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diff --git a/53673-0.txt b/53673-0.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..e6e7ee2 --- /dev/null +++ b/53673-0.txt @@ -0,0 +1,6264 @@ +Project Gutenberg's The Mercer Boys on a Treasure Hunt, by Capwell Wyckoff
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most
+other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
+whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of
+the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at
+www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have
+to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook.
+
+Title: The Mercer Boys on a Treasure Hunt
+
+Author: Capwell Wyckoff
+
+Release Date: December 6, 2016 [EBook #53673]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: UTF-8
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MERCER BOYS ON A TREASURE HUNT ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Rod Crawford, MFR and the
+Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+ THE MERCER BOYS ON
+ A TREASURE HUNT
+
+
+ By CAPWELL WYCKOFF
+
+ Author of
+ “The Mercer Boys at Woodcrest,” “The Mercer Boys’ Cruise in the
+Lassie,” “The Mercer Boys’ Mystery Case,” “The Mercer Boys on the Beach
+ Patrol,” “The Mercer Boys in Summer Camp.”
+
+ [Illustration: Series logo]
+
+ THE
+ WORLD SYNDICATE PUBLISHING CO.
+ Cleveland, Ohio New York City
+
+ Copyright, MCMXXIX
+ _by_
+ THE WORLD SYNDICATE PUBLISHING CO.
+
+ [Illustration: Publisher logo]
+
+ _Printed in the United States of America_
+
+
+
+
+ CONTENTS
+
+
+ CHAPTER PAGE
+ I The Professor’s Letter 3
+ II The Story of the Phantom Galleon 13
+ III A Royal Invitation 20
+ IV The Professor is Attacked 29
+ V The Prowler in the Night 41
+ VI The Scene in the Moonlight 52
+ VII Sackett’s Raid 63
+ VIII The Search is Begun 72
+ IX The Ruined Castle 81
+ X The Rope in the Dungeon 92
+ XI The Underground Passage 101
+ XII The Tolling of the Bell 109
+ XIII A Forced March 119
+ XIV History Repeats 129
+ XV The Mountain Sage 139
+ XVI The Landing Party 150
+ XVII The Escape 159
+ XVIII Treasure and Treachery 170
+ XIX An Old Friend Joins the Party 182
+ XX The Tar Barrel 191
+ XXI The Cairn 201
+ XXII The Den 211
+ XXIII The Dragon’s Last Stroke 219
+ XXIV Ned Takes a New Overseer 237
+
+
+
+
+ THE MERCER BOYS ON A
+ TREASURE HUNT
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER I
+ THE PROFESSOR’S LETTER
+
+
+“I’d like to have a crack at that ball,” said Don Mercer, with a grin.
+
+His brother Jim returned the grin as he said: “Let’s go out on the field
+and ask the kids to toss us one. They won’t mind giving us one swing at
+it.” The two Mercer brothers were standing at the edge of a large vacant
+lot near the center of their home town one morning late in June. They
+had been home from Woodcrest Military Institute for a week now on their
+summer vacation, and this particular day, having nothing more exciting
+to do, they had wandered around the town, coming at length to a familiar
+field where they had often played baseball. A number of youngsters were
+on the ground now, tossing and batting a discolored baseball, and the
+sight of them had caused the sandy haired, slightly freckled Don to
+express his wish.
+
+The two boys walked across the field toward the boys and Don said:
+“Wonder how much further I can hit it now than I could when I played
+here as a kid?”
+
+“Hard to tell,” returned Jim. “But we certainly got quite a bit of
+practise this spring at Woodcrest.”
+
+The small boys looked at them as they drew nearer, but as the Mercer
+boys were well known the boys felt no alarm or resentment at the
+approach of the larger lads. Don walked over to the boy who held the bat
+and held out his hand.
+
+“How about giving me one crack at the ball, Charlie?” he asked.
+
+The boy smiled and extended the bat, a bit of embarrassment in his look.
+“Sure, Don. Take a couple of them,” he invited.
+
+“I guess one will be enough,” remarked Don, as he turned to face a boy
+who held the ball. “Put a good one over, Tommy, will you?”
+
+The boy addressed as Tommy grinned boyishly and turned to the youngsters
+who stood far afield, waiting for flies to be batted to them. “Get way
+out, you fellows,” he cried. “This fellow can hit ’em!”
+
+The two fielders backed away and Tommy threw a fast ball to Don. The
+latter easily batted it out and one of the youngsters caught it
+triumphantly. Don handed the bat to Jim, who in turn cracked the ball
+out along the ground.
+
+“Just one more, fellows,” begged Don, taking the bat from his brother’s
+hand. When the ball had been turned over to young Tommy he wound his arm
+up slowly and then pitched it with considerable force in Don’s
+direction.
+
+“Hit that!” he cried.
+
+It was traveling on a straight line and Don swung the bat around
+sharply. There was a singing crack as the wood met the ball, and the
+muddy spheroid sailed in a mounting curve up into the air. It passed
+high above the fielder’s head and made its way straight for the side
+window of a small house that stood on the edge of the field.
+
+“Oh, boy!” shouted Jim. “Right through the window!”
+
+His statement was correct. With a disconcerting crash the ball smashed
+the window to pieces.
+
+Don dropped the bat and shoved his hands into his pocket. “Well, I’ll be
+jiggered!” he exclaimed. “How is that for bad luck? Right through
+Professor Scott’s window!”
+
+“I hope the professor wasn’t at home, and in that room,” said Jim.
+“Guess we had better go over and see about it.”
+
+“Right you are,” nodded Don. “Thanks for the hits, kids. Come on, Jim.”
+
+Leaving the boys to gather and talk things over in awed tones the two
+Mercer brothers made their way across the field in the direction of
+Professor Scott’s house. The gentleman mentioned had been their history
+teacher while they were in grammar school, and they knew him quite well,
+so they had no great fears as to the outcome. No one had appeared at the
+window or at the doors, and Jim supposed that the professor was not at
+home.
+
+“I guess not,” Don returned, “or he would surely have appeared by now.
+But we’ll go over and see, and if he isn’t we’ll leave a note and tell
+him who did it, and offer to pay for it.”
+
+While the Mercer boys are making their way across the field something
+may be said as to who they were. Both boys, fine, manly chaps, were the
+sons of a wealthy lumber man of Bridgewater, Maine. They had lived the
+life of healthy young men whose interests were centered in worthwhile
+things. Of late they had had some adventurous events in their lives,
+some of which were related in the first volume of this series, The
+Mercer Boys’ Cruise in the Lassie, when they ran down a marine bandit
+gang, and later when solving a baffling mystery at the military school,
+details of which were related in the second volume entitled The Mercer
+Boys at Woodcrest. Together with their comrade, Terry Mackson, they had
+faced many perils and adventures, and now they were home to spend, as
+they thought, a comparatively dull vacation. Just how deeply mistaken
+they were in their thought will be found later.
+
+They entered the front yard of Professor Scott’s house and walked around
+to the side, where the broken window faced toward the empty lot. There
+appeared to be no one at home, but when they came opposite to the window
+Don raised himself slightly on his toes and looked in. Then he dropped
+down again and looked at Jim in astonishment.
+
+“The professor is at home,” he said, in a low tone. “He’s sitting there,
+reading a letter!”
+
+“Reading a letter?” asked Jim, amazed.
+
+“Yes,” answered his brother. “Look in.”
+
+Jim raised himself and looked in the window. A tall man with bushy white
+hair and a thick iron gray beard was seated at the desk in what appeared
+to be a study, busily engaged in reading a letter. Near him, almost at
+his feet, lay the boys’ ball, and fragments of broken glass littered the
+floor. The professor was apparently deeply absorbed in his letter.
+
+“Well, what do you know about that!” exclaimed Jim, softly. “Doesn’t
+even seem to know that the window is broken! We always knew that he was
+somewhat absent-minded, but I thought he was more responsible than
+that!”
+
+Before Don could reply there was a stir in the room and the next minute
+the professor came to the window and looked down at them. He still held
+what appeared to be a lengthy letter in his hand, and he recognized
+them.
+
+“Why, Don and Jim Mercer!” he cried, showing strong white teeth in an
+engaging smile. “I’m glad to see you home again. Did you come to see
+me?”
+
+“I came to apologize for breaking your window, and to offer to pay for
+it, Professor Scott,” answered Don. “I was batting out the ball for some
+boys, and I hit it harder than I expected to. I hope it didn’t startle
+you very much?”
+
+“I jumped a little bit,” admitted the professor. “I did notice it!”
+
+“Notice it!” exploded Jim. “I should think that you might have! It
+certainly made enough noise.”
+
+“It did make some. I felt that it was some of the boys playing ball and
+I was going to throw the ball back to them in a minute.” He picked the
+ball up and handed it to Don. “Throw it back, and then come inside,
+won’t you?”
+
+Don threw the ball back to the small boys, who were watching from the
+field. “Are you sure we won’t be breaking in on you, professor?” he
+asked.
+
+“Not as much as you did a few minutes ago!” smiled the teacher. “Come
+around through the back way.”
+
+When the boys entered the professor’s study he motioned them to chairs
+and asked them a few questions about their school life and studies. All
+the time he held the letter in his hand, and when he had finished
+talking about their school he took the lead in the conversation.
+
+“I guess you boys wonder what is so interesting in this letter that I
+hardly noticed a ball when it broke through my window,” he began. “Well,
+I remember how interested you boys were in history while in my classes,
+and I’m glad you came along when you did. This letter is from my son
+Ned, who lives in Lower California, and it contains one of the most
+fascinating stories I ever came across!”
+
+Knowing as they did the professor’s deep interest in historic and
+scientific studies and discoveries the boys found themselves interested
+at once. The teacher went on, after a glance at the letter, “Ned owns a
+small farm or homestead in Lower California near the mines at San
+Antonio and Triunfo, where he tests the ores and carries on general
+scientific studies. He tells me that the ores are refractory and not
+easy to test, but he enjoys the work and is devoting his whole life to
+it. I don’t think he is quite as much interested in historic things as I
+am, but knowing how eager I am for relics and information of the past,
+he has sent me this remarkable piece of news.
+
+“Some time ago, a steam trawler, while fishing in 130 fathoms of water,
+hauled up a piece of wreckage in its net. Upon examination it appeared
+to be the bulwark of an ancient Spanish galleon, with parts of the
+rigging attached. On the sides, plainly distinguishable, were designs in
+hand-sewn leather. Some of those big, lumbering ships were decorated
+quite extensively, you know, and this one was distinguished by its
+hand-sewn leather covering. It was evident that somewhere in the
+neighborhood a Spanish galleon had gone to the bottom, and it is always
+a safe conclusion that where there is galleon there is also a treasure.
+Those ships carried gold, silver and jewels from Old Mexico and Peru to
+Spain, and this particular ship may have been going home after a trip up
+the coast of California. That was the type of ship that the brave
+English seamen of Queen Elizabeth’s time whipped so soundly at the time
+of the Spanish Armada, and there were hundreds of them in service along
+the shores of the Americas and the Islands.
+
+“The spot was marked in the hope that treasure would be discovered, on
+the presumption that it was a treasure ship, and shortly afterward
+active operations were started by a California diving company. But
+although they searched the shore under water in minute detail they found
+nothing. The mystery is not that they didn’t find any treasure, but that
+they didn’t find any more of the ship. You might think that perhaps that
+particular piece had been washed there from some point further out, and
+it is possible, but the piece, when netted, had been buried in the mud,
+and it looks as though it had been there for centuries, though ships
+haven’t a habit of sinking in sections, one part at one place and
+another part in a different place. However, they didn’t find a thing,
+and at last the whole undertaking was given up.”
+
+“That is too bad,” said Jim, who was deeply absorbed in the story. “So
+it was a false hope from the first.”
+
+“How long ago was that?” asked Don.
+
+“That was a little over a year ago,” answered the professor. “And that
+leads me to the second part of my story. Ned had given up all interest
+in it even before the diving and salvage company had, and he thought no
+more about it. The piece of wreckage is a treasure in itself and was
+sent up to San Francisco, where it was subsequently placed in a museum.
+Realizing that I would be interested in it all he first wrote to me at
+the time it happened, and I read it and wrote for news, but as the thing
+died down I forgot it, too. I have planned to run out to San Francisco
+sometime and see the part myself, and I intend doing so soon.
+
+“Ned told me at the time that there had been some slight changes in the
+coast line during the last few centuries. A number of creeks that
+formerly ran into the ocean have closed up and disappeared, some of them
+filled with shifting sand and soil. I don’t know if you were ever aware
+of the fact or not, but although Lower California has a dry climate and
+is mostly barren, there are spots where it is tropical and jungle plants
+and trees grow there in luxurious profusion. Although they have almost
+no rain, they do have violent storms, and at such times are treated to
+regular cloudbursts. At those periods the elements raise the old dickens
+and it was during these spells that some creeks and small rivers closed
+up.
+
+“Maybe you wonder why I’m particular to tell you all this. I do so
+because I believe it has a direct bearing on the most amazing part of
+Ned’s letter. I believe it explains the disappearance of the Phantom
+Galleon!”
+
+“The Phantom Galleon!” cried Don, while Jim stirred in eager interest.
+“What is that, Professor Scott?”
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER II
+ THE STORY OF THE PHANTOM GALLEON
+
+
+“Well,” answered the professor, slowly. “Up until a very short time Ned,
+and others, thought that it was only a legend. He hadn’t been in the
+country very long before he heard it, and he put it down as one of those
+semi-historic tales that consist of half truth and half fancy. The tale
+had been handed down for centuries and always by word of mouth, and this
+is the story:
+
+“On a certain evening, hundreds of years ago, a huge, lumbering Spanish
+galleon, loaded with treasure, fled along the coast of Lower California,
+pursued by three English barks. In the long run there was not a chance
+that the gold ship would get away, for the light English barks were much
+faster, and it was only a question of time before they hauled down on
+her and boarded. The way they were situated was this: one ship was in
+the rear of the Spaniard, one was coming up in front of it, and a third
+was moving in from the open sea. It was a regular trap, you see, and
+merely a matter of time.
+
+“But fortunately—or unfortunately, I don’t know which—for the galleon,
+one of those rare tropical storms came up at that moment when capture
+seemed assured for the gold ship. There was a furious rush of the wind,
+the sky grew black and lowering, and finally, in one great maelstrom of
+confusion the three ships and the galleon were blotted out of sight. The
+storm only lasted for some half hour, which is unusually long for some
+of them, and when it lifted the galleon was nowhere to be seen. The
+English barks had had all they could handle and had been so busy holding
+their own against the elements that they hadn’t time to keep up the
+pursuit, and their conclusion was that the Spaniard had gone to the
+bottom of the sea. As it was built much higher and was much harder to
+handle than the lighter ships, the conclusion was justified, and the
+pursuers drew off and left the shore.
+
+“As I told you, that had happened in the evening, just as dusk was
+coming down over the shore and the sea, and the high decked galleon,
+with its spread of strained canvas and yellow streamers, its lofty
+rigging and its ornamental work, looked like some strange phantom as it
+fled down the coast. I don’t know who saw it or how many saw it, but to
+this day the story, half legend as it is, has persisted concerning the
+phantom galleon. Some fantastic tales still linger about it appearing on
+dusky nights and sailing swiftly along the shore, but they are idle
+stories to which no one with intelligence pays any attention. Ned never
+gave the whole thing much credit until a remarkable circumstance brought
+it forcefully to his mind.
+
+“Near his little ranch there is a large old estate which belongs to a
+once noble family of mixed Spanish and Mexican blood, and although they
+keep pretty much to themselves, out of a lofty sense of pride, they have
+been rather friendly to Ned, in their stately and exacting way. There
+was an old man who was head of the place, his daughter, and one or two
+servants. Lately the old gentleman died, and Ned kindly helped out with
+the funeral and the management of the ranch affairs until a permanent
+overseer was brought over from Mexico, and in her gratitude the young
+senorita allowed him to roam pretty much around the house. I suspect
+from his letter that he has of late become rather more than friendly
+with the young lady, but that doesn’t make much difference either way.
+It seems that she had been left with quite a library, reading being an
+important business in such a lonely place, and some of the volumes were
+pretty precious, being hand written works of early settlers and priests,
+who thus left interesting historic records. One of these books attracted
+Ned’s attention strongly.
+
+“It had been written by a priest in the year 1571, and it described the
+Spanish treasure hunts, some of which were plain plundering expeditions,
+and this particular book related them in detail. Ned wasn’t unusually
+interested until he came across the part relating to a chase that the
+galleon had had from three English ships. According to the author they
+had loaded with something like 100,000 pesos and a fortune in gold and
+silver bars, to say nothing of jewels, and had sailed for Upper
+California. But near the shores of Lower California the galleon had been
+sighted by an English bark, which had instantly given chase. The
+galleon, which had a good start, fled, but its chances of escape
+suddenly became less as another English ship appeared before it, and
+another bore down on it from the open sea. It was growing dark, wrote
+the priest, and there was some hope that it would slip away in the
+darkness, but something more to the point stepped in when a tropical
+storm wrapped the nearby world in temporary darkness. The _Don
+Fernando_, that was the name of the galleon, slipped into a nearby creek
+or small river and ran hard and fast aground, the lofty masts and spars
+crashing down, a total ruin. The creek seems to have been far enough
+back for the wreck to have escaped the notice of the English, for they
+were not molested, and the crew, after assuring themselves that the
+treasure was safe, tried to make their way inland for help.
+
+“But somehow or other—the writer does not say how—they all perished, and
+he alone escaped to Mexico, there to write down the story of the flight
+of the galleon. He affirms positively in his journal that the treasure
+was not touched, and he planned to raise enough men to go and get it.
+Whether he did or not no one knows, but if he didn’t that treasure is
+still somewhere in a creek, in the wreck of that galleon, perhaps buried
+below the level of the sand which has shifted. Ned thinks that it is
+nearby and that is why he has written to me.
+
+“The tragedy of the thing is this: the priest wrote everything except
+the name of the creek down which the phantom galleon fled. There are
+several pages missing from his book, and it breaks off like this: ‘The
+ship with its fortune in gold and precious stones, its coin and bars, is
+still buried in the sand in a creek called——’ and there it unfortunately
+ends. If the name was only there we could tell something, for it is
+always probable that someone can be found who will recall the name, no
+matter how ancient it may be, but as the name is lost, Ned faces a blank
+wall. He inquired from Senorita Mercedes just where she had obtained
+that book, but she knew nothing outside of the fact that it had
+apparently always been in their house.”
+
+“That certainly is interesting,” said Don, as the professor stopped.
+“Your son Ned thinks that it is somewhere near his place?”
+
+“Yes, he believes it is somewhere within a radius of a hundred miles.
+The legend has it that the galleon vanished somewhere right on that very
+shore, and that would indicate that the galleon ran up some creek very
+near to his place. If no one ever did get back and take that treasure it
+is probably in the rotted hold of the treasure ship, buried more or less
+deeply in the sand, just waiting for some lucky one to discover it. Much
+of the land near Ned’s ranch has never been thoroughly explored, and it
+may be that it is nearer to him than he has any idea of.”
+
+“Has he made any effort to find it?” inquired Jim.
+
+“A somewhat feeble one, yes. He endeavored to enlist the aid of some
+nearby ranch men, some half breed Mexicans, but although they started
+with some enthusiasm they soon gave it up. They are the kind who would
+not mind sharing in the rewards if someone else does the work. So he
+gave it up, except that he patiently read every other book in Senorita
+Mercedes’ library in the hope of obtaining some clue, but the missing
+pages were not to be located and he is still no nearer to finding out
+the name of that creek than he was at first.”
+
+“And he never did find out how that book came to be in the library of
+the Spanish ranch?” asked Don.
+
+“No, but we can hazard a guess as to that. The Mercedes family have
+lived in Lower California for at least a hundred years, but before that
+they came from Mexico. It is very possible that the priest had escaped
+to Mexico and fallen in some way in with this ancient Spanish family,
+perhaps dying there and leaving the book with them. How the last few
+leaves of the book came to be missing no one knows. But perhaps you can
+see the possibilities?”
+
+“What do you mean?” asked Jim.
+
+“I mean that perhaps someone has already read that book, tore out the
+sheets with the information on them, and has already found that
+treasure!” was the startling answer.
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER III
+ A ROYAL INVITATION
+
+
+They were somewhat dismayed at the professor’s reasoning but at length
+Don shook his head. “I don’t see that it is necessarily so,” he
+insisted. “Of course, there is a big chance that such is the reason, but
+on the other hand it may simply be that the pages have been lost. It can
+be taken both ways.”
+
+“Yes,” nodded the professor. “It can. That is why I would never allow
+myself any false hopes.”
+
+“Then you are going out and help Ned look for this treasure?” asked Jim.
+
+“I’m going out more because he wants me to come than for anything else,”
+said Professor Scott. “And as much for the change as for anything else.
+I’ve been studying pretty hard of late, and I’m sure a change of air and
+scenery wouldn’t hurt me a bit. I haven’t any idea that Ned will ever
+find that legendary treasure, but the fact that he found evidence that
+the story of the phantom galleon is true interested me greatly.”
+
+“But if you do go out there you will look around for it, won’t you?”
+inquired Don.
+
+“Oh, yes, Ned will see to that! He has the idea that he will run across
+it, and nothing stops him once he gets an idea. I’ll join in with him
+and do some tramping around, but while he’ll be looking for gold I’ll be
+looking for health. I’m rather more sure of finding what I am after than
+he is.”
+
+“Just the same,” murmured Jim. “It is a dandy opportunity, and I
+wouldn’t mind having a shot at it.”
+
+“You boys are greatly interested,” remarked the professor, looking at
+them keenly.
+
+“I suppose we are,” admitted Don, smiling. “It appeals to us, and I
+guess it would to any fellow. If you go, professor, we certainly wish
+you all kinds of luck.”
+
+“Thanks,” said the professor. “If you went on such a trip, I suppose
+you’d hunt the treasure with much energy?”
+
+“I guess we would,” nodded Jim. “If it was anywhere near I guess we
+would uncover it.”
+
+“I don’t doubt it,” the professor smiled. He was silent a moment and
+then he asked: “Now that you boys are home for a vacation, what do you
+plan to do? Have you anything definite in mind?”
+
+Don shook his head. “We might do a little sailing,” he replied. “We have
+a fine thirty-foot sloop, and we may sail for a ways down the coast.
+Last summer we did and we had a good time.”
+
+“I know about that voyage,” the professor returned. “That was the time
+you ran down those marine bandits, wasn’t it? I remember reading about
+it.”
+
+“That was the time,” Don answered. “We don’t expect to run down any
+bandits this summer, but we may take a cruise.”
+
+“That is fine,” said the professor, somewhat absent-mindedly. “So you
+two boys were interested in what I told you of Ned’s letter, eh?”
+
+“We couldn’t help being,” grinned Jim. “I guess every fellow is
+interested in treasure hunting.”
+
+“I suppose that is true,” the professor returned. “Well, that is the
+contents of the letter which made me so interested that I paid very
+little attention to the ball as it broke the window.”
+
+“I’m sorry about that, professor,” said Don. “How much is it, please?
+I’m very anxious to have it repaired.”
+
+“Forget it,” said the professor.
+
+But Don insisted, feeling that it would not rightly do to accept the
+professor’s generous offer to put it in himself, and at length the
+teacher agreed that Don should pay for the work. He rather admired Don’s
+spirit in insisting upon paying his own way through life, and although
+he knew that the Mercer brothers had plenty of ready money he allowed
+Don to pay for the broken glass more as a concession to his spirit of
+the right thing to do than for any other reason. After Don had turned
+over the money to the professor the boys took their leave.
+
+“Thanks for that interesting story, Professor Scott,” said Jim, as they
+were leaving.
+
+“Yes, we enjoyed it,” added Don.
+
+“You are very welcome,” smiled the professor. “I thought you would be
+interested, and may—be—humph, well, let that pass for now. Good morning,
+boys.”
+
+The boys left the professor and walked slowly down the shady street,
+discussing the letter and his story. It appealed to them greatly.
+
+“That sure was a strange thing, that finding of the old book relating to
+the flight of the galleon,” mused Don. “Looks like the hand of fate,
+eh?”
+
+“It surely does,” chimed in Jim. “Those fellows took that treasure
+centuries ago, it lays buried in the sand for years and years, and then
+a chance discovery points to where it is. Sort of like a dead man’s
+finger pointing at the treasure, isn’t it?”
+
+“Somewhat,” admitted Don. “I rather feel that if the treasure had been
+found by someone else Ned Scott would not have come across that book.
+Now, that is my own way of looking at it. Just as the professor says,
+someone may have torn the valuable leaves, with the location of the
+creek on them, out and have found it long ago. But I somehow just can’t
+believe it.”
+
+“Nor I,” said Jim. “I’d surely like to be along when Ned Scott unearths
+that old ship and its treasure.”
+
+“Provided that he does,” smiled Don, as they reached their home. “There
+isn’t any guarantee that he will. It is always possible that the whole
+thing happened miles down the coast, for if I remember correctly, from
+my school map, Lower California is a mighty long stretch. Well, all I
+hope is that he’ll tell us if anything turns up. Just as soon as he
+comes back, if we are home from school, we’ll hunt him up and ask him
+all about it.”
+
+“Surely,” agreed Jim. “If he isn’t home by the time we are ready to
+return to school we can see him during some vacation. Well, what do you
+say, old man? Shall we go down and tinker with the boat?”
+
+“Don’t think we have time,” decided Don, looking at his watch. “That
+visit to the professor took up the whole morning, and mother will be
+waiting dinner.”
+
+The boys entered the quiet but homelike little house which was their
+home and prepared for dinner. When they sat down at the table Mr.
+Mercer, a kindly and energetic man, was there. He worked in a local
+office, where he ran his vast lumber business, and was generally home
+for meals. Margy Mercer was also there, and the family was complete.
+
+“Well, what have you two fellows been doing this morning?” asked Mr.
+Mercer, as he vigorously attacked a piece of steak.
+
+“Don’s been breaking into people’s houses!” chuckled Jim. “This was an
+expensive morning for Don.”
+
+Don related what had happened, and finding his family deeply interested
+in the professor’s letter, told them the story of the phantom galleon.
+Mr. Mercer smiled as he finished.
+
+“I suppose you two wouldn’t mind going along on a trip like that, would
+you?” he asked.
+
+“I should say not!” exclaimed Jim. “We’d go without mother’s apple pie
+for a month to go on that trip!”
+
+“Hum!” said Mr. Mercer. “Score one for mother’s pie! I imagine if
+anything spectacular comes out of the professor’s treasure hunt the
+newspapers will have it.”
+
+The two boys went for a brief sail in a small catboat during the
+afternoon and later worked at the bench in their boathouse, turning out
+the sides for some bunks which they planned to place in their little
+sleeping cottage at the end of the yard. They already had three beds in
+the little place, but lately Jim had hit upon the idea of constructing
+regular ships’ bunks and they were now busy making the pieces. They
+stuck to this job until the time of the evening meal, and after that
+they remained at home, listening to the radio entertainment.
+
+Don, who was sitting near the living room window, idly looking out,
+suddenly uttered an exclamation and straightened up.
+
+“What’s the matter, Don?” asked Jim, quickly.
+
+“Here comes Professor Scott!” Don exclaimed.
+
+“In here?” demanded Jim.
+
+“Yes, he’s coming up the walk.” And Don got up and went to the door, to
+open it for the teacher.
+
+“How do you do, Professor Scott,” he greeted. “Won’t you come in?”
+
+“Yes, thank you,” nodded the professor. “Is your father at home?”
+
+“Yes, he surely is,” said Don. “Come right on in.”
+
+He showed the professor into the living room, where the Mercer family
+greeted him, and after a few minutes of pleasant talk Mr. Mercer guided
+him to his study, where they might talk in quietness and alone. Jim
+looked inquiringly at Don.
+
+“What in the world do you suppose he wants with dad?” he whispered.
+
+“Jiggered if I know,” shrugged Don.
+
+In less than half an hours’ time the two men returned, both of them
+smiling, and Mr. Mercer turned off the radio. Then, as they sat down the
+father looked with mock sternness at his two boys.
+
+“I want your promise to at least make an effort to keep out of trouble
+while you are with Professor Scott,” he said.
+
+“With Professor Scott!” echoed Don, while Jim stared. “Where are we
+going with Professor Scott?”
+
+“Out to tramp all around the sands of Lower California, I think,” Mr.
+Mercer returned.
+
+“No!” shouted Don, leaping to his feet.
+
+“No? Well, all right. I thought that you wanted to go, but as long as
+you don’t why——”
+
+That was as far as he got. “Of course we want to go,” cried Jim. “By
+George, this is great. What made you decide to take us with you,
+professor?”
+
+“It’s a protective measure,” smiled the professor, pleased at their
+enthusiasm. “I saw how interested you boys were when I told you about it
+this morning, and I was wondering if you would care to go and if I could
+persuade your father to allow you to go. You see, I want to go out there
+for a rest, and I’m afraid Ned will insist upon dragging me all over the
+country in search of Spanish treasure, so I’m taking you boys along as
+buffers, to help him in his mad adventuring.”
+
+“Well,” smiled Mrs. Mercer. “We’ll let them go if you’ll try to keep
+them out of trouble, Professor Scott. They have a very bad habit of
+getting into plenty of it.”
+
+“I guess Ned will keep them so busy that they won’t have time to get
+into any scrapes,” said the professor.
+
+They sat and talked for another hour, the boys unable to believe their
+good fortune, the suddenness of which had stunned them. The professor
+took his leave at last, telling them that he planned to start at the end
+of the coming week. After he had gone they sat and talked some more, the
+boys excited at the prospect of their coming trip.
+
+When at last they went up to bed it was not to sleep immediately. They
+discussed the event for more than an hour.
+
+“Dad and mother say for us to keep out of trouble,” chuckled Jim. “We’ll
+try hard to obey orders, but I do hope we have some exciting times.”
+
+“Don’t you worry,” chuckled Don. “I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if we
+did!”
+
+The two boys fell asleep, worn out by the events of the day. It is
+doubtful if they would have slept so peacefully had they been able to
+foresee the events which loomed before them.
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER IV
+ THE PROFESSOR IS ATTACKED
+
+
+After three days of preparation the boys and the professor were ready to
+leave for the west coast. They were to go to San Francisco and take a
+steamer there down to the settlements in Lower California. It was a
+bright Saturday morning when they waved out of the window to their
+friends on the station platform.
+
+“Well,” remarked Don, as the train moved out of the station. “We are off
+for new scenes at last.”
+
+The journey across the continent was uneventful. They enjoyed it
+thoroughly, never growing tired of the endless views which unfolded as
+the train sped westward. The professor, with his varied knowledge of
+places and people, his understanding of scientific facts and his
+historic incidents, proved to be a most delightful companion. In a few
+days they left the train at the great city of the coast and the
+professor hunted up a hotel.
+
+Professor Scott had never been to California, although he had been in
+many other cities in the United States, and his interest was as keen as
+that of the boys. One of his first tasks, after they had been installed
+in a good hotel, was to hasten to the water front and inquire concerning
+a steamer to take them down the coast. When he returned he reported his
+findings to the boys.
+
+“There is a steamer named the _Black Star_ that will take us down the
+day after tomorrow,” he said. “I went aboard and arranged for our
+passage. It isn’t a passenger boat, but I didn’t have any trouble in
+persuading the captain to take us as passengers. The boat is a fruit
+steamer, but they have one or two extra cabins for our use.”
+
+They turned in early that night and the next day took an extensive tour
+of the great city. A great many of the foremost buildings and places of
+interest were visited, and they obtained their longed-for view of the
+piece of wreckage of the Spanish galleon of which Ned Scott had written
+them. It was a huge piece, worn by the action of the waves, with studded
+leather on the sides and pieces of rigging still clinging to it. It
+occupied a prominent place in the city museum.
+
+“If that thing could only talk,” the professor remarked, as they walked
+around it. “What a story it could tell!”
+
+“I guess it would be very helpful to us, in our search,” smiled Jim.
+
+When evening came the boys were tired, but strange to relate, the
+professor was not. His interest in places and men amounted to a passion
+with him, and he loved to study them at every opportunity. The boys were
+sitting around in the hotel room and the professor, after walking around
+restlessly, suddenly faced them.
+
+“Are you boys too tired to do some more walking?” he asked.
+
+“Well, I’m pretty well played out,” admitted Don. “But if you’d like us
+to go with you, anywhere, professor, we’ll gladly go.”
+
+“Oh, no,” replied the professor, hastily. “I just wanted to ask you if
+you’d care to take a stroll down near the water front. There are some
+very quaint places down there, and I’d like to visit some of them. But I
+don’t want you boys to go out if you are tired.” He reached for his hat
+and went on: “I’m going down there for a stroll. I’ll be back shortly.”
+
+“If you want us—” began Jim, but the professor cut him short.
+
+“No, no, not at all. You boys stay here and I’ll wander a bit myself.
+See you later.”
+
+“Take care of yourself, professor,” called Don, as he went out.
+
+“I will, thanks. Don’t worry; I’ll be right back.”
+
+Once on the street the professor struck off for the water front at a
+brisk pace. In the hotel room Jim looked inquiringly at Don.
+
+“Do you suppose it is alright for him to go?” he asked.
+
+“I guess so,” nodded Don. “He is pretty well able to take care of
+himself.”
+
+The city was wrapped in darkness when the professor began his wandering,
+a darkness which was broken by the bright lights on the business streets
+and the more feeble ones on the side streets. The professor headed for
+the wharves, where the masts of the medley of crafts could be seen
+rising above the low houses which fronted the bay. Down in this section
+the savant found some queer crooked streets, lined with rows of box-like
+houses and cheap eating places. Groups of men and women sat on the
+doorsteps and fire escapes, children whooped and played in the streets,
+and scraps of music, jarring one on the other, came from phonographs and
+radios. Sailors and business men walked back and forth in the narrow
+streets, and the professor found much to study.
+
+He strode along the docks, examining with interest the multitude of
+ships there, ranging from huge ocean steamers to small private boats.
+Liners, tramp ships, battered steam boats, sailing vessels, schooners,
+yachts, sloops, catboats, yawls and power cruisers lay side by side with
+tugs and ferries. An army of stevedores worked under blazing arc lights
+loading and unloading, and the air vibrated with the rattle of
+machinery, the hoarse cries of the men, and the thump of boxes and
+crates. So deeply engrossed was the professor in the scenes which he was
+witnessing that he forgot the passage of time.
+
+He had wandered far down the shore line when he came at last to a street
+more narrow and crooked than the rest. It was in fact nothing more than
+an alley, flanked by tall seamen’s houses, with restaurants and pool
+parlors on the ground floors. The professor looked at a sign post and
+saw that it was named Mullys Slip.
+
+“Mullys Slip, eh?” thought the teacher. “This is the quaintest of them
+all. I think I’ll stroll up it.”
+
+Accordingly, he walked up the narrow sidewalk, looking with interest
+into the stores and eating houses as he passed by, listening to snatches
+of conversation as he passed groups who sat out taking advantage of the
+cool air. When he had walked to the end of the Slip he walked back, and
+seeing a well-lighted eating place near the dock, entered it and sat
+down at a round table. While he ordered a sandwich and coffee he looked
+around him.
+
+It was a long, low room, the air of which was nearly obscured by tobacco
+smoke, half filled at the time with men who evidently came from the
+ships. Most of them were eating, the rest were smoking and talking, and
+a few slept, hanging over the tables. The professor ate his sandwich and
+sipped his coffee, content and easy in his mind, until, looking across
+from him into a narrow corner, he found the eyes of two men fixed upon
+him.
+
+One of the men was a powerful individual with a heavy, unhealthy looking
+face, whose eyes, set close together, looked slightly crossed. The other
+was tall and thin, with long and dangling arms. Both of them were
+dressed in rough black clothing, which gave no real hint as to what
+business they were engaged in. They might have been sailors or
+stevedores, and both showed unmistakable signs of hardy, adventurous
+lives. They had evidently been talking about the professor, for their
+eyes were bent on him with earnest scrutiny, and when they observed that
+he had seen them they hastily resumed their conversation.
+
+The professor paid no attention to them at first, but went on eating,
+looking around with keen eyes and mentally cataloguing the men in the
+place. But when he once more looked across at his neighbors they were
+bending the same intent look upon him. Vague doubt began to stir the
+mind of professor Scott.
+
+“I don’t altogether like the looks of those fellows,” decided the
+professor, as he called a waiter and paid his small bill. “By the way
+they look at me I’d say they were talking about me. All in all, I’m in a
+pretty rough neighborhood, and perhaps the sooner I get out of it, the
+better.”
+
+He went out of the place at once, casting a single look back of him as
+he did so, and he was not made to feel any easier as he noted that they
+were following him with the same steady look. He was not greatly
+alarmed, for he did not carry much money with him, but feeling that he
+would be better off on a well-lighted thoroughfare, he made his way back
+along the dark street. It was now growing late and the lights were being
+extinguished. He found his road darker than it had been when he had
+followed it earlier in the evening, and so he hurried on, bent on
+reaching the business section.
+
+He had covered two blocks when he began to think that he was being
+followed. It was as much of a feeling as an actual fact, for each time
+he looked around he was unable to see anyone who looked as though he
+might be trailing him. He fancied once that he saw a shadow dart quickly
+into a doorway, but though he looked keenly in that direction he was
+unable to make sure.
+
+“Humph, I had better get back to the hotel,” mused the teacher. “I think
+I’m beginning to imagine things.”
+
+On the block beyond a number of dark alleys opened from the houses, and
+the professor was compelled to pass them. Either the houses were
+deserted or there was no one up at the time, for he saw no one as he
+crossed the corner. Only far ahead of him, on the opposite side of the
+street, a battered old car was pulled up to the edge of an empty dock,
+and a man sat looking out over the water at a group of three-masted coal
+carriers.
+
+Just as the professor was passing a wide alley he thought he heard a
+step beside him. He turned his head quickly, and then gasped. Two
+shadows seemed to detach themselves from the passageway and bore down on
+him. Before he could utter any cry a powerful pair of arms was thrown
+around him and he was strained close to the body of a big man. At the
+same time, without loss of a moment, the second man dipped his hands
+into the professor’s trousers pockets and into his inside coat pocket.
+
+Taken completely by surprise the old teacher for a second did not offer
+any kind of resistance and when he did it was rather feeble, for his
+arms were pinned close to his sides, and he was fairly standing on his
+toes. But his feet were free, and he managed to kick the man who held
+him a smart blow in the shin. A low, growling curse was his reward, and
+a blow of considerable force followed, landing on his shoulder. By a
+sudden twist the professor squirmed from the arms of the man who was
+holding him, and strengthened by his indignation, which was kindling
+into hot wrath, the savant punched the second man full on the mouth.
+
+The first man, who was none other than the narrow-eyed individual of the
+restaurant growled in his throat. “I’ll bust your head, you old
+windjammer!” he roared, and swung his fist at the professor. The blow,
+which landed on the teacher’s neck, felled him instantly to the
+sidewalk.
+
+“Grab him up,” ordered the second man, stooping over the professor, who
+was somewhat dazed. “We’ll dump him in the bay.”
+
+Both men leaned down to pick up the form of the professor when there was
+an interruption. The young man who had been sitting in the nondescript
+automobile had had his attention attracted by the beginning of the
+struggle, and unnoticed by any of the principals he had jumped out of
+the car and was now upon them. Although he did not know one from the
+other he could see that two were against one, and noting, under the
+faint light from a nearby lamp-post that the lone fighter was an elderly
+man, threw himself without hesitation upon the two wharf-men. His active
+fist jarred against the jaw of the heavyset man.
+
+“Take that, with the compliments of the lone star ranger!” he muttered.
+“Don’t know what it’s all about, but that’s my share.”
+
+His blow infuriated the man, who drove at him with an angry roar, but
+the professor was scrambling to his feet, and the second man grasped his
+leader by the arm. He spoke to him in a low tone, and the two, with a
+slight hesitation, turned and fled up the alley. Convinced that pursuit
+would be useless, the young man turned to the professor.
+
+“Are you hurt, sir?” he asked, quickly.
+
+In the faint light the professor saw that he was a boy of twenty or
+thereabouts, tall and somewhat lanky, with red hair and a lean face, on
+which freckles had taken up a permanent home. The professor shook his
+head.
+
+“No, thanks to you. Those fellows were going to throw me into the water.
+Were you in that car?”
+
+“Yes,” grinned the boy. “That is my private chariot, called ‘Jumpiter,’
+because of its habit of doing something very much like jumping! Have you
+been robbed?”
+
+The professor felt through his pockets and nodded. “Yes, a few dollars
+and a letter has been taken from me. I don’t care much about the money,
+but the letter was from my son Ned, and I valued that somewhat. I would
+like to thank you sincerely for your timely arrival.”
+
+“Don’t mention it,” begged the young man. “Let’s get out of here. I’ll
+drive you to wherever you want to go.”
+
+When they entered the battered car the professor told the boy the name
+of the hotel at which he was staying and they rolled away. Then the
+teacher asked the name of his rescuer.
+
+“Mackson is my name,” replied the boy. “Terry Mackson, from Beverley,
+Maine.”
+
+“Why,” exclaimed the professor. “I come from Maine, too. I am a history
+teacher in Bridgewater!”
+
+“In Bridgewater!” cried Terry as they entered the business section.
+“Then you must know the Mercer brothers.”
+
+“Know them!” laughed the professor. “I have them here with me!”
+
+“Here, with you? Well, I’ll be jiggered! They are my very best chums!”
+said Terry. “Last summer I was in Bridgewater, sailing with them, and we
+go to Woodcrest together, in fact, we room together. What are they doing
+here?”
+
+“We are going down to Lower California to visit my son Ned, on his
+ranch, and make some scientific studies, and perhaps look up a treasure
+that Ned feels sure that he can find nearby. How did you come to be out
+here?”
+
+“I didn’t have a thing to do this summer,” explained Terry. “My mother
+and sister went to visit friends in New Hampshire, and so I decided to
+tour the country in my car. I’ve been out here for the last two days,
+and I was going to head for Mexico tomorrow.”
+
+“How very strange that we should meet,” commented the professor. “You
+must step up and see the boys. They will be glad to see you.”
+
+“I won’t be a bit sorry to see them,” returned Terry, heartily. “They
+certainly will be surprised.”
+
+They drove on until they were almost at the hotel, and then Terry, who
+had been thinking deeply, suddenly began to chuckle. Then, as the
+professor looked inquiringly at him, the red-headed boy spoke.
+
+“Professor,” he said, “how would you like to help me in a little joke?”
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER V
+ THE PROWLER IN THE NIGHT
+
+
+A few minutes later the professor entered the rooms which he and the two
+boys had engaged together alone. He found Don and Jim reading some
+magazines which the hotel management furnished.
+
+“Hello, professor,” greeted Don. “Safely back, eh?”
+
+“We were beginning to think that you had been lost,” smiled Jim, putting
+down his magazine.
+
+“I was not lost,” returned the professor. “But I have had a most
+extraordinary adventure.”
+
+“What was it?” they asked, in chorus.
+
+“I came across a very distressing thing,” the teacher continued. “I
+wonder if you boys will help me? Outside, on a lonely street, I met a
+young man wandering, and it appears that he has amnesia!”
+
+“Amnesia!” cried Don. “That means loss of memory, doesn’t it?”
+
+“Yes,” answered the professor, seriously. “He could not remember who he
+was nor where he came from. I questioned him at length, and while he
+answers rationally enough, he simply cannot remember a thing past a week
+ago.”
+
+“That surely is tough,” murmured Don. “What did you want us to do?”
+
+“I have the young man outside here,” replied Professor Scott. “I
+wondered if you two would help me question him? If we ply him with
+questions we may be able to suggest something that will make him
+remember who he is and some details of his past life.”
+
+“We’ll be glad to help,” said Jim, heartily. “Where is he?”
+
+“I’ll bring him in,” replied the teacher, and he left the room.
+
+“That’s mighty hard luck,” commented Don. “I hope we can do something to
+help.”
+
+A moment later the professor returned, gently leading someone with him.
+“Come right in here, young man,” he said, loudly and gently. “There are
+only friends in here, so don’t be afraid.”
+
+“Thank you sir,” a voice replied. “Oh, if you can only do something for
+me!”
+
+Professor Scott appeared in the room, leading with him a dazed-looking
+young man with red hair and freckled face, at the sight of whom Don and
+Jim sprang to their feet with a cry. The boy looked at them dully and
+swallowed.
+
+“Terry Mackson!” they shouted.
+
+“What!” cried the professor, in amazement, as he pushed the boy down
+into a large chair. “Do you know this boy?”
+
+“We certainly do!” Don shot out. “This is Terry Mackson, an old chum of
+ours. We room with him at school.”
+
+The professor looked down at Terry, who stared in puzzled wonder at Don.
+“That is very strange. He doesn’t appear to know you.”
+
+“Perhaps he has been hit on the head,” suggested Jim, coming forward.
+
+“This is fierce,” said Don, worry on his face. “Terry, don’t you know
+me?”
+
+“‘Shoot if you must this old gray head, but I don’t remember you, she
+said,’” was the unexpected reply, and the corners of his mouth, which
+had been quivering, expanded. The professor burst into a roar of
+laughter.
+
+The Mercer boys stood for a moment rooted to the spot, while Terry and
+the professor laughed in unrestrained glee. After the first moment of
+disgust their eyes narrowed and two determined chins were thrust
+forward.
+
+“Jim,” said Don, quietly. “Put out the light. I don’t want the world to
+witness the awful thing that is going to happen here!”
+
+“Put it out yourself!” retorted Jim. “I am due for a first class murder,
+and I’m late now!”
+
+And with that the two brothers threw themselves in mock fury onto the
+body of their laughing friend and bore him to the floor, where they
+punched him soundly, finding their task an easy one, for the red-headed
+boy was weak from laughter. When they had tired themselves they jerked
+him up and pushed him into the chair, the professor enjoying it all
+hugely.
+
+“That was positively the most low trick I ever saw,” declared Don
+disgustedly.
+
+“I’d like to have a look at the brain that would think of such a thing,”
+chimed in Jim.
+
+“Oh, boy!” laughed Terry. “If you could ever have seen the kindly,
+anxious looks in your eyes as you bent over me to help restore my
+fleeting memory! My friends, I thank you! If ever I do lose my identity
+I shall request that I be taken to the Mercers, who will surely restore
+me!”
+
+“Oh, shut up!” said Don, beginning to smile. “We admit that we were
+completely sold that time. Where in the world did the professor find
+you?”
+
+“I didn’t find him,” put in the teacher. “Luckily, he found me.” And he
+related the events of the evening to them.
+
+“You aren’t hurt, I hope, professor?” asked Jim, anxiously.
+
+“No, just bruised a bit. I would have been severely wet if it had not
+been for Terry’s timely intervention. It was while on the way over here
+in Terry’s—er—remarkable car that he proposed the trick that was played
+on you.”
+
+“I’m surprised you would go in for such a thing, professor,” said Don.
+“But you can be excused because you don’t know Terry. But in the future
+never do anything that he suggests. If you don’t get in trouble you will
+be sure to lose all respect for yourself, so I advise against it.”
+
+“Oh, I don’t know,” smiled the older man. “I enjoyed that little scene
+in which Terry lost his mind!”
+
+“The part we enjoyed,” returned Don, grimly, “was the thumping part.”
+
+“You say your letter was taken from you, professor?” asked Jim.
+
+“Yes, and I wanted that more than anything else. However, it won’t do
+anyone else any good, so I suppose it is not such a loss, after all.”
+
+For the next hour they talked and Terry related his experiences during
+his trip across the country. He spoke of going on down into Mexico, and
+the professor listened, his eyes fixed on the newcomer thoughtfully. At
+last he spoke up.
+
+“Terry,” he said. “Why don’t you come along with us?”
+
+Terry grinned. “I was hoping you’d say just that,” he admitted, frankly.
+“I have no definite plan in mind, and I would certainly hate to miss any
+fun that Don and Jim are in. But on the other hand I wouldn’t want to
+put you out any.”
+
+“You wouldn’t,” said the professor, heartily. “Ned has plenty of room
+for all of us at his ranch. I’m really taking the boys along so that I
+won’t have to tramp all over the country looking for Ned’s treasure, and
+you can come along to help in that line.”
+
+After some talk it was agreed that Terry should store his car away until
+such time as they should want it again. It was late when he left them,
+agreeing to meet them on the following day and go to the steamer with
+them. The professor and the Mercers slept soundly that night and the
+next day were ready to begin their trip down the coast.
+
+Meeting Terry in the morning they all went down to the steamer, a small
+fruit carrier, and the captain consented to add one to the party.
+Although the steamer was not scheduled to start until evening the
+friends went aboard early in the afternoon and settled themselves in
+their cabin, a good sized room which was plain but clean. After that
+they wandered over the ship, keeping out of the way of the men who were
+storing crates, preparatory to their cruise southward to load fruit. The
+smell of different grades of fruit was a permanent part of the black
+steamer, and it was by no means unpleasant.
+
+In the evening, just before sailing time, Don and Jim stood out on the
+deck, watching the men at work. The professor and Terry were in the
+cabin. Just before the gangplank was hauled in a heavyset man walked
+confidently aboard and spoke to the mate. The captain was nowhere about
+at the time. Although not particularly interested the boys noted that
+the man had a shifty, watchful look, and that his eyes were set close
+together. The mate appeared to know him and engaged him in conversation,
+talking in low tones and looking around sharply while doing so. At the
+end of their short conversation, during which both men looked at the two
+boys, the newcomer went forward and they saw no more of him.
+
+The steamer cast off and headed south, swinging out in a wide arc, and
+the voyage was on. Terry and the professor came on deck at the sound of
+the last whistle and together they watched the purple coast line fade
+from sight. Supper followed and they made a hearty meal of it, eating
+with the captain at a private table in sight of the main mess tables.
+
+The evening was spent in talking in the cabin and in pacing the deck.
+The night was clear and calm and the sky dotted with a myriad of stars,
+and the steady throbbing of the huge engines made almost the only sound
+as they ploughed through the blue waters of the Pacific. Quite early
+they turned in and soon fell into a deep sleep.
+
+It was Terry who woke up with a sense that all was not right. He was a
+lighter sleeper than the others, and some slight noise had awakened him.
+He sat up in his bunk, peering across the room at a shadow which seemed
+out of place there. Thinking it might be one of his chums stirring he
+spoke.
+
+“Hello there! Who’s prowling around?”
+
+His words, spoken quietly, had an effect that astonished him. Someone
+moved out of the shadows and for a second into the faint light which
+streamed in through a port hole. Instantly Terry recognized one of the
+men who had attacked the professor on the previous night.
+
+The man ran to the door, jerked it open and darted along the narrow
+hallway that led to the companionway ladder. Terry swung his feet over
+the edge of his bunk.
+
+“All hands to repel boarders!” he yelled, and without waiting to put on
+shoes or clothing, dashed out of the door after the fleeing man.
+
+The others woke up instantly, to see Terry streaking down the hall.
+Terry ran rapidly up the ladder and saw the intruder slipping over the
+rail. The steamer was close into the shore, and without hesitation the
+man dropped over into the water and struck out for the shore, just as
+Terry gained the rail.
+
+While he watched the man swimming for shore the others ran up, followed
+a moment later by the captain and the mate, a lean-jawed man with a
+hooked nose and wide mouth. To their excited inquiries Terry explained
+what had happened.
+
+“No use trying to catch him with a boat,” decided the captain, seeing
+that the man was almost to the shore. “What did he look like?”
+
+Terry described him, and the professor and the boys were astonished to
+find that it was one of the men who had attacked the professor on the
+previous night. The captain broke out in an exclamation.
+
+“Sackett!” he cried.
+
+“You know him?” asked the professor.
+
+“Squint Sackett is one of the worst bay bandits we have,” said the
+captain. “He is a noted river pirate, and the police would give a whole
+lot to lay hands on him. Mr. Abel, how did that man get on board?”
+
+“I don’t know, sir,” said the mate, promptly.
+
+“You don’t know?” asked Jim, in amazement. “Why you let him on board
+yourself. My brother and I saw you talking to him this afternoon, just
+before we sailed.”
+
+“It’s a lie,” shouted the mate, darting a bitter glance at him.
+
+“Oh, no it isn’t,” said Don, coldly. “We saw you. After you and he
+talked this man Sackett went forward, and you didn’t make any effort to
+stop him.”
+
+“I’ve had my suspicious of you for sometime, Mr. Abel,” growled the
+captain, “and now I know you are crooked. You get off my ship! The first
+port we come to you sling your pack and get out. I can’t prove anything
+on you, but I won’t have any mate of mine having relations with a man
+like Squint Sackett. D’you understand?”
+
+“I’ll break these kids in two!” shouted the mate, advancing. But the
+captain, who was bigger than the mate, quickly barred the way, his heavy
+fists raised.
+
+“You touch these boys and I’ll bust you over the rail!” he roared. “Get
+down below and pack up. Tomorrow you’re clearing this ship. Now get!”
+
+Muttering angrily to himself the mate obeyed, and when he was gone the
+captain turned back to the party. “I’d advise you to look out for that
+mate,” he warned. “I’m glad you found out what you did. Did Sackett
+steal anything from you?”
+
+A hasty examination of the cabin revealed that Sackett had been in the
+act of going through the professor’s inside coat pocket at the time he
+was surprised by Terry, but nothing had been taken. Putting the whole
+affair down as an attempt at robbery the captain left them to
+themselves, assuring them that no further harm would come to them.
+
+“We’ll have to keep our eyes open for this Sackett,” said Don, as they
+went back to their bunks. “For the life of me, I can’t see why he should
+take the trouble to come aboard and try to rob us. He must have a
+mistaken idea that there is a lot of money in this crowd.”
+
+“That may be it,” agreed the professor, somewhat doubtfully. “But it
+does seem strange that he should take such pains to follow us.”
+
+“Wonder how he knew we were on this particular boat?” mused Jim.
+
+“That’s not so hard,” Terry explained. “Perhaps he hangs around the
+docks and saw us come aboard today. But that mate must surely be one of
+the gang.”
+
+“No doubt of it,” said Don, yawning sleepily. “Well, he’s gone, and we
+probably won’t see anything of him again.”
+
+But if Don and the others could have even guessed at the plans which
+were at that moment being formulated in the evil brain of Squint Sackett
+they would have had much food for thought. They were destined to see him
+again, and not in the distant future.
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER VI
+ THE SCENE IN THE MOONLIGHT
+
+
+The sail down the beautiful California coast was uneventful. The fruit
+steamer was a staunch old boat, though somewhat battered, and it kept
+its course steadily. After the boys and the professor had tired of
+exploring it from end to end and looking in on the huge engines which
+drove it with throbbing energy they spent most of their time on the deck
+watching the passing shore line, enjoying the warmth and brilliant
+sunshine. The nights, they found, were cold even in that particular time
+of the year, and they were not sorry to use blankets even in the shelter
+of their cabins. They became quite friendly with the captain, who told
+them stories of many exciting voyages and some unusual storms. Nothing
+further was seen of Sackett and the mate went sullenly ashore at the
+first port.
+
+No storms broke the monotony of fair weather and quiet sailing, and when
+at last they entered Magdalena Bay and approached the settlements they
+were almost sorry to leave the fruit steamer. At ten o’clock one bright
+morning they climbed into the cutter and were pulled away to the shore,
+landing at length on the sandy soil of the small town of Quito.
+
+Ned’s ranch lay several miles inland, and the only means of travel was a
+lumbering wagon which went to the mines. Learning that this vehicle was
+to start out the following morning they hunted up the driver, a Mexican,
+and arranged to drive with him. A small hotel provided them with a place
+to put up over night and after a satisfying supper they wandered around
+the town, seeing the sights. The steamer had gone on its voyage after a
+brief stop.
+
+The population of the town was very small, and exceedingly sleepy. Terry
+remarked that they slept all day in order to recruit strength enough to
+play on guitars at night. The population was composed of Spaniards,
+Mexicans, and a few Americans, whose interest seemed to be chiefly
+centered in the inland mines, and a number of halfbreeds. Droves of
+dogs, whose seemingly endless variety astonished the boys, roamed the
+streets.
+
+“Gosh,” exclaimed Jim, as they came around a pack of them. “I used to
+like pups, but I don’t know as I do after seeing these. Guess I’ll look
+under my bed when we get back to the hotel and see if there are any
+there!”
+
+Soft lights gleamed from most of the houses when evening came on, and
+the sound of guitars was to be heard on every street. There were no
+lights along the streets, but the night was warm and bright, and the
+Americans had no difficulty in walking around the town. Quite early they
+returned to their hotel and after drinking some cold orange drink, went
+to bed.
+
+Bright and early in the morning they were up, as they had been told that
+the mine wagon was to leave at six, and after a hearty breakfast went
+out and loaded their bags on the vehicle. The driver appeared shortly
+afterward, rolling a cigaret with amazing skill between two fingers.
+Terry eyed him in admiration.
+
+“By golly!” he muttered. “I don’t smoke and don’t know as I shall, but
+if I did I’d give a lot to be able to roll ’em like that! I couldn’t
+roll one that way with both hands.”
+
+Later on, when in the course of their journey the Spaniard yawned, Terry
+pretended to be enthusiastic. Without bothering to take the cigaret out
+of his mouth the driver yawned heartily, and the cigaret, clinging to
+his upper lip, simply hung suspended until he closed his lips again.
+Then he resumed smoking, the operation being none the worse for the act,
+and Terry again shook his head in envy.
+
+“Wonderful people!” he whispered to Don. “Too lazy to do anything at
+all! Wonder what happens to a cup of coffee when he yawns!”
+
+“Probably he keeps right on pouring it down and doesn’t waste any time,”
+chuckled Jim. “Great labor savers, these people!”
+
+“I guess their hardest work is to keep from doing any work,” smiled
+Professor Scott.
+
+The wagon was a large open affair, with two long boards like benches on
+the side, and the boys and the teacher sat on the seats with their
+baggage at their feet. The driver sat slumped forward on the front seat,
+smoking, yawning and dozing by turns, muttering in broken exclamations
+sometimes to the horses and sometimes to himself. Although they tried to
+talk to him they received only weary shrugs of his narrow shoulders, and
+they soon gave it up and talked among themselves.
+
+The country through which they were passing led up in a gradual sweep
+from Magdalena Bay, and they soon drew out of sight of that broad sheet
+of blue water and plunged on into the more open country. The soil was
+somewhat sandy, with an almost tropical vegetation, and small brooks
+spread like silver ribbons toward the sea. As they continued to work
+further inland the country became more and more open, with rolling
+plains and afar off darker stretches marked the hills in which the mines
+were located.
+
+“Ned’s place is off in that direction,” said the professor, pointing to
+the southwest. “He tells me that it is in a basin between two small
+ranges, so we’ll probably come across it all at once.”
+
+At noontime they halted in the shade of a spreading tree which was more
+of an overgrown bush, a species that the professor did not know, and in
+which he speedily became interested. The driver immediately sat in the
+shade and proceeded to eat his lunch from a black box which he had,
+paying not the slightest attention to them. The boys, wishing to make
+some coffee, cut some mesquite bushes which were nearby and kindled a
+small fire. Jim set the coffee to boil and they ate some sandwiches
+which they had been wise enough to bring with them.
+
+When the coffee was made Don took some to the Spaniard, who accepted it
+with a brief nod of his head. Terry poked Jim.
+
+“That means thank you,” he said. “Too much trouble to say it!”
+
+Immediately after the noon meal the driver toppled over silently and
+went to sleep, a movement that afforded Terry much amusement. On this
+particular occasion, however, the boys could not blame him very much. It
+was hot, so much so that they were glad to stretch out and nap
+themselves. At the end of an hour the driver got up suddenly, resumed
+his seat and clicked his tongue at the two horses. The wagon, with its
+crew, rumbled on.
+
+It was five o’clock when they topped the final rise and looked down on
+the Scott ranch. As the wagon rolled down to the place they had a good
+opportunity to study it closely. There was the main ranch building, a
+single story affair, constructed of plain boards that showed up gray and
+sordid against the declining sun. Two large barns flanked the house and
+an inclosed field with some scattered patches of grass afforded a ground
+for a half dozen horses. In back of the ranch was another frame
+building, which they afterward found out was Ned’s laboratory, in which
+he tested metal from the mines.
+
+Ned Scott was at home when they arrived, in fact, he had seen the wagon
+top the rise, and came riding out to meet them. They saw him swing
+carelessly onto the back of a horse and dash up, and Jim, who was used
+to riding a cavalry horse at school, admired the grace and ease with
+which he did it. Then, having greeted his father enthusiastically, Ned
+Scott was introduced to the boys.
+
+He was a young man in his early thirties, broadly built, with black hair
+and eyes and a serious look. For some years he had lived in practically
+what was solitude, seeing a few white men from the mines and a good many
+halfbreeds and Mexicans. The sight of three boys somewhat near his own
+age was welcome, and he looked forward to some interesting days to come.
+
+When greetings had been exchanged the young engineer led the way to the
+ranch, where the boys alighted from the mine wagon, and paid the driver.
+The man took the money unemotionally and drove off, having only
+exchanged a word in Spanish with Ned.
+
+“Well,” said Terry, as they watched him drive off. “That man is a
+treat!”
+
+“How is that?” asked Ned.
+
+“He is so calm,” replied Terry, solemnly. “And he is a splendid example.
+After seeing him I don’t think I’ll ever be fussed or excited over
+anything again!”
+
+Ned Scott led them into the ranch building, a rough but comfortable
+place, with a wide, hospitable living room, a big dining-room, kitchen
+and a number of small bedrooms, all on the one floor. There was a small
+loft above for storage purposes, but no real upper floor. After they had
+stowed their things away and had made themselves comfortable Ned took
+them around the ranch and showed them the place in detail.
+
+As his chief interest was centered in the mines he did not raise cattle,
+but he had one man to take care of his horses and generally help about
+the place. There was also an Indian cook, who was blackened by the sun
+and wind until his skin glowed with a dull color. Ned explained that the
+man who kept the horses and the barns was a mestizo.
+
+“What is that?” asked Don.
+
+“A man of mixed Spanish and Indian blood,” explained Ned. “Sometimes he
+is very funny. The Spanish in him gets very dignified at times and he is
+almost stately, and at other times he is just plain Indian, not much of
+anything. However, he has a passion for the horses and he is faithful,
+and outside of the fact that I have to drive him to work in the barns he
+is all right. I call him Yappi.”
+
+Yappi was seen presently, a tall old man with curiously mixed white and
+black hair, a skin that was a mottled yellow, and dull black eyes. He
+bowed to them and passed on, apparently not at all curious. They
+inspected the barns and looked with considerable interest through Ned’s
+laboratory and the metals from the mines.
+
+Supper was well served by Spanci the cook, and in the evening they sat
+on the long low porch talking until it was time to turn in. After a good
+sleep they were up, taking a trip with Ned to the mines. He led them
+through the tunnels and explained the complete workings to them, showing
+how the silver and lead was mined. This took up most of the day and they
+were thoroughly tired when night came.
+
+Ned was not impressed by the loss of his letter. “Those fellows who
+attacked you have probably thrown it away,” he said. “I’ll write you
+another one sometime, dad!”
+
+He asked the boys if they could ride and was delighted to find that they
+could. Jim, being a cavalry lieutenant at Woodcrest, was somewhat better
+at it than the others were, but they soon got accustomed to it. On the
+third day of their visit Ned proposed that they take a moonlight ride
+that night.
+
+“The moon, as you noticed last night, is beautiful just at this time,
+and there is a lot more fun riding in the coolness of the night than in
+the heat of the day,” he said. “I think you will thoroughly enjoy it.”
+
+After supper they mounted and rode out of the ranch grounds, the
+professor refusing to accompany them. It was a beautiful night, with a
+glowing moon and a sky splashed with stars and they rode for miles
+across the open country. The air was clear and cool, the mountains dark
+and mysterious near at hand, and the boys from Maine enjoyed every
+minute of it. As they were returning Ned spoke up:
+
+“When we get to the top of the next hill I’ll show you the ranch of my
+neighbor, Senorita Mercedes,” he said.
+
+His tone was casual, but the boys, remembering what the professor had
+said about Ned’s interest in the senorita, felt that he was himself
+interested in looking at the place where she lived. He had not mentioned
+her name since they had been there, and Terry did not know anything
+about her. Nor had they discussed the treasure as yet, thought the boys,
+but that would no doubt come soon.
+
+They topped the rise and paused to rest the graceful, lively horses
+while Ned pointed to a small white ranch which gleamed brightly in the
+moonlight. The house itself was small, but the outlying barns were
+large, and Ned explained that the senorita was at present raising
+cattle.
