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diff --git a/43067-0.txt b/43067-0.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..b64e4a7 --- /dev/null +++ b/43067-0.txt @@ -0,0 +1,3299 @@ +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 43067 *** + +Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this + file which includes the original illustrations. + See 43067-h.htm or 43067-h.zip: + (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/43067/43067-h/43067-h.htm) + or + (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/43067/43067-h.zip) + + + Images of the original pages are available through + Internet Archive. See + https://archive.org/details/inhandsofcavedwe00hentiala + + + + + +IN THE HANDS OF THE CAVE-DWELLERS + +by + +G. A. HENTY + +Author of "With Roberts to Pretoria" "Won by the Sword" "To Herat +and Cabul" &c. + +Illustrated by Wat. Miller + + + + + + + +Blackie and Son Limited +London Glasgow and Dublin + + + + +[Illustration: "FOUR INDIANS STEPPED FROM AMONG THE TREES"] + + + + +CONTENTS + + + CHAP. PAGE + + I. A MIDNIGHT ATTACK 7 + + II. A HEARTY WELCOME 23 + + III. AN AMBUSH 42 + + IV. A GREAT RANCH 61 + + V. AN INDIAN RAID 81 + + VI. HOPEFUL NEWS 101 + + VII. THE PURSUIT 120 + + VIII. THE CAVE-DWELLERS 140 + + IX. RESCUED 157 + + + + +IN THE HANDS OF THE CAVE-DWELLERS + + + + +CHAPTER I + +A MIDNIGHT ATTACK + + +It was late in the evening at San Diego, in the autumn of the year 1832; +there was no moon, but the stars shone so brightly in the clear, dry +atmosphere that it was easy to distinguish objects at some little +distance. A young fellow, in the dress of a sailor, was making his way +through the narrow streets that bordered the port, when he heard a +sudden shout, followed by fierce exclamations and Mexican oaths. Without +pausing to consider whether it was prudent to interfere, he grasped +tightly a cudgel he had that day cut, and ran to the spot where it was +evident that a conflict was going on. It was but some forty yards away, +and as he approached he made out four figures who were dodging round a +doorway and were evidently attacking someone standing there. The +inequality of the combat was sufficient to appeal to the sailor's +sympathies. The sand that lay thick in the street had deadened his +footsteps, and his presence was unmarked till his stick descended with a +sharp crack on the up-lifted wrist of one of the assailants, eliciting a +yell of pain, while the knife the man held flew across the street. + +One of the man's companions turned upon the new-comer, but the sailor's +arm was already raised, and the cudgel lighted with such force on the +man's head that he fell stunned to the ground. This unexpected assault +caused the other two fellows to pause and look around, and in an instant +the defender of the doorway bounded forward and buried his knife in one +of their bodies, while the other at once fled, followed by the man +whose wrist had been broken by the sailor's first blow. + +"Carambo, señor!" the Mexican said. "You have rendered me a service +indeed, and I tender you a thousand thanks. I could not have held out +much longer, for I had been more than once wounded before you arrived." + +"You are heartily welcome, señor. It was but a slight business--two +blows with my stick and the matter was done." + +"You are not a countryman of mine, señor," the other said, for the +sailor spoke with a strong accent; "you are a stranger, and, as I can +see now, a sailor." + +"That is so. I am an American." + +"Is that so?" the other said, speaking this time in English. "As you +see, I know about as much of your tongue as you do of mine. I thought +you must be a stranger even before I observed your dress, for street +frays are not uncommon in this town, whereas in other ports there are +scores of men ready for any villany, and few of my people would care to +interfere in a fray in which they have no interest. But do not let us +stay here. It is best to get out of this quarter." + +"Shall we do anything with these fellows? The one I hit can only be +stunned, and I should think we ought to give him in charge to the +watch." + +The other laughed. "You might wait some time before we found them, and, +besides, it would give us a deal of trouble. No; leave them where they +lie. The one I struck at least will never get up again. Now, señor, may +I ask the name of my preserver? Mine is Juan Sarasta." + +"Mine is William Harland," the sailor replied. + +"We are friends for life, Señor Harland," the Mexican said, as he held +out his hand and gripped that of the sailor warmly. "Where are you +staying?" + +"I am staying nowhere at present," the sailor laughed. "I deserted from +my ship three days ago, bought a supply of food, and have been some +miles up the country. I knew that the vessel was to sail to-day, and I +came back again and watched her go out just before sunset, and have been +sitting on a barrel down at the wharf, wondering what I was going to do, +and whether, after all, it would not have been wiser of me to have put +up with that brute of a captain until we got down to Valparaiso." + +"We will talk all that matter over later," the Mexican said. "I am +staying with some friends, who will, I am sure, make you welcome when I +tell them that you saved my life." + +"I thank you very much," the sailor said, "but no doubt I shall be able +to find some little inn where I can obtain a night's lodging." + +"Such a thing is not to be thought of, Señor Harland, and I shall feel +very much hurt if you do not accept my offer." + +They were now in a wider street, and, passing a wine-shop from which the +light streamed out, Harland saw that the Mexican was a young fellow but +two or three years older than himself, and his dress showed him to +belong to the upper class. The Mexican's glance had been as quick as his +own, for he said, "Why, you are younger than I am!" + +"I am just eighteen." + +"And I twenty. Were you an officer on your ship?" + +"No. My father is one of the leading citizens of Boston; he absolutely +refused to allow me to follow the sea as a profession, although he is a +large ship-owner himself; however, my mind was made up, and as I could +not go as an officer, I came as a sailor. This is not my first voyage, +for two years ago he let me sail in one of his ships as an apprentice, +making sure that it would have the effect of disgusting me with the sea. +However, the experiment failed, and to his anger I returned even fonder +of it than when I started. He wanted me to go into his office, but I +positively refused, and we had a serious quarrel, at the end of which I +went down to the river and shipped before the mast. I know now that I +have behaved like a fool. The captain was a brute of the worst sort, and +the first mate was worse, and between them they made the ship +unbearable. I stood it as long as I could, but three days before we got +to this port one of the young apprentices, whom they had pretty nearly +killed, jumped overboard, and then I made up my mind that as soon as we +landed I would bolt and take my chance of getting a berth on board some +other ship." + +"But you speak Spanish very fairly, señor." + +"Well, the last ship I was in traded along the western coast, putting in +at every little port, so I picked up a good deal of the language, for we +were out here nearly six months. The ship I have just left did the same, +so I have had nearly a year on this coast, and having learned Latin at +school, of course it helped me very much. And you, señor, how do you +come to speak English?" + +"I have been down for the past six months in Valparaiso, staying with a +relation who has a house there, and my greatest friends there were some +young Englishmen of my own age, sons of a merchant. My father had spoken +of my paying a visit to your States some day, and therefore I was glad +of the opportunity of learning the language. This, señor, is the house +of my friends." + +As Harland saw that his companion would take no denial, he followed him +into the house. The young Mexican led the way to a pretty room with +windows to the ground, opening on to a garden. + +"You are late, Señor Juan," a gentleman said, rising from his seat; but +before the young man could reply, a girl of fifteen or sixteen years old +cried out: "Madre Maria, he is wounded!" + +"It is nothing serious, and I had almost forgotten it till just now it +began to smart. I have two, or, I think, three stabs on my left arm; +they are not very deep, as I twisted my cloak round it when I was +attacked. But it would have been a very serious business had it not been +for this gentleman, whom I wish to introduce to you, Don Guzman, as the +saviour of my life. He is an American gentleman, the son of a wealthy +ship-owner of Boston, but, owing to some slight disagreement with his +father, he has worked his way out here as a sailor. I ventured to +promise that you would extend your hospitality to him." + +"My house is at your service, señor," the Mexican said courteously. "One +who has rendered so great a service to my friend Don Juan Sarasta, is my +friend also. Christina, ring the bell and tell the servants to bring hot +water and clothes, and then do you go to your room while we attend to +Don Juan's injuries." + +The wounds proved to be by no means serious; they were all on the +forearm, and, having to pierce through six or seven inches of cloth, had +not penetrated very far. They had, however, bled freely, and although +the young man laughed at them as mere scratches, he looked pale from the +loss of blood. + +"A few bottles of good wine, and I shall be all right again." + +"I must apologize for not having asked you before," Señor Guzman said to +Harland, when the wounds were bandaged, "but have you supped?" + +"Yes, thank you, señor. I bought some food as I came through the town, +and ate it as I was waiting at the port." + +"Have you any luggage that I can send for?" + +"I have a kit-bag, which I will fetch myself in the morning. It is out +on the plain. I did not care to bring it from the town until I knew that +the vessel I came in had sailed." + +"I can lend you some things for the night," Juan said. "You are a little +taller than I am, but they will be near enough." + +Some wine and biscuits were now brought in, and some excellent cigars +produced. + +"Were they thieves that attacked you, think you, Don Juan?" his host +asked, after the latter had given a detailed account of his adventure. + +"I cannot say, but I own I have an idea it was my life that they wanted +rather than my valuables. I had a fancy that a man was following me, and +I went to see the man I had spoken to about the mules. Coming back I +heard a whistle behind me, and twenty yards farther three men sprang +out, and one ran up from behind, so that I don't think it was a chance +encounter." + +"Do you suspect anyone?" + +The young Mexican hesitated a moment before he answered. "No, señor; I +have no quarrel with anyone." + +"I do not see how, indeed, you could have an enemy," Don Guzman said, +"seeing that you have been here only for a fortnight; still, it is +curious. However, I have no doubt there are plenty of fellows in the +town who would put a knife between any man's shoulders if they thought +he was likely to have a few dollars in his pocket. Your watch-chain may +have attracted the eye of one of these fellows, and he may have thought +it, with the watch attached to it, well worth the trouble of getting, +and would have considered it an easy matter, with three comrades, to +make short work of you, though I own that when you showed fight so +determinedly I wonder they did not make off, for, as a rule, these +fellows are rank cowards." + +Will Harland observed that when the don asked if Juan had any suspicions +as to the author of the attempt, Donna Christina, who had returned to +the room when his wounds were dressed, glanced towards him, as if +anxious to hear his answer. Putting that and the young Mexican's +momentary hesitation together, he at once suspected that both he and the +girl had a strong idea as to who was at the bottom of this attempt. The +subject was not further alluded to, the conversation turning upon the +United States, concerning which the Mexican asked Harland many +questions. + +"It is a pity so great a distance divides us from them," he said. "It is +more effectual than any ocean, and yet perhaps if we were nearer +neighbours your people would disturb our quiet life here. They are +restless, and forever pushing forward, while we abhor changes, and live +as our fathers did three hundred years ago. You see, the mountains act +as a barrier to us, and we have never even tried to extend the territory +we occupy beyond the strip of land between the coast and the mountains, +and, indeed, that is ample for us. Our population has decreased rather +than increased since Mexico declared its independence in 1821, and took +what I have always considered the ill-advised step of expelling all the +Spanish residents about six years ago. + +"Not that we in this province took any very active part in the civil +wars that for ten years raged in Central Mexico; but although the +Spanish authorities were bad masters, it must be granted that, while +they were here, there was more trade and commerce than there has since +been, and that the advantages all expected to secure from the revolution +have by no means been obtained. It is curious that the same has been the +case in the other countries that gained their independence. In Central +America there are constant troubles, in Peru things have gone backward +rather than forward, and Chile alone shows signs of enterprise and +advancement. However, these things do not concern us greatly; we live +by the land and not by trade; we have all we want, or can desire, and +subsist, like the patriarchs of old, on our flocks and herds. + +"Don Juan's father, a man of vigour and courage, has shown more +enterprise than any of us, for before the beginning of the troubles he +moved far up a valley running into the heart of the mountains, and +established himself there. He had large flocks and herds, but his land +was insufficient to support them, and, in spite of the warnings of all +his friends, he determined to move. So far he has proved himself a wise +man. He began by making a sort of treaty with the Indians of that part, +by which he agreed to give them a considerable amount of blankets and +other goods if they would bind themselves not to interfere with him in +any way. These people have generally proved themselves faithless in such +matters, but this has been an exception to the rule, and I believe that +he has not lost a single head of cattle since he went out there, and he +is now undoubtedly one of the richest men on this coast. The fact that +he should send his son on to Chile to enlarge his mind and prepare him +for a trip to the United States, and even to Europe, shows the energy of +the man, and how far removed his ideas are from those of the hacienderos +in general. I can assure you that Juan's departure caused quite a +sensation in this part of the province." + +"Does your father often come down here himself, Don Juan?" + +"He generally comes down once a year to arrange for the disposal of the +increase of his cattle--that is to say, of the tallow and hides; as to +the meat, it is practically of no value. Of course the bullocks are +killed on the estate; the daily consumption is large, for he has upwards +of fifty peons and vaqueros, but this is a comparatively small item, for +he generally kills from eighteen thousand to twenty thousand animals; +the carcasses are boiled down for the fat, and that and the hides are +packed on great rafts and sent down to the coast. His place is only a +few miles from the Colorado River. When he comes down here, he takes up +a ship, which he sends round to Loreto, and thence up to the mouth of +the Colorado." + +"How far is this place from here?" + +"About two hundred miles." + +"I should have thought it would have been better to have them here." + +"No, there is a range of hills about half-way between his place and the +coast, across which it would be difficult to get them. Another thing is, +that there is scarce any food by the way; rain seldom falls here, and +although the land is very rich when irrigated, it affords but a scanty +growth in its wild state. A herd of twenty thousand bullocks could +scarcely exist on the road, and even if they got here, they would have +lost so much fat that they would scarce pay for boiling down." + +They sat smoking in the veranda until nearly midnight, and Don Guzman +then conducted the young sailor to the chamber that had been prepared +for him. + + + + +CHAPTER II + +A HEARTY WELCOME + + +Early as Mexican households are awake, in order to enjoy the +comparatively cool hours of the morning, William Harland was the first +up, and, dressing hastily, he started out to fetch his kit-bag. At the +bottom of this he had stowed away, before he went on board, the clothes +that he had worn when he left home, and also the contents of a small +trunk that he had taken with him, buying an outfit for use on board from +a slop-shop. He was back in an hour, for he had hidden the bag in a +clump of bushes but two miles from the town. The servants were moving +about, but, with the exception of Juan, none of the others were yet +down. The latter met him as he entered. + +"I have been to your room, and when I found it empty, guessed the errand +on which you were away. Why did you not tell me last night? You could +have had a negro slave to go with you and carry that sack of yours +back." + +"Oh, I am not too proud to carry it myself, Don Juan, and I was really +anxious to get it the first thing this morning, for I certainly should +feel very uncomfortable sitting down to breakfast with your friends in +this rough sailor suit. Luckily, I have some decent clothes in my bag, +and half a dozen white jean jackets and trousers, which I bought for +wearing ashore when I was on my last voyage; for then, as an apprentice +and in a ship chiefly belonging to my father, I had a good many +privileges in the way of leave when we were in port." + +"You look desperately hot, and if you would like a swim, there is a pond +in that clump of trees at the end of the garden--I have had a dip there +myself this morning." + +"Thank you, I should like it extremely, and I can then finish my toilet +there." + +The pond was an artificial one, the sides and bottom being lined with +stone; a thick band of trees and undergrowth surrounded it; it had +doubtless been formed for the purpose of a bath, and also, as was shown +by two or three seats placed around it, as a shady retreat during the +heat of the day. In half an hour Will rejoined Juan, looking cool and +comfortable in his white jacket and trousers, and a white flannel shirt, +with turn-down collar and black silk handkerchief around his neck. + +"That is a good deal better," Juan said; "you only want a sombrero to +complete your costume. Sit down here; I told the servant to bring +chocolate for us directly I saw you coming out from the trees. Don +Guzman and Christina take their chocolate in their room. I don't suppose +that we shall see them till breakfast, which will not be served for an +hour and a half yet." + +"How is your arm, Don Juan?" + +"Drop the Don, please; I was always called simply Juan by my English +friends at Valparaiso. It is much more pleasant than our ceremonious way +of addressing each other. So call me Juan, please, and I will call you +Will." + +"Now, Juan," Harland said, as they sipped their chocolate, "who do you +believe set those ruffians on to you? I could see plainly enough that +both you and the señorita had suspicions, though you did not choose to +mention them to her father." + +"You are a sharp observer," Juan laughed. "Well, yes, I will tell you +frankly upon whom my suspicions fell. I must tell you first that Don +Guzman is a connection of mine, my father having married a first cousin +of his. When my father went out to this new ranch of his, twelve years +ago, he left me behind, under my cousin's charge, and I lived here for +five years, going to the mission to be educated by the fathers. Since +then I have generally spent a month or two here, and not unnaturally, as +you who have seen her will doubtless admit, I have grown to be very fond +of Christina. Of course till lately she has simply looked upon me as her +big cousin, but when I was last here, before going down to Valparaiso, +she was a little changed; she had grown to be shy with me, which she had +never been before, and I hoped that she had begun to return my +affection. Naturally enough, when I returned the other day, I spoke out +to her, and learned, to my delight, that this was so, but of course she +could say nothing until our parents had been consulted--an indispensable +step, as you of course know, for in Mexico, although young people may +have some voice in the matter, the parents' consent has to be obtained, +and the preliminaries are, in fact, settled by them. In this case, +happily, there is no fear of difficulty arising on that score. Don +Guzman and my father are firm friends, and the alliance would be a +suitable one in all respects, as, although my father may be more wealthy +than Don Guzman, Christina is an only child, while I have a sister who +is about her age." + +"But I still do not see, Juan, how this explains anyone having an enmity +with you." + +"No, I am just coming to that. You must know that the military +commandant of San Diego, Colonel Pedros Melos, has a son Enriques, who +is a captain in the regiment stationed here. Christina told me before I +went down to Chile that Captain Melos was a frequent visitor, and that +he was very attentive to her father, and frequently brought bouquets of +choice flowers. She added that, although he was very civil to her, as +far as the customs of the country permit a caballero to be civil to any +young lady not related to him, she did not like him. Well, it happened +the other day, that, just as Christina and I were coming to an +understanding, exactly where we are sitting now, this Captain Melos +stepped out from the window of the drawing-room. I should imagine that +he had no great difficulty in understanding the situation. A young +couple who have just declared their love for each other are apt to look +a little awkward when suddenly interrupted. + +"The sound of his foot, as he stepped out on the veranda, caused us to +look round sharply. As his eye fell on us he turned as pale as if he had +received a blow, and if ever man's face wore for a moment an expression +of intense rage his did then. However, he checked himself, murmured a +word or two about believing that Señor Guzman was in the veranda, and +then turned on his heel and went back into the room. Christina caught my +arm. 