Friar Tuck Part 23

"Still, violence would have spoiled everything," persisted the Friar, who was as human as a raw bronco when you tried to make him back up.

"Now, don't forget anything," sez I. "It wasn't my face 'at lit up when I said 'at he did his killin' with bare hands; nor it wasn't me who gloated over this as furnishin' an excuse to use my bare hands in defendin' myself."

"Oh, Happy, Happy," sez he, with one o' the bursts 'at made ya willin'

to go through fire and water for him. "I'm the entire human race: there isn't a single sin or weakness which hasn't betrayed me at one time or another, and yet the wicked pride of me persists in stickin'

up its head an' crowin' every time I take my eyes off it."

"Well, I like your pride full as well as any other part o' ya," sez I; "and before you wrangle it into its corral again, I want to say 'at no other man in the world could 'a' told Olaf what you told him this mornin', and lived to talk it over around this fire to-night-unless, he had used the best and the quickest brand o' violence the' is, in the meantime."

"Now, that you have succeeded in flatterin' both of us, we'll go to sleep," sez the Friar, and the' was a deep twinkle in his eyes which allus rejoiced me to call up.

Next night soon after dark, we started out with Kit Murray. She rode like a man and could tick out her fifty or sixty a day right along, without worryin' her pony. As soon as she was safe located in Billings, I turned back to the Dot, while the Friar rounded up some stray sheep he had near the border, and as far as I can recall we didn't meet again all that summer.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

OTHER PEOPLE'S BUSINESS

Olaf's theories concernin' violence didn't harmonize complete with the Friar's; but his method for discouragin' scandal was thorough to a degree. He silenced the gossipers all right, though so far as I heard, most of 'em recovered; and the outcome was 'at the Friar stood higher after the scandal 'n he had before.

The Cross brand outfit was a good deal like a pack o' dogs: they each sought Ty Jones's favor, and they were all jealous of each other. Olaf stood high on account of his mysterious insight; so Badger-face, the foreman, backed up Bud Fisher to devil Olaf as far as possible without givin' Olaf what Ty would judge a fit excuse for unscrewin' the kid's neck; and from the talk I heard, their outfit trotted along as smooth an' friendly as seven he bears. .h.i.tched to a freight wagon; but our trails didn't cross frequent, so it was all hearsay.

The winter before had been so fierce 'at a lot o' small outfits couldn't winter through their stock. Towards spring, ol' Cast Steel had bought in the Half Moon brand for a hundred an' fifty dollars; and that summer me an' Spider Kelley put in our spare time huntin' strays.

Spider had come back, flat broke and full o' repentance; so after I'd stood him on his head in a buffalo-wallow full o' mud, I forgave him free and frank, and this summer we rode together most o' the time.

Ol' Cast Steel was as lucky as a hump-back cat, and this summer the gra.s.s was fatter 'n ever I'd seen it. We rounded up over five hundred head o' ponies, and over sixty cows, which was just like bein' caught out in a gold storm without your slicker on; so we didn't sympathize any with the old man, but prospected around for pleasure whenever we felt like it.

One afternoon after the fall round-up, me an' Spider found ourselves in a mighty rough bit o' country on the north slope o' the Wind River range. We had been herdin' six or eight Half Moon ponies before us for several days, devilin' a parcel of Injuns into thinkin' 'at we was out tradin'; but we had got weary o' this, an' were just foolin' around and wishin' 'at somethin' would turn up to amuse us.

"Aw, let's go on back home," sez Spider, not knowin' he was speakin'

wisdom. "I'd sooner work at work than work at huntin' up somethin' to amuse myself with."

"Well," I sez, "we'll finish out this afternoon, an' then if nothin'

turns up, we'll go back, draw our pay an' go into Boggs."

We saw our ponies start around a b.u.t.te ahead of us an' stop to examine somethin'. We followed 'em around the b.u.t.te, and there below us on a little level, was a bunch of men-seven of 'em. We drew up an' gave 'em a look-over.

"What do you make out?" sez I.

"Olaf the Swede with a rope around his neck, an' Badger-face Flannigan holdin' the other end o' the rope," sez Spider. "What do you reckon they're goin' to do to him?"