+
+“Not many of them,” he went on. “Just enough to keep her alive and
+eating regularly. She has three ranchman and an overseer.”
+
+Near the ranch some trees and mesquite bushes grew and Don was looking
+toward this clump fixedly. He thought that he had detected some movement
+there but was not sure. Ned pulled the rein and turned his horse’s head.
+
+“Well, I guess we had better be getting back,” he said.
+
+“Wait a minute,” called Don, in a low voice. “There are two men coming
+out of that clump of trees near the ranch and creeping toward the
+house.”
+
+Ned spun around in his saddle and looked closely. Two men were crossing
+an open space toward the house, taking care to keep as much as possible
+in the shadows. Gaining the side of the house they crept to a window and
+one of them reached up and pushed it. Instantly it swung open.
+
+“Are those fellows her ranchmen?” asked Terry.
+
+“I don’t think so,” said Ned. “That is the library window they just
+opened. By George, I think they’re going in that window!”
+
+“I suppose that’s what they are opening it for,” nodded Jim.
+
+Ned dug his heels into the flank of his horse. “Then come on,” he
+shouted, as the first man slipped through the window. “We’ve got to see
+what is going on in Senorita Mercedes’ ranch!”
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER VII
+ SACKETT’S RAID
+
+
+They galloped down the long sloping hill rapidly, unobserved by the two
+men who were entering the Mercedes ranch. The second man had leaped
+lightly in the window and disappeared from sight. It was evident that
+they feared no interruptions for they did not even glance out and the
+party of boys arrived in the yard without having warned the men of their
+coming.
+
+But once in the yard the ring of the horses’ hoofs on the hard packed
+soil reached the ears of the men inside the house. Two heads appeared
+swiftly at the window, at the same time that a candle flickered
+upstairs. The men, seeing the party of boys, jumped from the window with
+one accord.
+
+“Sackett and Abel!” cried Don, as he jumped from his horse.
+
+All the boys had dismounted, which was precisely the wrong thing to do,
+for the two men began to run swiftly for a small patch of trees and
+bushes which stood at the edge of the senorita’s property. Ned rushed
+forward and seized Sackett, who promptly felled him with a blow on the
+chin, while Abel kept on going and entered the grove several yards ahead
+of his pursuers. Sackett soon joined him, and before Terry, who was in
+the lead, could reach him, he had joined Abel, who was already on
+horseback with a second rein in his hand. Sackett tumbled into the
+saddle and the two men thundered away across the plains.
+
+“Shall we go after them?” shouted Jim, as the senorita appeared on an
+upper balcony.
+
+“No,” cried Ned. “They have too big a start, and I want to find out what
+they were doing here.”
+
+Somewhat reluctantly the boys turned away, while the two outlaws put
+greater distance between themselves and the ranch party. The senorita,
+recognizing Ned in the moonlight, hurried back to her room and soon
+appeared at the side door of the ranch house.
+
+“Senor Ned, what is it?” she called, and the boys were attracted by her
+soft and gentle voice.
+
+Ned and the boys walked to the steps, taking off their hats, and Ned
+spoke up. “We were riding by at a distance, senorita, and we paused to
+look down at your ranch. While we were looking these two men that just
+rode away broke in a side window and entered the house.”
+
+Ned then went on to introduce his friends, to whom the senorita bowed
+with a stately grace. They were quite taken with her beauty and charm,
+her fine olive skin and her flashing black eyes. She drew their
+admiration, for she was not the least bit terror stricken by what had
+happened, but only thoughtful and puzzled.
+
+“In the library you say, Senor Ned?” she puzzled. “But why do you think
+they should want to go in my library? What is it that is in there?”
+
+She spoke remarkably good English, with only a slight accent. Ned shook
+his head.
+
+“Senorita, I do not know. May we inspect your library and see if
+anything is missing?”
+
+“Certainly. Do come right in, and welcome,” she replied, and led the way
+into the small library of the Mercedes ranch.
+
+It was a square room filled with books, in cases reaching to the
+ceiling. A single table was there, and two comfortable chairs. Upon
+examination the boys found that a few books, in a section which was
+filled with ancient, hand-written manuscripts, had been handled by the
+men.
+
+“It is evident that those fellows were about to steal some of your
+valuable manuscripts, senorita,” remarked Ned, after they had made an
+examination.
+
+“Yes,” nodded the girl. “But I wonder how those men knew that I had any
+books?”
+
+“I’m very much afraid you are wrong in your ideas,” spoke up Don, who
+had been considering deeply. And Jim nodded, for his ideas were running
+along the same lines of those of his brother.
+
+“What do you mean, Don?” asked Ned, quickly.
+
+“You remember that your father was attacked in San Francisco by this man
+Sackett, who took away your letter to him? Well, that letter contained
+your ideas about the treasure and that ancient book which came from this
+library. Those men are taking that matter seriously, and they have been
+here tonight to try and find the other half of that Spanish manuscript
+and learn the exact location of the wreck!”
+
+“Ah, ha!” cried Senorita Mercedes sharply. “The senor is right!”
+
+“I certainly believe that you are!” cried Ned. “I had never thought of
+it all in that light, but that is surely the answer. Sackett is a
+freebooter who will turn his hand to anything that promises profit, and
+he has done as you say, taken that letter seriously. I wish it had never
+fallen into his hands. However, with all of his knowledge of the
+country, and I suppose he has quite a knowledge of the land, he doesn’t
+know where the treasure is, so we are safe on that point.”
+
+“Yes,” put in Terry. “But we’ll have to be on our guard from now on.
+There is no doubt that that gang will push the search with all vigor.”
+
+“They seem to have faith in the story,” said Ned. “I have unlimited
+faith in it because I have seen the manuscript, but they are placing
+their faith in my letter to my father. There is only one weak spot in my
+claim of thought.”
+
+“What is that?” asked Jim.
+
+“That the treasure may have been found and removed since that book was
+written. The priest who wrote the book was going to raise a party to go
+back and recover the treasure, but whether he did or not is not known.
+He may have done so, in which case our efforts and plans are absolutely
+useless.”
+
+“Of course,” nodded Don. He turned to the senorita. “Senorita Mercedes,
+you do not know how that book ever came to be in your house, do you?”
+
+“No,” confessed the girl. “As far as I have knowledge, senor, it has
+quite always been here. But I can say this, which will perhaps aid you:
+before my family came here to dwell we lived in Mexico. You see what I
+mean?”
+
+“I do,” nodded Ned. “You mean that this priest may at one time have
+lodged at your house and have left his book there?”
+
+“He may have even died there, Senor Ned.”
+
+“That is very true. I lean to the belief that the treasure was never
+recovered. Well, there are two parties after it now, so we will have to
+be on our guard.”
+
+Terry, who had walked to the window, spoke up. He had been examining the
+double windows, which opened like doors, with hinges on each side.
+
+“Do you keep your windows locked at night, senorita?” he asked.
+
+“Of a certainty, senor,” she replied.
+
+“I was just wondering,” said Terry, slowly. “Because these two fellows
+just reached up and pushed the window open.”
+
+“Impossible, Senor Mackson! You may see that there is a much thick bar
+across that window.”
+
+“Yes, so I notice. But all of the boys will tell you that they simply
+reached up and pushed the window open, and that they didn’t have a thing
+in their hands when they did it!”
+
+“That’s so,” exclaimed Ned, a sudden light breaking over him. “Senorita,
+where is Alaroze, your overseer? How is it that he has not appeared
+during all of the excitement? The rest of your men are outside; I can
+see them gathered in the courtyard.”
+
+“I do not know,” answered the senorita, “I shall call him at once.” She
+stepped to the door and clapped her small hands sharply.
+
+There was a slight pause and then a man entered the room quickly. He was
+small and chunky, with a brown face and shifty eyes. He was fully
+dressed in the nondescript outfit of a ranch foreman.
+
+“Senor Alaroze, where have you been?” the senorita asked him in Spanish,
+which the boys understood slightly. They had studied the language in
+high school, all except Terry, and they could follow the conversation.
+
+“A thousand pardons, senorita, but I was awakened by the noise and
+hastened to dress,” the Mexican said, softly.
+
+“It took you much time, senor,” retorted the senorita, curtly. “Tell me,
+when you closed up did you lock this library window?”
+
+“Surely, senorita. I take pains to always carry out faithfully the tasks
+intrusted to me,” he replied, his tone becoming haughty.
+
+“The reason we ask you, Senor Alaroze,” said Ned, still in Spanish, “is
+because two rascals have just broken into the house and have searched
+this library. But the strange part is that they did not even have to
+break in. They simply reached up and pushed the window and it opened
+under their touch. That does not look as though they found the window
+barred, does it?”
+
+“I can only say that I dropped the bar across the window before I
+retired, senor,” replied the overseer, his lips moving uneasily.
+“Perhaps someone else——”
+
+“Nonsense!” cried Ned, sharply. “The senorita is the only one who sleeps
+in the house. You and the ranchmen sleep in the bunkhouse. You do not
+think for a minute that Senorita Mercedes came down and took the bar
+from the window do you?”
+
+“I regret to say that I do not know what to think, senor,” returned the
+overseer, quietly enough. The other boys watched him closely, puzzled at
+his calm and speculating as to what thoughts might be in his mind.
+
+“Well, it is very strange,” remarked Ned, closing the window and
+dropping the bar in place. When he spoke there was a trace of gloom in
+his voice, especially when he addressed the overseer. “Be more careful
+in the future, Senor Alaroze. You alone have the keeping of Senorita
+Mercedes and her safety.”
+
+“I am worthy of the trust, senor,” retorted the overseer, his eyes
+narrowing.
+
+Ned looked at his watch. “We’ll have to be getting back, or dad will
+begin to be worried. I don’t think you will have any more trouble,
+senorita. If you do, send one of your men to me and I will come as
+quickly as possible.”
+
+The senorita murmured thanks and accompanied them to the courtyard,
+where the boys swung onto their mounts. The three ranchmen, seeing that
+all was well, went back to the bunkhouse, while the overseer, his face
+hidden in the shadow of the doorway, stood back of the senorita.
+
+She bade them goodbye, thanking them once more. The boys quietly
+overlooked the fact that she held onto Ned’s hand for a moment longer
+than seemed actually necessary. They rode away, looking back more than
+once at the gleaming white ranch in the moonlight, until it was lost to
+sight.
+
+“I’m very much afraid I don’t trust that overseer,” said Don.
+
+“Well,” said Ned. “So far he has been very good in the management of the
+ranch. I wonder if he can be in league with that Sackett gang?”
+
+“Hard to tell,” said Terry. “I don’t like the thought of the senorita
+living alone with that fellow around, and not a woman for miles.”
+
+There was a pause, and then: “I don’t like it, either,” spoke Ned,
+frankly. “But she claims that she is not afraid. She goes armed all the
+time and is very determined to be a success at raising cattle and caring
+for herself. Pride, you know, is something that the Spanish are great
+for, and I’m afraid she has more than her share. However, sometime——”
+
+He did not finish his thought, but the boys thought that they knew what
+he had in mind. They arrived at the ranch in silence and relieved the
+professor’s anxiety.
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER VIII
+ THE SEARCH IS BEGUN
+
+
+“According to this thing,” said Terry, with a grin, “if we find that
+treasure the dragon will eat us!”
+
+It was on the following day and the entire group was bent over the
+manuscript which had been written by the long dead priest. The book lay
+spread out on the library table before them, yellow and fragile, with
+corners which threatened to fall away to dust at their touch. Rotted
+cord held it together and had broken in so many places that the ancient
+book held together by a miracle.
+
+They had read together the thrilling story of the flight from the
+English barks, of the wreck in the lonely creek, and the description of
+the treasure up to the point where the missing pages spoiled the
+worthwhileness of the manuscript.
+
+“That galleon must have been pretty big,” Jim had said. “How big is an
+English bark?”
+
+“A bark is a three-masted, square-rigged vessel. The mizzenmast is
+fore-and-aft rigged, if I remember my history correctly,” the professor
+replied. “There are still barks left in service, and you can see that
+they were of a fair size from the fact that they had three masts.”
+
+The statement regarding the dragon had drawn Terry’s attention. It was a
+solemn statement to the effect that if anyone who was not a subject of
+His Sovereign Majesty the King of Spain attempted to lay hands on the
+treasure the guardian dragon would utterly destroy them.
+
+“I wouldn’t pay much attention to that,” smiled the professor. “In the
+first place, the Spaniards stole it from the Indians, and it never did
+belong to His Sovereign Majesty. We won’t worry about the dragon until
+we have found the treasure.”
+
+They had planned to start out on the following day in an effort to find
+the river up which the galleon had sailed. The professor declined to
+accompany them.
+
+“You boys go ahead and do the hunting,” he said. “I’m a little too old
+to be riding around the country looking for gold. But when you find it
+I’ll help you dig it out.”
+
+“Well, if we don’t find it, we’ll have a good camping trip, anyway,”
+said Ned, who knew that his father did not place much stock in his ideas
+regarding the treasure.
+
+It had been agreed that no long trip was to be arranged just yet. Ned
+planned to explore the coast for several miles to the south at present,
+and if that failed to show any signs of a river or the wreck to make
+preparations for a trip of several days. They were to be gone overnight
+this time and that was all.
+
+So on the following day they were ready to go. Each boy had a packet of
+provisions and his blanket strapped on the back of his saddle and a
+light automatic rifle in his hands. The boys had been taught to shoot
+with a fair degree of accuracy at Woodcrest School and so felt no fear
+of appearing backward in that respect in Ned Scott’s eyes. They all
+shook hands with the professor, who wished them luck, and then they rode
+away to the southward in the first step of their hunt for the Spanish
+treasure.
+
+The day was warm and clear, and before they had been many hours on the
+open plain they felt the heat keenly. The sun beat down directly on the
+flat, dry soil, and dancing waves of heat soon showed above the ground,
+as far as the eye could see. Ned would have turned to the distant
+mountains except that their search lay along the sea coast and they
+would gain nothing by seeking the coolness of the higher lands.
+
+“What mountains are those?” Don asked, pointing to the sweeping ranges.
+
+“That central range which you see is the Sierra Gigantea,” explained
+Ned. “In some places it is three and four thousand feet above sea level.
+The high ranges are north and south, and on this southwestern side the
+rocks are granitic. There is plenty of sandstone on the other slope, and
+the range is full of volcanic dykes.”
+
+“Looks mighty cool up there,” said Terry, mopping his forehead.
+
+“It is. We have all kinds of weather in this country, from burning
+tropical heat and its characteristic vegetation to the icy cold of the
+peaks.”
+
+In the afternoon they halted under a friendly group of trees and ate a
+light lunch, stretching out to talk afterward for a brief time. The
+afternoon was even hotter than the morning, and while they did not feel
+like sleeping they did enjoy the rest under the trees. They resumed
+their journey after three o’clock, keeping the calm blue waters of the
+Pacific in sight all the while.
+
+Several creeks were found, but none of them were wide enough to have
+ever allowed the passage of a galleon, although they were forced to bear
+in mind the fact that the passage of centuries might have closed up
+small rivers or narrowed creeks. Sandstorms rapidly changed the
+topography of countries, they knew. They followed two large streams for
+several miles inland and then cut across country again to the sea.
+
+When they stopped for their supper Ned said: “The fact is, we may be
+looking the wrong way. Perhaps we should have gone north instead of
+south. The directions in the manuscript were vague, much as though the
+priest himself did not know just where he was at the time. After all,
+this whole hunt is a matter of faith, and if we don’t ever find anything
+we’ll just put it all down as a good time and a summer vacation.”
+
+“Of course,” rejoined Don, heartily. “But I feel as you do, that the
+treasure was never found again. But aren’t you neglecting one very good
+clue?”
+
+“What is that?” asked Ned, quickly.
+
+“You recall that peculiar piece of wreckage that was picked up by the
+steam trawler? Well, the funny thing was that no other piece of the
+galleon to which it was a part could be found anywhere nearby. Don’t you
+feel that it was washed out of a nearby creek and settled in the mud in
+the place where the fishing boat found it?”
+
+“There was no creek anywhere near it,” Ned answered.
+
+“Perhaps not, but it could have come from quite some distance. Are we
+near the place where the piece of wreckage was found?”
+
+“It was found about fifty miles further up the coast,” Ned said.
+
+“It is my opinion that somewhere near there the galleon ran up a river.
+Can we go there tomorrow?”
+
+“Well,” said Ned, slowly. “I think if we visit that spot we had better
+plan to make a much longer stay of it. We ought to spend several days in
+the vicinity, perhaps a week. Suppose we spend the night here, go home
+in the morning and outfit for an intensive hunt.”
+
+“That would be a good idea,” Jim thought.
+
+“I think we should,” argued Don. “You plan to run over every inch of the
+coast north and south, don’t you? Then I think we might as well outfit
+ourselves for a hard and active campaign.”
+
+The sun was now going down, turning the hills and distant mountains into
+things of rare beauty as the multitude of lights danced and gleamed
+along the crests of the mighty range. The boys cut enough wood to last
+them through the night, and sat around a glowing little fire, telling
+Ned of past adventures until they all were sleepy enough to go to bed.
+
+“By golly,” said Terry, as he rolled himself up in his blanket. “In the
+daytime you roast around here and at night you need a blanket. Very
+unreliable climate, I must say. Jim, will you kindly dust the snow off
+me when you arise in the morning!”
+
+They were up early in the morning and ate a hearty breakfast, enjoying
+the glory of another perfect day. Ned calculated that they would strike
+the ranch again about noontime, and soon they were in the saddle once
+more, striking north along the sea coast. They had gone along the hard
+sand at a brisk trot for some ten miles when Jim stopped and pointed to
+a group of buildings back against a sandy cliff.
+
+“What is that place?” he asked.
+
+“That is a group of tannery buildings,” explained Ned as they jogged on
+toward it. “Years ago, in the days of the sailing ships, when California
+and Lower California were first opened up, hides were collected inland
+and dragged to that cliff, where they were thrown down below, still in a
+raw state. Then, while the ships went on up the coast, a picked crew of
+sailors remained here, curing the hides and storing them until the ship
+returned and picked them up.”
+
+“I remember reading about it in that fine old book, ‘Two Years Before
+the Mast,’” said Don. “I’m glad of the chance to see one of the
+tanneries.”
+
+When they arrived at the mouldering tannery they dismounted and went
+inside, examining with interest this last relic of an ancient business.
+The buildings were made of rough logs, hauled for many miles to the
+coast, and some scraps of ancient hides still clung to the storage
+racks. The vats were still there, stained with many colors, and a heavy
+smell was still noticeable indoors. Outside they found the framework of
+the stretching racks.
+
+“That certainly is interesting,” commented Jim. “You must tell your
+father, Ned. Perhaps he’ll want to come and look at the place.”
+
+“We’ll tell him,” the young engineer nodded, as they resumed their
+journey.
+
+Ned’s calculations were correct, for it was just noontime when they
+arrived at his ranch. They rode down the incline toward the house, which
+looked deserted. Ned whistled but there was no response.
+
+“Maybe dad is still in bed,” he laughed, as he swung from his horse.
+
+But when they went into the house the professor was not to be found. Nor
+was the cook around. Ned hurried to the barns and looked for Yappi, but
+in vain. As he hurried back to the house Don called to him.
+
+“It’s all right, Ned,” Don said. “There is a note from him on the table.
+He has gone out looking for plant specimens.”
+
+Ned hastened into the room, relief on his brown face, and took up the
+note. It was a simple message, worded as Don had explained, but as Ned
+read it his brow darkened.
+
+“Look here,” he said, crisply. “Do you know what dad’s first name is?”
+
+“I don’t,” answered Don, and Jim shook his head. Don pointed to the
+note. “I see he signed it ‘Duress Scott.’ I never heard of that name
+before.”
+
+“It isn’t a name,” was the startling answer. “Dad signed it that way to
+let us know that he signed it under duress, under compulsion! The cook
+and the overseer are both gone, evidently carried off by the same gang
+who captured dad!”
+
+“I’ll bet everything I’ve got that it is Sackett again!” groaned Jim.
+“What are we to do?”
+
+“Just as soon as we can tie up a little grub and fill up with plenty of
+ammunition we’ll start to run those fellows down,” said Ned, grimly. “I
+think it is high time that somebody put an end to Mr. Sackett and
+Company, and we’re going to do it!”
+
+“That’s the talk!” cried Terry. “War to the knife! Where is my gun?”
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER IX
+ THE RUINED CASTLE
+
+
+The professor enjoyed his day of solitude. Long years of serious study
+and instructive reading had made him one of the men who prefer being
+alone to mixing with a noisy crowd. Not that the professor was the least
+bit snobbish or unsociable, but he loved the quietness of inner thought
+and the companionship of a book.
+
+After the boys had disappeared over the hill he returned to the living
+room and sat in a sunny window looking out over the rolling country
+which extended for miles back of Ned’s ranch, away to the purple
+mountains in the distance. A feeling of warm contentment came over the
+elderly man, for an hour or more he simply dreamed there, enjoying the
+comfort of Ned’s best armchair.
+
+After that he read for a long time, until the cook announced that dinner
+was ready. He ate alone, well served by the silent Indian and then went
+back to smoke his pipe and dream in the window once more. When afternoon
+came on he imitated the actions of the cook and Yappi, who both went to
+sleep, the cook in a bunk off the kitchen and Yappi beside the barn, his
+battered hat over his eyes. The professor sought the dull colored sofa
+in the living room and slept until the sun began to go down.
+
+He awoke much refreshed and drank copiously, realizing for the first
+time in his long life just how good water could be. Another lone meal
+followed and he spent the evening with another book, sitting under the
+oil lamp until it was nearly time to go to bed. Then, enchanted with the
+fine moonlight, the professor went out on the front porch to smoke a
+final pipe before retiring.
+
+The whole landscape was flooded by the brilliant slice of moon which
+hung far over in the sky, and the professor drank in its beauty. The
+cook had finally cleared up everything in the kitchen and gone out to
+the small bunkhouse, to listen for a time to the guitar which Yappi was
+playing and then finally to coax the old mestizo into playing a game of
+cards with him, over which they droned half asleep, seriously intent.
+When Professor Scott had finished his pipe he knocked out the ashes,
+yawned and with a final look around, went to his room.
+
+This was in the back of the long, low building, facing the plains and
+mountains. He opened the window and finding that there was enough light
+from the moon, extinguished the lamp which he had lighted and took off
+his necktie. His eyes wandered dreamily over the landscape. Then he
+suddenly stopped unbuttoning his collar, his eyes narrowed, and he
+became all attention.
+
+On the top of a sand dune a man was standing and looking toward the
+ranch. It was only for an instant and then the man disappeared, slipping
+down the other side noiselessly. He had on a cape and a sombrero, and
+the professor was puzzled. He wondered if Yappi or the cook had left the
+place, and after a moment of thought he went back to the front porch and
+looked around. There was no light in the bunkhouse now. But when he
+started to go out there he saw the cook walking toward the kitchen door
+and the ranchman coming out of the barn.
+
+His first impulse was to speak to Yappi, but thinking it useless to
+alarm the man he returned to the house and to his room. It was not
+either of the men whom he had seen, but some stranger who was carefully
+looking down on the ranch. It was possible that it was only some chance
+wayfarer who had topped the rise and was examining the ranch, but the
+professor knew that Sackett was in the neighborhood and that it would be
+well to keep his eyes open. For an hour he looked steadily out of the
+window, but he saw nothing more to alarm him, and at last, after making
+a tour through the house and locking every door and window, including
+the window in his bedroom, he went to bed and soon fell asleep.
+
+When morning came he was awakened by the sound of the cook trying the
+back door, and he hastily opened it for the Indian. The cook answered
+his cheery morning greeting unemotionally. The Indian had never known
+Ned to lock the doors, and he wondered why the older man did it, but no
+sign of his thoughts appeared on his shiny dark face and he set about
+getting breakfast ready. The professor dressed and then sat down to his
+morning meal, after a hasty look around to see that all was well.
+
+Yappi had already attended to the horses when the professor went out to
+take a walk around the ranch, and the mestizo was busy in the barn.
+After enjoying the clear morning outside the professor went back to the
+house and once more resumed his reading, sitting in the window through
+which the sun came brightly. From where he was sitting he could see
+Yappi at work on a saddle, mending a flap on it, sitting on the low
+doorstep of the bunkhouse.
+
+The professor had read for perhaps a half hour and was in the act of
+turning a page when he happened to look up and out at the old mestizo.
+The man had ceased his stitching and was looking back of the house, the
+saddle hanging loosely in his hand. And to the professor’s vast
+astonishment, he suddenly tossed the saddle over his shoulder and with
+the agility of a cat rolled himself without rising into the doorway of
+the bunkhouse.
+
+Struck with amazement at the man’s actions the teacher put down his book
+and got up, striding for the front door. But even before he reached it
+he heard the back door pushed open and he turned. His worst fears were
+realized when he found Sackett standing on the threshold, a rifle in his
+hand, and Abel just back of him. Both men were smiling in triumph, but
+keeping a wary eye on the house just the same.
+
+“Ah,” said Sackett, grinning broadly. “We didn’t know you was going out
+the front door, governor! Or maybe you was goin’ to let us in?”
+
+“What do you want here?” asked the professor, stiffly.
+
+Sackett looked all around. “We ain’t sure, yet. We want you, for one
+thing. Keep your gun on him, Abel. Where’s Manuel?”
+
+“Watching the front door,” growled the former mate.
+
+The two men stepped into the house and the professor saw that he was
+trapped. He had no idea what the men wanted with him, although his heart
+sank a little he resolved to face them unflinchingly. Out of the corner
+of his eye he saw the cook glide out of the back door.
+
+“You two men get out of this house!” the professor snapped.
+
+Sackett laughed and walked boldly through the rooms, while Abel kept his
+rifle pointed in the professor’s direction. After he had looked through
+every room the leader came back.
+
+“Nobody else in the place, just like Manuel said,” he reported. He faced
+the old savant. “Where did those boys go to?”
+
+“Off on a camping trip,” answered the professor, calmly.
+
+“Sure they didn’t go looking for that treasure?” inquired the outlaw,
+thrusting his face close to Mr. Scott’s.
+
+“Do you mean to say that you believe that story?” sniffed the professor,
+scornfully.
+
+“I believe it, and so do you,” replied the chief.
+
+“A fairy story,” said the professor, contemptuously. “My boy has long
+since found out that there isn’t anything to it.”
+
+“You and your boy know more about that treasure than you feel like
+telling,” retorted Sackett. “You’re coming with us and stay with us
+until you tell us what you do know.”
+
+“I guess I’ll stay with you a long time,” said the professor,
+humorously. “Because I don’t know anything about it.”
+
+“Stow the talk and come on,” growled the mate. “Want them boys to come
+back again?”
+
+“Yes, we had better get moving,” agreed the leader of the gang. He
+walked to the desk and took out a piece of paper and a pen, which he
+dipped in the ink. “You write a note saying you have gone for a little
+exploring trip,” he directed the professor.
+
+“I won’t write a line!” said the professor, stubbornly.
+
+“You write quickly or I’ll punch your head!” growled the outlaw, raising
+his heavy fist.
+
+Convinced that he would gain nothing by arguing with these men the
+professor took the pen and wrote a short note. He hesitated a moment and
+then signed it “Duress Scott.”
+
+“Hey!” cried Sackett, suspiciously. “What’s that you’re putting?”
+
+“You want me to sign my name, don’t you?” asked the teacher, blandly.
+
+“That isn’t your name,” argued the man.
+
+“Oh, it isn’t, eh?” said the professor. “Very well, I’ll sign it just
+plain Dad, and then Ned will know that something is wrong.”
+
+The leader thought a moment. “Never mind,” he growled. “That will do as
+it is. Now come along, and mind, no funny business, or it will be the
+worse for you.”
+
+The professor accompanied them out of the house, jealously guarded by
+the two men, and in the back yard Manuel, a short and stolid Mexican,
+was waiting for them with a horse from Ned’s own stock. In silence the
+professor mounted and the cavalcade moved out of the ranch grounds, the
+professor looking around for the cook and Yappi. Neither of them were in
+sight.
+
+“Miserable cowards!” muttered the professor, between his set teeth.
+
+They headed for the mountains, the Mexican in front and the professor
+riding just ahead of Sackett and Abel, who kept watchful eyes on him.
+They travelled in silence during the morning and stopped at noon to eat
+and rest, after which they pushed on, in a direction southwest of the
+mines. Manuel, it seemed, was the lookout and rode ahead to see to it
+that they did not unexpectedly run across some party from the mines or
+from other scattered ranches. They had passed to the north of the
+Senorita Mercedes ranch and there was no help from that quarter. And
+when at last they entered the trees at the foot of the central range
+they had not been seen by anyone.
+
+There Manuel waited for the party and they rode on in a compact body,
+ascending the long slopes, skirting abrupt cliffs and rising high above
+sea level. The woods were of a semi-tropical nature, with thick trees
+and bright green leaves, surrounded by dense bushes of undergrowth. It
+was cool above the level of the plain and they made good time, coming
+out onto a flat plateau late in the afternoon. Before them was a wall of
+vegetation, and to the professor’s astonishment they rode straight to
+it, pushed their way through and came unexpectedly upon the ruins of a
+small castle.
+
+The building was small and now nothing more than a tumbled heap of
+ruins. Looking at it closely the professor was inclined to think that it
+had never been completed at all, but had been abandoned before the roof
+had been put on. Creepers grew in reckless profusion all over the stones
+and a bright green snake glided across a door sill with a slight hiss.
+The men sprang from their horses and the professor got down slowly,
+waiting the next move.
+
+Guided by his captors he was led across the first floor of the place,
+evidently the effort of some Spanish nobleman to plant a small empire of
+his own in a new country, and ushered into a single room toward the back
+of the castle. This room had a ceiling to it and he could see at once
+that it was the headquarters of the gang. A stove, made out of bricks
+held together by clay, stood in one corner and several strings of red
+peppers, dried with heat and age, hung from strings over the stove. A
+rough table, two chairs and a bench, and a long box made up the
+furniture of the place. Besides the door, which was constructed of heavy
+wood, there was a single window in the place, which was barred, though
+it had no glass in it. The forest grew close to the back of the place.
+
+“Now look here,” commanded the leader, as soon as they were all in the
+room. “Are you going to talk, or do we have to starve it out of you?”
+
+“If you mean I am to tell you anything about that treasure, I guess
+you’ll have to starve me,” returned the professor, with spirit. “I tell
+you I don’t know a thing about it.”
+
+Sackett turned to Abel. “No use arguing with this man now, I can see
+that. Maybe when he gets hungry he’ll sing another tune. Put him in the
+dungeon.”
+
+Without wasting a word on the matter Abel drove the professor before him
+to a small door which opened in one side of the room. This door, when
+opened, disclosed a turning flight of narrow stairs, and down this the
+professor went, guided by the light from a lantern which Manuel had
+lighted and handed to the mate. After turning around and around they
+came suddenly to a narrow cell, in front of which swung a heavy wooden
+half door, the upper part of which was composed of iron bars. Abel
+opened the door by pulling it toward him and then pushed the professor
+inside.
+
+“Stay there until you get hungry,” he said, grimly. “When you feel like
+talking just yell for the captain.”
+
+He closed the door with a sharp slam, snapped a padlock in place, and
+taking the light with him, remounted the stairs. The professor stood
+still, watching the light flash and twinkle on the white stone steps
+until it was gone and he was in the darkness alone.
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER X
+ THE ROPE IN THE DUNGEON
+
+
+The light was gone at last and with it the professor’s hope. He was
+totally alone in the inky darkness, a prisoner in a cell whose size he
+was not certain of, down under the ruins of a castle in the woods. Far
+above him he could hear the slam of another door and the faint footsteps
+of the two men. Then there was complete silence and the teacher turned
+away from the barred door.
+
+“A truly ancient castle,” grumbled the professor. “The dungeon completed
+before the rest of the house!”
+
+He wondered, as he moved cautiously around if anyone had ever been a
+prisoner in this cold and wet-smelling cell. He found his way around
+without difficulty, running his hands along the wall and extending his
+feet carefully. There was not a single object in the place, and he felt
+that they had not expected to have him there, for there was no bed or
+chair in the place.
+
+“Unless,” thought the savant, as he continued to feel his way around.
+“They wouldn’t be decent enough to give me a chair or bed, anyway. No
+use in expecting mercy from villains like these, I suppose.”
+
+The walls were perfectly smooth, composed of sandstone, as was the
+entire castle. Ned had told his father that the opposite slope of the
+mountain was almost wholly composed of this particular type of stone,
+and the original owner and builder had no doubt had it quarried and
+dragged to the spot, using Indians who had been taken captive by the
+Spaniards. Such was the professor’s belief and it was reasonable. Even
+in his anxiety to escape from these men he found himself taking an
+interest in the place and resolved that if these men were ever cleaned
+out of it he would explore it thoroughly.
+
+The floor was also of stone, wet and slippery, and for all the professor
+knew, the dwelling place of spiders and other crawling things. He hated
+to sit down on it, but there was no other place and he was very tired
+from his long ride and the excitement of it all, so he felt around the
+floor with shrinking hand and finally found a spot near the door which
+seemed to be drier than the rest of the floor. Pretty much exhausted the
+history professor sank to the floor and rested his back against the cold
+wall.
+
+He was in some doubt as to what to do. He felt that Ned would catch on
+to his meaning when he read the word “duress” and the boys would surely
+make a vigorous effort to find him, but how long that would be or what
+would happen in the meantime he had no idea. The men upstairs were
+convinced that he knew something about the treasure, that he possessed
+some information which he was withholding, and they would do their best
+to get it out of him. They would try to starve him first, and in that
+fact he found a ray of hope, for it would take them several days to find
+out that he did not intend to say anything, and then they would adopt a
+more severe program. In that time Ned and the boys from Maine would have
+time to find him, and they would naturally look near the mountains. It
+was possible that they might think he had been carried off to sea, but
+surely the cook or Yappi would tell them the true facts of the case,
+provided they hadn’t been so frightened that they hadn’t even seen in
+which direction the cavalcade had gone.
+
+But if the men decided to change their plans and try to pump information
+from him he would have a bigger problem on his hands. These men were by
+no means gentle, they were men who were willing and able to sweat hard
+to earn money and especially dishonest money, and they would not be
+likely to stop at anything cruel or inhuman. They were miles away from
+any source of help and the woods would effectually hide any story which
+might shock the outside world if it were known. Sackett and the mate
+must know that the boys would soon be on the trail, and he was inclined
+to think that they would resort before very long to methods other than
+peaceful.
+
+“If that is the case,” thought Professor Scott, jumping to his feet,
+“I’m just wasting time by sitting here. There seems to be no way of
+getting out of the place, but it may be that there is some flaw that
+will ultimately prove my biggest help.”
+
+So once more he began to feel his way along the wall and then stopped as
+a new thought came to him. A few days before Ned had given him a cigar
+lighter, a somewhat unreliable engine that lighted once in a great
+while, but which always gave off a bright flash when the little wheel
+was turned by the thumb. It was in his vest pocket and he reached for
+it. He had not had any matches with him and had secretly lamented the
+fact, but now his main difficulty was in a fair way to be overcome.
+
+He took the little case from his pocket and spun the wheel. A sputtering
+little flash was the answer, which lighted up the cell for a split
+second and gave him his bearings. It was evident that the cigar lighter
+had no intentions whatsoever of lighting for any length of time, but it
+at least gave forth a flash that threw the heavy stones into a sort of
+bluish picture for an instant. Working it constantly the old gentleman
+moved around the dungeon, exploring the walls and floor, until something
+in one corner arrested his attention.
+
+There was a crevice there, running from the floor to the ceiling and in
+that crack was a moulded rope. The rope ended near the floor, and hung
+straight down from a round hole in the ceiling above him. He took hold
+of the rope, to find it wet and slippery but fairly strong. The men had
+evidently not seen it and he knew why. Anyone who stood in the room and
+threw the beams of a lantern around would cast the light in a confused
+way into the corners and so miss seeing the rope, which was deep in the
+cranny, and indeed the professor would not have seen it himself if he
+had not been standing right at the crevice. Probably the men had never
+gone over the walls inch by inch, and unless one did that the hidden
+rope would surely escape their eye. But now that he had the rope, what
+was he to do with it?
+
+He pulled on the rope and his answering came with a suddenness that
+startled him into stepping back hastily. Far above his head a bell
+pealed out sharply, shattering the silence of the mountain fastness with
+disconcerting vigor. Nervously he dropped the lighter and then picked it
+up, his brow wet with a nervous perspiration.
+
+“Great heavens!” murmured the professor. “I must stop that, or I’ll have
+them down on me.”
+
+Upstairs there was a moment of silence and then a sudden commotion. A
+chair fell over and he heard running footsteps. Apparently the upper
+door was opened, for he could hear the words of the men.
+
+“What is ringing that bell?” he heard Sackett roar.
+
+“You got me, captain,” replied Abel, while rapid chattering in Mexican
+reached the ears of the professor. “That bell is just up there in the
+tower and nobody can ring it. There must be ghosts in this place, I tell
+you!”
+
+“Keep shut about your ghosts!” snarled the leader. “What’s that Mexican
+saying?”
+
+“He’s howling prayers because he’s scared,” the mate said.
+
+Understanding came over the professor all at once. One tall tower had
+struck his attention as they had approached the ruined castle and it was
+evident that this tower had in it a large bell, placed there when the
+castle was first built. The rope which the professor had pulled led
+directly to this bell, a circumstance of which the men upstairs knew
+nothing, and he found that fate had provided him with a weapon to work
+against them with telling force. Realizing in the long run what this
+would mean the teacher once more took hold of the rope.
+
+“Somebody is ringing that bell,” said Sackett, his tone ugly and
+uncertain. “Ain’t there no way to get up in that tower and stop it?”
+
+“No,” answered Abel. “The tower has no steps and it’s no use anyway. I
+tell you a spirit is ringing that bell! I knew I hadn’t ought to have
+come in on a game like this.”
+
+“Oh, shut up,” growled Sackett. “It isn’t ringing anymore.”
+
+But at that moment the bell rang out, and this time the professor used
+it effectively. With long sweeping strokes he tolled it, so that the
+melancholy sounds sounded out and over the country for miles. It was a
+solemn and fearful sound, and the men above were thoroughly awed and
+frightened by it.
+
+“Go see if that professor has escaped from his cell,” ordered Sackett,
+as the professor paused in his labors. “He may be out and doing this
+somehow.”
+
+The professor thanked his lucky stars that he had overheard this bit of
+conversation and gave the bell a final toll. Then he quickly resumed his
+place near the door, holding onto the bars and peering anxiously out as
+the mate came down the stairs with the lantern.
+
+The man flashed the light full in the face of the professor, who blinked
+and threw up his hand to cover his eyes. At the same time he eagerly
+questioned the mate.
+
+“Why is that bell ringing? What does it mean? Why is there a bell here?”
+he cried.
+
+The mate looked troubled but attempted to pass it off. “You mind your
+own business,” he said, in a surly tone. At the same time he pressed
+close to the door and flashed the light into the dungeon, looking
+intently at the corners. Without another word he went back up the
+winding stairs, and before he closed the door the professor heard him
+say: “The old man is all right. He hasn’t been out of the cell and he
+couldn’t ring the bell. I tell you——”
+
+That was as much as Professor Scott heard but it was enough to satisfy
+him. His best plan was now to mystify the men in the hope of terrifying
+them so that they would leave the place and take him somewhere else.
+Whether that would in the end be a better move or not he did not know,
+but it was at least better than waiting and wasting time, and it would
+serve to bring Ned and the boys to the spot. There was no doubt that the
+sound could be heard far from the mountain, and he had no doubt that it
+would be of great value to him.
+
+Feeling that it would do him no good to keep on tolling the bell he gave
+up the task for the time being, planning to ring it wildly in the very
+middle of the night. The men would no doubt be asleep and he could ring
+it out in such a way as to bring them to their feet with fast beating
+hearts, convinced that the place was haunted by a spirit that rang the
+bell. If they persisted in staying even after that he would keep ringing
+the bell at intervals, taking care not to break the rope, which,
+fortunately for him had originally been tarred and so was preserved.
+
+With that thought in mind the professor pulled his coat more closely
+around him, curled himself up on the hard floor and went to sleep. His
+sleep was fitful and restless, and after two hours of it he had the
+impression that something nearby was scratching. Awakening at last he
+sat up, wide awake in an instant, to find that the steady scratching
+sound was no dream, but an actual fact, and seemed to come from the wall
+beside him.
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER XI
+ THE UNDERGROUND PASSAGE
+
+
+The scratching sound continued to come as the professor listened, and he
+got up and bent his head close to the wall. It sounded to him as though
+someone was scraping the rock wall on the other side of his cell, and he
+was puzzled over the circumstance. There was a measure of hope in the
+sound, perhaps the boys had arrived and were trying to break through to
+him. But as he continued to think it over he realized that it could not
+be so. The dungeon was deep in the earth and it would be impossible for
+them to get down on a level with his cell. The only other thing he could
+think of was that there was a prisoner in a cell next to his.
+
+It might easily be possible that Sackett, in some of his other dishonest
+games, had taken someone else prisoner and the man was trying to break
+through to him. In that case it behooved the professor to try and help
+whoever was coming through the wall of his dungeon. He took the cigar
+lighter from his pocket, made it flash and then looked at his watch by
+its brief blue flame. It was now one o’clock in the morning.
+
+Continuing to make flashes the teacher watched the wall and after a time
+found the rock upon which the unknown man was working. It was a large
+block in the very center of the south wall, and under the soft blows of
+the man on the other side it was already slightly loose. The professor
+could see it move. He took out a knife which he had and began to pick at
+the edges on his side, chipping carefully and as noiselessly as
+possible. It was evident that the person on the other side knew that he
+was helping for the scraping stopped abruptly but after a moment it was
+resumed.
+
+They worked on in silence, the professor listening for sounds from
+upstairs, but none came. The men were evidently asleep or they had left
+the place altogether, for he heard no movement and he was not
+interrupted in his labors. He found that the soft and rotted material
+between the stones was easy to dislodge, and his mysterious helper was
+pushing as he worked, so that the huge stone was beginning to move
+toward the cell of the professor. Only a fraction of an inch at a time,
+but it was enough to give the teacher hope, and finally it was far
+enough out to allow him to get the tips of his fingers under the rough
+edge of the stone.
+
+By working it back and forth the professor at length got it loose. It
+came out with a rush, nearly bending him double with the unexpected
+weight. At the same time a light flared in his eyes and he hastily
+deposited the stone on the floor of his dungeon. When this was completed
+he straightened up and confronted his companion.
+
+It was Yappi, the mestizo. He held a torch of pitch wood in his one hand
+and a keen knife in the other. He had evidently worked hard at the
+stone, for his hands were dirty and so was his mouth and forehead,
+showing that he had stopped more than once to wipe them with his dirty
+hands. The professor was glad to see the man but more than astonished at
+what he saw back of him. The ranchman was standing in a vaulted
+underground passage, which ran back a distance that the professor could
+not make out.
+
+“Yappi!” cried the professor, in a low voice. “How did you get here?”
+
+“I followed you, senor,” said the old man, simply. “It was somewhat hard
+work, for my feet are not so swift to run as they once were. But when I
+knew that they had carried you off to this castle I laughed inside, for
+I knew this castle very well.”
+
+In one sense Yappi was a mystery. He was an ordinary mixture of Spanish
+and Indian, and yet not ordinary in other ways. He possessed a dignity
+and his English was perfect. Ned Scott could never learn where he got
+it. Except for rare periods when he became sulky or falsely sensitive he
+was always steady and reliable. The professor had greatly misjudged him
+when he had thought him a coward, and later on apologized, an apology
+which was very graciously accepted.
+
+“What is this underground passage?” whispered the professor eagerly,
+forgetting his situation in his interest.
+
+“It is as old as the castle, senor, and I have known of it since I was a
+child. Many times I have played around these ruins. But come, we waste
+time and must be going.”
+
+The opening that the removal of the stone had made was not a big one and
+the professor had a hard struggle to get out, in fact Yappi was
+compelled to haul him through bodily. Of a necessity the professor
+squirmed out and landed on his face, grumbling at the man who had made
+him resort to so clumsy a method of action. Once in the passage he
+looked around, finding that it was made of stone and arched overhead,
+the entire height being about seven feet. Consequently they were not
+compelled to bend over, and they hurried through the passage in comfort,
+the ranchman in the lead.
+
+“What was this passage ever made for?” the professor asked.
+
+“I do not know, senor. It may be that once that room was not a dungeon,
+or it may be—but who knows? Only I happened to know of the passage and
+knew that they would put you in that cell, so I have been at work for
+some hours on the stone.”
+
+“I certainly appreciate your hard work, Yappi,” said the professor.
+
+The mestizo made no reply. The professor noted that the passage was
+sloping upward somewhat, and before long he felt cool fresh air on his
+cheek. Near the entrance Yappi extinguished the torch by grinding it
+under his heel and they proceeded in the darkness, until the mestizo
+stopped and grasped his arm, pointing silently ahead.
+
+The end of the passage was before them, and lounging there, a rifle in
+his hands, was the mate Abel. They could make out the lines of his body
+plainly as he stood near a mound, totally unconscious that he was within
+five feet of a secret tunnel. The professor could see that the mouth of
+the secret passage was screened in some dense bushes and that it curved
+right up from the ground. But in spite of all their brilliant work Abel
+suspected something, and for the time being at least they were halted.
+
+They held a council of war right there, speaking in whispers. It was
+evident that the mate had heard something or had the feeling that all
+was not well, for he stood on his guard, the rifle held slightly
+forward. Yappi was for rushing him and fighting it out, but the
+professor opposed it firmly. The man was armed and Yappi was not, and
+the ranchman was old and none too strong. Beside all that, the professor
+had another thought.
+
+He asked the old man if he had heard the bell tolling and the mestizo
+replied that he had. Professor Scott then went on to tell him how it was
+done, and to propose that he steal back and ring the bell, thus puzzling
+the men and taking Abel away from his most inconvenient post. The
+mestizo gravely approved of his plan and together they retraced their
+steps until they came to the hole in the wall.
+
+Knowing where the bell rope was even in the darkness the professor
+insisted upon being the one to go back into the dungeon, so with Yappi’s
+help he once more pushed and puffed his way through the hole. He landed
+on the other side pretty well mussed up.
+
+“Confound these fellows,” he growled inwardly. “I’ve lost several pounds
+squirming in and out of these holes!”
+
+He had regained his feet and was tiptoeing toward the bell rope when a
+warning hiss from Yappi reached him. He turned toward the hole.
+
+“What is it, Yappi?” he whispered.
+
+“Come back! Light coming!”
+
+Surely enough, at that moment a light flashed on the winding steps and
+began to descend. The professor made a wild dive for the hole and then
+stopped with a groan. It would take him several moments to worm his way
+back into the passage, and already it was too late for that. Sackett was
+coming down the stairs with the lantern, and he was now in plain sight
+around the last turn.
+
+For an instant the professor remained rooted to the spot as though
+paralyzed. The leader of the gang was approaching the door, holding the
+lantern before him, his eyes squinted more than usual as he tried to see
+into the cell. Yappi had disappeared somewhere, and the professor felt
+suddenly alone and miserable.
+
+Sackett looked in the dungeon and his eyes fell on the block which had
+been removed. With a snarling oath he saw the hole in the wall and
+turned red and angry eyes on the professor. But the old teacher had
+decided on his course of action.
+
+Without fully realizing why he did it the professor stepped to the bell
+rope and pulled it with all his strength. The bell in the tower pealed
+out with a terrific clash, sending the tocsin booming out over the
+mountain side. Sackett saw the move and a great light swept over him.
+
+“So!” he shouted, above the clanging of the bell. “You’re the one who is
+ringing that bell!”
+
+Swinging the handle of the lantern over his arm he dived viciously into
+his pocket for the key to the padlock. As he did so there was the sound
+of running footsteps over his head and Abel’s voice reached them.
+
+“That bell is ringing again, Sackett!” the mate cried, his voice showing
+his alarm.
+
+“Yes, and here is the bird that is ringing it!” roared the leader. “Get
+down here right away, Abel! Where is Manuel?”
+
+“He ran away, scared to death,” replied the mate.
+
+“Get down here and help me choke this old one,” commanded Sackett,
+thrusting the key into the padlock.
+
+But Abel called down once more, and there was a new note in his voice.
+“Never mind him, Squint! Get up here as fast as you can! Here come a
+whole rescue party, with all them blasted kids in it!”
+
+The professor gave the bell one last pull of triumph and then let the
+rope go. Sackett hesitated for a moment, muttering savagely to himself
+and holding onto the padlock and key. Then he turned and ran up the
+steps, dashing the lantern against the wall in his hurry, causing the
+glass to break and go tinkling down the stone steps.
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER XII
+ THE TOLLING OF THE BELL
+
+
+The four boys hastily armed themselves to go and find the professor. Ned
+packed some provisions in a knapsack and slung it behind his saddle, not
+knowing just how long they might be on their hunt. The other boys
+watered their horses and Ned’s and waited around for him to get ready.
+
+Just before leaving Ned made a final look around, greatly puzzled at the
+absence of Yappi and the cook. “Must have taken them prisoner, too,” was
+his conclusion, as he joined the others. It was a somewhat grim
+cavalcade that swung out of the ranch yard.
+
+There were two possibilities, the sea and the mountains. One guess was
+as good as the other, but Ned chose the mountains and they headed that
+way. They had gone but a scant mile when Don pulled up.
+
+“Who is this coming?” he asked, pointing to a lone figure which was
+running over a nearby hill.
+
+“Looks like the cook,” said Ned. It was Spanci and he drew nearer,
+evidently recognizing them. When he came up he was slightly out of
+breath but able to talk.
+
+“Spanci, where have they taken my father?” asked Ned, in Spanish.
+
+“They have taken him to the mountains, senor, but do not fear, Yappi is
+with him, trailing them.” The cook then went on to tell of the raid and
+of Yappi’s stealthy trailing and his own effort. “I ran to the ranch of
+the Senorita Mercedes, senor, and she has sent her overseer and two men
+out to the mountain to aid your father.”
+
+Ned thanked the old Indian for his devotion and the cook went on back to
+the ranch, to await the turn of events. Ned was greatly relieved to hear
+that Yappi was on the trail, and he knew that the old mestizo would
+stick to it and help his father no matter what turned up. It was with a
+much more cheerful heart that the party rode on toward the mountains.
+
+“No doubt they will stop and hold dad somewhere for a day or two,”
+argued Ned. “We should run across them shortly, and if it is possible
+Yappi will leave some kind of a guiding sign.”
+
+“The best part of it is that we know now that they didn’t go toward the
+sea,” put in Terry and Ned nodded.
+
+They stopped briefly late in the afternoon to eat and rest the horses
+and in the early evening reached the edge of the mountain range. Once
+within the shadows of the mighty trees they were at a loss as to how to
+go. Had the party gone north or south? It was a big decision to make,
+for if they proceeded far in one direction and found that they were
+wrong they would have to retrace and lose valuable time. Just as the
+last shadows of the day were stealing across the sky they stopped for a
+council of war.
+
+“There is nothing to indicate which way they would be likely to go,”
+said Jim.
+
+“Wouldn’t they be most likely to go south, to get away into a wilder
+country?” asked Terry.
+
+“Maybe,” said Ned. “But the northern part of the range is the wildest.
+So we can’t tell. They may have even gone right on over, to the waste of
+wilderness on the other side.”
+
+“Whichever way we guess we may be dead wrong,” murmured Don.
+
+“Yes, and we can’t afford to be wrong,” Ned answered. “Look here, we’ll
+have to split the party.”
+
+“Split the party?” echoed the others.
+
+“Yes. Don and I will go south, and Jim and Terry north and over the top.
+In that way we should be able to cover a lot of territory. I propose
+that we make this spot our meeting place, and that we all assemble here
+at seven o’clock tomorrow morning to compare notes. Let’s have a signal
+of three shots. That will mean to either come back to the meeting place,
+or ride toward the shots.”
+
+“Better make it the signal to ride toward the shots,” advised Don.
+“We’ll repeat the shooting and keep it up until the other party joins
+us. But if one party picks up Professor Scott it had better ride back
+here with him and fire the shots from here, because we all know just
+where this place is and can find it easily.”
+
+“That’s right,” agreed Ned. “Of course, we are splitting our party and
+lessening our strength.”
+
+“I don’t see that we can help that,” Jim argued. “If we were looking for
+something that didn’t require every minute we could keep together and
+take our time. But there is no knowing what the outfit will do to the
+professor. Besides, two of us should be able to handle those fellows,
+even if there are three of them.”
+
+“We should be able to depend on a surprise attack,” said Terry.
+
+“Yes,” agreed Ned. “What is that?”
+
+The others looked at him questioningly. Ned listened intently. “I
+thought I heard the sound of a bell tolling,” he said.
+
+“Where would there be a bell around here?” asked Don.
+
+“I don’t think that there is a bell nearer than the mines. I guess I
+must have imagined it, that is all. Well, it is growing dark. Shall we
+separate now?”
+
+“Guess we might as well,” the others agreed.
+
+With mutual goodbyes and agreeing to meet again at the grove in which
+they were at present stopped, the four boys split into two groups and
+went in opposite directions. Terry and Jim rode north and up the
+mountain, and Ned and Don began to make their way south, moving up the
+mountain on a gradual slant.
+
+“Funny about that bell,” Ned said, as they rode slowly forward. “I could
+have sworn to it that I heard a bell ringing.”
+
+“What kind of a bell?” asked Don.
+
+“Sounded like a church bell, and it seemed to be tolling. But I guess it
+was some other sounds that I mistook. Certainly there is no church
+anywhere around here.”
+
+“Doesn’t look as though there is,” grinned Don.
+
+The sun had now set on the other side of the giant range and they were
+in total darkness. Knowing that it would be useless to push on very
+rapidly during the night they planned to put up a temporary camp on some
+ridge and wait there until daylight came. That would give them a few
+hours to look around before returning to their meeting place to compare
+notes.
+
+“Guess we might as well camp and eat,” Ned suggested, and they found a
+spot that was dry and sheltered, where they speedily kindled a small
+fire and made some coffee. Sandwiches went with it and then they settled
+down beside the fire, talking quietly and keeping both ears and eyes
+open for any strange sound. It was early when they turned in and slept
+soundly.
+
+How long they had been asleep was a matter of conjecture, but they were
+shocked into a state of wakefulness by the furious tolling of a bell. It
+was near at hand, and they leaped to their feet with rapidly beating
+hearts. Alone there on the mountain fastness the sound was awe-inspiring
+and unpleasantly thrilling, and both boys felt chills running up and
+down their backs. The bell which was ringing so mysteriously was not
+more than a hundred feet from them.
+
+“My goodness, what in the name of glory is that!” gasped Ned, as the
+horses moved restlessly back and forth.
+
+“Your bell,” cried Don, snatching up his rifle. “We were camped almost
+on top of it!”
+
+Ned secured his weapon. “Never mind the horses, let’s see what is up,”
+he shouted. They started on a run in the direction of the sound of the
+bell, breaking recklessly through the undergrowth. In less than a
+hundred yards they emerged into a clearing and came upon the ruins of a
+castle, in the tower of which the bell was tolling madly.
+
+A man stood in a doorway, a faint light behind him. He had seen them
+coming and shouted something to someone within. The bell ceased to toll
+and the boys pressed on, straight for the figure in the doorway. It was
+joined by another and Ned raised a shout.
+
+“Sackett!” he cried. “I guess we’ll find dad now!”
+
+His answer was a shot from Sackett’s revolver, and they threw themselves
+flat on the ground, to send two high shots whistling through the narrow
+doorway. Had Sackett and Abel known that they were alone the two outlaws
+would not have run, but they were unable to make out anything accurate
+against the black trees and thought that a full party had arrived. The
+two men did not linger, but made their way out over the ruins of the
+first floor and escaped the boys hearing them take to their horses.
+
+“They didn’t take dad with them,” cried Ned, leaping to his feet. “He
+must be in the house yet.”
+
+They entered the castle, to find a candle in a bottle giving light to
+the single good room which remained of the ruins. Seeing the door in the
+side of the wall Ned and Don made for it, the former taking up the
+candle as they did so. They had no more fear of the bandits and they
+fairly ran down the stairs, to find Professor Scott waiting at the
+barred door.
+
+“Dad!” cried Ned in delight. “So you are really here?”
+
+“Oh, yes, and I thought I’d be here for sometime,” smiled Mr. Scott.
+“You boys arrived just in time. How did you like my bell concert?”
+
+“If it hadn’t been for that we might never have found you,” said Ned. He
+broke the padlock with the butt of his gun, and then stepped hastily
+back. “What is that?”
+
+A dark figure was worming through the hole in the wall of the dungeon.
+“Don’t be afraid,” the professor said cheerfully. “It is Yappi, who is
+joining the party.”
+
+The padlock was broken off, the door opened and Ned and his father
+embraced warmly. He shook Don by the hand and after hasty explanations
+had been made they followed Yappi up the stairs. The mestizo had refused
+to accept any thanks and took the lead in getting them out of the place.
+
+They made a hasty search but found nothing of importance. The men had
+escaped on their mounts, and it was useless to think of following them.
+Yappi took them to the mouth of the underground passage and showed them
+how to drop down in it, and they walked along it back to the dungeon and
+then once more went back to the courtyard before the castle.
+
+“The rascals either took my horse or loosed it,” said the professor. “I
+guess I’ll have to walk home.”
+
+“No, no, senor,” said Yappi, quietly. “I have provide for that. Two
+horses in yonder bush.”
+
+And he went to the thicket indicated and led out two horses. They
+praised his foresight lavishly but he was indifferent to their praises.
+Ned then proposed that they go back to the meeting place.
+
+Accordingly they mounted and went down the mountain to the place where
+they had left Terry and Jim. It was decided to wait until morning for
+the other two, rather than fire off their guns to attract them.
+
+“They should be here at seven in the morning, and it won’t be long
+before it is that time,” Don said. “So we might as well wait.”
+
+So they waited, sleeping by turns, waking at last to greet a fine warm
+day. Seven o’clock came and passed and no sign of the others was to be
+seen. When a half hour had passed they began to fire their guns at
+intervals, but there was nothing but silence after the echoes had broken
+in different places over the mountain sides.
+
+Refusing to be worried over it they ate breakfast and again fired their
+guns, riding out from their camp for a few miles in either direction.
+But when ten o’clock in the morning came they once more assembled in the
+camp and faced the bitter facts.
+
+“Well,” said Ned, in despair. “Now those fellows are gone. They must
+have become lost.”
+
+“Either that,” said Don, gravely. “Or they have fallen into the hands of
+Sackett!”
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER XIII
+ A FORCED MARCH
+
+
+Terry and Jim had made their way northward and up the mountain. It was
+growing dark and they wished to cover as much ground as possible before
+the night would make their task difficult. They planned to seek some
+high point and camp there, watching the mountain sides for a sign of a
+fire or light of any kind. With this in mind they pushed steadily on,
+winding up the sloping side of the range.
+
+When darkness finally came on they pitched camp, a process that
+consisted of very little else than getting off their horses and building
+a fire. There was a chill in the air which made them glad of the small
+fire, and they ate a hearty supper beside it, discussing the business at
+hand.
+
+“If we find that nothing has been discovered,” said Jim, “we’ll have to
+beat up the mountain in deadly earnest in the morning. We’re satisfied
+that they didn’t go toward the sea, but we must take care that they
+haven’t skipped out of these mountains.”
+
+“Right you are,” agreed the red-headed boy, as he poured out coffee,
+“but there must be a million hiding places in these mountains, and we’ll
+have to draw mighty fine lines. I suppose there is no use of going any
+further tonight?”
+
+“I hardly think so,” rejoined Jim, thoughtfully. “We don’t know the
+country and we may run into some trouble. We are on a knoll here and
+should be able to see any light that would show on the mountain.”
+
+“Suppose someone should see our fire?” asked Terry, practically.
+
+“There isn’t much danger of that,” said Jim. “The fire is small and we
+are up pretty high. When we go to sleep the fire will die down and
+probably go out. We can comb a few miles of the woods before we go back
+to meet Don and Ned.”
+
+After the meal was over the boys cleaned up around their camp site and
+stood for some time on the crest of the rise looking down into the
+blackness of the forest below them. There was no sign of life in the
+dense trees and no light was to be seen. Jim and Terry once more
+seriously considered the possibility of making a night search and then
+finally decided against it.
+
+“I certainly am sleepy,” yawned Terry, as they made their way back to
+the fire.
+
+“Well, as soon as we gather some wood we’ll turn in,” suggested Jim. “I
+don’t know that it is necessary to keep the fire going all night, but we
+will have wood at hand for the first thing in the morning so that we can
+build a fire without wasting any time.”
+
+With their knives and their hands the two boys gathered enough wood to
+last them for several hours and then gave a final look at the horses.
+Then each of them took his blanket from the pile of equipment, stacked
+his gun alongside, loosened shoes and neckties and rolled up in the
+blankets.
+
+“If either one of us wakes up he can put wood on the fire,” said Terry,
+as he settled himself in the blanket.
+
+“Yes, but don’t wake up purposely,” advised Jim.
+
+They went to sleep without any trouble, being pretty well tired from the
+day’s journey. The air was cool and fresh and they were healthy young
+men, so they slept soundly. Terry was perhaps the lighter sleeper of the
+two, and it was he who shook Jim into wakefulness after they had been
+asleep for a few hours.
+
+“What is up?” asked Jim, awaking swiftly, his brain working perfectly.
+
+“Listen and see if you don’t hear a bell ringing!” whispered Terry.
+
+Jim listened, and in spite of himself he felt his flesh quiver. The
+mountain was dark, the wind fitful, and the fire was a dull red. From
+off in the distance the sound of a bell was heard, a bell that clashed
+and rang without rhythm. The sound was far away and very faint, and when
+the wind blew with a slight increase in force they lost the sound.
+
+“That’s funny,” murmured Jim, propped on his elbow.
+
+“What do you suppose it is?” whispered Terry.
+
+“I haven’t the least idea. I don’t know where there could be a bell
+around here. It might be possible that there is a village nearby and for
+some reason or other they are ringing the town bell.”
+
+“Maybe. Shall we go down, follow the sound, and see what it is?”
+
+“I don’t see why we should,” Jim argued. “It might simply be a wild
+goose chase. The sound is coming from the south, and maybe Ned and Don
+will investigate. I guess we had better stay where we are.”
+
+“I guess you are right,” Terry agreed, throwing some wood on the fire.
+“Back to sleep we go.”
+
+Jim followed Terry’s advice. The red-headed boy dozed and woke up,
+staring at the sky and moving restlessly. The sound of the bell had
+stopped and he closed his eyes and once more dozed off. He had slept
+lightly for perhaps an hour when he woke up, his senses alert.
+
+There had been a sound near the camp. The horses were moving restlessly
+and Terry raised himself on his elbow and looked into the shadows. The
+fire had burned low again and he could not see far. He debated whether
+to wake Jim or not, and then decided not to.
+
+“Getting jumpy,” he thought. “I must go to sleep.”
+
+But at that moment two shadows moved quickly from the tall trees and
+toward the fire. With a warning shout to Jim, Terry rolled out of his
+blanket and reached for the nearby guns.
+
+“Leave your hands off them guns!” snarled Sackett, as Jim kicked his way
+clear of his coverings.
+
+Terry looked once at the two outlaws and the guns which they had in
+their hands and decided to give in. Jim scrambled to his feet and stood
+beside him, dismayed at the turn events had taken.
+
+“A couple of bad pennies turned up,” muttered Terry, inwardly angry at
+the new developments.
+
+“All those kids weren’t together,” said Abel, aside to Sackett.
+
+“I see they weren’t. Well, we’ll take these youngsters along,” replied
+the leader, taking their guns from the tree where they were leaning.
+
+“What do you want with us?” Jim demanded.
+
+“You’ll find out soon enough,” retorted Sackett.
+
+“You meddling kids made us lose the old man so we’ll just take you along
+for a little ride.”
+
+“Ned and Don must have rescued the professor,” said Jim to Terry.
+
+“You never mind what happened!” growled Abel, in such a manner that they
+knew their guess was correct. “Get your horses and come on!”
+
+“Where are you taking us?” asked Terry.
+
+“Mind your own business,” snapped Sackett. “Gather up your junk and
+hurry up about it.”
