Show P. P By ALAN LE MAY Release t Dusty King and Lew Law Cordon Gordon had built bum up a Do avast avast vast string a of ranches which stretched from Texas to Montana King was killed by his powerful and unscrupulous competitor l Ben en Thorpe Bill BUl Roper Kings King's adopted son undertook to break Thorpe's power His CHAPTER X The winter dragged out slowly Ropers Roper's plans bold as they were had been well laid He had perceived perceived perceived per per- from the first that success or failure depended upon whether or not he could make his war with Tanner self sustaining To gnaw away at the Tanner herds was one thing to turn their captures into cash was altogether another Roper had hoped that he could initiate initiate initiate ini ini- his o own drives to the north but he had found this out of the question On the other hand the trail drivers had found themselves so vulnerable that none of them wanted to buy cattle of questionable ble ownership The Thorpe-Tanner Thorpe organization did not have this problem they took what they wanted and drove what they wanted by means of their own trail outfits But Roper could now only dispose of cattle for the trail through ranchers known to be scrupulous and established men This was the strategic purpose behind behind behind be be- hind Ropers Roper's rehabilitation tation of the eleven outfits which Tanner had originally originally originally seized and which Roper had now put back into the hands of their proper owners These re-established re ranchers had not only the sympathy but the respect of everyone who knew anything about Texas cattle Through these men Roper now had hada a safe and sure outlet for the cattle recovered by Dry Camps Camp's experts while the gunfighters under such men as Nate Liggett Tex Daniels and Hat Crick Tommy supplied a much needed protection until they could get on their feet But this method promising as it was was slow Of necessity the themen themen themen men whom Roper backed were cowmen cowmen cowmen cow cow- men without assets other than their disputed claim to their ground Sometimes by mortgage loans but principally by silent partnerships Roper had now obtained interests in nearly a dozen outfits They should have been thriving outfits But Roper found his money draining draining draining drain drain- ing away with unforeseen swiftness without hope of any financial return return re- re turn urn until the trail should open inthe inthe in inthe the spring Only the Mexican border border border bor bor- bor- bor der operations which depended upon Lee Harnish continued to show a athin athin athin thin trickle of income through the winter whiter months As spring sprung approached approached approached ap ap- Roper found himself near the e end of his string Early i in February Shoshone Wilce came south seeking Bill Roper Rop Rop- er and found him at the Pot Hook ranch Find out anything Roper asked Shoshone Wilce rubbed his badly shaved chin with horny fingers I dont don't know as youre you're going to like this so very good Bill Lets ULet's have the bad news first first I I eat it up God knows theres there's enough of it there here aint any other kind to be had lad What do you want to know first Hows Thorpe making out up above I HI saw him in Dodge City he was throwing money around with a shovel in each hand You know what I think I think he can go away and forget Tanner and write everything he has in Texas right off the books and never know the difference nce Roper locked his hands behind his head and stared at the ceiling Sometimes it seemed to him that trying to break Tanner was like trying trying try try- ing to empty the Rio Grande with witha a hand dipper The apparently unbounded unbounded unbounded un un- un- un bounded resources of Ben Thorpe in inthe inthe inthe the middle country and in the north out of reach of the south Texas war made up a vast reservoir which Tanner could draw on without limit How is Tanner himself making out Bill Ive I've been all up and down the north and md east part of Texas and I cant can't see where weve we've accomplished accomplished accomplished ac ac- ac- ac a damned thing You dont don't know what youre you're talking talking talk talk- ing about You know what I think Wilce persisted I uI think theres there's more cattle cattle cattle cat cat- tle in this country than the world has any use for I dont don't think you youcan youcan youcan can bother any man any more just by fooling with his cattle Never mind what you think Lets Let's have what you know I HI nosed around and tried to find out what promises Tanners Tanner's been making for cattle on spring eries I didn't learn everything Nobody Nobody Nobody No No- body learns everything