Amanda in Alberta: The Writing on the Stone (5 page)

“Mooom! Why do we have to get up so early on summer holidays?” Amanda rubbed her eyes as she looked at the clock beside her bed.

“I have to go in to work. Uncle Jimmy just called and you've been invited to go on a cattle drive at the Bar U Ranch. Your cousin Gordon is picking you up in thirty minutes. Now, get a move on.”

Amanda and Leah looked at each other.

“Well, I wanted to go visit Aunt Mary today. I have something to ask her. Plus, I thought you said you had a couple of days off.”

“I did, but they need me today so I have to go in. Whatever it is, you can wait to ask Aunt Mary another time. For heaven's sake, Amanda, I thought you would be happy to go on a cattle drive. What a great experience for Leah. How many young girls from England can say they've been on a real cattle drive?”

As Mrs. Ross left the girls to get ready, she said, “Wear jeans and long sleeves. It's a bit cooler today and there may be mosquitoes.”

“It looks like we're going on a cattle drive.” Amanda jumped out of bed.

“What about that mean ranch hand?” Leah asked as she braided her hair.

“We'll just keep clear of him. Besides, there will be lots of other people around. We'll be OK.”

Soon a pickup truck pulled up in front of the house, and a tall, lanky, young man swung down from the cab. He pushed his cowboy hat to the back of his head and said, “I hear you city slickers need a ride to a cattle drive. You sure you can handle the tough life of a wrangler?” He grinned from ear to ear.

“Stop teasing, Gordon. We can hold our own.” Amanda punched her cousin's shoulder.

“Ya, right. I brought Sarah along, just to be sure.”

The girls climbed into the cab, squishing in beside Sarah.

* * *

A hive of activity greeted them upon arrival at the ranch. Restless cows mooed. Horses whinnied, swishing their tails as they trotted back and forth along the fence. Eager cowboys and cowgirls shouted to each other. Bart barked with excitement.

Andy, dressed in a long, brown oilskin coat and a black cowboy hat, strode over to the half-ton truck. “Howdy. Glad to see you decided to join us today on our annual cattle drive. We don't have as many cattle as we used to, but they still need to be moved to another pasture. Are you joining us, Gord?”

“Sorry, Dad needs me on the farm today. We've started the baling. I'll pick these three up at four o'clock,” answered Gordon.

“Don't you worry none. I'll see they're looked after.” Andy patted the window frame with the palms of his hands.

The girls piled out of the truck and Gordon drove away in a cloud of dust.

“Follow me to the saddle horse barn so we can get you saddled up and ready.” Andy and Bart led the way.

The barn smelled of fresh hay. Amanda noticed Leah's nose twitch and remembered that she suffered from hay fever.

“Will you be OK?” she asked her friend.

“I'll be fine once we get outside and away from this stuff.” Leah sniffed.

Soon all three girls rode their horses beside the noisy cows as they headed out of the yard. They had been instructed to watch out for any strays. It was important to keep the herd together. All the cows had the Bar U brand on them so it was easy to know if they belonged.

The cattle came in all shapes and sizes; most were chocolate brown but a few were black with white faces. Amanda loved the young ones. She thought they were just so cute. The cows stirred up a cloud of dust as they stomped along the dry prairie road swishing flies off their backs with their tails.

“What was that?” asked Leah pointing to a small furry animal that dashed across the trail in front of them and dove into a hole in the ground.

“Oh, that was a gopher,” said Sarah. “We've got plenty of them around here. Watch and you might see him come out of another hole.”

“Oh, look! There he is!” shouted Leah as she pointed to a tiny brown head popping out of an opening in the ground further down the way. “How did he get over there?”

“Their underground home is actually a network of tunnels with many openings,” explained Sarah.

“Hey, you girls! Pay attention. Didn't you see that youngster stray? You best get him back over here,” a ranch hand shouted from the other side of the herd.

A black calf headed toward the trees. Sarah turned her horse in the direction of the runaway. Amanda and Leah followed. The little guy appeared to be happy to get away from the grown-ups and moved at a good speed. Once in the forest the girls lost sight of him.

“Where did he go?” Amanda looked from left to right.

“I think he's over there.” Leah pointed to movement in the trees. As they got closer, no calf appeared.

Sarah stopped her horse and looked around. “That's odd. It's as if he just disappeared into thin air.”

A twig snapped.

“What was that?” Amanda squirmed in her saddle.

The forest was silent for a moment and then a slender, beige deer-like animal jumped out from behind a tree and skipped away through the pines.