+
+“I see,” nodded Terry. “I’m going somewhere and it isn’t any of my
+business where! And Jimmy, my boy, all this nice equipment that Ned gave
+us is just junk!”
+
+“Quit your talking,” commanded Abel. “We have no time to lose.”
+
+In silence the two boys gathered up the blankets and the camping kits,
+strapped them on the horse under the watchful eye of the mate, and then
+mounted. Sackett whistled and Manuel appeared, leading three horses. The
+outlaws sprang into the saddle and Abel took the lead, the other two
+hemming in the boys from the rear. Abel turned his horse’s head down the
+mountain and toward the sea.
+
+“Too doggone bad we didn’t keep a sharper lookout,” Terry grumbled.
+
+Jim shrugged his shoulders. “Perhaps, but I don’t know. These fellows
+were running from Don and Ned, and their falling in on us was an
+accident. We’ll have to keep our eyes open and see if we can give them
+the slip.”
+
+The horses picked their way down the mountain expertly, and they had
+worked several miles to the southward before they rode out on the open
+plain. Daylight was now not far off, and they went on in silence, both
+parties keenly awake to the slightest movement of the other. When
+daylight did break over the plain they were miles from the mountain and
+almost to the sea. There had been no chance to make a break and Terry
+and Jim resigned themselves to their fate.
+
+No halt was made to eat, and the boys found that they were very hungry
+and somewhat tired. What little sleep they had had was only enough to
+refresh them sufficiently to keep going, and they would have liked to
+lay down and enjoy a full, untroubled sleep. But they knew that if they
+were ever to escape from Sackett and his men they must be on the alert
+every minute.
+
+They rode steadily onward, the men apparently indifferent to the thought
+of breakfast and the boys grimly uncomplaining. Jim was more used to a
+horse than Terry and did not mind the ride, but the red-headed boy was
+growing restless. From time to time the men looked back at the distant
+mountains, but as they were now many miles below the vicinity of the
+ruined castle there was nothing to be feared from the other party. The
+sea was now very near and Jim thought he recognized the country.
+
+“If I’m not mistaken we rode over this country yesterday,” he said aside
+to Terry.
+
+Before them at a distance of less than a mile, was a high bluff, and
+when they rode to the edge of this bluff the boys saw a familiar sight.
+Directly below them was the tannery which they had stopped to inspect on
+the day before. It was at this point that the Mexican slipped out and
+took the lead, showing them a steep and winding path that ran down
+beside the cliff and led to the beach below. Down this the party made
+its way, the nimble horses bracing their feet expertly, and after some
+twenty minutes of steady descending they emerged at length onto the hard
+sand of the beach.
+
+Manuel still kept the lead, riding up to the tannery, and at one of the
+smaller sheds he alighted from his horse, an example which was followed
+by the others. The boys were not sorry to follow suit and when they had
+done so Manuel took the horses and lodged them out of sight in the main
+building.
+
+“Say,” demanded Terry. “Haven’t you fellows any stomachs? I’m starved!”
+
+Sackett opened the door to the smaller building with a grin on his ugly
+face. “We’re all hungry,” he said. “Abel, cook up some grub.”
+
+“Not while them kids are here,” said the mate, promptly. “Let them do
+the cooking.”
+
+“I’m too hungry to say ‘no’ just now,” said Jim, promptly. “Somebody get
+me wood and I’ll make breakfast.”
+
+Abel brought wood while Manuel went up the bluff and disappeared.
+Sackett sat on a ledge near the door, keeping a watchful eye on the
+boys. Jim cooked an excellent breakfast and the men enjoyed it. Manuel
+had come back and reported briefly.
+
+“Ship’s coming in,” he said in Spanish, but the boys understood him.
+
+Just as the meal was over the Mexican looked out of the door and got up.
+“The boat is in,” he said to Sackett.
+
+The leader arose quickly and motioned to the boys. “Come on, you boys,
+we’re moving. Abel, bring up in the rear.”
+
+“Where are we going?” Jim asked.
+
+“You’ll find out when you get on board,” retorted Sackett, as he marched
+them out of the shack.
+
+“Evidently on a ship,” murmured Terry.
+
+He was right. Off the shore a battered old schooner with two masts was
+tossing gently to and fro and near them on the beach a long boat was
+hauled up, with its crew of six waiting. The men touched their caps when
+Sackett approached.
+
+“Get in the boat,” ordered Sackett, and the boys climbed in, taking
+their places in the stern seats. The outlaws followed, all but Manuel,
+who stood on the shore.
+
+“Get the horses back to the hide-out,” Sackett said to the Mexican.
+“We’ll be back soon.” To the boat’s crew, who had taken their places at
+the oars he said, “Row us alongside.”
+
+The crew pulled with a will and the boat moved from the shore, out onto
+the blue waters of the Pacific. After a row of a half mile they ranged
+alongside of the schooner, which had the name _Galloway_ painted on the
+stern. Jim and Terry were ordered up the side ladder, where they dropped
+over the rail to the deck. Sackett and Abel, followed by the crew,
+speedily joined them.
+
+“Put on sail,” ordered Sackett of the ship’s captain, as that officer
+approached. He turned to the boys, a grin of evil delight on his face.
+“You kids wanted to know where you are going, eh? Well, we’re taking you
+to Mexico, to keep you prisoners on a nice, deserted ranch until it
+suits us to let you go!”
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER XIV
+ HISTORY REPEATS
+
+
+For a moment after Sackett made his startling statement the two boys
+could only stand and stare at him. At last Jim spoke up.
+
+“You are taking us to Mexico?” he cried.
+
+“Exactly!” mocked the outlaw. “We can’t afford to have you two boys
+hanging around while we are looking for that treasure. So we are going
+to put you in cold storage for a time!”
+
+“Mexico isn’t exactly cold storage,” murmured Terry. “Bum joker, this
+Sackett man!”
+
+“You’ll find out it ain’t a joke,” said Sackett, as the sails were run
+into place. “It’ll be a long time before you boys get home again.”
+
+“You’ll run into a lot of trouble over this,” Jim warned.
+
+“Trouble is something I’m used to,” Sackett grinned. He turned to the
+villainous-looking captain of the schooner. “Captain Jake Ryan, keep
+your eyes on these boys and put them ashore where I tell you. I’m going
+ashore at Peso myself, so I make you responsible for them.”
+
+“You needn’t be afraid they’ll get away from me,” the captain growled,
+looking them over keenly. “They’re nothing but kids!”
+
+“Yes, but they’re pretty slippery ones,” warned Sackett. “Come down in
+the cabin with me.”
+
+The two men, followed by Abel, left the boys and walked off. Jim looked
+at Terry and the latter shrugged his shoulders.
+
+“Looks like we’re in for it now,” the red-headed boy remarked.
+
+“I’m afraid we are,” Jim replied, in a low voice. “But we must get away.
+If we are carried to Mexico there is no telling when we will ever get
+home again.”
+
+“True enough, but I don’t recommend starting anything with this crew,”
+said Terry.
+
+The crew was indeed a rough looking outfit, apparently picked up in many
+ports and composed of rascals of every sort. They wore no uniforms and
+were seemingly expert in their trade, by which sign the boys took it
+that they had spent most of their life on board sailing vessels. They
+represented different nationalities and were a hardy and bold set of
+men, who would not stop at any kind of trade so long as it promised them
+gain of some sort.
+
+“I’ll bet the police of many a town would like to see these fellows,”
+was Jim’s estimate of them.
+
+The ship was rapidly leaving that portion of the coast where Jim and
+Terry had come aboard and was heading south. That meant that they
+intended to round off the tip of Lower California and run up the shore
+of Mexico, probably in one of the wildest portions of the tropical
+country. The boys looked once or twice over the side, but they knew it
+would be foolish to jump over, since they would be shot or overtaken by
+a boat before reaching the shore. There was nothing left for them to do,
+therefore, but to make the best of the situation.
+
+They wandered over the deck of the schooner, forgetting in their
+interest that they were captives. Jim and Terry had done enough sailing
+to know something about sailing ships, and this ancient schooner
+interested them greatly. It had evidently been in active service for
+years, for it was battered and beaten by many storms and its decks were
+worn deeply in spots. The vast expanse of sails overhead, close hauled
+in the wind, drew their eyes in admiration, even though the sails were
+dirty and patched. The crew worked busily around the rigging, coiling
+ropes and stowing loose equipment, paying no attention to the boys, much
+as though taking prisoners was an every-day affair with them. The boys
+noted that two of the men worked apart from the main crew and looked to
+be men of a better stamp than the rank and file.
+
+After a short run down the coast a tiny village appeared on the coast
+and once opposite it Sackett and the mate appeared on deck. The town was
+that of Peso and the captain of the _Galloway_ ordered the boat over the
+side. Sackett and Abel entered the boat and then looked up to where Jim
+and Terry leaned over the rail.
+
+“Goodbye, boys,” mocked the bay pirate. “If we run across the other
+members of your party we’ll give them your regards, shall we?”
+
+Jim only glowered, but Terry raised his slouched camping hat. “Why Mr.
+Sackett!” he exclaimed sweetly. “How very lovely of you! If I were only
+nearer to you I would kiss your sweet face for that kind thought!”
+
+The crew of the _Galloway_ broke into broad grins and the captain
+chuckled. Sackett’s face grew red and he half rose from his seat in the
+long boat. But Abel pulled him down again.
+
+“Quit fooling with those kids and let’s go,” he said, and Sackett sat
+down, after saying something fiery through his set teeth. The sailors
+pulled on their oars and the long boat shot through the water to the
+shore. When the two men had been set on shore the boat returned, and the
+schooner continued on its way.
+
+Up to that time the air had been clear and the water untroubled, but a
+change gradually developed.
+
+A slight haze sprang up over the water and the air became thicker.
+Little choppy waves began to form, and before long the schooner was
+beginning to rock with increasing force.
+
+In the bow there was a commotion. A lookout in the crow’s nest had
+called something down, and the captain came hurrying on deck. The boys
+soon discovered a large black schooner to the west of them, some four
+miles off, and the sight of it appeared to alarm the crew. Acting under
+orders from the captain they crowded on more sail and began to run
+before the wind. It was a move that was not particularly wise under the
+increasing strength of the rising wind, and the two boys were puzzled.
+
+“Terry,” said Jim, as he stood in the stern watching the schooner in the
+distance. “These fellows are running away from that ship!”
+
+Terry looked with increasing interest and found that Jim was right. The
+schooner behind them was also crowding on sail, heeling over in the wind
+but running toward them in a direct line. The crew of the _Galloway_ was
+now fully on the alert and obeying the shouted orders of the skipper.
+The two men who had attracted the attention of the boys by their
+difference in looks compared to the rest of the motley crew, looked
+eagerly toward the oncoming schooner until they were literally driven to
+work by Captain Ryan.
+
+As may be imagined the boys watched the chase with an interest that was
+painful. The outcome of it meant everything to them. They had no idea
+who could be on the pursuing schooner, but whoever it was would be sure
+to release them if they overhauled the _Galloway_. When the crew of the
+schooner ran out a small cannon Terry whistled in surprise.
+
+“This is no comedy,” he remarked. “These fellows mean business.”
+
+The sky to the south had turned an ominous black and the wind was now
+shrieking through the shrouds of the schooner. Cursing aloud Ryan
+ordered sail taken in, and the crew sprang aloft, running along the
+ropes in a way that took away the breath of the watching boys. The
+oncoming schooner was also forced to take in canvas but it did not give
+up the chase. The waves, an hour ago, so calm and peaceful, were now
+mountain high, raging and boiling along the sides of the laboring ship.
+
+“History repeats itself!” exclaimed Jim, suddenly.
+
+“What do you mean?” blinked Terry.
+
+“Why, it’s just like the story of the galleon! We are being pursued by
+an enemy and a storm is surely going to close over us! See the point?”
+
+“Yes, I do. Confound this storm, anyway! If it wasn’t for it I believe
+those fellows in back would overtake us!” cried Terry.
+
+“I never saw a storm come up so rapidly,” said Jim.
+
+In that part of the Pacific storms rise with incredible swiftness and it
+was such a storm, half cyclonic, as now burst over the pursued and the
+pursuer. In a twinkling of an eye the ship to the rear vanished from
+sight as the _Galloway_ staggered into a yawning trough. The boys had
+all they could do to hang on as the deck slanted under their feet, and
+they were soaked to the waist by the wash that flooded the deck. A
+single slashing flash of lightening flared in the sky.
+
+“Do you think we had better go below, so as not to be washed overboard?”
+shouted Terry above the whine of the wind.
+
+“Nothing doing!” roared Jim, his voice sounding like a whisper above the
+crash of the waves. “I wouldn’t miss this for anything!”
+
+So they hung on to the rear mast and the ropes, keenly alive to the
+picture of action which was going on before them. They could see the men
+busy at the sails, pulling ropes, furling, lashing fast and jumping as
+the skipper signalled his commands. They had been forgotten in the
+excitement of the storm, and so were free to watch what was going on.
+They knew that the pursuing schooner would never haul down on them now.
+
+The captain was at the wheel helping the helmsman, and between the two
+of them they could scarcely control the wild plunging of the schooner.
+The boys watched with fascination as wave after wave reared up before
+the schooner, to curl and break over the bow and come thundering over
+the deck in a mad swirl. At such times they were wet to the waist but
+they did not mind that, so interested were they in the events of the
+moment. Their hands ached from holding onto ropes but they stuck to
+their perilous post.
+
+“They are running in too close to the shore!” shouted Terry in Jim’s
+ear.
+
+“They should know the coast well enough to do it,” Jim returned.
+
+He had scarcely spoken when there was a slight scraping and grinding
+sound and the men at the wheel spun the helm rapidly. The _Galloway_
+swung further away from the shore, listing dangerously as it did so. One
+of the crew ran down the companionway and reappeared soon afterward,
+making his way to the captain.
+
+“She scraped a ledge that time,” called Jim and Terry nodded.
+
+It was now so black that the boys could scarcely see before them. The
+captain spoke rapidly with the man, who was the mate, and the officer
+quickly singled one or two men from the crew and then made his way over
+the bounding lurching deck to the boys. Placing his wet mouth near their
+ears he shouted: “Get on the pumps! We’re leaking!”
+
+Without loss of time the boys followed him across the deck to where the
+pumps were located. Two men had already seized the handle of one pump
+and were bending their backs to the task, pumping up and down with all
+their strength. At a signal from the mate the two boys took hold of the
+handle of a second pump and fell to the urgent task.
+
+A thick stream of water shot out of the end of the pump and they knew
+that the lower part of the schooner was filling rapidly with water. It
+seemed to them that there was no use in pumping, but they realized that
+it was their only chance. No life-boat could live in those seas and it
+was a case of keep the ship from going down under their feet under the
+added weight of the water that was pouring into the hold, where a seam
+had been opened up by the ledge over which they had scraped. So they
+worked with a will, moving the handle up and down, until their backs,
+totally unused to the work, ached with the tiring strain of it. A
+continual stream of water rushed from the mouth of the pump with every
+stroke.
+
+They were soon gasping for breath and both of them longed for the moment
+when two other men would relieve them. The two on the other pump kept at
+it grimly, somewhat more used to the work, moving automatically,
+unmindful of the stinging waves that slapped them from each side. The
+schooner pitched and rolled and bucked, now on top of a wave and now
+sinking deep into a trough.
+
+To their unspeakable relief they saw two more men approach with the mate
+to take over their task. The captain had realized that they would not
+last long at the cruel task, and had sent relief. The men were coming
+toward them, were almost to them.
+
+There was a sharp grinding sound and the schooner crashed hard aground.
+Every man who was standing went over like a stick of wood. Down came the
+rigging in a tumbled, confused mass, the forward mast snapped off sharp,
+the bow seemed to crumple like paper. Terry and Jim were torn from the
+pump handle and hurled through the air, to land like playthings in a
+smother of foam and swirling water. All became black in an instant,
+there was a sucking sound and the schooner settled down in the water
+with a shudder.
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER XV
+ THE MOUNTAIN SAGE
+
+
+Don’s grave statement to the effect that Jim and Terry might have fallen
+into the hands of Sackett was received with a gloomy degree of
+conviction by the others. They knew that the outlaws had fled somewhere
+across the mountains, and it was very likely that they had run across
+the trail of the two boys in their flight. The professor spoke up.
+
+“We must lose no time in following them,” he declared, with spirit.
+
+“The rest of us will follow them,” said Ned. “You had better go back to
+the ranch, dad.”
+
+“Why should I go back?” demanded the professor.
+
+“You must be tired. You had a long ride yesterday and didn’t sleep much
+last night. You and Yappi go back to the ranch and we’ll push on after
+Jim and Terry.”
+
+“I’m going with you,” declared the professor, stoutly. “I’m no child!
+Don’t you think I have any interest in finding the boys and running this
+gang down? I would be mighty restless back on the ranch. So let’s
+start.”
+
+After some further discussion they struck off in the direction last
+taken by the missing boys and rode up the mountain, keeping a careful
+lookout as they did so. They spread out in fan fashion, keeping close
+enough together so as to call back and forth. It was sometime in the
+afternoon when Yappi called out and the others closed in and joined him.
+
+The mestizo was off his horse, standing close to the ashes of a fire
+which had evidently been out for some hours. They were all of the
+opinion that Terry and Jim had built the fire and had spent the night
+beside it.
+
+“The question is now where they went from here,” mused the professor.
+
+Ned was searching the nearby bushes and he set up a shout. “There were
+others here last night, too,” he announced.
+
+Upon inspection they found the bushes beaten down by the hoofs of
+horses, but at first Don was not convinced. “This is probably where they
+tied up their own horses,” he said.
+
+“Other horse over here,” replied the mestizo, gravely.
+
+On the other side of the clearing they found the traces of other horses.
+There had been two parties, or else one spot marked the location of the
+missing boys’ horses and the other that of the second party. The
+professor was sure that Sackett and his men had come down on them in the
+night while they slept. And later all doubt was laid aside when Ned
+found a big foot print in the soft sand.
+
+“Neither Jim nor Terry made that,” he said, with conviction.
+
+The others agreed with him, and by careful tracing they found that the
+party had gone down the mountain toward the sea. They followed the trail
+for at least a half mile and then lost it on some rocky ground, but they
+were satisfied that they were on the right track.
+
+“They are heading for the sea,” Ned said. “Perhaps they have some kind
+of a boat down there. Well, we might as well get right on the trail.”
+
+“Looks like a bad storm coming up,” cried Don.
+
+The sun had long since been lost in a slow gloom which had come in from
+the sea, and the air was hot and still. Heavy black clouds were rolling
+in from the south, and there was an almost ominous stillness in the air.
+Far away they heard the low rolling of thunder off at sea.
+
+“It may be a bad one,” admitted Ned, as he studied the sky. “We don’t
+have many storms in this region, but when we do get one it generally
+amounts to something. Well, we’ll push on until we have to stop.”
+
+They had gone perhaps a mile along the mountain, working down toward the
+sea, when the leaves of the trees began to stir with increasing force.
+Secretly, Ned was worried, for he knew the strength of some of the
+storms his country was subject to, and he would have welcomed some sort
+of shelter. Just as he was beginning to think it best that they find
+shelter in the lee of some big rock Yappi called to him in Spanish. The
+ranchman had sighted an Indian hut just before them in the woods.
+
+They rode up to the place, to find a withered old Yuqui Indian sitting
+on a crude bench at his door. He was engaged at the task of weaving a
+basket, and he looked up unemotionally as they drew up before his door.
+The hut back of him was a simple round affair, made of rough wood held
+together with a clay filling, which showed between the logs. Two
+windows, neatly glassed with glass which had been procured in some town
+nearby, and a single door alone broke the monotonous expanse of rough
+wood. A single chimney protruded from the top of the hut.
+
+At a nod from Ned Yappi addressed the Indian in his native dialect, but
+it turned out that the Yuqui was very familiar with Spanish. Yappi told
+him that they wished shelter during the oncoming storm, and the old man,
+without showing pleasure or displeasure on his lined old face, replied
+that what he had they were welcome to. No sooner had he finished his
+statement than the rain began to descend in torrents.
+
+The white men slipped from their horses quickly, Yappi took the bridles
+and led the horses to the shelter of a nearby leanto which the Indian
+had, and the whole party entered the hut. The Indian slipped in before
+them and was heaping wood on the small fire which burned in his
+fireplace, and as the flames shot up they had time to look around the
+hut. It was an interesting place.
+
+There was a woven mat on the floor, a bed in one corner, and a rough
+table and chair in the center of the room. On the wall was hung a
+splendid bow and a sheaf of arrows, several baskets such as the one
+which the Yuqui had been weaving, and an Indian headdress. That portion
+of the floor which was not covered with a mat was neatly carpeted with
+leaves. The fireplace was constructed of hard clay. The entire hut was
+neat and orderly.
+
+“The strangers are welcome,” said the Indian, as he sat beside the fire.
+
+Ned thanked him gravely and for a few moments nothing more was said.
+They sat and listened to the fury of the storm outside. The wind hissed
+and slapped against the windows and the sides of the hut, the wind
+moaned overhead and the sky had become inky black. Don was worried.
+
+“I hope Jim and Terry aren’t anywhere exposed in this storm,” he said.
+
+“I don’t think so,” Ned hastened to assure him. “Those fellows know the
+sign as well as we do, and they must have dug for shelter. The fellows
+are all right, and we’ll hit the trail as soon as we can.”
+
+The Indian was looking at them earnestly, and the professor, who could
+speak Spanish quite well, took it upon himself to tell him the
+circumstances. The old man listened intently and then nodded.
+
+“I am a sage,” he said proudly. “I tell you that you shall find them.
+Yengi is my name.”
+
+The visitors were silent, not knowing how to take this abrupt
+declaration. Yappi talked rapidly with the sage and seemed impressed.
+
+“Yengi is a wise man,” he told Ned. “What he says is true. Long has he
+dwelt in these mountains, and his ancestors dwelt here before he did.”
+
+The Indian sage nodded and addressed the whole party. “He speaks truth.
+For many generations my people have lived in this land. But not here in
+this mountain. I live here alone. My people lived far to the south, on a
+broad plain, until the people in beautiful clothes came. Those were the
+Spanish. They drove some of our people into slavery and killed others,
+and because we were few in number we were compelled to flee to the
+mountains and hide like wild beasts. My fathers told me.”
+
+The fire had died down, the storm still beat outside, and the white men
+were silent as they listened to the simple but tragic story of the
+Indian sage. They knew that his tale was only too true, for they had
+read many times of such things, the professor being well versed in the
+history of the Spanish conquest of the southern part of America. It was
+a moving experience to hear it now from the lips of a descendent of the
+persecuted race that suffered so many centuries ago. Ned, the professor
+and Yappi understood perfectly what the sage was saying, and Don knew
+enough of Spanish to follow him without trouble.
+
+The professor was smoking his pipe, so the sage reached into a niche
+beside the fireplace, took out a long crude Indian pipe and gravely
+lighted it. He smoked awhile in silence and then went on: “But my
+fathers had revenge.”
+
+No one said anything and he puffed once or twice and then went on: “The
+English were our saviors. They chased the Spanish from our coasts. But I
+spoke to you about the revenge that my fathers took. One day in the long
+ago there was a storm and a Spanish ship fled from the English and was
+wrecked somewhere on the coast. I do not know where, but the men from
+the ship came straggling past our hidden village in the fastness of the
+mountain. My fathers saw them and ambushed them, slaying all of them,
+allowing only a priest to go free. He had been kind to some Indians once
+and his life was spared. He had with him a book and he was led to the
+sea coast, where he took ship to Mexico and was never seen more.”
+
+Yengi looked up as there was a stir among his hearers, and he was
+astonished to see them regarding him eagerly. He took his pipe out of
+his mouth in astonishment.
+
+“These men that your fathers killed came from a wrecked ship?” asked the
+professor eagerly.
+
+“Yes, so they told my fathers. Why does that excite you so?”
+
+Ned told the sage that they knew the story of the wrecked galleon and
+that there was supposed to be much treasure in the wrecked ship. The
+Indian was sure that the men must have come from that very ship, but
+beyond that he was not helpful.
+
+“I do not know where the ship could be,” he told them. “The men, with
+the exception of the priest with the book, were all killed. They never
+went back, but the priest may have returned for the gold.”
+
+“As long as the priest had a book, that must surely have been the crew,”
+said Don.
+
+But the professor shook his head. “The book which the priest had may
+have been his own Bible, or some other book. It couldn’t have been the
+written story of the wreck, for you must remember that it was written
+after the storm and wreck and after the men were killed.”
+
+“I see,” nodded Don, somewhat cast down. “But you have no doubt that it
+was the galleon’s crew, have you?”
+
+“Oh, none at all,” returned the professor. “The story is too closely
+allied to the one we know to be at all doubtful. It seems to me that if
+we can get the Indian here to take us to the spot where the crew was
+killed that would be somewhere near where the galleon struck. At least,
+we would be in the immediate neighborhood, and not all at sea, as we are
+now.”
+
+“But how about losing time in the hunt for the boys?” suggested Ned.
+
+“We can get some idea of the location and then push on after the boys,”
+said the professor. He turned to the Yuqui and asked him if he would
+lead them to the spot where the men from the ship were killed.
+
+“I have seen the place,” nodded the Indian. “I will show it to you.”
+
+“If we find the treasure through your help we will give you a share of
+it,” promised Ned.
+
+The Indian waved his hand impatiently. “Gold is cursed,” he said,
+sternly. “Yengi has wisdom, which is more than gold. I wish none of it.”
+
+The party was impatient to start out but when night came on the storm
+had abated but little and they accepted the Indian’s invitation to stay
+with him all night. They ate together and sat around the fire talking,
+the Indian telling them many more stories of his race in their glory,
+himself astonished at the learning of the professor. He found it hard to
+believe that the professor had learned so much from books.
+
+At last they lay down and wrapped themselves in their blankets, Don
+breathing a prayer for the safety of his brother and his chum before
+they fell asleep. It had been agreed that they would leave early in the
+morning to look at the spot where the old Indian village had stood and
+from there they would push on to the sea in the search for the missing
+boys. Yengi, who knew the country much better than even Yappi did, was
+to go with them and lend his valuable aid. With many varied conjectures
+in their minds as to what the morrow would bring forth the whole party
+soon became quiet in sleep, the professor very nearly exhausted by the
+events of the past two days.
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER XVI
+ THE LANDING PARTY
+
+
+When the morning dawned the party was not slow to spring into action,
+but quick as they were their host was up before them. He was preparing
+breakfast at the fire and greeted them with quiet dignity. Before eating
+Ned and Don looked outside, to find a day somewhat better than the one
+before it had been, but still showing the effects of the storm. Sullen
+gray clouds passed overhead, impelled by the wind which was driving
+forward steadily, and the ground was still muddy from the rain which had
+fallen heavily. They were certain to escape the exhausting heat which
+had lately hindered them, and thankful for this circumstance the boys
+went in and enjoyed Yengi’s breakfast.
+
+The horses were saddled and without loss of time the company set out.
+The Indian closed his door but did not lock it, saying that no one would
+be likely to enter his place during his absence. They struck off to the
+south, following the sage and Yappi, who rode well to the front.
+
+The horses found the going a little difficult, as the ground was
+slippery, and the men soaked their trouser legs as they scraped past
+bushes and small shrubs. This condition of affairs did not last long,
+for they soon rode down out of the mountains and reached the level
+plain. Here the going was much better and they went off at a brisk trot,
+heading for a furrowed section of uplands which they could see some
+miles before them.
+
+During the journey they kept a sharp look-out for their missing
+companions, but no sign was seen of any living being as they went on.
+One or two large jack-rabbits crossed their path and Yappi brought one
+down, stowing it in a bag behind his saddle for some future meal. The
+act was opportune, for they had now run out of provisions and would have
+to depend in the future on whatever they brought down with their guns.
+
+Don was in a curious state of mind as they travelled on. He was anxious
+about Jim and Terry, and the thought that he might be going further away
+from them with each mile was not a pleasing one. But they had no
+definite clue as to the whereabouts of the others, and one direction was
+as good as another. All of them felt that they had made for the coast,
+but just where on the coast they had no idea. It was simply a matter of
+keeping going, and watching carefully for the slightest sign which would
+send them in the right direction.
+
+Before noon they arrived at the place where the old Indian village had
+been and where the Spanish crew, probably from the galleon, had been
+killed. The village had stood in a slight basin, hidden in a convenient
+roll of the sheltering foothills, and there was now but little to tell
+that there had ever been a village there. All trace of the huts which
+had once been there was lost, but several places in the hills, hollowed
+out of the volcanic dykes, showed that someone had once lived there.
+Some low mounds marked the burial places of the ancient Indians.
+
+The sage pointed to the south. “From that direction the men came,” he
+said, his dull eyes kindling as he thought of the glory of his former
+race. “The village in which my fathers lived was originally there, but
+they lived here in order to flee into the mountains when the Spaniards
+came. It was here that the crew of the great ship were killed, and
+afterward my people scattered, leaving a few of my race in the hills and
+the mountains.”
+
+They looked around the spot with interest and discussed the
+possibilities. Some miles east of them lay the sea, and Ned argued that
+the creek up which the galleon had sailed could not be far off. He would
+have liked to have set out for it at once, but realizing that the task
+of finding the missing boys was of far greater importance he smothered
+his desire, resolved to return some day and strike off from that spot.
+
+“The Spaniards were evidently heading for the mountains at the time that
+they fell into the hands of the Indians,” the professor said.
+
+“Why should they head for the mountains?” Don asked. “Wouldn’t they have
+been more likely to have kept to the shore, in the hope of being picked
+up by another ship?”
+
+“I don’t think so,” replied the professor. “They may have intended to
+make their way over the mountains to Mexico, or they may have feared the
+Indians with good cause, for their cruelties made the Indians eager to
+lay hands on them. Probably they feared the very thing that did befall
+them.”
+
+“Well, now that we have at least marked the portion of the country where
+the crew appeared, let’s get on,” suggested Ned. “In all my searching I
+fell short of this region by a good twenty-five miles, and this will
+help me get my bearings. Evidently the spot of the wreck is still some
+miles to the south, but I think we should be able to come across it when
+we have more leisure to look around.”
+
+“What is your thought?” inquired Professor Scott. “Shall we strike down
+to the coast?”
+
+“I think so,” nodded Ned. “Then we can beat up the coast toward the
+ranch, keeping our eyes open for the boys. Surely they didn’t go any
+further south than this.”
+
+“Possibly not,” Don put in. “We can’t tell, but I feel we should go to
+the shore and see if we can pick up anything there.”
+
+They now said goodbye to the sage, who did not feel inclined to go any
+further with them. He was used to solitude and did not care to mix in
+with their problems and adventures, and he refused any pay for his
+hospitality or information. He once more expressed his belief that they
+would be fortunate in their search and then gravely turned his horse’s
+head back to his mountains, seemingly no longer interested in what went
+on. With feelings of warmest gratitude for him the party from the ranch
+went on their journey toward the coast.
+
+The coast was reached in the afternoon and they began to head north,
+watching both land and sea for any trace of the missing boys. Hunger at
+last caused them to halt while Yappi prepared and cooked the rabbit
+which he had killed, and the others enjoyed the meat of the little
+animal. As soon as this simple repast was completed they once more moved
+on.
+
+“What are we to do if we don’t find them on this trip?” asked Don.
+
+“We’ll have to go to San Diego, recruit a good-sized force and hunt
+Sackett from one end of Lower California to the other,” replied Ned,
+grimly. “And we may have to get the proper Mexican officials on the job,
+too. You see, it is possible that Sackett may have carried them off to
+Mexico, and if that is the case we’ll have a fine time locating them.
+But we’ll leave no stone unturned to do it, you may be sure.”
+
+“And in the meantime we’ll leave Yappi at the ranch in case any news of
+them should come there,” the professor suggested.
+
+Yappi was riding ahead and was just topping a small rise when they saw
+him slip from the back of his horse and lie flat on the ground. He
+motioned to them to dismount and they did so, wondering. Cautiously they
+moved up beside him and looked over the brow of the small hill into the
+vale below.
+
+The sight that met their eyes astonished them. Off to their left was the
+sea, not now the calm Pacific, but a tumbling, boiling stretch of water,
+still showing the effects of the storm. An eighth of a mile off shore a
+schooner lay on its side, the black expanse of the hull showing above
+the water, a portion of the keel rising out of the waves. The ship had
+evidently run aground during the storm, for there was a gaping hole in
+the bow and the masts were snapped off short, the rigging strewing the
+deck and trailing into water. But it was the sight of several men in the
+hollow below which drew their greatest attention.
+
+The men were members of the crew of the schooner and they were at
+present gathered around a small fire. They had been wet and bedraggled
+and were gathered close to the fire as though their only concern was to
+get warm. Some of the crew had gathered wood and lay it piled high
+nearby. No one was keeping watch and the party on the hill top had not
+been seen.
+
+“Jim and Terry aren’t there,” whispered Don, in disappointment.
+
+They were not, and Ned was about to advise that they pass on, when Yappi
+seized his arm and pointed to a spot some half mile down the shore, to
+the north of the men. To their astonishment they perceived another
+schooner, standing at anchor in a cove, and a boat was putting out from
+that schooner and making for the shore. The second schooner was in good
+condition and had apparently not suffered from the storm.
+
+“It looks to me as though those fellows were after the men below,” the
+professor said, in a low tone.
+
+They watched the boat from the schooner discharge its load of men, who
+immediately took to the shelter of a friendly hill and made their way
+silently toward the party which sat around the fire. The oncoming men
+were led by a tall old man with white hair, who seemed to have full
+authority, for the sailors, who were an orderly looking lot in
+comparison with the crew below, obeyed his every gesture. They crept
+nearer the unsuspecting men below until they were on a hilltop opposite
+from the ranch party.
+
+“Why,” murmured Ned. “I think we are going to witness a battle!”
+
+Scarcely had he spoken than the old captain waved his hand and his band
+rushed down on the men who were seated around the fire. Their coming was
+totally unexpected and the crew from the wrecked schooner sprang to its
+feet in dismay. The men from the second schooner fell on them bodily and
+a free-for-all fight began, a fight that was short-lived, for the second
+crew were superior in number and moreover, was armed. After a few
+knock-downs the wretched crew was overcome and all neatly tied up by
+their attackers.
+
+“Well, I must say I don’t understand this,” said the professor. “I
+wonder which one of the parties is in the right?”
+
+“I don’t know,” answered Ned. “But we’ve got to go down and ask them if
+anything has been learned of Sackett or the boys. But I am not sure but
+what we are running our heads into some sort of a trap.”
+
+The mestizo had been following the events below with absorbed interest
+and had forgotten everything else. He turned to speak to the others. But
+instead of speaking at them he stared back of them, and then, with a
+motion like that of a cat, he made a quick dive for his rifle, which was
+laying beside him.
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER XVII
+ THE ESCAPE
+
+
+It seemed to Jim that he was under tons of water and that everything
+around him was a roaring whirl of confusion. His lungs were filled with
+water and close to bursting when he finally gained a breath of fresh air
+after expelling the water from his lungs. He was still on the deck of
+the _Galloway_, crumpled up against the deckhouse and half buried in the
+wash which still swept across the deck.
+
+His first act was to stagger weakly to his feet and look for Terry. He
+was relieved to see the well known red-head emerge from behind some
+lashed-down canvas on the deck, and a moment later the boy was
+staggering toward him, furiously blinking his eyes. To their surprise
+they found that the deck of the schooner was tilted on a decided angle
+and that the starboard rail was well under water.
+
+The schooner had run hard aground and had settled on its side. One or
+two of the crew had been swept over the side and lost, the whole thing
+having happened so quickly that no aid could be given them. The rest of
+the men were picking themselves up from the deck and looking dazedly
+around, uncertain as to the next move. Captain Ryan shouted orders which
+could be heard above the din and the men worked their way over the
+sloping deck to the large life boat which was hanging at the port side.
+
+Terry started to follow them but Jim grasped his arm, placing his mouth
+close to his ear. “Wait a minute,” he said. “Let them go!”
+
+“Aren’t you going with them?” asked Terry, astonished.
+
+Jim shook his head. “Let’s stay here. I don’t think this ship is going
+to sink, and we can make our escape. Let’s duck behind the wheelhouse.”
+
+Terry was a bit bewildered but he followed Jim’s lead in crouching out
+of sight. “Do you think it is safe?” he asked. “Those fellows are
+leaving the schooner, and they should know if it isn’t going to sink.”
+
+“Those fellows are scared to death,” Jim said. “They have forgotten
+about us and the only thing they have in mind is to get to shore. I
+don’t think the ship will go under because it is too firmly grounded. We
+can give them time to get to the shore and when the storm lets up we can
+get ashore ourselves. Remember, if we don’t want to make a long trip to
+Mexico, we must get away from here.”
+
+“You are right there,” murmured Terry. “Did you get hurt any in the
+crack?”
+
+“Got a bruise on my shoulder, that’s all. Look, there goes the crew.”
+
+The crew had jumped into the life boat and had pushed it away from the
+schooner’s side. Captain Ryan gave one sweeping look around the wrecked
+ship as the boys hastily ducked from sight, and satisfied that they had
+been swept overboard and drowned, he gave the order to pull for shore.
+The men settled to it with a will, and before many minutes had passed
+the boys lost sight of them in the gloom which hung over the sea and
+blotted out the shore.
+
+Terry stood up and looked around. “Alone at last, as the song says.
+Wonder if we are the only ones on board?”
+
+“I think so,” Jim replied, looking rapidly around. “Is there any other
+boat aboard?”
+
+A thorough search convinced them that there was no other boat on the
+wreck. They tried to get down into the hold to look around, but it was
+filled with water. The schooner would have sunk like a shot except that
+it had folded up on a rock and was held there. Jim noted that the rail
+was going deeper into the water with the passage of time.
+
+“We’ll have to get off in some manner,” he told his companion. “I think
+the ship is slowly turning over, at least it is going to settle
+completely on its side. But as to how to get off is the problem.”
+
+Terry peered off toward the shore, over the heaving water. “The blow has
+gone down considerably,” he said. “The shore isn’t far off, you can see
+it. Do you think you could make it by swimming?”
+
+“I think I could,” replied Jim, after considering. “How about you?”
+
+“I could if I had something to hang onto and get a breathing spell once
+in awhile,” Terry thought.
+
+“Well, we can settle that. We can lash a couple of spars together and
+use them for resting stations. Goodness knows that there are enough
+spars around.”
+
+They secured two large spars and roped them together firmly. Shedding
+all of their clothing except those absolutely necessary for use on shore
+they were about to leave the ship when Jim was struck with an idea.
+
+“We can take along all of our clothes by tying them on the spars,” he
+said.
+
+They tied all of their clothes to the top of the spar and threw it into
+the foaming sea, which had abated in force considerably during the last
+twenty minutes. Realizing that the men would be on shore directly ahead
+of them and not wishing to fall into their clutches they decided to head
+for a point further down the shore, and with this plan in mind they dove
+off together, landing with a rush in the stinging salt water. When they
+bobbed up and shook the water out of their eyes they saw the spars a few
+feet before them. They struck out for the rude craft and each boy passed
+one arm over it, propelling with the other.
+
+In this manner the spars kept progress with them in their attempt to
+escape to the shore, and when they became tired, which was often in the
+long struggle, they hung onto the spars and rested. They knew better
+than to waste breath in idle talk, so no word was spoken during the
+fight for shore. Jim was a better swimmer than the red-headed boy, but
+Terry grimly stuck it out, and after a half hour battle they landed on
+the shore, almost exhausted.
+
+Terry splashed his way up to the beach, collapsing in a heap on the wet
+sand, but Jim, blown as he was, had presence of mind enough to take the
+clothing off of the raft and look around them. The storm was blowing
+itself out and the sky growing lighter, but as there was no sight of the
+men nearby Jim soon lay down beside his companion and rested gratefully.
+They had drifted a mile or more down the shore in their swim and felt
+reasonably safe from capture.
+
+Jim was the first to sit up and he looked keenly around. They were in a
+lonely section of coast country, uninhabited and infinitely dreary. He
+wondered what the next best plan should be, and asked Terry. Both felt
+that it would be foolish to go back toward the ranch directly, and both
+agreed that it would be foolish to go south.
+
+“That means we push inland,” Terry nodded.
+
+“Yes, that is all that we can do. And we are in one fine shape to do
+that, I must say! No weapons, no matches, and not a thing to eat! If we
+don’t fall into somebody’s hands we’ll starve,” said Jim.
+
+“It does look tough from every angle,” Terry agreed. He got up and wrung
+the water out of his trousers and shirt. “I’m pretty tired, but I
+suppose we ought to get moving, eh?”
+
+“I think so. At least we should get away from the coast. Maybe when we
+get inland we can find some place to put up for the night, some hollow
+or something. After a good night’s sleep we should be able to cover a
+lot of ground.”
+
+“Little Terry hasn’t been bad, but he has to go to bed without his
+supper!” the red-headed boy grimaced, as they started inland.
+
+They walked slowly, keeping a sharp lookout, but met no one in their
+journey. They meant to make a long half circle in their return, planning
+to avoid the party from the schooner and Sackett’s henchmen. There was
+also the possibility that they might run across their own party, who
+they felt was surely looking for them. But the present object was to
+find some protected shelter and hide away for the night.
+
+Evening was close upon them when Jim suddenly pulled Terry down behind a
+bush. He pointed to the right and whispered to his chum.
+
+“A man, over there!”
+
+Terry looked, to see a lone traveler encamped in a small hollow some
+little distance from them. The man was seated beside a small fire,
+busily engaged in frying something in a small pan. His horse, a
+beautiful black animal, was grazing on the short grass nearby, and the
+man’s rifle stood close at hand. Terry turned to Jim with a satisfied
+air.
+
+“There’s my supper!” he announced, pointing to the pan in the man’s
+hand.
+
+“Don’t be too sure of that,” Jim warned. “We want to be mighty careful
+who we walk up to.”
+
+“Say, you don’t think every human being in this country belongs to
+Sackett’s gang, do you?” asked Terry.
+
+“I suppose not,” Jim gave in. “Shall we walk up and announce ourselves?”
+
+“We’ll walk up and reserve a table!” grinned Terry. “That pan excites
+me; let’s go!”
+
+They advanced toward the man, who did not see them coming until they
+were barely twenty yards from him. Then he looked up and they saw that
+he was a Mexican. He gave a slight start and reached for his gun, but
+allowed his fingers to slide from the stock as he continued to look at
+them. At the same time the boys recognized him.
+
+“It is Alaroze, the overseer of Senorita Mercedes ranch!” cried Jim, and
+Terry nodded.
+
+Seeing that he was recognized the Mexican broke into a smile and
+welcomed them in Spanish. He was frankly puzzled at their strange and
+uncouth appearance, but he did not ask any questions. Jim, who could
+speak fair Spanish, told him that they had taken a trip down the coast
+in a ship and had been cast ashore, feeling that it would not be wise to
+tell too much. When the Mexican had heard their story he expressed
+himself as being deeply grieved and hastened to offer them food. He had
+some beans and bread and seemed to have a plentiful supply with him, so
+the boys were not averse to taking what he offered.
+
+They sat down and gratefully ate what he set before them. The overseer
+talked rapidly, smiling, rebuilding the fire and insisted upon cooking
+them more of his provisions. Once when he was out of earshot Terry spoke
+out of the corner of his mouth.
+
+“He isn’t a half-bad fellow, this Alaroze. I didn’t think I liked him at
+the ranch, but he surely is treating us royally now.”
+
+“He certainly is,” agreed Jim, heartily. “We’ll see to it that he never
+regrets it.”
+
+Finally the Mexican sat down and ate with them and afterward smoked
+cigaret after cigaret as he talked with them. He did not seem to be
+inquisitive as to the whereabouts of the others, in fact, Jim was more
+curious than the foreman, for presently he asked him what he was doing
+so far away from the Mercedes ranch.
+
+“I am looking for stray cattle,” the overseer said. “Many of them have
+wandered away of late and I am looking for them.”
+
+It was growing dark now and they made a large fire, before which the
+boys dried their dripping clothes. The three companions agreed to head
+back for the ranch of the senorita on the following day and to go from
+there to the Scott ranch. Jim and Terry warmly thanked the overseer for
+his supper and hospitality, but the Mexican was effusively modest about
+it.
+
+Quite early the three of them turned in, the Mexican lingering for some
+little time after the boys. He sat beside the fire, still smoking his
+inexhaustible cigarets, looking out into the blackness of the night. He
+seemed to have no fear of anyone. The boys lay under the shelter of some
+sandy banks, for the Mexican had but one blanket, and just before they
+fell asleep they looked at the lone figure near the fire.
+
+“Lucky thing for us that we fell in with him,” Jim commented.
+
+“Right you are,” Terry returned. “He certainly has been fine to us. I’m
+just about sorry I ever distrusted him.”
+
+“You can’t go by looks,” said Jim. “But I don’t think he is pushing his
+search for those stray cattle very vigorously.”
+
+“Well, you know how lazy most of these Mexicans are,” Terry yawned.
+“Probably just taking his own sweet time.”
+
+“Funny he should be out looking for them, instead of the other cowboys,”
+Jim went on. “I should think that he would be needed at the ranch.”
+
+“Maybe it is his personality that counts,” grinned Terry. “He may
+attract the cows and bring ’em home that way. I don’t care how he does
+it. I’m going to sleep.”
+
+Both boys fell into a deep sleep. The Mexican sat motionless beside the
+fire for some time longer. Once he turned and looked toward the boys, at
+the same time smiling at some thought which was passing through his
+head. His teeth gleamed for a second and then his face once more became
+impassive. Shortly after that he rolled himself up in his blanket and
+fell asleep.
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER XVIII
+ TREASURE AND TREACHERY
+
+
+The boys slept late the next morning and when they awoke the Mexican was
+still lying on his blanket, not sleeping but still not working. Feeling
+that they should do something to earn the hospitality of their new-found
+friend the two boys brought wood from the thicket and kindled the fire.
+The Mexican gave them some beans and they speedily made enough for all
+of them.
+
+After they had eaten they started off in the direction of Senorita
+Mercedes’ ranch, the Mexican riding slowly and the boys walking beside
+him. They had managed to dry out their clothes and put them on, and
+although they were a mass of wrinkles and ridges they did well enough.
+Their shoes had shrunk somewhat and walking was not easy, but they stuck
+to the task manfully, plodding along mile after mile without complaint.
+
+Several times during the trip the overseer got down from his horse and
+insisted that one of the boys mount and ride for a few miles, and
+although they protested he would not listen to them. So they rode
+gratefully, in this way saving themselves from a good many aches and
+pains. The Mexican was not used to walking but he said nothing, trudging
+along on one side or the other of the horse cheerfully.
+
+They stopped once for dinner and then pressed on again. The foreman of
+the ranch was sure that they would reach the Mercedes place in two days,
+or late on the following day, so they pushed on eagerly. In the early
+afternoon they were forced to take a rest from the heat of the sun, but
+covered a few miles before it was time to make camp for the night.
+
+They were near the coast at the time and their camp was pitched in the
+hollow formed by two small hills. They had looked for a favorable
+location, for this one had no wood near it, as the country was mostly
+barren, and thickets few and far between. Some green bushes grew nearby
+and they resolved to use these as a final resource, but before doing so
+Jim and Terry started out to see it they could find anything more
+promising. Terry went over the top of one hill and Jim over the top of
+the other, while the overseer prepared for their supper.
+
+Jim had a small axe which Alaroze had given him and he walked along the
+ridge of the small hill looking carefully around. On the opposite side
+of the hill he found a long depression in the soil which looked as
+though it might have been the bed of a stream at one time, perhaps some
+creek which had originally flowed from the distant mountains. He
+wandered down it aimlessly, convinced that his quest for wood was not
+likely to be very successful. A vast stillness lay over the country and
+he felt very much alone. A mile or more to the east of him he could hear
+the sound of the ocean.
+
+There was no use in walking down the defile, he decided, so he started
+for the slope of the slight hill which was beside him. As he did so his
+foot struck something solid. He bent down to see what it was and found a
+small stick of wood protruding from the sand at his feet. He cleared the
+sand away around the stick, to find that it was quite large and that it
+ran into the sand for some little distance. When he had finally drawn it
+from its sheath be examined it with curiosity.
+
+It was a piece of mahogany and it showed the hand of civilization.
+Although it was now black with age it had at one time been varnished. It
+was a large splinter and he wondered how it ever got there. Examining it
+closely he detected signs which led him to believe that it had been
+burned at some time. There was a thin line running across it that
+suggested carving.
+
+“That’s funny,” he reflected. “Somebody once had a fire here and used
+good wood for it. Perhaps there is more nearby.”
+
+With this thought in mind he dug his axe deeper in the sand and began to
+scoop it out. Before many minutes had passed he ran across another piece
+of wood, but this one he could not get out. It seemed to have no end and
+he set to work in earnest to uncover it. But after he had uncovered
+about twenty-five running feet he stopped in perplexity.
+
+“This must be a house!” he cried. “Every bit of it burned, too.”
+
+The top of the long section of wood had been burned. It was thick wood
+and he tried to dig down under it. But after he had dug sand out to the
+depth of four feet he stopped and looked puzzled. It was a straight
+wooden wall, extending down into the valley of sand.
+
+Jim stopped his work and walked to the top of the rise, where he slowly
+looked up and down the pass. He looked toward the ocean, calculated
+thoughtfully and then looked toward the mountains. Then, looking down
+toward the long strip of black wood which he had uncovered he voiced his
+thought.
+
+“That’s a ship down there, evidently burned to the water’s edge and
+later covered up by shifting sand. Now, I wonder——?”
+
+Without finishing his thought he hurried down to the trench and once
+more went to work. Digging some five feet down beside the wall of wood
+he came to a flooring of hard planks, just what he had been looking for.
+It was the deck of a ship, and he began feverishly to dip out sand. In
+this task he was finally surprised by Terry and the overseer.
+
+Terry had returned to the camp with a few dead bushes and they had
+waited around for Jim to return, but as he did not do so they became
+alarmed and set out to find him. Their first glimpse of him was an odd
+one. When they topped the rise some distance back of him they saw him
+standing in a deep trench, facing a four foot wall of wood, busily
+engaged in scooping sand from the hole and throwing it as far away as he
+could. With cries of astonishment they hurried up to the long trench
+which he was making.
+
+“Jim!” Terry cried, while the Mexican looked on with bulging eyes. “What
+is this?”
+
+Jim started slightly as he straightened up. “It is the remains of a
+sunken ship,” he cried. “See, this is evidently the rail, a solid wall
+of wood, and I’m just uncovering the deck. It was burned to the edge of
+the water, and later covered up with sand.”
+
+“Well, I’ll be jiggered!” shouted Terry. “Do you think it is the
+treasure ship?”
+
+“I don’t know, but I wouldn’t doubt it. As you can see, I have uncovered
+about twenty-five feet of this rail. The deck seems to be good and I’m
+trying to uncover enough of it to find a hatchway, so that we can see if
+it is empty down below.”
+
+Terry and the Mexican jumped down beside him. The Mexican understood
+enough of English to know that they thought the ship beneath them might
+be a treasure ship, and he set to work with a sincere will to scoop
+sand. They could not make much progress, however, for it was rapidly
+growing dark, and at last they were forced to give it up until the next
+day.
+
+“That is the best we can do,” Jim decided, peering about him in the
+dark. “Let’s chop some of this wood and then we’ll go back to camp.”
+
+With his axe he hacked off enough wood to last them through the night
+and the three companions carried it back to their camp, where, amid much
+talking, they built the fire and cooked the supper. The Mexican was told
+the whole story and he replied that he knew the legend of the phantom
+galleon. The boys were not averse to telling him the story for they felt
+that they owed him much and knew that his future help would mean
+everything. It was late that night before they lay down to sleep, and
+with the rising of the sun they were up and at work on the buried wreck.
+
+It took them all the morning to clear the solid deck of the ancient ship
+for a space of several feet and at last they came to a hatchway, covered
+by a heavy door which was flush with the deck. There was a bolt on the
+door but one blow of the axe broke it in pieces, and the three united
+all their strength to pulling the hatch open. It came upward at last,
+releasing a flood of stale and poisonous air that sent them reeling
+backward with all possible speed.
+
+“Diable!” gasped Alaroze. “I think all the fiends are closed inside!”
+
+When the air had cleared sufficiently they all peered down the open
+hatchway, to discover a wide flight of stairs leading down into the hold
+of the ship. There was now no longer any doubt but what it was the
+phantom galleon, for it was built on a magnificent scale. They realized
+that had it not been burned the rear of the galleon would never have
+been covered up, for the rear of the Spanish ships were composed of high
+after-deck houses, but this ship had been burned and only the deck,
+which had been below the water, had remained.
+
+“The hold must be full of water and sand,” Terry commented.
+
+Jim swung his feet over the edge of the deck and gingerly felt the step
+below. “Full of sand, yes, but not of water. The sand will be wet,
+though. Now be careful on these stairs.”
+
+The stairs were solid and safe, but they did not go far. Originally the
+ship had run aground and filled with water, and in time the sand had
+filled up the hold of the galleon. A space of about six feet only was
+open, and in this space the foul air had been held. The three companions
+found a bed of moist sand cutting off any further progress.
+
+“If there is any gold in this ship, it is below the sand,” Alaroze said
+in Spanish.
+
+“Yes, senor,” nodded Jim. “I think we had better not walk on this sand
+for fear of falling into some pit. If we ever sank in this wet stuff,
+that would be the end of us.”
+
+“It surely would,” remarked Terry. “What is this sticking up out of the
+sand? A piece of brass?”
+
+It was a dull strip of brass, but when Jim scraped the sand from it they
+found that it was long and finally discovered that it was the edge of a
+brass-bound chest.
+
+“Oh, somebody’s trunk!” said Terry, indifferently.
+
+But the eyes of the Mexican were glittering and Jim himself was excited.
+“More likely the top of a treasure chest!” he retorted, and dealt the
+chest top a slashing blow with his axe.
+
+With a shuddering, sucking sound the paper-like substance tore off,
+revealing to the three in the hold a sight which took away their breath.
+Gold in the form of coins of all sizes was revealed, gold which lay and
+still gleamed in the interior of the trunk. The Mexican talked furiously
+to himself in his native language, and the boys simply stared.
+
+“Gold, the gold of the treasure ship!” gasped Jim, scarcely able to
+believe his eyes.
+
+Terry picked up some of it and examined it curiously. “It is gold, sure
+enough,” he agreed, dazzled. “Wish we had the professor here to tell us
+just what it represents.”
+
+“Perhaps there is more around,” Jim suggested. He began to dig his axe
+into the sand, while the Mexican stood back of him, his eyes gone
+suddenly black and calculating. But Jim found that there was no more.
+
+“Probably this chest was brought up here, while the rest of the treasure
+is still below. At any rate, even if there is no more, there is enough
+to make us all rich.” He turned to Alaroze with a smile. “Well, senor,
+it was lucky for us when we ran across you, and lucky for you when you
+agreed to guide us home. Your share from this will make you a rich man.”
+
+“Yes, yes, senor,” agreed the overseer, breaking into a smile. “I bless
+the day we met! May the saints reward you!”
+
+“We’ve been rewarded pretty well already!” grinned Jim. “Well, what
+shall we do? We can’t do much of anything until we return home, get the
+rest of the party and return here to go to work. Suppose we take along
+some of the gold and start out for the ranch.”
+
+They took several of the largest coins, the hands of the Mexican
+trembling as he did so, and made their way up on deck again. Terry
+demanded of Jim if he was going to leave the galleon ruins uncovered.
+
+“Yes,” replied Jim. “There isn’t much chance of anyone coming this way,
+and it would take us hours to cover it up. Let’s spend that time on our
+homeward journey.”
+
+“All I hope is that we run across the others in quick order, then,” said
+Terry. “I’d hate to lose time while this treasure is lying uncovered.”
+
+Leaving the galleon they returned to camp and prepared to start back for
+the ranch. The Mexican went to his horse, picked up his rifle and looked
+at it, and then placed it against a tiny mound of sand. With averted
+face he picked up the blanket and his few supplies.
+
+Terry and Jim were conferring earnestly. “It will take a large force of
+men to dig down into that wreck,” Terry said. “We’ll let the professor
+and Ned decide what is best to do.”
+
+“Sure,” agreed Jim, swinging around. “Well, I guess we’re ready to go.”
+
+Then, both boys stopped suddenly. Standing before them, with his rifle
+levelled straight at them, stood the Mexican overseer. There was a hard
+light in his black eyes and his mouth was a straight line, the lips
+white.
+
+“What—what’s the matter?” asked Jim, smiling slightly, and thinking that
+there was some joke in the wind.
+
+“Nothing is wrong, senor,” came the reply. “But since you two know so
+well where the gold is, I shall regret the necessity of killing you both
+so that it will be all mine!”
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER XIX
+ AN OLD FRIEND JOINS THE PARTY
+
+
+The party on the hill was surprised at the action of the mestizo as he
+fairly pounced upon his rifle. But before he could even lift it a
+clear-cut voice spoke out back of them.
+
+“Keep your hands off of that gun, or I’ll drill a few holes into you!”
+
+They turned, to find back of them a little short man in a blue uniform
+of a sailor, who had crept up on them quietly from the rear. He held a
+rifle in his hand and turned it unwaveringly toward the members of the
+watching group.
+
+“What is the meaning of this?” demanded the professor, after a second of
+silence.
+
+“No meaning at all,” chuckled the man, whose uniform proclaimed him a
+mate on a sailing ship. “You fellows march down the hill until my
+captain looks you over.”
+
+“Who are you to tell us to march down the hill?” snapped Ned. “This is a
+free country, in case you don’t know it.”
+
+“I know it,” chuckled the mate. “But this here gun of mine don’t know
+nothing about it! I’ve tried my best to teach the blooming thing, but
+it’s just naturally ignorant!”
+
+“Who are you?” Don asked.
+
+“Go on down the hill!” commanded the mate, suddenly changing his tone.
+“The captain will answer all questions.”
+
+There was nothing to do but to obey, so, in silence the boys and the
+older man walked down the hill, leading their mounts. The crowd below
+saw them coming and looked on with marked interest. The captain of the
+attackers strode to the front. He was a tall old man with a white beard
+and snow white hair, and at sight of him Don caught his breath.
+
+“What have you here, Harvey?” the captain asked.
+
+“This bunch was lying on their tummies and looking over the hill at
+you,” answered the mate, a twinkle in his eyes.
+
+“Yes, we were, Captain Blow,” said Don, boldly. “How are you, sir?”
+
+Captain Blow, their old friend from Mystery Island, started at hearing
+his name, and looked closely at Don’s smiling face. He had been their
+staunch friend at the time they made their summer cruise and captured
+the marine bandits. Recognition dawned on him and he joyously seized the
+boy’s hands.
+
+“Why, by jumping Tunket, if it isn’t Don Mercer!” he roared heartily.
+“What in the name of Goshen are you doing out here, boy?”
+
+Don explained briefly that he was staying with the Scotts at their ranch
+and then looked around at the sullen captives. “What is all this,
+Captain Blow?” he asked.
+
+“These fellows are one fine bunch of prison birds who are soon going in
+their cage!” retorted the captain vigorously. “I’m running a schooner
+out here, in the carrying trade now, and this Captain Jake Ryan run off
+with two of my men. Last night I chased them but lost ’em in the storm.
+Early this morning I saw the wreck and sent my mate there ashore to
+locate them. When he gave me the signal, from the hill back of where you
+were looking, we came ashore. He saw you fellows and thought you were
+part of the enemy.”
+
+Don then introduced the Scotts and told the captain of their search for
+Jim and Terry. The captain was deeply interested.
+
+“These fellows are part of Sackett’s gang,” he said. “Maybe they know
+something.” He turned to the scowling Ryan. “Did you have anything to do
+with two boys?” he asked.
+
+“No!” said Ryan, promptly.
+
+But one of the men who had been liberated by the coming of Captain Blow
+spoke up quickly. “Yes he did, Captain Blow! Those two boys came aboard
+yesterday just before the storm, down at the old tannery. And they are
+still aboard the wreck!”
+
+“How do you know they weren’t swept overboard?” shouted Jake Ryan.
+
+“You know how I know, you scoundrel!” snapped the sailor, shaking his
+fist in Ryan’s face. “When you stampeded for the lifeboat I saw those
+two boys duck down behind some canvas and I told you to put back and
+make ’em come off in the lifeboat, but you was so scared you wouldn’t go
+back!”
+
+“It’s a lie,” Ryan retorted.
+
+“No it isn’t. Those boys are still on the ship,” said the sailor.
+
+“I guess they decided to stay on the schooner and keep out of the hands
+of these fellows,” decided Captain Blow. “Too bad they didn’t come right
+along, and we would have them now. But we’ll probably find them out
+there.”
+
+“That is once Jim and Terry figured their move wrong,” grinned Don,
+greatly relieved at the news concerning his chums.
+
+“Yes, but they thought they were doing the correct thing,” put in the
+professor. “Now, what do you propose to do with these men, Captain
+Blow?”
+
+Blow turned to his mate. “Harvey, you and the men march these fellows
+back to the boats and take ’em to the schooner. I’m going out to the
+wreck with these men and I’ll be back to the ship later. Don’t let one
+of these rats escape, and we’ll take them to prison.”
+
+“Aye, aye, sir!” replied Harvey. The crew hustled the captives away over
+the top of the hill and then Captain Blow turned to the party of
+friends.
+
+“Now we’ll go out and look that wreck over,” he announced. The boat in
+which the crew of the _Galloway_ had reached shore was still lying upon
+the sand, and they all climbed in and pushed off, the old captain, Ned
+and Don taking the oars. It was the first time that the mestizo had ever
+been in a boat and he sat gingerly in the bow, holding himself stiffly.
+
+“When did you leave Mystery Island, Captain Blow?” asked Don, as they
+rowed out to the wreck.
+
+“Early in the spring,” replied the old captain. “When I saw you last I
+told you that Mystery Island would soon be a regular summer colony, now
+that the old house and bandits are gone, and sure enough, that is what
+happened. Got so full of young men with white pants and slicked down
+hair and young ladies with tootin’ roadsters that my polly and me didn’t
+have any peace at all. So I came west, got a nice schooner, and am now
+running between here and Mexico, picking up anything I can get, mostly
+fruit. I didn’t have any trouble, although I had heard plenty about this
+Sackett, until a few days ago when this Ryan ran off with two of my men.
+Kidnapped them in some eating house in San Francisco and I went right
+after them.”
+
+“I see,” nodded Don. “So Bella, the parrot, is still living?”
+
+“Oh, yup! She’s still sayin’ ‘Bella is a good girl.’ Probably she’ll
+still be saying that after I’m dead and gone.”
+
+They had now approached the wreck and the captain made fast the painter
+of the lifeboat. Climbing aboard was somewhat of a task, as the deck
+sloped dangerously, but by dint of clinging to every support available
+they managed to do so. But a hasty survey of the deck revealed that the
+two boys were not on board.
+
+“Maybe they are in the hold,” suggested Ned.
+
+“I doubt that,” replied Captain Blow. “That hold must be full of water.
+You see, these fellows crowded on all canvas to get away from me and
+they ran in too close to shore, with the result that they jammed hard
+and fast aground. The bottom must be stove in plenty and full of water,
+and the only reason they didn’t sink is because they are sort of lying
+on a shelf. However, we’ll give a look down the companionway.”
+
+A look down into the hold of the wrecked schooner proved that Captain
+Blow was right in his surmises. The hold was filled with water and it
+was manifestly impossible for anyone to have gone down there. Don was
+worried.
+
+“You don’t suppose they were swept overboard, do you?” he asked,
+anxiously.
+
+“No,” said the captain promptly. “I don’t. My sailor says they ducked
+down behind something to keep hidden probably with the idea of escaping
+all by themselves. My idea is that they grabbed a spar or two, swam to
+shore, and got away that way. I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if they was
+even now heading up the shore toward your ranch, professor.”
+
+“I believe you are right, Captain,” replied the professor. “They
+certainly wouldn’t stay here when there was no necessity for it, and
+they probably swam ashore, as you say. I think, therefore, that we
+should go ashore and follow up the coast, in the hope of overtaking
+them.”
+
+“We ought to overtake them,” said Ned. “We are mounted and they aren’t.
+No use in wasting any more time around here, is there?”
+
+“No,” Captain Blow answered, slipping down the deck. “Let’s go back.”
+
+On the way to the shore the professor told the captain about the
+treasure hunt and he was tremendously interested. Once on shore he spoke
+about going back to his boat.
+
+“I wish you the best of luck,” he told Don. “By thunder mighty! I
+wouldn’t mind going with you!”