But I got enough to total up Shoshone Wilce hesitated and didn't say any more until he had got a cigarette rolled In the middle middle middle mid mid- dle of rolling his cigarette he went into a coughing fit and spilled the tobacco so that he had to start over again Bill he said at last Cleve Tanners Tanner's going to drive more cattle this year than hes he's ever drove be be- fore In just one bunch alone he aims to deliver fifteen thousand head headon on the banks of the Red Hes uHe's crazy Roper shouted He uHe can t do it its it-it's its it's impossible Well he Well he thinks he can He INSTALLMENT 7 THE STORY SO FAR first step was to start a cattle war In Texas He made this decision against the opposition opposition tion of Lew Gordon and the tearful pleading o of his sweetheart Jody Gordon With the aid of Dry Camp Pierce and other outlaw gunmen Roper conducted raid after raid raidi i S knows his cattle counts better than me But But Ive Ive I've been all up and down this country and I dont don't see but what he can said the Uthe Well Wen anyway Roper border gangs are going good Well We'll go on with it and keep going on Bill Shoshone said how long can you go on the way its it's costing you now Not much farther I 1 guess You going to have to quit Roper shook his head Ill never I quit now Shoshone I cant can't quit While Ive I've got one rider left with me or no riders Ill I'll still be working working working work work- ing on Cleve Tanner But I think were we're going to beat him Wilce After After After Aft Aft- er all the border gangs gangs we we can count on them Roper continued to count on his border gangs for two weeks more Then in n the middle of February he learned that Lee Harnish was through The first word of difficulty came when Dave Shannon pushed a little bunch of seven hundred head through the river at Turn and found no vaqueros waiting on the other side Shannon waited three days before he was forced to turn the cattle free and ride The complete news of what had happened never really came What Roper learned came in bit by bit by way of random riders who had talked with a vaquero here another there Lee Harnish had been pressing south with a herd of twelve hundred head He was two days into Mexico Mexico Mexico Mex Mex- ico and supposed that he was clear he had never had much trouble once he was well below the line 1 J a ati ti u Pu 1 M I t 1 Harnish took to the brush and the hills hills' But now one moonless night a band report reported as of at least sixty men struck from no place scattering the herd and blazing down on Harnish's riders almost before they could take taketo to the saddle There had been a sharp running fight as Harnish and his half-dozen half boys took to the brush and the hills Unsatisfied with seizure seizure seizure sei sei- sei- sei zure of the herd the unknown band had spent three days trying to hunt down Harnish's riders Lee Harnish himself wounded in inthe inthe inthe the first skirmish had had a hard time getting clear it was not known whether or not all of his riders were elsewhere accounted for After an elapse of several weeks an Indian-faced Indian vaquero came hunting hunting hunting hunt hunt- ing Bill Roper he carried a written written written writ writ- ten message from Lee Harnish This thing is finished up Dont Don't let anybody tell you it was Cleve Tanners men busted into us What hes done this Tanner has put some bunches of Mex renegades up to landing on us they work with the and his Indian scouts have spotted where we make our cross cross- ings Seems like theres anyway a dozen bands of them got anything anything any any- thing else to do but lay watching those crossings and wait us out About half of them is carrying new American guns and plenty am am- They got our hide nailed to the fence all right and we are through It was a long time before Roper saw Lee Harnish again He did not accept Harnish's statements offhand offhand offhand off off- hand but when he had conferred with Dave Shannon and others of the border men in whom he believed believed believed be be- he was forced to accede that the running border-running phase of the attack attack attack at at- tack on Tanner was done As February drew to a close the big herds were once more being thrown together for the trail From the eleven rehabilitated outfits in which Roper was now silent part- part i J I tit wJ upon Thorpe's herds Cleve Tanner man man- manager alter ager of Thorpe's Texas holdings seemed helpless to stop him In spite of ot othis his daring daring dar dar- ing plans Ropers Roper's resources had dwindled dangerously low by the time winter came And Thorpe seemed not to feel the losses I S ner ncr a little trickle of trail