger, and a howl of rage answered it. This shot had not missed.
Before giving the attackers a chance to do further damage Hippy fired the remaining chambers of his revolver through the door in quick succession. He did not know whether or not he had made a hit, but he knew that, for the moment, he had effectively checked operations out there.
A few seconds were lost in reloading, during which not a sound reached him from the outside. Stooping over, he peered through the shattered panel. As he did so there came a sudden burst of rifle fire and a dozen bullets ripped through the door.
Lieutenant Wingate straightened up, staggered, clapped a hand to his head, half turned and crashed full length to the floor. As he lay there, bullets continued to thud through the door and the siding of the ranch-house, then ceased as suddenly as they had begun, but Hippy, some moments since, had ceased to hear or know.