'Beware, Juan, that man will be your deadly enemy!' And I felt that +she spoke truly. She said that his attentions of late had been very +marked, and she had been in constant fear that his father would call on +hers to ask for her hand for his son. We agreed that I should, without +loss of time, speak to her father on the subject of my suit, and I did +so on the same day. + +"He was good enough to say that when a request from my father reached +him to that effect, he should most willingly accede to it. Colonel Melos +did, in fact, call the day before yesterday, and formally proposed the +alliance, to which Don Guzman replied that his daughter's affections +were already engaged with his perfect consent and approval. The colonel, +of course, had nothing to do but to bow himself out with as good a +grace as he could muster. I fancy from what I have heard that he is a +good officer and an honest man. He has played a part in all the civil +wars that we have had here, but, unlike most others, he always stuck to +the same side, which, fortunately for him, turned out in the end to be +the successful one. His son bears an altogether different character. +Here, indeed, there has been nothing much against him; the fact of his +father being commandant has no doubt acted as a check upon him, and +possibly the hope that he may have entertained of winning Christina's +hand may have helped to render him discreet, but I have heard that in +other places where his regiment has been in garrison, he bore the worst +of characters. + +"Thus, you see, as a bitterly-disappointed man and as an unscrupulous +one, he might well have been the author of this attack upon me; and, as +you noticed, the idea occurred to Christina as well as myself, +remembering as we did the expression of his face when he saw us +together. That the affair was his work, however, we have no shadow of +proof, and I should not think of whispering my suspicions to anyone. +Still, I shall take every precaution for the three or four days that I +remain here, and shall not be out in the unfrequented streets after +nightfall. And now about yourself; tell me, frankly, what are you +thinking of doing? Do you intend to continue at sea, or are you thinking +of returning to your home, where, no doubt, you would be gladly received +by your father?" + +"I have not thought it fully over yet, but I certainly shall not go back +to my father with the tale that I found my life unbearable and deserted +my ship. When I go it must be with a better record than that. He may +have objected most strongly to my taking to the sea, but I think it +would be an even greater annoyance to him to find that having, in +defiance of his wishes, done so, I had so soon backed out of it. He +himself is a man who carries through anything that he undertakes, no +matter if he incurs loss in so doing. I do not say that if I saw some +other opening and made a success of it, he would mind; but when I do go +back it must not be as a returned prodigal, but as a man who has done +something, who has in one line or another achieved a certain amount of +success. As far as I have thought it over, my ideas have been to take a +passage down to Valparaiso, which seems to me the most go-ahead place on +this coast, and there look round. I have money enough to last for some +little time, for my father, on my return from my last voyage, gave me a +cheque for five hundred dollars, and, beyond twenty or thirty dollars +expended on my sea-kit, I still have it all in my belt." + +"But what do you think of doing in Valparaiso?" + +"I would take anything that turned up except a clerkship. Then, if in +two or three months I could see nothing that seemed likely to lead to a +good thing, I would ship again." + +"Well, you will not embark on any such wild-goose chase for some time, +for I intend to take you off with me to my father's hacienda for a long +visit. You will receive the heartiest of welcomes when I tell them what +you have done for me. I can promise you, I think, a pleasant time there, +and you will see what will be quite a new side of life to you, and learn +something of the ranching business, which, let me tell you, is as good +as another, though I admit that a considerable amount of capital is +required for making a fair start." + +"I should like it extremely," Harland said, "but--" + +"There are no buts in it, Will," the other broke in. "You don't suppose +that after what has happened you are going your way and I am going mine +in the course of a few days, as if we were but two passengers who had +made a short voyage together. My father would never forgive me if I did +not bring you up with me. I expect to-morrow or next day we shall have +three or four of the men down with horses, blankets, and other +necessities for travel. I sent a messenger off on the day I arrived. +There is generally a wagon or two that comes down every month for +groceries, wine, and other matters, and as I find that it is fully that +time since the last trip, I expect that the carts and men will both +arrive to-morrow. Travelling comfortably, we shall take the best part of +a week to get there; of course, with relays of horses it could be done +in less than half that time. The wagons take ten days, and that is good +travelling, especially as there are three days' heavy work over the +first range of hills. Here the mules will have a few days' rest and then +start again." + +"You find mules better than horses for wagons?" + +"Beyond all comparison better; the value of a mule is six times that of +a horse, except for exceptionally good and fast animals. Feed a mule +well, and there is no better beast in the world. Of course the mules are +big animals, being bred from the finest donkeys that can be imported +from Spain, and can drag as much as oxen and go half as fast again." + +Acting under his friend's advice, Will purchased the necessaries for his +journey, the principal item being a Mexican poncho; this, in +appearance, was like a large blanket made of a long, soft wool that was +practically water-proof. A hole edged with braid was cut in the middle. +This was slipped on over the head, and a long riding-cloak, reaching to +the stirrups, was obtained, while at night it served all the purposes of +an ordinary blanket. Juan presented him with a rifle, a brace of +handsomely mounted double-barrelled pistols, and a sword. + +"We always ride armed across the hills; we are on good terms with the +Indians near us, but might fall in with some wandering bands, or +possibly a party of white cut-throats, fugitives from justice. Besides," +he added significantly, "there may possibly be dangers on this side of +the first range of hills." + +"You think--" Will began. + +"Yes, I think it possible that the organizer of the first attempt on my +life may try again. It is not probable that he likes me any better for +the failure he then made." + +Some high riding-boots, a couple of pairs of fringed Mexican trousers, +and a few other necessaries completed the equipment, most of which was +to be sent up in the wagon with the kit-bag. Will was in high spirits. +Nothing could be more pleasant than the trip promised to be, and he +looked eagerly forward to the start. The wagons had arrived, and with +them four mounted men who had overtaken them on the day before they +reached San Diego. They brought down with them two riding horses, +intended for Juan's use. + +"My father always sends two down," Juan said, "so that I can have a +change each day, and be beyond the reach of such accidents as a horse +straining himself or casting a shoe. Besides, on more than one occasion +I have brought back a friend with me, as I am going to do now." + +"I suppose you breed a good many up there?" + +"We breed enough for the wants of our vaqueros, and a few high-class +animals for our own riding. We don't care about having more than is +necessary, for a good horse is a temptation that an Indian can scarcely +withstand. Cattle they don't care so much for, for up in the mountains +feed would be scarce for them; besides, they have no difficulty in +getting meat--game is plentiful enough, deer and bear, while at times +they go down into the great plains on the other side of the Rockies and +kill as many buffalo as they please, jerk the meat, and bring it up to +their villages. In point of fact, we never refuse half a dozen or a +dozen cattle to any party of Indians who come down and ask for them. It +keeps us on good terms with them, and practically costs us nothing, for +they do not often take the hides, preferring greatly deer-skins for +their hunting-shirts and leggings, for which bullock hide is too heavy, +while for their lariats and heel ropes, and so on, they use buffalo +hide, which is stronger and tougher. So practically, you see, it is only +the value of the fat that we lose." + +Three days later Juan and Will said good-bye to Señor Guzman and his +daughter and set out, the four mounted men riding behind them with two +led animals carrying provisions and water-skins. + +"How far is it before we get beyond the settled country?" + +"The country is cultivated as far as the Chocolate Hills, as there are +several small rivers, whose water is used for irrigating the fields. +Beyond these hills there are scattered villages and haciendas, their +positions being determined by the existence of streams coming down from +a great mountain range, for although rain seldom falls near the coast, +there are heavy showers there occasionally. Except in the rainy season, +the beds of these streams are dry, but wells sunk in them at all times +yield a plentiful supply of water. It is drawn up by the labour of +bullocks, and the ground irrigated; and they grow oranges, bananas, +grapes, melons, and all kinds of fruit, in fact, in abundance. Some of +these irrigated estates are of considerable size. For the last fifty +miles we shall come across no settlements until we reach our own +hacienda, for the country is too much open to Indian forays. Though we +do not suffer as much as they do on the other side of the Colorado; +still the risk is great--too great for men who embark their capital, to +say nothing of risking their lives. We are fortunate in the fact that +the tribe immediately in our neighbourhood is a small one, and far less +warlike than many of their neighbours. The goods they receive from us, +and the cattle, make them comparatively rich, and they have never shown +any signs whatever of enmity against us. We have promised them that if +they are attacked by any of their savage neighbours we will, if they +come down to us, assist them, and as the hacienda is strongly built and +we have a supply of arms sufficient for all our men, we could resist any +attack. I think this understanding has quite as much to do with their +friendly feeling towards us as the benefits they receive from us." + +"It must be a large valley to be capable of sustaining so vast a herd as +that of your father?" + +"Yes; the valley is not very wide at the lower end near the river, but +the hills open out and form a basin some ten miles wide and twenty miles +long. Beyond that it extends a considerable distance, but narrows fast; +a stream runs down the centre, and during the rainy season and at the +time of the melting of the snows there are innumerable rivulets coming +down from the hills, and in consequence the grass is sweet and long. Our +herds amount to about forty thousand head, and we do not let them exceed +that number. We do not use the upper part of the valley. By our +agreement with the Indians that is to remain untouched as a +hunting-ground for them." + +That night they slept at the hacienda of some acquaintances of Señor +Sarasta, where they were most hospitably entertained; the next day they +halted for a few hours at San Felice, and rode on as soon as the sun had +lost its full power. They were now beyond the region of general +cultivation; the plain was, however, fairly green, as a short time +before the unusual circumstance of a heavy rain had occurred, with the +result that in the course of a few days the whole face of the country +was changed. As soon as the horses were unsaddled the men scattered to +collect dead brushwood, and in a short time a fire was blazing, and a +slice from a hindquarter of venison that had been presented to them by +their host of the night before was skewered on a ramrod and placed over +it. They had made sixty-five miles in two days' journey. They had not +been following any beaten track, but the men had all made the journey so +often that no path was needed. In the morning they would begin the +ascent of the lower slopes of the mountains, whose crest rose some +thirty miles ahead of them, although, seen in the clear air, they did +not seem to Will Harland to be more than a fifth of that distance. +Rather to the surprise of the men, Juan ordered that a watch should be +kept, a precaution they had never taken before. + +"I have an idea," he said to Will, "that we shall be attacked either +to-night or while mounting the hill to-morrow. It is just as well to +take the precaution to set a guard to-night, but I do not really think +that if a party are out after us they will trouble us to-night. They +could not know exactly the road we should take, but will be sure that we +shall cross the hills and come down on the north side of the Great Dry +Lake, and probably stop at Martinez. From there the country is better +cultivated, as we go along the Chatenezonais Valley, in which there are +several villages. To-morrow's journey is, therefore, the most lonely and +dangerous, and they would have no motive whatever in going farther, so I +think that for to-night we can sleep tranquilly. To-morrow we shall have +to be on our guard." + + + + +CHAPTER III + +AN AMBUSH + + +The night passed quietly. The soil was soft and sandy, and, rolled in +his poncho, Will slept as comfortably as if in a hammock. They were in +the saddle early, for the day's ride would be a very long one, and Juan +intended to give the horses a day's rest at Martinez. + +"We don't consider sixty miles to be a long journey here," Juan said, as +they started, "and, indeed, if one starts on fresh horses it is a mere +nothing; but when one rides the same, day after day, forty is as much as +one has a right to expect from them after one is once fairly on his way. +We shall meet with no water to-day, and it is specially for this part of +the journey that we brought the water-skins with us." + +"I noticed that you did not fill them half full at the last stream we +crossed." + +"No, it was not necessary; the horses will have a good drink at a stream +we shall cross in a couple of hours, and we shall fill the skins there; +beyond that we enter the mountains and travel through an extremely +difficult pass, or, rather, I should say, passes, till we come down into +the valley. The carts do not come this way; they strike the Colorado +River many miles down and follow its bank. It is at least a third +longer, but if it were three times as long they would have to go that +way; the passes are difficult enough for horses, but they would be +impossible for wheeled carriages." + +After riding for thirty miles they halted for half an hour; the horses +were watered, and the men ate some of the meat they had cooked overnight +and some cold pancakes that had been fried in deer's fat. They were now +far up on the hillside and following a regular track. + +"Another hour's sharp climbing and we shall be on the top summit of the +pass. See to the priming of your rifles and pistols. If we are not +attacked before we reach the top I shall admit that I have been wrong, +and that the attack upon me was, after all, the work of street +ruffians." + +The four vaqueros were ordered to look to their pistols before +remounting; they did not carry guns. + +"Do you expect an attack, master?" one asked. "I have not heard of +there being any bands on the road just lately, but of course there may +be some, and this bit of road is their favourite lurking-place, as the +traffic between San Filepi and the Chatenezonais Valley all comes this +way." + +"I do not know that I expect to be attacked, Lopez, but I have grounds +for suspecting that it is possible. If we should be ambushed, dismount +at once, and take up your position behind the rocks and fight them in +their own way. If the road were good enough I should say gallop on, but +it is too steep and too rough for that." + +Will Harland soon found that his friend had not exaggerated the +difficulty of the pass. On both sides the hills sloped very steeply and +were covered by boulders. The track in the middle of the ravine was just +wide enough for a cart, but at distances of two hundred or three hundred +yards apart the rock had been cut away for some twenty yards, so that +two or three carts could draw aside there to allow others coming the +other way to pass. As it was inconvenient for two to ride abreast, Juan +said: "We had better go in single file." + +"Yes, and I will ride first," Will replied. "If there should be a fellow +hiding among these rocks, it will be you they are after, and, riding +first, you would present an easy mark for them; whereas, if I am first, +they won't be able to aim at you till you are pretty nearly abreast of +them." + +"I don't like that," Juan began, but Will pushed his horse forward. Both +had unslung their rifles from their shoulders, and were carrying them in +readiness for instant use. + +"Keep your eyes on the rocks," Juan said to the men behind him; "if one +of you sees the least movement give a shout, and all throw yourselves at +once off your horses." + +It would, however, have been no easy matter to distinguish a man's head +among the masses of rock and boulders through which in many places +brushwood and small trees had sprung up, and, although all kept scanning +the hillsides minutely, nothing suspicious was heard, until suddenly a +shot was fired from a spot some forty feet up the rocks on the left-hand +side. Will instantly swung himself to the ground, gave a sharp slap on +his horse's quarters, and ensconced himself behind a rock, while the +animal, relieved from the weight of his rider, made his way rapidly +along the path. The first shot had been followed by half a dozen others. +These came from both sides of the ravine, and a ball striking the rock +close to Will's head, showed him that his position was no more safe +there than it would have been on horseback. He therefore made a rush +upward, and took up a position between two rocks which covered him from +either side. Then he took advantage of some bushes and crawled some +yards farther along, until he came to a spot where he could lie in +shelter, and yet obtain a view through the bushes both above and below +him. + +"Are you all right, Juan?" he shouted. + +The answer came from rocks on the other side. "Yes; the ball aimed at me +has killed my horse, but I am unhurt. Lopez is killed." + +For some time shots were fired at intervals. Juan shouted to the +vaqueros not to use their pistols. + +"You would have no chance of hitting them," he said, "and they would +only pick you off one by one. Lie quiet for the present; keep your shots +till they come to close quarters. Now, Will," he said in English, "you +watch the rocks above me, and I will watch those above you. Mark, if you +can, where a shot is fired; lie with your rifle pointed at it until the +fellow stands up to fire again, and then let him have it." + +Four shots were fired almost together from Will's side, the assailants +aiming in the direction