+
+“Why don’t you?” asked Don, quickly. “Can’t your mate sail with these
+men to the city and stop for you on the return trip? I feel sure that
+the rest of us would be glad to have you.”
+
+“We surely would!” said Ned and his father, together.
+
+“Why, yes, I guess that would do,” said the captain slowly. “I’d sure
+like to go along. Will you give me time to go out and tell Harvey what
+to do?”
+
+They assented and the captain signalled for a boat, which took him off
+to his schooner. He was gone for about fifteen minutes, and when he came
+back he had a blanket and some supplies. He joined them and the boat put
+off once again for the schooner.
+
+“Harvey is in complete charge,” he announced. “He’ll stop for me at
+Quito on the way back. I’m ready to go now.”
+
+The mestizo surrendered his horse to the captain, who protested
+vigorously, but the mestizo was a far better hand at trotting along than
+the old salt, so they arranged to share the horse, and when it was
+cooler, to ride it double. Feeling that their best plan was to push on
+back to the ranch they started off, leaving the deserted wreck far
+behind them.
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER XX
+ THE TAR BARREL
+
+
+Jim and Terry looked helplessly at the Mexican overseer as he faced them
+with levelled rifle and the cool assurance that he would kill them to
+keep the treasure from the galleon for himself. They tried to believe
+that he was only joking, but from the set on his face and the glint in
+his eyes they knew better. All too often in the history of gold hunting
+and discovery had the discoverers paid for it with their lives, so that
+someone else could reap the reward.
+
+“But why should you wish to kill us, senor?” Jim asked in Spanish. “Have
+not we agreed to see that you have a large share in it?”
+
+“How do I know that you will keep your word to me?” the Mexican
+answered.
+
+“Well, I like that!” cried Jim. “We know how to keep our word, Senor
+Alaroze!”
+
+“What of it?” returned the overseer, with a slight shrug. “Why should I
+not have all of it instead of a small part?”
+
+“Oh, well, if you feel that way about it,” said Jim, turning pale.
+
+While Jim had been talking Terry had been doing some rapid thinking.
+They were standing close to the man, and the extended muzzle of the
+rifle was within easy reach. Any kind of motion toward it would be sure
+to be disastrous, and Terry knew it. There was one thing needed and
+Terry did it. With great coolness, a feeling which he was far from
+possessing, he looked over the shoulder of the overseer.
+
+“Well,” he said, carelessly. “I guess neither of us will get the
+treasure. Here comes Sackett and his party.”
+
+He used just the right amount of conviction in his tones and he won. Jim
+looked away over the Mexican’s shoulder and was fooled as completely as
+the overseer. With a muttered imprecation the man turned his head
+slightly to see who was back of him. That motion was his undoing. Quick
+as a flash Terry’s foot came up in a splendid football kick that sent
+the rifle flying upward. Before the astonished ranchman could move the
+red-headed boy flung himself on him and punched him a hard wallop on the
+stomach. With a groan the Mexican sank to the ground.
+
+“Bully for you, Chucklehead!” cried Jim, springing forward and securing
+the gun. “Now we have this fellow where we want him!”
+
+They dragged the crestfallen Mexican to his feet and tied his hands
+behind him with a piece of cord which they had originally tied their
+clothes to the spars with. He groaned and moaned and begged them to show
+mercy to him. Terry became impatient.
+
+“Shut up!” he ordered, savagely. “If I hadn’t done that our two bodies
+would have been lying here right this minute, and here you are crying
+your head off for mercy! You’re getting a whole lot better than you
+deserve right now, let me tell you. Don’t howl until you get back to the
+ranch, then we’ll give you something to howl about.”
+
+Still dazed at their terrible peril the boys started on the journey,
+placing the cowardly overseer on the horse and following close behind.
+When darkness came down they made camp, fed the captive without speaking
+with him, and then made camp for the night, resolving to take turns at
+keeping watch.
+
+“We can’t let this snake get loose again,” warned Jim. “If he ever gets
+away, good night!”
+
+“That was the luckiest break we ever had,” said Terry. “If he had been
+standing any further away I never could have done it.”
+
+Jim took the first watch and Terry the second, during which time the
+Mexican seemed to sleep calmly. His hands had been untied, so they
+covered him with the rifle and kept unwavering eyes upon him. In the
+morning the march was resumed and late in the afternoon they approached
+the ranch of the Senorita Mercedes.
+
+The senorita was the first to approach and she expressed amazement at
+the strange sight which they presented as they walked down into the
+ranch yard. Jim related the story to her and she was deeply interested.
+Turning to the sullen foreman she upbraided him furiously in Spanish and
+turned back to the boys.
+
+“He did not go away to look for stray cattle,” she said. “None of my
+cattle have strayed. I do not know why he left me, but I think he is
+part of that wicked Sackett band. I think he was only kind to you so he
+could place you in that man’s hands.”
+
+“By George, I’ll bet that is right!” exclaimed Jim, and Terry nodded.
+
+“Put him in that small shed,” directed the senorita, pointing to a
+little building which stood at the edge of the ranch yard. “Then come to
+the house and rest and eat.”
+
+Quite willingly the two boys locked the silent prisoner in the little
+shed and returned to the ranch house. The energetic little senorita had
+hot water, soap and towels laid out for them, and they fairly revelled
+in the washing process.
+
+“When I was a kid,” grinned Terry, “I loved to have a dirty face, but
+now I know just what luxury it is to feel clean again.”
+
+“Hope I don’t break this comb of the senorita’s trying to comb my
+tangled hair,” grunted Jim. “I can’t honestly say that we are any
+beauties to appear at the table of the young lady.”
+
+When they sat down with the youthful and beautiful owner of the little
+ranch to eat she said: “My men are at present eating, but as soon as
+they have finished I shall send one of them to Ned’s ranch for your
+friends.”
+
+“That is very kind of you, Senorita,” murmured Jim, as he ate
+ravenously.
+
+“Nonsense!” laughed the girl, tossing her head. “You have been through
+such thrilling adventures of late! Tell me more about them.”
+
+As Jim knew more Spanish than Terry it fell to him to relate the
+experiences of the past few days. They were lingering over their coffee
+when an excited ranchman burst into the room. All three at the table
+rose quickly and the man poured something out in some unknown dialect.
+
+“Ride immediately to the Scott ranch for help!” commanded the senorita,
+growing pale.
+
+“Alas, senorita, the house is surrounded, I cannot go,” said the man, in
+Spanish.
+
+“What, is the house surrounded?” asked Jim, quickly.
+
+“Yes,” answered the senorita, rapidly. “This man tells me that Sackett
+and three men rode down, let Alaroze out, and are creeping to the house.
+Fly to the doors, quickly!”
+
+Flying was necessary. Terry and Jim hurled the main door of the ranch
+house shut just in time to keep Sackett and Abel from rushing it.
+Rapidly, under the direction of the girl, they closed all windows and
+drew the blinds. Then she gave them each a rifle and took one herself.
+
+“We must watch diligently,” she said, her eyes shining. “They will try
+to burst in and we must keep them off.”
+
+A shot rang out and a bullet crashed through the front door. Feeling
+that they would be attacked from more than one side they separated, Jim
+going to the front of the house and Terry and the senorita keeping watch
+on the sides. Several shots were fired, all of which did no harm.
+
+It was now very dark and their peril was increased. A concerted rush
+might blast their hopes and Jim in particular was worried. It would be
+bad enough to have to surrender to Sackett’s gang, but it would be far
+worse to have the dainty senorita fall into their hands. He set his
+teeth and determined that it should not happen. There was complete
+silence outside, a silence that was not reassuring.
+
+Jim went to the girl where she was crouching beside a window, peering
+out into the darkness of the yard. He knelt down beside her.
+
+“Is it possible that one of your men could have slipped away to Ned’s
+ranch?” he asked.
+
+“I am sorry to say no, senor. My man tells me that they were all penned
+up in their bunkhouse. There is no way we can let our friends know of
+our danger.”
+
+“I see. They couldn’t see a light from the top of the ranch, could
+they?”
+
+“No, the hills are too high. We must fight these men off until morning
+and then see what we can do.”
+
+“If we could only attract Ned’s attention someway,” said Jim. “Watch
+out, senorita!”
+
+He fairly dragged her away from the window as a shot tore in through the
+glass and the blinds. She shook him off, but kept away from the exposed
+part.
+
+“There is nothing—Ah, the tar barrel!” she exclaimed.
+
+“Where is there a tar barrel?” asked Jim, quickly, as Terry fired his
+rifle out of another window.
+
+“You see that hill?” asked the senorita, pointing to a low mound back of
+the ranch. “On top of that hill is a barrel which is half full of tar. I
+have been using it to repair my roofs, and it is half full. If that
+could only be lighted they would see it at Ned’s ranch.”
+
+“That’s fine!” cried Jim. “I’ll light that tar barrel myself!”
+
+“Senor, you will be killed!”
+
+“Maybe!” said Jim, grimly. “But I’ll start that bonfire, anyway!”
+
+He related his plan to Terry, who warmly assented, and a little later
+Jim worked his way to a side of the house where there was no shooting.
+Senorita Mercedes wanted to send her ranchman out on the perilous
+venture but Jim had opposed it.
+
+“No, I’ll go,” he said. “It means everything to have it succeed, and the
+man might get scared or bungle it in some way. Let me do it.”
+
+He opened a low window on the quiet side of the house, while Terry stood
+in the shadows, prepared to shoot down anyone who should loom up. Jim
+dropped out of the window and lay flat alongside of the house, and after
+a moment he raised his head. The attacking party was in the front and
+the rear of the house and he had not been seen. Terry closed the window
+and watched Jim slide forward along the ground toward the distant barn.
+
+Fortunately the night was dark and Jim had a good opportunity. Using
+extreme care he reached the barn and then looked toward the hill where
+the tar barrel stood. The senorita had stood it on the hill because she
+was afraid of fire and thought it best to keep it away from the ranch
+building. Bending low Jim ran quickly toward the black barrel and
+reached it in safety.
+
+Near the house he could see three shadows and he knew that they were
+Sackett’s men. They had not dreamed that anyone would be foolhardy
+enough to leave the building and so they waited for a favorable
+opportunity to rush the doors and break in. They had no intention of
+doing so as long as those three guns were flashing out viciously.
+
+There were still three flashes from the house and Jim readily saw what
+had happened. Terry or the senorita had given the ranchman who had
+brought the news of the attack a gun and he was firing. Probably the
+attacking party thought Jim was still in the house. Lying flat on the
+ground Jim took a long piece of paper from his pocket and a box of
+matches. He placed the papers in the soft tar and lighted it.
+
+The tar caught fire quickly, so quickly that Jim was bathed for a second
+in its light. He had made no plans for a retreat, and as the tar barrel
+burst into flames he was clearly revealed.
+
+A shout arose from the men who were attacking the house and they sprang
+recklessly from cover and dashed toward him. This piece of carelessness
+cost them dearly, for the senorita and Terry each brought one man down
+with accurate shots in the legs. At the same time Jim sprinted for the
+corner of the barn and crouched there, his rifle held in readiness to
+bring down anyone who should attempt to put out the blazing beacon.
+
+Higher and higher blazed the barrel with its cargo of tar, sending its
+light for several miles over the surrounding countryside. The outlaws
+had now rushed back to cover, to consider what move to make next.
+
+“I surely hope the others are at Ned’s and that they see that light,”
+thought Jim fervently, as he waited in his position back of the barn.
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER XXI
+ THE CAIRN
+
+
+Professor Scott, the captain, Don and Ned were all sitting around a fire
+in the living room discussing the next move to be made. To their intense
+disappointment they had not found the missing boys upon their return to
+the ranch, nor had they come across a single trace on their homeward
+journey. They had just decided that a more vigorous hunt must be started
+in the morning when Yappi hastily entered the living room.
+
+“There is a large fire at the ranch of Senorita Mercedes, senor,” he
+informed Ned.
+
+The young man jumped to his feet in dismay. “Oh, I hope those fellows
+haven’t set her ranch on fire!” he groaned. “Let’s see what is up.”
+
+The entire party ran to the back door and looked across the plains in
+the direction of the Mercedes ranch. Just as the mestizo had said, the
+sky in that direction was red and they could see the flames against the
+sky. But it was several feet south of the house.
+
+“It isn’t the house,” decided Ned. “Perhaps they are just burning some
+old rubbish.”
+
+“Why should she select a hilltop to burn rubbish on?” asked the
+professor, sensibly. “Does she usually burn things at night?”
+
+“No,” admitted Ned. “There must surely be something wrong. Yappi, the
+horses!”
+
+The mestizo sprang around the house and went to the barn, from which he
+soon led mounts for all of them. He was instructed to stay at the ranch
+with the cook, in case the boys should return, and then the others threw
+themselves on the animals and started off. Ned and Don rode well in
+front, their anxiety making them impatient, while the professor and the
+captain, who were not riders of note, lagged somewhat.
+
+It was not a long journey to the ranch of the senorita, but to the boys
+it seemed long, and when at last they ascended the last hill they drew a
+breath of relief. They were now near enough to see that the blazing
+beacon was a tar barrel, and the circumstances became more puzzling than
+ever. But before they had much time to wonder about it they had topped
+the rise and were looking down on the scene below.
+
+The light from the blazing barrel showed them a curious scene. The
+outlaws had realized that they must make one last desperate assault, and
+at the present moment they were making it. Four men were close to the
+front door, flat in the yard, a log rolled before them as a shield, over
+which they were firing at the door, splintering the wood badly. They
+were rolling the log before them as they advanced, and hoped in this
+manner to get close enough to the door to make a determined rush. From
+the interior of the house came occasional flashes of fire from three
+rifles and from the corner of the barn came another.
+
+While the relief party was taking this in the professor and the captain
+joined them. The attacking party had not yet become aware of their
+presence, and seeing that the moment was favorable Ned and Don charged
+down the hill, the older men following. A single shot, fired by Ned,
+told Sackett and company that help had arrived, and without even
+stopping to offer resistance they fled in every direction.
+
+The captain instantly discharged his gun at one of the fleeing men and
+he went down in a heap. The professor shot Abel in the shoulder and Ned
+and Don pounced on the same man, springing from their horses upon the
+man. The fourth man, who was Sackett, ran to the thicket, made a single
+bound into his saddle, and thundered away, passing close to Jim in his
+corner of the barn, who fired at him but missed in the excitement.
+
+Jim looked for an instant after the fleeing outlaw and then dashed
+around the barn and entered it. The horses stood there, moving
+restlessly, and he selected a fine looking steed and hastily saddled it.
+Leading it from the barn he mounted and started off with all speed after
+Sackett.
+
+The slim edge of a moon was rising above the horizon and by its somewhat
+sickly light Jim was able to follow the course of the bay pirate. The
+man was making straight for the mountain and felt confident that he
+would make it, but he was soon undeceived. The horse which Jim had
+selected from the stables of the senorita was a high strung, fiery
+animal, and he was eager to run. Jim needed no spur to keep him at top
+speed, and the lead which the bandit had held was steadily cut down.
+
+Seeing that he could not make the mountains before the pursuing boy was
+well within gunshot the outlaw made for a patch of trees that stood
+nearby. They were a little more than a mile before him, and consisted of
+a fairly dense tangle of low bushes and trees. His idea was probably to
+make a last stand there, Jim decided, and the race settled down grimly
+in that direction.
+
+Once Sackett turned and fired at Jim, but the shot went wide of the
+mark, for the ground was uneven and the distance too great for accuracy.
+From that time on he gave his attention to the task of escaping, bending
+low over the neck of his steed and urging it on. The patch of trees was
+now very near and Sackett well in the lead.
+
+The outlaw drove his horse into the shelter of the little refuge at
+headlong speed and vanished from Jim’s sight. Jim pulled the steed to a
+halt and paused uncertainly. Sackett was in the thicket and armed, and
+he knew better than to recklessly dash on. If his theory was right the
+pirate was waiting for him to do that very thing, and it would be the
+worst move he could make. So he sat quietly in the saddle, wondering
+what his next move should be.
+
+It was impossible for Sackett to escape to the mountains without being
+seen for Jim could see all around the thicket, and if the man tried to
+slip from the other side and continue his flight Jim would surely spot
+him. And yet, his object in running into the brush also puzzled Jim.
+What could he gain by that? In a few minutes the others would come up
+and they would be able to charge him and take him prisoner. It seemed to
+Jim that there was some deep scheme in the head of the outlaw, and so he
+watched with all his senses alert, keeping well out of gunshot.
+
+In this position Don and Ned found him when they galloped up a half hour
+later. Don fairly threw himself on his brother in his joy and Ned was
+equally enthusiastic. Jim was in rags but was a welcome sight to Don.
+
+Jim explained the position of the outlaw in the thicket and they were
+undecided. No sound had come from the thicket all the time that Jim had
+been stationed there, and no one had left the place. Ned decided that
+they had better spread out and rush the cover.
+
+“If we rush the woods on three sides we’ll have him,” he said. “He can’t
+shoot at all three of us at once, and we can fairly hurl ourselves into
+the place. By coming up on three different points we can prevent him
+from running out of one side of the thicket while we charge in another.”
+
+“We must rush the thicket in a zigzag course,” Don put in. “If we don’t,
+we’re likely to be shot.”
+
+Agreeing on a gunshot for signal purposes the three boys took up
+positions on three sides of the silent thicket and looked to their
+rifles. Each one could see the other and at last Ned discharged his gun.
+At top speed they bore down on the thicket, driving the horses in an
+irregular line.
+
+To their astonishment there was no shot or sound from the thicket and
+they entered it together, to find it empty of life except for Sackett’s
+horse, which was quietly grazing close to the edge of the brush. The
+patch inclosed by trees was about twenty-five feet in diameter and was
+nothing more than a mere cluster of trees and bushes. The only thing to
+be seen, beside the horse, was a huge pile of stones. They jumped from
+the horses and looked at each other in perplexity.
+
+“Now, where in the world did that man go?” demanded Ned, holding his
+rifle in instant readiness.
+
+“You can search me!” answered Don, in bewilderment. “He’s not in the
+trees, is he?”
+
+Ned looked quickly up and then shook his head. “No, there isn’t room
+enough in these trees for anyone to hide themselves. He must be in the
+place, because he certainly didn’t walk out while we were there.”
+
+“He didn’t get away before you came, either,” Jim said. “I kept an eagle
+eye on the place, and he couldn’t have made it without my seeing him.”
+
+“Well, he’s gone,” said Ned, walking to the horse and examining it.
+“Just vanished into thin air.”
+
+Don was looking at the heap of stones. It was a high cairn, composed of
+stones which had been heaped there generations ago for some unknown
+reason, and moss had grown over the mound. Stones of a larger size made
+up the bottom and smaller stones lay above these. Near the base of it he
+found a straight slab with some Spanish lettering cut upon it.
+
+“What is written on this stone?” he asked Ned. The young engineer bent
+over the stone, lighted a match and read the inscription.
+
+“I can’t make it all out,” he replied, as the match expired in his hand.
+“But it seems to be the burial place of someone of importance. They had
+a custom once of taking a distinguished man and piling a cairn of stones
+over his grave. Sometimes the custom was for anyone who came past to add
+a stone to the pile and in that way it grew larger. This is one of those
+piles, and someone is buried down at the bottom of it.”
+
+“All of which doesn’t bring us any nearer Mr. Sackett,” murmured Jim.
+“I’d give anything to know where that gentleman went to!”
+
+“It just seems silly!” said Ned, impatiently. “You chase him in here and
+he simply disappears. That isn’t logical.”
+
+“Look here!” cried Don, who had been moving around the pile of stones,
+and who was now on the other side. “Shouldn’t all of these stones be
+covered with moss?”
+
+“I suppose so,” Ned replied. “Why.”
+
+“Because they aren’t covered with moss on this side. The stones here are
+different than the others, and seem to be looser. Come here and give me
+a hand.”
+
+The other two boys hastened to Don’s side and found that he was right.
+The stones to which he pointed had a brighter look than the others, and
+where the chinks and crevices of the other rocks had long since been
+stopped up by moss, these rocks were singularly free. Moreover, they
+were not well placed, and the boys were struck by the same idea.
+
+“Ah, ha!” exclaimed Ned, as he began to tear away the upper stones. “I
+think I see a thing or two! Help me with these stones.”
+
+The other two went to work with a will and soon the stones were pulled
+out and tossed to one side. To their intense satisfaction a large
+opening was revealed.
+
+“Just as we thought, the opening of a tunnel!” exclaimed Don.
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER XXII
+ THE DEN
+
+
+No sooner were the words out of Don’s mouth than a burst of flame came
+from the interior of the cairn and a shot whistled uncomfortably close
+to their heads. They made all haste to retreat, Ned dragging Jim aside
+somewhat roughly.
+
+“He’s in there, all right,” said Jim, grimly.
+
+“Yes, there must be a regular hiding place in there,” responded Ned.
+“The question is: how are we going to get him out? We certainly can’t
+rush him in there.”
+
+“We can starve him out,” suggested Don.
+
+“That will take too long,” said Ned. “However, if there isn’t anything
+else to do, we’ll do that.”
+
+“I have another plan,” put in Jim. “We’ll smoke him out!”
+
+“Smoke him out!” echoed Don and Ned.
+
+“Sure, why not? I doubt if there is any other outlet to that cairn,
+except maybe some small air-hole, so we can easily smoke him out. Let’s
+gather some of this green wood and set it afire.”
+
+Keeping a vigilant lookout toward the mouth of the uncovered tunnel so
+as to guard against a sudden dash or shot the three boys gathered some
+fairly green wood, with which they mixed some dry dead wood, and after
+piling it near the mouth of the tunnel, pushed it into place with the
+butts of their guns. They knew that the tunnel was straight and not wide
+enough to allow the penned outlaw to fire on them unless they stood
+directly before the opening, so they took excellent care to keep out of
+range. When the wood was piled Ned leaned cautiously forward and lighted
+the pile.
+
+The dry wood caught fire and blazed up, touching the green wood and
+causing it to smoke. The boys stood with guns in readiness to fire a
+shot into the entrance of the cave if the bandit tried to make a thrust
+at the fire with a view to scattering it. The flames mounted higher,
+causing a heavy pall of smoke from the green wood.
+
+“Take off your hats and fan it down the opening,” said Ned, suiting the
+words by the action. All three of the boys fanned the smoke vigorously,
+causing it to go into the tunnel.
+
+They did not have long to wait for results. After a few moments they
+heard a violent coughing and then at last Sackett staggered out into the
+opening, still coughing and wiping his streaming eyes. Before he could
+use the gun which he held in his hands they were upon him and had
+disarmed him.
+
+“Well, Squint Sackett,” said Ned, grimly, as they bound his hands with a
+piece of rope which was on his own horse. “We have you at last.”
+
+The bandit replied by a fit of coughing that made him red in the face.
+Seeing that he was quite safe Don scattered the fire and stamped it out.
+The quest was now over and the bay pirate securely bound.
+
+“You kids’ll pay for this!” the man said, hoarsely. “You can’t prove
+anything against me!”
+
+“No, not at all,” said Don cheerfully. “Just stealing, breaking into a
+ranch, kidnapping, and a few other trifles. I guess we can put you where
+you belong this time. It was an unlucky day for you when you decided to
+attack Professor Scott.”
+
+“Suppose we take a look through this cairn and see what it looks like
+before we go?” suggested Jim.
+
+“All right,” agreed Ned. “But first we’ll tie this slippery gentleman
+up. He mustn’t be allowed to get away again.”
+
+Sackett was tied to a convenient tree and then the boys made a torch of
+a dry stick of wood. With this in hand Ned took the lead and they
+entered the mouth of the tunnel, bending low to keep from scraping their
+heads on the roof of the passage. They went down on a slight slope for a
+distance of about four feet and then came to a single cave-like room
+hollowed out under the rocks.
+
+“I see the whole business now,” remarked Ned, as they peered about the
+little cave. “This place was evidently some pirate’s den years ago, and
+in some way Sackett learned of it. You can see that the place was built
+for no other purpose, and the slab outside is a plain blind.”
+
+Ned was right in what he said. Some forgotten pirate had purposely built
+the cairn retreat for a refuge in time of storm, when the law was
+hunting him along the coast. The room was large enough to contain a
+blanket and a low table that had evidently been constructed in the
+place. Overhead there was a concealed opening between the rocks, so that
+air could get into the place and the inmates could breathe. Once inside
+it was an easy matter to place the rocks before the opening in such a
+way that no one except a careful observer would ever discover it.
+
+“It is a pretty clever hiding place,” remarked Don. “Anyone would have
+one chance in a hundred of finding it. I only stumbled across it because
+I was curious about the whole mound.”
+
+“It pretty nearly stood Sackett in mighty good stead,” Jim said.
+
+They left the cairn and went back to the thicket, to find the outlaw
+tugging frantically at his bonds, but when he saw them he sullenly
+ceased and became quiet. They untied him from the tree, leaving his
+hands tied, however, and helped him mount his horse. Then they left the
+thicket and started back for the ranch of the senorita.
+
+Three miles from the ranch they were joined by the professor, the
+captain and Terry, who had become anxious because of their long absence
+and who had mounted and set out to find them. The meeting between the
+reunited friends was warm and they were glad to see that the author of
+all their troubles was taken at last.
+
+“Well, Sackett,” said the professor, with a twinkle in his eyes. “It is
+certainly time that we took you. You had your inning at taking most of
+us and now it is our turn.”
+
+“You won’t keep me long,” snarled the man.
+
+“No, we won’t,” struck in Captain Blow. “But the big house with the bars
+will hold on to you for a good long time, my bucko!”
+
+“Who are you?” demanded the bay pirate. “I never did anything to you!”
+
+“No, but your friend Captain Ryan took a couple of my sailors with him
+when he sailed on his last voyage. He’s taking another sail right now,
+down to San Francisco to the jail.”
+
+“Tryin’ to be funny, aren’t you?” retorted the river pirate.
+
+“All of your gang is in custody, Sackett,” said Professor Scott,
+quietly.
+
+They went back to the ranch, to find the senorita taking care of four
+wounded men, all of whom had slight wounds in the legs or shoulders. The
+overseer was one of them and he pleaded for mercy with the boys. Jim and
+Terry were undecided but Captain Blow and the professor were not.
+
+“Can’t let these fellows go, any of ’em,” said the old captain. “He
+would have left you two boys’ bodies out there in the desert without
+thinking about it, according to Terry’s story, so you can’t let him go.
+Maybe he wouldn’t ever turn up to harm you again, but he’s a potential
+murderer and he’s better off behind bars.”
+
+It was now late at night and the whole party accepted the invitation to
+remain at the ranch until morning, at which time they were to take the
+prisoners to Quito and see that they were taken from there to San
+Francisco. The night passed without incident and in the morning the
+whole party, with the wounded men in a wagon which belonged to the
+senorita, started for the sea coast.
+
+The journey to Quito was a long one and all of them did not make it. The
+professor dropped off at the Scott ranch and the others kept on with the
+cargo of dangerous rascals. In due time they reached the town, made out
+the proper papers, and then waited two days for a government boat to
+come and take the prisoners away. When this was done they went back to
+the Scott ranch.
+
+Subsequently Sackett, who was wanted for many types of crime, was placed
+behind the bars for the rest of his life and his crew of men each
+received all that was coming to them from their lives of dishonesty. The
+river pirates and bay pirate gang, of which Ryan and his crew formed the
+main branch, was broken up once and for all, and it was a good many
+years before any of them ever became free again.
+
+Captain Blow left a message at Quito for his mate and then joined the
+party that was going home. He had been invited to go with them on their
+gold hunt and was eager to do so. But this time all stories had been
+told and the boys in particular were impatient to go and dig for it.
+
+“Well, now we’ll go have a look at that Spanish gold,” said the captain,
+as they started on the return trip. “And I want to have a look at that
+ship moored in the sand for so long! They say some of those old-timers
+were pretty good sailors, but I don’t think much of a skipper who runs
+his windjammer under the ground!”
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER XXIII
+ THE DRAGON’S LAST STROKE
+
+
+The sun had barely raised above the horizon on the following day before
+the ranch echoed to the preparations for the treasure hunt. The boys had
+slept poorly, looking forward eagerly to the time when they should be in
+close contact with the long buried ship in the desert sands. With hurry
+and bustle and good-natured shouts they prepared to set out.
+
+Now that their minds had been relieved of all anxiety concerning Sackett
+and his gang their spirits soared as only those of the young adventurous
+can. They had spent a jolly evening around the fireplace on the previous
+day, talking, planning and laughing over some of Captain Blow’s humorous
+stories. It was late before they sought their beds, and the professor
+had been compelled to curb some of their animal vigor.
+
+Jim had stood at the foot of his bed, surrounded by Ned, Don and Terry.
+Captain Blow and Professor Scott were preparing for bed in another room
+at the time. There had been some pillow throwing and now Jim was acting
+a part.
+
+“This is the way Terry kicked the gun out of the overseer’s hand,” he
+said. He was in his pajamas at the time and the other boys were also
+ready for bed. Jim loosed a vigorous kick in front of him, but his
+enthusiasm proved his undoing. The force caused him to lose his balance,
+and amidst the shouts of delight of his companions he thumped to the
+floor, knocking the wind out of himself.
+
+“That was some kick!” exclaimed Don, laughing. “No wonder the poor
+overseer lost his gun! If the kick had that much force I bet the gun
+sailed clear into the ocean!”
+
+“I protest,” put in Terry, solemnly. “I never cut such a wild figure as
+that! Your imagination is running away with you, Jimmie, my boy!”
+
+“Somebody else had better start running away!” puffed Jim, in huge
+disgust. “Just wait until I get up!”
+
+Once up he bore down on the grinning Terry and bowled him onto the bed.
+Don reached for his foot, but received a hearty thrust in the stomach
+from the foot, which Jim declared he had tickled. Don then jumped on the
+wiggling chums and Ned stood laughing. But in a minute he too was drawn
+into hostilities. He attempted to pile pillows on the warring factions,
+who promptly turned upon him, and the four young men were soon engaged
+in a frantic tussle that overturned one bed and mussed them up royally.
+
+Such was the scene that greeted the eyes of Captain Blow and Professor
+Scott as they hastily entered the room. The professor opened his mouth
+to protest, but the captain, his gray eyes snapping with mischief,
+whispered something to him. The professor smiled and nodded and they ran
+forward, the professor seizing the ankles of Terry, who happened to be
+on top of the pile, while Blow grasped his shoulders.
+
+“Heave aloft!” bellowed the captain, and in concert they heaved.
+
+To his astonishment Terry felt himself lifted bodily from the struggling
+mass and tossed through the air, to land with a bounce on the bed. Ned
+Scott followed and Jim followed him. Don, seeing what was in the wind,
+made a frantic scramble to get under the bed, but to the delight of the
+watching boys he was switched from under by the active captain and
+treated to a ride through the air. When he had finally landed with a
+thud on the bed the two older men promptly sat on him.
+
+“Now,” said the professor, with mock severity. “What is the meaning of
+all this?”
+
+“Jim was illustrating something,” replied Terry, gravely. “And we helped
+him out!”
+
+“By jumping tinder!” cried the captain. “I don’t know what in time you
+could have been illustrating! Showing your affection for each other,
+likely!”
+
+“What ever it was,” said the professor. “I suggest that you stop it. We
+want to make an early start in the morning and you can save some of that
+energy for digging sand. From the noise we heard we thought that Sackett
+had returned and was trying to carry one or all of you off. Who upset
+the bed?”
+
+“All of us,” said Don, truthfully.
+
+“I don’t doubt it. Well, to bed now, and calm down a bit.”
+
+Now, on the morning of the hunt, the boys impatiently ate their
+breakfast and placed blankets and provisions on the horses. There was no
+telling how long they would linger around the sunken galleon, and they
+wanted to be sure that it would not be necessary to cut the visit short
+because of a lack of provisions. It had been decided to take the mestizo
+along with them and leave only the cook at home. When all arrangements
+had been made they started briskly off.
+
+The day was bright and somewhat cool and they made rapid progress, the
+boys in their eagerness keeping always ahead of their elders. The older
+men wisely held them in check, realizing that there was a long journey
+in front of them and not wishing to run the risk of tiring out before
+they got there. They halted once for a meal and then pushed on, not
+stopping for a nap in the afternoon, since it was not hot enough to do
+so, and just as evening drew on they topped a small hill and looked down
+on the valley in which Jim and Terry had so nearly lost their life.
+
+“There is the wreck!” shouted Jim, pointing to the corner of the galleon
+which they had uncovered. “Looks as though no one had been near it, all
+right.”
+
+No one had apparently been near the place, for there were no traces of
+footmarks in the sand other than those left by the two boys and the
+treacherous overseer. They rode down the incline and picketed the
+horses, hastening at once to the few feet of deck uncovered. The
+professor gazed at the uncovered rail in rapture.
+
+“By George, this is wonderful!” he exclaimed, his face glowing with the
+enthusiasm of the scholar. “Just think, after reading a story like that,
+to run across the very ship on which it happened! I hope we can uncover
+the whole ship!”
+
+“Ned,” asked Don. “Where was that piece of wreckage found, the piece
+that first gave the idea of a sunken galleon?”
+
+“About three miles north of here,” replied the engineer. “I guess I see
+what you are getting at. You think that the piece was washed out of the
+creek that used to be here, and was found, after it drifted down shore?”
+
+“Yes,” nodded Don. “Don’t you think so?”
+
+“I surely do,” assented Ned, stepping down onto the deck of the buried
+galleon. “Is this the hatchway?”
+
+Terry lifted the hatch, which they had replaced when they had left the
+galleon with the Mexican. “Yes, and here is the flight of stairs. Did
+anyone bring a flashlight?”
+
+“I have one,” said the professor, producing it from his saddle bag.
+“Let’s be very careful about going down those stairs.”
+
+It was now dark and the flashlight was needed. The professor flashed the
+beam of light down the stairs and went first, treading with infinite
+care, but the steps were apparently solid. The others, with the
+exception of the mestizo, who would not trust himself in a place which
+looked so much like a trap, followed the savant down into the hold of
+the ancient ship.
+
+“There is the treasure chest,” said Jim, and the professor swung the
+beam of light on the mouldering chest. Don lifted the lid and the gold
+was revealed.
+
+They fingered it and found that it consisted of coins of various
+degrees. The professor did not recognize any of them except some pieces
+of eight.
+
+“Sorry I didn’t study up on ancient coins,” murmured the teacher.
+“However, I’m pretty sure that there is quite a fortune here.”
+
+“No doubt there is a substantial treasure further down in the sand,”
+suggested Ned.
+
+“Yes,” the professor agreed. “Cups and plate silver and perhaps other
+things. The sailors didn’t carry anything away with them, expecting to
+return and gather it all on some other occasion, I presume.” He turned
+his light from side to side. “The hold here was filled with water, and
+all above deck must have been burned. We won’t find much of anything
+until we get down under the sand.”
+
+After some more looking around they went outside and made camp close to
+the wreck, the boys again hacking firewood from the remains of the
+galleon. They ate supper and then sat around the fire discussing plans
+and waiting for the morrow and daylight.
+
+“It is going to be quite a job digging into that sand,” observed the
+captain. “In the first place, it’s mighty wet.”
+
+“Yes,” said the professor. “I’m very much afraid it is too much of a job
+for us to attempt. It will take a whole crew to dig down into those
+ruins, and a regular excavating gang will be the ones to do it. However,
+we can look around and see what we can pick up ourselves, and then later
+see to it that the right sort of a company goes to work on the job.”
+
+“We’ll have to make a legal claim to it, won’t we?” asked Jim.
+
+Ned nodded. “That will have to be our first job. If we don’t anybody who
+comes along will be able to take it right out of our hands. It is much
+the same as discovering a gold mine, only in this case the gold is
+already refined and cast for us.”
+
+“I can’t wait until morning!” said the impatient Terry.
+
+“I’m glad you said that,” the professor spoke seriously. “I want you
+boys to promise me that you won’t go on the wreck at any time during the
+night or in the morning before we are all awake and ready to tackle it.
+We have had quite a bit of trouble so far and we want to avoid any more,
+certainly any that may turn out to be more serious than any we have had.
+I don’t believe that there are any ghosts or goblins on the thing that
+will hurt you, but we had better not do anything that we’ll regret.”
+
+“I for one won’t,” Terry promised. “I remember what that dragon says in
+the old manuscript!”
+
+The others promised, and after some further talk they all went to sleep
+and remained asleep until daylight. After a hasty breakfast they went to
+the wreck once more.
+
+“Fine day we have for our treasure hunting party,” remarked Don, as they
+went down the hatchway.
+
+It was indeed a fine day, with a clear blue sky and a bright sun. Once
+down in the hold, however, all light and warmth was shut out, except for
+a single shaft that came in from the open hatchway.
+
+“Now,” said the professor, who was the leader. “We aren’t going to be
+able to do much with this proposition, but I suggest that we at least
+dig out this room. It wouldn’t be of any use to dig down into the main
+hold of the galleon, for it would take us months and it would be
+dangerous work. Before anything like that is done all sand would have to
+be cleared away from the sides of the ship.”
+
+The room in which they stood, and which held the chest of gold, was
+about fourteen feet square. With small trench shovels brought from the
+ranch they went to work on the moist sand, digging it out and by a
+system of relays throwing it out on the deck. Don stood on a wide step
+where the sand was deposited by Ned, the professor and Jim, and
+shovelled it up to the hatch, where Terry and Blow threw it to one side.
+They worked on with a will, and although it soon became hard work no one
+complained.
+
+It was soon found that the chest of gold had been upon a table at the
+time of the sinking of the galleon, for they had scarcely begun their
+work before they struck the top of the table. It was soon uncovered and
+proved to be a massive affair of black wood. It was about four feet
+high, and when they had cleared away the sand down to the bottom they
+found solid flooring.
+
+From time to time they changed positions so as to give each one a chance
+to work inside the buried galleon and also to get a chance at the
+sunlight. The person who relayed the sand on the stairs had the hardest
+job, as he was compelled to stoop down, scoop the sand, straighten up
+and throw it out of the hatch. Don was not sorry to give up his post and
+get out on the deck, and later on to get down into the old hold.
+
+When Don got downstairs the room had been almost completely excavated
+and some more treasure had been found. Several bars of solid silver had
+been uncovered in one corner and even the walls held relics, in the
+shape of several old muskets and knives, along with a rusted sword.
+There were two heavy chairs in the room also, which were both
+overturned, probably by the force of the shock when the galleon ran
+aground.
+
+They stopped at dinner time to eat, all of them being profoundly
+grateful for the respite. The room in which they had been working was
+now almost empty and they decided to do a little more work and then take
+the gold and as much silver as they could carry and go back to the
+ranch, there to put in motion the necessary machinery to make the
+treasure theirs. Accordingly, as soon as the noon meal was finished,
+they went back to work.
+
+“Better not do much more excavating,” warned Captain Blow. “That pile of
+wet sand on the deck is getting pretty heavy.”
+
+They finished excavating that room, finding nothing more of importance
+and then held a parley. There was a door in one side of the room and
+they were in doubt as to whether to open it. The professor feared that
+something might happen if they did, but the others disagreed with him,
+so the door was finally chopped open.
+
+It came out of its frame with a rush, disclosing nothing but a blank
+wall of sand. Some portion of the deck, as yet under sand, had evidently
+been ripped off or had burned off, and in that manner the ship had
+filled completely, much as a paper boat that a child buries in the sand.
+They picked at the wall of sand before them, but it was solid and they
+gave it up.
+
+“I guess this will be as much as we’ll want to do,” the professor
+announced. “The rest of the job is for a regular crew of excavators, and
+moreover, must be undertaken scientifically. We’ll be satisfied to go
+back with what we have and lay claim to the rest of it in the right
+way.”
+
+“Are you thinking of starting tonight?” asked Terry, looking at his
+watch. “It is five o’clock now!”
+
+“Is it that late?” cried Captain Blow. “By thunder mighty! this day
+zipped right by!”
+
+“Yes, it is that late,” retorted the professor, consulting his own
+watch. “We’ve been so busy and interested that we haven’t kept track of
+the time. No, we won’t start back tonight. We’ll stay in camp and start
+early in the morning!”
+
+“All right, suppose we get back,” suggested the captain. “The bottom of
+my stomach is sunk lower than this fishing smack!”
+
+They went up the stairs, Ned and Don stopping to examine one of the
+musty guns that was on the wall. The others stepped off of the deck and
+onto the sand, and seeing that the two boys were not with them, the
+professor called out: “Come on, boys, back to camp.”
+
+“We’re coming!” Don replied, as he started up the stairs, with Ned a
+step or two back of him. Don had just thrust his head out of the
+hatchway when there came a warning shout from Terry.
+
+“Hurry up!” he yelled. “The sand is sliding!”
+
+The wet sand which they had piled up during the day suddenly slid down
+the hill with gathering force. Don sprang forward quickly, but was too
+late. The sand hit the deck of the galleon, there was a dull report and
+a sucking sensation, and then the whole room which they had excavated
+caved in. The deck, rotting and weakened, gave way under the descending
+weight of the wet and dry sand, and went through with a roar. Don and
+Ned disappeared from sight, buried alive in the wreck of the galleon!
+
+The party on the shore stared dumbly for one minute, appalled by the
+horror of the tragedy, and then Captain Blow leaped forward.
+
+“Come on and dig!” he cried. “If we don’t dig like fury they’ll smother
+to death!”
+
+As the others followed him the intrepid captain leaped down on the heap
+of sand where the boys had last been seen and began to dig frantically.
+The sand was loose and he sank down in it, but he dug without heeding
+his own peril, and the others helped him. Don’s hand speedily worked
+loose from the sand and they caught hold of it.
+
+“Work right around his arm,” cried the captain. “Be careful not to hit
+his head with your shovels.”
+
+The scene was one of wildest confusion. By digging with furious energy
+they got Don’s head free and only just in time. He was purple and fairly
+clawed for air. They attempted to drag him loose, but failed. He pushed
+the sand from his mouth and spoke urgently.
+
+“Get Ned!” he gasped. “He’s down around my knees, somewhere!”
+
+The professor’s face was white and he silently kneeled beside Don’s head
+and dug with all his strength. Terry and Jim held the slippery sand back
+as the two men shovelled it away, and in a few seconds, which seemed
+like hours to them, one of Ned’s shoulders was uncovered. Dropping their
+shovels the men wormed their hands beneath his armpit and tore him loose
+from the sand.
+
+“Here, water, senor,” said Yappi, appearing beside them with a canteen.
+
+Ned was blue and unconscious, and they were forced to dig the sand from
+his nose and mouth before he could catch his breath. When he had become
+conscious he drank some water, and Don followed his example. They both
+were free to breathe but were still buried and sinking, for the sand was
+sifting down into the room below.
+
+“This fight has only just begun,” said the captain, grimly. “We’ve got
+to get them out of here as fast as we can.”
+
+Then began a spirited battle between the men and the sand, the human
+beings putting every ounce of strength into the battle to keep their
+companions from being engulfed again and the sand exerting its power to
+entomb them once more, with a persistence that was perfectly amazing.
+The muscles of the friends ached, for they were tired from the events of
+the day, but they knew it was a race of life and death. They dug
+ceaselessly, throwing sand as far away as possible, baffled and maddened
+by the steady stream of the soil that returned to the charge.
+
+It grew steadily darker and at last the captain, who had assumed charge
+of the rescue operations spoke briefly to the professor. “Tell your man
+to light a big fire,” he commanded.
+
+When this was done they labored on, and after an hour had gone by they
+were down as far as the boys’ waists. They were working in a hollow that
+had been made even more of a hole than normally by the collapse of the
+deck, and so the sand proved to be a persistent foe. As fast as they
+threw it up it slid back, and there was no way to keep it up.
+
+“Now,” said the captain, briskly. “Tell your man to back the horses down
+here, throw out a hawser, grapple onto those lads, and tow ’em out!”
+
+When this had been put into the kind of language that Yappi could
+understand he quickly ran the horses into position, threw out a rope,
+and it was passed under Don’s armpits. Yappi sprang into the saddle gave
+the horse the pressure of his heels, his hand steady to check him at
+moment’s notice.
+
+The rope tightened, and the boys pushed Don’s body, with the result that
+he was hauled out of the treacherous hole. Nothing was said at the time,
+and Don made all haste to scramble to safety, shaken by his experience.
+It was now an easier task to get at Ned, for the freeing of Don had left
+a bigger hole, and they tied him up securely. This time the horse
+strained, the boy gritted his teeth as the rope cut into his body, and
+the others pushed with a will. With a final rush he came up and out of
+the hole.
+
+“Hurrah!” shouted the captain, dropping his shovel. “The battle is won,
+mates! By tunket, let’s get out of here.”
+
+They made haste to leave the place and then had a happy reunion. The
+professor’s lips moved as he pressed Ned to him and Jim’s eyes were not
+steady when he hugged Don. Terry addressed the remains of the wreck,
+while the mestizo patted the head of the horse.
+
+“Pretty smart, you old mud scow!” the red-headed boy said. “That was the
+dragon’s last stroke, and he nearly made good on it.”
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER XXIV
+ NED TAKES A NEW OVERSEER
+
+
+They were all glad enough to rest that night around the campfire. The
+muscles of the party were stiff and sore, and Don and Ned declared that
+their bodies ached from head to foot.
+
+“Got enough sand in me to build a new bunkhouse at the ranch,” Ned,
+declared.
+
+They told their sensations as the wall of sand closed over them,
+sensations by no means pleasant. Smothering in sand was not an enviable
+means of ending one’s life, according to Ned, who had been closest to
+it. Don had felt that he had a good chance for his life, for he had been
+near the surface, but his chief worriment had been for his friend, whom
+he knew to be lower down.
+
+“All things considered, I rather think we earned that treasure,” the
+professor remarked, and the others agreed with him heartily.
+
+Yappi could not be persuaded to go near the place again. He was firm in
+the belief that an evil spirit had tried to punish them for meddling
+with the gold of dead men. During the time they had needed his help he
+had been brave enough, but now that there was nothing to fear he was
+more frightened than he had ever been. More than all the others, he
+looked forward to going home in the morning.
+
+They slept the sleep of the utterly exhausted that night and were late
+in getting up on the following day. When all their things were packed
+and the treasure which they had taken placed on the horses they left the
+place and started for the ranch.
+
+“That place isn’t the best place in the world for us,” laughed Don, as
+they paused on a rise and looked around. “Jim and Terry were nearly
+killed near there and then Ned and I got a sand bath. That guardian
+dragon doesn’t appear to like young men!”
+
+“Maybe he doesn’t object to the professor and me,” observed the captain,
+with a broad smile. “We both have beards and are more nearly his age!”
+
+The journey back to the ranch was made without incident and they were
+glad to arrive. After remaining there for a day the professor and the
+captain took the treasure and set out with it to the coast, there to go
+to San Diego and claim legal right to it. The boys accompanied them to
+Quito, where Blow’s own schooner, which was fortunately lying at anchor,
+took them to their destination. The boys left them in the town and
+returned to the ranch.
+
+There they passed several happy days, riding, visiting the mines, going
+once or twice to visit the senorita, and generally having a good time.
+Ned went several times to the senorita’s and Terry wisely nodded his
+head.
+
+“Big doings pretty soon,” he observed, wisely.
+
+“What do you mean?” asked Don. They were out near the barn and Ned was
+not with them.
+
+“Wait and see. The young man is going over the hill quite frequently
+now, and you wait and see if something exciting doesn’t happen.”
+
+“Getting married isn’t exciting,” said Jim.
+
+“Don’t know, my boy,” drawled Terry, trying to throw a lasso. “Never
+been that way, myself! Look at that for a throw, will you! Aimed it at
+the fence post and got the corner of the barn!”
+
+When the professor and the captain returned they reported success. Their
+claim was legal and they had authority to recruit a gang of men to
+excavate the ancient ship.
+
+“That’s the end of the phantom galleon,” observed Don. “It won’t be a
+phantom any more.”
+
+“You pretty nearly joined the phantoms yourself,” Jim reminded him.
+
+Terry’s surmise regarding the state of affairs at the Mercedes ranch
+turned out to be correct. In a few days Ned announced that they were to
+be married.
+
+“There is no use in allowing her to stay over there and try to run that
+little ranch all by herself,” he said, as they sat in the living room
+one night. “So we are going to combine and form one big ranch, after we
+are married. That will end all of her troubles about getting help and
+overseers.”
+
+“I see,” said Terry, dryly. “You are doing it so as to help her run her
+ranch. Funny way to get married.”
+
+Ned made a pass at him and the red-headed boy dodged. The professor
+smiled.
+
+“That’s the easiest way of saying it,” he said. “Ned wouldn’t want you
+to suspect that he loves the young lady!”
+
+“Ned spoke about her difficulty in getting an overseer,” remarked Don.
+“Another way to look at it is that Ned himself is getting an overseer!”
+
+“Yes, he’ll have to behave himself now,” said the captain, as they all
+laughed at Ned’s red face.
+
+In the days that followed an excavating crew came down from San
+Francisco and went to work on the wreck of the galleon. In a remarkably
+short time it was unearthed and systematically cleaned out. A treasure
+estimated in value at something like fifty thousand dollars was found in
+the wreck, a treasure that consisted of gold and silver plate, gold
+coins, silver coins and several gold chains. There was also some silk,
+but it had been spoiled. The wreck itself, when uncovered, showed that
+it had been burned to the water’s edge before being covered with the
+sands of the plains.
+
+“Well, when that is all divided, up, we’ll have plenty, each one of us,”
+said the professor.
+
+“At last my mother will get a few of the things in life that she has
+really needed,” said Terry, to whom the fortune meant most.
+
+Not long after that there was a simple wedding in the Scott ranch. A
+minister came to the ranch from Quito and Ned and the senorita were
+married in the living room of the ranch which was now to be her home.
+Ned was quietly happy and the senorita brilliantly so. All the lonely
+years of living alone were now over, and she looked forward to a life of
+happiness with the American boy whose simple manliness had always
+appealed to her. Don was Ned’s best man.
+
+“By golly,” said Terry, when it was all over. “If getting married makes
+you feel as happy as Ned and his lady friend looked, I think I’ll try
+it!”
+
+“That’ll be fine, Terry,” responded Jim. “By the way, who is the lady?”
+
+“What?” asked the red-headed boy, blankly.
+
+“Who is the lady that will look so happy when you marry her?” Jim
+answered.
+
+“Gee, I don’t know!” was the reply. “You have to have a lady friend,
+don’t you? I hadn’t thought of that!”
+
+“You had better give it some thought,” retorted Don. “Most people have
+one when they get married.”
+
+After a few more days the boys prepared to return home, along with the
+professor, who was eager to return to his classes in school. The boys
+were looking forward to their second year at Woodcrest, to the study and
+the sports of the coming season. Captain Blow left them a few days
+earlier, expressing his pleasure at having met them once more.
+
+“I hope I fall in with you Mercer boys again sometime,” he said, as he
+shook hands at the dock. “I always have a barrel of fun when I’m with
+you. Makes me young again. If you ever sail past old Mystery Island,
+think of me, will you?”
+
+A few days later they all said goodbye to the new Mr. and Mrs. Scott,
+wishing them well and promising to come and see them if they were ever
+in that part of the world again. Before long they were back in San
+Francisco and on the train, bound for home and school. Terry was with
+them, having had “Jumpiter” shipped by rail.
+
+“Well,” remarked Don, as they rolled past long fields of grain. “That’s
+the end of one of the best vacations we ever had. Now we’ll go back to
+school, to settle down and take things easy for a change.”
+
+But if Don could have seen the events that awaited them in the coming
+school term in the form of a baffling mystery he would not have been so
+sure that they would settle down. In the next volume, entitled The
+Mercer Boys’ Mystery Case, or the ’13 Class Trophy Riddle the exciting
+things which befell them will be related.
+
+
+ THE END
+
+
+
+
+ Transcriber’s Notes
+
+
+--Copyright notice provided as in the original—this e-text is public
+ domain in the country of publication.
+
+--Silently corrected palpable typos; left non-standard spellings and
+ dialect unchanged.
+
+--Generated a Table of Contents from the chapter headings.
+
+--In the text versions, delimited italics text in _underscores_ (the
+ HTML version reproduces the font form of the printed book.)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Mercer Boys on a Treasure Hunt, by
+Capwell Wyckoff
+
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+<pre>
+
+Project Gutenberg's The Mercer Boys on a Treasure Hunt, by Capwell Wyckoff
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most
+other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
+whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of
+the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at
+www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have
+to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook.
+
+Title: The Mercer Boys on a Treasure Hunt
+
+Author: Capwell Wyckoff
+
+Release Date: December 6, 2016 [EBook #53673]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: UTF-8
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MERCER BOYS ON A TREASURE HUNT ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Rod Crawford, MFR and the
+Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+<div id="cover" class="img">
+<img id="coverpage" src="images/cover.jpg" alt="The Mercer Boys on a Treasure Hunt" width="500" height="754" />
+</div>
+<div class="box">
+<h1>THE MERCER BOYS ON
+<br />A TREASURE HUNT</h1>
+<p class="center"><span class="large"><span class="sc">By</span> CAPWELL WYCKOFF</span></p>
+<p class="center"><span class="sc">Author of</span>
+<br />“The Mercer Boys at Woodcrest,” “The Mercer Boys’ Cruise in the Lassie,” “The Mercer Boys’ Mystery Case,” “The Mercer Boys on the Beach Patrol,” “The Mercer Boys in Summer Camp.”</p>
+<div class="img">
+<img src="images/p1.jpg" alt="Series logo" width="300" height="386" />
+</div>
+<p class="center">THE
+<br />WORLD SYNDICATE PUBLISHING CO.
+<br /><span class="small">Cleveland, Ohio</span> <span class="hst"><span class="small">New York City</span></span></p>
+</div>
+<p class="center small">Copyright, MCMXXIX
+<br /><i>by</i>
+<br />THE WORLD SYNDICATE PUBLISHING CO.</p>
+<div class="img">
+<img src="images/p2.jpg" alt="Publisher logo" width="210" height="170" />
+</div>
+<p class="center small"><i>Printed in the United States of America</i></p>
+<h2>CONTENTS</h2>
+<dl class="toc">
+<dt class="jr"><span class="jl"><span class="small">CHAPTER</span></span> <span class="small">PAGE</span></dt>
+<dt><a href="#c1"><span class="cn">I </span>The Professor’s Letter</a> 3</dt>
+<dt><a href="#c2"><span class="cn">II </span>The Story of the Phantom Galleon</a> 13</dt>
+<dt><a href="#c3"><span class="cn">III </span>A Royal Invitation</a> 20</dt>
+<dt><a href="#c4"><span class="cn">IV </span>The Professor is Attacked</a> 29</dt>
+<dt><a href="#c5"><span class="cn">V </span>The Prowler in the Night</a> 41</dt>
+<dt><a href="#c6"><span class="cn">VI </span>The Scene in the Moonlight</a> 52</dt>
+<dt><a href="#c7"><span class="cn">VII </span>Sackett’s Raid</a> 63</dt>
+<dt><a href="#c8"><span class="cn">VIII </span>The Search is Begun</a> 72</dt>
+<dt><a href="#c9"><span class="cn">IX </span>The Ruined Castle</a> 81</dt>
+<dt><a href="#c10"><span class="cn">X </span>The Rope in the Dungeon</a> 92</dt>
+<dt><a href="#c11"><span class="cn">XI </span>The Underground Passage</a> 101</dt>
+<dt><a href="#c12"><span class="cn">XII </span>The Tolling of the Bell</a> 109</dt>
+<dt><a href="#c13"><span class="cn">XIII </span>A Forced March</a> 119</dt>
+<dt><a href="#c14"><span class="cn">XIV </span>History Repeats</a> 129</dt>
+<dt><a href="#c15"><span class="cn">XV </span>The Mountain Sage</a> 139</dt>
+<dt><a href="#c16"><span class="cn">XVI </span>The Landing Party</a> 150</dt>
+<dt><a href="#c17"><span class="cn">XVII </span>The Escape</a> 159</dt>
+<dt><a href="#c18"><span class="cn">XVIII </span>Treasure and Treachery</a> 170</dt>
+<dt><a href="#c19"><span class="cn">XIX </span>An Old Friend Joins the Party</a> 182</dt>
+<dt><a href="#c20"><span class="cn">XX </span>The Tar Barrel</a> 191</dt>
+<dt><a href="#c21"><span class="cn">XXI </span>The Cairn</a> 201</dt>
+<dt><a href="#c22"><span class="cn">XXII </span>The Den</a> 211</dt>
+<dt><a href="#c23"><span class="cn">XXIII </span>The Dragon’s Last Stroke</a> 219</dt>
+<dt><a href="#c24"><span class="cn">XXIV </span>Ned Takes a New Overseer</a> 237</dt>
+</dl>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_3">3</div>
+<h1 title="">THE MERCER BOYS ON A
+<br />TREASURE HUNT</h1>
+<h2 id="c1">CHAPTER I
+<br /><span class="small">THE PROFESSOR’S LETTER</span></h2>
+<p>“I’d like to have a crack at that ball,” said Don
+Mercer, with a grin.</p>
+<p>His brother Jim returned the grin as he said:
+“Let’s go out on the field and ask the kids to toss us
+one. They won’t mind giving us one swing at it.”
+The two Mercer brothers were standing at the edge
+of a large vacant lot near the center of their home
+town one morning late in June. They had been
+home from Woodcrest Military Institute for a week
+now on their summer vacation, and this particular
+day, having nothing more exciting to do, they had
+wandered around the town, coming at length to a
+familiar field where they had often played baseball.
+A number of youngsters were on the ground now,
+tossing and batting a discolored baseball, and the
+sight of them had caused the sandy haired, slightly
+freckled Don to express his wish.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_4">4</div>
+<p>The two boys walked across the field toward the
+boys and Don said: “Wonder how much further
+I can hit it now than I could when I played here as
+a kid?”</p>
+<p>“Hard to tell,” returned Jim. “But we certainly
+got quite a bit of practise this spring at Woodcrest.”</p>
+<p>The small boys looked at them as they drew
+nearer, but as the Mercer boys were well known the
+boys felt no alarm or resentment at the approach of
+the larger lads. Don walked over to the boy who
+held the bat and held out his hand.</p>
+<p>“How about giving me one crack at the ball,
+Charlie?” he asked.</p>
+<p>The boy smiled and extended the bat, a bit of
+embarrassment in his look. “Sure, Don. Take a
+couple of them,” he invited.</p>
+<p>“I guess one will be enough,” remarked Don, as
+he turned to face a boy who held the ball. “Put a
+good one over, Tommy, will you?”</p>
+<p>The boy addressed as Tommy grinned boyishly
+and turned to the youngsters who stood far afield,
+waiting for flies to be batted to them. “Get way
+out, you fellows,” he cried. “This fellow can hit
+’em!”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_5">5</div>
+<p>The two fielders backed away and Tommy threw a
+fast ball to Don. The latter easily batted it out and
+one of the youngsters caught it triumphantly. Don
+handed the bat to Jim, who in turn cracked the ball
+out along the ground.</p>
+<p>“Just one more, fellows,” begged Don, taking the
+bat from his brother’s hand. When the ball had been
+turned over to young Tommy he wound his arm
+up slowly and then pitched it with considerable force
+in Don’s direction.</p>
+<p>“Hit that!” he cried.</p>
+<p>It was traveling on a straight line and Don swung
+the bat around sharply. There was a singing crack
+as the wood met the ball, and the muddy spheroid
+sailed in a mounting curve up into the air. It passed
+high above the fielder’s head and made its way
+straight for the side window of a small house that
+stood on the edge of the field.</p>
+<p>“Oh, boy!” shouted Jim. “Right through the
+window!”</p>
+<p>His statement was correct. With a disconcerting
+crash the ball smashed the window to pieces.</p>
+<p>Don dropped the bat and shoved his hands into
+his pocket. “Well, I’ll be jiggered!” he exclaimed.
+“How is that for bad luck? Right through Professor
+Scott’s window!”</p>
+<p>“I hope the professor wasn’t at home, and in that
+room,” said Jim. “Guess we had better go over and
+see about it.”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_6">6</div>
+<p>“Right you are,” nodded Don. “Thanks for the
+hits, kids. Come on, Jim.”</p>
+<p>Leaving the boys to gather and talk things over
+in awed tones the two Mercer brothers made their
+way across the field in the direction of Professor
+Scott’s house. The gentleman mentioned had been
+their history teacher while they were in grammar
+school, and they knew him quite well, so they had
+no great fears as to the outcome. No one had appeared
+at the window or at the doors, and Jim supposed
+that the professor was not at home.</p>
+<p>“I guess not,” Don returned, “or he would surely
+have appeared by now. But we’ll go over and see,
+and if he isn’t we’ll leave a note and tell him who did
+it, and offer to pay for it.”</p>
+<p>While the Mercer boys are making their way
+across the field something may be said as to who they
+were. Both boys, fine, manly chaps, were the sons
+of a wealthy lumber man of Bridgewater, Maine.
+They had lived the life of healthy young men whose
+interests were centered in worthwhile things. Of late
+they had had some adventurous events in their lives,
+some of which were related in the first volume of
+this series, <span class="sc">The Mercer Boys’ Cruise in the
+Lassie</span>, when they ran down a marine bandit gang,
+and later when solving a baffling mystery at the
+military school, details of which were related in the
+second volume entitled <span class="sc">The Mercer Boys at
+Woodcrest</span>. Together with their comrade, Terry
+Mackson, they had faced many perils and adventures,
+and now they were home to spend, as they thought,
+a comparatively dull vacation. Just how deeply mistaken
+they were in their thought will be found later.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_7">7</div>
+<p>They entered the front yard of Professor Scott’s
+house and walked around to the side, where the
+broken window faced toward the empty lot. There
+appeared to be no one at home, but when they came
+opposite to the window Don raised himself slightly
+on his toes and looked in. Then he dropped down
+again and looked at Jim in astonishment.</p>
+<p>“The professor is at home,” he said, in a low tone.
+“He’s sitting there, reading a letter!”</p>
+<p>“Reading a letter?” asked Jim, amazed.</p>
+<p>“Yes,” answered his brother. “Look in.”</p>
+<p>Jim raised himself and looked in the window. A
+tall man with bushy white hair and a thick iron gray
+beard was seated at the desk in what appeared to be
+a study, busily engaged in reading a letter. Near him,
+almost at his feet, lay the boys’ ball, and fragments
+of broken glass littered the floor. The professor was
+apparently deeply absorbed in his letter.</p>
+<p>“Well, what do you know about that!” exclaimed
+Jim, softly. “Doesn’t even seem to know that the
+window is broken! We always knew that he was
+somewhat absent-minded, but I thought he was more
+responsible than that!”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_8">8</div>
+<p>Before Don could reply there was a stir in the
+room and the next minute the professor came to the
+window and looked down at them. He still held
+what appeared to be a lengthy letter in his hand, and
+he recognized them.</p>
+<p>“Why, Don and Jim Mercer!” he cried, showing
+strong white teeth in an engaging smile. “I’m glad
+to see you home again. Did you come to see me?”</p>
+<p>“I came to apologize for breaking your window,
+and to offer to pay for it, Professor Scott,” answered
+Don. “I was batting out the ball for some boys,
+and I hit it harder than I expected to. I hope it
+didn’t startle you very much?”</p>
+<p>“I jumped a little bit,” admitted the professor. “I
+did notice it!”</p>
+<p>“Notice it!” exploded Jim. “I should think that
+you might have! It certainly made enough noise.”</p>
+<p>“It did make some. I felt that it was some of the
+boys playing ball and I was going to throw the ball
+back to them in a minute.” He picked the ball up and
+handed it to Don. “Throw it back, and then come
+inside, won’t you?”</p>
+<p>Don threw the ball back to the small boys, who
+were watching from the field. “Are you sure we
+won’t be breaking in on you, professor?” he asked.</p>
+<p>“Not as much as you did a few minutes ago!”
+smiled the teacher. “Come around through the back
+way.”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_9">9</div>
+<p>When the boys entered the professor’s study he
+motioned them to chairs and asked them a few questions
+about their school life and studies. All the
+time he held the letter in his hand, and when he had
+finished talking about their school he took the lead
+in the conversation.</p>
+<p>“I guess you boys wonder what is so interesting in
+this letter that I hardly noticed a ball when it broke
+through my window,” he began. “Well, I remember
+how interested you boys were in history while in my
+classes, and I’m glad you came along when you did.