“It was just an antelope.” Sarah laughed with relief. “Now where did that crazy little runaway get to?”

The girls rode through the tall trees keeping a sharp eye out until they came upon a clearing with a small cabin. The windows were boarded over and the door hung open on one hinge.

“Do you think the calf got in there?” asked Leah.

The girls dismounted. They peered in through the door at a dim, gloomy room. A tree branch had found its way in between the window frame. A table, set with tin plates and cups, sat in the middle of the dirt floor waiting for the owners to come home for dinner. Cobwebs and dust covered everything.

Amanda shuddered. “This place gives me the creeps. I think we should turn back.”

“This what you're lookin' fer?”

A cowboy in a long, dark-brown oilskin coat came around the corner of the shack pulling an unhappy black calf. Amanda's heart skipped a beat when she recognized him as Hank.

“Yes,” she said. “We need to get him back to the herd. What are you doing with him anyway?”

“Don't you worry. I'll see he gets back with his momma. But your cattle drive is over.” He wrapped the rope around a tree and walked up to the girls in the doorway. “Get in the hut.”

The girls didn't move.

“I said, git in the hut. Now!”

Hank shoved Sarah and Leah, who fell against Amanda and they all tumbled onto the dirt floor of the abandoned shack. Hank slammed the door shut.

“Maybe you will think about who you'll give that stone to while you spend time in there,” he shouted as he hammered a board across the door.

Amanda could hear the frightened calf bawl as Hank led him away. ‘He better not hurt that calf,' she thought as her eyes became accustomed to the dark.

Specks of dust danced in a sliver of light shining through an opening by a boarded up window. The stale air smelled musty. No one had been in the cabin for some time. Thick dust covered the sparse furniture.

Leah sat up and picked her hat off the dirt floor. “WTG, Amanda. Now, what have you got us into? Why don't you just give him the stupid rock?”

“What are you talking about?” asked Sarah as she brushed dust off her jeans. “What rock? And what does WTG mean anyway?”

“Way to go. Amanda found a rock with a weird mark on it. Somehow, certain people know she has it and are trying to get it from her. This Hank guy is scary.”

Amanda studied the window. “I think the important thing right now is finding a way out of this place. I don't know about you guys, but I don't want to stay in here for any longer than I have to. Who knows what creepy crawlies are in here—or worse.”

She shuddered as she walked over to the window. Her fingers just fit in the small opening, blocking out the only light in the shack. A tug at the window frame, and the old dry wood broke away. She pulled at another piece with the same result.

“Come on you guys; help pull this wood away to give us more light in here.”

While Leah and Sarah pulled more of the window frame away, Amanda spotted a cast iron frying pan hanging on the wall. After brushing away cobwebs, she lifted it off the hook. It weighed a ton.

“Move out of the way!” she shouted.

With both hands, she lifted the heavy pan in the air and smashed the boards covering the window. The wood gave way allowing in bright sunlight along with the fresh smell of evergreens.

Amanda grinned at the other girls, “Easy peasy. Now, let's get out of here.”

Leah climbed out first since she had the longest legs. Then she helped Sarah and Amanda make the short jump to the ground.

“Where are our horses?” Amanda looked around. “Don't tell me Hank took the horses.”

“It looks like we'll be walking,” said Leah. “I hope one of you knows the way out of this forest.”

Sarah pointed toward an opening in the trees. “I think we came in that way.”

After walking for a few minutes, Leah began to sneeze.

“Are you OK, Leah?” asked Amanda.

“It was awfully dusty in that shack. I could use some water, but I guess the canteens went with the horses.” Leah sighed.

“I'm sorry, Leah.” Amanda felt bad.

Sarah pointed to movement in the trees ahead. “What's that?”

“Oh no. I hope it's not Hank coming back. Let's hide behind this big tree,” whispered Amanda.

All three girls scrunched together. Amanda peeked around the trunk. A man in a long dark coat and black hat walked toward the tree. He looked at the ground so she couldn't see his face. Amanda ducked back.

‘It's got to be Hank,' she thought. Her heart pounded so loud she was sure the man could hear it as he got closer to the tree. Leah pressed against her. Amanda could feel her shaking. Sarah leaned on Leah and squeezed her elbows tight against her sides, trying to be as small as possible.

Footsteps crunched on the forest floor coming closer and closer to the tree. Amanda held her breath and willed her heart to stop pounding. Then the footsteps began to sound further away. Amanda peered around the tree again. The man was walking away from the tree. She relaxed and started to breathe again.