from which the voice had come, but Will had no +doubt that Juan had foreseen this and was in shelter when he spoke. +Presently he saw a puff of smoke shoot out from the side of a large +rock. He brought his rifle to bear upon it and watched intently. Three +minutes later a head appeared cautiously round the rock, then a shoulder +appeared, and a rifle was pointed towards the spot behind which he had +first sheltered. He fired, there was a sharp scream, and the rifle went +clattering down, exploding as it fell. The moment that he had fired, +Will drew back into the shelter of the stone. Two other shots rang out, +and the balls cut up and scattered the small pebbles on which he had +been lying. He was able to observe, however, the position of one of his +assailants. While he was reloading he heard the crack of Juan's rifle, +followed by an exclamation of satisfaction. + +"That is two of them, Will. They will soon get tired of this game." + +The distances were so short, in fact, that it was almost impossible for +even an indifferent shot to miss his aim when he once caught sight of +the head of an enemy. Presently another shot struck the rock close to +Will. It was fired some paces from the stone that he was watching, and +showed that the assailants were using the same tactics that he had done, +and were shifting their positions after firing. He moved a few yards +away, and did not answer to the next two or three shots that were +fired. + +"He is done for," he heard one of the men on the other side of the +ravine say. They were but some fifty feet away from him, and it was, +therefore, easy to catch their words as they shouted from one to the +other. + +"Well, then, go down and attack the man we want," another voice said. +"No one but the Englishman had a rifle over there, so you are quite +safe." + +"You had better come and show us the way. We did not bargain for this +sort of thing. You said we should settle it all in one volley." + +"So you would have done, you fools, if you could have shot straight. Who +could have supposed that you were all going to miss at that distance. +Why, a child of ten years old would have fired straighter. However, I am +ready to lead the way. You, over there, make a rush when we do." + +Will marked the exact position of the speaker. It was behind a large +boulder some fifteen yards up the hill and as much ahead of him; he saw +that to join the men who had been firing he would have to pass an open +space between that and some other large masses of rock, and he laid his +sights on that spot. The speaker, who was evidently confident that he +was killed, and that therefore there was no danger of a shot being fired +at him while he moved to join the others, appeared half a minute later. +He was stooping, and held a pistol in each hand. The moment his body +appeared in the line of fire Will pressed the trigger, and the man +rolled over like a log. A cry of dismay burst from the hillside above +Harland, where the men had evidently been watching also for their leader +to join his comrades and give the signal for a rush. + +"I have shot Melos, Juan!" Will shouted. "At least if he is, as you +suppose, their leader." + +"Well done, indeed! We shall have no difficulty with the rest of them if +their paymaster is dead; they will think of nothing now but saving their +own wretched lives." + +The parties on the opposite sides of the ravine now shouted to each +other. Two or three of them urged their companions to make a general +rush, but the majority were altogether against this. + +"Why should we throw away our lives?" one said. "They have all got +pistols, and even if we got the better of them, four or five of us would +be likely to go down before we had finished with them. Indeed, they +would shoot us down directly we showed ourselves, and half of us would +never reach the bottom." + +There was a silence which showed that there was a general feeling that +he was right. Then the same speaker went on: + +"Caballeros, we have been cruelly misled; we are poor men, and have been +led into this. Two of us have been killed; we ask your mercy." + +As he ceased there was a general cry of "Mercy! mercy!" + +"You dogs!" Juan shouted back, "if it were not that all of your lives +are not worth as much as a drop of the honest blood of those with me, I +would not move from here until I had put an end to the last of you. +However, you have had a lesson now. Come down one at a time into the +road. When you get there drop your pistols and knives to the ground, and +then go down the hill. When one man has started let the next man come +down. How many are there of you?" + +"There are six of us alive," the man answered. "We were eight besides +our leader. My brother was killed by you in San Diego the other night, +and if it had not been for that I should not have come." + +"Look here," Juan said, "I shall see every one of your faces plainly as +you come down, and when you have thrown down your arms you will stand +and face this rock so that I may have a good look at you. I warn you to +leave San Diego as soon as you get back, for when I return I will have +the town searched for you, and any of you found there will pay for this +with your lives. Now you come down first." + +One by one the six men came down, placed their weapons upon the ground, +turned to the rock where Juan was lying, and then went down the pass +without a word being uttered. When the last had gone Juan stepped down +into the road, and was at once joined by Will, who had kept his rifle +pointed on each man as he reached the road, in case he should intend +treachery against Juan. Two of the vaqueros also stepped out. + +"Where is Pedro?" Juan asked. + +"He is dead, sir. He was shot through the body, but had just strength to +throw himself in among the rocks. I heard him groaning just at first, +but he was soon silent; I could see him from where I lay, and he has not +moved since." + +"See if he is dead, Sancho. This is a bad business." + +The man returned in a minute. + +"He is quite dead, señor." + +"Where is the man you shot, Will? Let us see if my suspicions are +correct." + +Will led the way to the spot, followed by the others. Juan glanced at +the dead man. + +"It is as I thought," he said. Then he turned to the vaqueros. "You may +as well search him. It is likely he has money upon him." + +"He has a bag, and a heavy one, sir," one of them said, as he lifted a +canvas bag from the dead man's sash. + +"Let us see what he valued my life at," Juan replied. + +The two vaqueros counted over the gold pieces. + +"There are eighty of them." + +"Ten apiece," Juan remarked. "Put aside sixty for the widows of Pedro +and Lopez, and take ten each yourselves." + +"Shall we do anything with the body, señor?" + +"Fetch some big stones and pile them over it. There will be no search +for him, for you may be sure he has not mentioned to anyone in the town +what he was going to do, or where he was going. He probably asked for a +week's leave of absence, and would likely enough say that he was going +up to Los Angeles or Santa Barbara, and when he does not return it will +be supposed that he has been murdered on the way. When you have done +with him you had better do the same thing with the bodies of your two +comrades. The ground is too rocky to dig graves, and they will sleep as +well there as elsewhere. It would be impossible for us to carry them +home." + +An hour's labour and the work was finished. Will assisted the men in the +work. Juan did not offer to do so. + +"I have a bullet in my shoulder," he said. "Another fellow fired the +instant that I shot his comrade. He luckily hit my shoulder instead of +my head. I will get you to fetch Pedro's sash and make a sling for my +arm. We can do nothing for it until we go down to Monterey." + +"Have the horses gone far, do you think, Juan?" + +"No, we shall probably find them a few hundred yards up the pass. They +are trained not to go on without riders, and when their first alarm at +the firing has ceased they will halt." + +When the cairns were finished the vaqueros cut down two saplings and +made a couple of rude crosses, which they fixed above their fallen +comrades. Then they all proceeded up the pass, and soon came upon the +horses, and, mounting, continued their way down into Monterey, where +they arrived just as the sun was setting. Here Juan's wound was attended +to. The injury was to the left arm, which had been thrown forward in the +act of firing. The ball struck just above the elbow, and had cut a +groove from that point nearly up to the shoulder. + +"This is evidently my unlucky arm at present, Will," he said, with a +smile; "after having had three gashes below the elbow a week ago, it now +gets ploughed with a rifle-bullet." + +"I should call it a lucky limb, Juan, considering that they are nothing +but flesh wounds, and that had not the arm received them, both knife and +bullet might have given you a vastly more serious wound elsewhere." + +"Yes, that is true enough. There is one comfort in being wounded in +this country. You can't go into the smallest village without finding +half a dozen people capable of dressing an injury, more especially a +knife wound. In fact, knife fights are so common that very little is +thought of them unless really dangerous injury is inflicted." + +"Will not this prevent your riding for a day or two, Juan?" + +"Not a bit of it. We had intended to stop here to-morrow to give a rest +to the horses, but the next day we will push on. Happily, we shall not +have to be on our guard against danger, for the risk of falling in with +marauding red-skins is too slight to be thought of. Our next day's ride +will be an easy one, across a cultivated country. Then we have a long +day and a half of mountain work." + +The passes which they had to traverse before arriving at Señor Sagasta's +ranch astonished Harland, who had no previous experience of such +scenery. Sometimes they were travelling up ravines so deep and rugged +that it was almost twilight below, while at others they wound along on +natural ledges on the face of precipices where a stumble of the horse +would mean certain death to it and its rider. Higher and higher they +wound, until, crossing a narrow shoulder of bare rock, they looked down +into the broad valley owned by Juan's father. + +"Do you see that white speck in front of the dark patch of trees? That +is the hacienda. As the crow flies, I do not suppose it is more than +seven or eight miles away, but by the way we have to go it is five times +that distance, and if we are there by this time to-morrow we shall have +every reason to be satisfied." + +When they started the next morning, Juan sent one of the vaqueros on +with the news that he would arrive two hours after his messenger. + +"It is just as well to give them notice," he said to Will. "I told him +to mention that I have my arm in a sling, but that I have no serious +injury. It has been hurting me a good bit for the past two days, and as +I have not got much sleep I expect that I am not looking what you call +very fit, therefore it is as well that they should not think me in a +very bad way when I ride up; besides, I dare say they are getting +anxious about me. You see, they will have calculated upon my having +ridden a good deal faster than we have done, for with the two horses one +can push on rapidly, and, knowing when the horses would have arrived at +San Diego, they have, I am sure, been on the look-out for me for the +past three or four days. Of course the wound was nothing in itself, but +in such rough riding as we have had one gets sudden jerks that do not +improve its condition. You have bathed it for me night and morning, but +there is no doubt it has become a good deal inflamed, and I shall have +to keep quiet for a few days after we get there." + +Will himself was by no means sorry that the journey was approaching its +end. Wholly unaccustomed to riding, he had been so stiff at the end of +the second day's journey that he could scarcely dismount unassisted from +his horse. This had to some extent worn off, but he still felt that +every bone in his body ached. The last ten miles were performed at a +canter. The horses seemed as glad as their riders at being on level +ground again, and were doubtless well aware that they were close to +their home once more. They were within three miles of the hacienda, when +they saw two mounted figures riding to meet them. + +"It is my father and sister," Juan said. "I thought that they would lose +no time in starting after Antonio arrived with the news that I was close +at hand." + + + + +CHAPTER IV + +A GREAT RANCH + + +Antonio had indeed been charged to make light of the fight in the pass. + +"My father is almost sure to mount and ride out to meet me," Juan said +to him before starting. "You can say we had a skirmish with some +brigands in the hills, and that I have a slight flesh wound in the +shoulder, but don't say more about it until he has started to meet us. +Then you can go to the huts and break the news of the death of Lopez and +Pedro to their wives, but keep them from going anywhere near the house +till I arrive. I don't wish my mother to know anything about it till I +see her. If she heard that two of the men had been killed she would at +once imagine that I had been badly wounded and that you were concealing +the truth from her. Of course you will tell them, Antonio, that I am +bringing a friend with me." + +Señor Sarasta and his daughter came up. Will Harland reined in his horse +a little so as to allow his companion to meet his friends alone. Juan +checked his horse and dismounted as they came up to them, and they, too, +leaped from their horses. + +"Welcome home again, Juan!" his father said, embracing him in Spanish +fashion; while the girl kissed him with warm affection. + +"So I hear from Antonio that you have had trouble on the way and have +lost some blood." + +"'Tis only a flesh wound, sir, but just at present it is smarting a good +deal. Riding over those mountains is not the best thing in the world, +even for a trifling wound. Now I wish to introduce you to my friend, Don +William Harland, an American gentleman, who has done me vital service, +as I will presently relate to you." + +Will had also dismounted, and was standing by his horse, some fifteen +yards away. Juan's father walked across to him, and, lifting his +sombrero, said: + +"As the friend of my son, señor, I welcome you most warmly, the more so +since he tells me that you have rendered him a signal service, though of +what nature I am not aware, but in any case, as his friend you are mine, +and I beg you to consider my house as your own. This is my daughter, +Donna Clara." + +Will removed his sombrero and bowed deeply, while the girl made a +ceremonious salute. + +"Now let us mount and ride on," Señor Sarasta said. "Your mother will +be anxiously expecting you, Juan. We have been looking for you for the +past two days. But where are your other two men?" + +"I am sorry to say, father, that they are both killed," Juan replied. + +"Killed!" the haciendero repeated; while the girl uttered an exclamation +of horror. + +"Why, Antonio only spoke of the attack upon you as a trifle!" + +"I told him to do so, sir. I did not wish for you or my mother to be +alarmed. She might well have imagined that the wound was much more +serious than he reported; but it was a serious affair. We were ambushed +by a party of nine men in the upper part of the pass in the hills beyond +Monterey. The two men were killed by their first fire. We took to the +rocks. My friend here shot their leader and one of the men. I shot +another, but should not have been much further use, for one of them +fired almost at the same instant that I did, and his bullet cut my arm +from the elbow to the shoulder. It is not at all a serious wound, but +it disabled the arm for a time. However, the fall of their leader +settled the affair. The other six men, finding that they could not get +away without a certainty of being shot, surrendered, coming out one by +one and throwing down their weapons in the road and then going down the +pass singly. I was obliged to let them go, for they were still superior +to us in number, and we could no more show ourselves out of shelter than +they could. Some at least of us might have fallen had the fight gone +on." + +"Well, let us mount," the don said. "You must tell me all about it later +on. The first thing to do is to have your wound seen to. Padre Hidalgo +is a famous hand at such matters." + +"Well, señor," he went on to Will, as they cantered along, "I can quite +understand now that the service that you rendered to my son is a +valuable one, for had you not shot the leader of these rascals, to say +nothing of some of the others, the fight might have terminated very +differently." + +"That is certainly so," Juan said, "but that was not the service to +which I alluded. Don William and I made our first acquaintance in the +streets of San Diego after nightfall. I was returning through the +quarter by the port when I was attacked suddenly by four cut-throats. I +was defending myself as well as I could, but should certainly have been +killed had not this gentleman, who was an entire stranger to me, ran up +and levelled one of my assailants to the ground with a blow from a stick +he carried, and broke the wrist of another. The third, turning to defend +himself, I disposed of, and the other ran away." + +"By the saints! you seem to have had a hot time of it, Juan, and, +indeed, we have all good reason to be most grateful to your preserver. +Señor Harland, my obligations to you are infinite--such as I can never +repay." + +"Really, señor, you are making more of the matter than it is worth," +Will said earnestly. "I was going quietly along when I heard shouts and +exclamations, and felt that someone was being attacked. I ran forward, +and, seeing four men attacking one, had no difficulty in deciding who +were the aggressors, and without hesitation joined in. As I took them by +surprise, and, in fact, disposed of two of them before they could attack +me, while almost at the same moment Juan killed another, the affair was +over almost before it began. It was not a quarter of a minute from the +time I came up to that in which the fourth man was running off at the +top of his speed. I have already benefited very largely by the affair, +having gained thereby the friendship of your son, the hospitality of his +friend, Señor Guzman, and the opportunity of making this journey and +paying you a visit. As to the affair in the mountains, I was defending +my own life also, and our success was as important to me as to him." + +"It is well for you to make light of it, sir, but whether the first +affair lasted a quarter of a minute or a quarter of an hour, the result +was the same. Your quickness and courage in thus plunging into a street +fray on behalf of a stranger saved my son's life, as doubtless did the +shot that killed the leader of the party attacking you. It is strange, +indeed, that he should have met with two such adventures in the course +of a week. Possibly, Juan, the one was a sequel to the other, and those +engaged in it may have been the comrades of the men who attacked you at +San Diego, and who thus assaulted you to obtain revenge for their mishap +there." + +"That was so, father. Both attacks were the work of one man, who, I am +happy to say, will trouble me no more, as he was the leader of the +second attack--the man whom Señor Harland shot." + +"But who is the man, and what could have been his motive for thus +attacking you?" + +"I only suspected the first time, father, and until I looked at the man +Harland had shot I was not sure of it. Happily none of the men who acted +for him are likely to open their lips on the matter, and no one else +will have a suspicion. Had it been otherwise we might have had a good +deal of trouble over it, for the man was Captain Enriques Melos." + +Sarasta looked grave. + +"As you say, that would lead to serious trouble were it known, although, +clearly, you were not to blame in the matter; but what was the reason of +his enmity against you?" + +"He was a suitor for Donna Christina Guzman's hand, father." + +"Ah, ah, that explains it! Well, we will think no more of it at present; +but what did you do with his body?" + +"We piled rocks over it; there is no fear of his being discovered, and +as he certainly would not have mentioned to anyone his intention of +murdering me on my way home, no search is likely to be made in that +direction." + +"That is well. Of course I received your letter, Juan, and sent off a +messenger at once to Señor Guzman, giving my and your mother's hearty +consent to the match, which indeed pleased us much." + +Two or three minutes later they arrived at the hacienda, in front of +which a number of servants and peons employed in the gardens and stables +had gathered to welcome their young master back after his nine months' +absence. As they dismounted, Donna Sarasta appeared at the door. Juan +ran up the steps and tenderly embraced her; Señor Sarasta then led Will +up. + +"Your first welcome, my dear, should have been given to this gentleman, +Señor William Harland, for