Ted Strong in Montana | Page 3

of a tall butte, which they could see in the distance, rising needlelike and black against the gray sky.
This was Long Tom Butte, after which the ranch, which Ted had leased, had been named.
Suddenly, Ted felt something wet on his cheek, and looked up. A snowflake, big and floating lazily down, had struck him.
Others followed it, and soon there were myriads of big, wet snowflakes falling slowly through the air.
The cattle began to hurry, and were lowing in a distressing way. Their instinct told them to seek shelter, and they were telling their drovers as much in their own fashion.
For a half hour the snow continued to come down, wet and soft.
But suddenly the wind changed in temperature. Before it had been raw and damp. Now it became sharp and frosty.
The snow changed quickly from heavy, wet flakes, to small, dry, sharp particles, which, driven by a strong wind, which had veered around into the north, stung the faces of the boys like needles, and worried the cattle, which seemed to want to lag in their pace.
"Kit, go back and tell the boys to keep pushing harder. The cattle want to stop, and if they quit now it's all up. There's a blizzard coming. If we can keep them at it an hour longer, we will be in the lee of the buttes, and there's a deep coulee into which we can drive and hold them until morning."
At Ted's command Kit dashed toward the rear, and repeated the order, and the cow-punchers rode into the herd with shouts and with active lashing of their quirts, and the beasts picked up their pace again and hurried forward through the snow, which had begun to whiten the ground.
Kit returned to Ted's side.
"What do you think of it?" he asked.
"If we had an hour more of daylight, I think we could make it," said Ted.
"Any doubt of it?"
"Well, when it becomes dark we'll lose sight of Long Tom, and we're likely to drift, because, unless the cattle are driven into the storm, they'll turn tail to it and go the other way."
"I can't see Long Tom now."
"I can, although the snow almost blots it out. There it is right in the northwest. I can just make it out. The herd is drifting south of it now. Better get over on your point, and head them up this way a bit."
Soon the herd was driving forward in the right direction again.
But suddenly the darkness came down like of pall of black smoke, shutting out everything, and the wind increased in violence, rising with a howl and a shriek like some enormous and terrible animal in rage.
"It's all off," said Ted to himself, with a sigh.
The cattle came to a stop.
"Keep them going!" shouted Ted, riding back frantically along the line.
The cow-punchers dashed among the animals, shouting and beating them with their quirts, and managed to get them started again, but it was only for a short time, for again they stopped, bellowing, the leaders milling and throwing everything into confusion.
"That settles it," shouted Ted to Bud. "They're going to drift all night if we don't stop them."
"Dern ther luck, I says," growled Bud. "How fur aire we from ther ranch?"
"The worst of it is we're right on it. The ranch house isn't more than three miles from here, and if we could have got there we would have been all right. By morning we may be ten miles away, if we let the herd drift, and we'll have a dickens of a time getting the brutes back through the snow."
"What aire we goin' ter do with the wimminfolks?"
"I'm going to try to get them to the ranch house. You boys will have to make a snow camp, and hold the herd from drifting at all odds. Don't let them sneak on you. Keep pushing them from the south. You see, they're all turned that way now with their tails to the wind. As soon as they get cold they will begin to move. Don't let 'em do it."
"All right, Ted. We'll do the best we can. You take care o' ther wimminfolks. So long, an' good luck."
Ted rode back to where Mrs. Graham was shivering in the closed wagon the boys had provided for her, and Stella was sitting her pony by her side, trying to encourage her.
Carl Schwartz was the jehu of the outfit, and sat on the driver's seat, a fair imitation of a snow man.
"Carl, get a move on you. We're going to try to make the Long Tom ranch house," said Ted. "I'll lead, and you follow. If you lose sight of me, yell to me and I'll come back. I've got my pocket searchlight, and will send you back a flash now and then."
Carl was half frozen and would