"Comb his hair, or fit a new sun-bonnet on him," sez I, sarcastic.

"What else do they put a man's neck in a noose for? Let's go down an'

see what happens."

"A feller's not sure of a welcome at such times," sez Spider.

"No," I agreed; "but I want to see Olaf's eyes again, and this may be my last chance."

"It may be your last chance to see anything," sez Spider. "The best thing we can do is just to back-track. We interrupted 'em once before; and I don't want 'em to get the idee that we spend all our time d.o.g.g.i.n' their footsteps for a chance to spoil their fun. This ain't any of our business."

"We won't spoil their fun," sez I. "If they get suspicious, we can take a hand in it, an' that will fix it all right. Olaf ain't nothin'

to us; and I don't intend to risk my fat for him, just 'cause he's got curious eyes."

"No, I'm not goin'," sez Spider.

I looked across at the group again, an' there comin' up the trail behind 'em was Friar Tuck, ridin' a round little pinto, an' leadin' a big bay.

"Well, you just stay here, an' be d.a.m.ned to you," sez I to Spider.

"I'm goin' on down." So me an' Spider rode down together, an' arrived at just the same time as the Friar did.

Badger-face looked first at us, an' then at the Friar. "What the h.e.l.l do you fellers want this time?" he sez to us in welcome.

"We just happened along," sez I. "What's goin' on?"

"You're goin' on yourselves, first thing," sez Badger-face. "That's what's goin' on."

"I guess 'at you ain't got neither deeds nor lease to this land," sez I. "We haven't any intention of interferin' with you; but we don't intend to be sent where we don't want to go. We've got business here, huntin' up stray hosses, an' I reckon we'll just stick around."

"You got business here, too, I suppose?" sez Badger-face, turnin' to the Friar.

"Yes," sez the Friar calmly. "I came here entirely by accident; but now it is my business to inquire into why you have a rope about this man's neck. You recall havin' put me into a similar perdicament, Mr.

Flannigan."

"Yes, an' the only thing I regret is, that I was interrupted," growls Badger-face. "But this time, the' ain't any chance to change the programme, so you might just as well poke on into some one else's affairs."

"What's the matter, Olaf?" asked the Friar.

Before Olaf could reply, Badger-face gave a jerk on the rope. "You shut up," sez he.

"Surely you will give the man a chance to speak," cried the Friar, indignant.

"It won't do him no good to speak," sez Badger-face. "He's committed a murder, but of course he denies it. Now, get out o' here, all three of ya."

"Listen," sez the Friar, as steady an' strong as the sweep of a deep river, "I care more for justice 'n I do for law. I know that hangin' a man has never done any good; but it is usually regarded as a legal form of punishment, and the prejudice in its favor is still too strong for one man to overcome. If you convince me that this man would be hung by a court, why, I shall never say a word about it; but if you do not convince me, I shall stir up all the trouble I can. I have quite a number of friends, Mr. Flannigan."

Badger-face studied over this a moment; and he saw it had sense. "All right," sez he, "we'll try him fair an' square; and then you three will have to help string him, an' I guess that'll keep your mouths shut."

"Tell your story, Olaf," sez the Friar.

"Well," sez Olaf, "we came up short on the round-up, an' the old man raised Cain about it, an' sent us out to hunt for strays. Badger-face split us into pairs, an' made me an' Bud Fisher work together. We saw some cows up on a ledge where we couldn't ride to; so we left the hosses below, an' climbed to see if they had our brand. If they had, we intended to ride around and get 'em. If not it would save half a day. Bud Fisher had a rifle along, hopin' to get a mountain sheep, an'

he insisted on takin' it with him. He climbed up on a ledge, an' I pa.s.sed up the rifle to him. It was a long stretch, an' I pa.s.sed it muzzle first. The hammer caught on a point of rock, an' shot him through the stomach. I didn't bear him any ill will any more-I ran down to the hosses, an' brought up the saddle-blankets an' the slickers, an' made him as comfortable as I could. Then I hunted up Badger-face an' told him. When we got back he was dead. This is the truth."

"I think it is," sez the Friar.