had it not been for him you would not have +Juan by your side now. He has twice saved his life." + +"Twice saved his life!" Donna Sarasta exclaimed incredulously. "Is it +possible, Philip?" + +"It is quite true," her husband said gravely. "Had it not been for him +Juan would never have returned to us. Do not be alarmed; the danger is +over, for the author of these attacks has fallen by Don William's +rifle." + +The lady held out both hands to Will. The tears were streaming down her +cheeks. + +"Señor," she said, "I cannot thank you now. Remember that it is our only +son's life that you have saved. Think of what we should have felt had +he not returned, and our men had brought us news of his death. May the +Blessed Virgin reward you and bless you! Give me your arm, Philip, I am +faint." + +Her husband and son supported her into the house and placed her on a +couch. + +"Look after your mother, Clara," the Mexican said, as two female +attendants came in. + +"Sancho, go and call Father Hidalgo down from his study. Doubtless he is +unaware that my son has returned. Tell him that he is to bring bandages +and salves, for there is a wound to be dressed. He will find my son in +the dining-room. Do one of you fetch basins of hot water and sponges +there. Now, Señor Harland, I will lead you to your room. Doubtless a +bath will be agreeable to you after your journey." + +Will was glad to be out of the way during this family meeting, and +willingly followed his host, who took him to a large chamber on the +first floor. A bath stood ready filled, with towels and all +conveniences. + +"I told them to put a suit of Juan's clothes in readiness. I did not +know whether they would fit, but I have no doubt they will do so. They +will save you the trouble of opening your bag till evening. And now, if +you will excuse me, I will go down and look at the boy's wound." + +"Well, luck has favoured me, indeed," Will said to himself, as he looked +round the room before proceeding to undress. "A fortnight ago there was +I, a runaway lad without plans, in a strange country, with nothing but +my kit-bag and some ninety pounds to rely upon. Now I am in clover, with +a good friend, a welcome assured as long as I choose to stay here, and +an amount of gratitude that seems to me almost ridiculous, considering +that it is all the result of my interfering in a street row, just as I +might have done in any other port. At any rate, I shall have some new +experiences to tell about when I get home. I shall certainly like the +señor; he has been so long out here that he has shaken off the indolent +air and the formal constraint that almost all these Spanish people +have, and is much more like an American than an Englishman. The mere +fact of his having settled in this out-of-the-way valley is a proof that +he has a lot of go and pluck. + +"Of course I can't tell much about his wife yet; she is naturally upset +at the thought of Juan's danger. As to his sister, she is ever so much +prettier than his sweetheart, though certainly Christina Guzman is +pretty, too. She hardly said a word after her first welcome to him--I +suppose she was too upset to talk, and will brighten up when she finds +that Juan's wounds are really trifling. Well, I expect I shall have a +jolly time of it here, and get some shooting and hunting. It will be +great fun among all these herds of wild cattle. The first thing to do +will be to learn to ride properly. I should not like to have all these +Mexican fellows laughing at me. At any rate, I have learned something on +our way here. I will get Juan to go out alone with me for a bit till I +can be sure of sticking on. From what he was saying, some of their +horses must be brutes to sit, especially those who jump straight up +into the air, and keep on doing it until they get rid of their riders." + +Having taken a bath and dressed very leisurely, he went downstairs +again, feeling pleased that Juan's clothes fitted him so well, and that +it was not necessary for him to get out his own, for, although new, they +would certainly not look so well after their journey in the kit-bag as +did the spotless white garments that had been provided for him. He found +Clara alone in the patio. This hacienda, like most of its kind, was a +large square building with a courtyard in its centre. In this case the +patio had been transformed into a shady little garden, with +orange-trees, bananas, and other tropical productions. Grape-vines +climbed round the light pillars that supported the veranda that +surrounded it, and covered its roof with a mass of foliage dotted with +great purple bunches of grapes. Two or three little fountains were +half-hidden among the trees, and the air was heavy with the scent of the +orange and citron flowers. + +"My father and mother will be down directly, señor," she said; "the bell +will ring for the mid-day meal in a few minutes." + +"What a lovely little garden this is!" Will said cheerfully, for he saw +that the girl was nervous and embarrassed. "You would not see anything +like this in the east, even under glass." + +The girl was silent for a few moments, and then broke out: + +"I hope you do not think me ungrateful, señor, that I have said nothing +to thank you for what you did for my brother, but it was not that. It +was because I felt that if I were to say a word I should break out +crying. We love each other dearly, Juan and I, and it was so awful to +think that I might never have seen him alive again;" and she stopped, +with her eyes full of tears. + +"I quite understand, señorita," he said; "and, indeed, I have been very +much more than sufficiently thanked by your father and mother. As for my +share in the matter, it was really not worth talking about. I am a +sailor, you know, and I am sorry to say that sailors when in port are +often in the habit of getting into rows, and I have half a dozen times +at least, when in foreign ports, taken part in a scrimmage when I saw +drunken sailors engaged in a broil with others, and have had to fight +very much harder than I did at San Diego, where, in point of fact, so +far as I was concerned, there was really no fighting at all. I do not +say that your brother might not have come off very badly if I had not +happened to come along, but there was really no shadow of risk to +myself. A couple of blows and it was all over; and I do hope that no one +will say any more in the way of thanking me." + +At this moment Señor Sarasta, his wife, and Juan, all came out together. + +"Well, Juan, how do you feel now?" Will asked, well pleased at their +arrival. + +"I feel a different man altogether," the young Mexican replied. "A warm +bath first and then the padre's salves have done wonders for me, and in +a week I shall have forgotten all about it." + +The rest of the day was spent in sauntering or sitting in the gardens +round the house. They were of the Spanish fashion, containing but few +flowers except those borne by the fruit-trees, and resembling +shrubberies and orchards rather than gardens, shade being the principal +object aimed at. During the afternoon Will told his friend of his desire +to become a good horseman. + +"I will put you in charge of Antonio; we have no better rider on the +ranch. He will put you through a course, beginning with comparatively +well-broken bronchos, until you can sit the worst buckers on the plains; +but you must not mind a few heavy falls at first." + +"I shall not mind that a bit, Juan. Sailors have the knack of falling +lightly." + +"Ah, well, he will choose a spot where the grass is long and the ground +soft for your lessons, and I can tell you it makes a good deal of +difference whether you come off on ground like that or on a spot where +there is next to no grass, and the ground is as hard as a brick. I have +no doubt that in the course of two or three weeks you will, if you +stick to it, be able to ride almost anything." + +"You need not be afraid of my not sticking to it, Juan. I certainly +should not like to look like a fool to your vaqueros, still less before +your mother and sister." + +Accordingly next morning Will's lessons began in a meadow close to the +stream, and half a mile away from the house. At first he was thrown an +innumerable number of times, for he had told Antonio to bring with him +some fairly restive horses. + +"It is of no use my spending my time on quiet animals," he said. "I have +just had a week's riding on one of them. I may as well begin with a +fairly bad one at once; it only means a few more throws. I have got to +learn to hold on, and the sooner I begin that the better." + +"With beginners we sometimes put a strap for them to hold on by, señor." + +Will shook his head. "I don't want anything of that sort," he said. "I +want to be able to stick on by my knees." + +"It is more by properly balancing yourself than by holding on," the man +said. "If you always keep your balance you will come straight down again +into the saddle, no matter how high he throws you, and there is no doubt +that the tighter you hold on by your knees the more heavy are the throws +that you will get." + +"I can understand that, Antonio. Now I am ready to begin." + +Will had expected to find it difficult, but he was fairly astounded by +the rapidity and variety of the tricks by which he was again and again +thrown off. After a time Antonio urged him to give it up for the day, +but he insisted on continuing until he was so absolutely exhausted that +he could do no more. + +"Well, señor," the man said, "you have done wonderfully well for a +beginner, and I will guarantee that in another week you will be able to +ride any ordinary horse, and in a month you will be able to mount +fearlessly any animal that you may come across, except, of course, a few +brutes that scarcely a vaquero on the ranch would care to back." + +Antonio's opinion was justified. It was ten days before Juan was able to +ride again, and by that time William Harland was so far accustomed to +the saddle that he was able to accompany him and his father on their +excursions to visit the herds and see that all was going on well. He did +not, however, give up his lessons with Antonio, devoting three or four +hours a day to the work, and at the end of the month he was able to sit +any ordinary bucker without difficulty. After that he practised for an +hour a day on vicious animals, and at the end of three months Antonio +said: + +"Now, señor, I can do no more for you; that brute that you have been +riding the last week is the terror of the ranch, and after sitting him +as you have done for the last three days, without his being able to get +rid of you once, you can ride anything without fear." + + + + +CHAPTER V + +AN INDIAN RAID + + +The time passed very pleasantly; Will had become a great favourite with +both Señor Sarasta and his wife, and was treated as one of the family. +Donna Clara often accompanied the party on horseback, and when her first +shyness with Will had worn off, he found that she was lively and +high-spirited. Accustomed to horses from her infancy, she was an +admirable rider, and, although both Juan and Will were mounted on some +of the best horses on the ranch, she could leave them behind on her +favourite mare, a beautiful creature that she herself had broken in. At +the end of three months Will felt that, much as he was enjoying himself, +he must not outstay his welcome; but, upon his broaching the subject of +leaving, the whole family protested so indignantly against such an idea, +that he felt they really desired him to stay with them. Juan spoke to +him on the subject as soon as they started on horseback together that +afternoon. + +"The idea of your leaving us is altogether preposterous, Will; do you +think that we should for a moment let you go? Where, indeed, would you +go? What ideas have you in your mind? Are you not one of us completely?" + +"You are awfully good to me; I was never so happy in my life," Will +replied, "but there is reason in all things; I cannot spend my life +here. I must be doing something for my living. As I told you, I do not +want to return home until I can say to my father, I have been a success, +I require no favours, and am in a position to keep myself." + +"I understand that," Juan said, "but how do you propose doing it?" + +"I should do it somehow. I can at least ride now, and have more ways of +making a living open to me than I had before." + +"My dear Will, you are talking nonsense, and if you suppose that we are +going to let you go out into the world in that sort of way you are +altogether mistaken. At any rate, leave the matter alone for the +present; we may see our way more clearly in time;" and had Will happened +to glance at his companion's face, he would have been puzzled by the +slight smile that glanced across it. + +Two months later all hands were busy on the ranch. It was the season at +which the herds were weeded out, the old bulls and some of the young +ones slaughtered, skinned, and boiled down. Will only once accompanied +Señor Sarasta and Juan to the scene of operations. He was interested in +the Indians, who, with their squaws and young ones, had come down and +established a camp of their own. They were free to take as much meat as +they pleased, not only for eating, but for drying for future +consumption; broad, thin slices of flesh were cut up and hung on ropes +between poles to dry in the sun. Three days sufficed for the operation. +The meat, now almost as hard as leather, was pounded by the women +between heavy stones, and then mixed with a little salt and packed +tightly in bags made of skins. In this state it would keep for an +indefinite time. Will Harland often went there, but could not be induced +to approach the spot where the animals were slaughtered. He was much +rallied by Señor Sarasta and Juan on what they called his +faint-heartedness. + +"I admit all you say," he replied. "I don't mind going into a fight +myself, but I cannot stand seeing those poor brutes killed. I know that +it is necessary, and that your vaqueros do it almost instantaneously; at +the same time, it is not necessary for me to see it. I would very much +rather stay away and watch the natives, with the shrivelled old women, +and the funny little papooses." + +Clara nodded approvingly. "You are quite right, Don William," for +although the others all, like Juan, called him simply by his Christian +name, Clara still continued the more formal mode of address. "I never go +near the yard myself when it is going on." + +"Ah! it is one thing for a girl not to like it," Juan said, "but for +Will, whom I have seen as cool as possible when his life was in danger, +and who fired at a man as steadily as if he had been shooting at a +target, it seems odd. However, one does not go to see the animals +killed; no one can take pleasure in that. The interest lies in the skill +and courage of the vaqueros, who are constantly risking their lives; +and, indeed, there is scarcely a season passes in which one or two of +them are not killed." + +The work occupied nearly a month; then Juan started with his father for +San Diego, where the formal betrothal of the former was to take place. +At this his father's presence was necessary, and the latter would make +his usual arrangements for chartering a ship to go down to receive the +hides and skins full of tallow at the mouth of the river. Will had again +proposed that he should accompany them and say good-bye to them there. +As before, his proposal was scoffed at. + +"It will be time enough to think of that when I go down three months +hence to be married," Juan said; "and now you must take our places +here, and look after my mother and sister. You will have to play the +part of my younger brother, and keep things straight. When we come back, +we will have a serious talk about the future." + +Will was indeed now quite at home in the work of the ranch, and not +infrequently rode in one direction to give orders respecting the herds, +while Juan rode in the other; and the vaqueros all regarded him as being +invested with authority by their master. The report of Antonio and +Sancho of what had taken place at San Diego and on the road, had greatly +predisposed them in his favour, and the manner in which he had succeeded +in sitting a horse that few of them would venture to mount had greatly +increased their respect for him. Don Señor Sarasta settled the matter by +saying, "If you were to go with Juan I could not leave at the same time, +Will, and I particularly wish to be present at his betrothal. It would +be strange and contrary to all custom if one of his family were not +there; still, we could hardly be away together unless there were +someone here to take our place. You know questions are constantly +referred to us. One herd strays into the ground allotted to another, +disputes arise between vaqueros, and, in fact, someone in authority must +be here." + +"Very well, sir. Then, if you think that I can be really useful, I shall +be only too glad to stay. You know that my own inclinations are all that +way. I have already been here five months, and I feel that this +delightful life must come to an end before long. However, since you are +good enough to say that I can really be of use in your absence, I will +gladly remain here until Juan goes down again to fetch his bride." + +Two days later the Mexican and his son rode off, accompanied by six +well-armed horsemen. Will found plenty to do, and was out the greater +part of the day. Two days after the others had started he saw one of the +Indians talking to Antonio. As soon as the latter saw him he left the +Indian and came up to him. + +"This Indian, who is one of the chiefs of our tribe, señor, tells me +that there is a report that the Indians on the other side of the river +are preparing for an expedition. It is supposed that it is against +another tribe farther east. They have not raided on this side of the +river for many years, but he thought that it was as well to let us know +that they are at present in an unsettled state. He says that he will +have some of his warriors down near the river, and that he will let us +know as soon as he has any certain news." + +"Is there anything to be done, do you think, Antonio?" + +"No, señor; wars are frequently going on between the Indians to the +east, but we have never had any trouble with them since we came here. If +our Indians thought that there was any danger, they would very soon be +flocking down here, for they have always been promised that they should +be supplied with firearms were anything of that sort to happen, and they +know that, with the aid of our people, they could beat off any number of +these red-skins." + +"I have no doubt that we could defend ourselves, Antonio; however, you +see that in Don Sarasta's absence I have a very heavy responsibility, +and I think that it would be as well to take some precaution. Will you +ask the chief to send down a dozen of his warriors? They shall be paid, +in powder and in blankets, whatever is the usual sum. I want them to +establish themselves round the hacienda, to keep guard at night. I don't +mean that they shall stay close to the house, but scout down towards the +river, so that in case of alarm there would be time to get you all in +from the huts. How many sleep there?" + +"There are about thirty of us who look after the herds in the lower +parts of the valley, and eight or ten peons who work in the garden round +the house." + +"Well, that force, with the half-dozen servants in the house, would be +able to hold the hacienda against almost any number of Indians, and you +could all be here in ten minutes from the alarm being given." + +"Very well, señor, I will tell the chief." + +He talked for a few minutes with the Indian. + +"He will send twelve of his braves down to-morrow," he said, when he +rejoined Will. + +"Very well, let him do so; I shall certainly feel more comfortable. What +tribe do these Indians on the other side of the river belong to?" + +"They are a branch of the Tejunas, who are themselves a branch of the +Apaches. The head-quarters of the tribe lie on the east side of Arizona, +between the Gila River and the Little Colorado. The Tejunas lie between +them and the Colorado; they are just as bad as the Apaches themselves, +and both of them are scourges to the northern districts of Mexico." + +"What are our Indians?" + +"They are a branch of the Genigueh Indians. They live among the hills +between Iron Bluff, sixty miles below us, and those hills you see as +many miles up. A good many of them hunt during the season on the other +side as far east as Aquarius Mountains, in what is known as the Mohave +country, but they never go farther south that side than the river +Santemaria, for the Tejunas would be down upon them if they caught them +in what they consider their country." + +"I wish the señor was back," Will said; "though I dare say it is all +right, and that, as the Indians haven't made a raid across here for many +years, they will not do so now. How would they get across the river?" + +"They would swim across, señor. An Indian thinks nothing of swimming a +wide river; he simply slips off his horse, and either puts his hands on +its back, or more