"Sounds like it's gonna be a good spread, from what I've heard." Justus shrugged. "'Course, none'a th' men here know Mr. Pike directly, but I think it'll be excitin' ta be in on th' start, an' th' cows look like a fine herd, an' them horses..." shaking his head, he let out a low whistle, "Nice as animals as I ever did see, pretty lines, but not at all frail like some'a them fancy Eastern horses."
His eyes scanned over the herd and camp, and then he chuckled. "If them cows didn't taste so good after Cookie got done with 'em, I might not like 'em so much. Dumb as bricks, an' they smell pretty rank, too. Leastways, we'll have a pretty new bunkhouse, an' barn an' whatnot. Sounds like a nice deal. I just hope th' owner knows his business front, back an' sideways!"
Nothing like a cattle rancher that didn't know cattle, but at least Teal knew what he was about, and could hopefully set things right.
"A man ties into the expense of a herd an' hands, he knows what he's about, leastways I expect he would. Probly was a wrangler same as us at one timer 'er another, maybe fer a spell." Zane responded to what Justus had said. "Seems there'll be some of these men startin' up a spread, usually where cattlemen come from. This is shore pretty country around these parts, been getting pretty that last couple weeks."
"I been settled on a ranch and it's a good life too. Living alongside a bunch'a waddies, men you can set store by. So far I'd say this is a good bunch to ride with." He continued. "Hell, I jest got here, whadda I know, anyhow?"
Justus chuckled. "Well, I've only been here a while, but they accepted me right off, all seem ta be hard workers, an' honest." Some of them had to have faults, everyone did, but so far he hadn't noticed anyone openly shirking or being argumentative.
"Reckon this Pike has ta have done good fer himself, if he can afford a new ranch, this many cows, them horses..." Sure, he might have some financing, but no common cowpoke could afford this. "Guess it shows that any'a us can do that, should we save, an' wait long enough. That Pike must be fifty or sixty!"
It was still good to know that eventually, should a man want, he could have something of his own. Justus just wasn't sure that he wanted the responsibility that came with running a ranch.
"Me, I think I'm content just bein' a hand, not haftin' ta worry about all there is ta ownin' a place...heck, don't even know what all there is to it, mindin' cows, but ya gotta have hay an' feed an' food fer th' men an'..." Well, that was already too much to think on!
"You got yerself a real good point there." Zane agreed, "I reckon some's cut out ta be owners, a' some as hands. The Lazy S and met up with Ty, he was foreman the whole time I was there till he headed north, some relative called for his help and he lit out."
"Me, I just couldn't sit in that hot New Mexico Territory no longer. Been a ride. That's sure 'nuff the truth. But heard tell of his passin' here an' there kept me pushin' on so I gotta say this here ranch we're headed to might be the one he was headed for, maybe it was another. Guess I'll find out soon enough. No all we need is the weather ta hold." That came with a grin, every waddie had a slicker tied to their saddle.
"Well, at least if ya can't find yer friend, ya like as not can stay on at th' Rockin' P," Justus pointed out, not that he could say for certain, but he was pretty sure that the size spread that could handle the cows and horses they had with them would need more hands to run efficiently. At least it was a possibility.
"Can't say as I'd complain, were I never ta be baked by th' sun again! Never a good thing when ya can hear yer brain a'sizzlin' away 'twixt yer ears!"
Of course, he might have a change of heart once winter came in full-force. "Not sure how I'm gonna feel about snow, though. Never seen it before."
"Brain sizzlin', yeah, I hear ya. Plus gettin' to on guard every moment with the 'paches lurkin' about. But they was allowed to water their horses on the place, an' that gave us some peace, but that was there. On the trail? Whole differ'nt thing." Zane chuckled as he spoke, until he mentioned Apaches, then his voice dropped an octave. "They was tough as old shoe leather, they was, still are. Glad ta be shut of 'em!"
Then he smiled again, "Far as stayin' on, maybe. Cain't never tell. there was a place I stopped, own said he remembered Ty an' thet he was sweet on this woman what was headed fer Oregon, so he might not even be there. So sure, havin' a welcome ta stay on. Be good." Then he looked at Justus, "This Teal fella, seems ta be a fair sort, might just stay on after I size up this old Pike fella."
"I do hope things'll work out, don't really want ta learn new men, an' I like Mr. Teal...an' Cookie's food is passable." He laughed, then shook his head. "As fer th' savages, they're there too, different band...I think Paiute...Ute? Same sorta men, maybe different ways, but still just as dangerous tryin' ta protect what they think is theirs."
Justus didn't particularly have a soft spot for the Indians, but he could understand that they'd been fighting this battle for two hundred years or so, and despite the victory over Custer, they were losing, and he figured that deep down they knew it.
"Don't mean them any particular ill will," he continued, "like some men that look ta kill them on sight just because of who they are. Not that I'm lookin' ta be friends, but if they leave me alone, I'm inclined ta leave them alone."
"Can't say as I've had much truck with redskins, cept 'paches, some others, but mostly 'paches. That's a country pretty much void of trees and such like, where a man can hide, but they been known ta come outta nowhere. And ta our way'a thinking they're just plain mean." Zane explained, "But they been fightin' fer hundreds a years. Spanish, Mexicans, other injuns, white eyes, and each other. They got a crazy notion of what's funny, and they're liable to do most anything."
"Now, this idea of stayin' on, er traipsin after Tyrell if he's moved on? Sortta gonna wait on that a spell. See what happens, I 'spose." He decided, "Good bunch so far, an' I'd say Cookies grub's more'n passable. You musta been eatin' in some fancy Chicago restaurants somewhere along the line." Then he laughed. Fat chance any of them had ever seen Chicago.
Justus laughed and shook his head. "Honest, Cookie's made some'a the best food I've eaten, an' once we're at a bunkhouse, where he has more time an' equipment, I think we're gonna be eatin' good!"
The whole set-up was almost too good to be true, but he was hoping for the best. "Sounds like ya got plenty'a good options, though, an' hopefully you'll find yer friend, a least so ya don't hafta worry about where he is."
Trying to track a man in a land this vast could be a problem, but it wasn't as if this Tyrell didn't want to be found, so he'd likely at least leave word of where he was headed.
"Options ain't always good ta have, sometimes, like my Pa used to say, the good oftentimes is the enemy of the best," Zane said smoothly. "So I've come this far, I'll go the rest of the way and see what's what. Ty may have moved on, maybe to that woman, or maybe not. Maybe he stayed on, maybe he didn't. Nothing ta do here but speculate, fancy word fer worry most times."
Dusk descended on them after the lengthy twilight. The sliver of a moon shed sparse light, but the cattle were bedded down and aside from the clip-clop of their horse hooves, and their conversation, all was quiet. Their watch was winding down, but it seemed neither was tired. By Midnight that would most likely change and they would be rolled out before light creased the sky. They'd be moving before it was fully light.
"I like what I've seen of this country so far. The trees fer sure, not a lot of them down on the "S", not a lot of anything but sage and cactus, things what don't take much water to grow. This here's all green an' lush, an' I'm thinking it'll be that way up in Kat-espel, er whatever it's called."