+This letter is from my son Ned, who lives in Lower
+California, and it contains one of the most fascinating
+stories I ever came across!”</p>
+<p>Knowing as they did the professor’s deep interest
+in historic and scientific studies and discoveries the
+boys found themselves interested at once. The
+teacher went on, after a glance at the letter, “Ned
+owns a small farm or homestead in Lower California
+near the mines at San Antonio and Triunfo, where
+he tests the ores and carries on general scientific
+studies. He tells me that the ores are refractory and
+not easy to test, but he enjoys the work and is devoting
+his whole life to it. I don’t think he is quite
+as much interested in historic things as I am, but
+knowing how eager I am for relics and information
+of the past, he has sent me this remarkable piece of
+news.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_10">10</div>
+<p>“Some time ago, a steam trawler, while fishing in
+130 fathoms of water, hauled up a piece of wreckage
+in its net. Upon examination it appeared to be the
+bulwark of an ancient Spanish galleon, with parts of
+the rigging attached. On the sides, plainly distinguishable,
+were designs in hand-sewn leather. Some
+of those big, lumbering ships were decorated quite
+extensively, you know, and this one was distinguished
+by its hand-sewn leather covering. It was
+evident that somewhere in the neighborhood a Spanish
+galleon had gone to the bottom, and it is always
+a safe conclusion that where there is galleon there
+is also a treasure. Those ships carried gold, silver
+and jewels from Old Mexico and Peru to Spain, and
+this particular ship may have been going home after
+a trip up the coast of California. That was the type
+of ship that the brave English seamen of Queen
+Elizabeth’s time whipped so soundly at the time of
+the Spanish Armada, and there were hundreds of
+them in service along the shores of the Americas and
+the Islands.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_11">11</div>
+<p>“The spot was marked in the hope that treasure
+would be discovered, on the presumption that it was
+a treasure ship, and shortly afterward active operations
+were started by a California diving company.
+But although they searched the shore under water
+in minute detail they found nothing. The mystery
+is not that they didn’t find any treasure, but that they
+didn’t find any more of the ship. You might think
+that perhaps that particular piece had been washed
+there from some point further out, and it is possible,
+but the piece, when netted, had been buried in the
+mud, and it looks as though it had been there for
+centuries, though ships haven’t a habit of sinking in
+sections, one part at one place and another part in
+a different place. However, they didn’t find a thing,
+and at last the whole undertaking was given up.”</p>
+<p>“That is too bad,” said Jim, who was deeply absorbed
+in the story. “So it was a false hope from
+the first.”</p>
+<p>“How long ago was that?” asked Don.</p>
+<p>“That was a little over a year ago,” answered the
+professor. “And that leads me to the second part
+of my story. Ned had given up all interest in it
+even before the diving and salvage company had, and
+he thought no more about it. The piece of wreckage
+is a treasure in itself and was sent up to San Francisco,
+where it was subsequently placed in a museum.
+Realizing that I would be interested in it all he first
+wrote to me at the time it happened, and I read it and
+wrote for news, but as the thing died down I forgot
+it, too. I have planned to run out to San Francisco
+sometime and see the part myself, and I intend
+doing so soon.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_12">12</div>
+<p>“Ned told me at the time that there had been some
+slight changes in the coast line during the last few
+centuries. A number of creeks that formerly ran
+into the ocean have closed up and disappeared, some
+of them filled with shifting sand and soil. I don’t
+know if you were ever aware of the fact or not, but
+although Lower California has a dry climate and is
+mostly barren, there are spots where it is tropical
+and jungle plants and trees grow there in luxurious
+profusion. Although they have almost no rain, they
+do have violent storms, and at such times are treated
+to regular cloudbursts. At those periods the elements
+raise the old dickens and it was during these spells
+that some creeks and small rivers closed up.</p>
+<p>“Maybe you wonder why I’m particular to tell you
+all this. I do so because I believe it has a direct bearing
+on the most amazing part of Ned’s letter. I believe
+it explains the disappearance of the Phantom
+Galleon!”</p>
+<p>“The Phantom Galleon!” cried Don, while Jim
+stirred in eager interest. “What is that, Professor
+Scott?”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_13">13</div>
+<h2 id="c2">CHAPTER II
+<br /><span class="small">THE STORY OF THE PHANTOM GALLEON</span></h2>
+<p>“Well,” answered the professor, slowly. “Up
+until a very short time Ned, and others, thought that it
+was only a legend. He hadn’t been in the country
+very long before he heard it, and he put it down as
+one of those semi-historic tales that consist of half
+truth and half fancy. The tale had been handed
+down for centuries and always by word of mouth,
+and this is the story:</p>
+<p>“On a certain evening, hundreds of years ago, a
+huge, lumbering Spanish galleon, loaded with treasure,
+fled along the coast of Lower California, pursued
+by three English barks. In the long run there
+was not a chance that the gold ship would get away,
+for the light English barks were much faster, and
+it was only a question of time before they hauled
+down on her and boarded. The way they were
+situated was this: one ship was in the rear of the
+Spaniard, one was coming up in front of it, and a
+third was moving in from the open sea. It was
+a regular trap, you see, and merely a matter of
+time.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_14">14</div>
+<p>“But fortunately—or unfortunately, I don’t know
+which—for the galleon, one of those rare tropical
+storms came up at that moment when capture seemed
+assured for the gold ship. There was a furious rush
+of the wind, the sky grew black and lowering, and
+finally, in one great maelstrom of confusion the three
+ships and the galleon were blotted out of sight. The
+storm only lasted for some half hour, which is unusually
+long for some of them, and when it lifted
+the galleon was nowhere to be seen. The English
+barks had had all they could handle and had been
+so busy holding their own against the elements that
+they hadn’t time to keep up the pursuit, and their
+conclusion was that the Spaniard had gone to the
+bottom of the sea. As it was built much higher
+and was much harder to handle than the lighter
+ships, the conclusion was justified, and the pursuers
+drew off and left the shore.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_15">15</div>
+<p>“As I told you, that had happened in the evening,
+just as dusk was coming down over the shore
+and the sea, and the high decked galleon, with its
+spread of strained canvas and yellow streamers, its
+lofty rigging and its ornamental work, looked like
+some strange phantom as it fled down the coast.
+I don’t know who saw it or how many saw it, but
+to this day the story, half legend as it is, has persisted
+concerning the phantom galleon. Some fantastic
+tales still linger about it appearing on dusky
+nights and sailing swiftly along the shore, but they
+are idle stories to which no one with intelligence
+pays any attention. Ned never gave the whole thing
+much credit until a remarkable circumstance brought
+it forcefully to his mind.</p>
+<p>“Near his little ranch there is a large old estate
+which belongs to a once noble family of mixed
+Spanish and Mexican blood, and although they keep
+pretty much to themselves, out of a lofty sense of
+pride, they have been rather friendly to Ned, in
+their stately and exacting way. There was an old
+man who was head of the place, his daughter, and
+one or two servants. Lately the old gentleman
+died, and Ned kindly helped out with the funeral
+and the management of the ranch affairs until a
+permanent overseer was brought over from Mexico,
+and in her gratitude the young senorita allowed him
+to roam pretty much around the house. I suspect
+from his letter that he has of late become rather
+more than friendly with the young lady, but that
+doesn’t make much difference either way. It seems
+that she had been left with quite a library, reading
+being an important business in such a lonely place,
+and some of the volumes were pretty precious, being
+hand written works of early settlers and priests,
+who thus left interesting historic records. One of
+these books attracted Ned’s attention strongly.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_16">16</div>
+<p>“It had been written by a priest in the year 1571,
+and it described the Spanish treasure hunts, some
+of which were plain plundering expeditions, and this
+particular book related them in detail. Ned wasn’t
+unusually interested until he came across the part
+relating to a chase that the galleon had had from
+three English ships. According to the author they
+had loaded with something like 100,000 pesos and
+a fortune in gold and silver bars, to say nothing
+of jewels, and had sailed for Upper California. But
+near the shores of Lower California the galleon had
+been sighted by an English bark, which had instantly
+given chase. The galleon, which had a good
+start, fled, but its chances of escape suddenly became
+less as another English ship appeared before
+it, and another bore down on it from the open sea.
+It was growing dark, wrote the priest, and there
+was some hope that it would slip away in the darkness,
+but something more to the point stepped in
+when a tropical storm wrapped the nearby world
+in temporary darkness. The <i>Don Fernando</i>, that was
+the name of the galleon, slipped into a nearby creek
+or small river and ran hard and fast aground, the
+lofty masts and spars crashing down, a total ruin.
+The creek seems to have been far enough back for
+the wreck to have escaped the notice of the English,
+for they were not molested, and the crew, after
+assuring themselves that the treasure was safe, tried
+to make their way inland for help.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_17">17</div>
+<p>“But somehow or other—the writer does not say
+how—they all perished, and he alone escaped to
+Mexico, there to write down the story of the flight
+of the galleon. He affirms positively in his journal
+that the treasure was not touched, and he planned
+to raise enough men to go and get it. Whether he
+did or not no one knows, but if he didn’t that treasure
+is still somewhere in a creek, in the wreck of that
+galleon, perhaps buried below the level of the sand
+which has shifted. Ned thinks that it is nearby and
+that is why he has written to me.</p>
+<p>“The tragedy of the thing is this: the priest wrote
+everything except the name of the creek down which
+the phantom galleon fled. There are several pages
+missing from his book, and it breaks off like this:
+‘The ship with its fortune in gold and precious
+stones, its coin and bars, is still buried in the sand
+in a creek called——’ and there it unfortunately
+ends. If the name was only there we could tell
+something, for it is always probable that someone
+can be found who will recall the name, no matter
+how ancient it may be, but as the name is lost,
+Ned faces a blank wall. He inquired from Senorita
+Mercedes just where she had obtained that book,
+but she knew nothing outside of the fact that it
+had apparently always been in their house.”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_18">18</div>
+<p>“That certainly is interesting,” said Don, as the
+professor stopped. “Your son Ned thinks that it is
+somewhere near his place?”</p>
+<p>“Yes, he believes it is somewhere within a radius
+of a hundred miles. The legend has it that the
+galleon vanished somewhere right on that very
+shore, and that would indicate that the galleon ran
+up some creek very near to his place. If no one
+ever did get back and take that treasure it is probably
+in the rotted hold of the treasure ship, buried more
+or less deeply in the sand, just waiting for some
+lucky one to discover it. Much of the land near
+Ned’s ranch has never been thoroughly explored,
+and it may be that it is nearer to him than he has
+any idea of.”</p>
+<p>“Has he made any effort to find it?” inquired
+Jim.</p>
+<p>“A somewhat feeble one, yes. He endeavored to
+enlist the aid of some nearby ranch men, some half
+breed Mexicans, but although they started with some
+enthusiasm they soon gave it up. They are the kind
+who would not mind sharing in the rewards if someone
+else does the work. So he gave it up, except
+that he patiently read every other book in Senorita
+Mercedes’ library in the hope of obtaining some clue,
+but the missing pages were not to be located and he
+is still no nearer to finding out the name of that
+creek than he was at first.”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_19">19</div>
+<p>“And he never did find out how that book came to
+be in the library of the Spanish ranch?” asked
+Don.</p>
+<p>“No, but we can hazard a guess as to that. The
+Mercedes family have lived in Lower California for
+at least a hundred years, but before that they came
+from Mexico. It is very possible that the priest
+had escaped to Mexico and fallen in some way in
+with this ancient Spanish family, perhaps dying
+there and leaving the book with them. How the
+last few leaves of the book came to be missing no
+one knows. But perhaps you can see the possibilities?”</p>
+<p>“What do you mean?” asked Jim.</p>
+<p>“I mean that perhaps someone has already read
+that book, tore out the sheets with the information
+on them, and has already found that treasure!” was
+the startling answer.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_20">20</div>
+<h2 id="c3">CHAPTER III
+<br /><span class="small">A ROYAL INVITATION</span></h2>
+<p>They were somewhat dismayed at the professor’s
+reasoning but at length Don shook his head. “I
+don’t see that it is necessarily so,” he insisted. “Of
+course, there is a big chance that such is the reason,
+but on the other hand it may simply be that the pages
+have been lost. It can be taken both ways.”</p>
+<p>“Yes,” nodded the professor. “It can. That is
+why I would never allow myself any false hopes.”</p>
+<p>“Then you are going out and help Ned look for
+this treasure?” asked Jim.</p>
+<p>“I’m going out more because he wants me to
+come than for anything else,” said Professor Scott.
+“And as much for the change as for anything else.
+I’ve been studying pretty hard of late, and I’m sure
+a change of air and scenery wouldn’t hurt me a
+bit. I haven’t any idea that Ned will ever find that
+legendary treasure, but the fact that he found evidence
+that the story of the phantom galleon is true
+interested me greatly.”</p>
+<p>“But if you do go out there you will look around
+for it, won’t you?” inquired Don.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_21">21</div>
+<p>“Oh, yes, Ned will see to that! He has the idea
+that he will run across it, and nothing stops him
+once he gets an idea. I’ll join in with him and do
+some tramping around, but while he’ll be looking for
+gold I’ll be looking for health. I’m rather more
+sure of finding what I am after than he is.”</p>
+<p>“Just the same,” murmured Jim. “It is a dandy
+opportunity, and I wouldn’t mind having a shot at
+it.”</p>
+<p>“You boys are greatly interested,” remarked the
+professor, looking at them keenly.</p>
+<p>“I suppose we are,” admitted Don, smiling. “It
+appeals to us, and I guess it would to any fellow.
+If you go, professor, we certainly wish you all kinds
+of luck.”</p>
+<p>“Thanks,” said the professor. “If you went on
+such a trip, I suppose you’d hunt the treasure with
+much energy?”</p>
+<p>“I guess we would,” nodded Jim. “If it was anywhere
+near I guess we would uncover it.”</p>
+<p>“I don’t doubt it,” the professor smiled. He was
+silent a moment and then he asked: “Now that you
+boys are home for a vacation, what do you plan to
+do? Have you anything definite in mind?”</p>
+<p>Don shook his head. “We might do a little sailing,”
+he replied. “We have a fine thirty-foot sloop,
+and we may sail for a ways down the coast. Last
+summer we did and we had a good time.”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_22">22</div>
+<p>“I know about that voyage,” the professor returned.
+“That was the time you ran down those
+marine bandits, wasn’t it? I remember reading about
+it.”</p>
+<p>“That was the time,” Don answered. “We don’t
+expect to run down any bandits this summer, but
+we may take a cruise.”</p>
+<p>“That is fine,” said the professor, somewhat absent-mindedly.
+“So you two boys were interested in
+what I told you of Ned’s letter, eh?”</p>
+<p>“We couldn’t help being,” grinned Jim. “I
+guess every fellow is interested in treasure hunting.”</p>
+<p>“I suppose that is true,” the professor returned.
+“Well, that is the contents of the letter which made
+me so interested that I paid very little attention to
+the ball as it broke the window.”</p>
+<p>“I’m sorry about that, professor,” said Don.
+“How much is it, please? I’m very anxious to have
+it repaired.”</p>
+<p>“Forget it,” said the professor.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_23">23</div>
+<p>But Don insisted, feeling that it would not rightly
+do to accept the professor’s generous offer to put
+it in himself, and at length the teacher agreed that
+Don should pay for the work. He rather admired
+Don’s spirit in insisting upon paying his own way
+through life, and although he knew that the Mercer
+brothers had plenty of ready money he allowed Don
+to pay for the broken glass more as a concession
+to his spirit of the right thing to do than for any
+other reason. After Don had turned over the money
+to the professor the boys took their leave.</p>
+<p>“Thanks for that interesting story, Professor
+Scott,” said Jim, as they were leaving.</p>
+<p>“Yes, we enjoyed it,” added Don.</p>
+<p>“You are very welcome,” smiled the professor.
+“I thought you would be interested, and may—be—humph,
+well, let that pass for now. Good morning,
+boys.”</p>
+<p>The boys left the professor and walked slowly
+down the shady street, discussing the letter and his
+story. It appealed to them greatly.</p>
+<p>“That sure was a strange thing, that finding of
+the old book relating to the flight of the galleon,”
+mused Don. “Looks like the hand of fate, eh?”</p>
+<p>“It surely does,” chimed in Jim. “Those fellows
+took that treasure centuries ago, it lays buried in
+the sand for years and years, and then a chance discovery
+points to where it is. Sort of like a dead
+man’s finger pointing at the treasure, isn’t it?”</p>
+<p>“Somewhat,” admitted Don. “I rather feel that
+if the treasure had been found by someone else Ned
+Scott would not have come across that book. Now,
+that is my own way of looking at it. Just as the
+professor says, someone may have torn the valuable
+leaves, with the location of the creek on them, out
+and have found it long ago. But I somehow just
+can’t believe it.”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_24">24</div>
+<p>“Nor I,” said Jim. “I’d surely like to be along
+when Ned Scott unearths that old ship and its
+treasure.”</p>
+<p>“Provided that he does,” smiled Don, as they
+reached their home. “There isn’t any guarantee that
+he will. It is always possible that the whole thing
+happened miles down the coast, for if I remember
+correctly, from my school map, Lower California is
+a mighty long stretch. Well, all I hope is that he’ll
+tell us if anything turns up. Just as soon as he
+comes back, if we are home from school, we’ll hunt
+him up and ask him all about it.”</p>
+<p>“Surely,” agreed Jim. “If he isn’t home by the
+time we are ready to return to school we can see
+him during some vacation. Well, what do you say,
+old man? Shall we go down and tinker with the
+boat?”</p>
+<p>“Don’t think we have time,” decided Don, looking
+at his watch. “That visit to the professor took
+up the whole morning, and mother will be waiting
+dinner.”</p>
+<p>The boys entered the quiet but homelike little
+house which was their home and prepared for dinner.
+When they sat down at the table Mr. Mercer,
+a kindly and energetic man, was there. He worked
+in a local office, where he ran his vast lumber business,
+and was generally home for meals. Margy
+Mercer was also there, and the family was complete.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_25">25</div>
+<p>“Well, what have you two fellows been doing
+this morning?” asked Mr. Mercer, as he vigorously
+attacked a piece of steak.</p>
+<p>“Don’s been breaking into people’s houses!”
+chuckled Jim. “This was an expensive morning for
+Don.”</p>
+<p>Don related what had happened, and finding his
+family deeply interested in the professor’s letter,
+told them the story of the phantom galleon. Mr.
+Mercer smiled as he finished.</p>
+<p>“I suppose you two wouldn’t mind going along
+on a trip like that, would you?” he asked.</p>
+<p>“I should say not!” exclaimed Jim. “We’d go
+without mother’s apple pie for a month to go on that
+trip!”</p>
+<p>“Hum!” said Mr. Mercer. “Score one for
+mother’s pie! I imagine if anything spectacular
+comes out of the professor’s treasure hunt the newspapers
+will have it.”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_26">26</div>
+<p>The two boys went for a brief sail in a small
+catboat during the afternoon and later worked at
+the bench in their boathouse, turning out the sides
+for some bunks which they planned to place in their
+little sleeping cottage at the end of the yard. They
+already had three beds in the little place, but lately
+Jim had hit upon the idea of constructing regular
+ships’ bunks and they were now busy making the
+pieces. They stuck to this job until the time of
+the evening meal, and after that they remained at
+home, listening to the radio entertainment.</p>
+<p>Don, who was sitting near the living room
+window, idly looking out, suddenly uttered an exclamation
+and straightened up.</p>
+<p>“What’s the matter, Don?” asked Jim, quickly.</p>
+<p>“Here comes Professor Scott!” Don exclaimed.</p>
+<p>“In here?” demanded Jim.</p>
+<p>“Yes, he’s coming up the walk.” And Don got up
+and went to the door, to open it for the teacher.</p>
+<p>“How do you do, Professor Scott,” he greeted.
+“Won’t you come in?”</p>
+<p>“Yes, thank you,” nodded the professor. “Is your
+father at home?”</p>
+<p>“Yes, he surely is,” said Don. “Come right on
+in.”</p>
+<p>He showed the professor into the living room,
+where the Mercer family greeted him, and after a
+few minutes of pleasant talk Mr. Mercer guided him
+to his study, where they might talk in quietness and
+alone. Jim looked inquiringly at Don.</p>
+<p>“What in the world do you suppose he wants
+with dad?” he whispered.</p>
+<p>“Jiggered if I know,” shrugged Don.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_27">27</div>
+<p>In less than half an hours’ time the two men returned,
+both of them smiling, and Mr. Mercer turned
+off the radio. Then, as they sat down the father
+looked with mock sternness at his two boys.</p>
+<p>“I want your promise to at least make an effort to
+keep out of trouble while you are with Professor
+Scott,” he said.</p>
+<p>“With Professor Scott!” echoed Don, while Jim
+stared. “Where are we going with Professor Scott?”</p>
+<p>“Out to tramp all around the sands of Lower
+California, I think,” Mr. Mercer returned.</p>
+<p>“No!” shouted Don, leaping to his feet.</p>
+<p>“No? Well, all right. I thought that you wanted
+to go, but as long as you don’t why——”</p>
+<p>That was as far as he got. “Of course we want
+to go,” cried Jim. “By George, this is great. What
+made you decide to take us with you, professor?”</p>
+<p>“It’s a protective measure,” smiled the professor,
+pleased at their enthusiasm. “I saw how interested
+you boys were when I told you about it this morning,
+and I was wondering if you would care to go
+and if I could persuade your father to allow you
+to go. You see, I want to go out there for a rest,
+and I’m afraid Ned will insist upon dragging me all
+over the country in search of Spanish treasure, so
+I’m taking you boys along as buffers, to help him in
+his mad adventuring.”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_28">28</div>
+<p>“Well,” smiled Mrs. Mercer. “We’ll let them go
+if you’ll try to keep them out of trouble, Professor
+Scott. They have a very bad habit of getting into
+plenty of it.”</p>
+<p>“I guess Ned will keep them so busy that they
+won’t have time to get into any scrapes,” said the
+professor.</p>
+<p>They sat and talked for another hour, the boys
+unable to believe their good fortune, the suddenness
+of which had stunned them. The professor took his
+leave at last, telling them that he planned to start
+at the end of the coming week. After he had gone
+they sat and talked some more, the boys excited at
+the prospect of their coming trip.</p>
+<p>When at last they went up to bed it was not to
+sleep immediately. They discussed the event for
+more than an hour.</p>
+<p>“Dad and mother say for us to keep out of
+trouble,” chuckled Jim. “We’ll try hard to obey
+orders, but I do hope we have some exciting times.”</p>
+<p>“Don’t you worry,” chuckled Don. “I wouldn’t
+be a bit surprised if we did!”</p>
+<p>The two boys fell asleep, worn out by the events
+of the day. It is doubtful if they would have slept
+so peacefully had they been able to foresee the events
+which loomed before them.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_29">29</div>
+<h2 id="c4">CHAPTER IV
+<br /><span class="small">THE PROFESSOR IS ATTACKED</span></h2>
+<p>After three days of preparation the boys and the
+professor were ready to leave for the west coast.
+They were to go to San Francisco and take a steamer
+there down to the settlements in Lower California.
+It was a bright Saturday morning when they waved
+out of the window to their friends on the station
+platform.</p>
+<p>“Well,” remarked Don, as the train moved out of
+the station. “We are off for new scenes at last.”</p>
+<p>The journey across the continent was uneventful.
+They enjoyed it thoroughly, never growing tired of
+the endless views which unfolded as the train sped
+westward. The professor, with his varied knowledge
+of places and people, his understanding of scientific
+facts and his historic incidents, proved to be a most
+delightful companion. In a few days they left the
+train at the great city of the coast and the professor
+hunted up a hotel.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_30">30</div>
+<p>Professor Scott had never been to California, although
+he had been in many other cities in the
+United States, and his interest was as keen as that
+of the boys. One of his first tasks, after they
+had been installed in a good hotel, was to hasten to
+the water front and inquire concerning a steamer to
+take them down the coast. When he returned he reported
+his findings to the boys.</p>
+<p>“There is a steamer named the <i>Black Star</i> that
+will take us down the day after tomorrow,” he said.
+“I went aboard and arranged for our passage. It
+isn’t a passenger boat, but I didn’t have any trouble
+in persuading the captain to take us as passengers.
+The boat is a fruit steamer, but they have one or
+two extra cabins for our use.”</p>
+<p>They turned in early that night and the next day
+took an extensive tour of the great city. A great
+many of the foremost buildings and places of interest
+were visited, and they obtained their longed-for
+view of the piece of wreckage of the Spanish
+galleon of which Ned Scott had written them. It was
+a huge piece, worn by the action of the waves, with
+studded leather on the sides and pieces of rigging
+still clinging to it. It occupied a prominent place in
+the city museum.</p>
+<p>“If that thing could only talk,” the professor remarked,
+as they walked around it. “What a story it
+could tell!”</p>
+<p>“I guess it would be very helpful to us, in our
+search,” smiled Jim.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_31">31</div>
+<p>When evening came the boys were tired, but
+strange to relate, the professor was not. His interest
+in places and men amounted to a passion with him,
+and he loved to study them at every opportunity.
+The boys were sitting around in the hotel room and
+the professor, after walking around restlessly, suddenly
+faced them.</p>
+<p>“Are you boys too tired to do some more walking?”
+he asked.</p>
+<p>“Well, I’m pretty well played out,” admitted Don.
+“But if you’d like us to go with you, anywhere,
+professor, we’ll gladly go.”</p>
+<p>“Oh, no,” replied the professor, hastily. “I just
+wanted to ask you if you’d care to take a stroll down
+near the water front. There are some very quaint
+places down there, and I’d like to visit some of
+them. But I don’t want you boys to go out if you
+are tired.” He reached for his hat and went on:
+“I’m going down there for a stroll. I’ll be back
+shortly.”</p>
+<p>“If you want us—” began Jim, but the professor
+cut him short.</p>
+<p>“No, no, not at all. You boys stay here and I’ll
+wander a bit myself. See you later.”</p>
+<p>“Take care of yourself, professor,” called Don,
+as he went out.</p>
+<p>“I will, thanks. Don’t worry; I’ll be right back.”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_32">32</div>
+<p>Once on the street the professor struck off for
+the water front at a brisk pace. In the hotel room
+Jim looked inquiringly at Don.</p>
+<p>“Do you suppose it is alright for him to go?” he
+asked.</p>
+<p>“I guess so,” nodded Don. “He is pretty well able
+to take care of himself.”</p>
+<p>The city was wrapped in darkness when the professor
+began his wandering, a darkness which was
+broken by the bright lights on the business
+streets and the more feeble ones on the side streets.
+The professor headed for the wharves, where the
+masts of the medley of crafts could be seen rising
+above the low houses which fronted the bay. Down
+in this section the savant found some queer crooked
+streets, lined with rows of box-like houses and cheap
+eating places. Groups of men and women sat on
+the doorsteps and fire escapes, children whooped and
+played in the streets, and scraps of music, jarring
+one on the other, came from phonographs and
+radios. Sailors and business men walked back and
+forth in the narrow streets, and the professor found
+much to study.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_33">33</div>
+<p>He strode along the docks, examining with interest
+the multitude of ships there, ranging from huge
+ocean steamers to small private boats. Liners, tramp
+ships, battered steam boats, sailing vessels, schooners,
+yachts, sloops, catboats, yawls and power cruisers
+lay side by side with tugs and ferries. An army of
+stevedores worked under blazing arc lights loading
+and unloading, and the air vibrated with the rattle of
+machinery, the hoarse cries of the men, and the
+thump of boxes and crates. So deeply engrossed
+was the professor in the scenes which he was witnessing
+that he forgot the passage of time.</p>
+<p>He had wandered far down the shore line when
+he came at last to a street more narrow and crooked
+than the rest. It was in fact nothing more than an
+alley, flanked by tall seamen’s houses, with restaurants
+and pool parlors on the ground floors. The
+professor looked at a sign post and saw that it was
+named Mullys Slip.</p>
+<p>“Mullys Slip, eh?” thought the teacher. “This is
+the quaintest of them all. I think I’ll stroll up it.”</p>
+<p>Accordingly, he walked up the narrow sidewalk,
+looking with interest into the stores and eating
+houses as he passed by, listening to snatches of conversation
+as he passed groups who sat out taking
+advantage of the cool air. When he had walked to
+the end of the Slip he walked back, and seeing a
+well-lighted eating place near the dock, entered it
+and sat down at a round table. While he ordered a
+sandwich and coffee he looked around him.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_34">34</div>
+<p>It was a long, low room, the air of which was
+nearly obscured by tobacco smoke, half filled at the
+time with men who evidently came from the ships.
+Most of them were eating, the rest were smoking
+and talking, and a few slept, hanging over the tables.
+The professor ate his sandwich and sipped his coffee,
+content and easy in his mind, until, looking across
+from him into a narrow corner, he found the eyes of
+two men fixed upon him.</p>
+<p>One of the men was a powerful individual with
+a heavy, unhealthy looking face, whose eyes, set
+close together, looked slightly crossed. The other
+was tall and thin, with long and dangling arms. Both
+of them were dressed in rough black clothing, which
+gave no real hint as to what business they were
+engaged in. They might have been sailors or stevedores,
+and both showed unmistakable signs of hardy,
+adventurous lives. They had evidently been talking
+about the professor, for their eyes were bent on him
+with earnest scrutiny, and when they observed that
+he had seen them they hastily resumed their conversation.</p>
+<p>The professor paid no attention to them at first,
+but went on eating, looking around with keen eyes
+and mentally cataloguing the men in the place. But
+when he once more looked across at his neighbors
+they were bending the same intent look upon him.
+Vague doubt began to stir the mind of professor
+Scott.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_35">35</div>
+<p>“I don’t altogether like the looks of those fellows,”
+decided the professor, as he called a waiter and paid
+his small bill. “By the way they look at me I’d
+say they were talking about me. All in all, I’m in
+a pretty rough neighborhood, and perhaps the sooner
+I get out of it, the better.”</p>
+<p>He went out of the place at once, casting a single
+look back of him as he did so, and he was not made
+to feel any easier as he noted that they were following
+him with the same steady look. He was not
+greatly alarmed, for he did not carry much money
+with him, but feeling that he would be better off on
+a well-lighted thoroughfare, he made his way back
+along the dark street. It was now growing late and
+the lights were being extinguished. He found his
+road darker than it had been when he had followed
+it earlier in the evening, and so he hurried on, bent
+on reaching the business section.</p>
+<p>He had covered two blocks when he began to
+think that he was being followed. It was as much
+of a feeling as an actual fact, for each time he
+looked around he was unable to see anyone who
+looked as though he might be trailing him. He
+fancied once that he saw a shadow dart quickly
+into a doorway, but though he looked keenly in
+that direction he was unable to make sure.</p>
+<p>“Humph, I had better get back to the hotel,”
+mused the teacher. “I think I’m beginning to imagine
+things.”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_36">36</div>
+<p>On the block beyond a number of dark alleys
+opened from the houses, and the professor was compelled
+to pass them. Either the houses were deserted
+or there was no one up at the time, for he saw no
+one as he crossed the corner. Only far ahead of
+him, on the opposite side of the street, a battered old
+car was pulled up to the edge of an empty dock,
+and a man sat looking out over the water at a group
+of three-masted coal carriers.</p>
+<p>Just as the professor was passing a wide alley he
+thought he heard a step beside him. He turned his
+head quickly, and then gasped. Two shadows seemed
+to detach themselves from the passageway and bore
+down on him. Before he could utter any cry a
+powerful pair of arms was thrown around him and
+he was strained close to the body of a big man. At
+the same time, without loss of a moment, the second
+man dipped his hands into the professor’s trousers
+pockets and into his inside coat pocket.</p>
+<p>Taken completely by surprise the old teacher for
+a second did not offer any kind of resistance and
+when he did it was rather feeble, for his arms were
+pinned close to his sides, and he was fairly standing
+on his toes. But his feet were free, and he
+managed to kick the man who held him a smart blow
+in the shin. A low, growling curse was his reward,
+and a blow of considerable force followed, landing
+on his shoulder. By a sudden twist the professor
+squirmed from the arms of the man who was holding
+him, and strengthened by his indignation, which
+was kindling into hot wrath, the savant punched the
+second man full on the mouth.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_37">37</div>
+<p>The first man, who was none other than the narrow-eyed
+individual of the restaurant growled in his
+throat. “I’ll bust your head, you old windjammer!”
+he roared, and swung his fist at the professor. The
+blow, which landed on the teacher’s neck, felled him
+instantly to the sidewalk.</p>
+<p>“Grab him up,” ordered the second man, stooping
+over the professor, who was somewhat dazed. “We’ll
+dump him in the bay.”</p>
+<p>Both men leaned down to pick up the form of the
+professor when there was an interruption. The
+young man who had been sitting in the nondescript
+automobile had had his attention attracted by the
+beginning of the struggle, and unnoticed by any of
+the principals he had jumped out of the car and was
+now upon them. Although he did not know one
+from the other he could see that two were against
+one, and noting, under the faint light from a nearby
+lamp-post that the lone fighter was an elderly man,
+threw himself without hesitation upon the two wharf-men.
+His active fist jarred against the jaw of the
+heavyset man.</p>
+<p>“Take that, with the compliments of the lone
+star ranger!” he muttered. “Don’t know what it’s
+all about, but that’s my share.”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_38">38</div>
+<p>His blow infuriated the man, who drove at him
+with an angry roar, but the professor was scrambling
+to his feet, and the second man grasped his
+leader by the arm. He spoke to him in a low tone,
+and the two, with a slight hesitation, turned and
+fled up the alley. Convinced that pursuit would be
+useless, the young man turned to the professor.</p>
+<p>“Are you hurt, sir?” he asked, quickly.</p>
+<p>In the faint light the professor saw that he was a
+boy of twenty or thereabouts, tall and somewhat
+lanky, with red hair and a lean face, on which
+freckles had taken up a permanent home. The professor
+shook his head.</p>
+<p>“No, thanks to you. Those fellows were going
+to throw me into the water. Were you in that car?”</p>
+<p>“Yes,” grinned the boy. “That is my private
+chariot, called ‘Jumpiter,’ because of its habit of doing
+something very much like jumping! Have you
+been robbed?”</p>
+<p>The professor felt through his pockets and nodded.
+“Yes, a few dollars and a letter has been taken from
+me. I don’t care much about the money, but the
+letter was from my son Ned, and I valued that
+somewhat. I would like to thank you sincerely for
+your timely arrival.”</p>
+<p>“Don’t mention it,” begged the young man. “Let’s
+get out of here. I’ll drive you to wherever you
+want to go.”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_39">39</div>
+<p>When they entered the battered car the professor
+told the boy the name of the hotel at which he was
+staying and they rolled away. Then the teacher
+asked the name of his rescuer.</p>
+<p>“Mackson is my name,” replied the boy. “Terry
+Mackson, from Beverley, Maine.”</p>
+<p>“Why,” exclaimed the professor. “I come from
+Maine, too. I am a history teacher in Bridgewater!”</p>
+<p>“In Bridgewater!” cried Terry as they entered the
+business section. “Then you must know the Mercer
+brothers.”</p>
+<p>“Know them!” laughed the professor. “I have
+them here with me!”</p>
+<p>“Here, with you? Well, I’ll be jiggered! They
+are my very best chums!” said Terry. “Last summer
+I was in Bridgewater, sailing with them, and
+we go to Woodcrest together, in fact, we room
+together. What are they doing here?”</p>
+<p>“We are going down to Lower California to visit
+my son Ned, on his ranch, and make some scientific
+studies, and perhaps look up a treasure that Ned
+feels sure that he can find nearby. How did you
+come to be out here?”</p>
+<p>“I didn’t have a thing to do this summer,” explained
+Terry. “My mother and sister went to visit
+friends in New Hampshire, and so I decided to tour
+the country in my car. I’ve been out here for the
+last two days, and I was going to head for Mexico
+tomorrow.”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_40">40</div>
+<p>“How very strange that we should meet,” commented
+the professor. “You must step up and see
+the boys. They will be glad to see you.”</p>
+<p>“I won’t be a bit sorry to see them,” returned
+Terry, heartily. “They certainly will be surprised.”</p>
+<p>They drove on until they were almost at the hotel,
+and then Terry, who had been thinking deeply, suddenly
+began to chuckle. Then, as the professor looked
+inquiringly at him, the red-headed boy spoke.</p>
+<p>“Professor,” he said, “how would you like to
+help me in a little joke?”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_41">41</div>
+<h2 id="c5">CHAPTER V
+<br /><span class="small">THE PROWLER IN THE NIGHT</span></h2>
+<p>A few minutes later the professor entered the
+rooms which he and the two boys had engaged together
+alone. He found Don and Jim reading some
+magazines which the hotel management furnished.</p>
+<p>“Hello, professor,” greeted Don. “Safely back,
+eh?”</p>
+<p>“We were beginning to think that you had been
+lost,” smiled Jim, putting down his magazine.</p>
+<p>“I was not lost,” returned the professor. “But
+I have had a most extraordinary adventure.”</p>
+<p>“What was it?” they asked, in chorus.</p>
+<p>“I came across a very distressing thing,” the
+teacher continued. “I wonder if you boys will help
+me? Outside, on a lonely street, I met a young man
+wandering, and it appears that he has amnesia!”</p>
+<p>“Amnesia!” cried Don. “That means loss of
+memory, doesn’t it?”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_42">42</div>
+<p>“Yes,” answered the professor, seriously. “He
+could not remember who he was nor where he came
+from. I questioned him at length, and while he
+answers rationally enough, he simply cannot remember
+a thing past a week ago.”</p>
+<p>“That surely is tough,” murmured Don. “What
+did you want us to do?”</p>
+<p>“I have the young man outside here,” replied Professor
+Scott. “I wondered if you two would help
+me question him? If we ply him with questions we
+may be able to suggest something that will make
+him remember who he is and some details of his
+past life.”</p>
+<p>“We’ll be glad to help,” said Jim, heartily. “Where
+is he?”</p>
+<p>“I’ll bring him in,” replied the teacher, and he
+left the room.</p>
+<p>“That’s mighty hard luck,” commented Don. “I
+hope we can do something to help.”</p>
+<p>A moment later the professor returned, gently
+leading someone with him. “Come right in here,
+young man,” he said, loudly and gently. “There
+are only friends in here, so don’t be afraid.”</p>
+<p>“Thank you sir,” a voice replied. “Oh, if you can
+only do something for me!”</p>
+<p>Professor Scott appeared in the room, leading
+with him a dazed-looking young man with red hair
+and freckled face, at the sight of whom Don and
+Jim sprang to their feet with a cry. The boy looked
+at them dully and swallowed.</p>
+<p>“Terry Mackson!” they shouted.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_43">43</div>
+<p>“What!” cried the professor, in amazement, as he
+pushed the boy down into a large chair. “Do you
+know this boy?”</p>
+<p>“We certainly do!” Don shot out. “This is Terry
+Mackson, an old chum of ours. We room with him
+at school.”</p>
+<p>The professor looked down at Terry, who stared
+in puzzled wonder at Don. “That is very strange.
+He doesn’t appear to know you.”</p>
+<p>“Perhaps he has been hit on the head,” suggested
+Jim, coming forward.</p>
+<p>“This is fierce,” said Don, worry on his face.
+“Terry, don’t you know me?”</p>
+<p>“‘Shoot if you must this old gray head, but I
+don’t remember you, she said,’” was the unexpected
+reply, and the corners of his mouth, which had been
+quivering, expanded. The professor burst into a
+roar of laughter.</p>
+<p>The Mercer boys stood for a moment rooted to
+the spot, while Terry and the professor laughed in
+unrestrained glee. After the first moment of disgust
+their eyes narrowed and two determined chins were
+thrust forward.</p>
+<p>“Jim,” said Don, quietly. “Put out the light. I
+don’t want the world to witness the awful thing that
+is going to happen here!”</p>
+<p>“Put it out yourself!” retorted Jim. “I am due
+for a first class murder, and I’m late now!”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_44">44</div>
+<p>And with that the two brothers threw themselves
+in mock fury onto the body of their laughing friend
+and bore him to the floor, where they punched him
+soundly, finding their task an easy one, for the red-headed
+boy was weak from laughter. When they
+had tired themselves they jerked him up and pushed
+him into the chair, the professor enjoying it all
+hugely.</p>
+<p>“That was positively the most low trick I ever
+saw,” declared Don disgustedly.</p>
+<p>“I’d like to have a look at the brain that would
+think of such a thing,” chimed in Jim.</p>
+<p>“Oh, boy!” laughed Terry. “If you could ever
+have seen the kindly, anxious looks in your eyes
+as you bent over me to help restore my fleeting
+memory! My friends, I thank you! If ever I do
+lose my identity I shall request that I be taken to
+the Mercers, who will surely restore me!”</p>
+<p>“Oh, shut up!” said Don, beginning to smile. “We
+admit that we were completely sold that time. Where
+in the world did the professor find you?”</p>
+<p>“I didn’t find him,” put in the teacher. “Luckily,
+he found me.” And he related the events of the
+evening to them.</p>
+<p>“You aren’t hurt, I hope, professor?” asked Jim,
+anxiously.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_45">45</div>
+<p>“No, just bruised a bit. I would have been severely
+wet if it had not been for Terry’s timely intervention.
+It was while on the way over here in
+Terry’s—er—remarkable car that he proposed the
+trick that was played on you.”</p>
+<p>“I’m surprised you would go in for such a thing,
+professor,” said Don. “But you can be excused because
+you don’t know Terry. But in the future never
+do anything that he suggests. If you don’t get in
+trouble you will be sure to lose all respect for yourself,
+so I advise against it.”</p>
+<p>“Oh, I don’t know,” smiled the older man. “I
+enjoyed that little scene in which Terry lost his
+mind!”</p>
+<p>“The part we enjoyed,” returned Don, grimly,
+“was the thumping part.”</p>
+<p>“You say your letter was taken from you, professor?”
+asked Jim.</p>
+<p>“Yes, and I wanted that more than anything else.
+However, it won’t do anyone else any good, so I
+suppose it is not such a loss, after all.”</p>
+<p>For the next hour they talked and Terry related
+his experiences during his trip across the country.
+He spoke of going on down into Mexico, and the
+professor listened, his eyes fixed on the newcomer
+thoughtfully. At last he spoke up.</p>
+<p>“Terry,” he said. “Why don’t you come along
+with us?”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_46">46</div>
+<p>Terry grinned. “I was hoping you’d say just
+that,” he admitted, frankly. “I have no definite plan
+in mind, and I would certainly hate to miss any fun
+that Don and Jim are in. But on the other hand
+I wouldn’t want to put you out any.”</p>
+<p>“You wouldn’t,” said the professor, heartily. “Ned
+has plenty of room for all of us at his ranch. I’m
+really taking the boys along so that I won’t have
+to tramp all over the country looking for Ned’s
+treasure, and you can come along to help in that
+line.”</p>
+<p>After some talk it was agreed that Terry should
+store his car away until such time as they should
+want it again. It was late when he left them, agreeing
+to meet them on the following day and go to
+the steamer with them. The professor and the
+Mercers slept soundly that night and the next day
+were ready to begin their trip down the coast.</p>
+<p>Meeting Terry in the morning they all went down
+to the steamer, a small fruit carrier, and the captain
+consented to add one to the party. Although the
+steamer was not scheduled to start until evening the
+friends went aboard early in the afternoon and settled
+themselves in their cabin, a good sized room which
+was plain but clean. After that they wandered over
+the ship, keeping out of the way of the men who
+were storing crates, preparatory to their cruise southward
+to load fruit. The smell of different grades
+of fruit was a permanent part of the black steamer,
+and it was by no means unpleasant.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_47">47</div>
+<p>In the evening, just before sailing time, Don and
+Jim stood out on the deck, watching the men at
+work. The professor and Terry were in the cabin.
+Just before the gangplank was hauled in a heavyset
+man walked confidently aboard and spoke to the
+mate. The captain was nowhere about at the time.
+Although not particularly interested the boys noted
+that the man had a shifty, watchful look, and that
+his eyes were set close together. The mate appeared
+to know him and engaged him in conversation,
+talking in low tones and looking around sharply
+while doing so. At the end of their short conversation,
+during which both men looked at the two boys,
+the newcomer went forward and they saw no more
+of him.</p>
+<p>The steamer cast off and headed south, swinging
+out in a wide arc, and the voyage was on. Terry
+and the professor came on deck at the sound of the
+last whistle and together they watched the purple
+coast line fade from sight. Supper followed and
+they made a hearty meal of it, eating with the
+captain at a private table in sight of the main mess
+tables.</p>
+<p>The evening was spent in talking in the cabin and
+in pacing the deck. The night was clear and calm
+and the sky dotted with a myriad of stars, and the
+steady throbbing of the huge engines made almost
+the only sound as they ploughed through the blue
+waters of the Pacific. Quite early they turned in and
+soon fell into a deep sleep.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_48">48</div>
+<p>It was Terry who woke up with a sense that
+all was not right. He was a lighter sleeper than
+the others, and some slight noise had awakened
+him. He sat up in his bunk, peering across the
+room at a shadow which seemed out of place there.
+Thinking it might be one of his chums stirring he
+spoke.</p>
+<p>“Hello there! Who’s prowling around?”</p>
+<p>His words, spoken quietly, had an effect that astonished
+him. Someone moved out of the shadows
+and for a second into the faint light which streamed
+in through a port hole. Instantly Terry recognized
+one of the men who had attacked the professor on
+the previous night.</p>
+<p>The man ran to the door, jerked it open and
+darted along the narrow hallway that led to the
+companionway ladder. Terry swung his feet over
+the edge of his bunk.</p>
+<p>“All hands to repel boarders!” he yelled, and
+without waiting to put on shoes or clothing, dashed
+out of the door after the fleeing man.</p>
+<p>The others woke up instantly, to see Terry streaking
+down the hall. Terry ran rapidly up the ladder
+and saw the intruder slipping over the rail. The
+steamer was close into the shore, and without hesitation
+the man dropped over into the water and struck
+out for the shore, just as Terry gained the rail.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_49">49</div>
+<p>While he watched the man swimming for shore
+the others ran up, followed a moment later by the
+captain and the mate, a lean-jawed man with a
+hooked nose and wide mouth. To their excited inquiries
+Terry explained what had happened.</p>
+<p>“No use trying to catch him with a boat,” decided
+the captain, seeing that the man was almost to the
+shore. “What did he look like?”</p>
+<p>Terry described him, and the professor and the
+boys were astonished to find that it was one of the
+men who had attacked the professor on the previous
+night. The captain broke out in an exclamation.</p>
+<p>“Sackett!” he cried.</p>
+<p>“You know him?” asked the professor.</p>
+<p>“Squint Sackett is one of the worst bay bandits
+we have,” said the captain. “He is a noted river
+pirate, and the police would give a whole lot to lay
+hands on him. Mr. Abel, how did that man get on
+board?”</p>
+<p>“I don’t know, sir,” said the mate, promptly.</p>
+<p>“You don’t know?” asked Jim, in amazement.
+“Why you let him on board yourself. My brother
+and I saw you talking to him this afternoon, just before
+we sailed.”</p>
+<p>“It’s a lie,” shouted the mate, darting a bitter
+glance at him.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_50">50</div>
+<p>“Oh, no it isn’t,” said Don, coldly. “We saw you.
+After you and he talked this man Sackett went
+forward, and you didn’t make any effort to stop
+him.”</p>
+<p>“I’ve had my suspicious of you for sometime, Mr.
+Abel,” growled the captain, “and now I know you
+are crooked. You get off my ship! The first port
+we come to you sling your pack and get out. I
+can’t prove anything on you, but I won’t have any
+mate of mine having relations with a man like Squint
+Sackett. D’you understand?”</p>
+<p>“I’ll break these kids in two!” shouted the mate,
+advancing. But the captain, who was bigger than
+the mate, quickly barred the way, his heavy fists
+raised.</p>
+<p>“You touch these boys and I’ll bust you over the
+rail!” he roared. “Get down below and pack up.
+Tomorrow you’re clearing this ship. Now get!”</p>
+<p>Muttering angrily to himself the mate obeyed,
+and when he was gone the captain turned back to the
+party. “I’d advise you to look out for that mate,”
+he warned. “I’m glad you found out what you
+did. Did Sackett steal anything from you?”</p>
+<p>A hasty examination of the cabin revealed that
+Sackett had been in the act of going through the
+professor’s inside coat pocket at the time he was
+surprised by Terry, but nothing had been taken.
+Putting the whole affair down as an attempt at robbery
+the captain left them to themselves, assuring
+them that no further harm would come to them.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_51">51</div>
+<p>“We’ll have to keep our eyes open for this
+Sackett,” said Don, as they went back to their bunks.
+“For the life of me, I can’t see why he should take
+the trouble to come aboard and try to rob us. He
+must have a mistaken idea that there is a lot of
+money in this crowd.”</p>
+<p>“That may be it,” agreed the professor, somewhat
+doubtfully. “But it does seem strange that he
+should take such pains to follow us.”</p>
+<p>“Wonder how he knew we were on this particular
+boat?” mused Jim.</p>
+<p>“That’s not so hard,” Terry explained. “Perhaps
+he hangs around the docks and saw us come aboard
+today. But that mate must surely be one of the
+gang.”</p>
+<p>“No doubt of it,” said Don, yawning sleepily.
+“Well, he’s gone, and we probably won’t see anything
+of him again.”</p>
+<p>But if Don and the others could have even guessed
+at the plans which were at that moment being
+formulated in the evil brain of Squint Sackett they
+would have had much food for thought. They were
+destined to see him again, and not in the distant
+future.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_52">52</div>
+<h2 id="c6">CHAPTER VI
+<br /><span class="small">THE SCENE IN THE MOONLIGHT</span></h2>
+<p>The sail down the beautiful California coast was
+uneventful. The fruit steamer was a staunch old
+boat, though somewhat battered, and it kept its
+course steadily. After the boys and the professor
+had tired of exploring it from end to end and looking
+in on the huge engines which drove it with
+throbbing energy they spent most of their time on
+the deck watching the passing shore line, enjoying
+the warmth and brilliant sunshine. The nights,
+they found, were cold even in that particular time
+of the year, and they were not sorry to use
+blankets even in the shelter of their cabins. They
+became quite friendly with the captain, who told
+them stories of many exciting voyages and some
+unusual storms. Nothing further was seen of Sackett
+and the mate went sullenly ashore at the first port.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_53">53</div>
+<p>No storms broke the monotony of fair weather
+and quiet sailing, and when at last they entered
+Magdalena Bay and approached the settlements they
+were almost sorry to leave the fruit steamer. At
+ten o’clock one bright morning they climbed into the
+cutter and were pulled away to the shore, landing at
+length on the sandy soil of the small town of Quito.</p>
+<p>Ned’s ranch lay several miles inland, and the only
+means of travel was a lumbering wagon which went
+to the mines. Learning that this vehicle was to start
+out the following morning they hunted up the driver,
+a Mexican, and arranged to drive with him. A small
+hotel provided them with a place to put up over
+night and after a satisfying supper they wandered
+around the town, seeing the sights. The steamer had
+gone on its voyage after a brief stop.</p>
+<p>The population of the town was very small, and
+exceedingly sleepy. Terry remarked that they slept
+all day in order to recruit strength enough to play
+on guitars at night. The population was composed of
+Spaniards, Mexicans, and a few Americans, whose
+interest seemed to be chiefly centered in the inland
+mines, and a number of halfbreeds. Droves of dogs,
+whose seemingly endless variety astonished the boys,
+roamed the streets.</p>
+<p>“Gosh,” exclaimed Jim, as they came around a
+pack of them. “I used to like pups, but I don’t know
+as I do after seeing these. Guess I’ll look under my
+bed when we get back to the hotel and see if there
+are any there!”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_54">54</div>
+<p>Soft lights gleamed from most of the houses when
+evening came on, and the sound of guitars was to be
+heard on every street. There were no lights along
+the streets, but the night was warm and bright, and
+the Americans had no difficulty in walking around
+the town. Quite early they returned to their hotel
+and after drinking some cold orange drink, went to
+bed.</p>
+<p>Bright and early in the morning they were up, as
+they had been told that the mine wagon was to leave
+at six, and after a hearty breakfast went out and
+loaded their bags on the vehicle. The driver appeared
+shortly afterward, rolling a cigaret with
+amazing skill between two fingers. Terry eyed him
+in admiration.</p>
+<p>“By golly!” he muttered. “I don’t smoke and
+don’t know as I shall, but if I did I’d give a lot
+to be able to roll ’em like that! I couldn’t roll one
+that way with both hands.”</p>
+<p>Later on, when in the course of their journey the
+Spaniard yawned, Terry pretended to be enthusiastic.
+Without bothering to take the cigaret out of his
+mouth the driver yawned heartily, and the cigaret,
+clinging to his upper lip, simply hung suspended
+until he closed his lips again. Then he resumed
+smoking, the operation being none the worse for the
+act, and Terry again shook his head in envy.</p>
+<p>“Wonderful people!” he whispered to Don. “Too
+lazy to do anything at all! Wonder what happens
+to a cup of coffee when he yawns!”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_55">55</div>
+<p>“Probably he keeps right on pouring it down and
+doesn’t waste any time,” chuckled Jim. “Great labor
+savers, these people!”</p>
+<p>“I guess their hardest work is to keep from doing
+any work,” smiled Professor Scott.</p>
+<p>The wagon was a large open affair, with two long
+boards like benches on the side, and the boys and the
+teacher sat on the seats with their baggage at their
+feet. The driver sat slumped forward on the front
+seat, smoking, yawning and dozing by turns, muttering
+in broken exclamations sometimes to the horses
+and sometimes to himself. Although they tried to
+talk to him they received only weary shrugs of his
+narrow shoulders, and they soon gave it up and
+talked among themselves.</p>
+<p>The country through which they were passing led
+up in a gradual sweep from Magdalena Bay, and
+they soon drew out of sight of that broad sheet of
+blue water and plunged on into the more open
+country. The soil was somewhat sandy, with an almost
+tropical vegetation, and small brooks spread
+like silver ribbons toward the sea. As they continued
+to work further inland the country became more and
+more open, with rolling plains and afar off darker
+stretches marked the hills in which the mines were
+located.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_56">56</div>
+<p>“Ned’s place is off in that direction,” said the
+professor, pointing to the southwest. “He tells me
+that it is in a basin between two small ranges, so
+we’ll probably come across it all at once.”</p>
+<p>At noontime they halted in the shade of a spreading
+tree which was more of an overgrown bush, a
+species that the professor did not know, and in
+which he speedily became interested. The driver
+immediately sat in the shade and proceeded to eat
+his lunch from a black box which he had, paying not
+the slightest attention to them. The boys, wishing
+to make some coffee, cut some mesquite bushes which
+were nearby and kindled a small fire. Jim set the
+coffee to boil and they ate some sandwiches which
+they had been wise enough to bring with them.</p>
+<p>When the coffee was made Don took some to the
+Spaniard, who accepted it with a brief nod of his
+head. Terry poked Jim.</p>
+<p>“That means thank you,” he said. “Too much
+trouble to say it!”</p>
+<p>Immediately after the noon meal the driver toppled
+over silently and went to sleep, a movement
+that afforded Terry much amusement. On this particular
+occasion, however, the boys could not blame
+him very much. It was hot, so much so that they
+were glad to stretch out and nap themselves. At
+the end of an hour the driver got up suddenly, resumed
+his seat and clicked his tongue at the two
+horses. The wagon, with its crew, rumbled on.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_57">57</div>
+<p>It was five o’clock when they topped the final rise
+and looked down on the Scott ranch. As the wagon
+rolled down to the place they had a good opportunity
+to study it closely. There was the main ranch building,
+a single story affair, constructed of plain boards
+that showed up gray and sordid against the declining
+sun. Two large barns flanked the house and an
+inclosed field with some scattered patches of grass
+afforded a ground for a half dozen horses. In back
+of the ranch was another frame building, which they
+afterward found out was Ned’s laboratory, in which
+he tested metal from the mines.</p>
+<p>Ned Scott was at home when they arrived, in
+fact, he had seen the wagon top the rise, and came
+riding out to meet them. They saw him swing
+carelessly onto the back of a horse and dash up, and
+Jim, who was used to riding a cavalry horse at
+school, admired the grace and ease with which he
+did it. Then, having greeted his father enthusiastically,
+Ned Scott was introduced to the boys.</p>
+<p>He was a young man in his early thirties, broadly
+built, with black hair and eyes and a serious look.
+For some years he had lived in practically what was
+solitude, seeing a few white men from the mines
+and a good many halfbreeds and Mexicans. The
+sight of three boys somewhat near his own age was
+welcome, and he looked forward to some interesting
+days to come.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_58">58</div>
+<p>When greetings had been exchanged the young
+engineer led the way to the ranch, where the boys
+alighted from the mine wagon, and paid the driver.
+The man took the money unemotionally and drove
+off, having only exchanged a word in Spanish with
+Ned.</p>
+<p>“Well,” said Terry, as they watched him drive
+off. “That man is a treat!”</p>
+<p>“How is that?” asked Ned.</p>
+<p>“He is so calm,” replied Terry, solemnly. “And
+he is a splendid example. After seeing him I don’t
+think I’ll ever be fussed or excited over anything
+again!”</p>
+<p>Ned Scott led them into the ranch building, a
+rough but comfortable place, with a wide, hospitable
+living room, a big dining-room, kitchen and a number
+of small bedrooms, all on the one floor. There
+was a small loft above for storage purposes, but
+no real upper floor. After they had stowed their
+things away and had made themselves comfortable
+Ned took them around the ranch and showed them
+the place in detail.</p>
+<p>As his chief interest was centered in the mines
+he did not raise cattle, but he had one man to take
+care of his horses and generally help about the place.
+There was also an Indian cook, who was blackened
+by the sun and wind until his skin glowed with
+a dull color. Ned explained that the man who kept
+the horses and the barns was a mestizo.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_59">59</div>
+<p>“What is that?” asked Don.</p>
+<p>“A man of mixed Spanish and Indian blood,” explained
+Ned. “Sometimes he is very funny. The
+Spanish in him gets very dignified at times and he
+is almost stately, and at other times he is just plain
+Indian, not much of anything. However, he has
+a passion for the horses and he is faithful, and outside
+of the fact that I have to drive him to work in
+the barns he is all right. I call him Yappi.”</p>
+<p>Yappi was seen presently, a tall old man with curiously
+mixed white and black hair, a skin that was
+a mottled yellow, and dull black eyes. He bowed
+to them and passed on, apparently not at all curious.
+They inspected the barns and looked with considerable
+interest through Ned’s laboratory and the
+metals from the mines.</p>
+<p>Supper was well served by Spanci the cook, and
+in the evening they sat on the long low porch talking
+until it was time to turn in. After a good sleep they
+were up, taking a trip with Ned to the mines. He
+led them through the tunnels and explained the complete
+workings to them, showing how the silver and
+lead was mined. This took up most of the day
+and they were thoroughly tired when night came.</p>
+<p>Ned was not impressed by the loss of his letter.
+“Those fellows who attacked you have probably
+thrown it away,” he said. “I’ll write you another
+one sometime, dad!”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_60">60</div>
+<p>He asked the boys if they could ride and was delighted
+to find that they could. Jim, being a cavalry
+lieutenant at Woodcrest, was somewhat better
+at it than the others were, but they soon got accustomed
+to it. On the third day of their visit Ned
+proposed that they take a moonlight ride that night.</p>
+<p>“The moon, as you noticed last night, is beautiful
+just at this time, and there is a lot more fun riding in
+the coolness of the night than in the heat of the
+day,” he said. “I think you will thoroughly enjoy
+it.”</p>
+<p>After supper they mounted and rode out of the
+ranch grounds, the professor refusing to accompany
+them. It was a beautiful night, with a glowing moon
+and a sky splashed with stars and they rode for
+miles across the open country. The air was clear
+and cool, the mountains dark and mysterious near
+at hand, and the boys from Maine enjoyed every
+minute of it. As they were returning Ned spoke up:</p>
+<p>“When we get to the top of the next hill I’ll
+show you the ranch of my neighbor, Senorita Mercedes,”
+he said.</p>
+<p>His tone was casual, but the boys, remembering
+what the professor had said about Ned’s interest in
+the senorita, felt that he was himself interested in
+looking at the place where she lived. He had not
+mentioned her name since they had been there, and
+Terry did not know anything about her. Nor had
+they discussed the treasure as yet, thought the boys,
+but that would no doubt come soon.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_61">61</div>
+<p>They topped the rise and paused to rest the graceful,
+lively horses while Ned pointed to a small white
+ranch which gleamed brightly in the moonlight. The
+house itself was small, but the outlying barns were
+large, and Ned explained that the senorita was at
+present raising cattle.</p>
+<p>“Not many of them,” he went on. “Just enough
+to keep her alive and eating regularly. She has
+three ranchman and an overseer.”</p>
+<p>Near the ranch some trees and mesquite bushes
+grew and Don was looking toward this clump
+fixedly. He thought that he had detected some movement
+there but was not sure. Ned pulled the rein
+and turned his horse’s head.</p>
+<p>“Well, I guess we had better be getting back,”
+he said.</p>
+<p>“Wait a minute,” called Don, in a low voice.
+“There are two men coming out of that clump of
+trees near the ranch and creeping toward the house.”</p>
+<p>Ned spun around in his saddle and looked closely.
+Two men were crossing an open space toward the
+house, taking care to keep as much as possible in the
+shadows. Gaining the side of the house they crept
+to a window and one of them reached up and pushed
+it. Instantly it swung open.</p>
+<p>“Are those fellows her ranchmen?” asked Terry.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_62">62</div>
+<p>“I don’t think so,” said Ned. “That is the library
+window they just opened. By George, I think they’re
+going in that window!”</p>
+<p>“I suppose that’s what they are opening it for,”
+nodded Jim.</p>
+<p>Ned dug his heels into the flank of his horse.
+“Then come on,” he shouted, as the first man slipped
+through the window. “We’ve got to see what is
+going on in Senorita Mercedes’ ranch!”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_63">63</div>
+<h2 id="c7">CHAPTER VII
+<br /><span class="small">SACKETT’S RAID</span></h2>
+<p>They galloped down the long sloping hill rapidly,
+unobserved by the two men who were entering the
+Mercedes ranch. The second man had leaped lightly
+in the window and disappeared from sight. It was
+evident that they feared no interruptions for they
+did not even glance out and the party of boys arrived
+in the yard without having warned the men
+of their coming.</p>
+<p>But once in the yard the ring of the horses’ hoofs
+on the hard packed soil reached the ears of the men
+inside the house. Two heads appeared swiftly at
+the window, at the same time that a candle flickered
+upstairs. The men, seeing the party of boys, jumped
+from the window with one accord.</p>
+<p>“Sackett and Abel!” cried Don, as he jumped
+from his horse.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_64">64</div>
+<p>All the boys had dismounted, which was precisely
+the wrong thing to do, for the two men began to run
+swiftly for a small patch of trees and bushes which
+stood at the edge of the senorita’s property. Ned
+rushed forward and seized Sackett, who promptly
+felled him with a blow on the chin, while Abel kept
+on going and entered the grove several yards ahead
+of his pursuers. Sackett soon joined him, and before
+Terry, who was in the lead, could reach him, he had
+joined Abel, who was already on horseback with a
+second rein in his hand. Sackett tumbled into the saddle
+and the two men thundered away across the
+plains.</p>
+<p>“Shall we go after them?” shouted Jim, as the
+senorita appeared on an upper balcony.</p>
+<p>“No,” cried Ned. “They have too big a start,
+and I want to find out what they were doing here.”</p>
+<p>Somewhat reluctantly the boys turned away, while
+the two outlaws put greater distance between themselves
+and the ranch party. The senorita, recognizing
+Ned in the moonlight, hurried back to her room and
+soon appeared at the side door of the ranch house.</p>
+<p>“Senor Ned, what is it?” she called, and the boys
+were attracted by her soft and gentle voice.</p>
+<p>Ned and the boys walked to the steps, taking
+off their hats, and Ned spoke up. “We were riding
+by at a distance, senorita, and we paused to look
+down at your ranch. While we were looking these
+two men that just rode away broke in a side window
+and entered the house.”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_65">65</div>
+<p>Ned then went on to introduce his friends, to
+whom the senorita bowed with a stately grace. They
+were quite taken with her beauty and charm, her fine
+olive skin and her flashing black eyes. She drew
+their admiration, for she was not the least bit
+terror stricken by what had happened, but only
+thoughtful and puzzled.</p>
+<p>“In the library you say, Senor Ned?” she puzzled.