generally holds on by its tail." + +"Have these fellows guns?" + +"A great many of them have. They capture them from the Mexicans, or, in +peaceable times, trade skins or their blankets or their Indian trumpery +for them. It is against the law to sell guns to the Indians, but most +Mexicans will make a bargain if they have the chance, without the +slightest regard to any law." + +"How is it that the Mexican government does not try and get rid of these +Indians? I see by the map that the frontier line is a long way north of +the Gila." + +"Yes, señor; they may put the line where they like, but there is not a +white man for a couple of hundred miles north of the Gila, except on the +Santa Fé River, and even there they are never safe from the Apaches and +the Navajoes. Why, it would want an army of twenty thousand men to +venture among the mountains north of the Gila, and they would all die of +starvation before they ever caught sight of an Apache. No, señor; unless +there is an earthquake and the whole region is swallowed up, I don't see +any chance of getting the better of the red rascals." + +After entering the house, Will said nothing of the news which he had +heard. It seemed that there was no real ground for alarm, and yet he +could not but feel very uneasy. The next morning he rode down to the +river, where a number of peons were engaged in loading the rafts with +hides and tallow. He had told Donna Sarasta that he should be down +there all day, as he wanted to get the work pushed on. He had been there +but two hours when Antonio rode up at a headlong gallop. + +"What is it, Antonio?" Will exclaimed, for it was evident from the man's +appearance that his errand was one of extreme importance. + +"The hacienda has been attacked by Indians, señor; I was with the herd +two miles this side of it when I heard some shots fired. I galloped to +see what was the matter, but when I got within a quarter of a mile I saw +that the Indians were swarming round it. A dozen started in pursuit of +me, but they did not follow me far." + +Will stood as one thunderstruck. + +"But how can they have got there, Antonio?" + +"They must have come by what is called the little gap. You know it, +señor,--that valley that runs off from the other nearly abreast of the +hacienda. Following that and crossing a shoulder, you cross down on to +the river some ten miles higher up. They must have crossed there by +swimming in the night." + +"But the chief said he had scouts there." + +"They could hardly watch thirty miles of the river, señor; besides, the +red-skins would have sent over two or three swimmers to silence anyone +they found near the place where they were to cross." + +By this time a dozen other vaqueros, who had been warned by Antonio as +he came down, joined them. + +"We must ride for the hacienda at once," Will said, leaping into the +saddle. + +"No use, señor, no use. I should say there must be four hundred or five +hundred of the red-skins, and we may be sure that there is not a soul +alive now at the hacienda or at the huts. They will be here in a short +time, of that there is no doubt; probably half will come down the valley +and half will go up. We must ride for it, sir; follow the river down +till we are past the hills; there is not a moment to be lost." + +The peons who had gathered round gave a cry of despair. "You can go if +you like, Antonio; I see we can do nothing at present, but I will not +leave the place." + +"What will you do then, señor?" + +"We will take the rafts and pole them across the river; there are no +signs of Indians there, and it is not likely there will be now." Then he +turned to the peons. "You have heard what I said. Get to the rafts at +once, there is not a moment to be lost. Look at that herd galloping +wildly; you may be sure that the red-skins are after them." + +"The señor's advice is good," Antonio said, "and there is not a moment +to be lost. Get on board all of you, comrades; tie your bridles to the +rafts." + +All hurried on to the rafts, the ropes that held them to the shore were +cut, and the peons, putting out the poles, pushed them into the stream. +The rafts were already heavily laden, by far the greater portion of the +cargo having been placed on board. Most of the vaqueros had their rifles +slung across their shoulders, as they had heard from Antonio what the +Indian had said, and had, on starting out, taken their guns with them. + +"One never can tell what will happen," Antonio said; "it is always well +to be on the safe side." + +Although the peons exerted themselves to the utmost, the rafts moved but +slowly, and they were but seventy or eighty yards from the shore when a +large band of Indians rode down to the bank and at once opened fire. As +they approached, Will shouted to all the men to take their places on the +other side of the piles of hide, and, using these as a breast-work, +those having guns at once returned the Indian fire. Five or six of the +red-skins fell, and the plunging of many horses showed that they were +wounded. A chief, who seemed to be in command, waved his hand and +shouted to his followers, who were evidently about to urge their horses +into the river, when Will, who had held his fire, took a steady aim at +the chief, and the latter fell dead from his horse. + +"Will they take to the water, Antonio?" he asked the vaquero, who had +taken his place on the raft with him. + +"I do not think so, señor; it is not in Indian nature to run such a risk +as that. We should shoot down numbers of them before they reached us, +and they would have a tough job then, for the peons would fight +desperately with their long knives, and it is no easy matter to climb +out of the water on to a raft with two or three men with long knives +waiting for you. This band are Apaches, señor; they have evidently +joined the Tejunas in a big raid." + +The Indians for a few minutes continued their fire, but as those on the +rafts only showed their heads when they stood up to fire, and every +bullet told in the crowded mass, the Indians sullenly rode off. + +The peons then resumed their poles, and in ten minutes reached the +opposite shore. Will sat down as soon as he had seen the horses landed, +with a feeling of despair in his heart. In the hurried arrangements for +the safety of those with him he had scarcely had time to think. Now +that there was nothing to do, the full horror of the situation was felt, +and the thought of Donna Sarasta and of Clara being murdered altogether +overpowered him, and his cheeks were moistened with tears. What would +the señor and Juan say on their return? They had left him in charge, and +although he could hardly be said to be to blame, yet he might have taken +greater precautions. He should not have relied upon the Indian scouts, +but have kept at least enough of the men up at the house to offer a +serious defence. Antonio, who was at the head of one of the parties in +charge of a herd, came up to him presently. + +"Well, señor, 'tis no use grieving, and assuredly if anyone is to blame +it is I rather than you, for I assured you that there was no danger. I +shall tell the señor so when he comes. Had he been here he would, I feel +sure, have waited for further news before regarding the matter as +serious. Now, señor, what do you propose to do next? You are our +leader." + +"The first thing to do is to go to the hacienda after dark, and to find +out what has happened there. How long do you think that the Indians will +remain in the valley?" + +"Some days, I should say, señor. They will no doubt kill a number of +cattle and jerk the meat. Then they will drive off as many as they think +they can take with them, and probably slay the rest out of pure +wickedness." + +"The principal point is to find out if all at the hacienda have been +killed." + +"That you may be sure of, señor; but still it is right that we should +know. There may be one exception, although I can hardly hope." + +"How do you mean, Antonio?" + +"I mean, señor, that the señorita may have been spared for a worse +fate--I mean, may have been carried off by them. The Indians, while +sparing no one else, old or young, always carry off the young women." + +"Great heavens!" Will exclaimed, stepping back, as if he had been +struck. "You do not say so! A thousand times better had she been +murdered by her mother's side. It is maddening to sit here and be able +to do nothing, not even to be able to find out if this dreadful thing is +true. How many men have we with guns?" + +"Thirteen besides myself and you, señor." + +"Those who have no rifles will be useless; they had better go down with +the rafts as soon as it becomes dark." + +"Yes, señor, that would be best. The Indians are sure to swim across +to-night, and the four rafts would do well to push off as soon as they +can no longer be seen from the other side. The four head men, who will +go down with them, are all here." + +"Call them up." + +The four white men came to him. + +"As soon as it is dark," he said, "you must push off; do not make the +slightest noise; when you get out in the middle of the stream let the +current take you down, only using the poles, when it is absolutely +necessary to keep you from approaching either bank. The twelve vaqueros +who have not guns had better go with you; that will give three to each +raft. We will pick out thirteen of the best horses, the others you must +kill this afternoon for food. Have you fishing-lines?" + +"Yes, señor, we always carry them with us; and we have spears and can +fish by torch-light." + +"Good! then you will manage very well. The vaqueros and what peons you +do not require must be landed as soon as you have passed the mountains; +they had better strike up to Monterey and wait there for orders. I will +give money to one of them to buy a horse there and ride with the news to +Don Sarasta at San Diego." + + + + +CHAPTER VI + +HOPEFUL NEWS + + +When all the arrangements had been made for the departure of the raft, +Will Harland said to Antonio: "Do you think that it will be absolutely +impossible to approach the hacienda by daylight?" + +"It could not be done, señor, and, indeed, I don't see that any good +could come of it, for even if we could get in unobserved, there would be +no one of whom we could ask questions or find out anything as to what +has taken place. It is just possible that in the confusion of the attack +some of the peons employed in the house, the stables, or our huts may +have escaped and hidden themselves. The Indians are good searchers, but +just at first they would be anxious to make their success as complete as +possible, and doubtless a large party rode up the valley at once while +the others started down it. It was important that they should surprise +the men with the various herds before they could gather together, for +even if twenty or thirty could have rallied they would have made a hard +fight of it before they lost their scalps. Therefore, any who escaped in +the attack on the house may have hidden themselves from the first +search, and we may possibly come across them at night. They would +assuredly never leave their hiding-places until darkness had fallen. + +"I have some hopes of Sancho. If anyone has got out safe he has. He had +a good deal of experience in Indian fighting some fifteen years ago, +when he was farther east, and is sure to have his wits about him. He was +at our hut when I came along this morning. As you know, he got hurt by a +young bull in the yard ten days since. He was nearly well again, but the +padre said he had better keep quiet for another day or two. I fancy that +he was the only man there except the peons, for it is a busy time. At +the first war-whoop he heard he would make for shelter, for he would +know that it was no use his trying to fight the whole tribe. There is a +thick patch of brush twenty or thirty yards from the huts. I expect that +he would make for that straight. There is a tank in the middle that was +used at one time, but the water was always muddy, and the master had a +fresh one made handy to the huts, and since then the path to the old +tank has been overgrown, and no one ever goes there. If Francisco is +alive, he is lying in that pond under the bushes that droop over it all +round." + +"He would not be able to give us any information as to what was done in +the house." + +"No, señor. But he would be of great assistance to us if we follow the +red-skins. He is up to all their ways, and is a good shot with the +rifle. At any rate, if we go down to the house I should like to try to +find him. We have been comrades a good many years now." + +"Certainly, Antonio, you shall see if you can find him. He is a good +fellow, and, as you say, would be of great assistance to us. Do you +think that we could make a circuit and come down on the river again two +or three miles higher up, and cross there and get anywhere near the +house?" + +"We might do it, señor, but as we cannot get near enough to do any good, +I think we should be wrong to move from here. You may be sure that +there are some of the red-skins hiding on the opposite bank, keeping a +sharp watch on us. If any of us were to ride away, one of them would +carry the news at once, and they would be on the look-out for us. If we +all stay here till it is dark, they would suppose that we have all gone +down with the rafts. That will be good for the rafts, too, for the +Indians would be unlikely to attack them, believing that there were some +fifteen or twenty men with guns on them; and, in the next place, they +will think that they are clear of us altogether and be less cautious +than they might be if they were to suppose that we were still in their +neighbourhood." + +"You are right, Antonio, and I will try and be patient." + +As soon as it was dark the little party of fifteen men started, moving +as noiselessly as possible. They rode two miles up the river to a point +where Antonio said they were opposite a path by which they could keep +along at the foot of the hills until in a line with the hacienda. + +"You don't think that there is any fear of there being any red-skins on +the farther side?" + +"Not the slightest, señor. Long before this they will have their fires +lighted and be gorging themselves with meat. They know how small our +force is, and will never dream of our venturing back into their midst." + +As they rode into the river they slipped off their horses as the latter +began to swim, holding on with one hand, and with the other keeping +their guns, pistols, and ammunition above the water. The river at this +point was some two hundred yards wide, and flowing with a quiet current. +In a few minutes they were across. Antonio soon discovered the path, +and, following it, they rode in single file for an hour. Then they +reached a spot where there was an opening among the trees, and Antonio +said that they were abreast of the hacienda, which was some four miles +away; the building itself was not visible, but the number of fires which +blazed round it was a sufficient indication of its position. At various +other points up and down the valley fires also blazed, but there was +none much nearer their side of the valley than those round the hacienda. + +"Do you mean to go with me, señor?" + +"Certainly I mean to go. How had it best be done?" + +"I should say that we had better ride to within two miles; it would not +be safe to go with so large a party nearer than that; then we will take +one of the others with us to hold our horses, and, going at a foot-pace, +we might get within half a mile of the house without their hearing us. +There will be a good deal of movement in the valley; the cattle will be +restless, having been chased all day, and the herds broken up, so I +think that we can reckon on getting pretty close. Then we will go +forward on foot. We had better make for the huts first; you see, the +Indians are thick round the house; I don't think there is any chance of +anyone being saved there, because that would be the first point of +attack. If we do not find Sancho, possibly we may come upon one or two +of the peons, who would be likely enough to make for the same shelter; +if not, we can try round the stables. Still, I am afraid there is no +chance of hearing what has happened at the house--I mean, whether the +señorita is killed or a prisoner. If there is no other way we must get +hold of an Indian and kill him; I will then dress up in his clothes, and +see if I can get into the house. As there are two tribes engaged, one +would have more chance of passing unsuspected than if they all knew each +other personally. At any rate, it must be risked. I know the Indian ways +pretty well, and might pass muster, but you would have no chance, +señor." + +When they dismounted Antonio said: + +"We had better leave our jackets and sombreros here; their outline would +show on the darkest night that we were not Indians." + +Before leaving the raft Will had obtained from one of the head men a +pair of the Mexican fringed leggings, as their own white trousers would +betray him at once, and now, with a dark blanket thrown over his +shoulder, he might at a short distance be easily mistaken for an Indian. +He had already left his riding-boots behind him, and had obtained a pair +of moccasins from one of the peons. + +"I will lead the way, señor, as I know every foot of the ground," +Antonio said. + +Moving along noiselessly they came down upon the huts of the white +employés of the hacienda. As there were no fires burning here, they had +but slight fear of encountering any of the Indians. Each, however, +carried a long knife ready for instant action. They had left their +rifles and pistols behind them, for if it was necessary to fight, the +combat must be a silent one. + +They crossed to the clump of bushes of which Antonio had spoken. + +"You stop outside, señor; it is of no use two of us making our way into +the tangle." + +As he parted the bushes before entering, a slight sound was heard. + +"Good! there is someone here," he muttered; and then, making his way a +few paces forward, he uttered Sancho's name. There was no reply, and he +repeated it in a louder tone. At once there was a low reply: "Here am I. +Is it you, Tonio?" + +"Yes; I have come to look for you. I thought you would have made a +bee-line here as soon as you heard the red-skins." + +"You were right, and there are two peons here. We were just going to +start to make our way down to the river. Are you alone?" + +"I have the young señor with me." + +"That is good. I was afraid that we had all been wiped out." + +In a couple of minutes the four men emerged from the bushes. + +"I am glad to see that you are safe, Sancho," Will said warmly. "Now can +you tell me what has happened?" + +"I know nothing whatever, señor. I was eating my breakfast when I heard +a sudden yell, and knew that it was the Apache war-whoop, and that there +must be a big force of them. There was evidently no fighting to be done, +so I caught up my rifle and pistols and made for the bush. These two +peons who were outside followed me. I told them to hide as best they +could, and I went on into the pool, found a good place under some thick +bushes, hid my powder-horn and weapons handy for use close by, and lay +down with my head out of water, listening. Already they were down at the +huts, and I heard the cries of the peons they caught there. Luckily I +was the only Mexican above. A few shots were fired up at the hacienda, +and I thought I heard screams, but, owing to the yells of the Indians, I +could not be sure. Presently it all died away. I don't fancy they +suspected that anyone had got away, the attack being so sudden; at any +rate, they made no search here. I made up my mind to lie down till most +of them would be asleep and then to make for the river, and I told the +peons that we must each shift for ourselves, as we had more chances of +getting away singly than if together." All this was spoken in a low +voice. + +"The principal thing that I wanted to ask you is, do you know whether +the señorita was killed, or whether they have kept her to carry off? +But, of course, you don't know." + +"They would not kill her," the man said confidently; "but so far as I +know, they have not even caught her. I was at the stables maybe half an +hour before the señorita came down and had her horse saddled. She had a +basket with her, and told me she was going to ride up the valley to that +wigwam that remained when the Indians went away, carrying as much meat +as their ponies could take. There were an old Indian and his wife left +there--she had got a fever or something, and was too ill to travel, and +the señorita was going to take a basket of food and some medicine that +the padre had made up for the old man. I have been thinking of her all +day. I should say she was coming back when the red-skins rode up the +valley after the cattle. She could hardly have helped seeing them, and I +wondered whether she would take to the trees and ride on this way until +after they had passed, or whether she had turned and ridden on. If she +did the first, she is pretty sure to have been captured when she got +down near home; if she went the other way, she gave them a mighty long +chase, for