Rowdy Rides to Glory (1987) Read Online Free PDF Page A

send a messenger. Ther e is only peace and brotherhood between the people of Cochino and Rowdy Horn."
    She explained briefly, and the old Indian nodded gravely. "Invite him to the rode o if he wishes to come," Rowdy added. Vaho spoke swiftly, and the old Indian stare d at them, his eyes bleak. Then he shook his head.
    "He says," Vaho explained, "he is too old to give up now. As he has lived, so wil l he die."
    A long time after that, riding away through the great broken hills, Rowdy glance d back again and again at the splendid horse he was leading. And that night when the y camped again beside the pool, he talked with the tall horse, curried him carefully.
    The horse nuzzled him, eager for affection.
    Vaho walked out to them from the fire, and he looked around at her. "This horse i s almost human," he said. "Some how he gives a man the feeling of standing near somethin g superb, something beyond just horseflesh."
    She nodded. "I know. He likes you too, Rowdy. Already that is plain." She hesitate d for a moment. "But Rowdy, it has been a long time since he has worked with cattle.
    Do you think he will be as good?"
    "I've no idea," he admitted, "but he's my only chance, and somehow I think we'l l make it. Anyway, it will be a treat to ride this horse."
    Yet he was scarcely thinking of that. He was thinking of the girl by his side-tall , clean-limbed, and lovely-and he was remembering the long ride through the deser t beside her, the calm way she had talked to Cochino, the strange feeling of ease an d happiness he had when riding with her, when knowing she was close to him. She wa s in his thoughts even as he slept and dreamed....
    "Rowdy," Vaho said suddenly the following morning, "there's another trail, a wa y through the Rim to the back of your place. Old Cleetus showed it to me when I wa s just a little girl. Let's go that way. I think it's shorter."
    Turning their horses they cut off through the pines toward the blue haze that hun g in the distance, and abruptly, they drew up on the very edge of an amazing canyo n whose sides dropped sheer away to the sandy bottom where a small stream slid ove r a bottom now of rocks, now of sand. Skirting the cliff, they came to a steep pat h and wound their way down. When they and their horses had rested and had drank lon g of the clear, cold water, they mounted again and turned downstream.
    It was cool in the shadow of the cliffs. When they had followed the canyon for severa l hours, Rowdy called softly to Vaho who had ridden on ahead.
    "Look here." He drew up, pointing.
    In the sand of the canyon bottom were the tracks of several shod horses.
    "No Indian ponies," he said grimly, "and no white man that I know of knows this country.
    Except one."
    "You think it's Rollick?" she asked.
    "Who else? Times have changed since the old days, but there's still a market fo r rustled beef, and Jack Rollick is supposed to be back in here somewhere."
    "The tracks go the same way we're going," she said, "but there's no way out of her e now except downstream."
    "Let's go," he said grimly.
    He reached back and slipped the thong from the butt of his six-gun. His rifle h e always carried in a scabbard that pointed forward and down just ahead of his righ t knee so that the stock of the rifle was within easy grasp of his right hand. He wa s glad now that it was so handy.
    Riding cautiously downstream they had gone no more than two miles when suddenly th e canyon widened out and the rock walls fell back. They drew up sharply in the scree n of aspen and willow beside the trail. Before them was a wide green meadow throug h which coursed the stream. The meadow was all of fifty acres in extent. A branch canyo n seemed to lead off an immeasurable distance to the right. Within view were at leas t one hundred head of cattle, fattening on the grass.
    Beyond, and close to the sheer wall at the far end of the little meadow, was a ston e cabin, and a corral. There were several horses in the corral. No saddled horses wer