cattle began to move toward the gathering gathering gathering gather gather- ing grounds on the Red The in income income income in- in come from these sales helped a little little lit lit- tle but the proceeds were principally principal principal- ly absorbed by debts incurred in behalf of the individual ranches The improvement in his situation which Roper had hoped for did not come It was deep into March when Tex Long quit Look Tex Long said look He did not talk easily whatever he said was was matter fact even now I UI got to pull out of this game Bill Roper looked at him without expression All right How much you figure I owe you Tex smiled Nothing A very rare flush of anger came into Bill Ropers Roper's face Tex what's the matter with you Tex Long made a quick futile gesture with his hands We Ve used to be able to jump down on them We cant can't do that now The Bert Johnson place is s studded with ri rifles rifles rifles ri- ri fles until a man cant can't take a step Every place you'll find out its it's the same There isn't going to be anything anything anything any any- thing more we can do We went good for a while But they got organized organized organized or or- now Were We're through Tex Long was only one of Bill Ropers Roper's picked gunfighters but he was one of the best As March drew on Roper lost four more Into the Big Bend into the valley of the Nueces Cleve Tanner had flooded such a power of gunfighters as Bill Roper would not have be be- He had supposed that he could outplace and outsmart Tanners Tanner's Tanners Tanner's Tanners Tanner's Tan Tan- ners ner's warrior outfits But now his raiding forces met everywhere a stubborn resistance Roper had discounted the quit of Tex Long but now other news was coming in in The Graham outfit the outfit the first of all those that the Roper men had taken was taken was again in the hands of Cleve Tanner and Nate Liggett assigned to protect Graham had headed for the tall without even a report Hat Crick Tommy was three weeks missing The Davis outfit left under his protection had gone the way of all loose outfits and Tanners Tanner's Tanners Tanner's Tanners Tanner's Tan Tan- ners ner's cowboys rode the range Dry Camp Pierce was almost the thelast thelast thelast last to come in of in-of of those who came in at all Pierce rode into the Pot Hook Camp early in April He was the same small wiry man he always had been his been his eyes watery his jaws poorly shaven liB Bill ill I cant can't carry these camps no more God knows we strung with you while we could Weve We've et beef beef beef without salt saIt or flour weve we've et bobcat meat But Bill theres there's no lead in our guns and theres there's no patches in our pants and its it's time I got to let the boys go to make out any way they can Bill Roper looked older than Dusty King had ever looked his face was vas like granite with hard lines cut into unto it by the weather Okay HOkay he said I HI understand how you feel Dry Camp Dry Camps Camp's anger was gone as quickly as it had come Bill he said pleadingly its Hits only only its its it's only only only on on- ly ly- ly Its Ht'S only that youve you've had a lot of men out working for or us Bill Roper said more reasonably Near liNear fifty men Dry Camp said How many you got working now Dry Camp Pierce hesitated Not a damned man Bill Roper said bitterly And now you quit Dusty King said Look you here Dry Camp Ive HIve strung with you when I wouldn't have strung with any other man let alone an upstart kid Ill I'll say this for you you youve youve you've made a game fight But kid take my word for it they're it-they're they're too big and they're too strong You think so Bill Roper saidI saidI said I HI know so I dont don't know what you had made men like Lee Harnish Harnish Harnish Har Har- nish and Dave Shannon and Nate Liggett throw in with you but they did the did the damnedest wild bunch Texas Texas Texas Tex Tex- as ever seen Half the renegades of the Long Trail and your part of King-Gordon King has gone into beating Cleve Tanner And where are we now Well We HWe arent aren't any place Kid I tell you were we're beat and were we're long beat April melted into May and Roper had nothing to fight with any more Those units of his wild bunch that had not quit had not been heard from at all he knew already that the ones who had completely failed Cleve Tanner prospered seemingly and all was well with Ben Thorpe Bill Roper waited at the Pot Hook now trying to think of some way that he had missed King Gor don denied him and Lew Gordon Gordol would advance nothing more against Dusty Kings King's share othe o of the partnership which had been broken broken broken bro bro- ken by death TO BE CONTINUED |