there is not a horse on the estate as fast as hers, and as +for the Indian ponies, she could leave them behind as if they were +standing still." + +"Thank God, there is a hope, then!" Will exclaimed. "Now we must move +farther off and chat it over." + +When they had gone a quarter of a mile from the house they stopped. +Antonio told the two peons that the rafts had started fully two hours +before. "The current is only about a mile and a half an hour, and if you +cross the river and keep on, you ought to catch them up before morning, +and can then swim off to them. Don't keep this side of the river, there +are red-skins on the bank; but if you stay on this side of the valley, +among the trees, down to the river, you will meet none of them. We have +come that way." + +The peons at once started. + +"Now, señor, will you go on to where the horses are? Sancho and I will +go back to the house; he understands the Apache language. We will crawl +up near the fires, and I should think that we are pretty certain to hear +if they have caught the señorita or not. However, we may be some time, +so do not be anxious, and don't move if you hear a sudden row, for we +might miss you in the dark. We shall make straight to this tree, and for +a bit my horse must carry double; you had better hand your jacket to +Señor Harland, Sancho, and take his blanket." + +"How far are the horses?" + +"There are three of them about two hundred yards farther on." + +"I will go there first, then," the man said. "This is a terrible +business, señor." + +"Terrible, indeed. I am afraid there is no doubt that Donna Sarasta has +lost her life." + +"I reckon," the man said, "that except ourselves and any you may have +with you, there ain't a dozen alive in the valley; it is a clean wipe +out. I never knew a worse surprise. How about the party by the river?" + +Antonio related what had taken place there. + +"Well, that is something saved," he said, "and with sixteen of us all +well armed we can manage to make a decent fight of it. We must get +another horse, but that won't be very difficult; most of the others are +sure to have their lassos with them, there are a score of horses running +loose on the plains, and they cannot have roped them all in yet." + +When they reached the horses he went on: "You had better stop here, +Tonio; you are not accustomed, as I am, to them Injuns, and as you don't +know much of their lingo, you would not understand much of their talk. I +would much rather go alone." + +"All right, old man!" the other said. + +"Now for my toilet," Sancho went on; and, going up to one of the horses, +he pricked it with his knife. "Steady, boy, steady!" he said, as the +horse plunged. + +"It is for your good as well as mine, for you would not find life in an +Indian village as pleasant as the life you have been used to." He dipped +his fingers in the blood, drew a broad line across his forehead and +round his eyes, placed a patch on his cheek; then he cut off two +handfuls of long hair from the animal's tail, tied these together with +string and fastened them in his hair, so that the horse-hair fell down +on to his shoulder on each side and partially hid his face. + +"It is rough," he said, "but it will pass in the darkness. It is lucky +you have got a 'Pache blanket; that will help me wonderfully." + +"Yes; I bought it from the Indians when they traded here a few weeks +since. The man I got it of said that he had traded a good pony for it +when he was hunting in the spring on the other side of the river." + +"I will take your rifle, Tonio," Sancho said. "I must either have that +or a bow and arrow. Now, good-bye!" + +Without another word he turned and strolled away towards the hacienda. +It was nearly two hours before he returned. + +"The señorita has got away so far," he said. "The red-skins came across +her half-way up the valley; she turned and rode straight up; a dozen +well-mounted men were sent after her. I heard that they sent so many +because they were afraid that they might fall in with a party of the +Genigueh Indians, who would certainly attack them at once." + +"Thank God!" Will exclaimed fervently. "There is a chance of saving her, +after all, for if they overtake her--and they won't do that for some +time--we can attack them as they come back again." + +"Now let us join the others at once, and make up the valley." + +During the time Sancho had been away he had been questioning Antonio as +to the extent of the valley. + +"It goes a long way into the heart of the mountains, señor, but none of +us know it beyond what we have learned from the Indians, for we were +strictly forbidden to go beyond the boundary for fear of disturbing the +game in the Indian country. They say that it runs three hours' fast +riding beyond our bounds. After that it becomes a mere ravine, but it +can be followed up to the top of the hill, and from there across a wild +country, until at last the track comes down on a ford on the Colorado. +From there there is a track leading west at the foot of the San +Francisco Mountain, and coming down on the Little Colorado, close to the +Moquis country." + +"How far would that be from here?" Will asked. + +"I have never been across there, señor, and I doubt whether any white +man has--not on that line. I should think that from what the Indians say +it must be some fifty miles from the end of our part of the valley to +the ford of the Colorado, and from there to the Little Colorado it must +be one hundred and fifty miles in a straight line, perhaps two hundred +by the way the track goes--that is to say, if there is a track that +anyone can follow. These tracks mostly run pretty straight, so that I +should say that it would be about as far to the Moquis country as it +would be to San Diego from here; however, we may be sure that we are not +going to make such a journey as that; the Apaches are not likely to +follow her farther than the end of this valley, or at most to the +Colorado ford." + +As they rode along Will learned from Sancho how he had obtained the +news. + +"There was no difficulty about that," the other said carelessly. "I +waited till the fires were a bit low, and then sauntered about near +those of a party of the Tejunas, and heard them talking about it. I +learned that they had, as they believed, wiped out all our people except +those who crossed the river on rafts, and the señorita, though they +allowed that a few of the men with the herds might have got away, and +they were going to search the valley thoroughly to-morrow. Not a soul in +the hacienda escaped. The red-skins were exultant over the amount of +booty they had taken, and were glad that the cattle were amply +sufficient for both tribes, so that there would be no cause for dispute +as to the division; and were specially pleased with the stores of flour +and goods of all kinds in the magazines." + +When they joined the main body Sancho was heartily welcomed by his +comrades, who were delighted to hear that there was at least a chance of +saving the señorita, of whom all hands on the estate were fond. It was +arranged at once that Sancho should ride by turns behind the others, and +then they started at a gallop up the valley, keeping close within the +edge of the trees that covered the hillside. + + + + +CHAPTER VII + +THE PURSUIT + + +But few words were spoken until the party arrived at a spot where the +valley began to narrow in near the boundary of the ranch. They were now +considerably beyond the Indian fires. + +"There is no fear of our meeting with any of the red devils now," Sancho +said. "They know well enough that our Indians would not venture to +attack them, and that there are no other enemies near. A quarter of a +mile and we shall be at the wigwam where the señorita went this +morning." + +"We will stop there for a moment," Will said; "it is not likely that we +shall find anything that will give us useful information, but at any +rate the horses may as well have a short rest there as well as anywhere +else." + +They had come fifteen miles now at a smart pace. + +The men all dismounted. One of them struck a light with his flint and +steel, and then lit the end of a short coil of cord that had been soaked +in saltpetre, and waved it round his head till it burst into a flame. As +they expected, they found the two Indians lying dead; both had been +tomahawked and then scalped. On the ground lay a broken medicine bottle +and a portion of some soft pudding. + +"That does not tell us much," Will said. + +Sancho made no answer, but looked all round the wigwam. "The basket is +not here," he said. "I noticed that it was pretty full." + +"I suppose the red-skins took it, Sancho?" + +"They would not bother about a basket; it is the last thing they would +think of taking. My idea is that the señorita came back here. I expect +she came to warn the Indians. She would, to begin with, if she rode at +full speed, have distanced the 'Paches, who would not be able to get +through the herd, which must have been between them and her when she +first saw them. If she were half-way down the valley she might have been +here some minutes before them. Of course the two old Indians knew that +there was no escape for them, and made no effort to avoid their fate. I +expect they had only taken that pudding and medicine out of the basket +when she got back. Now, seeing that the basket and all that was in it +are gone, it seems to me possible enough that the señorita may have +caught it up and ridden off with it, knowing that she had a long ride +before her, and through a country where there are no posadas." + +"I hope, indeed, that it may be so, Sancho, for I have been wondering +what she would do if she were lost in these mountains. What would she +be likely to put in the basket?" + +"I handed it up to her, señor, when she had mounted; there were two +bottles of milk, a bottle of wine, and a pile of cakes. There were a few +other things, but I did not notice what they were." + +"I only hope that your idea is correct, Sancho; it would be a great +comfort to know that she had enough provisions to last her for two or +three days." + +"I expect you will find that it is so, señor; the señorita is +quick-witted and cool. I saw her once when a dozen bulls stampeded when +we were trying to drive them into the yard; she was sitting her horse a +short distance from the gate, and was just in their line. She didn't try +to dash aside across their path, as many would have done, but turned and +started, keeping her horse in at first, and then letting him out +gradually and edging off out of their line, and she came cantering back +laughing as she joined her father, who was looking pale as death at the +danger she had been in. I have very little doubt that it has been as I +said; she galloped at first at full speed, then when she got near this +hut she saw that she was well ahead of the red-skins. She rode up here, +jumped off to warn the Indians, and when she found they would not go she +took the basket, knowing the things could be of no use to them, and +might be worth a hundred times their weight in gold to her. Maybe the +old Indian may have suggested it to her; at any rate, I feel sure she +took them." + +"Well, we will ride steadily on. Is there any place where she could have +left the valley?" + +"Not beyond this, señor; at least, I know of none; but, as I told you, +we know very little of the valley beyond this point. Certainly she could +have known no path; no doubt she went straight on. Well mounted as she +was, she would feel sure that the red-skins could not overtake her, and +I expect she did not press her horse much, but contented herself with +keeping out of rifle-shot. I don't know whether she knew of the ford +across the river, but she would naturally plunge in at the point where +the track comes down on it, and would, no doubt, be surprised at finding +that the horse was able to cross without swimming." + +"She would not be able to turn, after she had crossed, and come down on +the opposite bank?" + +"No, señor; that would not be possible; there are high mountains there, +and the river at some places runs through deep gorges." + +"How far do you think the Apaches would follow?" + +"I think that they would keep on for some distance beyond the river; +when they found at last that they had no chance of catching her, they +might turn and come back and cross the river, and camp on this side. By +that time their horses would be done for; you see, they most likely had +a long ride yesterday; maybe they were travelling all night, and, of +course, it gave the señorita an immense advantage that her horse was +fresh, while theirs had anyhow a great deal taken out of them before +they set out in pursuit. I should recommend that we halt, as soon as it +becomes light, in some clump of trees and wait for them as they come +back. We are pretty well matched in numbers, and with the advantage of a +surprise we ought to be able to wipe them out altogether. We might go as +far as we can up the valley to the point where it becomes a mere ravine, +before daylight breaks, and our horses will be all the better for a rest +of a few hours. They will have gone over forty miles since they left the +river, and we may probably have a very long journey to do again +to-morrow. There is no saying how far the señorita may have gone; she +would not know whether the red-skins might not follow all night, and I +should think that she would keep on till daybreak, though, of course, +she would only go at a walk." + +"It is difficult to say what she is most likely to do." + +"It is, indeed, señor; if I myself were in her place I should be +puzzled. I should reckon that all in the valley had been wiped out. The +red-skins would assuredly first make a rush for the hacienda, because it +was most important that they should carry that before the men could +rally round and make a defence. I should reckon that the red-skins would +remain there for four or five days before they had jerked as much meat +as they could carry, and that, when they started, a party would like +enough be placed in ambush to catch me as I came back. I should know +that it was next to hopeless to try and find my way down across such +mountains as there are ahead, through which, so far as I know, there are +no tracks, and I am not sure that I should not push on in hopes of +reaching the Moquis, who are peaceful Indians, as I have heard, with +their villages perched on the top of hills, and having flocks and herds, +and being in all ways different from all the other tribes except the +Zunis. + +"The red-skins say that these people were here before them, and that +they really belong to the tribes of Central Mexico, and came from there +long before the white man ever set foot in America. From there one could +travel north, strike the Santa Fé trail, and possibly make one's way +through safely, though the Navajoes are pretty nearly as bad there as +the Apaches are here. Whether the señorita has ever heard of the Moquis +I cannot say, but if she finds that she is on a trail she will follow +it, thinking anything better than going back and falling into the hands +of the Apaches." + +"Are there any other tribes she would have to pass through on the way?" + +"I think not. It is a great mountain track, where even red-skins could +not pick up a living. As far as I have heard, the track from the ford +leads through a series of passes between lofty hills. It is not the +course of a river, and, therefore, there are not likely to be any +villages. I should say that there would be forest on the lower slopes, +and we are sure to meet with enough game to keep us." + +They now proceeded at a walk, for the trees in most places grew thickly, +and the ground here and there was broken by boulders that had rolled +down from the hillside. At last they came to a point where the valley +was but a hundred yards wide. Here they halted, took off the horses' +bridles to allow them to pick what grass there was, and threw themselves +down, and most of them were asleep in a few minutes. + +"Is it necessary to keep watch?" Will said. + +"No, señor, the 'Paches will assuredly not start to come back until +morning. The country is as strange to them as it is to us. I should say, +from what I have heard, it is about ten miles from the river, and in an +hour or an hour and a half after daylight they are likely to be here." + +Will took a seat by the trunk of a tree. He had no inclination for +sleep. His thoughts were busy with the girl--alone in these mountains +with an unknown country before her and a band of relentless savages who +might, for aught she knew, be still pressing after her. It was difficult +to conceive a more terrible situation. She might lose the trail, +which was sure to be a faintly-marked one, and in some places +indistinguishable save to an eye accustomed to tracking. If so, her fate +was sealed. She must wander about till she died of hunger and thirst. It +was maddening to be waiting there even for an hour or two and to know +that she was alone. As soon as daylight broke, Sancho sent four of the +men back to hunt for game. If they did not come upon something in the +course of three-quarters of an hour, they were to return. They had been +gone, however, half that time when the crack of a rifle was heard, and +ten minutes later they rode back, bringing with them a stag they had +shot. Already a fire had been lighted one hundred yards behind the +camping-ground. Antonio had collected some perfectly dry wood for the +purpose. + +"There will be no smoke to speak of," he said to Will, "and what little +there is will make its way out through the leaves. It is unlikely in the +extreme that the Indians will notice it, and if they do, they will think +that it is a fire made by one of our Indians." + +A couple of the hunters at once set about skinning and cutting up the +carcass. They were to go on cooking it until a signal was made to them +that the Indians were approaching. The horses had now been collected, +and the men disposed themselves behind trunks of trees, each with his +horse a few yards behind him. All these were well trained to stand still +when the reins were thrown over their heads. In front of them was a +clear space some thirty yards across. After half an hour's anxious +waiting, Sancho, who was lying with his ear to the ground, raised his +hand as a signal that he could hear the Indians coming. The men from the +fire ran up and took their places with the rest. The rifles were thrown +forward in readiness. All could now hear the dull tread of the horses, +with an occasional sharper sound as the hoofs fell upon rock. As the +Apaches rode out from the wood their leader suddenly checked his horse +with a warning cry, but it was too late. + +Sixteen rifles flashed out, half the Apaches fell, and before the +others could recover from their surprise at this unexpected attack the +vaqueros charged down upon them. Hopelessly outnumbered as they were, +the Apaches fought desperately, but the combat was short. The pistols of +Will and Sancho were used with deadly effect, and in a couple of minutes +the fight was over and the last Indian had fallen. + +"Now, let us waste no time," Will said. "Ten minutes must do for our +breakfast; then we will be off." + +None of the party was seriously hurt, and the wounds were soon bandaged. +The joints hanging above the fire were soon taken down, cut into slices, +and grilled. They were being eaten when four Indians stepped from among +the trees, one of them being evidently a chief. + +"You are breaking the rules," he said to Will, whom he recognized as the +leader of the party. "We shall lay a complaint before the great master." + +Will did not answer, but Antonio, who spoke their language fairly, +replied, "Have you not heard the news?" + +"We have heard no news," the chief said. "We heard a gun fire when we +were hunting two miles down the valley. We came to see what it was. Then +we heard many guns, and, not knowing what it could be, hid our horses +and came on." + +"Then do you not know that there are three or four hundred Apaches and +Tejunas in the valley below; that the hacienda has been attacked, all +within it killed, and that the herds have been destroyed? So far as we +know, we alone have escaped." + +The Indians uttered deep exclamations of surprise. + +"What was the firing?" the chief asked. + +"If you go on a hundred yards farther up, you will find the dead bodies +of twenty Apache braves; they have been riding in pursuit of Donna +Clara, the daughter of the señor, who was fortunately at your end of the +valley, having gone there with food and medicine for the old Indian of +your tribe who was too ill to leave with the rest, a fortnight since." + +"I saw her often then," the chief said, "and this young brave"--and he +motioned to Will--"he was often in our camp, and the girl visited our +wigwams and gave many little presents to our women. Did she escape +them?" + +"She did, but where she is we know not. We are going in search of her. +If you and your warriors will go with us, we shall be glad, for your +eyes are better than ours, and could follow the footmarks of her horse +where we should see nothing." + +"Teczuma, with one