+“But why do you think they should want to go in
+my library? What is it that is in there?”</p>
+<p>She spoke remarkably good English, with only
+a slight accent. Ned shook his head.</p>
+<p>“Senorita, I do not know. May we inspect your
+library and see if anything is missing?”</p>
+<p>“Certainly. Do come right in, and welcome,”
+she replied, and led the way into the small library
+of the Mercedes ranch.</p>
+<p>It was a square room filled with books, in cases
+reaching to the ceiling. A single table was there,
+and two comfortable chairs. Upon examination the
+boys found that a few books, in a section which was
+filled with ancient, hand-written manuscripts, had
+been handled by the men.</p>
+<p>“It is evident that those fellows were about to
+steal some of your valuable manuscripts, senorita,”
+remarked Ned, after they had made an examination.</p>
+<p>“Yes,” nodded the girl. “But I wonder how those
+men knew that I had any books?”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_66">66</div>
+<p>“I’m very much afraid you are wrong in your
+ideas,” spoke up Don, who had been considering
+deeply. And Jim nodded, for his ideas were running
+along the same lines of those of his brother.</p>
+<p>“What do you mean, Don?” asked Ned, quickly.</p>
+<p>“You remember that your father was attacked
+in San Francisco by this man Sackett, who took
+away your letter to him? Well, that letter contained
+your ideas about the treasure and that ancient
+book which came from this library. Those men
+are taking that matter seriously, and they have been
+here tonight to try and find the other half of that
+Spanish manuscript and learn the exact location of
+the wreck!”</p>
+<p>“Ah, ha!” cried Senorita Mercedes sharply. “The
+senor is right!”</p>
+<p>“I certainly believe that you are!” cried Ned.
+“I had never thought of it all in that light, but
+that is surely the answer. Sackett is a freebooter
+who will turn his hand to anything that promises
+profit, and he has done as you say, taken that letter
+seriously. I wish it had never fallen into his hands.
+However, with all of his knowledge of the country,
+and I suppose he has quite a knowledge of the land,
+he doesn’t know where the treasure is, so we are
+safe on that point.”</p>
+<p>“Yes,” put in Terry. “But we’ll have to be on
+our guard from now on. There is no doubt that
+that gang will push the search with all vigor.”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_67">67</div>
+<p>“They seem to have faith in the story,” said Ned.
+“I have unlimited faith in it because I have seen
+the manuscript, but they are placing their faith in
+my letter to my father. There is only one weak
+spot in my claim of thought.”</p>
+<p>“What is that?” asked Jim.</p>
+<p>“That the treasure may have been found and removed
+since that book was written. The priest
+who wrote the book was going to raise a party to
+go back and recover the treasure, but whether he
+did or not is not known. He may have done so,
+in which case our efforts and plans are absolutely
+useless.”</p>
+<p>“Of course,” nodded Don. He turned to the
+senorita. “Senorita Mercedes, you do not know how
+that book ever came to be in your house, do you?”</p>
+<p>“No,” confessed the girl. “As far as I have
+knowledge, senor, it has quite always been here.
+But I can say this, which will perhaps aid you:
+before my family came here to dwell we lived in
+Mexico. You see what I mean?”</p>
+<p>“I do,” nodded Ned. “You mean that this priest
+may at one time have lodged at your house and
+have left his book there?”</p>
+<p>“He may have even died there, Senor Ned.”</p>
+<p>“That is very true. I lean to the belief that the
+treasure was never recovered. Well, there are two
+parties after it now, so we will have to be on our
+guard.”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_68">68</div>
+<p>Terry, who had walked to the window, spoke
+up. He had been examining the double windows,
+which opened like doors, with hinges on each side.</p>
+<p>“Do you keep your windows locked at night,
+senorita?” he asked.</p>
+<p>“Of a certainty, senor,” she replied.</p>
+<p>“I was just wondering,” said Terry, slowly. “Because
+these two fellows just reached up and pushed
+the window open.”</p>
+<p>“Impossible, Senor Mackson! You may see
+that there is a much thick bar across that window.”</p>
+<p>“Yes, so I notice. But all of the boys will tell
+you that they simply reached up and pushed the
+window open, and that they didn’t have a thing
+in their hands when they did it!”</p>
+<p>“That’s so,” exclaimed Ned, a sudden light breaking
+over him. “Senorita, where is Alaroze, your
+overseer? How is it that he has not appeared during
+all of the excitement? The rest of your men
+are outside; I can see them gathered in the courtyard.”</p>
+<p>“I do not know,” answered the senorita, “I shall
+call him at once.” She stepped to the door and
+clapped her small hands sharply.</p>
+<p>There was a slight pause and then a man entered
+the room quickly. He was small and chunky, with
+a brown face and shifty eyes. He was fully dressed
+in the nondescript outfit of a ranch foreman.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_69">69</div>
+<p>“Senor Alaroze, where have you been?” the senorita
+asked him in Spanish, which the boys understood
+slightly. They had studied the language in
+high school, all except Terry, and they could follow
+the conversation.</p>
+<p>“A thousand pardons, senorita, but I was
+awakened by the noise and hastened to dress,” the
+Mexican said, softly.</p>
+<p>“It took you much time, senor,” retorted the
+senorita, curtly. “Tell me, when you closed up did
+you lock this library window?”</p>
+<p>“Surely, senorita. I take pains to always carry
+out faithfully the tasks intrusted to me,” he replied,
+his tone becoming haughty.</p>
+<p>“The reason we ask you, Senor Alaroze,” said
+Ned, still in Spanish, “is because two rascals have
+just broken into the house and have searched this
+library. But the strange part is that they did not
+even have to break in. They simply reached up
+and pushed the window and it opened under their
+touch. That does not look as though they found the
+window barred, does it?”</p>
+<p>“I can only say that I dropped the bar across the
+window before I retired, senor,” replied the overseer,
+his lips moving uneasily. “Perhaps someone
+else——”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_70">70</div>
+<p>“Nonsense!” cried Ned, sharply. “The senorita
+is the only one who sleeps in the house. You and
+the ranchmen sleep in the bunkhouse. You do not
+think for a minute that Senorita Mercedes came
+down and took the bar from the window do you?”</p>
+<p>“I regret to say that I do not know what to
+think, senor,” returned the overseer, quietly enough.
+The other boys watched him closely, puzzled at his
+calm and speculating as to what thoughts might
+be in his mind.</p>
+<p>“Well, it is very strange,” remarked Ned, closing
+the window and dropping the bar in place. When
+he spoke there was a trace of gloom in his voice,
+especially when he addressed the overseer. “Be
+more careful in the future, Senor Alaroze. You
+alone have the keeping of Senorita Mercedes and
+her safety.”</p>
+<p>“I am worthy of the trust, senor,” retorted the
+overseer, his eyes narrowing.</p>
+<p>Ned looked at his watch. “We’ll have to be
+getting back, or dad will begin to be worried. I
+don’t think you will have any more trouble, senorita.
+If you do, send one of your men to me and I will
+come as quickly as possible.”</p>
+<p>The senorita murmured thanks and accompanied
+them to the courtyard, where the boys swung onto
+their mounts. The three ranchmen, seeing that all
+was well, went back to the bunkhouse, while the
+overseer, his face hidden in the shadow of the
+doorway, stood back of the senorita.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_71">71</div>
+<p>She bade them goodbye, thanking them once
+more. The boys quietly overlooked the fact that
+she held onto Ned’s hand for a moment longer than
+seemed actually necessary. They rode away, looking
+back more than once at the gleaming white ranch
+in the moonlight, until it was lost to sight.</p>
+<p>“I’m very much afraid I don’t trust that overseer,”
+said Don.</p>
+<p>“Well,” said Ned. “So far he has been very good
+in the management of the ranch. I wonder if he
+can be in league with that Sackett gang?”</p>
+<p>“Hard to tell,” said Terry. “I don’t like the
+thought of the senorita living alone with that fellow
+around, and not a woman for miles.”</p>
+<p>There was a pause, and then: “I don’t like it,
+either,” spoke Ned, frankly. “But she claims that
+she is not afraid. She goes armed all the time and
+is very determined to be a success at raising cattle
+and caring for herself. Pride, you know, is something
+that the Spanish are great for, and I’m afraid
+she has more than her share. However, sometime——”</p>
+<p>He did not finish his thought, but the boys
+thought that they knew what he had in mind. They
+arrived at the ranch in silence and relieved the
+professor’s anxiety.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_72">72</div>
+<h2 id="c8">CHAPTER VIII
+<br /><span class="small">THE SEARCH IS BEGUN</span></h2>
+<p>“According to this thing,” said Terry, with a
+grin, “if we find that treasure the dragon will eat
+us!”</p>
+<p>It was on the following day and the entire group
+was bent over the manuscript which had been written
+by the long dead priest. The book lay spread out
+on the library table before them, yellow and fragile,
+with corners which threatened to fall away to dust
+at their touch. Rotted cord held it together and
+had broken in so many places that the ancient book
+held together by a miracle.</p>
+<p>They had read together the thrilling story of the
+flight from the English barks, of the wreck in the
+lonely creek, and the description of the treasure up
+to the point where the missing pages spoiled the
+worthwhileness of the manuscript.</p>
+<p>“That galleon must have been pretty big,” Jim
+had said. “How big is an English bark?”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_73">73</div>
+<p>“A bark is a three-masted, square-rigged vessel.
+The mizzenmast is fore-and-aft rigged, if I remember
+my history correctly,” the professor replied.
+“There are still barks left in service, and you can
+see that they were of a fair size from the fact that
+they had three masts.”</p>
+<p>The statement regarding the dragon had drawn
+Terry’s attention. It was a solemn statement to the
+effect that if anyone who was not a subject of His
+Sovereign Majesty the King of Spain attempted to
+lay hands on the treasure the guardian dragon would
+utterly destroy them.</p>
+<p>“I wouldn’t pay much attention to that,” smiled
+the professor. “In the first place, the Spaniards
+stole it from the Indians, and it never did belong to
+His Sovereign Majesty. We won’t worry about the
+dragon until we have found the treasure.”</p>
+<p>They had planned to start out on the following
+day in an effort to find the river up which the
+galleon had sailed. The professor declined to accompany
+them.</p>
+<p>“You boys go ahead and do the hunting,” he
+said. “I’m a little too old to be riding around the
+country looking for gold. But when you find it
+I’ll help you dig it out.”</p>
+<p>“Well, if we don’t find it, we’ll have a good camping
+trip, anyway,” said Ned, who knew that his
+father did not place much stock in his ideas regarding
+the treasure.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_74">74</div>
+<p>It had been agreed that no long trip was to be
+arranged just yet. Ned planned to explore the coast
+for several miles to the south at present, and if that
+failed to show any signs of a river or the wreck to
+make preparations for a trip of several days. They
+were to be gone overnight this time and that was
+all.</p>
+<p>So on the following day they were ready to go.
+Each boy had a packet of provisions and his blanket
+strapped on the back of his saddle and a light automatic
+rifle in his hands. The boys had been
+taught to shoot with a fair degree of accuracy at
+Woodcrest School and so felt no fear of appearing
+backward in that respect in Ned Scott’s eyes. They
+all shook hands with the professor, who wished them
+luck, and then they rode away to the southward in
+the first step of their hunt for the Spanish treasure.</p>
+<p>The day was warm and clear, and before they
+had been many hours on the open plain they felt
+the heat keenly. The sun beat down directly on the
+flat, dry soil, and dancing waves of heat soon showed
+above the ground, as far as the eye could see. Ned
+would have turned to the distant mountains except
+that their search lay along the sea coast and they
+would gain nothing by seeking the coolness of the
+higher lands.</p>
+<p>“What mountains are those?” Don asked, pointing
+to the sweeping ranges.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_75">75</div>
+<p>“That central range which you see is the Sierra
+Gigantea,” explained Ned. “In some places it is
+three and four thousand feet above sea level. The
+high ranges are north and south, and on this southwestern
+side the rocks are granitic. There is plenty
+of sandstone on the other slope, and the range is
+full of volcanic dykes.”</p>
+<p>“Looks mighty cool up there,” said Terry, mopping
+his forehead.</p>
+<p>“It is. We have all kinds of weather in this
+country, from burning tropical heat and its characteristic
+vegetation to the icy cold of the peaks.”</p>
+<p>In the afternoon they halted under a friendly
+group of trees and ate a light lunch, stretching out
+to talk afterward for a brief time. The afternoon
+was even hotter than the morning, and while they
+did not feel like sleeping they did enjoy the rest
+under the trees. They resumed their journey after
+three o’clock, keeping the calm blue waters of the
+Pacific in sight all the while.</p>
+<p>Several creeks were found, but none of them were
+wide enough to have ever allowed the passage of
+a galleon, although they were forced to bear in
+mind the fact that the passage of centuries might
+have closed up small rivers or narrowed creeks.
+Sandstorms rapidly changed the topography of
+countries, they knew. They followed two large
+streams for several miles inland and then cut across
+country again to the sea.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_76">76</div>
+<p>When they stopped for their supper Ned said:
+“The fact is, we may be looking the wrong way.
+Perhaps we should have gone north instead of
+south. The directions in the manuscript were vague,
+much as though the priest himself did not know
+just where he was at the time. After all, this
+whole hunt is a matter of faith, and if we don’t
+ever find anything we’ll just put it all down as a
+good time and a summer vacation.”</p>
+<p>“Of course,” rejoined Don, heartily. “But I feel
+as you do, that the treasure was never found again.
+But aren’t you neglecting one very good clue?”</p>
+<p>“What is that?” asked Ned, quickly.</p>
+<p>“You recall that peculiar piece of wreckage that
+was picked up by the steam trawler? Well, the
+funny thing was that no other piece of the galleon
+to which it was a part could be found anywhere
+nearby. Don’t you feel that it was washed out of
+a nearby creek and settled in the mud in the place
+where the fishing boat found it?”</p>
+<p>“There was no creek anywhere near it,” Ned
+answered.</p>
+<p>“Perhaps not, but it could have come from quite
+some distance. Are we near the place where the
+piece of wreckage was found?”</p>
+<p>“It was found about fifty miles further up the
+coast,” Ned said.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_77">77</div>
+<p>“It is my opinion that somewhere near there the
+galleon ran up a river. Can we go there tomorrow?”</p>
+<p>“Well,” said Ned, slowly. “I think if we visit
+that spot we had better plan to make a much longer
+stay of it. We ought to spend several days in the
+vicinity, perhaps a week. Suppose we spend the
+night here, go home in the morning and outfit for
+an intensive hunt.”</p>
+<p>“That would be a good idea,” Jim thought.</p>
+<p>“I think we should,” argued Don. “You plan to
+run over every inch of the coast north and south,
+don’t you? Then I think we might as well outfit
+ourselves for a hard and active campaign.”</p>
+<p>The sun was now going down, turning the hills and
+distant mountains into things of rare beauty as the
+multitude of lights danced and gleamed along the
+crests of the mighty range. The boys cut enough
+wood to last them through the night, and sat around
+a glowing little fire, telling Ned of past adventures
+until they all were sleepy enough to go to bed.</p>
+<p>“By golly,” said Terry, as he rolled himself up
+in his blanket. “In the daytime you roast around
+here and at night you need a blanket. Very unreliable
+climate, I must say. Jim, will you kindly
+dust the snow off me when you arise in the morning!”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_78">78</div>
+<p>They were up early in the morning and ate a
+hearty breakfast, enjoying the glory of another perfect
+day. Ned calculated that they would strike the
+ranch again about noontime, and soon they were
+in the saddle once more, striking north along the
+sea coast. They had gone along the hard sand at
+a brisk trot for some ten miles when Jim stopped
+and pointed to a group of buildings back against
+a sandy cliff.</p>
+<p>“What is that place?” he asked.</p>
+<p>“That is a group of tannery buildings,” explained
+Ned as they jogged on toward it. “Years ago, in
+the days of the sailing ships, when California and
+Lower California were first opened up, hides were
+collected inland and dragged to that cliff, where
+they were thrown down below, still in a raw state.
+Then, while the ships went on up the coast, a picked
+crew of sailors remained here, curing the hides and
+storing them until the ship returned and picked them
+up.”</p>
+<p>“I remember reading about it in that fine old
+book, ‘Two Years Before the Mast,’” said Don.
+“I’m glad of the chance to see one of the tanneries.”</p>
+<p>When they arrived at the mouldering tannery
+they dismounted and went inside, examining with
+interest this last relic of an ancient business. The
+buildings were made of rough logs, hauled for many
+miles to the coast, and some scraps of ancient hides
+still clung to the storage racks. The vats were still
+there, stained with many colors, and a heavy smell
+was still noticeable indoors. Outside they found
+the framework of the stretching racks.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_79">79</div>
+<p>“That certainly is interesting,” commented Jim.
+“You must tell your father, Ned. Perhaps he’ll
+want to come and look at the place.”</p>
+<p>“We’ll tell him,” the young engineer nodded, as
+they resumed their journey.</p>
+<p>Ned’s calculations were correct, for it was just
+noontime when they arrived at his ranch. They
+rode down the incline toward the house, which
+looked deserted. Ned whistled but there was no
+response.</p>
+<p>“Maybe dad is still in bed,” he laughed, as he
+swung from his horse.</p>
+<p>But when they went into the house the professor
+was not to be found. Nor was the cook around.
+Ned hurried to the barns and looked for Yappi,
+but in vain. As he hurried back to the house Don
+called to him.</p>
+<p>“It’s all right, Ned,” Don said. “There is a
+note from him on the table. He has gone out looking
+for plant specimens.”</p>
+<p>Ned hastened into the room, relief on his brown
+face, and took up the note. It was a simple message,
+worded as Don had explained, but as Ned
+read it his brow darkened.</p>
+<p>“Look here,” he said, crisply. “Do you know
+what dad’s first name is?”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_80">80</div>
+<p>“I don’t,” answered Don, and Jim shook his head.
+Don pointed to the note. “I see he signed it ‘Duress
+Scott.’ I never heard of that name before.”</p>
+<p>“It isn’t a name,” was the startling answer. “Dad
+signed it that way to let us know that he signed it
+under duress, under compulsion! The cook and the
+overseer are both gone, evidently carried off by the
+same gang who captured dad!”</p>
+<p>“I’ll bet everything I’ve got that it is Sackett
+again!” groaned Jim. “What are we to do?”</p>
+<p>“Just as soon as we can tie up a little grub and
+fill up with plenty of ammunition we’ll start to run
+those fellows down,” said Ned, grimly. “I think
+it is high time that somebody put an end to Mr.
+Sackett and Company, and we’re going to do it!”</p>
+<p>“That’s the talk!” cried Terry. “War to the
+knife! Where is my gun?”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_81">81</div>
+<h2 id="c9">CHAPTER IX
+<br /><span class="small">THE RUINED CASTLE</span></h2>
+<p>The professor enjoyed his day of solitude. Long
+years of serious study and instructive reading had
+made him one of the men who prefer being alone
+to mixing with a noisy crowd. Not that the professor
+was the least bit snobbish or unsociable, but
+he loved the quietness of inner thought and the companionship
+of a book.</p>
+<p>After the boys had disappeared over the hill he
+returned to the living room and sat in a sunny
+window looking out over the rolling country which
+extended for miles back of Ned’s ranch, away to
+the purple mountains in the distance. A feeling of
+warm contentment came over the elderly man, for
+an hour or more he simply dreamed there, enjoying
+the comfort of Ned’s best armchair.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_82">82</div>
+<p>After that he read for a long time, until the cook
+announced that dinner was ready. He ate alone,
+well served by the silent Indian and then went back
+to smoke his pipe and dream in the window once
+more. When afternoon came on he imitated the actions
+of the cook and Yappi, who both went to
+sleep, the cook in a bunk off the kitchen and Yappi
+beside the barn, his battered hat over his eyes.
+The professor sought the dull colored sofa in the
+living room and slept until the sun began to go
+down.</p>
+<p>He awoke much refreshed and drank copiously,
+realizing for the first time in his long life just how
+good water could be. Another lone meal followed
+and he spent the evening with another book, sitting
+under the oil lamp until it was nearly time to
+go to bed. Then, enchanted with the fine moonlight,
+the professor went out on the front porch to
+smoke a final pipe before retiring.</p>
+<p>The whole landscape was flooded by the brilliant
+slice of moon which hung far over in the sky, and
+the professor drank in its beauty. The cook had
+finally cleared up everything in the kitchen and gone
+out to the small bunkhouse, to listen for a time to
+the guitar which Yappi was playing and then finally
+to coax the old mestizo into playing a game of cards
+with him, over which they droned half asleep, seriously
+intent. When Professor Scott had finished
+his pipe he knocked out the ashes, yawned and with
+a final look around, went to his room.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_83">83</div>
+<p>This was in the back of the long, low building,
+facing the plains and mountains. He opened the
+window and finding that there was enough light
+from the moon, extinguished the lamp which he
+had lighted and took off his necktie. His eyes
+wandered dreamily over the landscape. Then he
+suddenly stopped unbuttoning his collar, his eyes
+narrowed, and he became all attention.</p>
+<p>On the top of a sand dune a man was standing
+and looking toward the ranch. It was only for an
+instant and then the man disappeared, slipping down
+the other side noiselessly. He had on a cape and
+a sombrero, and the professor was puzzled. He
+wondered if Yappi or the cook had left the place,
+and after a moment of thought he went back to the
+front porch and looked around. There was no light
+in the bunkhouse now. But when he started to go
+out there he saw the cook walking toward the
+kitchen door and the ranchman coming out of the
+barn.</p>
+<p>His first impulse was to speak to Yappi, but thinking
+it useless to alarm the man he returned to the
+house and to his room. It was not either of the
+men whom he had seen, but some stranger who was
+carefully looking down on the ranch. It was possible
+that it was only some chance wayfarer who had
+topped the rise and was examining the ranch, but
+the professor knew that Sackett was in the neighborhood
+and that it would be well to keep his eyes
+open. For an hour he looked steadily out of the
+window, but he saw nothing more to alarm him,
+and at last, after making a tour through the house
+and locking every door and window, including the
+window in his bedroom, he went to bed and soon
+fell asleep.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_84">84</div>
+<p>When morning came he was awakened by the
+sound of the cook trying the back door, and he
+hastily opened it for the Indian. The cook answered
+his cheery morning greeting unemotionally. The
+Indian had never known Ned to lock the doors, and
+he wondered why the older man did it, but no sign
+of his thoughts appeared on his shiny dark face and
+he set about getting breakfast ready. The professor
+dressed and then sat down to his morning meal,
+after a hasty look around to see that all was well.</p>
+<p>Yappi had already attended to the horses when
+the professor went out to take a walk around the
+ranch, and the mestizo was busy in the barn. After
+enjoying the clear morning outside the professor
+went back to the house and once more resumed his
+reading, sitting in the window through which the
+sun came brightly. From where he was sitting he
+could see Yappi at work on a saddle, mending a
+flap on it, sitting on the low doorstep of the bunkhouse.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_85">85</div>
+<p>The professor had read for perhaps a half hour
+and was in the act of turning a page when he
+happened to look up and out at the old mestizo. The
+man had ceased his stitching and was looking back
+of the house, the saddle hanging loosely in his hand.
+And to the professor’s vast astonishment, he suddenly
+tossed the saddle over his shoulder and with
+the agility of a cat rolled himself without rising
+into the doorway of the bunkhouse.</p>
+<p>Struck with amazement at the man’s actions the
+teacher put down his book and got up, striding for
+the front door. But even before he reached it he
+heard the back door pushed open and he turned.
+His worst fears were realized when he found
+Sackett standing on the threshold, a rifle in his
+hand, and Abel just back of him. Both men were
+smiling in triumph, but keeping a wary eye on the
+house just the same.</p>
+<p>“Ah,” said Sackett, grinning broadly. “We
+didn’t know you was going out the front door,
+governor! Or maybe you was goin’ to let us in?”</p>
+<p>“What do you want here?” asked the professor,
+stiffly.</p>
+<p>Sackett looked all around. “We ain’t sure, yet.
+We want you, for one thing. Keep your gun on
+him, Abel. Where’s Manuel?”</p>
+<p>“Watching the front door,” growled the former
+mate.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_86">86</div>
+<p>The two men stepped into the house and the
+professor saw that he was trapped. He had no
+idea what the men wanted with him, although his
+heart sank a little he resolved to face them unflinchingly.
+Out of the corner of his eye he saw the cook
+glide out of the back door.</p>
+<p>“You two men get out of this house!” the professor
+snapped.</p>
+<p>Sackett laughed and walked boldly through the
+rooms, while Abel kept his rifle pointed in the professor’s
+direction. After he had looked through every
+room the leader came back.</p>
+<p>“Nobody else in the place, just like Manuel said,”
+he reported. He faced the old savant. “Where did
+those boys go to?”</p>
+<p>“Off on a camping trip,” answered the professor,
+calmly.</p>
+<p>“Sure they didn’t go looking for that treasure?”
+inquired the outlaw, thrusting his face close to Mr.
+Scott’s.</p>
+<p>“Do you mean to say that you believe that story?”
+sniffed the professor, scornfully.</p>
+<p>“I believe it, and so do you,” replied the chief.</p>
+<p>“A fairy story,” said the professor, contemptuously.
+“My boy has long since found out that there
+isn’t anything to it.”</p>
+<p>“You and your boy know more about that treasure
+than you feel like telling,” retorted Sackett.
+“You’re coming with us and stay with us until you
+tell us what you do know.”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_87">87</div>
+<p>“I guess I’ll stay with you a long time,” said the
+professor, humorously. “Because I don’t know anything
+about it.”</p>
+<p>“Stow the talk and come on,” growled the mate.
+“Want them boys to come back again?”</p>
+<p>“Yes, we had better get moving,” agreed the
+leader of the gang. He walked to the desk and took
+out a piece of paper and a pen, which he dipped in
+the ink. “You write a note saying you have gone
+for a little exploring trip,” he directed the professor.</p>
+<p>“I won’t write a line!” said the professor, stubbornly.</p>
+<p>“You write quickly or I’ll punch your head!”
+growled the outlaw, raising his heavy fist.</p>
+<p>Convinced that he would gain nothing by arguing
+with these men the professor took the pen and
+wrote a short note. He hesitated a moment and
+then signed it “Duress Scott.”</p>
+<p>“Hey!” cried Sackett, suspiciously. “What’s that
+you’re putting?”</p>
+<p>“You want me to sign my name, don’t you?”
+asked the teacher, blandly.</p>
+<p>“That isn’t your name,” argued the man.</p>
+<p>“Oh, it isn’t, eh?” said the professor. “Very well,
+I’ll sign it just plain Dad, and then Ned will know
+that something is wrong.”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_88">88</div>
+<p>The leader thought a moment. “Never mind,” he
+growled. “That will do as it is. Now come along,
+and mind, no funny business, or it will be the worse
+for you.”</p>
+<p>The professor accompanied them out of the house,
+jealously guarded by the two men, and in the back
+yard Manuel, a short and stolid Mexican, was
+waiting for them with a horse from Ned’s own
+stock. In silence the professor mounted and the
+cavalcade moved out of the ranch grounds, the professor
+looking around for the cook and Yappi.
+Neither of them were in sight.</p>
+<p>“Miserable cowards!” muttered the professor, between
+his set teeth.</p>
+<p>They headed for the mountains, the Mexican in
+front and the professor riding just ahead of Sackett
+and Abel, who kept watchful eyes on him. They
+travelled in silence during the morning and stopped
+at noon to eat and rest, after which they pushed
+on, in a direction southwest of the mines. Manuel,
+it seemed, was the lookout and rode ahead to see
+to it that they did not unexpectedly run across some
+party from the mines or from other scattered
+ranches. They had passed to the north of the Senorita
+Mercedes ranch and there was no help from that
+quarter. And when at last they entered the trees
+at the foot of the central range they had not been
+seen by anyone.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_89">89</div>
+<p>There Manuel waited for the party and they rode
+on in a compact body, ascending the long slopes,
+skirting abrupt cliffs and rising high above sea level.
+The woods were of a semi-tropical nature, with
+thick trees and bright green leaves, surrounded by
+dense bushes of undergrowth. It was cool above
+the level of the plain and they made good time,
+coming out onto a flat plateau late in the afternoon.
+Before them was a wall of vegetation, and to the
+professor’s astonishment they rode straight to it,
+pushed their way through and came unexpectedly
+upon the ruins of a small castle.</p>
+<p>The building was small and now nothing more
+than a tumbled heap of ruins. Looking at it closely
+the professor was inclined to think that it had
+never been completed at all, but had been abandoned
+before the roof had been put on. Creepers grew
+in reckless profusion all over the stones and a bright
+green snake glided across a door sill with a slight
+hiss. The men sprang from their horses and the
+professor got down slowly, waiting the next move.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_90">90</div>
+<p>Guided by his captors he was led across the first
+floor of the place, evidently the effort of some
+Spanish nobleman to plant a small empire of his own
+in a new country, and ushered into a single room
+toward the back of the castle. This room had a
+ceiling to it and he could see at once that it was
+the headquarters of the gang. A stove, made out of
+bricks held together by clay, stood in one corner and
+several strings of red peppers, dried with heat and
+age, hung from strings over the stove. A rough
+table, two chairs and a bench, and a long box
+made up the furniture of the place. Besides the
+door, which was constructed of heavy wood, there
+was a single window in the place, which was barred,
+though it had no glass in it. The forest grew close
+to the back of the place.</p>
+<p>“Now look here,” commanded the leader, as soon
+as they were all in the room. “Are you going to
+talk, or do we have to starve it out of you?”</p>
+<p>“If you mean I am to tell you anything about that
+treasure, I guess you’ll have to starve me,” returned
+the professor, with spirit. “I tell you I don’t
+know a thing about it.”</p>
+<p>Sackett turned to Abel. “No use arguing with
+this man now, I can see that. Maybe when he gets
+hungry he’ll sing another tune. Put him in the
+dungeon.”</p>
+<p>Without wasting a word on the matter Abel
+drove the professor before him to a small door which
+opened in one side of the room. This door, when
+opened, disclosed a turning flight of narrow stairs,
+and down this the professor went, guided by the
+light from a lantern which Manuel had lighted and
+handed to the mate. After turning around and
+around they came suddenly to a narrow cell, in
+front of which swung a heavy wooden half door,
+the upper part of which was composed of iron bars.
+Abel opened the door by pulling it toward him and
+then pushed the professor inside.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_91">91</div>
+<p>“Stay there until you get hungry,” he said, grimly.
+“When you feel like talking just yell for the captain.”</p>
+<p>He closed the door with a sharp slam, snapped
+a padlock in place, and taking the light with him,
+remounted the stairs. The professor stood still,
+watching the light flash and twinkle on the white
+stone steps until it was gone and he was in the darkness
+alone.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_92">92</div>
+<h2 id="c10">CHAPTER X
+<br /><span class="small">THE ROPE IN THE DUNGEON</span></h2>
+<p>The light was gone at last and with it the professor’s
+hope. He was totally alone in the inky
+darkness, a prisoner in a cell whose size he was not
+certain of, down under the ruins of a castle in the
+woods. Far above him he could hear the slam of
+another door and the faint footsteps of the two
+men. Then there was complete silence and the teacher
+turned away from the barred door.</p>
+<p>“A truly ancient castle,” grumbled the professor.
+“The dungeon completed before the rest of the
+house!”</p>
+<p>He wondered, as he moved cautiously around if
+anyone had ever been a prisoner in this cold and
+wet-smelling cell. He found his way around without
+difficulty, running his hands along the wall and
+extending his feet carefully. There was not a single
+object in the place, and he felt that they had not
+expected to have him there, for there was no bed
+or chair in the place.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_93">93</div>
+<p>“Unless,” thought the savant, as he continued to
+feel his way around. “They wouldn’t be decent
+enough to give me a chair or bed, anyway. No use
+in expecting mercy from villains like these, I suppose.”</p>
+<p>The walls were perfectly smooth, composed of
+sandstone, as was the entire castle. Ned had told
+his father that the opposite slope of the mountain
+was almost wholly composed of this particular type
+of stone, and the original owner and builder had
+no doubt had it quarried and dragged to the spot,
+using Indians who had been taken captive by the
+Spaniards. Such was the professor’s belief and it
+was reasonable. Even in his anxiety to escape from
+these men he found himself taking an interest in
+the place and resolved that if these men were ever
+cleaned out of it he would explore it thoroughly.</p>
+<p>The floor was also of stone, wet and slippery,
+and for all the professor knew, the dwelling place
+of spiders and other crawling things. He hated to
+sit down on it, but there was no other place and
+he was very tired from his long ride and the excitement
+of it all, so he felt around the floor with
+shrinking hand and finally found a spot near the
+door which seemed to be drier than the rest of the
+floor. Pretty much exhausted the history professor
+sank to the floor and rested his back against the
+cold wall.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_94">94</div>
+<p>He was in some doubt as to what to do. He felt
+that Ned would catch on to his meaning when he read
+the word “duress” and the boys would surely make
+a vigorous effort to find him, but how long that
+would be or what would happen in the meantime he
+had no idea. The men upstairs were convinced that
+he knew something about the treasure, that he possessed
+some information which he was withholding,
+and they would do their best to get it out of
+him. They would try to starve him first, and in
+that fact he found a ray of hope, for it would take
+them several days to find out that he did not intend
+to say anything, and then they would adopt a more
+severe program. In that time Ned and the boys
+from Maine would have time to find him, and they
+would naturally look near the mountains. It was
+possible that they might think he had been carried
+off to sea, but surely the cook or Yappi would tell
+them the true facts of the case, provided they hadn’t
+been so frightened that they hadn’t even seen in
+which direction the cavalcade had gone.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_95">95</div>
+<p>But if the men decided to change their plans and
+try to pump information from him he would have
+a bigger problem on his hands. These men were
+by no means gentle, they were men who were willing
+and able to sweat hard to earn money and especially
+dishonest money, and they would not be
+likely to stop at anything cruel or inhuman. They
+were miles away from any source of help and the
+woods would effectually hide any story which might
+shock the outside world if it were known. Sackett
+and the mate must know that the boys would soon
+be on the trail, and he was inclined to think that
+they would resort before very long to methods other
+than peaceful.</p>
+<p>“If that is the case,” thought Professor Scott,
+jumping to his feet, “I’m just wasting time by sitting
+here. There seems to be no way of getting out
+of the place, but it may be that there is some flaw
+that will ultimately prove my biggest help.”</p>
+<p>So once more he began to feel his way along the
+wall and then stopped as a new thought came to
+him. A few days before Ned had given him a cigar
+lighter, a somewhat unreliable engine that lighted
+once in a great while, but which always gave off
+a bright flash when the little wheel was turned by
+the thumb. It was in his vest pocket and he reached
+for it. He had not had any matches with him and
+had secretly lamented the fact, but now his main
+difficulty was in a fair way to be overcome.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_96">96</div>
+<p>He took the little case from his pocket and spun
+the wheel. A sputtering little flash was the answer,
+which lighted up the cell for a split second and gave
+him his bearings. It was evident that the cigar
+lighter had no intentions whatsoever of lighting for
+any length of time, but it at least gave forth a flash
+that threw the heavy stones into a sort of bluish
+picture for an instant. Working it constantly the
+old gentleman moved around the dungeon, exploring
+the walls and floor, until something in one corner
+arrested his attention.</p>
+<p>There was a crevice there, running from the floor
+to the ceiling and in that crack was a moulded rope.
+The rope ended near the floor, and hung straight
+down from a round hole in the ceiling above him.
+He took hold of the rope, to find it wet and slippery
+but fairly strong. The men had evidently not seen
+it and he knew why. Anyone who stood in the
+room and threw the beams of a lantern around
+would cast the light in a confused way into the
+corners and so miss seeing the rope, which was deep
+in the cranny, and indeed the professor would not
+have seen it himself if he had not been standing
+right at the crevice. Probably the men had never
+gone over the walls inch by inch, and unless one
+did that the hidden rope would surely escape their
+eye. But now that he had the rope, what was he to
+do with it?</p>
+<p>He pulled on the rope and his answering came
+with a suddenness that startled him into stepping
+back hastily. Far above his head a bell pealed out
+sharply, shattering the silence of the mountain fastness
+with disconcerting vigor. Nervously he dropped
+the lighter and then picked it up, his brow wet with
+a nervous perspiration.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_97">97</div>
+<p>“Great heavens!” murmured the professor. “I
+must stop that, or I’ll have them down on me.”</p>
+<p>Upstairs there was a moment of silence and then
+a sudden commotion. A chair fell over and he heard
+running footsteps. Apparently the upper door was
+opened, for he could hear the words of the men.</p>
+<p>“What is ringing that bell?” he heard Sackett
+roar.</p>
+<p>“You got me, captain,” replied Abel, while rapid
+chattering in Mexican reached the ears of the professor.
+“That bell is just up there in the tower
+and nobody can ring it. There must be ghosts in
+this place, I tell you!”</p>
+<p>“Keep shut about your ghosts!” snarled the
+leader. “What’s that Mexican saying?”</p>
+<p>“He’s howling prayers because he’s scared,” the
+mate said.</p>
+<p>Understanding came over the professor all at
+once. One tall tower had struck his attention as
+they had approached the ruined castle and it was
+evident that this tower had in it a large bell, placed
+there when the castle was first built. The rope which
+the professor had pulled led directly to this bell, a
+circumstance of which the men upstairs knew
+nothing, and he found that fate had provided him
+with a weapon to work against them with telling
+force. Realizing in the long run what this would
+mean the teacher once more took hold of the rope.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_98">98</div>
+<p>“Somebody is ringing that bell,” said Sackett, his
+tone ugly and uncertain. “Ain’t there no way to get
+up in that tower and stop it?”</p>
+<p>“No,” answered Abel. “The tower has no steps
+and it’s no use anyway. I tell you a spirit is ringing
+that bell! I knew I hadn’t ought to have come
+in on a game like this.”</p>
+<p>“Oh, shut up,” growled Sackett. “It isn’t ringing
+anymore.”</p>
+<p>But at that moment the bell rang out, and this
+time the professor used it effectively. With long
+sweeping strokes he tolled it, so that the melancholy
+sounds sounded out and over the country for miles.
+It was a solemn and fearful sound, and the men
+above were thoroughly awed and frightened by it.</p>
+<p>“Go see if that professor has escaped from his
+cell,” ordered Sackett, as the professor paused in his
+labors. “He may be out and doing this somehow.”</p>
+<p>The professor thanked his lucky stars that he had
+overheard this bit of conversation and gave the bell
+a final toll. Then he quickly resumed his place near
+the door, holding onto the bars and peering anxiously
+out as the mate came down the stairs with the
+lantern.</p>
+<p>The man flashed the light full in the face of the
+professor, who blinked and threw up his hand to
+cover his eyes. At the same time he eagerly questioned
+the mate.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_99">99</div>
+<p>“Why is that bell ringing? What does it mean?
+Why is there a bell here?” he cried.</p>
+<p>The mate looked troubled but attempted to pass
+it off. “You mind your own business,” he said,
+in a surly tone. At the same time he pressed close
+to the door and flashed the light into the dungeon,
+looking intently at the corners. Without another
+word he went back up the winding stairs, and before
+he closed the door the professor heard him say:
+“The old man is all right. He hasn’t been out of
+the cell and he couldn’t ring the bell. I tell you——”</p>
+<p>That was as much as Professor Scott heard but
+it was enough to satisfy him. His best plan was
+now to mystify the men in the hope of terrifying
+them so that they would leave the place and take
+him somewhere else. Whether that would in the
+end be a better move or not he did not know, but
+it was at least better than waiting and wasting
+time, and it would serve to bring Ned and the boys
+to the spot. There was no doubt that the sound
+could be heard far from the mountain, and he had
+no doubt that it would be of great value to him.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_100">100</div>
+<p>Feeling that it would do him no good to keep on
+tolling the bell he gave up the task for the time
+being, planning to ring it wildly in the very middle
+of the night. The men would no doubt be asleep
+and he could ring it out in such a way as to bring
+them to their feet with fast beating hearts, convinced
+that the place was haunted by a spirit that
+rang the bell. If they persisted in staying even after
+that he would keep ringing the bell at intervals,
+taking care not to break the rope, which, fortunately
+for him had originally been tarred and so was preserved.</p>
+<p>With that thought in mind the professor pulled
+his coat more closely around him, curled himself
+up on the hard floor and went to sleep. His sleep
+was fitful and restless, and after two hours of it
+he had the impression that something nearby was
+scratching. Awakening at last he sat up, wide
+awake in an instant, to find that the steady scratching
+sound was no dream, but an actual fact, and
+seemed to come from the wall beside him.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_101">101</div>
+<h2 id="c11">CHAPTER XI
+<br /><span class="small">THE UNDERGROUND PASSAGE</span></h2>
+<p>The scratching sound continued to come as the
+professor listened, and he got up and bent his head
+close to the wall. It sounded to him as though
+someone was scraping the rock wall on the other
+side of his cell, and he was puzzled over the circumstance.
+There was a measure of hope in the
+sound, perhaps the boys had arrived and were trying
+to break through to him. But as he continued
+to think it over he realized that it could not be so.
+The dungeon was deep in the earth and it would
+be impossible for them to get down on a level with
+his cell. The only other thing he could think of
+was that there was a prisoner in a cell next to his.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_102">102</div>
+<p>It might easily be possible that Sackett, in some
+of his other dishonest games, had taken someone
+else prisoner and the man was trying to break
+through to him. In that case it behooved the professor
+to try and help whoever was coming through
+the wall of his dungeon. He took the cigar lighter
+from his pocket, made it flash and then looked at
+his watch by its brief blue flame. It was now one
+o’clock in the morning.</p>
+<p>Continuing to make flashes the teacher watched
+the wall and after a time found the rock upon which
+the unknown man was working. It was a large
+block in the very center of the south wall, and under
+the soft blows of the man on the other side it was
+already slightly loose. The professor could see it
+move. He took out a knife which he had and began
+to pick at the edges on his side, chipping carefully
+and as noiselessly as possible. It was evident
+that the person on the other side knew that he was
+helping for the scraping stopped abruptly but after
+a moment it was resumed.</p>
+<p>They worked on in silence, the professor listening
+for sounds from upstairs, but none came. The men
+were evidently asleep or they had left the place altogether,
+for he heard no movement and he was
+not interrupted in his labors. He found that the
+soft and rotted material between the stones was easy
+to dislodge, and his mysterious helper was pushing
+as he worked, so that the huge stone was beginning
+to move toward the cell of the professor. Only a
+fraction of an inch at a time, but it was enough to
+give the teacher hope, and finally it was far enough
+out to allow him to get the tips of his fingers under
+the rough edge of the stone.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_103">103</div>
+<p>By working it back and forth the professor at
+length got it loose. It came out with a rush, nearly
+bending him double with the unexpected weight. At
+the same time a light flared in his eyes and he
+hastily deposited the stone on the floor of his dungeon.
+When this was completed he straightened up
+and confronted his companion.</p>
+<p>It was Yappi, the mestizo. He held a torch of
+pitch wood in his one hand and a keen knife in
+the other. He had evidently worked hard at the
+stone, for his hands were dirty and so was his
+mouth and forehead, showing that he had stopped
+more than once to wipe them with his dirty hands.
+The professor was glad to see the man but more
+than astonished at what he saw back of him. The
+ranchman was standing in a vaulted underground
+passage, which ran back a distance that the professor
+could not make out.</p>
+<p>“Yappi!” cried the professor, in a low voice.
+“How did you get here?”</p>
+<p>“I followed you, senor,” said the old man, simply.
+“It was somewhat hard work, for my feet are not
+so swift to run as they once were. But when I
+knew that they had carried you off to this castle I
+laughed inside, for I knew this castle very well.”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_104">104</div>
+<p>In one sense Yappi was a mystery. He was an
+ordinary mixture of Spanish and Indian, and yet
+not ordinary in other ways. He possessed a dignity
+and his English was perfect. Ned Scott could never
+learn where he got it. Except for rare periods when
+he became sulky or falsely sensitive he was always
+steady and reliable. The professor had greatly misjudged
+him when he had thought him a coward,
+and later on apologized, an apology which was very
+graciously accepted.</p>
+<p>“What is this underground passage?” whispered
+the professor eagerly, forgetting his situation in his
+interest.</p>
+<p>“It is as old as the castle, senor, and I have known
+of it since I was a child. Many times I have played
+around these ruins. But come, we waste time and
+must be going.”</p>
+<p>The opening that the removal of the stone had
+made was not a big one and the professor had a hard
+struggle to get out, in fact Yappi was compelled to
+haul him through bodily. Of a necessity the professor
+squirmed out and landed on his face, grumbling
+at the man who had made him resort to so
+clumsy a method of action. Once in the passage he
+looked around, finding that it was made of stone and
+arched overhead, the entire height being about seven
+feet. Consequently they were not compelled to bend
+over, and they hurried through the passage in comfort,
+the ranchman in the lead.</p>
+<p>“What was this passage ever made for?” the
+professor asked.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_105">105</div>
+<p>“I do not know, senor. It may be that once that
+room was not a dungeon, or it may be—but who
+knows? Only I happened to know of the passage
+and knew that they would put you in that cell, so
+I have been at work for some hours on the stone.”</p>
+<p>“I certainly appreciate your hard work, Yappi,”
+said the professor.</p>
+<p>The mestizo made no reply. The professor noted
+that the passage was sloping upward somewhat, and
+before long he felt cool fresh air on his cheek. Near
+the entrance Yappi extinguished the torch by grinding
+it under his heel and they proceeded in the darkness,
+until the mestizo stopped and grasped his arm,
+pointing silently ahead.</p>
+<p>The end of the passage was before them, and
+lounging there, a rifle in his hands, was the mate
+Abel. They could make out the lines of his body
+plainly as he stood near a mound, totally unconscious
+that he was within five feet of a secret tunnel. The
+professor could see that the mouth of the secret
+passage was screened in some dense bushes and that
+it curved right up from the ground. But in spite of
+all their brilliant work Abel suspected something,
+and for the time being at least they were halted.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_106">106</div>
+<p>They held a council of war right there, speaking
+in whispers. It was evident that the mate had heard
+something or had the feeling that all was not well,
+for he stood on his guard, the rifle held slightly
+forward. Yappi was for rushing him and fighting
+it out, but the professor opposed it firmly. The
+man was armed and Yappi was not, and the ranchman
+was old and none too strong. Beside all that,
+the professor had another thought.</p>
+<p>He asked the old man if he had heard the bell
+tolling and the mestizo replied that he had. Professor
+Scott then went on to tell him how it was
+done, and to propose that he steal back and ring the
+bell, thus puzzling the men and taking Abel away
+from his most inconvenient post. The mestizo gravely
+approved of his plan and together they retraced their
+steps until they came to the hole in the wall.</p>
+<p>Knowing where the bell rope was even in the
+darkness the professor insisted upon being the one
+to go back into the dungeon, so with Yappi’s help
+he once more pushed and puffed his way through
+the hole. He landed on the other side pretty well
+mussed up.</p>
+<p>“Confound these fellows,” he growled inwardly.
+“I’ve lost several pounds squirming in and out of
+these holes!”</p>
+<p>He had regained his feet and was tiptoeing toward
+the bell rope when a warning hiss from Yappi
+reached him. He turned toward the hole.</p>
+<p>“What is it, Yappi?” he whispered.</p>
+<p>“Come back! Light coming!”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_107">107</div>
+<p>Surely enough, at that moment a light flashed on
+the winding steps and began to descend. The professor
+made a wild dive for the hole and then stopped
+with a groan. It would take him several moments
+to worm his way back into the passage, and already
+it was too late for that. Sackett was coming down
+the stairs with the lantern, and he was now in plain
+sight around the last turn.</p>
+<p>For an instant the professor remained rooted to
+the spot as though paralyzed. The leader of the
+gang was approaching the door, holding the lantern
+before him, his eyes squinted more than usual as
+he tried to see into the cell. Yappi had disappeared
+somewhere, and the professor felt suddenly alone
+and miserable.</p>
+<p>Sackett looked in the dungeon and his eyes fell
+on the block which had been removed. With a
+snarling oath he saw the hole in the wall and turned
+red and angry eyes on the professor. But the old
+teacher had decided on his course of action.</p>
+<p>Without fully realizing why he did it the professor
+stepped to the bell rope and pulled it with all
+his strength. The bell in the tower pealed out with
+a terrific clash, sending the tocsin booming out over
+the mountain side. Sackett saw the move and a
+great light swept over him.</p>
+<p>“So!” he shouted, above the clanging of the bell.
+“You’re the one who is ringing that bell!”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_108">108</div>
+<p>Swinging the handle of the lantern over his arm
+he dived viciously into his pocket for the key to
+the padlock. As he did so there was the sound of
+running footsteps over his head and Abel’s voice
+reached them.</p>
+<p>“That bell is ringing again, Sackett!” the mate
+cried, his voice showing his alarm.</p>
+<p>“Yes, and here is the bird that is ringing it!”
+roared the leader. “Get down here right away,
+Abel! Where is Manuel?”</p>
+<p>“He ran away, scared to death,” replied the mate.</p>
+<p>“Get down here and help me choke this old one,”
+commanded Sackett, thrusting the key into the padlock.</p>
+<p>But Abel called down once more, and there was a
+new note in his voice. “Never mind him, Squint!
+Get up here as fast as you can! Here come a whole
+rescue party, with all them blasted kids in it!”</p>
+<p>The professor gave the bell one last pull of
+triumph and then let the rope go. Sackett hesitated
+for a moment, muttering savagely to himself and
+holding onto the padlock and key. Then he turned
+and ran up the steps, dashing the lantern against
+the wall in his hurry, causing the glass to break
+and go tinkling down the stone steps.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_109">109</div>
+<h2 id="c12">CHAPTER XII
+<br /><span class="small">THE TOLLING OF THE BELL</span></h2>
+<p>The four boys hastily armed themselves to go
+and find the professor. Ned packed some provisions
+in a knapsack and slung it behind his saddle, not
+knowing just how long they might be on their hunt.
+The other boys watered their horses and Ned’s and
+waited around for him to get ready.</p>
+<p>Just before leaving Ned made a final look around,
+greatly puzzled at the absence of Yappi and the
+cook. “Must have taken them prisoner, too,” was
+his conclusion, as he joined the others. It was a
+somewhat grim cavalcade that swung out of the
+ranch yard.</p>
+<p>There were two possibilities, the sea and the
+mountains. One guess was as good as the other,
+but Ned chose the mountains and they headed that
+way. They had gone but a scant mile when Don
+pulled up.</p>
+<p>“Who is this coming?” he asked, pointing to a
+lone figure which was running over a nearby hill.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_110">110</div>
+<p>“Looks like the cook,” said Ned. It was Spanci
+and he drew nearer, evidently recognizing them.
+When he came up he was slightly out of breath but
+able to talk.</p>
+<p>“Spanci, where have they taken my father?” asked
+Ned, in Spanish.</p>
+<p>“They have taken him to the mountains, senor,
+but do not fear, Yappi is with him, trailing them.”
+The cook then went on to tell of the raid and of
+Yappi’s stealthy trailing and his own effort. “I
+ran to the ranch of the Senorita Mercedes, senor,
+and she has sent her overseer and two men out to
+the mountain to aid your father.”</p>
+<p>Ned thanked the old Indian for his devotion and
+the cook went on back to the ranch, to await the
+turn of events. Ned was greatly relieved to hear
+that Yappi was on the trail, and he knew that the
+old mestizo would stick to it and help his father no
+matter what turned up. It was with a much more
+cheerful heart that the party rode on toward the
+mountains.</p>
+<p>“No doubt they will stop and hold dad somewhere
+for a day or two,” argued Ned. “We should
+run across them shortly, and if it is possible Yappi
+will leave some kind of a guiding sign.”</p>
+<p>“The best part of it is that we know now that
+they didn’t go toward the sea,” put in Terry and
+Ned nodded.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_111">111</div>
+<p>They stopped briefly late in the afternoon to eat
+and rest the horses and in the early evening reached
+the edge of the mountain range. Once within the
+shadows of the mighty trees they were at a loss as
+to how to go. Had the party gone north or south?
+It was a big decision to make, for if they proceeded
+far in one direction and found that they were wrong
+they would have to retrace and lose valuable time.
+Just as the last shadows of the day were stealing
+across the sky they stopped for a council of
+war.</p>
+<p>“There is nothing to indicate which way they
+would be likely to go,” said Jim.</p>
+<p>“Wouldn’t they be most likely to go south, to
+get away into a wilder country?” asked Terry.</p>
+<p>“Maybe,” said Ned. “But the northern part of the
+range is the wildest. So we can’t tell. They may
+have even gone right on over, to the waste of wilderness
+on the other side.”</p>
+<p>“Whichever way we guess we may be dead
+wrong,” murmured Don.</p>
+<p>“Yes, and we can’t afford to be wrong,” Ned
+answered. “Look here, we’ll have to split the party.”</p>
+<p>“Split the party?” echoed the others.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_112">112</div>
+<p>“Yes. Don and I will go south, and Jim and
+Terry north and over the top. In that way we
+should be able to cover a lot of territory. I propose
+that we make this spot our meeting place, and that
+we all assemble here at seven o’clock tomorrow
+morning to compare notes. Let’s have a signal of
+three shots. That will mean to either come back to
+the meeting place, or ride toward the shots.”</p>
+<p>“Better make it the signal to ride toward the
+shots,” advised Don. “We’ll repeat the shooting
+and keep it up until the other party joins us. But
+if one party picks up Professor Scott it had better
+ride back here with him and fire the shots from here,
+because we all know just where this place is and
+can find it easily.”</p>
+<p>“That’s right,” agreed Ned. “Of course, we are
+splitting our party and lessening our strength.”</p>
+<p>“I don’t see that we can help that,” Jim argued.
+“If we were looking for something that didn’t require
+every minute we could keep together and take
+our time. But there is no knowing what the outfit
+will do to the professor. Besides, two of us should
+be able to handle those fellows, even if there are
+three of them.”</p>
+<p>“We should be able to depend on a surprise attack,”
+said Terry.</p>
+<p>“Yes,” agreed Ned. “What is that?”</p>
+<p>The others looked at him questioningly. Ned
+listened intently. “I thought I heard the sound of
+a bell tolling,” he said.</p>
+<p>“Where would there be a bell around here?” asked
+Don.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_113">113</div>
+<p>“I don’t think that there is a bell nearer than the
+mines. I guess I must have imagined it, that is
+all. Well, it is growing dark. Shall we separate
+now?”</p>
+<p>“Guess we might as well,” the others agreed.</p>
+<p>With mutual goodbyes and agreeing to meet again
+at the grove in which they were at present stopped,
+the four boys split into two groups and went in opposite
+directions. Terry and Jim rode north and up
+the mountain, and Ned and Don began to make their
+way south, moving up the mountain on a gradual
+slant.</p>
+<p>“Funny about that bell,” Ned said, as they rode
+slowly forward. “I could have sworn to it that I
+heard a bell ringing.”</p>
+<p>“What kind of a bell?” asked Don.</p>
+<p>“Sounded like a church bell, and it seemed to be
+tolling. But I guess it was some other sounds that
+I mistook. Certainly there is no church anywhere
+around here.”</p>
+<p>“Doesn’t look as though there is,” grinned Don.</p>
+<p>The sun had now set on the other side of the giant
+range and they were in total darkness. Knowing
+that it would be useless to push on very rapidly during
+the night they planned to put up a temporary
+camp on some ridge and wait there until daylight
+came. That would give them a few hours to look
+around before returning to their meeting place to
+compare notes.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_114">114</div>
+<p>“Guess we might as well camp and eat,” Ned
+suggested, and they found a spot that was dry and
+sheltered, where they speedily kindled a small fire
+and made some coffee. Sandwiches went with it
+and then they settled down beside the fire, talking
+quietly and keeping both ears and eyes open for any
+strange sound. It was early when they turned in
+and slept soundly.</p>
+<p>How long they had been asleep was a matter of
+conjecture, but they were shocked into a state of
+wakefulness by the furious tolling of a bell. It was
+near at hand, and they leaped to their feet with
+rapidly beating hearts. Alone there on the mountain
+fastness the sound was awe-inspiring and unpleasantly
+thrilling, and both boys felt chills running up
+and down their backs. The bell which was ringing so
+mysteriously was not more than a hundred feet
+from them.</p>
+<p>“My goodness, what in the name of glory is that!”
+gasped Ned, as the horses moved restlessly back and
+forth.</p>
+<p>“Your bell,” cried Don, snatching up his rifle.
+“We were camped almost on top of it!”</p>
+<p>Ned secured his weapon. “Never mind the horses,
+let’s see what is up,” he shouted. They started on
+a run in the direction of the sound of the bell, breaking
+recklessly through the undergrowth. In less than
+a hundred yards they emerged into a clearing and
+came upon the ruins of a castle, in the tower of
+which the bell was tolling madly.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_115">115</div>
+<p>A man stood in a doorway, a faint light behind
+him. He had seen them coming and shouted something
+to someone within. The bell ceased to toll
+and the boys pressed on, straight for the figure in
+the doorway. It was joined by another and Ned
+raised a shout.</p>
+<p>“Sackett!” he cried. “I guess we’ll find dad now!”</p>
+<p>His answer was a shot from Sackett’s revolver,
+and they threw themselves flat on the ground, to
+send two high shots whistling through the narrow
+doorway. Had Sackett and Abel known that they
+were alone the two outlaws would not have run,
+but they were unable to make out anything accurate
+against the black trees and thought that a full party
+had arrived. The two men did not linger, but
+made their way out over the ruins of the first floor
+and escaped the boys hearing them take to their
+horses.</p>
+<p>“They didn’t take dad with them,” cried Ned,
+leaping to his feet. “He must be in the house yet.”</p>
+<p>They entered the castle, to find a candle in a
+bottle giving light to the single good room which
+remained of the ruins. Seeing the door in the side
+of the wall Ned and Don made for it, the former
+taking up the candle as they did so. They had no
+more fear of the bandits and they fairly ran down
+the stairs, to find Professor Scott waiting at the
+barred door.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_116">116</div>
+<p>“Dad!” cried Ned in delight. “So you are really
+here?”</p>
+<p>“Oh, yes, and I thought I’d be here for sometime,”
+smiled Mr. Scott. “You boys arrived just
+in time. How did you like my bell concert?”</p>
+<p>“If it hadn’t been for that we might never have
+found you,” said Ned. He broke the padlock with
+the butt of his gun, and then stepped hastily back.
+“What is that?”</p>
+<p>A dark figure was worming through the hole in
+the wall of the dungeon. “Don’t be afraid,” the
+professor said cheerfully. “It is Yappi, who is joining
+the party.”</p>
+<p>The padlock was broken off, the door opened and
+Ned and his father embraced warmly. He shook
+Don by the hand and after hasty explanations had
+been made they followed Yappi up the stairs. The
+mestizo had refused to accept any thanks and took
+the lead in getting them out of the place.</p>
+<p>They made a hasty search but found nothing of
+importance. The men had escaped on their mounts,
+and it was useless to think of following them. Yappi
+took them to the mouth of the underground passage
+and showed them how to drop down in it, and
+they walked along it back to the dungeon and then
+once more went back to the courtyard before the
+castle.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_117">117</div>
+<p>“The rascals either took my horse or loosed it,”
+said the professor. “I guess I’ll have to walk home.”</p>
+<p>“No, no, senor,” said Yappi, quietly. “I have
+provide for that. Two horses in yonder bush.”</p>
+<p>And he went to the thicket indicated and led out
+two horses. They praised his foresight lavishly but he
+was indifferent to their praises. Ned then proposed
+that they go back to the meeting place.</p>
+<p>Accordingly they mounted and went down the
+mountain to the place where they had left Terry
+and Jim. It was decided to wait until morning for
+the other two, rather than fire off their guns to attract
+them.</p>
+<p>“They should be here at seven in the morning,
+and it won’t be long before it is that time,” Don
+said. “So we might as well wait.”</p>
+<p>So they waited, sleeping by turns, waking at last
+to greet a fine warm day. Seven o’clock came and
+passed and no sign of the others was to be seen.
+When a half hour had passed they began to fire their
+guns at intervals, but there was nothing but silence
+after the echoes had broken in different places over
+the mountain sides.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_118">118</div>
+<p>Refusing to be worried over it they ate breakfast
+and again fired their guns, riding out from
+their camp for a few miles in either direction. But
+when ten o’clock in the morning came they once
+more assembled in the camp and faced the bitter
+facts.</p>
+<p>“Well,” said Ned, in despair. “Now those fellows
+are gone. They must have become lost.”</p>
+<p>“Either that,” said Don, gravely. “Or they have
+fallen into the hands of Sackett!”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_119">119</div>
+<h2 id="c13">CHAPTER XIII
+<br /><span class="small">A FORCED MARCH</span></h2>
+<p>Terry and Jim had made their way northward
+and up the mountain. It was growing dark and
+they wished to cover as much ground as possible
+before the night would make their task difficult.
+They planned to seek some high point and camp
+there, watching the mountain sides for a sign of a
+fire or light of any kind. With this in mind they
+pushed steadily on, winding up the sloping side of
+the range.</p>
+<p>When darkness finally came on they pitched camp,
+a process that consisted of very little else than getting
+off their horses and building a fire. There was
+a chill in the air which made them glad of the
+small fire, and they ate a hearty supper beside it,
+discussing the business at hand.</p>
+<p>“If we find that nothing has been discovered,”
+said Jim, “we’ll have to beat up the mountain in
+deadly earnest in the morning. We’re satisfied that
+they didn’t go toward the sea, but we must take care
+that they haven’t skipped out of these mountains.”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_120">120</div>
+<p>“Right you are,” agreed the red-headed boy, as
+he poured out coffee, “but there must be a million
+hiding places in these mountains, and we’ll have to
+draw mighty fine lines. I suppose there is no use
+of going any further tonight?”</p>
+<p>“I hardly think so,” rejoined Jim, thoughtfully.
+“We don’t know the country and we may run into
+some trouble. We are on a knoll here and should
+be able to see any light that would show on the
+mountain.”</p>
+<p>“Suppose someone should see our fire?” asked
+Terry, practically.</p>
+<p>“There isn’t much danger of that,” said Jim.
+“The fire is small and we are up pretty high. When
+we go to sleep the fire will die down and probably
+go out. We can comb a few miles of the woods
+before we go back to meet Don and Ned.”</p>
+<p>After the meal was over the boys cleaned up
+around their camp site and stood for some time on
+the crest of the rise looking down into the blackness
+of the forest below them. There was no sign of
+life in the dense trees and no light was to be seen.
+Jim and Terry once more seriously considered the
+possibility of making a night search and then finally
+decided against it.</p>
+<p>“I certainly am sleepy,” yawned Terry, as they
+made their way back to the fire.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_121">121</div>
+<p>“Well, as soon as we gather some wood we’ll
+turn in,” suggested Jim. “I don’t know that it is
+necessary to keep the fire going all night, but we
+will have wood at hand for the first thing in the
+morning so that we can build a fire without wasting
+any time.”</p>
+<p>With their knives and their hands the two boys
+gathered enough wood to last them for several hours
+and then gave a final look at the horses. Then
+each of them took his blanket from the pile of equipment,
+stacked his gun alongside, loosened shoes and
+neckties and rolled up in the blankets.</p>
+<p>“If either one of us wakes up he can put wood
+on the fire,” said Terry, as he settled himself in
+the blanket.</p>
+<p>“Yes, but don’t wake up purposely,” advised
+Jim.</p>
+<p>They went to sleep without any trouble, being
+pretty well tired from the day’s journey. The air
+was cool and fresh and they were healthy young
+men, so they slept soundly. Terry was perhaps the
+lighter sleeper of the two, and it was he who shook
+Jim into wakefulness after they had been asleep for
+a few hours.</p>
+<p>“What is up?” asked Jim, awaking swiftly, his
+brain working perfectly.</p>
+<p>“Listen and see if you don’t hear a bell ringing!”
