"Well, light an set. Grub's on if your hungry."
"Thank you, sir, it's good ta meet ya." Justus smiled, then stepped out of the saddle and loosened the cinch. "I truly do appreciate it, sir." He knew how fortunate it was that he'd come across a drive in the first place, so to be offered a job was all the better.
"So what finds you out here, on the run? Folks, the law? Step over an' get yerself a plate."
"Might say that." Justus hadn't really thought about how he would answer that, although he should have suspected it was coming, and it was only reasonable that the man would ask. "Family's gone, my ma died when I was little, an' Pa an' I...separated ways, so I figured it was best ta head north." Truth, yes, but maybe not all of it. "'Sides, I'm hopin' it'll be a little cooler up Montana way."
"'mon son, this ain't gonna git et with you standin' there!"
Justus chuckled and nodded. "Thank ya, I'd like ta picket ol' Mule here first." Of course, the horse came first...without a horse, a cowboy wasn't much of anything.
That only took a couple of minutes for him to unsaddle and add the pinto to the picket line, then come back for the offered meal.
"Thanks. It's been a couple'a days." He nodded, then added, "I'm Justus, good ta meet ya." Even though he'd been introduced indirectly, he wanted to make it directly to the cook, who was much younger than he would have thought. But he figured the trail boss knew what he was doing, a cook was crucial to contentment on a drive.
"I'll help ya clean up, if ya'd like."
Teal looked on as the youngster ate and then offered to help clean up, something no hand he had ever known would do.
Cookie, Nate Amrose had been on many a drive north to Kansas and he had never seen it either. "Now son, ya wanna be a cowhand on this drive, ya don't start by washin' no dishes when Danny Baker here is about to do jest that. Now g'wan. Git!"
Frank suppressed a chuckle, not Dixie Brick, or Tisdale, or Will Ames. No, they all had a good chuckle at the lads offer. "You boys best rest some, you're on at mid-night, and son, roll out yer soogun cuz you'll be out there with 'em."
"We'll show ya the ropes." Brick said.
"You'll be a good hand in no time, yer ridin' with the best Texas has to offer!" Ames added.
Tisdale got to his feet, "Here, I'll lend a hand stripping yer horse." He took the last swallow of his coffee and set his cup near the circle of rock where the fire was to be lit. The cook fire was out.
Justus shrugged. He wasn't going to complain about not helping with cleaning up from grub, especially when it seemed like he was going to be run out of bed in a few hours to watch cows! Not that he minded, he was no stranger to keeping odd hours and getting up in the middle of the night, fully (mostly) alert!
"Thanks." Justus smiled and nodded to Tisdale. "Glad ta know this outfit's th' best, wouldn't have it any other way!"
He chuckled, then walked over to Mule, knowing that the horse would be more than happy to be free of his tack, and he showed his enjoyment of a good brush-down by swishing his tail and smacking his lips.
Once the horse was settled, he picked up his saddle, that still had the saddle bags and his bedroll strapped on. "Where can I put my roll?" he asked. He knew that there was a sort of hierarchy on ranches among the cowboys, and he figured it was the same here, and he didn't want to step on anyone's toes.
"Close to hand if you ain't usin' it fer a piller." Name' Pete but most call me Pecos Pete." The man with the easy smile said. "We'll up an' at it pretty soon, so, best we get us some sleep. Frank's gonna rotate duties, but there's a couple men what like night hawk duty and volunteer fer it."
It was not unusual to rotate duties on a drive instead of the same men doing the same jobs over and over. Frank wanted to keep his sharpest men on at night when the Indians liked to sneak in and steal horses, or raiders swoop in to rustle the herd, or at least a part of it.
"All right, then." Justus smiled and nodded, then tossed his saddle down near the fire and laid out his bedroll. It was still pretty warm, so he opted to lay on top of the blankets, grateful for the extra layer of padding between him and the dirt.
With his saddle under his head for a 'pillow', and gunbelt at his side, Justus closed his eyes and relaxed, although he lay awake for a time, listening to the activity around the camp and allowing himself to trust the situation that had been given to him. Maybe he was finally on the right track...
" 'mon boy, time to git too it." Pecos Pete said nudging the boy in the shoulder with his boot toe." Then moved on to his own chores. It was the way of things out on the prairie . Quite, gentle. The boys for the nigh hawk were getting ready to saddle up, later on, they would already have their mounts under saddle.
Pete was at his horse, ready to blanket and saddle him, he looked back at Justus, "Be alright tonight, good moon, lite breeze," He said as he worked. "You'll do, Wheeler. Just takes a bit of time to catch on ta things." He pulled his cinch tight, dropping the fender, then with the ease of a well practiced mount, swung up on into the saddle without using the stirrup. He looked at justice and smiled
Justus started awake, his hand instinctively going for his gun, but he quickly realized where he was, and why he was here, and stayed the movement, for a moment blinking up at the outline of the man standing over him. He was accustomed to waking up at all hours, and he readily jumped up and grabbed his hat.
"Gimme a minnit ta git my horse saddled up." Mule wasn't too happy at the prospect of roaming around in the dark, but the lanky horse tolerated the intrusion, and soon, Justus was mounted up and beside Pete.
"Tell me what needs doin' an' how ta do it," he said, nodding. He was willing to learn, and he surely had plenty to learn!
"Well now that'll be easy. You an' me we'll just ride out, relieve the first two we run onto." Pete began, "mostly it's about eyes an' ears out here. You an me'll string out a bit time to time with Dixie and Tisdale. The job is to be wary of Injuns 'er outlaws. both'll come fast if they come. Ain't like every night out here there's a threat, but we just prepare for it."
"Frank's put on extra riders since we're so close to the 'Strip.' Mostly there'll just be two men out as night hawks once we've cleared this area, maybe a couple more days." Then it's the wide open spaces, meadows and mountains, rivers to ford, clean clear sweet water for the drinkin'. Yep new country."
"Yes, sir." Justus nodded, easing a bit, at least as far as his companion went. Pete was a nice guy, seemed willing to teach and help, and not to judge a raw kid on his first ride out.
Or course, Justus was only 'raw' to the trail drive, but when it came to other things he was seasoned far beyond someone of his years should be. But those were skills he wasn't going to use again, and chuckled at the realization that his Pa had never gotten into cattle rustling -- 'Too dangerous and too hard' -- although now, it would be knowledge that Justus could use to predict when rustlers might be a problem.
"So, now, we don't gotta sing ta them cows or nothin', right?" That alone would cause a stampede!
Oh, singin' ta them doggies, thet's somethin' some do, some don't. They say it keeps them calm, don't doubt it, but I don't have the voice fer it." He admitted. "Not no problem though, there's al'ays a couple boys what ain't afraid ta lullaby."
Likely you'll get paired up with different riders as we go, gener'ly whot Frank does with a new man. The job is ta keep an eye on things, includin' them steers. What what's goin' on around ya. Eye out fer trouble. Hard cuz it's dark, but the time'll pass quick enough. Be four afore ya know it. then back inta the flea bag till time ta rise an' shine."