Chapter 5

We met the Ferris’ herd coming up the trail on our way home. Ferris wasn’t bossing it. He had started out, but got busted up the first day on the trail and had returned to his ranch. Dean’s wife Mable, and their eighteen-year-old son, Dave were trying to get the herd to market. They had started out three weeks after mine, and weren’t making time at all. It was getting dryer with little rain and feed was short.

I met Mable a few times in church, but had barely said more than a few words with her. She was having trouble with her crew and she had no idea how to boss a cattle drive. The crew pretty much ignored her and didn’t seem to care whether the cattle reached market or not. Dave tried, but was used to his father bullying the crew and being obeyed. He was too young and inexperienced to be boss and was just laughed at. This was a rough bunch of hands with the foreman being the worst.

We stopped for the night to learn all this. Mable got me off to one side and told me her tale of woe. “Mr. Palmer, will you take my herd to market for me?” I’ll give you half of what you get if you can get it there and get it sold.”

“It won’t bring much. You are late starting and you haven’t made much time. You are still three weeks away from reaching the railroad. At the rate you are moving you can add another week.”

“I know it, but we do need money even if it isn’t as much as we hoped for. Dean could’ve done it, but I can’t get the crew to even get up at daylight and get the herd moving.”

“I don’t want to. Sheila will be having our baby within the next two weeks and I want to be there.”

“I just don’t know what I’m going to do.”

I looked at the Ferris crew. Most were lying around asleep and it wasn’t even twilight yet. “How big is your crew?”

“There are twelve hands including the cook and that’s not counting me and Dave.” I looked over the crew. I looked like they were all in camp. I wondered who was watching the cattle that were bedded down’

“Who is watching the herd?”

“No one, Sam says they are tired and won’t go anywhere.”

“Mrs. Ferris, that won’t work. You’ve been extremely lucky you haven’t lost your whole herd before this. It must take a long time in the morning to get the cows together, up and moving.”

“It does, but Sam is the straw-boss and he hasn’t said different. I’ve had to leave things up to him.”

“You mean your cattle are left untended all night?”

“Not exactly. We have four other ranchers from the valley with us. They have eight hundred head in with ours. They don’t have any riders and are their own hands. All of them are pretty old and not much help. They take turns riding at night while my hands are in camp.”

“Mrs. Ferris I really feel sorry for you, but I want to be with Sheila.”

“I guess I can understand. Is there anyone that you know of that could boss my crew? It would have to be soon. I have a feeling that my luck is running out.”

“Well, let me think on it. I’ll camp here for tonight. We’ll talk in the morning.”

“Thank you Mr. Palmer. Please call me Mable.”

“I will if you will call me Randy.” My men cooked over the open campfire, but drank Ferris’ coffee. When done, I walked around looking at the other crew. They were all dirty ... much dirtier than need be. Sam, the straw boss, was pointed out to me and I remembered him from things he had said on my wedding day. A small, dark-featured man was sitting with him. I came up to two of the other ranch owners. I hadn’t met them yet.

“How’s it going?”

“Not well. Ferris got injured. We should have pulled our cattle out of his herd and stayed home, but his crew wouldn’t let us, so we kind to had to come along to protect our cattle. I have a feeling we might as well turn tail and head for home. I don’t think our cattle will ever get to market.”

“It could happen. It’s awful late in the season to be on the trail.”

“We know.”

“What time do you go on nighthawk duty?”

“Midnight.”

“That’s a long time to pull duty after riding all day.”

“Yeah, but maybe we can give Mable a little warning if something comes up. Course that’s not saying she can do anything about it.”

“Bad situation you are in.”

“You got that right.”

I left them and got on my horse and headed out to the bed-ground. I came up with one rancher and it wasn’t long before the other one joined us. One of them, asked, “You with that bunch that rode in awhile ago?”

“Yeah, I’m Randy Palmer from the same valley as you. I guess we haven’t met. Mrs. Ferris is trying to get me to take her herd up the trail for her. I was wondering how you felt about it?”

“Anything is better than the way we are going now. Are you going to?”

“Thinking on it. Problem is my wife will be birthing our baby before I get back to her if I do.”

“That’s tough. You better forget Mable asked you.”

