Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1909-09-16
CHAPTER XVI.
The Fioht IN the Csche.

norman, began cOnlnS INTO the rail-
road camp by three o'clock the next
morning. With them rode the two
Youngs who had lost the trail they
followed across Goose river and joined
The cowboys on the read to the north.
The party divided under Kennedy
and Smith, who rode through the Door
Into the Cache just before daybrcak
Il don't know what am steering
you against this morning. Farrell"
said Whispering Smith. Certainly
should hate to run you into On Sang.
but we can't tell whore We shall strike
him. II we have laid out tho work
right l ought 10 sec him as soon as
anybody does. Accidents do happen
but remember ho will never b. any
more dangerous than he is at nc first
moment. Get him to talk. He gets
nervous If he can't shoot right away
When you phil get 4 bullet into his
stomach at ,hc start, fl you possibly
can, 10 spoil his aim. We nustn't
make the mistake Of Understanding
him. Rebstock is right: he is a Griaht
with revolver and Sinclair and 5oa-
grue are the only men in the noun.
tains that can handle a rife With him.
Now we split here; and GOOD luck"
Don't You want to take Hrll Young
With your"
you take both the Youncs. N-~~-N
We shall be among rocks. and # he
tries to rusi, us there is cover
Stormy German with four Crawling
Stone cowboys followed Whispering
Smith Every rider on he range had
. grievance against Williams Cache.
and any Of them would have been glad
to undertake rcprisals against The
rustlers under the wing of Whispering
Smith
Just how in the mountains-with-
out telegraph. newspapers, and all or
binary means OF publicity--iicws tray
els so fast may not certainly be said
The scattered lines of telephone wires
help, but news ouistrips the wires.
Moreover. there are no telephones in
the Mission mountains. Put on the
morning that the roundup party rode
into the Cache It was known in the
streets of Medicine Bend that the
Tower " men had beer tracked into
the north country; that some, if not
all, of them were in Williams Cache;
that an ultimatum had been given. and
that Whispering Smith and Kennedy
had already ridden in with their men
to make II good
Whispering Smith, with the COW
boys, took the rough country 70 The
left, and Kennedy and his parry tool,
the south prong Of the Cache creek.
The instructions were to mako a
clean sweep as the lire advanced. BE.
hind tie center rode three men 10
take stock driven in from the WINS.
Word that was brief bus reasonable
had been sent everywhere ahead.
Every man, it was promised, that could
prove property should have q chance
TO do so at the Door that day and The
next, but any brands that showed
stolen cattle, or that had been shinuod
Or tempered with in any way, wee 20
be turned over to the Stock assolia.
lion for The benefit of owners.
The very first pocket raded started
row and uncovered so head Of i've.
year-old steers bearing a nulilatod
Duck Bar brand. 1t was Ike p1king
at rattlesnGkes 10 undertake 10 clean
out the grassy retreats Of tnc Cache.
but the work was pushed on in spite
OF protests, threats, and resistance
Every man that rode ont oDCnly 10
make protest was referred calmly to
Rebstock, and before very lonc 3cb.
stocks cabin had more men around
1t than had been seen foecthor IN the
Cache for years. The irIr,sqion that
The whole jig was up, and that the
refugees had been sold ont by thar
own boss, WAS ono hat no railroad
nan undertook to discourage. Tho
iowboys insisted on tho cattle. with
The assurance that Rebstock could ex.
plain everything. BY noon the Cache
Was IN an uproar. The cowboys were
riding carefully, ard their guards.
rifles in hand, were watching the cor
hers. Ahead of the slowly moving
hne with the growing bunch Of cattle
behind 1t, fourished as 1t were rather
ronspicuously. fugitive riders dashed
back and forth with curses and yells
Icross the narrow valley. II 1t had
been Whispering Smiths intention to
raise large-sized row 1t was apparent
that he had been successful. Reb-
stock driven to desperation. held coun-
ell after council to determine what to
10. Sorties wore discussed, ambushes
considered, and pitched battle was
planned. But, while ideas were plenti-
iul. no one aspired to lead an attack
pn Whispering Smith.
Moreover, Williams Cache, IL was
conceded. would In the end he worsted
II the company and tho cowInen to-
Eether seriously undertook with mon
and unlimited money to clean It out
Whispering Smiths party had no ex-
PLANTATION to Offer for the roundup. but
when Rebstock made it known that
the fight was over sending out Du
Bang. the rage Of the rusterc turned
IN Du Sang. Again, however, no man
wanted to take up personally with Du
Sang the question Of the reasonable
ness OF Whispering Smiths demand.
Instead of doing So thay fell on Reb-
stock and demanded that If he were
boss he mako guod and send On Sane
out.
OF all this connection the railroad
men saw only the outward Indications.
As the excitement grew on both sides
there was perhaps little more OF dis.
play in the way the cattle were run in.