Just when he was a comfortable distance away, Leah sneezed. Amanda stopped breathing. “I'm so sorry,” Leah mouthed.

The man stopped and turned toward the tree. At the same time there was a rustle in the brush and a barking dog emerged. Bart ran right up to the tree wagging his tail in excitement.

“Have you found them, Bart? That's a good boy. You're not just good for rounding up cattle, but missing girls as well.” Andy let out a huge breath as he came around the tree. “Are you young ones OK? You gave us quite a scare when your horses turned up without you. Why are you hiding behind this tree?”

“W-we thought you were Hank. He, he took our horses after he locked us in an old cabin,” gasped Amanda still giddy with fright.

“Hank? Hank McGavity? You mean the ranch hand that used to work for me?” Andy removed his hat and scratched his head. “He's nowhere around these parts. Last I heard he went to work on a ranch in Saskatchewan after I fired him. He's nothing but a trouble maker, that one. He wouldn't dare turn up here.”

“I'm pretty sure it was Hank,” said Amanda, regaining her composure. “He had red hair.”

Andy shook his head. “Now why would Hank want to lock you in a cabin and take your horses?” He put his hat back on. “We need to get you girls back to the ranch, fed and watered before Gord comes back to pick you up.”

Amanda had a feeling Andy didn't believe their story. She was relieved he had found them though.

Andy led the way back through the trees to the road and then drove the shaken girls to the ranch in his truck. Once there, they were given cold drinks and roast beef sandwiches in the cookhouse. The cook pulled out a batch of fresh baked cookies from the oven. The girls soon felt better.

“If you young ladies are all right now, I best be joining the cattle drive. They should be almost at the other pasture by now.” Andy got up to leave.

“Can't we join the rest of the cattle drive too?” asked Amanda.

“No way. You've had enough excitement for one day, Missy. Besides, I promised Gord I would look after you girls, and a man's word is a man's word.” Andy wrinkled his brow. “Cook here will look after you. Just let her know if you need anything.” He motioned to the sleeping dog, “Come along, Bart.”

Andy and Bart jumped in the half ton and drove away, leaving a trail of dust.

“Now what are we going to do until my brother gets here?” asked Sarah.

“Let's go up to the bunkhouse.” Amanda headed toward the stairs. “I think I saw some stones up there when we were here last time, and I'd like to check them out.”

“Not more stones, Amanda.” Leah shook her head. “Isn't that what just got us locked in a horrible old shack?” She looked over at Sarah, shrugged her shoulders and followed Amanda up the stairs.

Everything looked as it did when they first visited.

“I guess this isn't where the cowboys actually sleep,” remarked Leah.

“No,” said Sarah. “This is a museum which shows you what it was like a long time ago.”

Amanda looked around but couldn't see any stones on the bedside table where she had spotted them before.

A loud thump came from downstairs.

“Hey, you! Get out of my kitchen, you good-for-nothing. I thought Mr. Rowlands told you to get lost.” The screen door slammed.

The girls looked out the window to see a man with red hair sprinting across the field. The cook ran behind him with her broom in the air. She stopped when he jumped in the creek and waded to the bushes on the other side.

“And don't you think of coming back! You hear?” She waved her broom above her head, spun around and returned to the cookhouse.

The girls ran down the stairs.

“Is everything all right?” asked Amanda as the cook entered the kitchen, her face red and her hair disheveled.

The frazzled woman placed the broom by the old stove and smoothed down her apron. “That Hank McGavity has been nothing but trouble since he was a young boy. Mr. Rowlands was kind enough to give him a job here but he kept getting into fights with the other ranch hands. He's a good bronco rider, although he's had a string of bad luck lately at the rodeos. He's always short of cash. Not sure what he does with his earnings. He ain't got no horse sense.”

“What was he doing here?” asked Leah.

“Darned if I know. He was told never to return when he was fired last week. He gave me quite a fright when I opened the pantry and found him hiding behind the butter churn.” The cook's hand trembled as she tidied her hair.

Just then a half ton truck pulled up.

“It's my brother.” Sarah looked relieved.

“Had enough cattle driving?” Gordon slammed the truck door. “Almost picked up a hitchhiker but I was going the wrong way. Guy looked a sorry sight. Looked a lot like Hank McGavity, come to think of it.” He shook his head. “But I heard he's gone from these parts.”

Amanda looked at Leah and Sarah. No one said a thing.