“Hard to do.”

“Guess so, but then it sure would help us out if you took over. You know if it wasn’t for Sam, we’d have made out fine. He acts like he has his own agenda. He and two-three of the crew all the time got their heads together.”

“Think they are planning on stealing the herd?”

“Donno, but the thought crossed my mind.”

“What shape are the cattle in?”

“Good. Hell, they have enough time to stay fat. We ain’t on the road long enough to make them get poorly.”

“Well, I’ll let you know in the morning if I decide to give you a hand.”

“We’d hope you help Mable out more’n for ourselves. She’s purely a nice lady. Don’t care much for Ferris, but we’ve managed to get along with him. Too bad the boy, Dave, has him for a father.”

I headed back to the camp. Most of my thoughts were for Sheila, but I wanted to help out my neighbors. Up until now I hadn’t had anything to do with them, but that would change over the years.

Mable was still sitting by her campfire. My men had built a fire of their own to keep coffee on during the night. Montana and Slim were sitting around it half asleep. The two ranch owners I had talked to earlier were watching me as I unsaddled. I motioned them to join me. “Mable, let’s talk. Help me figure how I can help you. Can you get your boy to hear what we say?”

“Yes, I’ll bring him with me.”

Two ranchers, my two men and Mable and Dave were far enough away where the others couldn’t hear our conversation. Before I could speak, Mable said, “For your information, I’ve asked Mr. Palmer to take the herd up to the tracks. I’ve offered him half of what we get to do this for us.”

“Whoa, now, I’ll make my own deal.”

“Randy, I made the offer. Do you want more?”

“Not in money, but we have to plan this. I understand that your straw boss and two of your crew may make trouble. I’ll want you to back me when I fire them if I take over. I’ll want one of your men to head back and explain to your husband that you have asked me to be your trail boss and why. That’s going to leave you seven trail hands and the cook.

“I’m going to be sending one of my men home with a letter to my wife, telling her of my decisions and why I’m breaking my promise. I should send two, but we’ll see. Mable, you might send a note with my man as well. I think one of the other ranchers should go back with your man. Everyone will be wondering why we aren’t back when they figure we should be.

“Now, as far as the deal with Mable and the four others, I couldn’t hold my head up if I took half your herd as has been offered. I’m only asking here, but would you go for two dollars a head delivered? I understand the cattle are in good shape, so they will bring more than the half that Mable offered. I do have to say it is late in the season, but there were a lot of buyers still around looking to buy when I left Kansas. I’ll expect every day we are on the trail before we get there makes it so you receive less per head.”

“Why doesn’t it be me that goes back to the valley and talk to my husband and Sheila?”

“Because if there any hint of a cloud over the ownership of the cattle, that will drive the price down. You will be needed as owner to prove ownership and if I negotiate the selling price I’ll need every advantage I can use.”

One of the ranchers spoke up, “I’ll accept paying two dollars a head to get my cows to there from here. I think I’ll lose it all if I don’t get them there.” The other rancher present, agreed.

“Fair enough, Randy. You take over.”

“Remember, I might lose too, if I don’t deliver, because I’m doing this on speculation of two dollars a head delivered. You might add that into your note.”

“I will.”

“Okay, get some rest. I’ll get this settled at day light. Mable, when we get up, you head out to the bed ground. I don’t want you here in case there is some shooting.”

“Do you think there will be?”

“Hard to tell, but it wouldn’t be surprising.”

“Do what you have to do. You are my prospective savior as well as the savior of the herd.”

When I opened my eyes, I heard the cookie stirring the fire. I was soon up with my boots on. Slim and Tony were putting their boots on at the same time. Montana was in his blankets and grinned at me. I figured there was a gun in his hand, I just couldn’t see it. Dave Ferris was over by the chuck wagon. He looked like hell and I knew he hadn’t slept.

The rest of my crew was stirring. Mable came out of her little tent shelter that was in front of the cook wagon. I went over and saddled her horse, but when I banged on a dish pan she came and stood with me. Everyone jumped up and looked around. Sam came out of his blankets. He didn’t look up, but he was swearing a blue streak.

Finally he faced Mable. “What the hell is the racket, Mable? It’s too early to be up.”