of his warriors, will go," the chief said. "The other +two must go and carry the news to our people, and, though they are not +strong enough to fight so large a force, yet they will not be idle, and +many of the Apaches and Tejunas will lose their scalps before they cross +the river again." + +He spoke a few words to the three men, who at once left, and in ten +minutes one returned with two horses. The chief had already eaten two +slices of deer's flesh, and he mounted and rode on with the others, +while his follower waited for a minute to eat the flesh that had already +been cooked for him. Sancho had chosen the horse that had been ridden +by the Apache chief, and, without stopping, they rode on until they +were, a few minutes later, joined by the other Indian. They now pushed +on rapidly, ascending the ravine, and on reaching the top Will saw with +satisfaction that high hills on both sides bordered what was, in fact, a +pass between them, and that Clara must therefore have kept on straight. + +The chief with his follower rode a little ahead of the others, Will, +with Antonio and Sancho, following closely behind him. Once or twice the +chief pointed down to marks on the rocks, with the remark, "A shod +horse". + +"That is all right," Antonio said. "The Indians do not shoe their +horses, so we may be sure it was the señorita." + +The path soon began to descend again, and in an hour from the time of +starting they emerged from the pass within one hundred yards of the +river; the ground here being soft, a well-marked track was visible. + +"Made by our people," the chief said, turning round. "They often cross +ford to hunt on the other side--large forests there, two hours' ride +away--good hunting-ground. Apache not come there. Hills too big to +cross." + +Beyond the river the track was for some time perfectly distinct, but it +presently became fainter. However, as the Indians rode on rapidly, Will +had no doubt that, although he could not see the tracks on the ground, +they were plain enough to the eyes of the Indians. + +"It is a mighty good job we have the chief with us," Antonio said. "The +trail is plain enough at present, but it is sure to get fainter when we +get into these forests they speak of. Probably it goes straight enough +there, but once among the trees it will break up, as the Indians would +scatter to hunt. We should have lost a lot of time following it. Now we +have got these two red-skin fellows, they will pick it up almost as fast +as we can ride." + +The road, indeed, after passing over a rocky plateau, dipped suddenly +down into a deep valley running up from the river, and extending as far +as one could see almost due east among the hills. The track they were +following turned to the right at the foot of the hill. For miles it was +clearly defined, then gradually became fainter, as the Indians who had +followed it turned off in search of game. The footprints of the shod +horse continued straight up the valley, until, ten miles from the point +at which they had entered it, they turned to the left. + +"It has been going at a walk for some miles," the chief said, "and the +white girl has been walking beside it. I saw her footprints many times. +We shall find that she halted for the night at the little stream in the +middle of the valley. It must have been getting dark when she arrived +here. She must be a good horsewoman and have a good horse under her, for +it is nearly eighty miles from here to the hacienda." + +By the stream, indeed, they found the place where Clara had slept. The +Indian pointed to spots where the horse had cropped the grass by the +edge of the stream, and where it had at last lain down near its +mistress, who had, as a few crumbs showed, eaten some of the cakes. + +"I wonder we don't see one of the bottles," Will remarked. + +Antonio translated his remarks to the chief, who said, "Girl wise; fill +bottle with water; not know how far stream come. We halt here; cannot +follow trail farther; soon come dark." + +This was evident to them all; men and horses alike needed rest. They lit +a fire and sat around it for a short time; all were encouraged by the +success so far, and even the fact that they were supperless did not +affect them. + +"Teczuma and Wolf go out and find game in the morning," the chief said +confidently. "Plenty of game here." + +Long before the others were awake, indeed, the chief and his follower +were moving. Just as daylight broke, the latter ran into camp. + +"Come," he said, "bring gun; grizzly coming down valley. Teczuma watch +him." + +The men were on their feet the instant Antonio translated the Indian's +words, and followed the Indian on foot. + +"Was the bear too much for the two Indians?" Will asked Sancho. + +"If they had been alone they would have fought it, but the chief was +right to send for us. It was like enough they might have got badly hurt, +and that would have been a bad thing for us." + +Presently the Indian stopped. It was still twilight under the trees, but +they could make out a great gray form advancing towards them. When +within twenty yards it scented danger, and stopped with an angry growl. +Almost at the same moment a rifle flashed out behind a tree near its +flank. With a furious growl it turned, exposing its flank to the +watchers. Antonio had warned five of these not to fire; the other ten +rifles were fired simultaneously, and the bear rolled over and over. It +scrambled to its feet again, and stood rocking itself, evidently wounded +to death. The other five men ran forward together, and when three yards +distant poured in their fire, and the bear fell dead. The vaqueros lost +no time in skinning it. A portion of the flesh was carried to the fire, +cut up into strips, and at once cooked. As soon as the meal was +finished, the rest of the meat was cut off and divided between the +party, who then mounted and rode on, the two Indians again leading the +way. + + + + +CHAPTER VIII + +THE CAVE-DWELLERS + + +Three days later the party stood on the brow of a steep bluff looking +down upon the Colorado Chiquita river. It had been a weary journey. It +was evident that the girl had, after the second day's riding, allowed +the horse to go its own way, trusting perhaps to its instinct to make +for some habitation, should there be any in the region. There had been +no difficulty in following its footsteps until the third day, when they +were passing over a stony plateau. Here even the keen sight of the +Indians sometimes failed them, and hours were lost in taking up the +trail. There was no water to be met with here, and the Indians agreed +that the horse was going slowly and weakly, and the girl for the most +part walking beside it, as they pointed out by a crushed blade of grass +or flattened lichen by the side of the horse's track. Later in the day +the trail was straighter, and the chief said confidently, "The horse +smells water; the river cannot be many miles away." + +It was an hour after starting, on the third morning, that they reached +the bluff opposite to them. For a distance of a couple of miles rose a +steep island of basalt, some hundreds of feet above the plain around it, +and on the summit a large village could be seen. + +"Moquis," the Indian said, pointing to it. + +"Then she must have got there in safety!" Will exclaimed in delight. The +chief shook his head. "Horse not able to swim river, must stop a day to +eat grass. There horse!" and he pointed to an animal seven hundred or +eight hundred feet below them. + +"That is its colour, sure enough," Antonio exclaimed, "but I don't see +the señorita." + +"She may be asleep," Will suggested. + +"Likely enough, señor; we shall soon see." + +Dismounting, they made their way down the steep descent. Then all leaped +into their saddles and galloped forward to the edge of the stream, a +quarter of a mile away. The mare, which evidently scented that the +new-comers were not Indians, cantered to meet them with a whinny of +pleasure. There were no signs of the girl, and all dismounted to search +among the low bushes for her, Will loudly calling her name. Presently +the Indian, who, with his follower, had moved along the bank, called +them. + +"She slept here yesterday," he said, and the level grass close to a +shrub testified to the truth of the exclamation. The two Indians looked +serious. + +"What is it, chief?" + +"Indians," he said. "White girl come down to river to drink; then she +lay down here; then Indians come along; you see footprints on soft earth +of bank; they catch her when asleep and carry her off. Teczuma and the +Wolf have looked; no marks of little feet; four feet deeper marks than +when they came along; Indian carry her off." + +"Perhaps they have taken her along the river to some ford, and carried +her up to their village." + +"Soon see;" and he and the Wolf moved along the bank, the others +following at a short distance, having first taken off their horses' +bridles, allowing them to take a good drink, and turned them loose to +feed. + +"Small men," the chief said, when Will with the two chief vaqueros came +up to him. "Short steps; got spears and bows." + +"How on earth does he know that?" Will said, when the words were +translated to him. Sancho pointed to a round mark on the ground. + +"There is the butt end of a spear, and I dare say the chief has noticed +some holes of a different shape made by the ends of bows." + +Half a mile farther the bluffs approached the river and bordered it with +a perpendicular cliff, which had doubtless been caused by the face of +the hill being eaten away by the river countless ages before. The stream +was here some thirty yards from the foot of the cliff. More and more +puzzled at the direction in which Clara had been carried, the trackers +followed. They had gone a hundred yards along the foot of the cliff when +a great stone came bounding down from above, striking the ground a few +yards in front of the Indians, who leaped back. Almost instantly a +shrill voice shouted from above, and, looking up, they saw a number of +natives on a ledge a hundred feet above them, with bows bent +threateningly. + +"Back, all of you!" Sancho shouted. "Their arrows may be poisoned." + +Seeing, however, that the party retreated in haste, the Indians did not +shoot; when a short distance away a council was held, and all returned +to their horses, mounted, and swam the river; then they rode along to +view the cliff. Three or four openings were seen on the level of the +ledge on which the Indians were posted, and Will was astonished to see +that above, the cliff, which was here quite perpendicular, was covered +with strange sculptures, some of which still retained the colour with +which they had in times long past been painted. + +"They are the old people, the cave-dwellers," Sancho said. "I have heard +of them; they were here long before the Moquis were here. They were a +people dwelling in caves. There are hundreds of these caves in some +places. They have always kept themselves apart, and never made friends +with the Moquis. In the early times with the Spaniards there were +missionaries among the Moquis, but they could never do anything among +the cave people, who are, they say, idolaters and offer human +sacrifices." + +"How do the people live?" Antonio asked. + +"They fish, and steal animals from the Moquis when they get a chance, +and they dwell in such inaccessible caves that, once there, they are +safe from pursuit. + +"If you like, señor, I will go up to the Moquis village, and try to find +out something about them. I don't know the Moquis language, but I +understand something of the sign language, which is understood by all +Indians, and I dare say that I shall be able to learn something about +these people." + +Will dismounted as the vaquero rode off, and, bidding Antonio do the +same, told the man to take their horses a quarter of a mile away, and +there to dismount and cook a meal. + +"Now, Antonio," he said, "we have to see how this place can be climbed." + +Antonio shook his head. "I should say that it was altogether impossible, +señor. You see there is a zigzag path cut in the face of the cliff up to +that ledge. In some places the rock is cut away altogether, and then +they have got ladders, which they would no doubt draw up at once if they +were attacked. You see the lower ones have already been pulled up. Like +enough sentries are posted at each of those breaks when they are +threatened with an attack. Besides, the chances are that if they thought +there were any risk of our getting up, they would kill the señorita." + +"I see all that, Antonio, and I have no thought of making my way up by +the steps; the question is, could it be climbed elsewhere? The other end +of the ledge would be the best point to get up at, for any watch that is +kept would certainly be where the steps come up." + +Antonio shook his head. "Unless one could fly, señor, there would be no +way of getting up there." + +"I don't know that," Will said shortly; "wait till I have had a good +look at it." + +Lying on the ground, with his chin resting on his hands, he gazed +intently at the cliff, observing even the most trifling projections, the +tiny ledges that here and there ran along the face. + +"It would be a difficult job and a dangerous one," he said, "but I am +not sure that it cannot be managed. At any rate, I shall try. I am a +sailor, you know, Antonio, and am accustomed, when we have been sailing +in the gale, to hold on with my toes as well as my fingers. Now, do you +go back to the others. I shall want two poles, say fifteen feet long, +and some hooks, which I can make from ramrods. Do you see just in the +middle of that ledge, where the large square entrance is, the cliff +bulges out, and I should say the ledge was twenty feet wide; this is +lucky, for if there are sentries on the steps they would not be able to +see beyond that point. If they could do so, I should not have much +chance of getting up, for it will be a bright moonlight night. When I +get to the top--that is, if I do get there--I shall lower down a rope. +You can fasten the lariats together. They would hold the weight of a +dozen men. The lightest and most active of you must come up first. When +two or three are up we can haul the rest up easily enough. Now you can +go. I shall be here another half-hour at least. I must see exactly the +best way to climb, calculate the number of feet along each of those +little ledges to a point where I can reach the one above with my hook, +and get the whole thing well in my mind." + +Antonio went away shaking his head. To him the feat seemed so impossible +that he thought that it was nothing short of madness to attempt it. Such +was the opinion of the rest of the vaqueros and the two Indians when, on +arriving at the fire, he told them what Will proposed doing. Their +leader, however, when he joined them, had a look of confidence on his +face. + +"I am more convinced than ever that it can be done," he said. When the +meal of bear's flesh had been eaten, he lit his pipe and began to smoke +quietly. The chief came up and spoke to him. + +"What does he say, Antonio?" + +"He says that you are a brave man, señor, but that no man could do what +you are talking of, and that you will throw away your life." + +"Tell him I will bet my horse against his that I shall succeed, and you +shall be witness to the bet in case I don't come back again." + +The chief nodded gravely when the offer was made to him. Indians of all +tribes are given to wagering, and as the horse Will was riding was a far +better one than his own, he regarded the matter rather as a legacy than +a bet. + +An hour later Sancho came down, accompanied by several of the Moquis +Indians, leading four sheep as a present, and followed by women carrying +pans of milk, baskets of eggs, and cakes of various descriptions. Sancho +presented the chief to Will. + +"They are quite friendly, señor; they hate the cave-dwellers, who are +constantly robbing them, and who compel them to keep guard over the +animals at night. I can understand them pretty well; they bid me tell +you that they would gladly assist you against the cave-dwellers, but +that it is impossible to reach the caves." + +Will shook hands with the chiefs, and asked Sancho to explain by signs +that he was much obliged for their presents. + +"Tell them, Sancho, that I am going to try to scale the cliff +to-night." + +"You are going to scale the cliff?" the vaquero asked incredulously. + +"I did not say that I was going to scale it, but that I was going to +try; and I may add that I hope that I shall succeed. Will you ask if the +cave-dwellers poison their arrows?" + +"I have already asked that, señor, but he said no. The cattle have often +been wounded by them, and unless the wound is a mortal one, they +recover." + +"That is very satisfactory," Will said, "for I own I have more fear of +being hit by a poisoned arrow than I have of scaling the cliff." + +"The chief says that if you will go up to their village he will place a +house at your disposal, señor." + +"Tell him that I am much obliged, and that to-morrow I may accept their +invitation. Our horses will require three or four days' rest before +starting back, and I can hardly hope that the señorita will be fit to +travel for a good deal longer than that." + +Although they had but just eaten a meal, the vaqueros were perfectly +ready to begin another. A number of eggs were roasted in the ashes, and +washed down by long draughts of milk. The chiefs then left them, but a +number of the villagers came down and watched the proceedings of the +strangers with great interest. Will at once proceeded to carry out his +plan of bending the ramrods: a hot spot in the fire was selected, and +two of the vaqueros increased the intensity of the heat by fanning it +with their sombreros. Three others went down to the river and brought up +a large flat boulder and two or three smaller ones, and, using the large +one as an anvil, the ends of the hooks were hammered into sharp, broad, +chisel-shaped blades. Sancho had explained to the chiefs that two poles, +some fifteen feet long, were required, and when these were brought down +the ramrods were securely bound to them with strips of wetted hide. +Other strips were, by Will's directions, bound round the pole so as to +form projections a foot apart. + +"That will greatly assist me in climbing it," he said. "I don't say I +could not do without it, but it will make it very much easier." + +In order to lull the cave-dwellers into security, the camp was shifted +in the afternoon to the foot of the Moquis hill, and there Will gave his +men instructions as to the operations. + +"We will cross the river on the horses a mile above the cave," he said; +"we must use them, or we could not keep our rifles and pistols dry. You +must all remove your boots as soon as you dismount, and we will now tear +up two or three blankets, and twist strips round the barrels of the +guns, so that, should they strike against the rocks, no sound shall be +made. You had better do the same with the barrels of your pistols." + +Then he chose the lightest of the vaqueros to follow him. Another +light-weight was to be third. Antonio was to follow him, and then +Sancho, and the order in which all the others were to go was arranged. +Lariats were securely knotted together, and the knots tied with strips +of hide, to prevent the possibility of their slipping. The men carried +out his orders, but it was evident from their manner that they had not +the slightest hope that his attempt would be successful. An hour after +sunset they started. It was two days after full moon, and they had, +therefore, as many hours to reach the foot of the cliffs before it rose. + +An hour was sufficient to traverse the distance, and they therefore +rested for that time, after darkness set in, before starting, swam the +river, and after removing their boots made their way noiselessly along, +keeping some distance from the river bank until they reached the spot +where the cliff rose perpendicularly; then, keeping close to its foot, +they held on until they arrived at the spot Will had fixed upon. There +all lay down among the boulders close to the rock wall, and remained +there until the moon rose. + +There had been several discussions as to the best way to get the lariat +up, as it was agreed that, whether carried in a coil over the shoulder +or wound round the body, it would hamper the climber's movements. The +question was finally solved by his taking a coil of thin hide, which, +while little thicker than string, was amply strong enough to support the +weight of the lariat. Four or five bullets had been sewn up in a piece +of skin and attached to one end. A strap was fastened to each pole so +that these could be slung behind him, so permitting him the free use of +both hands where it was not needful to use them. + +"The saints watch over you, señor!" Antonio whispered, as Will prepared +to start, and he and Sancho gave him a silent grip of the hand, while +the Indian chief laid his hand on his shoulder and muttered, "Ugh, heap +brave!" + +For a short distance the ascent was comparatively easy. Then he arrived +at the first of the ledges he had