+whispered Terry.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_122">122</div>
+<p>Jim listened, and in spite of himself he felt his
+flesh quiver. The mountain was dark, the wind fitful,
+and the fire was a dull red. From off in the
+distance the sound of a bell was heard, a bell that
+clashed and rang without rhythm. The sound was
+far away and very faint, and when the wind blew
+with a slight increase in force they lost the sound.</p>
+<p>“That’s funny,” murmured Jim, propped on his
+elbow.</p>
+<p>“What do you suppose it is?” whispered Terry.</p>
+<p>“I haven’t the least idea. I don’t know where
+there could be a bell around here. It might be
+possible that there is a village nearby and for some
+reason or other they are ringing the town bell.”</p>
+<p>“Maybe. Shall we go down, follow the sound,
+and see what it is?”</p>
+<p>“I don’t see why we should,” Jim argued. “It
+might simply be a wild goose chase. The sound is
+coming from the south, and maybe Ned and Don
+will investigate. I guess we had better stay where
+we are.”</p>
+<p>“I guess you are right,” Terry agreed, throwing
+some wood on the fire. “Back to sleep we go.”</p>
+<p>Jim followed Terry’s advice. The red-headed boy
+dozed and woke up, staring at the sky and moving
+restlessly. The sound of the bell had stopped and
+he closed his eyes and once more dozed off. He
+had slept lightly for perhaps an hour when he woke
+up, his senses alert.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_123">123</div>
+<p>There had been a sound near the camp. The
+horses were moving restlessly and Terry raised himself
+on his elbow and looked into the shadows. The
+fire had burned low again and he could not see
+far. He debated whether to wake Jim or not, and
+then decided not to.</p>
+<p>“Getting jumpy,” he thought. “I must go to
+sleep.”</p>
+<p>But at that moment two shadows moved quickly
+from the tall trees and toward the fire. With a
+warning shout to Jim, Terry rolled out of his blanket
+and reached for the nearby guns.</p>
+<p>“Leave your hands off them guns!” snarled
+Sackett, as Jim kicked his way clear of his coverings.</p>
+<p>Terry looked once at the two outlaws and the
+guns which they had in their hands and decided to
+give in. Jim scrambled to his feet and stood beside
+him, dismayed at the turn events had taken.</p>
+<p>“A couple of bad pennies turned up,” muttered
+Terry, inwardly angry at the new developments.</p>
+<p>“All those kids weren’t together,” said Abel, aside
+to Sackett.</p>
+<p>“I see they weren’t. Well, we’ll take these
+youngsters along,” replied the leader, taking their
+guns from the tree where they were leaning.</p>
+<p>“What do you want with us?” Jim demanded.</p>
+<p>“You’ll find out soon enough,” retorted Sackett.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_124">124</div>
+<p>“You meddling kids made us lose the old man so
+we’ll just take you along for a little ride.”</p>
+<p>“Ned and Don must have rescued the professor,”
+said Jim to Terry.</p>
+<p>“You never mind what happened!” growled Abel,
+in such a manner that they knew their guess was
+correct. “Get your horses and come on!”</p>
+<p>“Where are you taking us?” asked Terry.</p>
+<p>“Mind your own business,” snapped Sackett.
+“Gather up your junk and hurry up about it.”</p>
+<p>“I see,” nodded Terry. “I’m going somewhere
+and it isn’t any of my business where! And Jimmy,
+my boy, all this nice equipment that Ned gave us
+is just junk!”</p>
+<p>“Quit your talking,” commanded Abel. “We have
+no time to lose.”</p>
+<p>In silence the two boys gathered up the blankets
+and the camping kits, strapped them on the horse
+under the watchful eye of the mate, and then
+mounted. Sackett whistled and Manuel appeared,
+leading three horses. The outlaws sprang into the
+saddle and Abel took the lead, the other two hemming
+in the boys from the rear. Abel turned his
+horse’s head down the mountain and toward the
+sea.</p>
+<p>“Too doggone bad we didn’t keep a sharper lookout,”
+Terry grumbled.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_125">125</div>
+<p>Jim shrugged his shoulders. “Perhaps, but I
+don’t know. These fellows were running from Don
+and Ned, and their falling in on us was an accident.
+We’ll have to keep our eyes open and see if we can
+give them the slip.”</p>
+<p>The horses picked their way down the mountain
+expertly, and they had worked several miles to the
+southward before they rode out on the open plain.
+Daylight was now not far off, and they went on in
+silence, both parties keenly awake to the slightest
+movement of the other. When daylight did break
+over the plain they were miles from the mountain
+and almost to the sea. There had been no chance
+to make a break and Terry and Jim resigned themselves
+to their fate.</p>
+<p>No halt was made to eat, and the boys found that
+they were very hungry and somewhat tired. What
+little sleep they had had was only enough to refresh
+them sufficiently to keep going, and they would have
+liked to lay down and enjoy a full, untroubled sleep.
+But they knew that if they were ever to escape
+from Sackett and his men they must be on the
+alert every minute.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_126">126</div>
+<p>They rode steadily onward, the men apparently
+indifferent to the thought of breakfast and the boys
+grimly uncomplaining. Jim was more used to a
+horse than Terry and did not mind the ride, but
+the red-headed boy was growing restless. From
+time to time the men looked back at the distant
+mountains, but as they were now many miles below
+the vicinity of the ruined castle there was nothing
+to be feared from the other party. The sea was
+now very near and Jim thought he recognized the
+country.</p>
+<p>“If I’m not mistaken we rode over this country
+yesterday,” he said aside to Terry.</p>
+<p>Before them at a distance of less than a mile, was
+a high bluff, and when they rode to the edge of
+this bluff the boys saw a familiar sight. Directly
+below them was the tannery which they had stopped
+to inspect on the day before. It was at this point
+that the Mexican slipped out and took the lead,
+showing them a steep and winding path that ran
+down beside the cliff and led to the beach below.
+Down this the party made its way, the nimble horses
+bracing their feet expertly, and after some twenty
+minutes of steady descending they emerged at length
+onto the hard sand of the beach.</p>
+<p>Manuel still kept the lead, riding up to the tannery,
+and at one of the smaller sheds he alighted
+from his horse, an example which was followed by
+the others. The boys were not sorry to follow suit
+and when they had done so Manuel took the horses
+and lodged them out of sight in the main building.</p>
+<p>“Say,” demanded Terry. “Haven’t you fellows
+any stomachs? I’m starved!”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_127">127</div>
+<p>Sackett opened the door to the smaller building
+with a grin on his ugly face. “We’re all hungry,”
+he said. “Abel, cook up some grub.”</p>
+<p>“Not while them kids are here,” said the mate,
+promptly. “Let them do the cooking.”</p>
+<p>“I’m too hungry to say ‘no’ just now,” said Jim,
+promptly. “Somebody get me wood and I’ll make
+breakfast.”</p>
+<p>Abel brought wood while Manuel went up the
+bluff and disappeared. Sackett sat on a ledge near
+the door, keeping a watchful eye on the boys. Jim
+cooked an excellent breakfast and the men enjoyed
+it. Manuel had come back and reported briefly.</p>
+<p>“Ship’s coming in,” he said in Spanish, but the
+boys understood him.</p>
+<p>Just as the meal was over the Mexican looked
+out of the door and got up. “The boat is in,” he
+said to Sackett.</p>
+<p>The leader arose quickly and motioned to the
+boys. “Come on, you boys, we’re moving. Abel,
+bring up in the rear.”</p>
+<p>“Where are we going?” Jim asked.</p>
+<p>“You’ll find out when you get on board,” retorted
+Sackett, as he marched them out of the shack.</p>
+<p>“Evidently on a ship,” murmured Terry.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_128">128</div>
+<p>He was right. Off the shore a battered old
+schooner with two masts was tossing gently to and
+fro and near them on the beach a long boat was
+hauled up, with its crew of six waiting. The men
+touched their caps when Sackett approached.</p>
+<p>“Get in the boat,” ordered Sackett, and the boys
+climbed in, taking their places in the stern seats.
+The outlaws followed, all but Manuel, who stood
+on the shore.</p>
+<p>“Get the horses back to the hide-out,” Sackett
+said to the Mexican. “We’ll be back soon.” To
+the boat’s crew, who had taken their places at the
+oars he said, “Row us alongside.”</p>
+<p>The crew pulled with a will and the boat moved
+from the shore, out onto the blue waters of the
+Pacific. After a row of a half mile they ranged
+alongside of the schooner, which had the name
+<i>Galloway</i> painted on the stern. Jim and Terry were
+ordered up the side ladder, where they dropped over
+the rail to the deck. Sackett and Abel, followed by
+the crew, speedily joined them.</p>
+<p>“Put on sail,” ordered Sackett of the ship’s captain,
+as that officer approached. He turned to the
+boys, a grin of evil delight on his face. “You
+kids wanted to know where you are going, eh?
+Well, we’re taking you to Mexico, to keep you
+prisoners on a nice, deserted ranch until it suits us
+to let you go!”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_129">129</div>
+<h2 id="c14">CHAPTER XIV
+<br /><span class="small">HISTORY REPEATS</span></h2>
+<p>For a moment after Sackett made his startling
+statement the two boys could only stand and stare
+at him. At last Jim spoke up.</p>
+<p>“You are taking us to Mexico?” he cried.</p>
+<p>“Exactly!” mocked the outlaw. “We can’t afford
+to have you two boys hanging around while we are
+looking for that treasure. So we are going to put
+you in cold storage for a time!”</p>
+<p>“Mexico isn’t exactly cold storage,” murmured
+Terry. “Bum joker, this Sackett man!”</p>
+<p>“You’ll find out it ain’t a joke,” said Sackett, as
+the sails were run into place. “It’ll be a long time
+before you boys get home again.”</p>
+<p>“You’ll run into a lot of trouble over this,” Jim
+warned.</p>
+<p>“Trouble is something I’m used to,” Sackett
+grinned. He turned to the villainous-looking captain
+of the schooner. “Captain Jake Ryan, keep
+your eyes on these boys and put them ashore where
+I tell you. I’m going ashore at Peso myself, so I
+make you responsible for them.”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_130">130</div>
+<p>“You needn’t be afraid they’ll get away from
+me,” the captain growled, looking them over keenly.
+“They’re nothing but kids!”</p>
+<p>“Yes, but they’re pretty slippery ones,” warned
+Sackett. “Come down in the cabin with me.”</p>
+<p>The two men, followed by Abel, left the boys
+and walked off. Jim looked at Terry and the latter
+shrugged his shoulders.</p>
+<p>“Looks like we’re in for it now,” the red-headed
+boy remarked.</p>
+<p>“I’m afraid we are,” Jim replied, in a low voice.
+“But we must get away. If we are carried to
+Mexico there is no telling when we will ever get
+home again.”</p>
+<p>“True enough, but I don’t recommend starting
+anything with this crew,” said Terry.</p>
+<p>The crew was indeed a rough looking outfit, apparently
+picked up in many ports and composed of
+rascals of every sort. They wore no uniforms and
+were seemingly expert in their trade, by which sign
+the boys took it that they had spent most of their
+life on board sailing vessels. They represented different
+nationalities and were a hardy and bold set
+of men, who would not stop at any kind of trade
+so long as it promised them gain of some sort.</p>
+<p>“I’ll bet the police of many a town would like
+to see these fellows,” was Jim’s estimate of them.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_131">131</div>
+<p>The ship was rapidly leaving that portion of the
+coast where Jim and Terry had come aboard and
+was heading south. That meant that they intended
+to round off the tip of Lower California and run
+up the shore of Mexico, probably in one of the
+wildest portions of the tropical country. The boys
+looked once or twice over the side, but they knew
+it would be foolish to jump over, since they would
+be shot or overtaken by a boat before reaching the
+shore. There was nothing left for them to do,
+therefore, but to make the best of the situation.</p>
+<p>They wandered over the deck of the schooner,
+forgetting in their interest that they were captives.
+Jim and Terry had done enough sailing to know
+something about sailing ships, and this ancient
+schooner interested them greatly. It had evidently
+been in active service for years, for it was battered
+and beaten by many storms and its decks were worn
+deeply in spots. The vast expanse of sails overhead,
+close hauled in the wind, drew their eyes in admiration,
+even though the sails were dirty and
+patched. The crew worked busily around the rigging,
+coiling ropes and stowing loose equipment, paying
+no attention to the boys, much as though taking
+prisoners was an every-day affair with them. The
+boys noted that two of the men worked apart from
+the main crew and looked to be men of a better
+stamp than the rank and file.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_132">132</div>
+<p>After a short run down the coast a tiny village
+appeared on the coast and once opposite it Sackett
+and the mate appeared on deck. The town was
+that of Peso and the captain of the <i>Galloway</i>
+ordered the boat over the side. Sackett and Abel
+entered the boat and then looked up to where Jim
+and Terry leaned over the rail.</p>
+<p>“Goodbye, boys,” mocked the bay pirate. “If
+we run across the other members of your party
+we’ll give them your regards, shall we?”</p>
+<p>Jim only glowered, but Terry raised his slouched
+camping hat. “Why Mr. Sackett!” he exclaimed
+sweetly. “How very lovely of you! If I were only
+nearer to you I would kiss your sweet face for that
+kind thought!”</p>
+<p>The crew of the <i>Galloway</i> broke into broad
+grins and the captain chuckled. Sackett’s face grew
+red and he half rose from his seat in the long boat.
+But Abel pulled him down again.</p>
+<p>“Quit fooling with those kids and let’s go,” he
+said, and Sackett sat down, after saying something
+fiery through his set teeth. The sailors pulled on
+their oars and the long boat shot through the water
+to the shore. When the two men had been set on
+shore the boat returned, and the schooner continued
+on its way.</p>
+<p>Up to that time the air had been clear and the
+water untroubled, but a change gradually developed.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_133">133</div>
+<p>A slight haze sprang up over the water and the
+air became thicker. Little choppy waves began to
+form, and before long the schooner was beginning
+to rock with increasing force.</p>
+<p>In the bow there was a commotion. A lookout
+in the crow’s nest had called something down, and
+the captain came hurrying on deck. The boys soon
+discovered a large black schooner to the west of
+them, some four miles off, and the sight of it appeared
+to alarm the crew. Acting under orders
+from the captain they crowded on more sail and
+began to run before the wind. It was a move that
+was not particularly wise under the increasing
+strength of the rising wind, and the two boys were
+puzzled.</p>
+<p>“Terry,” said Jim, as he stood in the stern watching
+the schooner in the distance. “These fellows are
+running away from that ship!”</p>
+<p>Terry looked with increasing interest and found
+that Jim was right. The schooner behind them was
+also crowding on sail, heeling over in the wind but
+running toward them in a direct line. The crew of
+the <i>Galloway</i> was now fully on the alert and obeying
+the shouted orders of the skipper. The two
+men who had attracted the attention of the boys
+by their difference in looks compared to the rest
+of the motley crew, looked eagerly toward the oncoming
+schooner until they were literally driven to
+work by Captain Ryan.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_134">134</div>
+<p>As may be imagined the boys watched the chase
+with an interest that was painful. The outcome of
+it meant everything to them. They had no idea who
+could be on the pursuing schooner, but whoever it
+was would be sure to release them if they overhauled
+the <i>Galloway</i>. When the crew of the schooner
+ran out a small cannon Terry whistled in surprise.</p>
+<p>“This is no comedy,” he remarked. “These fellows
+mean business.”</p>
+<p>The sky to the south had turned an ominous black
+and the wind was now shrieking through the shrouds
+of the schooner. Cursing aloud Ryan ordered sail
+taken in, and the crew sprang aloft, running along
+the ropes in a way that took away the breath of the
+watching boys. The oncoming schooner was also
+forced to take in canvas but it did not give up the
+chase. The waves, an hour ago, so calm and peaceful,
+were now mountain high, raging and boiling
+along the sides of the laboring ship.</p>
+<p>“History repeats itself!” exclaimed Jim, suddenly.</p>
+<p>“What do you mean?” blinked Terry.</p>
+<p>“Why, it’s just like the story of the galleon! We
+are being pursued by an enemy and a storm is
+surely going to close over us! See the point?”</p>
+<p>“Yes, I do. Confound this storm, anyway! If
+it wasn’t for it I believe those fellows in back would
+overtake us!” cried Terry.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_135">135</div>
+<p>“I never saw a storm come up so rapidly,” said
+Jim.</p>
+<p>In that part of the Pacific storms rise with incredible
+swiftness and it was such a storm, half
+cyclonic, as now burst over the pursued and the
+pursuer. In a twinkling of an eye the ship to the
+rear vanished from sight as the <i>Galloway</i> staggered
+into a yawning trough. The boys had all
+they could do to hang on as the deck slanted under
+their feet, and they were soaked to the waist by
+the wash that flooded the deck. A single slashing
+flash of lightening flared in the sky.</p>
+<p>“Do you think we had better go below, so as not
+to be washed overboard?” shouted Terry above the
+whine of the wind.</p>
+<p>“Nothing doing!” roared Jim, his voice sounding
+like a whisper above the crash of the waves. “I
+wouldn’t miss this for anything!”</p>
+<p>So they hung on to the rear mast and the ropes,
+keenly alive to the picture of action which was going
+on before them. They could see the men busy
+at the sails, pulling ropes, furling, lashing fast and
+jumping as the skipper signalled his commands. They
+had been forgotten in the excitement of the storm,
+and so were free to watch what was going on.
+They knew that the pursuing schooner would never
+haul down on them now.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_136">136</div>
+<p>The captain was at the wheel helping the helmsman,
+and between the two of them they could
+scarcely control the wild plunging of the schooner.
+The boys watched with fascination as wave after
+wave reared up before the schooner, to curl and
+break over the bow and come thundering over the
+deck in a mad swirl. At such times they were wet
+to the waist but they did not mind that, so interested
+were they in the events of the moment. Their
+hands ached from holding onto ropes but they stuck
+to their perilous post.</p>
+<p>“They are running in too close to the shore!”
+shouted Terry in Jim’s ear.</p>
+<p>“They should know the coast well enough to do
+it,” Jim returned.</p>
+<p>He had scarcely spoken when there was a slight
+scraping and grinding sound and the men at the
+wheel spun the helm rapidly. The <i>Galloway</i> swung
+further away from the shore, listing dangerously
+as it did so. One of the crew ran down the companionway
+and reappeared soon afterward, making
+his way to the captain.</p>
+<p>“She scraped a ledge that time,” called Jim and
+Terry nodded.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_137">137</div>
+<p>It was now so black that the boys could scarcely
+see before them. The captain spoke rapidly with
+the man, who was the mate, and the officer quickly
+singled one or two men from the crew and then
+made his way over the bounding lurching deck to
+the boys. Placing his wet mouth near their ears he
+shouted: “Get on the pumps! We’re leaking!”</p>
+<p>Without loss of time the boys followed him
+across the deck to where the pumps were located.
+Two men had already seized the handle of one pump
+and were bending their backs to the task, pumping
+up and down with all their strength. At a signal
+from the mate the two boys took hold of the handle
+of a second pump and fell to the urgent task.</p>
+<p>A thick stream of water shot out of the end of
+the pump and they knew that the lower part of the
+schooner was filling rapidly with water. It seemed
+to them that there was no use in pumping, but they
+realized that it was their only chance. No life-boat
+could live in those seas and it was a case of keep
+the ship from going down under their feet under the
+added weight of the water that was pouring into
+the hold, where a seam had been opened up by the
+ledge over which they had scraped. So they worked
+with a will, moving the handle up and down, until
+their backs, totally unused to the work, ached with
+the tiring strain of it. A continual stream of water
+rushed from the mouth of the pump with every
+stroke.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_138">138</div>
+<p>They were soon gasping for breath and both of
+them longed for the moment when two other men
+would relieve them. The two on the other pump
+kept at it grimly, somewhat more used to the work,
+moving automatically, unmindful of the stinging
+waves that slapped them from each side. The
+schooner pitched and rolled and bucked, now on top
+of a wave and now sinking deep into a trough.</p>
+<p>To their unspeakable relief they saw two more
+men approach with the mate to take over their task.
+The captain had realized that they would not last
+long at the cruel task, and had sent relief. The men
+were coming toward them, were almost to them.</p>
+<p>There was a sharp grinding sound and the
+schooner crashed hard aground. Every man who was
+standing went over like a stick of wood. Down came
+the rigging in a tumbled, confused mass, the forward
+mast snapped off sharp, the bow seemed to
+crumple like paper. Terry and Jim were torn from
+the pump handle and hurled through the air, to land
+like playthings in a smother of foam and swirling
+water. All became black in an instant, there was a
+sucking sound and the schooner settled down in the
+water with a shudder.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_139">139</div>
+<h2 id="c15">CHAPTER XV
+<br /><span class="small">THE MOUNTAIN SAGE</span></h2>
+<p>Don’s grave statement to the effect that Jim and
+Terry might have fallen into the hands of Sackett
+was received with a gloomy degree of conviction by
+the others. They knew that the outlaws had fled
+somewhere across the mountains, and it was very
+likely that they had run across the trail of the two
+boys in their flight. The professor spoke up.</p>
+<p>“We must lose no time in following them,” he
+declared, with spirit.</p>
+<p>“The rest of us will follow them,” said Ned.
+“You had better go back to the ranch, dad.”</p>
+<p>“Why should I go back?” demanded the professor.</p>
+<p>“You must be tired. You had a long ride yesterday
+and didn’t sleep much last night. You and
+Yappi go back to the ranch and we’ll push on after
+Jim and Terry.”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_140">140</div>
+<p>“I’m going with you,” declared the professor,
+stoutly. “I’m no child! Don’t you think I have
+any interest in finding the boys and running this
+gang down? I would be mighty restless back on the
+ranch. So let’s start.”</p>
+<p>After some further discussion they struck off in
+the direction last taken by the missing boys and rode
+up the mountain, keeping a careful lookout as they
+did so. They spread out in fan fashion, keeping
+close enough together so as to call back and forth.
+It was sometime in the afternoon when Yappi called
+out and the others closed in and joined him.</p>
+<p>The mestizo was off his horse, standing close to
+the ashes of a fire which had evidently been out for
+some hours. They were all of the opinion that Terry
+and Jim had built the fire and had spent the night
+beside it.</p>
+<p>“The question is now where they went from here,”
+mused the professor.</p>
+<p>Ned was searching the nearby bushes and he set
+up a shout. “There were others here last night, too,”
+he announced.</p>
+<p>Upon inspection they found the bushes beaten
+down by the hoofs of horses, but at first Don was
+not convinced. “This is probably where they tied
+up their own horses,” he said.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_141">141</div>
+<p>“Other horse over here,” replied the mestizo,
+gravely.</p>
+<p>On the other side of the clearing they found the
+traces of other horses. There had been two parties,
+or else one spot marked the location of the missing
+boys’ horses and the other that of the second
+party. The professor was sure that Sackett and
+his men had come down on them in the night while
+they slept. And later all doubt was laid aside when
+Ned found a big foot print in the soft sand.</p>
+<p>“Neither Jim nor Terry made that,” he said, with
+conviction.</p>
+<p>The others agreed with him, and by careful tracing
+they found that the party had gone down the
+mountain toward the sea. They followed the trail
+for at least a half mile and then lost it on some
+rocky ground, but they were satisfied that they were
+on the right track.</p>
+<p>“They are heading for the sea,” Ned said. “Perhaps
+they have some kind of a boat down there.
+Well, we might as well get right on the trail.”</p>
+<p>“Looks like a bad storm coming up,” cried Don.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_142">142</div>
+<p>The sun had long since been lost in a slow gloom
+which had come in from the sea, and the air was
+hot and still. Heavy black clouds were rolling in
+from the south, and there was an almost ominous
+stillness in the air. Far away they heard the low
+rolling of thunder off at sea.</p>
+<p>“It may be a bad one,” admitted Ned, as he
+studied the sky. “We don’t have many storms in
+this region, but when we do get one it generally
+amounts to something. Well, we’ll push on until
+we have to stop.”</p>
+<p>They had gone perhaps a mile along the mountain,
+working down toward the sea, when the leaves of
+the trees began to stir with increasing force.
+Secretly, Ned was worried, for he knew the strength
+of some of the storms his country was subject to,
+and he would have welcomed some sort of shelter.
+Just as he was beginning to think it best that they
+find shelter in the lee of some big rock Yappi called
+to him in Spanish. The ranchman had sighted an
+Indian hut just before them in the woods.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_143">143</div>
+<p>They rode up to the place, to find a withered old
+Yuqui Indian sitting on a crude bench at his door.
+He was engaged at the task of weaving a basket,
+and he looked up unemotionally as they drew up
+before his door. The hut back of him was a simple
+round affair, made of rough wood held together
+with a clay filling, which showed between the logs.
+Two windows, neatly glassed with glass which had
+been procured in some town nearby, and a single
+door alone broke the monotonous expanse of rough
+wood. A single chimney protruded from the top of
+the hut.</p>
+<p>At a nod from Ned Yappi addressed the Indian
+in his native dialect, but it turned out that the
+Yuqui was very familiar with Spanish. Yappi told
+him that they wished shelter during the oncoming
+storm, and the old man, without showing pleasure
+or displeasure on his lined old face, replied that
+what he had they were welcome to. No sooner had
+he finished his statement than the rain began to
+descend in torrents.</p>
+<p>The white men slipped from their horses quickly,
+Yappi took the bridles and led the horses to the
+shelter of a nearby leanto which the Indian had,
+and the whole party entered the hut. The Indian
+slipped in before them and was heaping wood on
+the small fire which burned in his fireplace, and as
+the flames shot up they had time to look around the
+hut. It was an interesting place.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_144">144</div>
+<p>There was a woven mat on the floor, a bed in one
+corner, and a rough table and chair in the center of
+the room. On the wall was hung a splendid bow and
+a sheaf of arrows, several baskets such as the one
+which the Yuqui had been weaving, and an Indian
+headdress. That portion of the floor which was
+not covered with a mat was neatly carpeted with
+leaves. The fireplace was constructed of hard clay.
+The entire hut was neat and orderly.</p>
+<p>“The strangers are welcome,” said the Indian, as
+he sat beside the fire.</p>
+<p>Ned thanked him gravely and for a few moments
+nothing more was said. They sat and listened to
+the fury of the storm outside. The wind hissed
+and slapped against the windows and the sides of
+the hut, the wind moaned overhead and the sky had
+become inky black. Don was worried.</p>
+<p>“I hope Jim and Terry aren’t anywhere exposed
+in this storm,” he said.</p>
+<p>“I don’t think so,” Ned hastened to assure him.
+“Those fellows know the sign as well as we do, and
+they must have dug for shelter. The fellows are
+all right, and we’ll hit the trail as soon as we
+can.”</p>
+<p>The Indian was looking at them earnestly, and the
+professor, who could speak Spanish quite well, took
+it upon himself to tell him the circumstances. The
+old man listened intently and then nodded.</p>
+<p>“I am a sage,” he said proudly. “I tell you
+that you shall find them. Yengi is my name.”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_145">145</div>
+<p>The visitors were silent, not knowing how to
+take this abrupt declaration. Yappi talked rapidly
+with the sage and seemed impressed.</p>
+<p>“Yengi is a wise man,” he told Ned. “What he
+says is true. Long has he dwelt in these mountains,
+and his ancestors dwelt here before he did.”</p>
+<p>The Indian sage nodded and addressed the whole
+party. “He speaks truth. For many generations
+my people have lived in this land. But not here in
+this mountain. I live here alone. My people lived
+far to the south, on a broad plain, until the people
+in beautiful clothes came. Those were the Spanish.
+They drove some of our people into slavery and
+killed others, and because we were few in number
+we were compelled to flee to the mountains and
+hide like wild beasts. My fathers told me.”</p>
+<p>The fire had died down, the storm still beat outside,
+and the white men were silent as they listened
+to the simple but tragic story of the Indian sage. They
+knew that his tale was only too true, for they had
+read many times of such things, the professor being
+well versed in the history of the Spanish conquest
+of the southern part of America. It was a
+moving experience to hear it now from the lips of
+a descendent of the persecuted race that suffered so
+many centuries ago. Ned, the professor and Yappi
+understood perfectly what the sage was saying, and
+Don knew enough of Spanish to follow him without
+trouble.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_146">146</div>
+<p>The professor was smoking his pipe, so the sage
+reached into a niche beside the fireplace, took out a
+long crude Indian pipe and gravely lighted it. He
+smoked awhile in silence and then went on: “But
+my fathers had revenge.”</p>
+<p>No one said anything and he puffed once or twice
+and then went on: “The English were our saviors.
+They chased the Spanish from our coasts. But I
+spoke to you about the revenge that my fathers took.
+One day in the long ago there was a storm and a
+Spanish ship fled from the English and was wrecked
+somewhere on the coast. I do not know where, but
+the men from the ship came straggling past our
+hidden village in the fastness of the mountain. My
+fathers saw them and ambushed them, slaying all of
+them, allowing only a priest to go free. He had
+been kind to some Indians once and his life was
+spared. He had with him a book and he was led
+to the sea coast, where he took ship to Mexico and
+was never seen more.”</p>
+<p>Yengi looked up as there was a stir among his
+hearers, and he was astonished to see them regarding
+him eagerly. He took his pipe out of his mouth
+in astonishment.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_147">147</div>
+<p>“These men that your fathers killed came from a
+wrecked ship?” asked the professor eagerly.</p>
+<p>“Yes, so they told my fathers. Why does that
+excite you so?”</p>
+<p>Ned told the sage that they knew the story of
+the wrecked galleon and that there was supposed to
+be much treasure in the wrecked ship. The Indian
+was sure that the men must have come from that
+very ship, but beyond that he was not helpful.</p>
+<p>“I do not know where the ship could be,” he
+told them. “The men, with the exception of the
+priest with the book, were all killed. They never
+went back, but the priest may have returned for the
+gold.”</p>
+<p>“As long as the priest had a book, that must
+surely have been the crew,” said Don.</p>
+<p>But the professor shook his head. “The book
+which the priest had may have been his own Bible,
+or some other book. It couldn’t have been the
+written story of the wreck, for you must remember
+that it was written after the storm and wreck and
+after the men were killed.”</p>
+<p>“I see,” nodded Don, somewhat cast down. “But
+you have no doubt that it was the galleon’s crew,
+have you?”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_148">148</div>
+<p>“Oh, none at all,” returned the professor.
+“The story is too closely allied to the one we know
+to be at all doubtful. It seems to me that if we can
+get the Indian here to take us to the spot where
+the crew was killed that would be somewhere near
+where the galleon struck. At least, we would be in
+the immediate neighborhood, and not all at sea, as
+we are now.”</p>
+<p>“But how about losing time in the hunt for the
+boys?” suggested Ned.</p>
+<p>“We can get some idea of the location and then
+push on after the boys,” said the professor. He
+turned to the Yuqui and asked him if he would lead
+them to the spot where the men from the ship were
+killed.</p>
+<p>“I have seen the place,” nodded the Indian. “I
+will show it to you.”</p>
+<p>“If we find the treasure through your help we
+will give you a share of it,” promised Ned.</p>
+<p>The Indian waved his hand impatiently. “Gold
+is cursed,” he said, sternly. “Yengi has wisdom,
+which is more than gold. I wish none of it.”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_149">149</div>
+<p>The party was impatient to start out but when
+night came on the storm had abated but little and
+they accepted the Indian’s invitation to stay with
+him all night. They ate together and sat around
+the fire talking, the Indian telling them many more
+stories of his race in their glory, himself astonished
+at the learning of the professor. He found it hard
+to believe that the professor had learned so much
+from books.</p>
+<p>At last they lay down and wrapped themselves
+in their blankets, Don breathing a prayer for the
+safety of his brother and his chum before they
+fell asleep. It had been agreed that they would
+leave early in the morning to look at the spot where
+the old Indian village had stood and from there
+they would push on to the sea in the search for the
+missing boys. Yengi, who knew the country much
+better than even Yappi did, was to go with them and
+lend his valuable aid. With many varied conjectures
+in their minds as to what the morrow would bring
+forth the whole party soon became quiet in sleep,
+the professor very nearly exhausted by the events
+of the past two days.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_150">150</div>
+<h2 id="c16">CHAPTER XVI
+<br /><span class="small">THE LANDING PARTY</span></h2>
+<p>When the morning dawned the party was not
+slow to spring into action, but quick as they were
+their host was up before them. He was preparing
+breakfast at the fire and greeted them with quiet
+dignity. Before eating Ned and Don looked outside,
+to find a day somewhat better than the one
+before it had been, but still showing the effects of
+the storm. Sullen gray clouds passed overhead,
+impelled by the wind which was driving forward
+steadily, and the ground was still muddy from the
+rain which had fallen heavily. They were certain
+to escape the exhausting heat which had lately hindered
+them, and thankful for this circumstance the
+boys went in and enjoyed Yengi’s breakfast.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_151">151</div>
+<p>The horses were saddled and without loss of time
+the company set out. The Indian closed his door
+but did not lock it, saying that no one would be
+likely to enter his place during his absence. They
+struck off to the south, following the sage and
+Yappi, who rode well to the front.</p>
+<p>The horses found the going a little difficult, as
+the ground was slippery, and the men soaked their
+trouser legs as they scraped past bushes and small
+shrubs. This condition of affairs did not last long,
+for they soon rode down out of the mountains and
+reached the level plain. Here the going was much
+better and they went off at a brisk trot, heading for
+a furrowed section of uplands which they could see
+some miles before them.</p>
+<p>During the journey they kept a sharp look-out
+for their missing companions, but no sign was seen
+of any living being as they went on. One or two
+large jack-rabbits crossed their path and Yappi
+brought one down, stowing it in a bag behind his
+saddle for some future meal. The act was opportune,
+for they had now run out of provisions and would
+have to depend in the future on whatever they
+brought down with their guns.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_152">152</div>
+<p>Don was in a curious state of mind as they travelled
+on. He was anxious about Jim and Terry, and
+the thought that he might be going further away
+from them with each mile was not a pleasing one.
+But they had no definite clue as to the whereabouts
+of the others, and one direction was as good as another.
+All of them felt that they had made for the
+coast, but just where on the coast they had no idea.
+It was simply a matter of keeping going, and watching
+carefully for the slightest sign which would
+send them in the right direction.</p>
+<p>Before noon they arrived at the place where the
+old Indian village had been and where the Spanish
+crew, probably from the galleon, had been killed.
+The village had stood in a slight basin, hidden in a
+convenient roll of the sheltering foothills, and there
+was now but little to tell that there had ever been
+a village there. All trace of the huts which had
+once been there was lost, but several places in the
+hills, hollowed out of the volcanic dykes, showed
+that someone had once lived there. Some low mounds
+marked the burial places of the ancient Indians.</p>
+<p>The sage pointed to the south. “From that direction
+the men came,” he said, his dull eyes kindling
+as he thought of the glory of his former race. “The
+village in which my fathers lived was originally
+there, but they lived here in order to flee into the
+mountains when the Spaniards came. It was here
+that the crew of the great ship were killed, and
+afterward my people scattered, leaving a few of my
+race in the hills and the mountains.”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_153">153</div>
+<p>They looked around the spot with interest and
+discussed the possibilities. Some miles east of them
+lay the sea, and Ned argued that the creek up which
+the galleon had sailed could not be far off. He would
+have liked to have set out for it at once, but realizing
+that the task of finding the missing boys was of
+far greater importance he smothered his desire, resolved
+to return some day and strike off from that
+spot.</p>
+<p>“The Spaniards were evidently heading for the
+mountains at the time that they fell into the hands
+of the Indians,” the professor said.</p>
+<p>“Why should they head for the mountains?” Don
+asked. “Wouldn’t they have been more likely to
+have kept to the shore, in the hope of being picked
+up by another ship?”</p>
+<p>“I don’t think so,” replied the professor. “They
+may have intended to make their way over the
+mountains to Mexico, or they may have feared the
+Indians with good cause, for their cruelties made
+the Indians eager to lay hands on them. Probably
+they feared the very thing that did befall them.”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_154">154</div>
+<p>“Well, now that we have at least marked the
+portion of the country where the crew appeared, let’s
+get on,” suggested Ned. “In all my searching I
+fell short of this region by a good twenty-five miles,
+and this will help me get my bearings. Evidently
+the spot of the wreck is still some miles to the south,
+but I think we should be able to come across it when
+we have more leisure to look around.”</p>
+<p>“What is your thought?” inquired Professor
+Scott. “Shall we strike down to the coast?”</p>
+<p>“I think so,” nodded Ned. “Then we can beat
+up the coast toward the ranch, keeping our eyes open
+for the boys. Surely they didn’t go any further
+south than this.”</p>
+<p>“Possibly not,” Don put in. “We can’t tell, but
+I feel we should go to the shore and see if we can
+pick up anything there.”</p>
+<p>They now said goodbye to the sage, who did not
+feel inclined to go any further with them. He was
+used to solitude and did not care to mix in with
+their problems and adventures, and he refused any
+pay for his hospitality or information. He once
+more expressed his belief that they would be fortunate
+in their search and then gravely turned his
+horse’s head back to his mountains, seemingly no
+longer interested in what went on. With feelings
+of warmest gratitude for him the party from the
+ranch went on their journey toward the coast.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_155">155</div>
+<p>The coast was reached in the afternoon and they
+began to head north, watching both land and sea
+for any trace of the missing boys. Hunger at last
+caused them to halt while Yappi prepared and
+cooked the rabbit which he had killed, and the
+others enjoyed the meat of the little animal. As soon
+as this simple repast was completed they once more
+moved on.</p>
+<p>“What are we to do if we don’t find them on this
+trip?” asked Don.</p>
+<p>“We’ll have to go to San Diego, recruit a good-sized
+force and hunt Sackett from one end of Lower
+California to the other,” replied Ned, grimly. “And
+we may have to get the proper Mexican officials on
+the job, too. You see, it is possible that Sackett
+may have carried them off to Mexico, and if that
+is the case we’ll have a fine time locating them. But
+we’ll leave no stone unturned to do it, you may be
+sure.”</p>
+<p>“And in the meantime we’ll leave Yappi at the
+ranch in case any news of them should come there,”
+the professor suggested.</p>
+<p>Yappi was riding ahead and was just topping a
+small rise when they saw him slip from the back of
+his horse and lie flat on the ground. He motioned
+to them to dismount and they did so, wondering.
+Cautiously they moved up beside him and looked
+over the brow of the small hill into the vale below.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_156">156</div>
+<p>The sight that met their eyes astonished them.
+Off to their left was the sea, not now the calm Pacific,
+but a tumbling, boiling stretch of water, still showing
+the effects of the storm. An eighth of a mile off shore
+a schooner lay on its side, the black expanse of the
+hull showing above the water, a portion of the keel
+rising out of the waves. The ship had evidently run
+aground during the storm, for there was a gaping
+hole in the bow and the masts were snapped off
+short, the rigging strewing the deck and trailing into
+water. But it was the sight of several men in the
+hollow below which drew their greatest attention.</p>
+<p>The men were members of the crew of the
+schooner and they were at present gathered around a
+small fire. They had been wet and bedraggled and
+were gathered close to the fire as though their only
+concern was to get warm. Some of the crew had
+gathered wood and lay it piled high nearby. No one
+was keeping watch and the party on the hill top had
+not been seen.</p>
+<p>“Jim and Terry aren’t there,” whispered Don, in
+disappointment.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_157">157</div>
+<p>They were not, and Ned was about to advise that
+they pass on, when Yappi seized his arm and pointed
+to a spot some half mile down the shore, to the
+north of the men. To their astonishment they perceived
+another schooner, standing at anchor in a
+cove, and a boat was putting out from that schooner
+and making for the shore. The second schooner
+was in good condition and had apparently not suffered
+from the storm.</p>
+<p>“It looks to me as though those fellows were after
+the men below,” the professor said, in a low tone.</p>
+<p>They watched the boat from the schooner discharge
+its load of men, who immediately took to
+the shelter of a friendly hill and made their way
+silently toward the party which sat around the fire.
+The oncoming men were led by a tall old man with
+white hair, who seemed to have full authority, for
+the sailors, who were an orderly looking lot in
+comparison with the crew below, obeyed his every
+gesture. They crept nearer the unsuspecting men
+below until they were on a hilltop opposite from the
+ranch party.</p>
+<p>“Why,” murmured Ned. “I think we are going
+to witness a battle!”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_158">158</div>
+<p>Scarcely had he spoken than the old captain waved
+his hand and his band rushed down on the men
+who were seated around the fire. Their coming
+was totally unexpected and the crew from the
+wrecked schooner sprang to its feet in dismay. The
+men from the second schooner fell on them bodily
+and a free-for-all fight began, a fight that was short-lived,
+for the second crew were superior in number
+and moreover, was armed. After a few knock-downs
+the wretched crew was overcome and all
+neatly tied up by their attackers.</p>
+<p>“Well, I must say I don’t understand this,”
+said the professor. “I wonder which one of the
+parties is in the right?”</p>
+<p>“I don’t know,” answered Ned. “But we’ve got
+to go down and ask them if anything has been
+learned of Sackett or the boys. But I am not sure
+but what we are running our heads into some sort
+of a trap.”</p>
+<p>The mestizo had been following the events below
+with absorbed interest and had forgotten everything
+else. He turned to speak to the others. But
+instead of speaking at them he stared back of them,
+and then, with a motion like that of a cat, he made
+a quick dive for his rifle, which was laying beside
+him.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_159">159</div>
+<h2 id="c17">CHAPTER XVII
+<br /><span class="small">THE ESCAPE</span></h2>
+<p>It seemed to Jim that he was under tons of water
+and that everything around him was a roaring whirl
+of confusion. His lungs were filled with water
+and close to bursting when he finally gained a breath
+of fresh air after expelling the water from his
+lungs. He was still on the deck of the <i>Galloway</i>,
+crumpled up against the deckhouse and half buried
+in the wash which still swept across the deck.</p>
+<p>His first act was to stagger weakly to his feet
+and look for Terry. He was relieved to see the well
+known red-head emerge from behind some lashed-down
+canvas on the deck, and a moment later the
+boy was staggering toward him, furiously blinking
+his eyes. To their surprise they found that the
+deck of the schooner was tilted on a decided angle
+and that the starboard rail was well under water.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_160">160</div>
+<p>The schooner had run hard aground and had
+settled on its side. One or two of the crew had
+been swept over the side and lost, the whole thing
+having happened so quickly that no aid could be
+given them. The rest of the men were picking
+themselves up from the deck and looking dazedly
+around, uncertain as to the next move. Captain
+Ryan shouted orders which could be heard above
+the din and the men worked their way over the
+sloping deck to the large life boat which was hanging
+at the port side.</p>
+<p>Terry started to follow them but Jim grasped
+his arm, placing his mouth close to his ear. “Wait
+a minute,” he said. “Let them go!”</p>
+<p>“Aren’t you going with them?” asked Terry,
+astonished.</p>
+<p>Jim shook his head. “Let’s stay here. I don’t
+think this ship is going to sink, and we can make
+our escape. Let’s duck behind the wheelhouse.”</p>
+<p>Terry was a bit bewildered but he followed Jim’s
+lead in crouching out of sight. “Do you think it
+is safe?” he asked. “Those fellows are leaving the
+schooner, and they should know if it isn’t going to
+sink.”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_161">161</div>
+<p>“Those fellows are scared to death,” Jim said.
+“They have forgotten about us and the only thing
+they have in mind is to get to shore. I don’t think
+the ship will go under because it is too firmly
+grounded. We can give them time to get to the
+shore and when the storm lets up we can get ashore
+ourselves. Remember, if we don’t want to make a
+long trip to Mexico, we must get away from here.”</p>
+<p>“You are right there,” murmured Terry. “Did
+you get hurt any in the crack?”</p>
+<p>“Got a bruise on my shoulder, that’s all. Look,
+there goes the crew.”</p>
+<p>The crew had jumped into the life boat and had
+pushed it away from the schooner’s side. Captain
+Ryan gave one sweeping look around the wrecked
+ship as the boys hastily ducked from sight, and
+satisfied that they had been swept overboard and
+drowned, he gave the order to pull for shore. The
+men settled to it with a will, and before many
+minutes had passed the boys lost sight of them in
+the gloom which hung over the sea and blotted out
+the shore.</p>
+<p>Terry stood up and looked around. “Alone at
+last, as the song says. Wonder if we are the only
+ones on board?”</p>
+<p>“I think so,” Jim replied, looking rapidly around.
+“Is there any other boat aboard?”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_162">162</div>
+<p>A thorough search convinced them that there was
+no other boat on the wreck. They tried to get
+down into the hold to look around, but it was filled
+with water. The schooner would have sunk like
+a shot except that it had folded up on a rock and
+was held there. Jim noted that the rail was going
+deeper into the water with the passage of time.</p>
+<p>“We’ll have to get off in some manner,” he told
+his companion. “I think the ship is slowly turning
+over, at least it is going to settle completely on
+its side. But as to how to get off is the problem.”</p>
+<p>Terry peered off toward the shore, over the heaving
+water. “The blow has gone down considerably,”
+he said. “The shore isn’t far off, you can
+see it. Do you think you could make it by swimming?”</p>
+<p>“I think I could,” replied Jim, after considering.
+“How about you?”</p>
+<p>“I could if I had something to hang onto and
+get a breathing spell once in awhile,” Terry thought.</p>
+<p>“Well, we can settle that. We can lash a couple
+of spars together and use them for resting stations.
+Goodness knows that there are enough spars
+around.”</p>
+<p>They secured two large spars and roped them
+together firmly. Shedding all of their clothing except
+those absolutely necessary for use on shore they
+were about to leave the ship when Jim was struck
+with an idea.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_163">163</div>
+<p>“We can take along all of our clothes by tying
+them on the spars,” he said.</p>
+<p>They tied all of their clothes to the top of the
+spar and threw it into the foaming sea, which had
+abated in force considerably during the last twenty
+minutes. Realizing that the men would be on shore
+directly ahead of them and not wishing to fall into
+their clutches they decided to head for a point
+further down the shore, and with this plan in mind
+they dove off together, landing with a rush in the
+stinging salt water. When they bobbed up and
+shook the water out of their eyes they saw the spars
+a few feet before them. They struck out for the
+rude craft and each boy passed one arm over it,
+propelling with the other.</p>
+<p>In this manner the spars kept progress with them
+in their attempt to escape to the shore, and when
+they became tired, which was often in the long
+struggle, they hung onto the spars and rested. They
+knew better than to waste breath in idle talk, so no
+word was spoken during the fight for shore. Jim
+was a better swimmer than the red-headed boy, but
+Terry grimly stuck it out, and after a half hour
+battle they landed on the shore, almost exhausted.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_164">164</div>
+<p>Terry splashed his way up to the beach, collapsing
+in a heap on the wet sand, but Jim, blown as he
+was, had presence of mind enough to take the clothing
+off of the raft and look around them. The
+storm was blowing itself out and the sky growing
+lighter, but as there was no sight of the men nearby
+Jim soon lay down beside his companion and rested
+gratefully. They had drifted a mile or more down
+the shore in their swim and felt reasonably safe
+from capture.</p>
+<p>Jim was the first to sit up and he looked keenly
+around. They were in a lonely section of coast
+country, uninhabited and infinitely dreary. He
+wondered what the next best plan should be, and
+asked Terry. Both felt that it would be foolish to
+go back toward the ranch directly, and both agreed
+that it would be foolish to go south.</p>
+<p>“That means we push inland,” Terry nodded.</p>
+<p>“Yes, that is all that we can do. And we are
+in one fine shape to do that, I must say! No
+weapons, no matches, and not a thing to eat! If
+we don’t fall into somebody’s hands we’ll starve,”
+said Jim.</p>
+<p>“It does look tough from every angle,” Terry
+agreed. He got up and wrung the water out of
+his trousers and shirt. “I’m pretty tired, but I
+suppose we ought to get moving, eh?”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_165">165</div>
+<p>“I think so. At least we should get away from
+the coast. Maybe when we get inland we can find
+some place to put up for the night, some hollow or
+something. After a good night’s sleep we should
+be able to cover a lot of ground.”</p>
+<p>“Little Terry hasn’t been bad, but he has to go
+to bed without his supper!” the red-headed boy
+grimaced, as they started inland.</p>
+<p>They walked slowly, keeping a sharp lookout, but
+met no one in their journey. They meant to make
+a long half circle in their return, planning to avoid
+the party from the schooner and Sackett’s henchmen.
+There was also the possibility that they might
+run across their own party, who they felt was surely
+looking for them. But the present object was to
+find some protected shelter and hide away for the
+night.</p>
+<p>Evening was close upon them when Jim suddenly
+pulled Terry down behind a bush. He pointed
+to the right and whispered to his chum.</p>
+<p>“A man, over there!”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_166">166</div>
+<p>Terry looked, to see a lone traveler encamped in
+a small hollow some little distance from them. The
+man was seated beside a small fire, busily engaged
+in frying something in a small pan. His horse, a
+beautiful black animal, was grazing on the short
+grass nearby, and the man’s rifle stood close at
+hand. Terry turned to Jim with a satisfied air.</p>
+<p>“There’s my supper!” he announced, pointing to
+the pan in the man’s hand.</p>
+<p>“Don’t be too sure of that,” Jim warned. “We
+want to be mighty careful who we walk up to.”</p>
+<p>“Say, you don’t think every human being in this
+country belongs to Sackett’s gang, do you?” asked
+Terry.</p>
+<p>“I suppose not,” Jim gave in. “Shall we walk
+up and announce ourselves?”</p>
+<p>“We’ll walk up and reserve a table!” grinned
+Terry. “That pan excites me; let’s go!”</p>
+<p>They advanced toward the man, who did not see
+them coming until they were barely twenty yards
+from him. Then he looked up and they saw that he
+was a Mexican. He gave a slight start and reached
+for his gun, but allowed his fingers to slide from
+the stock as he continued to look at them. At the
+same time the boys recognized him.</p>
+<p>“It is Alaroze, the overseer of Senorita Mercedes
+ranch!” cried Jim, and Terry nodded.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_167">167</div>
+<p>Seeing that he was recognized the Mexican broke
+into a smile and welcomed them in Spanish. He
+was frankly puzzled at their strange and uncouth
+appearance, but he did not ask any questions. Jim,
+who could speak fair Spanish, told him that they
+had taken a trip down the coast in a ship and had
+been cast ashore, feeling that it would not be wise
+to tell too much. When the Mexican had heard
+their story he expressed himself as being deeply
+grieved and hastened to offer them food. He had
+some beans and bread and seemed to have a plentiful
+supply with him, so the boys were not averse
+to taking what he offered.</p>
+<p>They sat down and gratefully ate what he set
+before them. The overseer talked rapidly, smiling,
+rebuilding the fire and insisted upon cooking them
+more of his provisions. Once when he was out
+of earshot Terry spoke out of the corner of his
+mouth.</p>
+<p>“He isn’t a half-bad fellow, this Alaroze. I didn’t
+think I liked him at the ranch, but he surely is
+treating us royally now.”</p>
+<p>“He certainly is,” agreed Jim, heartily. “We’ll
+see to it that he never regrets it.”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_168">168</div>
+<p>Finally the Mexican sat down and ate with them
+and afterward smoked cigaret after cigaret as he
+talked with them. He did not seem to be inquisitive
+as to the whereabouts of the others, in fact, Jim
+was more curious than the foreman, for presently
+he asked him what he was doing so far away from
+the Mercedes ranch.</p>
+<p>“I am looking for stray cattle,” the overseer said.
+“Many of them have wandered away of late and I
+am looking for them.”</p>
+<p>It was growing dark now and they made a large
+fire, before which the boys dried their dripping
+clothes. The three companions agreed to head back
+for the ranch of the senorita on the following day
+and to go from there to the Scott ranch. Jim
+and Terry warmly thanked the overseer for his
+supper and hospitality, but the Mexican was effusively
+modest about it.</p>
+<p>Quite early the three of them turned in, the
+Mexican lingering for some little time after the
+boys. He sat beside the fire, still smoking his inexhaustible
+cigarets, looking out into the blackness
+of the night. He seemed to have no fear of anyone.
+The boys lay under the shelter of some sandy banks,
+for the Mexican had but one blanket, and just before
+they fell asleep they looked at the lone figure
+near the fire.</p>
+<p>“Lucky thing for us that we fell in with him,”
+Jim commented.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_169">169</div>
+<p>“Right you are,” Terry returned. “He certainly
+has been fine to us. I’m just about sorry I ever
+distrusted him.”</p>
+<p>“You can’t go by looks,” said Jim. “But I don’t
+think he is pushing his search for those stray cattle
+very vigorously.”</p>
+<p>“Well, you know how lazy most of these Mexicans
+are,” Terry yawned. “Probably just taking his
+own sweet time.”</p>
+<p>“Funny he should be out looking for them, instead
+of the other cowboys,” Jim went on. “I should
+think that he would be needed at the ranch.”</p>
+<p>“Maybe it is his personality that counts,” grinned
+Terry. “He may attract the cows and bring ’em
+home that way. I don’t care how he does it. I’m
+going to sleep.”</p>
+<p>Both boys fell into a deep sleep. The Mexican
+sat motionless beside the fire for some time longer.
+Once he turned and looked toward the boys, at
+the same time smiling at some thought which was
+passing through his head. His teeth gleamed for a
+second and then his face once more became impassive.
+Shortly after that he rolled himself up in
+his blanket and fell asleep.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_170">170</div>
+<h2 id="c18">CHAPTER XVIII
+<br /><span class="small">TREASURE AND TREACHERY</span></h2>
+<p>The boys slept late the next morning and when
+they awoke the Mexican was still lying on his
+blanket, not sleeping but still not working. Feeling
+that they should do something to earn the hospitality
+of their new-found friend the two boys
+brought wood from the thicket and kindled the fire.
+The Mexican gave them some beans and they
+speedily made enough for all of them.</p>
+<p>After they had eaten they started off in the direction
+of Senorita Mercedes’ ranch, the Mexican
+riding slowly and the boys walking beside him.
+They had managed to dry out their clothes and put
+them on, and although they were a mass of wrinkles
+and ridges they did well enough. Their shoes had
+shrunk somewhat and walking was not easy, but
+they stuck to the task manfully, plodding along
+mile after mile without complaint.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_171">171</div>
+<p>Several times during the trip the overseer got
+down from his horse and insisted that one of the
+boys mount and ride for a few miles, and although
+they protested he would not listen to them. So they
+rode gratefully, in this way saving themselves from
+a good many aches and pains. The Mexican was
+not used to walking but he said nothing, trudging
+along on one side or the other of the horse cheerfully.</p>
+<p>They stopped once for dinner and then pressed on
+again. The foreman of the ranch was sure that
+they would reach the Mercedes place in two days,
+or late on the following day, so they pushed on
+eagerly. In the early afternoon they were forced
+to take a rest from the heat of the sun, but covered
+a few miles before it was time to make camp for
+the night.</p>
+<p>They were near the coast at the time and their
+camp was pitched in the hollow formed by two
+small hills. They had looked for a favorable location,
+for this one had no wood near it, as the
+country was mostly barren, and thickets few and
+far between. Some green bushes grew nearby and
+they resolved to use these as a final resource, but
+before doing so Jim and Terry started out to see
+it they could find anything more promising. Terry
+went over the top of one hill and Jim over the top
+of the other, while the overseer prepared for their
+supper.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_172">172</div>
+<p>Jim had a small axe which Alaroze had given him
+and he walked along the ridge of the small hill
+looking carefully around. On the opposite side of
+the hill he found a long depression in the soil which
+looked as though it might have been the bed of
+a stream at one time, perhaps some creek which
+had originally flowed from the distant mountains.
+He wandered down it aimlessly, convinced that his
+quest for wood was not likely to be very successful.
+A vast stillness lay over the country and he felt
+very much alone. A mile or more to the east of
+him he could hear the sound of the ocean.</p>
+<p>There was no use in walking down the defile, he
+decided, so he started for the slope of the slight
+hill which was beside him. As he did so his foot
+struck something solid. He bent down to see what
+it was and found a small stick of wood protruding
+from the sand at his feet. He cleared the sand
+away around the stick, to find that it was quite
+large and that it ran into the sand for some little
+distance. When he had finally drawn it from its
+sheath be examined it with curiosity.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_173">173</div>
+<p>It was a piece of mahogany and it showed the
+hand of civilization. Although it was now black
+with age it had at one time been varnished. It
+was a large splinter and he wondered how it ever
+got there. Examining it closely he detected signs
+which led him to believe that it had been burned at
+some time. There was a thin line running across
+it that suggested carving.</p>
+<p>“That’s funny,” he reflected. “Somebody once
+had a fire here and used good wood for it. Perhaps
+there is more nearby.”</p>
+<p>With this thought in mind he dug his axe deeper
+in the sand and began to scoop it out. Before many
+minutes had passed he ran across another piece of
+wood, but this one he could not get out. It seemed
+to have no end and he set to work in earnest to
+uncover it. But after he had uncovered about twenty-five
+running feet he stopped in perplexity.</p>
+<p>“This must be a house!” he cried. “Every bit
+of it burned, too.”</p>
+<p>The top of the long section of wood had been
+burned. It was thick wood and he tried to dig
+down under it. But after he had dug sand out to
+the depth of four feet he stopped and looked puzzled.
+It was a straight wooden wall, extending
+down into the valley of sand.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_174">174</div>
+<p>Jim stopped his work and walked to the top of the
+rise, where he slowly looked up and down the pass.
+He looked toward the ocean, calculated thoughtfully
+and then looked toward the mountains. Then,
+looking down toward the long strip of black wood
+which he had uncovered he voiced his thought.</p>
+<p>“That’s a ship down there, evidently burned to
+the water’s edge and later covered up by shifting
+sand. Now, I wonder——?”</p>
+<p>Without finishing his thought he hurried down
+to the trench and once more went to work. Digging
+some five feet down beside the wall of wood
+he came to a flooring of hard planks, just what he
+had been looking for. It was the deck of a ship,
+and he began feverishly to dip out sand. In this
+task he was finally surprised by Terry and the overseer.</p>
+<p>Terry had returned to the camp with a few dead
+bushes and they had waited around for Jim to
+return, but as he did not do so they became alarmed
+and set out to find him. Their first glimpse of him
+was an odd one. When they topped the rise some
+distance back of him they saw him standing in a
+deep trench, facing a four foot wall of wood, busily
+engaged in scooping sand from the hole and throwing
+it as far away as he could. With cries of astonishment
+they hurried up to the long trench which he
+was making.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_175">175</div>
+<p>“Jim!” Terry cried, while the Mexican looked
+on with bulging eyes. “What is this?”</p>
+<p>Jim started slightly as he straightened up. “It is
+the remains of a sunken ship,” he cried. “See,
+this is evidently the rail, a solid wall of wood, and
+I’m just uncovering the deck. It was burned to
+the edge of the water, and later covered up with
+sand.”</p>
+<p>“Well, I’ll be jiggered!” shouted Terry. “Do
+you think it is the treasure ship?”</p>
+<p>“I don’t know, but I wouldn’t doubt it. As you
+can see, I have uncovered about twenty-five feet of
+this rail. The deck seems to be good and I’m
+trying to uncover enough of it to find a hatchway,
+so that we can see if it is empty down below.”</p>
+<p>Terry and the Mexican jumped down beside him.
+The Mexican understood enough of English to know
+that they thought the ship beneath them might be
+a treasure ship, and he set to work with a sincere
+will to scoop sand. They could not make much
+progress, however, for it was rapidly growing dark,
+and at last they were forced to give it up until the
+next day.</p>
+<p>“That is the best we can do,” Jim decided, peering
+about him in the dark. “Let’s chop some of this
+wood and then we’ll go back to camp.”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_176">176</div>
+<p>With his axe he hacked off enough wood to last
+them through the night and the three companions
+carried it back to their camp, where, amid much talking,
+they built the fire and cooked the supper. The
+Mexican was told the whole story and he replied
+that he knew the legend of the phantom galleon.
+The boys were not averse to telling him the story
+for they felt that they owed him much and knew
+that his future help would mean everything. It
+was late that night before they lay down to sleep,
+and with the rising of the sun they were up and at
+work on the buried wreck.</p>
+<p>It took them all the morning to clear the solid
+deck of the ancient ship for a space of several feet
+and at last they came to a hatchway, covered by
+a heavy door which was flush with the deck. There
+was a bolt on the door but one blow of the axe
+broke it in pieces, and the three united all their
+strength to pulling the hatch open. It came upward
+at last, releasing a flood of stale and poisonous air
+that sent them reeling backward with all possible
+speed.</p>
+<p>“Diable!” gasped Alaroze. “I think all the fiends
+are closed inside!”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_177">177</div>
+<p>When the air had cleared sufficiently they all
+peered down the open hatchway, to discover a wide
+flight of stairs leading down into the hold of the
+ship. There was now no longer any doubt but what
+it was the phantom galleon, for it was built on a
+magnificent scale. They realized that had it not
+been burned the rear of the galleon would never
+have been covered up, for the rear of the Spanish
+ships were composed of high after-deck houses, but
+this ship had been burned and only the deck, which
+had been below the water, had remained.</p>
+<p>“The hold must be full of water and sand,” Terry
+commented.</p>
+<p>Jim swung his feet over the edge of the deck and
+gingerly felt the step below. “Full of sand, yes, but
+not of water. The sand will be wet, though. Now
+be careful on these stairs.”</p>
+<p>The stairs were solid and safe, but they did not
+go far. Originally the ship had run aground and
+filled with water, and in time the sand had filled up
+the hold of the galleon. A space of about six feet
+only was open, and in this space the foul air had
+been held. The three companions found a bed of
+moist sand cutting off any further progress.</p>
+<p>“If there is any gold in this ship, it is below the
+sand,” Alaroze said in Spanish.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_178">178</div>
+<p>“Yes, senor,” nodded Jim. “I think we had
+better not walk on this sand for fear of falling into
+some pit. If we ever sank in this wet stuff, that
+would be the end of us.”</p>
+<p>“It surely would,” remarked Terry. “What is
+this sticking up out of the sand? A piece of
+brass?”</p>
+<p>It was a dull strip of brass, but when Jim scraped
+the sand from it they found that it was long and
+finally discovered that it was the edge of a brass-bound
+chest.</p>
+<p>“Oh, somebody’s trunk!” said Terry, indifferently.</p>
+<p>But the eyes of the Mexican were glittering and
+Jim himself was excited. “More likely the top of a
+treasure chest!” he retorted, and dealt the chest top
+a slashing blow with his axe.</p>
+<p>With a shuddering, sucking sound the paper-like
+substance tore off, revealing to the three in the hold
+a sight which took away their breath. Gold in the
+form of coins of all sizes was revealed, gold which
+lay and still gleamed in the interior of the trunk.
+The Mexican talked furiously to himself in his native
+language, and the boys simply stared.</p>
+<p>“Gold, the gold of the treasure ship!” gasped
+Jim, scarcely able to believe his eyes.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_179">179</div>
+<p>Terry picked up some of it and examined it curiously.
+“It is gold, sure enough,” he agreed, dazzled.
+“Wish we had the professor here to tell us
+just what it represents.”</p>
+<p>“Perhaps there is more around,” Jim suggested.
+He began to dig his axe into the sand, while the
+Mexican stood back of him, his eyes gone suddenly
+black and calculating. But Jim found that there
+was no more.</p>
+<p>“Probably this chest was brought up here, while
+the rest of the treasure is still below. At any rate,
+even if there is no more, there is enough to make
+us all rich.” He turned to Alaroze with a smile.
+“Well, senor, it was lucky for us when we ran across
+you, and lucky for you when you agreed to guide
+us home. Your share from this will make you a
+rich man.”</p>
+<p>“Yes, yes, senor,” agreed the overseer, breaking
+into a smile. “I bless the day we met! May the
+saints reward you!”</p>
+<p>“We’ve been rewarded pretty well already!”
+grinned Jim. “Well, what shall we do? We can’t
+do much of anything until we return home, get the
+rest of the party and return here to go to work.
+Suppose we take along some of the gold and start
+out for the ranch.”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_180">180</div>
+<p>They took several of the largest coins, the hands
+of the Mexican trembling as he did so, and made
+their way up on deck again. Terry demanded of
+Jim if he was going to leave the galleon ruins uncovered.</p>
+<p>“Yes,” replied Jim. “There isn’t much chance
+of anyone coming this way, and it would take us
+hours to cover it up. Let’s spend that time on our
+homeward journey.”</p>
+<p>“All I hope is that we run across the others in
+quick order, then,” said Terry. “I’d hate to lose
+time while this treasure is lying uncovered.”</p>
+<p>Leaving the galleon they returned to camp and
+prepared to start back for the ranch. The Mexican
+went to his horse, picked up his rifle and looked at
+it, and then placed it against a tiny mound of sand.
+With averted face he picked up the blanket and his
+few supplies.</p>
+<p>Terry and Jim were conferring earnestly. “It
+will take a large force of men to dig down into that
+wreck,” Terry said. “We’ll let the professor and
+Ned decide what is best to do.”</p>
+<p>“Sure,” agreed Jim, swinging around. “Well, I
+guess we’re ready to go.”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_181">181</div>
+<p>Then, both boys stopped suddenly. Standing before
+them, with his rifle levelled straight at them,
+stood the Mexican overseer. There was a hard light
+in his black eyes and his mouth was a straight line,
+the lips white.</p>
+<p>“What—what’s the matter?” asked Jim, smiling
+slightly, and thinking that there was some joke in
+the wind.</p>
+<p>“Nothing is wrong, senor,” came the reply. “But
+since you two know so well where the gold is, I
+shall regret the necessity of killing you both so that
+it will be all mine!”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_182">182</div>
+<h2 id="c19">CHAPTER XIX
+<br /><span class="small">AN OLD FRIEND JOINS THE PARTY</span></h2>
+<p>The party on the hill was surprised at the action
+of the mestizo as he fairly pounced upon his rifle.
