Cowboy Dave; Or, The Round-up at Rolling River Part 20

He indicated two cowboys who, with ropes around the mired steers, were trying to drag them to solid ground. Other animals, though, were pressing in to make their way to the water.

It was a hot day, and bore a promise of being hotter. It needed but a glance to show that the water would soon fail entirely. And it was evident what had caused it. At some point, higher up, the supply had been cut off or diverted.

"Well," said Mr. Carson quickly, like a general on the field meeting a reverse, and deciding on the best way to save the day, "well, the only thing we can do is to get the cattle off this range. Take 'em over to the spring, Skinny-you and the rest of the boys. Fight 'em hard-it's the only way. I'll ride on up and see what's happened to our water supply. Dave, you ride back and get Mr. Bellmore. Maybe he can tell us a way out of this trouble. He's a water engineer."

Thus were the orders issued, and the cowboys and Dave prepared to carry them out. Hardly had Mr. Carson ceased speaking than Skinny rode off with a whoop to aid his fellows.

Dave watched for a moment as the cowboys prepared to move the herd of valuable cattle. It would be hard work to get them away from the water while a drop yet remained in the muddy pools. But it must be done, for if the steers were allowed to remain there many of them would be mired, and in the fight for water others would be trampled on and killed.

As Dave galloped back to the ranch to summon the irrigation engineer he saw Mr. Carson head his pony for the bend, above which was the beginning of the Centre O ranch.

Then the young cowpuncher gave a look at the strenuous efforts of the cowboys to move the maddened cattle.

"They'll have their own troubles," Dave reasoned. "I'll help them as soon as I get back."

He covered the distance to the ranch in record time, and found Mr.

Bellmore busy over some calculations. The engineer was surprised to learn what had happened, and at once jumped on his horse and galloped off with Dave.

When they again reached the valley Mr. Carson had not yet returned from his trip to the bend, but the cattle were in a worse tangle than before.

The cowboys efforts to drive them away from what was now nothing but a long mudhole, were unavailing.

"Something's got to be done!" cried Skinny. "We've lost some already, and more will die soon. We've got to get 'em away from here. But we can't as long as they smell even the mud. What's to be done?"

Dave looked gloomily on, but could not answer. Could the engineer solve the problem?

CHAPTER XVII

THE ROUND-UP

Again and again did the weary cowboys try to force the maddened cattle to move away from the now veritable mud hole, that they might drive them to another range where there was water for them to drink. But the steers, usually intelligent in this matter, seemed to have lost all their instinct. They only wanted to remain near the spot where they had been accustomed to drink.

"Say, this is fierce!" cried Mr. Bellmore.

"It certainly is," agreed Dave. "What can we do?"

"Let's see if we can't lend a hand to get the animals off, and on the move," suggested the engineer. "Those cowboys need help."

Skinny and his mates certainly did. They were almost exhausted from their strenuous labors.

But even with the experienced help of Dave, and the well-meant efforts of Mr. Bellmore, the cattle could not be moved. They fought for places at the edge of the stream-which was a stream no longer, but only a slough, in which more than one fine steer was now mired.

"It's of no use," said Skinny, wearily, after a bit. "You can't budge 'em!

They'll have to die here."

"No they won't!" exclaimed the engineer.

"How are you goin' t' stop 'em?" asked another of the cowboys. "They can't get any water here, they won't leave, an' everybody knows that without water cattle can't live long."

"If we can't drive 'em to water we'll have to do the next best thing."

"And that is--" began Dave.

"Bring the water to them!"

"But how can we? The supply is cut off somewhere above. Dad went to see about it, but he hasn't come back yet."

"Then we'll go up there too. Something's got to be done. It may take desperate measures, but if the Molicks have built a dam, to divert your water from here, we'll have to open it; that's all."

"Will they let you?" asked Skinny, settling wearily in his saddle.

"We'll do it whether they let us or not!" exclaimed the engineer. "It's my fault, in a way, that they did this, for I pointed out the advantage it would be to them to have a dam, and I'll do my best to make good the trouble caused. Come on, Dave. Well ride up above and see what we can do.

Meanwhile, you boys do your best to keep the cattle from stampeding. They won't let themselves be driven away, that's sure, so we've got to bring water to them."

"If we only can," murmured Cowboy Dave. He felt it to be a hopeless task.

Now that the cowboys had given over their efforts to drive the cattle away from the water-hole the beasts were quieter. Left to themselves, they scattered somewhat and sought for places where little pools might have formed, and where they could slake their thirst. It was not much water that remained, and the bellowings of the cattle, and their panting appearance as their parched tongues fairly hung from their mouths, filled the hearts of Dave and his friend with pity for the poor beasts.

"We haven't any time to lose," said Mr. Bell-more, as he urged his horse, Kurd, toward the bend of the stream. Dave, on Crow, followed, wondering what would be the outcome. Dave glanced back from time to time at the thirst-maddened cattle. Some of them forced their way into the muddy sloughs in spite of the desperate efforts of the cowboys to drive them back. Then it was necessary to try to pull them out by lariats attached to them, and extending to the horns of the saddles.

"Poor beasts!" murmured the young cow-puncher.

He and Mr. Bellmore had ridden for perhaps a mile when they saw a figure galloping toward them.

"Who's that?" asked the engineer, pulling up suddenly.

"Dad," answered Dave. "He rode up to investigate. He'll be able to tell us what happened."

"It's easy enough to guess," said Mr. Bellmore. "The Molicks have built an intercepting dam, to get even with you and me."

And this was exactly what Mr. Carson reported as he rode up.

"They've cut off our water supply," he called to Dave and the engineer.

"They've made a board and mud dam right across the river, and turned the water onto their own land. They're making irrigating ditches now as fast as they can work."

"I suspected as much," Mr. Bellmore said, "Is the dam a very big or strong one?"

"Not especially so. But the water is low at this season of the year, and it doesn't take much of a dam to block it off from me. This dam is made of boards, banked up with clay and stones."

"Would it be easy to break away?" asked the engineer.

"Yes, I suppose so. But Molick will take precious good care that it doesn't break away, They're strengthening it all the while."

"Oh, I didn't suppose it would break away of its own accord," the engineer said. "I meant would we have much trouble in making a breach in it?"

"We?" cried Dave. "Do you mean--"