“We had a fine time,” LeRoy said. “But I don’t reckon none of us had as fine a time as Jules here.”
“Oh?”
“Yes, sir,” LeRoy said. “He had him a fine time. Just ask him. Maybe he’ll tell you about it. He won’t say nothin’ at all to us.”
“Well, I’m glad you boys had a chance to enjoy yourselves. That means that by tomorrow, you’ll all be bright- eyed, bushy-tailed, and ready to go.”
“Yes, sir, we will at that,” LeRoy said. “Come on, boys, let’s get the horses into the remuda.”
“Sally held some supper for you,” Smoke called to them.
When the other cowboys left, Jules hung back for a moment.
“Uh, Smoke?” he said.
“Yes?”
“Uh, truth to tell, I didn’t do nothin’. Me’n Doney just made ’em think I did. But, don’t tell ’em, all right?”
Smoke smiled, then reached out to squeeze Jules’s shoulder.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “Your secret is safe with me.”
Chapter Fourteen
One morning, less than a week after their stop at Braggadocio, Smoke noticed that Billy Cantrell seemed a little detached. While the others laughed and joked over breakfast, visiting for the last few minutes before getting the herd under way, Billy was walking around the encampment, pulling stems of grass and sucking on the roots, snapping twigs and smelling them, and scooping up handfuls of dirt to examine them very closely.
Smoke had already done those same things, and he knew exactly what Billy was looking for. He walked over to talk to the young cowboy. Billy looked up at him, but before he could say anything, Smoke spoke up. “I know,” he said.
“Do you?”
“Billy, I was sucking on grass roots before you were born. I know exactly what you are doing.”
“What’s the name of that river you say we’ll be crossing next?”
“The Eagle River.”
“How far do you make it from here?”
“I’d say another forty miles,” Smoke said.
“They’re going to be dry miles,” Billy said.
“Yeah, I know,” Smoke said. “From the looks of the sign, there hasn’t been a rain here in quite a spell, which means that any narrow streams or watering holes between here and the Eagle will, more than likely, be dried up.”
“Forty miles. That means what? Two more days without water?” Billy asked.
Smoke nodded grimly. “I’m afraid so,” he said.
“You prob’ly know this country better’n I do, Smoke. You know of any year-round streams or creeks between here and Eagle River?”
“There aren’t any.”
“Damn,” Billy said. “That means the herd is going to get awfully thirsty.”
“Yeah, which means they will spook easily,” Smoke said. “You boys will just have to be very careful when you are driving them. Don’t make any sudden movements or noises. The least little thing, a sneeze or taking off your hat too fast, could spook them into a stampede.”
“We’ll have to tell the others,” Billy said.
“Billy, have you ever seen a stampede?” Smoke asked.
“No, I haven’t. Have you?”
“Yeah, but not one with this many cows. If this herd goes, I can promise you, we will have our hands full.”
“You got any suggestions on the best way to handle ’em if they start?” Billy asked.
“Yeah, my suggestion would be to get the hell out of their way,” Smoke replied.
Billy chuckled. “Most likely, that ain’t somethin’ we’ll have to tell ’em. I reckon if anyone sees a whole herd of cows comin’ down on ’em at a gallop, they’ll just natural get out of the way.”
Smoke laughed as well. “You may have a point there,” he said. “Next thing after you get out of the way, is just to follow them, and when they run down a little so that you can turn them, try and head them back in the right direction. But the best thing to do is keep them from stampeding in the first place.”
Over the next two days, they pushed the cows through the dry area as gingerly as if the animals were made of glass. They made no sudden moves, whether mounted or not, and when they spoke to each other, they spoke in whispers. Finally, when Cal rode ahead and returned to tell them that they were now only ten miles away from water, it looked as if they would make it through with no real trouble.
Smoke signaled to the others that they would camp by water that night, and the others responded with grateful waves as they continued to work around the perimeters, keeping the cows moving forward steadily and confidently. Despite what had to be a terrible thirst, the herd was well under control.
