Browning chief., 1944-04-28
CHAPTER XIII

StedhS dIiu COllee Lew WdlCIleu lO-
ward the cooks wagon with only
curious interest. Steve was over
there, too, eating with them. But
it was Joy that Clay was working
on, making something light of it,
with his hat pushed back on his
blond head and all of his big face
showing her an easy reinsurance.
He could wheedle her when he want
ed to, with a sort of concerned
gallantry, his blue eyes going mo-
mentarily grave.
Then he could see their talk was
coming to a decision, and his first
feeling that Clay could get nowhere
with Joy left him. For she stood
briefly with a little frowning doubt.
Steve took her arm and spoke to
her. She nodded. They tossed their
empty plates at the wreck pan and
came on toward the fire.
well, Lew" Clay said.
He brought his eyes around.
Schools out, Clay. Class dis
missed. Sit down." He grinned at
Joy.
We've got to know your plan,"
she said.
"All right. We're turning west at
dawn" He held out one hand, palm
up. Here's rain coming. Indians
won't travel in the wet, so we're
safe enough tonight. Isn't that about
"" He glanced at the half ring of
men to see what backing he would
get. Some of them nodded
"Spoils their feathers" said Rebel
John. They'll stay under cover
now"
"Then we can count on that. If
the rain holds tomorrow we can
make better than twenty miles to
the west. Well be close to the Texas
panhandle by that time. It's thin
safety, know, but we can call on
the army if we have trouble off of
Indian lands"
"Army!" Clay Knocked. "You got
any idea where that is?"
There's troop" he said, "at
Doan's Crossing. I'm sending a man
back tonight"
THAT all you got?" Clay asked.
That's all. Keep moving Ex-
cept we can make fight of it if we
have to-"
"Sure. Against six hundred In
dians!"
eleven men," he pointed out,
held off more than that at Adobe
Walls. But there won't be six hun
dred bucks. Half of any tribe are
squaws." He leaned back on his
elbows. He needn't go on with an
argument, and yet he wanted Clay
to show his hand.
1t came forced out with heat,
where none was called for, as if
Clay needed that fire of temper to
bolster him up. you're right about
turning west. But the herd travels
too slow. Well send the wagons
on ahead"
"What about splitting the men?"
he asked. "You can't divide this
outfit now. You'd have no protec-
ton anywhere"
"Then send plenty with the wag-
ons. Make sure of that. It's Joy
I'm thinking about"
Maybe. Yet Clay's plan boiled
down simply to abandoning the
herd. He grinned dryly. "Why not
all go with the wagons? Let the
Cheyennes take the cows"
Lew" Steve put in. "Clay's
right"
Lew gave the boy long straight
look. Steve" he said gently, "you
know better than that. You stand
there in your dads boots and tell
me to desert four thousand long
horns at the first scare of Indians.
You've got more reason than you're
telling. That's plain enough. No
man with any honest sense would
split his crew here or run off either.
I won't"
"Then l guess" Steve said fiat
ly, "a showdown's come. Hate to
do it, Lew. Clay's taking charge"
Lew stood up. "By owners vote?"
That's it."
"You agree, Joy?" he asked.
Lew, L" she began and fall
tered.
"All right" he said. "That's all
I wanted to know" He paced to-
ward the three of them slowly. 81
wanted to be sure you understood
the owner had full power" He pulled
a folded sheet of paper from inside
his buckskin jacket. 81 hadn't in
tended to show this or use it. JOY"
Keeping the paper in his own hands,
he opened it and held it to the fire.
light for her to read.
The two blond heads bent in close
to hers and he followed the lines
their eyes were following, written in
Tom Arnold's oddly small, rounded
script. He passed over the first
legal preamble to the meat of what
it said: "To Lew Burnet, in the
event this will is read while the
Cross T herd is still on the trail,