herself that he was not making fun at her expense, gravitated to a perception of easy conquest. Tom saw that this was a paramount issue with Sally. Probably later she might awake to a humorous appreciation of this young gentleman.
Tom soon left the newcomers to their camp tasks, and went about his own, which for the most part consisted of an alert watchfulness.
Early in the afternoon the distant boom-boom of the big buffalo guns ceased to break the drowsy silence. The hours wore away.
When, at time of sunset, Tom returned from his last survey of the plains, it was to find Hudnall and his hunter comrades in camp.
Pilchuck was on the way back with a load of fifty-six hides. Just as twilight fell he called from the opposite bank that he would need help at the steep place. All hands pulled and hauled the wagon over the obstacle; and hard upon that incident came Mrs.
Hudnall's cheery call to supper.
Tom watched and listened with more than his usual attentiveness.
Hudnall was radiant. This day's work had been good. For a man of his tremendous strength and endurance the extreme of toil was no hindrance. He was like one that had found a gold mine. Burn Hudnall reflected his father's spirit. Pilchuck ate in silence, not affected by their undisguised elation. Stronghurl would have been dense indeed, in the face of Sally's overtures, not to sense a rival in Ory Tacks. This individual almost ate out of Sally's hand. Dunn presented a rather gloomy front. Manifestly he had not yet told Hudnall of his misfortunes.
After supper it took the men two hours of labor to peg out the hides. All the available space in the grove was blanketed with buffalo skins, with narrow lanes between. Before this work was accomplished the women had gone to bed. At the camp fire which Tom replenished, Dunn recounted to Hudnall and Pilchuck the same news he had told Tom, except that he omitted comment on the presence of the women.
To Tom's surprise, Hudnall took Dunn's story lightly. He did not appear to grasp any serious menace, and he dismissed Dunn's loss with brief words: "Hard luck! But you can make it up soon. Throw in with me. The more the merrier, an' the stronger we'll be."
"How about your supplies?" queried Dunn.
"Plenty for two months. An' we'll be freightin' out hides before that."
"All right, Clark, I'll throw in with your outfit huntin' for myself, of course, an' payin' my share," replied Dunn, slowly, as if the matter was weighty. "But I hope you don't mind my talkin' out straight about your women."
"No, you can talk straight about anyone or anythin' to me."
"You want to send your women back or take them to Fort Elliott," returned Dunn, brusquely.
"Dunn, I won't do anythin' of the kind," retorted Hudnall, bluntly.
"Well, the soldiers will do it for you, if they happen to come along," said Dunn, just as bluntly. "It's your own business. I'm not trying to interfere in your affairs. But women don't belong on such a huntin' trip as this summer will see. My idea, talking straight, is that Mr. Pilchuck here should have warned you and made you leave the women back in the settlement."
"Wal, I gave Hudnall a hunch all right, but he wouldn't listen," declared the scout.
"You didn't give me any such damn thing," shouted Hudnall angrily.
Then followed a hot argument that in Tom's opinion ended in the conviction that Pilchuck had not told all he knew.
"Well, if that's what, I reckon it doesn't make any difference to me," said Hudnall, finally. "I wanted wife an' Sally with me. An' if I was comin' at all they were comin' too. We're huntin' buffalo, yes, for a while--as long as there's money in it. But what we're huntin' most is a farm."
"Now, Hudnall, listen," responded Dunn, curtly. "I'm not tryin' to boss your outfit. After this I'll have no more to say. . . . I've been six months at this hide-huntin' an' I know what I'm talkin' about. The great massed herd of buffalo is south of here, on the Red River, along under the rim of the Staked
Tom soon left the newcomers to their camp tasks, and went about his own, which for the most part consisted of an alert watchfulness.
Early in the afternoon the distant boom-boom of the big buffalo guns ceased to break the drowsy silence. The hours wore away.
When, at time of sunset, Tom returned from his last survey of the plains, it was to find Hudnall and his hunter comrades in camp.
Pilchuck was on the way back with a load of fifty-six hides. Just as twilight fell he called from the opposite bank that he would need help at the steep place. All hands pulled and hauled the wagon over the obstacle; and hard upon that incident came Mrs.
Hudnall's cheery call to supper.
Tom watched and listened with more than his usual attentiveness.
Hudnall was radiant. This day's work had been good. For a man of his tremendous strength and endurance the extreme of toil was no hindrance. He was like one that had found a gold mine. Burn Hudnall reflected his father's spirit. Pilchuck ate in silence, not affected by their undisguised elation. Stronghurl would have been dense indeed, in the face of Sally's overtures, not to sense a rival in Ory Tacks. This individual almost ate out of Sally's hand. Dunn presented a rather gloomy front. Manifestly he had not yet told Hudnall of his misfortunes.
After supper it took the men two hours of labor to peg out the hides. All the available space in the grove was blanketed with buffalo skins, with narrow lanes between. Before this work was accomplished the women had gone to bed. At the camp fire which Tom replenished, Dunn recounted to Hudnall and Pilchuck the same news he had told Tom, except that he omitted comment on the presence of the women.
To Tom's surprise, Hudnall took Dunn's story lightly. He did not appear to grasp any serious menace, and he dismissed Dunn's loss with brief words: "Hard luck! But you can make it up soon. Throw in with me. The more the merrier, an' the stronger we'll be."
"How about your supplies?" queried Dunn.
"Plenty for two months. An' we'll be freightin' out hides before that."
"All right, Clark, I'll throw in with your outfit huntin' for myself, of course, an' payin' my share," replied Dunn, slowly, as if the matter was weighty. "But I hope you don't mind my talkin' out straight about your women."
"No, you can talk straight about anyone or anythin' to me."
"You want to send your women back or take them to Fort Elliott," returned Dunn, brusquely.
"Dunn, I won't do anythin' of the kind," retorted Hudnall, bluntly.
"Well, the soldiers will do it for you, if they happen to come along," said Dunn, just as bluntly. "It's your own business. I'm not trying to interfere in your affairs. But women don't belong on such a huntin' trip as this summer will see. My idea, talking straight, is that Mr. Pilchuck here should have warned you and made you leave the women back in the settlement."
"Wal, I gave Hudnall a hunch all right, but he wouldn't listen," declared the scout.
"You didn't give me any such damn thing," shouted Hudnall angrily.
Then followed a hot argument that in Tom's opinion ended in the conviction that Pilchuck had not told all he knew.
"Well, if that's what, I reckon it doesn't make any difference to me," said Hudnall, finally. "I wanted wife an' Sally with me. An' if I was comin' at all they were comin' too. We're huntin' buffalo, yes, for a while--as long as there's money in it. But what we're huntin' most is a farm."
"Now, Hudnall, listen," responded Dunn, curtly. "I'm not tryin' to boss your outfit. After this I'll have no more to say. . . . I've been six months at this hide-huntin' an' I know what I'm talkin' about. The great massed herd of buffalo is south of here, on the Red River, along under the rim of the Staked
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