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Page 92
"That's enough. Now git up. Pull your freight," Buck ordered.
"By God, no!" interposed Sage-brush.
The cowboys seized Peruna.
Buck saw that his bluff at bossing the situation was called. He
turned appealingly to Echo, and rapidly fabricated a moving tale
about Peruna's heroic rescue of himself from drowning in the Gila
River. "An I swore I would do as much fer him some day. Now I
perpose that we all give him a kick, an' let him go; let him
have two hours' start, after which the game-laws will be out on
him."
Sage-brush cried out against the plan, but Echo was moved by
McKee's appeal for his comrade, and, speaking low and
beseechingly to Sage-brush, said: "It will save a range-war that
we can't afford to have till Jack and Slim get back." Sage-brush
finally assented.
"Two hours' start. Well, he'll have to go some, if he gets away.
Kick him and let him go," he commanded.
Echo turned away.
The cowboys who held Peruna threw him to the ground, and every
man of the Allen and Payson ranches gave him a vicious kick, Show
Low putting in an extra one for his murdered bunkie. Last of
all, McKee approached the prostrate man, and made the mistake
which was to cost him his life by booting Peruna cruelly. The
man was a stupid fellow by nature, and what wits he had were
addled by the habit he had acquired of consuming patent-medicines
containing alcohol, morphin, and other stimulating and stupefying
drugs. He was as revengeful as stupid, and could have forgiven
McKee's putting the rope around his neck more easily than Buck's
joining in the humiliation which saved his life.
Rising from the ground and trembling with anger, Peruna turned on
the half-breed, saying: "I'll square this deal, Buck McKee."
"Losin' vallyble time, Peruna. Git!" was all that his former
boss deigned to answer.
Peruna limped over to his horse, which Parenthesis had been
holding in custody, mounted it, and rode off at a lope for the
river ford. He crossed it in sight of the Sweetwater outfit, and
disappeared behind the riverbank. Here he dismounted, and,
picking a small branch of cactus, put it under his horse's tail.
The poor beast clapped the tail against it, and, with a scream,
set off on a wild gallop across the mesa. Peruna hobbled up the
river a mile or so, half-waded, half-swam, to the other side, and
entered an arroyo, whose course led back near the camp of the
Sweetwater outfit. He had been disarmed by the cowboys of his
revolver, but not of his knife.
After Peruna had been visited with his punishment, Echo retraced
her steps.
Bowing to her, hat in hand, Buck made his apologies. "Ma'am, I'm
plumb sorry. My mother was a Cherokee squaw, but I'm white in
some spots. If you'll let your ranch boss come along with us,
we'll settle this brandin'-business right now."
Sage-brush did not care to accept the offer, but Echo ordered him
to go with the Lazy K outfit. Seeing it was useless to argue
with her, he said: "Come on, boys."
Ere they had ridden out of sight, Echo sank, exhausted, on the
seat by the fire. She buried her face in her hands and sobbed.
Polly played the role of comforter.
"Don't mind 'em," she said. "Better come to the ranch with me.
You're all tuckered out. You've been runnin' this ranch fer a
month like a man."
"I'll take your advice, Polly, and ride home. Tell Dad I want
him, will you?"
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