noticed. It was some ten inches wide, +and, keeping his face to the wall and using his hands to grip the most +trifling irregularity, or to get a hold in small crevices, he made his +way along until he arrived at a projection which barred farther +progress. Slipping one of the slings from his shoulder, he reached up +until the hook caught the next ledge, and obtained a good hold there. He +then climbed the pole until his fingers got a grip of the ledge, when he +hauled himself up to it. It was some fifteen inches wide here, and +without difficulty he obtained a footing, again slung the pole on his +shoulder and went on. The ledge narrowed rapidly, and he was now at one +of the points which appeared to him the most difficult, for from where +he had been lying the ledge seemed almost to cease, while the next ledge +above it was also so narrow that he knew he could not obtain standing +room upon it. + +As he approached the narrow path he took the poles, one in each hand, +and obtained a grip of the upper ledge. He now made his way along on +tiptoe, having his weight almost entirely on the poles, shifting them +alternately. To a landsman this would have been an extraordinary feat, +but, accustomed to hang to the ropes by one hand, it was not so +difficult for him, especially as he obtained some slight support from +his feet. Without the poles it would have been impossible for him to +have passed, as the ledge in some places was only three inches wide. At +the end of some thirty feet it again widened; the next forty or fifty +feet upward were comparatively easy, for the rock sloped to some extent +inward, and there were many fissures in which he was enabled to get a +firm grip with his fingers. Then came several difficult places, but he +was confident now in the hold the hooks had on the rocks, and, always +working with great caution and using sometimes his hands, sometimes the +poles, he reached the top in half an hour after starting. + + + + +CHAPTER IX + +RESCUED + + +He threw himself down on the platform, which was entirely deserted, and +lay there for five minutes; then he unwound the coil of leather-thong, +and threw the weighted end over. He knew that he had allowed ample +length, and drew it in until he felt a slight strain; then came three +jerks. The party below had hold of the thong; two more jerks told that +they had fastened the end of the lariat to it; in a couple of minutes it +was in his hands. There was a parapet some eighteen inches high along +the edge of the platform, intended doubtless to prevent the children +from falling over. Seeing no place to which he could fasten the lariat, +he tied it round the middle of the two poles, laid these on the ground +close to the parapet, put his feet upon them, and then leaned over. Two +pulls on the lariat told him that the next man was tied on, and he began +at once to haul upon it. He found the weight much less than he had +expected. Not only was the vaquero short and wiry, but he was using both +his hands and feet with such effect that in five minutes he stood beside +Will. + +The work went on quickly now. One after another the men were pulled up, +and in less than an hour all were assembled on the platform, where, save +three engaged in pulling their comrades up, they had laid down as soon +as they reached it. Will had been glad to relinquish the work to others, +for his hands were cut and bleeding. He had crawled along, keeping by +the wall of rock until he reached the point where the bulge or bend in +the face of the cliff enabled him to see to the other end of the +platform. To his surprise not a soul was visible, but, peering over the +parapet, he saw four figures standing as sentinels at the points where +there were breaks in the path, and the moonlight enabled him to make out +that the ladders had been pulled up and laid beside them. + +He could hear a confused hum of voices from the principal cave, but, +though most anxious to know what was going on there, he dared not +venture farther until all the men were up, as anyone coming out of the +cave would at once see him. He therefore rejoined the others. Each man +as he came up gave him a silent grip of the hand, and the Indian chief +muttered something which Sancho whispered meant "heap great brave". As +soon as the last man was up they moved silently forward. Every man knew +the part he had to play. Sancho and three others crept forward on hands +and knees, under shelter of the parapet, to the other end of the +platform, where they were to await the signal, the rest halting at the +front of the main entrance to the cave. + +Here a sight met their eyes that filled them with horror. The entrance +opened into a wide hall, which was lighted by a dozen torches. At the +farther end was a hideous idol carved from a solid rock; in front of +this was a sort of altar, upon which lay a figure, which they at once +recognized as that of Donna Clara. Beside her stood two men, naked to +the waist, with their bodies painted with strange figures. They had +knives in their hands, and, rocking themselves to and fro, were uttering +some sort of prayer or incantation. + +"You take the fellow to the left, Antonio, I will take the other." + +[Illustration: THE FIGHT IN THE CAVE] + +The shots rang out together--the distance was but sixteen or seventeen +yards--and without a cry the two priests or executioners fell dead. A +terrible cry of astonishment and dismay broke from the crowd, and before +they could recover from their surprise, the vaqueros and the two +Indians, headed by Will, burst their way through them. Will had given +strict orders that there was to be no general firing, as men, women, and +children were likely to be mixed up together, but as they entered they +caught the sound of four rifles outside, and knew that the sentries had +been disposed of. Will caught up the girl, who was evidently insensible, +and threw her over his shoulder, and, surrounded by his men, made his +way outside the cave. Here he handed her over to Antonio, who was a very +powerfully built man, and the latter, without a word, started for the +steps. + +"Now, my men," Will shouted, as with cries of fury the Indians followed +them, "don't spare one of these bloodthirsty wretches, but don't touch +the women." + +The fight was short, half the Indians being shot down as they poured out +on to the platform; the others, however, maddened by the loss of their +expected victim and the capture of their stronghold, fought desperately +to the end, the Mexicans using the butt ends of their rifles, while the +savages fought with knives. After the fight was over, the cave was +thoroughly searched; many of the women had fallen, for they had joined +in the fight as fiercely as the men, and in the darkness and confusion +it was impossible to distinguish them apart. The rest, with the +children, were forced to descend the steps. The ladders had been +replaced by Sancho and his party, who, having finished their work, had +run off at once to bring up the horses. + +Clara was still unconscious when they returned. Will mounted, and +Antonio handed her to him. Sancho and two of the men accompanied him, +while the rest in charge of the captives followed more slowly. Fires +were blazing high at the Moquis village, and it was evident that the +attack had been eagerly watched, and that the firing on the platform had +shown that the caves had been taken, for on the still night air came +the sound of horses, drums, and loud shouting. Will at once urged his +horse into the water, his companions swimming by their horses close to +him so as to render assistance, if necessary; but the distance was +short, and it was not long before the horse felt the bottom again. The +sudden chill of the water had roused the girl from her faint. + +"Where am I?" she murmured. + +"You are safe in my arms," Will said. "We have got you safely out of the +hands of those wretches. All danger is over." + +"Is it Will," she asked, "or am I dreaming?" + +"It is I, sure enough, Clara," he said; "and I am glad that for once you +have dropped the don. I followed you with Antonio and Sancho and +thirteen other vaqueros. We were joined by the Genigueh chief, Teczuma, +and one of his tribe, who have been invaluable in following your track." + +"Holy Virgin, I thank you!" the girl murmured, and then lay silent for a +time. + +"Where are you going now?" she asked presently. + +"To the Moquis village, where you will be most kindly received, and +where we shall stay till you have got your strength again." + +"Zona, my gallant Zona! Is she safe?" + +"Yes. She seemed pretty nearly recovered from her fatigue when we found +her this morning, and will be ready to carry you back again." + +As they approached the hill they saw a number of people coming down the +zigzag path, with torches, who welcomed Will on his arrival with loud +cries of triumph. The horses could go no farther, as the path, like that +up to the caverns, was at several points cut away, the breaks being in +the daytime filled with long planks. As the girl was altogether unable +to walk, some of the boys ran up the hill, and in a quarter of an hour +returned with some poles, with which a litter was speedily improvised. +In this she was laid, and four Moquis carried her up the hill, Will +walking beside her and holding her hand. The whole of the villagers +were assembled on the top of the hill, shouting and dancing with joy at +the destruction of their enemies, for Sancho had already made the chiefs +aware that all the men had been killed, and the women and the children +were being brought in as prisoners. + +The Moquis houses surprised Will, as they had neither windows nor doors +on the ground floor, and entrance was only obtainable by a ladder to the +upper story. Clara was here handed over to the care of the principal +women of the village. Half an hour later the rest of the party came up +with the prisoners. These were for the time confined in one of the +houses, two armed Moquis keeping guard over them. The women would, +Sancho explained to Will, be used as servants and to fetch water from +the springs at the foot of the hill. The children would probably be +adopted into the tribe. + +It was ten days before Clara was strong enough to think of starting. She +had for twenty-four hours been in a high fever, but the care lavished +upon her, and her fine constitution, speedily brought her through this, +and two days later she was able to see Will. + +"Tell me all that has happened," she said. "I feel sure that mother has +been killed, for the valley was full of Indians, and I know that there +were but few men at home." + +"I am afraid that there is no doubt about that," Will said gently. "We +may be thankful, Clara, that your father and Juan were both away, or +they, too, might have fallen." + +Then he related very briefly how those by the river had been saved, how +they had learned from Sancho that she had been away at the end of the +valley, and how they had started in chase; and then, in a few words, +told how he had scaled the face of the cliff, had assisted his followers +up, and had arrived just in time. + +"I will tell you about my journey another time," she said. "I do not +like to think of the last part of it; we were both worn out, Zona and I, +and if we had not come down upon the river we should have both died. I +took a long drink, and then fell down and went to sleep. I was awakened +by being lifted up, and found that I was being carried by two Indians, +and that others were all round me. I was too weak even to struggle, but +I remember being carried up a very steep path on the face of the cliff. +As soon as I was laid down I went to sleep, and I suppose slept all +night. In the morning they gave me food and water, but left me alone +till it was dark again; then they led me into a large cave lit up by +torches, with a horrible idol at the end. They laid me down on a great +stone in front of it, and two men with knives came beside me. Then I +suppose I fainted, and I remember nothing more till I woke up feeling +strangely cold as we were swimming across that river." + +Almost the whole of the inhabitants of the village paid a visit to the +cave on the morning after the fight, and when shown the ropes, still +hanging, by which the party had been drawn up, could at first hardly +believe Sancho and the two Indians who assured them that Will had +climbed up there unaided. After Clara's illness had taken a turn, and +there was no longer cause for anxiety about her, Will was greatly +interested in the Moquis village. He was taken into one of the +underground rooms that served as temples, and was horrified at finding +that hundreds of rattlesnakes and other venomous serpents were kept +there, and still more astonished when he saw the priests handle them +carelessly and take them in their mouths. He could not believe that they +had not been rendered harmless until shown that they still retained +their poison-fangs. He was told that once a year there was a great +festival in which all the men in the village took part and performed +dances, holding the snakes in their mouths. + +The villagers endeavoured to show their thankfulness at the destruction +of their enemies by profuse hospitality to their guests, and the latter +thoroughly enjoyed their stay. On starting on the return journey Clara +rode with Will, the two vaqueros, and the Indian chief to the foot of +the cliff, and was shown the spot where Will had climbed up. After +looking at it for some time she suddenly burst into tears. + +"It is dreadful even to think of your going up there, Will," she said. +"I should never have forgiven myself if you had been killed when risking +your life in that way to save me." + +"You would never have known it," he said. + +"I should have known it," she said earnestly, "when we met in the +Hereafter." + +The journey home was conducted in easy stages. Wolf, the Indian, and one +of the vaqueros had been sent off the day after Clara rallied from her +attack of fever. If they found the Apaches still in the valley, they +were to return to warn them; if not, they were to ride on until they met +Señor Sarasta and told him of his daughter's safety. + +When half-way back they met Juan with ten well-armed vaqueros. The +meeting was a joyful one, although saddened by the loss, now confirmed, +of their mother. + +"Ah! Will," Juan exclaimed, after his first tender embrace of his +sister, "you are tenfold my brother now. You have saved Clara's life as +well as mine; your messengers have told me how you scaled a cliff that +seemed to all of them so impossible that none had the slightest hope +that you could succeed." + +"And how are things in the valley?" + +"Better than might have been hoped. The red-skins only remained three +days; some ten thousand of the cattle have been recovered; many were +found in the woods in the hillsides, more still had gone right up the +valley, and when the red-skins tried to follow them they were assailed +with such showers of arrows by the Geniguehs that they fell back, having +indeed already as many cattle as they could drive away. Two of the men +from the raft brought us the news to San Diego, and the commandant at +once told off one hundred cavalry to accompany us, and in future a fort +is to be built near the hacienda, and fifty soldiers are to be stationed +there. The commandant was rather reluctant to agree to this until he had +received orders from government, but on our undertaking to supply the +garrison with bread and meat, he consented, seeing that it would be a +distinct saving of expense. So we need have no fear of the red-skins +meddling with us again. My father has already sent down to Monterey to +arrange for the purchase of ten thousand head of cattle from the ranches +there, so in two or three years we shall be in full working order again. +We found twenty of the vaqueros assembled at the hacienda; they had +taken to the woods at the first attack, and had remained in hiding until +they found that the red-skins had gone." + +A messenger was at once sent on ahead to inform Señor Sarasta of the +time at which the party would arrive, and he met them at the upper end +of the valley. The meeting was an affecting one. After embracing his +daughter the Mexican threw his arms round Will with as much affection as +if he had been his father. + +"I did not think," he said, when the first emotion was over, "when I +left you in charge that the duty would be such an onerous one, but you +have nobly fulfilled your trust, most nobly, and I thank you from the +bottom of my heart." + +On arriving at the hacienda they found that great efforts had been made +to remove all signs of the visit of the Apaches. Donna Sarasta had been +buried in the little chapel near the house. The broken and torn-up +shrubs had been replaced, and although inside the rooms were bare, for +the furniture had been hacked to pieces by the red-skins, everything was +spotlessly clean. Will did not enter with Señor Sarasta into the house, +but went straight to the stables with the vaqueros and saw his horse and +Zona cared for. When he went to the house, Don Sarasta and Juan went out +to him. + +"We have been talking together, Will," the Mexican said, "and the result +is this: I do not know what your sentiments may be, but I have +ascertained those of my daughter. We have been as one family for seven +or eight months. We all wish that we shall continue to be so in reality, +and I now offer you formally the hand of my daughter, Donna Clara +Sarasta, in marriage. I know that I can intrust her happiness to you, +and the match will afford both myself and Juan the most lively +satisfaction." + +"It would be altogether beyond my hopes, señor," Will said, greatly +moved. "I will not deny that I have from the first had a profound +admiration for your daughter, but I should never have spoken of it, +seeing that I am at present a penniless man, and am, indeed, much below +the age at which we think of marriage in the States." + +The Mexican smiled. "According to Spanish law, and our own policy, the +legal age for marriage is fourteen for the man and twelve for the woman, +and although it is not often that marriages take place quite so young as +that, they are very frequent when the man is sixteen and the girl +fourteen or fifteen; therefore, that is no obstacle whatever." + +"Then, señor, I accept your generous offer most gladly and thankfully, +and shall consider myself the most fortunate man alive in winning such a +bride as Donna Clara." + +"Well, you had better go in and tell her so," the señor said. "I think +that that will be more in accordance with your American customs than for +me to go in and formally hand her over to you." + +Three months later a double marriage took place at San Diego. Don +Sarasta settled a large sum of money upon his daughter, and, with Juan's +cordial assent, arranged that at his death the hacienda and ranch, and, +indeed, all of his property, should become the joint property of his son +and daughter, with power to make any future division of it that they +might think fit. After remaining a week at San Diego, Will sailed with +his wife to Panama, crossed the isthmus, and took ship to New York, +where he astounded his father and mother by presenting to them his wife, +and mentioning casually that she had a fortune of $200,000, and was +joint heiress to estates and property worth at least $2,000,000, which +caused Mr. Harland, senior, to acknowledge that Will's mania for the sea +had not turned out so badly after all. + + * * * * * + +HISTORICAL TALES BY G. A. HENTY + +The Cat of Bubastes: A Story of Ancient Egypt. + +For the Temple: A Tale of the Fall of Jerusalem. + +The Dragon and the Raven: or, The Days of King Alfred. + +A Knight of the White Cross: The Siege of Rhodes. + +The Lion of St. Mark: A Story of Venice in the 14th Century. + +A March on London: A Story of Wat Tyler. + +At Agincourt: A Tale of the White Hoods of Paris. + +St Bartholomew's Eve: A Tale of the Huguenot Wars. + +By England's Aid: or, The Freeing of the Netherlands. + +The Lion of the North: A Tale of Gustavus Adolphus. + +When London Burned: A Story of the Great Fire. + +A Jacobite Exile: In the Service of Charles XII. + +Bonnie Prince Charlie: A Tale of Fontenoy and Culloden. + +At the Point of the Bayonet: A Tale of the Mahratta War. + +With Frederick the Great: The Seven Years' War. + +True To the Old Flag: The American War of Independence. + +In the Reign of Terror: The French Revolution. + +A Roving Commission: A Story of the Hayti Insurrection. + +At Aboukir and Acre: Napoleon's Invasion of Egypt. + +Under Wellington's Command: The Peninsular War. + +Through the Fray: A Story of the Luddite Riots. + +One of the 28th: A Story of Waterloo. + +On the Irrawaddy: A Story of the First Burmese War. + +Maori and Settler: A Story of the New Zealand War. + +By Sheer Pluck: A Tale of the Ashanti War. + +Out with Garibaldi: A Story of the Liberation of Italy. + +The Dash for Khartoum: A Tale of the Nile Expedition. + +With Roberts To Pretoria: A Tale of the South African War. + + +LONDON: BLACKIE & SON, LIMITED, 50 OLD BAILEY, E.C. + +*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 43067 *** |