+But before he could even lift it a clear-cut voice
+spoke out back of them.</p>
+<p>“Keep your hands off of that gun, or I’ll drill
+a few holes into you!”</p>
+<p>They turned, to find back of them a little short
+man in a blue uniform of a sailor, who had crept up
+on them quietly from the rear. He held a rifle in
+his hand and turned it unwaveringly toward the
+members of the watching group.</p>
+<p>“What is the meaning of this?” demanded the
+professor, after a second of silence.</p>
+<p>“No meaning at all,” chuckled the man, whose
+uniform proclaimed him a mate on a sailing ship.
+“You fellows march down the hill until my captain
+looks you over.”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_183">183</div>
+<p>“Who are you to tell us to march down the hill?”
+snapped Ned. “This is a free country, in case you
+don’t know it.”</p>
+<p>“I know it,” chuckled the mate. “But this here
+gun of mine don’t know nothing about it! I’ve tried
+my best to teach the blooming thing, but it’s just
+naturally ignorant!”</p>
+<p>“Who are you?” Don asked.</p>
+<p>“Go on down the hill!” commanded the mate, suddenly
+changing his tone. “The captain will answer
+all questions.”</p>
+<p>There was nothing to do but to obey, so, in silence
+the boys and the older man walked down the hill,
+leading their mounts. The crowd below saw them
+coming and looked on with marked interest. The
+captain of the attackers strode to the front. He was
+a tall old man with a white beard and snow white
+hair, and at sight of him Don caught his breath.</p>
+<p>“What have you here, Harvey?” the captain
+asked.</p>
+<p>“This bunch was lying on their tummies and
+looking over the hill at you,” answered the mate,
+a twinkle in his eyes.</p>
+<p>“Yes, we were, Captain Blow,” said Don, boldly.
+“How are you, sir?”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_184">184</div>
+<p>Captain Blow, their old friend from Mystery
+Island, started at hearing his name, and looked
+closely at Don’s smiling face. He had been their
+staunch friend at the time they made their summer
+cruise and captured the marine bandits. Recognition
+dawned on him and he joyously seized the boy’s
+hands.</p>
+<p>“Why, by jumping Tunket, if it isn’t Don
+Mercer!” he roared heartily. “What in the name of
+Goshen are you doing out here, boy?”</p>
+<p>Don explained briefly that he was staying with
+the Scotts at their ranch and then looked around at
+the sullen captives. “What is all this, Captain
+Blow?” he asked.</p>
+<p>“These fellows are one fine bunch of prison birds
+who are soon going in their cage!” retorted the captain
+vigorously. “I’m running a schooner out here, in
+the carrying trade now, and this Captain Jake Ryan
+run off with two of my men. Last night I chased
+them but lost ’em in the storm. Early this morning
+I saw the wreck and sent my mate there ashore to
+locate them. When he gave me the signal, from
+the hill back of where you were looking, we came
+ashore. He saw you fellows and thought you were
+part of the enemy.”</p>
+<p>Don then introduced the Scotts and told the captain
+of their search for Jim and Terry. The captain
+was deeply interested.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_185">185</div>
+<p>“These fellows are part of Sackett’s gang,” he
+said. “Maybe they know something.” He turned
+to the scowling Ryan. “Did you have anything to
+do with two boys?” he asked.</p>
+<p>“No!” said Ryan, promptly.</p>
+<p>But one of the men who had been liberated by the
+coming of Captain Blow spoke up quickly. “Yes
+he did, Captain Blow! Those two boys came
+aboard yesterday just before the storm, down at the
+old tannery. And they are still aboard the wreck!”</p>
+<p>“How do you know they weren’t swept overboard?”
+shouted Jake Ryan.</p>
+<p>“You know how I know, you scoundrel!” snapped
+the sailor, shaking his fist in Ryan’s face. “When
+you stampeded for the lifeboat I saw those two boys
+duck down behind some canvas and I told you to put
+back and make ’em come off in the lifeboat, but you
+was so scared you wouldn’t go back!”</p>
+<p>“It’s a lie,” Ryan retorted.</p>
+<p>“No it isn’t. Those boys are still on the ship,”
+said the sailor.</p>
+<p>“I guess they decided to stay on the schooner and
+keep out of the hands of these fellows,” decided Captain
+Blow. “Too bad they didn’t come right along,
+and we would have them now. But we’ll probably
+find them out there.”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_186">186</div>
+<p>“That is once Jim and Terry figured their move
+wrong,” grinned Don, greatly relieved at the news
+concerning his chums.</p>
+<p>“Yes, but they thought they were doing the correct
+thing,” put in the professor. “Now, what do
+you propose to do with these men, Captain Blow?”</p>
+<p>Blow turned to his mate. “Harvey, you and the
+men march these fellows back to the boats and take
+’em to the schooner. I’m going out to the wreck
+with these men and I’ll be back to the ship later.
+Don’t let one of these rats escape, and we’ll take
+them to prison.”</p>
+<p>“Aye, aye, sir!” replied Harvey. The crew
+hustled the captives away over the top of the hill
+and then Captain Blow turned to the party of friends.</p>
+<p>“Now we’ll go out and look that wreck over,” he
+announced. The boat in which the crew of the
+<i>Galloway</i> had reached shore was still lying upon
+the sand, and they all climbed in and pushed off, the
+old captain, Ned and Don taking the oars. It was
+the first time that the mestizo had ever been in a
+boat and he sat gingerly in the bow, holding himself
+stiffly.</p>
+<p>“When did you leave Mystery Island, Captain
+Blow?” asked Don, as they rowed out to the wreck.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_187">187</div>
+<p>“Early in the spring,” replied the old captain.
+“When I saw you last I told you that Mystery Island
+would soon be a regular summer colony, now that
+the old house and bandits are gone, and sure enough,
+that is what happened. Got so full of young men
+with white pants and slicked down hair and young
+ladies with tootin’ roadsters that my polly and me
+didn’t have any peace at all. So I came west, got
+a nice schooner, and am now running between here
+and Mexico, picking up anything I can get, mostly
+fruit. I didn’t have any trouble, although I had
+heard plenty about this Sackett, until a few days ago
+when this Ryan ran off with two of my men. Kidnapped
+them in some eating house in San Francisco
+and I went right after them.”</p>
+<p>“I see,” nodded Don. “So Bella, the parrot, is
+still living?”</p>
+<p>“Oh, yup! She’s still sayin’ ‘Bella is a good girl.’
+Probably she’ll still be saying that after I’m dead
+and gone.”</p>
+<p>They had now approached the wreck and the captain
+made fast the painter of the lifeboat. Climbing
+aboard was somewhat of a task, as the deck sloped
+dangerously, but by dint of clinging to every support
+available they managed to do so. But a hasty survey
+of the deck revealed that the two boys were not
+on board.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_188">188</div>
+<p>“Maybe they are in the hold,” suggested Ned.</p>
+<p>“I doubt that,” replied Captain Blow. “That hold
+must be full of water. You see, these fellows crowded
+on all canvas to get away from me and they ran in
+too close to shore, with the result that they jammed
+hard and fast aground. The bottom must be stove
+in plenty and full of water, and the only reason they
+didn’t sink is because they are sort of lying on a
+shelf. However, we’ll give a look down the companionway.”</p>
+<p>A look down into the hold of the wrecked
+schooner proved that Captain Blow was right in his
+surmises. The hold was filled with water and it was
+manifestly impossible for anyone to have gone down
+there. Don was worried.</p>
+<p>“You don’t suppose they were swept overboard,
+do you?” he asked, anxiously.</p>
+<p>“No,” said the captain promptly. “I don’t. My
+sailor says they ducked down behind something to
+keep hidden probably with the idea of escaping all
+by themselves. My idea is that they grabbed a spar
+or two, swam to shore, and got away that way. I
+wouldn’t be a bit surprised if they was even now
+heading up the shore toward your ranch, professor.”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_189">189</div>
+<p>“I believe you are right, Captain,” replied the professor.
+“They certainly wouldn’t stay here when
+there was no necessity for it, and they probably
+swam ashore, as you say. I think, therefore, that we
+should go ashore and follow up the coast, in the
+hope of overtaking them.”</p>
+<p>“We ought to overtake them,” said Ned. “We
+are mounted and they aren’t. No use in wasting any
+more time around here, is there?”</p>
+<p>“No,” Captain Blow answered, slipping down the
+deck. “Let’s go back.”</p>
+<p>On the way to the shore the professor told the
+captain about the treasure hunt and he was tremendously
+interested. Once on shore he spoke about
+going back to his boat.</p>
+<p>“I wish you the best of luck,” he told Don. “By
+thunder mighty! I wouldn’t mind going with you!”</p>
+<p>“Why don’t you?” asked Don, quickly. “Can’t
+your mate sail with these men to the city and stop
+for you on the return trip? I feel sure that the rest
+of us would be glad to have you.”</p>
+<p>“We surely would!” said Ned and his father, together.</p>
+<p>“Why, yes, I guess that would do,” said the captain
+slowly. “I’d sure like to go along. Will you
+give me time to go out and tell Harvey what to do?”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_190">190</div>
+<p>They assented and the captain signalled for a
+boat, which took him off to his schooner. He was
+gone for about fifteen minutes, and when he came
+back he had a blanket and some supplies. He joined
+them and the boat put off once again for the
+schooner.</p>
+<p>“Harvey is in complete charge,” he announced.
+“He’ll stop for me at Quito on the way back. I’m
+ready to go now.”</p>
+<p>The mestizo surrendered his horse to the captain,
+who protested vigorously, but the mestizo was a
+far better hand at trotting along than the old salt,
+so they arranged to share the horse, and when it was
+cooler, to ride it double. Feeling that their best plan
+was to push on back to the ranch they started off,
+leaving the deserted wreck far behind them.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_191">191</div>
+<h2 id="c20">CHAPTER XX
+<br /><span class="small">THE TAR BARREL</span></h2>
+<p>Jim and Terry looked helplessly at the Mexican
+overseer as he faced them with levelled rifle and the
+cool assurance that he would kill them to keep the
+treasure from the galleon for himself. They tried
+to believe that he was only joking, but from the set
+on his face and the glint in his eyes they knew better.
+All too often in the history of gold hunting and discovery
+had the discoverers paid for it with their
+lives, so that someone else could reap the reward.</p>
+<p>“But why should you wish to kill us, senor?” Jim
+asked in Spanish. “Have not we agreed to see that
+you have a large share in it?”</p>
+<p>“How do I know that you will keep your word to
+me?” the Mexican answered.</p>
+<p>“Well, I like that!” cried Jim. “We know how to
+keep our word, Senor Alaroze!”</p>
+<p>“What of it?” returned the overseer, with a slight
+shrug. “Why should I not have all of it instead of
+a small part?”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_192">192</div>
+<p>“Oh, well, if you feel that way about it,” said Jim,
+turning pale.</p>
+<p>While Jim had been talking Terry had been doing
+some rapid thinking. They were standing close to
+the man, and the extended muzzle of the rifle was
+within easy reach. Any kind of motion toward it
+would be sure to be disastrous, and Terry knew it.
+There was one thing needed and Terry did it. With
+great coolness, a feeling which he was far from possessing,
+he looked over the shoulder of the overseer.</p>
+<p>“Well,” he said, carelessly. “I guess neither of
+us will get the treasure. Here comes Sackett and his
+party.”</p>
+<p>He used just the right amount of conviction in
+his tones and he won. Jim looked away over the
+Mexican’s shoulder and was fooled as completely as
+the overseer. With a muttered imprecation the man
+turned his head slightly to see who was back of him.
+That motion was his undoing. Quick as a flash
+Terry’s foot came up in a splendid football kick that
+sent the rifle flying upward. Before the astonished
+ranchman could move the red-headed boy flung himself
+on him and punched him a hard wallop on the
+stomach. With a groan the Mexican sank to the
+ground.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_193">193</div>
+<p>“Bully for you, Chucklehead!” cried Jim, springing
+forward and securing the gun. “Now we have
+this fellow where we want him!”</p>
+<p>They dragged the crestfallen Mexican to his feet
+and tied his hands behind him with a piece of cord
+which they had originally tied their clothes to the
+spars with. He groaned and moaned and begged
+them to show mercy to him. Terry became impatient.</p>
+<p>“Shut up!” he ordered, savagely. “If I hadn’t
+done that our two bodies would have been lying here
+right this minute, and here you are crying your head
+off for mercy! You’re getting a whole lot better than
+you deserve right now, let me tell you. Don’t howl
+until you get back to the ranch, then we’ll give you
+something to howl about.”</p>
+<p>Still dazed at their terrible peril the boys started
+on the journey, placing the cowardly overseer on the
+horse and following close behind. When darkness
+came down they made camp, fed the captive without
+speaking with him, and then made camp for the
+night, resolving to take turns at keeping watch.</p>
+<p>“We can’t let this snake get loose again,” warned
+Jim. “If he ever gets away, good night!”</p>
+<p>“That was the luckiest break we ever had,” said
+Terry. “If he had been standing any further away
+I never could have done it.”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_194">194</div>
+<p>Jim took the first watch and Terry the second,
+during which time the Mexican seemed to sleep
+calmly. His hands had been untied, so they covered
+him with the rifle and kept unwavering eyes upon
+him. In the morning the march was resumed and
+late in the afternoon they approached the ranch of
+the Senorita Mercedes.</p>
+<p>The senorita was the first to approach and she expressed
+amazement at the strange sight which they
+presented as they walked down into the ranch yard.
+Jim related the story to her and she was deeply interested.
+Turning to the sullen foreman she upbraided
+him furiously in Spanish and turned back
+to the boys.</p>
+<p>“He did not go away to look for stray cattle,”
+she said. “None of my cattle have strayed. I do not
+know why he left me, but I think he is part of that
+wicked Sackett band. I think he was only kind to
+you so he could place you in that man’s hands.”</p>
+<p>“By George, I’ll bet that is right!” exclaimed Jim,
+and Terry nodded.</p>
+<p>“Put him in that small shed,” directed the senorita,
+pointing to a little building which stood at the edge
+of the ranch yard. “Then come to the house and
+rest and eat.”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_195">195</div>
+<p>Quite willingly the two boys locked the silent
+prisoner in the little shed and returned to the ranch
+house. The energetic little senorita had hot water,
+soap and towels laid out for them, and they fairly
+revelled in the washing process.</p>
+<p>“When I was a kid,” grinned Terry, “I loved
+to have a dirty face, but now I know just what
+luxury it is to feel clean again.”</p>
+<p>“Hope I don’t break this comb of the senorita’s
+trying to comb my tangled hair,” grunted Jim. “I
+can’t honestly say that we are any beauties to appear
+at the table of the young lady.”</p>
+<p>When they sat down with the youthful and beautiful
+owner of the little ranch to eat she said: “My
+men are at present eating, but as soon as they have
+finished I shall send one of them to Ned’s ranch for
+your friends.”</p>
+<p>“That is very kind of you, Senorita,” murmured
+Jim, as he ate ravenously.</p>
+<p>“Nonsense!” laughed the girl, tossing her head.
+“You have been through such thrilling adventures
+of late! Tell me more about them.”</p>
+<p>As Jim knew more Spanish than Terry it fell to
+him to relate the experiences of the past few days.
+They were lingering over their coffee when an excited
+ranchman burst into the room. All three at
+the table rose quickly and the man poured something
+out in some unknown dialect.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_196">196</div>
+<p>“Ride immediately to the Scott ranch for help!”
+commanded the senorita, growing pale.</p>
+<p>“Alas, senorita, the house is surrounded, I cannot
+go,” said the man, in Spanish.</p>
+<p>“What, is the house surrounded?” asked Jim,
+quickly.</p>
+<p>“Yes,” answered the senorita, rapidly. “This man
+tells me that Sackett and three men rode down, let
+Alaroze out, and are creeping to the house. Fly to
+the doors, quickly!”</p>
+<p>Flying was necessary. Terry and Jim hurled the
+main door of the ranch house shut just in time to
+keep Sackett and Abel from rushing it. Rapidly,
+under the direction of the girl, they closed all windows
+and drew the blinds. Then she gave them each
+a rifle and took one herself.</p>
+<p>“We must watch diligently,” she said, her eyes
+shining. “They will try to burst in and we must
+keep them off.”</p>
+<p>A shot rang out and a bullet crashed through the
+front door. Feeling that they would be attacked
+from more than one side they separated, Jim going
+to the front of the house and Terry and the senorita
+keeping watch on the sides. Several shots were
+fired, all of which did no harm.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_197">197</div>
+<p>It was now very dark and their peril was increased.
+A concerted rush might blast their hopes and Jim in
+particular was worried. It would be bad enough to
+have to surrender to Sackett’s gang, but it would be
+far worse to have the dainty senorita fall into their
+hands. He set his teeth and determined that it
+should not happen. There was complete silence outside,
+a silence that was not reassuring.</p>
+<p>Jim went to the girl where she was crouching
+beside a window, peering out into the darkness of
+the yard. He knelt down beside her.</p>
+<p>“Is it possible that one of your men could have
+slipped away to Ned’s ranch?” he asked.</p>
+<p>“I am sorry to say no, senor. My man tells me
+that they were all penned up in their bunkhouse.
+There is no way we can let our friends know of our
+danger.”</p>
+<p>“I see. They couldn’t see a light from the top
+of the ranch, could they?”</p>
+<p>“No, the hills are too high. We must fight these
+men off until morning and then see what we can do.”</p>
+<p>“If we could only attract Ned’s attention someway,”
+said Jim. “Watch out, senorita!”</p>
+<p>He fairly dragged her away from the window as
+a shot tore in through the glass and the blinds. She
+shook him off, but kept away from the exposed part.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_198">198</div>
+<p>“There is nothing—Ah, the tar barrel!” she exclaimed.</p>
+<p>“Where is there a tar barrel?” asked Jim, quickly,
+as Terry fired his rifle out of another window.</p>
+<p>“You see that hill?” asked the senorita, pointing
+to a low mound back of the ranch. “On top of that
+hill is a barrel which is half full of tar. I have been
+using it to repair my roofs, and it is half full. If
+that could only be lighted they would see it at Ned’s
+ranch.”</p>
+<p>“That’s fine!” cried Jim. “I’ll light that tar barrel
+myself!”</p>
+<p>“Senor, you will be killed!”</p>
+<p>“Maybe!” said Jim, grimly. “But I’ll start that
+bonfire, anyway!”</p>
+<p>He related his plan to Terry, who warmly assented,
+and a little later Jim worked his way to a
+side of the house where there was no shooting.
+Senorita Mercedes wanted to send her ranchman out
+on the perilous venture but Jim had opposed it.</p>
+<p>“No, I’ll go,” he said. “It means everything to
+have it succeed, and the man might get scared or
+bungle it in some way. Let me do it.”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_199">199</div>
+<p>He opened a low window on the quiet side of the
+house, while Terry stood in the shadows, prepared
+to shoot down anyone who should loom up. Jim
+dropped out of the window and lay flat alongside of
+the house, and after a moment he raised his head.
+The attacking party was in the front and the rear
+of the house and he had not been seen. Terry closed
+the window and watched Jim slide forward along
+the ground toward the distant barn.</p>
+<p>Fortunately the night was dark and Jim had a
+good opportunity. Using extreme care he reached
+the barn and then looked toward the hill where the
+tar barrel stood. The senorita had stood it on the
+hill because she was afraid of fire and thought it
+best to keep it away from the ranch building. Bending
+low Jim ran quickly toward the black barrel and
+reached it in safety.</p>
+<p>Near the house he could see three shadows and he
+knew that they were Sackett’s men. They had not
+dreamed that anyone would be foolhardy enough to
+leave the building and so they waited for a favorable
+opportunity to rush the doors and break in. They
+had no intention of doing so as long as those three
+guns were flashing out viciously.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_200">200</div>
+<p>There were still three flashes from the house and
+Jim readily saw what had happened. Terry or the
+senorita had given the ranchman who had brought
+the news of the attack a gun and he was firing.
+Probably the attacking party thought Jim was still
+in the house. Lying flat on the ground Jim took a
+long piece of paper from his pocket and a box of
+matches. He placed the papers in the soft tar and
+lighted it.</p>
+<p>The tar caught fire quickly, so quickly that Jim
+was bathed for a second in its light. He had made
+no plans for a retreat, and as the tar barrel burst
+into flames he was clearly revealed.</p>
+<p>A shout arose from the men who were attacking
+the house and they sprang recklessly from cover and
+dashed toward him. This piece of carelessness cost
+them dearly, for the senorita and Terry each
+brought one man down with accurate shots in the
+legs. At the same time Jim sprinted for the corner
+of the barn and crouched there, his rifle held in readiness
+to bring down anyone who should attempt to
+put out the blazing beacon.</p>
+<p>Higher and higher blazed the barrel with its cargo
+of tar, sending its light for several miles over the
+surrounding countryside. The outlaws had now
+rushed back to cover, to consider what move to make
+next.</p>
+<p>“I surely hope the others are at Ned’s and that
+they see that light,” thought Jim fervently, as he
+waited in his position back of the barn.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_201">201</div>
+<h2 id="c21">CHAPTER XXI
+<br /><span class="small">THE CAIRN</span></h2>
+<p>Professor Scott, the captain, Don and Ned
+were all sitting around a fire in the living room
+discussing the next move to be made. To their intense
+disappointment they had not found the missing
+boys upon their return to the ranch, nor had
+they come across a single trace on their homeward
+journey. They had just decided that a more vigorous
+hunt must be started in the morning when Yappi
+hastily entered the living room.</p>
+<p>“There is a large fire at the ranch of Senorita
+Mercedes, senor,” he informed Ned.</p>
+<p>The young man jumped to his feet in dismay.
+“Oh, I hope those fellows haven’t set her ranch on
+fire!” he groaned. “Let’s see what is up.”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_202">202</div>
+<p>The entire party ran to the back door and looked
+across the plains in the direction of the Mercedes
+ranch. Just as the mestizo had said, the sky in that
+direction was red and they could see the flames
+against the sky. But it was several feet south of
+the house.</p>
+<p>“It isn’t the house,” decided Ned. “Perhaps they
+are just burning some old rubbish.”</p>
+<p>“Why should she select a hilltop to burn rubbish
+on?” asked the professor, sensibly. “Does she
+usually burn things at night?”</p>
+<p>“No,” admitted Ned. “There must surely be
+something wrong. Yappi, the horses!”</p>
+<p>The mestizo sprang around the house and went
+to the barn, from which he soon led mounts for
+all of them. He was instructed to stay at the ranch
+with the cook, in case the boys should return, and
+then the others threw themselves on the animals and
+started off. Ned and Don rode well in front, their
+anxiety making them impatient, while the professor
+and the captain, who were not riders of note, lagged
+somewhat.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_203">203</div>
+<p>It was not a long journey to the ranch of the
+senorita, but to the boys it seemed long, and when
+at last they ascended the last hill they drew a breath
+of relief. They were now near enough to see that
+the blazing beacon was a tar barrel, and the circumstances
+became more puzzling than ever. But
+before they had much time to wonder about it they
+had topped the rise and were looking down on the
+scene below.</p>
+<p>The light from the blazing barrel showed them
+a curious scene. The outlaws had realized that they
+must make one last desperate assault, and at the
+present moment they were making it. Four men
+were close to the front door, flat in the yard, a log
+rolled before them as a shield, over which they
+were firing at the door, splintering the wood badly.
+They were rolling the log before them as they advanced,
+and hoped in this manner to get close enough
+to the door to make a determined rush. From the
+interior of the house came occasional flashes of fire
+from three rifles and from the corner of the barn
+came another.</p>
+<p>While the relief party was taking this in the professor
+and the captain joined them. The attacking
+party had not yet become aware of their presence,
+and seeing that the moment was favorable Ned and
+Don charged down the hill, the older men following.
+A single shot, fired by Ned, told Sackett and company
+that help had arrived, and without even stopping
+to offer resistance they fled in every direction.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_204">204</div>
+<p>The captain instantly discharged his gun at one
+of the fleeing men and he went down in a heap.
+The professor shot Abel in the shoulder and Ned
+and Don pounced on the same man, springing from
+their horses upon the man. The fourth man, who
+was Sackett, ran to the thicket, made a single bound
+into his saddle, and thundered away, passing close
+to Jim in his corner of the barn, who fired at him
+but missed in the excitement.</p>
+<p>Jim looked for an instant after the fleeing outlaw
+and then dashed around the barn and entered it.
+The horses stood there, moving restlessly, and he
+selected a fine looking steed and hastily saddled
+it. Leading it from the barn he mounted and started
+off with all speed after Sackett.</p>
+<p>The slim edge of a moon was rising above the
+horizon and by its somewhat sickly light Jim was
+able to follow the course of the bay pirate. The man
+was making straight for the mountain and felt confident
+that he would make it, but he was soon undeceived.
+The horse which Jim had selected from
+the stables of the senorita was a high strung, fiery
+animal, and he was eager to run. Jim needed no
+spur to keep him at top speed, and the lead which
+the bandit had held was steadily cut down.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_205">205</div>
+<p>Seeing that he could not make the mountains before
+the pursuing boy was well within gunshot the
+outlaw made for a patch of trees that stood nearby.
+They were a little more than a mile before him,
+and consisted of a fairly dense tangle of low bushes
+and trees. His idea was probably to make a last
+stand there, Jim decided, and the race settled down
+grimly in that direction.</p>
+<p>Once Sackett turned and fired at Jim, but the shot
+went wide of the mark, for the ground was uneven
+and the distance too great for accuracy. From
+that time on he gave his attention to the task of
+escaping, bending low over the neck of his steed
+and urging it on. The patch of trees was now very
+near and Sackett well in the lead.</p>
+<p>The outlaw drove his horse into the shelter of the
+little refuge at headlong speed and vanished from
+Jim’s sight. Jim pulled the steed to a halt and
+paused uncertainly. Sackett was in the thicket and
+armed, and he knew better than to recklessly dash
+on. If his theory was right the pirate was waiting
+for him to do that very thing, and it would be the
+worst move he could make. So he sat quietly in
+the saddle, wondering what his next move should
+be.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_206">206</div>
+<p>It was impossible for Sackett to escape to the
+mountains without being seen for Jim could see all
+around the thicket, and if the man tried to slip from
+the other side and continue his flight Jim would
+surely spot him. And yet, his object in running into
+the brush also puzzled Jim. What could he gain by
+that? In a few minutes the others would come up
+and they would be able to charge him and take him
+prisoner. It seemed to Jim that there was some
+deep scheme in the head of the outlaw, and so he
+watched with all his senses alert, keeping well out
+of gunshot.</p>
+<p>In this position Don and Ned found him when
+they galloped up a half hour later. Don fairly
+threw himself on his brother in his joy and Ned
+was equally enthusiastic. Jim was in rags but was
+a welcome sight to Don.</p>
+<p>Jim explained the position of the outlaw in the
+thicket and they were undecided. No sound had
+come from the thicket all the time that Jim had
+been stationed there, and no one had left the place.
+Ned decided that they had better spread out and
+rush the cover.</p>
+<p>“If we rush the woods on three sides we’ll have
+him,” he said. “He can’t shoot at all three of us
+at once, and we can fairly hurl ourselves into the
+place. By coming up on three different points
+we can prevent him from running out of one side
+of the thicket while we charge in another.”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_207">207</div>
+<p>“We must rush the thicket in a zigzag course,”
+Don put in. “If we don’t, we’re likely to be shot.”</p>
+<p>Agreeing on a gunshot for signal purposes the
+three boys took up positions on three sides of the
+silent thicket and looked to their rifles. Each one
+could see the other and at last Ned discharged his
+gun. At top speed they bore down on the thicket,
+driving the horses in an irregular line.</p>
+<p>To their astonishment there was no shot or sound
+from the thicket and they entered it together, to
+find it empty of life except for Sackett’s horse,
+which was quietly grazing close to the edge of the
+brush. The patch inclosed by trees was about
+twenty-five feet in diameter and was nothing more
+than a mere cluster of trees and bushes. The only
+thing to be seen, beside the horse, was a huge pile
+of stones. They jumped from the horses and looked
+at each other in perplexity.</p>
+<p>“Now, where in the world did that man go?” demanded
+Ned, holding his rifle in instant readiness.</p>
+<p>“You can search me!” answered Don, in bewilderment.
+“He’s not in the trees, is he?”</p>
+<p>Ned looked quickly up and then shook his head.
+“No, there isn’t room enough in these trees for
+anyone to hide themselves. He must be in the place,
+because he certainly didn’t walk out while we were
+there.”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_208">208</div>
+<p>“He didn’t get away before you came, either,”
+Jim said. “I kept an eagle eye on the place, and he
+couldn’t have made it without my seeing him.”</p>
+<p>“Well, he’s gone,” said Ned, walking to the horse
+and examining it. “Just vanished into thin air.”</p>
+<p>Don was looking at the heap of stones. It was a
+high cairn, composed of stones which had been
+heaped there generations ago for some unknown
+reason, and moss had grown over the mound. Stones
+of a larger size made up the bottom and smaller
+stones lay above these. Near the base of it he
+found a straight slab with some Spanish lettering
+cut upon it.</p>
+<p>“What is written on this stone?” he asked Ned.
+The young engineer bent over the stone, lighted a
+match and read the inscription.</p>
+<p>“I can’t make it all out,” he replied, as the match
+expired in his hand. “But it seems to be the burial
+place of someone of importance. They had a custom
+once of taking a distinguished man and piling
+a cairn of stones over his grave. Sometimes the
+custom was for anyone who came past to add a
+stone to the pile and in that way it grew larger.
+This is one of those piles, and someone is buried
+down at the bottom of it.”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_209">209</div>
+<p>“All of which doesn’t bring us any nearer Mr.
+Sackett,” murmured Jim. “I’d give anything to
+know where that gentleman went to!”</p>
+<p>“It just seems silly!” said Ned, impatiently. “You
+chase him in here and he simply disappears. That
+isn’t logical.”</p>
+<p>“Look here!” cried Don, who had been moving
+around the pile of stones, and who was now on the
+other side. “Shouldn’t all of these stones be covered
+with moss?”</p>
+<p>“I suppose so,” Ned replied. “Why.”</p>
+<p>“Because they aren’t covered with moss on this
+side. The stones here are different than the others,
+and seem to be looser. Come here and give me a
+hand.”</p>
+<p>The other two boys hastened to Don’s side and
+found that he was right. The stones to which he
+pointed had a brighter look than the others, and
+where the chinks and crevices of the other rocks had
+long since been stopped up by moss, these rocks
+were singularly free. Moreover, they were not well
+placed, and the boys were struck by the same idea.</p>
+<p>“Ah, ha!” exclaimed Ned, as he began to tear
+away the upper stones. “I think I see a thing or
+two! Help me with these stones.”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_210">210</div>
+<p>The other two went to work with a will and soon
+the stones were pulled out and tossed to one side.
+To their intense satisfaction a large opening was
+revealed.</p>
+<p>“Just as we thought, the opening of a tunnel!”
+exclaimed Don.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_211">211</div>
+<h2 id="c22">CHAPTER XXII
+<br /><span class="small">THE DEN</span></h2>
+<p>No sooner were the words out of Don’s mouth
+than a burst of flame came from the interior of the
+cairn and a shot whistled uncomfortably close to
+their heads. They made all haste to retreat, Ned
+dragging Jim aside somewhat roughly.</p>
+<p>“He’s in there, all right,” said Jim, grimly.</p>
+<p>“Yes, there must be a regular hiding place in
+there,” responded Ned. “The question is: how are
+we going to get him out? We certainly can’t rush
+him in there.”</p>
+<p>“We can starve him out,” suggested Don.</p>
+<p>“That will take too long,” said Ned. “However,
+if there isn’t anything else to do, we’ll do that.”</p>
+<p>“I have another plan,” put in Jim. “We’ll smoke
+him out!”</p>
+<p>“Smoke him out!” echoed Don and Ned.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_212">212</div>
+<p>“Sure, why not? I doubt if there is any other
+outlet to that cairn, except maybe some small air-hole,
+so we can easily smoke him out. Let’s gather
+some of this green wood and set it afire.”</p>
+<p>Keeping a vigilant lookout toward the mouth of
+the uncovered tunnel so as to guard against a sudden
+dash or shot the three boys gathered some
+fairly green wood, with which they mixed some
+dry dead wood, and after piling it near the mouth
+of the tunnel, pushed it into place with the butts of
+their guns. They knew that the tunnel was straight
+and not wide enough to allow the penned outlaw to
+fire on them unless they stood directly before the
+opening, so they took excellent care to keep out of
+range. When the wood was piled Ned leaned cautiously
+forward and lighted the pile.</p>
+<p>The dry wood caught fire and blazed up, touching
+the green wood and causing it to smoke. The boys
+stood with guns in readiness to fire a shot into the
+entrance of the cave if the bandit tried to make
+a thrust at the fire with a view to scattering it. The
+flames mounted higher, causing a heavy pall of
+smoke from the green wood.</p>
+<p>“Take off your hats and fan it down the opening,”
+said Ned, suiting the words by the action.
+All three of the boys fanned the smoke vigorously,
+causing it to go into the tunnel.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_213">213</div>
+<p>They did not have long to wait for results. After
+a few moments they heard a violent coughing and
+then at last Sackett staggered out into the opening,
+still coughing and wiping his streaming eyes. Before
+he could use the gun which he held in his hands they
+were upon him and had disarmed him.</p>
+<p>“Well, Squint Sackett,” said Ned, grimly, as they
+bound his hands with a piece of rope which was on
+his own horse. “We have you at last.”</p>
+<p>The bandit replied by a fit of coughing that made
+him red in the face. Seeing that he was quite safe
+Don scattered the fire and stamped it out. The quest
+was now over and the bay pirate securely bound.</p>
+<p>“You kids’ll pay for this!” the man said, hoarsely.
+“You can’t prove anything against me!”</p>
+<p>“No, not at all,” said Don cheerfully. “Just stealing,
+breaking into a ranch, kidnapping, and a few
+other trifles. I guess we can put you where you
+belong this time. It was an unlucky day for you
+when you decided to attack Professor Scott.”</p>
+<p>“Suppose we take a look through this cairn and
+see what it looks like before we go?” suggested
+Jim.</p>
+<p>“All right,” agreed Ned. “But first we’ll tie
+this slippery gentleman up. He mustn’t be allowed
+to get away again.”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_214">214</div>
+<p>Sackett was tied to a convenient tree and then the
+boys made a torch of a dry stick of wood. With
+this in hand Ned took the lead and they entered
+the mouth of the tunnel, bending low to keep from
+scraping their heads on the roof of the passage. They
+went down on a slight slope for a distance of about
+four feet and then came to a single cave-like room
+hollowed out under the rocks.</p>
+<p>“I see the whole business now,” remarked Ned,
+as they peered about the little cave. “This place was
+evidently some pirate’s den years ago, and in some
+way Sackett learned of it. You can see that the
+place was built for no other purpose, and the slab
+outside is a plain blind.”</p>
+<p>Ned was right in what he said. Some forgotten
+pirate had purposely built the cairn retreat for a
+refuge in time of storm, when the law was hunting
+him along the coast. The room was large
+enough to contain a blanket and a low table that
+had evidently been constructed in the place. Overhead
+there was a concealed opening between the
+rocks, so that air could get into the place and the
+inmates could breathe. Once inside it was an easy
+matter to place the rocks before the opening in
+such a way that no one except a careful observer
+would ever discover it.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_215">215</div>
+<p>“It is a pretty clever hiding place,” remarked
+Don. “Anyone would have one chance in a hundred
+of finding it. I only stumbled across it because I
+was curious about the whole mound.”</p>
+<p>“It pretty nearly stood Sackett in mighty good
+stead,” Jim said.</p>
+<p>They left the cairn and went back to the thicket,
+to find the outlaw tugging frantically at his bonds,
+but when he saw them he sullenly ceased and became
+quiet. They untied him from the tree, leaving
+his hands tied, however, and helped him mount
+his horse. Then they left the thicket and started
+back for the ranch of the senorita.</p>
+<p>Three miles from the ranch they were joined by
+the professor, the captain and Terry, who had become
+anxious because of their long absence and who
+had mounted and set out to find them. The meeting
+between the reunited friends was warm and they
+were glad to see that the author of all their troubles
+was taken at last.</p>
+<p>“Well, Sackett,” said the professor, with a twinkle
+in his eyes. “It is certainly time that we took
+you. You had your inning at taking most of us
+and now it is our turn.”</p>
+<p>“You won’t keep me long,” snarled the man.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_216">216</div>
+<p>“No, we won’t,” struck in Captain Blow. “But
+the big house with the bars will hold on to you
+for a good long time, my bucko!”</p>
+<p>“Who are you?” demanded the bay pirate. “I
+never did anything to you!”</p>
+<p>“No, but your friend Captain Ryan took a couple
+of my sailors with him when he sailed on his last
+voyage. He’s taking another sail right now, down
+to San Francisco to the jail.”</p>
+<p>“Tryin’ to be funny, aren’t you?” retorted the
+river pirate.</p>
+<p>“All of your gang is in custody, Sackett,” said
+Professor Scott, quietly.</p>
+<p>They went back to the ranch, to find the senorita
+taking care of four wounded men, all of whom had
+slight wounds in the legs or shoulders. The overseer
+was one of them and he pleaded for mercy
+with the boys. Jim and Terry were undecided but
+Captain Blow and the professor were not.</p>
+<p>“Can’t let these fellows go, any of ’em,” said the
+old captain. “He would have left you two boys’
+bodies out there in the desert without thinking about
+it, according to Terry’s story, so you can’t let him
+go. Maybe he wouldn’t ever turn up to harm you
+again, but he’s a potential murderer and he’s better
+off behind bars.”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_217">217</div>
+<p>It was now late at night and the whole party
+accepted the invitation to remain at the ranch until
+morning, at which time they were to take the
+prisoners to Quito and see that they were taken
+from there to San Francisco. The night passed
+without incident and in the morning the whole party,
+with the wounded men in a wagon which belonged
+to the senorita, started for the sea coast.</p>
+<p>The journey to Quito was a long one and all of
+them did not make it. The professor dropped off
+at the Scott ranch and the others kept on with
+the cargo of dangerous rascals. In due time they
+reached the town, made out the proper papers, and
+then waited two days for a government boat to
+come and take the prisoners away. When this
+was done they went back to the Scott ranch.</p>
+<p>Subsequently Sackett, who was wanted for many
+types of crime, was placed behind the bars for the
+rest of his life and his crew of men each received
+all that was coming to them from their lives
+of dishonesty. The river pirates and bay pirate
+gang, of which Ryan and his crew formed the main
+branch, was broken up once and for all, and it was
+a good many years before any of them ever became
+free again.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_218">218</div>
+<p>Captain Blow left a message at Quito for his
+mate and then joined the party that was going
+home. He had been invited to go with them on
+their gold hunt and was eager to do so. But this
+time all stories had been told and the boys in particular
+were impatient to go and dig for it.</p>
+<p>“Well, now we’ll go have a look at that Spanish
+gold,” said the captain, as they started on the return
+trip. “And I want to have a look at that ship
+moored in the sand for so long! They say some
+of those old-timers were pretty good sailors, but I
+don’t think much of a skipper who runs his windjammer
+under the ground!”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_219">219</div>
+<h2 id="c23">CHAPTER XXIII
+<br /><span class="small">THE DRAGON’S LAST STROKE</span></h2>
+<p>The sun had barely raised above the horizon
+on the following day before the ranch echoed to the
+preparations for the treasure hunt. The boys had
+slept poorly, looking forward eagerly to the time
+when they should be in close contact with the long
+buried ship in the desert sands. With hurry and
+bustle and good-natured shouts they prepared to set
+out.</p>
+<p>Now that their minds had been relieved of all
+anxiety concerning Sackett and his gang their spirits
+soared as only those of the young adventurous can.
+They had spent a jolly evening around the fireplace
+on the previous day, talking, planning and laughing
+over some of Captain Blow’s humorous stories.
+It was late before they sought their beds, and the
+professor had been compelled to curb some of their
+animal vigor.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_220">220</div>
+<p>Jim had stood at the foot of his bed, surrounded
+by Ned, Don and Terry. Captain Blow and Professor
+Scott were preparing for bed in another room
+at the time. There had been some pillow throwing
+and now Jim was acting a part.</p>
+<p>“This is the way Terry kicked the gun out of the
+overseer’s hand,” he said. He was in his pajamas
+at the time and the other boys were also ready for
+bed. Jim loosed a vigorous kick in front of him,
+but his enthusiasm proved his undoing. The force
+caused him to lose his balance, and amidst the shouts
+of delight of his companions he thumped to the
+floor, knocking the wind out of himself.</p>
+<p>“That was some kick!” exclaimed Don, laughing.
+“No wonder the poor overseer lost his gun!
+If the kick had that much force I bet the gun sailed
+clear into the ocean!”</p>
+<p>“I protest,” put in Terry, solemnly. “I never
+cut such a wild figure as that! Your imagination
+is running away with you, Jimmie, my boy!”</p>
+<p>“Somebody else had better start running away!”
+puffed Jim, in huge disgust. “Just wait until I get
+up!”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_221">221</div>
+<p>Once up he bore down on the grinning Terry and
+bowled him onto the bed. Don reached for his
+foot, but received a hearty thrust in the stomach
+from the foot, which Jim declared he had tickled.
+Don then jumped on the wiggling chums and Ned
+stood laughing. But in a minute he too was drawn
+into hostilities. He attempted to pile pillows on
+the warring factions, who promptly turned upon
+him, and the four young men were soon engaged
+in a frantic tussle that overturned one bed and
+mussed them up royally.</p>
+<p>Such was the scene that greeted the eyes of Captain
+Blow and Professor Scott as they hastily entered
+the room. The professor opened his mouth
+to protest, but the captain, his gray eyes snapping
+with mischief, whispered something to him. The
+professor smiled and nodded and they ran forward,
+the professor seizing the ankles of Terry, who happened
+to be on top of the pile, while Blow grasped
+his shoulders.</p>
+<p>“Heave aloft!” bellowed the captain, and in concert
+they heaved.</p>
+<p>To his astonishment Terry felt himself lifted
+bodily from the struggling mass and tossed through
+the air, to land with a bounce on the bed. Ned Scott
+followed and Jim followed him. Don, seeing what
+was in the wind, made a frantic scramble to get
+under the bed, but to the delight of the watching
+boys he was switched from under by the active
+captain and treated to a ride through the air. When
+he had finally landed with a thud on the bed the
+two older men promptly sat on him.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_222">222</div>
+<p>“Now,” said the professor, with mock severity.
+“What is the meaning of all this?”</p>
+<p>“Jim was illustrating something,” replied Terry,
+gravely. “And we helped him out!”</p>
+<p>“By jumping tinder!” cried the captain. “I don’t
+know what in time you could have been illustrating!
+Showing your affection for each other, likely!”</p>
+<p>“What ever it was,” said the professor. “I suggest
+that you stop it. We want to make an early
+start in the morning and you can save some of that
+energy for digging sand. From the noise we heard
+we thought that Sackett had returned and was trying
+to carry one or all of you off. Who upset the
+bed?”</p>
+<p>“All of us,” said Don, truthfully.</p>
+<p>“I don’t doubt it. Well, to bed now, and calm
+down a bit.”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_223">223</div>
+<p>Now, on the morning of the hunt, the boys impatiently
+ate their breakfast and placed blankets and
+provisions on the horses. There was no telling how
+long they would linger around the sunken galleon,
+and they wanted to be sure that it would not be
+necessary to cut the visit short because of a lack of
+provisions. It had been decided to take the mestizo
+along with them and leave only the cook at home.
+When all arrangements had been made they started
+briskly off.</p>
+<p>The day was bright and somewhat cool and they
+made rapid progress, the boys in their eagerness
+keeping always ahead of their elders. The older
+men wisely held them in check, realizing that there
+was a long journey in front of them and not wishing
+to run the risk of tiring out before they got
+there. They halted once for a meal and then pushed
+on, not stopping for a nap in the afternoon, since it
+was not hot enough to do so, and just as evening
+drew on they topped a small hill and looked down
+on the valley in which Jim and Terry had so nearly
+lost their life.</p>
+<p>“There is the wreck!” shouted Jim, pointing to
+the corner of the galleon which they had uncovered.
+“Looks as though no one had been near it, all
+right.”</p>
+<p>No one had apparently been near the place, for
+there were no traces of footmarks in the sand other
+than those left by the two boys and the treacherous
+overseer. They rode down the incline and picketed
+the horses, hastening at once to the few feet of deck
+uncovered. The professor gazed at the uncovered
+rail in rapture.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_224">224</div>
+<p>“By George, this is wonderful!” he exclaimed,
+his face glowing with the enthusiasm of the scholar.
+“Just think, after reading a story like that, to run
+across the very ship on which it happened! I hope
+we can uncover the whole ship!”</p>
+<p>“Ned,” asked Don. “Where was that piece of
+wreckage found, the piece that first gave the idea of
+a sunken galleon?”</p>
+<p>“About three miles north of here,” replied the
+engineer. “I guess I see what you are getting at.
+You think that the piece was washed out of the creek
+that used to be here, and was found, after it drifted
+down shore?”</p>
+<p>“Yes,” nodded Don. “Don’t you think so?”</p>
+<p>“I surely do,” assented Ned, stepping down onto
+the deck of the buried galleon. “Is this the hatchway?”</p>
+<p>Terry lifted the hatch, which they had replaced
+when they had left the galleon with the Mexican.
+“Yes, and here is the flight of stairs. Did anyone
+bring a flashlight?”</p>
+<p>“I have one,” said the professor, producing it
+from his saddle bag. “Let’s be very careful about
+going down those stairs.”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_225">225</div>
+<p>It was now dark and the flashlight was needed.
+The professor flashed the beam of light down the
+stairs and went first, treading with infinite care,
+but the steps were apparently solid. The others,
+with the exception of the mestizo, who would not
+trust himself in a place which looked so much like
+a trap, followed the savant down into the hold of the
+ancient ship.</p>
+<p>“There is the treasure chest,” said Jim, and the
+professor swung the beam of light on the mouldering
+chest. Don lifted the lid and the gold was
+revealed.</p>
+<p>They fingered it and found that it consisted of
+coins of various degrees. The professor did not
+recognize any of them except some pieces of eight.</p>
+<p>“Sorry I didn’t study up on ancient coins,” murmured
+the teacher. “However, I’m pretty sure that
+there is quite a fortune here.”</p>
+<p>“No doubt there is a substantial treasure further
+down in the sand,” suggested Ned.</p>
+<p>“Yes,” the professor agreed. “Cups and plate
+silver and perhaps other things. The sailors didn’t
+carry anything away with them, expecting to return
+and gather it all on some other occasion, I
+presume.” He turned his light from side to side.
+“The hold here was filled with water, and all above
+deck must have been burned. We won’t find much
+of anything until we get down under the sand.”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_226">226</div>
+<p>After some more looking around they went outside
+and made camp close to the wreck, the boys
+again hacking firewood from the remains of the
+galleon. They ate supper and then sat around the
+fire discussing plans and waiting for the morrow
+and daylight.</p>
+<p>“It is going to be quite a job digging into that
+sand,” observed the captain. “In the first place, it’s
+mighty wet.”</p>
+<p>“Yes,” said the professor. “I’m very much afraid
+it is too much of a job for us to attempt. It will
+take a whole crew to dig down into those ruins,
+and a regular excavating gang will be the ones to
+do it. However, we can look around and see what
+we can pick up ourselves, and then later see to it
+that the right sort of a company goes to work on the
+job.”</p>
+<p>“We’ll have to make a legal claim to it, won’t
+we?” asked Jim.</p>
+<p>Ned nodded. “That will have to be our first
+job. If we don’t anybody who comes along will
+be able to take it right out of our hands. It is
+much the same as discovering a gold mine, only in
+this case the gold is already refined and cast for
+us.”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_227">227</div>
+<p>“I can’t wait until morning!” said the impatient
+Terry.</p>
+<p>“I’m glad you said that,” the professor spoke
+seriously. “I want you boys to promise me that you
+won’t go on the wreck at any time during the night
+or in the morning before we are all awake and ready
+to tackle it. We have had quite a bit of trouble so
+far and we want to avoid any more, certainly any
+that may turn out to be more serious than any we
+have had. I don’t believe that there are any ghosts
+or goblins on the thing that will hurt you, but we
+had better not do anything that we’ll regret.”</p>
+<p>“I for one won’t,” Terry promised. “I remember
+what that dragon says in the old manuscript!”</p>
+<p>The others promised, and after some further talk
+they all went to sleep and remained asleep until
+daylight. After a hasty breakfast they went to the
+wreck once more.</p>
+<p>“Fine day we have for our treasure hunting
+party,” remarked Don, as they went down the hatchway.</p>
+<p>It was indeed a fine day, with a clear blue sky and
+a bright sun. Once down in the hold, however, all
+light and warmth was shut out, except for a single
+shaft that came in from the open hatchway.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_228">228</div>
+<p>“Now,” said the professor, who was the leader.
+“We aren’t going to be able to do much with this
+proposition, but I suggest that we at least dig out
+this room. It wouldn’t be of any use to dig down
+into the main hold of the galleon, for it would
+take us months and it would be dangerous work.
+Before anything like that is done all sand would
+have to be cleared away from the sides of the ship.”</p>
+<p>The room in which they stood, and which held
+the chest of gold, was about fourteen feet square.
+With small trench shovels brought from the ranch
+they went to work on the moist sand, digging it
+out and by a system of relays throwing it out on
+the deck. Don stood on a wide step where the sand
+was deposited by Ned, the professor and Jim, and
+shovelled it up to the hatch, where Terry and Blow
+threw it to one side. They worked on with a will,
+and although it soon became hard work no one
+complained.</p>
+<p>It was soon found that the chest of gold had
+been upon a table at the time of the sinking of the
+galleon, for they had scarcely begun their work before
+they struck the top of the table. It was soon
+uncovered and proved to be a massive affair of black
+wood. It was about four feet high, and when they
+had cleared away the sand down to the bottom they
+found solid flooring.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_229">229</div>
+<p>From time to time they changed positions so as
+to give each one a chance to work inside the buried
+galleon and also to get a chance at the sunlight.
+The person who relayed the sand on the stairs had
+the hardest job, as he was compelled to stoop down,
+scoop the sand, straighten up and throw it out of
+the hatch. Don was not sorry to give up his post
+and get out on the deck, and later on to get down
+into the old hold.</p>
+<p>When Don got downstairs the room had been
+almost completely excavated and some more treasure
+had been found. Several bars of solid silver
+had been uncovered in one corner and even the
+walls held relics, in the shape of several old muskets
+and knives, along with a rusted sword. There were
+two heavy chairs in the room also, which were both
+overturned, probably by the force of the shock when
+the galleon ran aground.</p>
+<p>They stopped at dinner time to eat, all of them
+being profoundly grateful for the respite. The room
+in which they had been working was now almost
+empty and they decided to do a little more work
+and then take the gold and as much silver as they
+could carry and go back to the ranch, there to put
+in motion the necessary machinery to make the
+treasure theirs. Accordingly, as soon as the noon
+meal was finished, they went back to work.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_230">230</div>
+<p>“Better not do much more excavating,” warned
+Captain Blow. “That pile of wet sand on the deck
+is getting pretty heavy.”</p>
+<p>They finished excavating that room, finding
+nothing more of importance and then held a parley.
+There was a door in one side of the room and they
+were in doubt as to whether to open it. The professor
+feared that something might happen if they
+did, but the others disagreed with him, so the door
+was finally chopped open.</p>
+<p>It came out of its frame with a rush, disclosing
+nothing but a blank wall of sand. Some portion of
+the deck, as yet under sand, had evidently been
+ripped off or had burned off, and in that manner
+the ship had filled completely, much as a paper boat
+that a child buries in the sand. They picked at
+the wall of sand before them, but it was solid and
+they gave it up.</p>
+<p>“I guess this will be as much as we’ll want to
+do,” the professor announced. “The rest of the job
+is for a regular crew of excavators, and moreover,
+must be undertaken scientifically. We’ll be satisfied
+to go back with what we have and lay claim to the
+rest of it in the right way.”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_231">231</div>
+<p>“Are you thinking of starting tonight?” asked
+Terry, looking at his watch. “It is five o’clock
+now!”</p>
+<p>“Is it that late?” cried Captain Blow. “By
+thunder mighty! this day zipped right by!”</p>
+<p>“Yes, it is that late,” retorted the professor, consulting
+his own watch. “We’ve been so busy and
+interested that we haven’t kept track of the time.
+No, we won’t start back tonight. We’ll stay in camp
+and start early in the morning!”</p>
+<p>“All right, suppose we get back,” suggested the
+captain. “The bottom of my stomach is sunk lower
+than this fishing smack!”</p>
+<p>They went up the stairs, Ned and Don stopping
+to examine one of the musty guns that was on the
+wall. The others stepped off of the deck and onto
+the sand, and seeing that the two boys were not
+with them, the professor called out: “Come on,
+boys, back to camp.”</p>
+<p>“We’re coming!” Don replied, as he started up
+the stairs, with Ned a step or two back of him.
+Don had just thrust his head out of the hatchway
+when there came a warning shout from Terry.</p>
+<p>“Hurry up!” he yelled. “The sand is sliding!”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_232">232</div>
+<p>The wet sand which they had piled up during the
+day suddenly slid down the hill with gathering force.
+Don sprang forward quickly, but was too late. The
+sand hit the deck of the galleon, there was a dull
+report and a sucking sensation, and then the whole
+room which they had excavated caved in. The deck,
+rotting and weakened, gave way under the descending
+weight of the wet and dry sand, and went
+through with a roar. Don and Ned disappeared from
+sight, buried alive in the wreck of the galleon!</p>
+<p>The party on the shore stared dumbly for one
+minute, appalled by the horror of the tragedy, and
+then Captain Blow leaped forward.</p>
+<p>“Come on and dig!” he cried. “If we don’t dig
+like fury they’ll smother to death!”</p>
+<p>As the others followed him the intrepid captain
+leaped down on the heap of sand where the boys
+had last been seen and began to dig frantically. The
+sand was loose and he sank down in it, but he dug
+without heeding his own peril, and the others helped
+him. Don’s hand speedily worked loose from the
+sand and they caught hold of it.</p>
+<p>“Work right around his arm,” cried the captain.
+“Be careful not to hit his head with your shovels.”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_233">233</div>
+<p>The scene was one of wildest confusion. By digging
+with furious energy they got Don’s head free
+and only just in time. He was purple and fairly
+clawed for air. They attempted to drag him loose,
+but failed. He pushed the sand from his mouth
+and spoke urgently.</p>
+<p>“Get Ned!” he gasped. “He’s down around my
+knees, somewhere!”</p>
+<p>The professor’s face was white and he silently
+kneeled beside Don’s head and dug with all his
+strength. Terry and Jim held the slippery sand back
+as the two men shovelled it away, and in a few
+seconds, which seemed like hours to them, one of
+Ned’s shoulders was uncovered. Dropping their
+shovels the men wormed their hands beneath his
+armpit and tore him loose from the sand.</p>
+<p>“Here, water, senor,” said Yappi, appearing beside
+them with a canteen.</p>
+<p>Ned was blue and unconscious, and they were
+forced to dig the sand from his nose and mouth
+before he could catch his breath. When he had
+become conscious he drank some water, and Don
+followed his example. They both were free to
+breathe but were still buried and sinking, for the
+sand was sifting down into the room below.</p>
+<p>“This fight has only just begun,” said the captain,
+grimly. “We’ve got to get them out of here as
+fast as we can.”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_234">234</div>
+<p>Then began a spirited battle between the men and
+the sand, the human beings putting every ounce of
+strength into the battle to keep their companions
+from being engulfed again and the sand exerting
+its power to entomb them once more, with a persistence
+that was perfectly amazing. The muscles
+of the friends ached, for they were tired from the
+events of the day, but they knew it was a race
+of life and death. They dug ceaselessly, throwing
+sand as far away as possible, baffled and maddened
+by the steady stream of the soil that returned to the
+charge.</p>
+<p>It grew steadily darker and at last the captain,
+who had assumed charge of the rescue operations
+spoke briefly to the professor. “Tell your man to
+light a big fire,” he commanded.</p>
+<p>When this was done they labored on, and after
+an hour had gone by they were down as far as the
+boys’ waists. They were working in a hollow that
+had been made even more of a hole than normally
+by the collapse of the deck, and so the sand proved
+to be a persistent foe. As fast as they threw it
+up it slid back, and there was no way to keep it
+up.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_235">235</div>
+<p>“Now,” said the captain, briskly. “Tell your man
+to back the horses down here, throw out a hawser,
+grapple onto those lads, and tow ’em out!”</p>
+<p>When this had been put into the kind of language
+that Yappi could understand he quickly ran the
+horses into position, threw out a rope, and it was
+passed under Don’s armpits. Yappi sprang into the
+saddle gave the horse the pressure of his heels, his
+hand steady to check him at moment’s notice.</p>
+<p>The rope tightened, and the boys pushed Don’s
+body, with the result that he was hauled out of the
+treacherous hole. Nothing was said at the time,
+and Don made all haste to scramble to safety,
+shaken by his experience. It was now an easier task
+to get at Ned, for the freeing of Don had left a
+bigger hole, and they tied him up securely. This
+time the horse strained, the boy gritted his teeth
+as the rope cut into his body, and the others pushed
+with a will. With a final rush he came up and out
+of the hole.</p>
+<p>“Hurrah!” shouted the captain, dropping his
+shovel. “The battle is won, mates! By tunket, let’s
+get out of here.”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_236">236</div>
+<p>They made haste to leave the place and then had
+a happy reunion. The professor’s lips moved as he
+pressed Ned to him and Jim’s eyes were not steady
+when he hugged Don. Terry addressed the remains
+of the wreck, while the mestizo patted the head of
+the horse.</p>
+<p>“Pretty smart, you old mud scow!” the red-headed
+boy said. “That was the dragon’s last stroke,
+and he nearly made good on it.”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_237">237</div>
+<h2 id="c24">CHAPTER XXIV
+<br /><span class="small">NED TAKES A NEW OVERSEER</span></h2>
+<p>They were all glad enough to rest that night
+around the campfire. The muscles of the party were
+stiff and sore, and Don and Ned declared that their
+bodies ached from head to foot.</p>
+<p>“Got enough sand in me to build a new bunkhouse
+at the ranch,” Ned, declared.</p>
+<p>They told their sensations as the wall of sand
+closed over them, sensations by no means pleasant.
+Smothering in sand was not an enviable means of
+ending one’s life, according to Ned, who had been
+closest to it. Don had felt that he had a good
+chance for his life, for he had been near the surface,
+but his chief worriment had been for his
+friend, whom he knew to be lower down.</p>
+<p>“All things considered, I rather think we earned
+that treasure,” the professor remarked, and the
+others agreed with him heartily.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_238">238</div>
+<p>Yappi could not be persuaded to go near the place
+again. He was firm in the belief that an evil spirit
+had tried to punish them for meddling with the gold
+of dead men. During the time they had needed his
+help he had been brave enough, but now that
+there was nothing to fear he was more frightened
+than he had ever been. More than all the others,
+he looked forward to going home in the morning.</p>
+<p>They slept the sleep of the utterly exhausted that
+night and were late in getting up on the following
+day. When all their things were packed and the
+treasure which they had taken placed on the horses
+they left the place and started for the ranch.</p>
+<p>“That place isn’t the best place in the world for
+us,” laughed Don, as they paused on a rise and
+looked around. “Jim and Terry were nearly killed
+near there and then Ned and I got a sand bath.
+That guardian dragon doesn’t appear to like young
+men!”</p>
+<p>“Maybe he doesn’t object to the professor and
+me,” observed the captain, with a broad smile. “We
+both have beards and are more nearly his age!”</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_239">239</div>
+<p>The journey back to the ranch was made without
+incident and they were glad to arrive. After remaining
+there for a day the professor and the captain
+took the treasure and set out with it to the
+coast, there to go to San Diego and claim legal
+right to it. The boys accompanied them to Quito,
+where Blow’s own schooner, which was fortunately
+lying at anchor, took them to their destination. The
+boys left them in the town and returned to the
+ranch.</p>
+<p>There they passed several happy days, riding,
+visiting the mines, going once or twice to visit the
+senorita, and generally having a good time. Ned
+went several times to the senorita’s and Terry wisely
+nodded his head.</p>
+<p>“Big doings pretty soon,” he observed, wisely.</p>
+<p>“What do you mean?” asked Don. They were
+out near the barn and Ned was not with them.</p>
+<p>“Wait and see. The young man is going over the
+hill quite frequently now, and you wait and see if
+something exciting doesn’t happen.”</p>
+<p>“Getting married isn’t exciting,” said Jim.</p>
+<p>“Don’t know, my boy,” drawled Terry, trying
+to throw a lasso. “Never been that way, myself!
+Look at that for a throw, will you! Aimed it at
+the fence post and got the corner of the barn!”</p>
+<p>When the professor and the captain returned they
+reported success. Their claim was legal and they
+had authority to recruit a gang of men to excavate
+the ancient ship.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_240">240</div>
+<p>“That’s the end of the phantom galleon,” observed
+Don. “It won’t be a phantom any more.”</p>
+<p>“You pretty nearly joined the phantoms yourself,”
+Jim reminded him.</p>
+<p>Terry’s surmise regarding the state of affairs at
+the Mercedes ranch turned out to be correct. In
+a few days Ned announced that they were to be
+married.</p>
+<p>“There is no use in allowing her to stay over
+there and try to run that little ranch all by herself,”
+he said, as they sat in the living room one night.
+“So we are going to combine and form one big
+ranch, after we are married. That will end all of
+her troubles about getting help and overseers.”</p>
+<p>“I see,” said Terry, dryly. “You are doing it so
+as to help her run her ranch. Funny way to get
+married.”</p>
+<p>Ned made a pass at him and the red-headed boy
+dodged. The professor smiled.</p>
+<p>“That’s the easiest way of saying it,” he said.
+“Ned wouldn’t want you to suspect that he loves
+the young lady!”</p>
+<p>“Ned spoke about her difficulty in getting an overseer,”
+remarked Don. “Another way to look at it
+is that Ned himself is getting an overseer!”</p>
+<p>“Yes, he’ll have to behave himself now,” said the
+captain, as they all laughed at Ned’s red face.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_241">241</div>
+<p>In the days that followed an excavating crew
+came down from San Francisco and went to work
+on the wreck of the galleon. In a remarkably short
+time it was unearthed and systematically cleaned
+out. A treasure estimated in value at something
+like fifty thousand dollars was found in the wreck,
+a treasure that consisted of gold and silver plate,
+gold coins, silver coins and several gold chains.
+There was also some silk, but it had been spoiled.
+The wreck itself, when uncovered, showed that it
+had been burned to the water’s edge before being
+covered with the sands of the plains.</p>
+<p>“Well, when that is all divided, up, we’ll have
+plenty, each one of us,” said the professor.</p>
+<p>“At last my mother will get a few of the things
+in life that she has really needed,” said Terry, to
+whom the fortune meant most.</p>
+<p>Not long after that there was a simple wedding in
+the Scott ranch. A minister came to the ranch from
+Quito and Ned and the senorita were married in
+the living room of the ranch which was now to be
+her home. Ned was quietly happy and the senorita
+brilliantly so. All the lonely years of living alone
+were now over, and she looked forward to a life of
+happiness with the American boy whose simple
+manliness had always appealed to her. Don was
+Ned’s best man.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_242">242</div>
+<p>“By golly,” said Terry, when it was all over. “If
+getting married makes you feel as happy as Ned and
+his lady friend looked, I think I’ll try it!”</p>
+<p>“That’ll be fine, Terry,” responded Jim. “By the
+way, who is the lady?”</p>
+<p>“What?” asked the red-headed boy, blankly.</p>
+<p>“Who is the lady that will look so happy when
+you marry her?” Jim answered.</p>
+<p>“Gee, I don’t know!” was the reply. “You have
+to have a lady friend, don’t you? I hadn’t thought
+of that!”</p>
+<p>“You had better give it some thought,” retorted
+Don. “Most people have one when they get married.”</p>
+<p>After a few more days the boys prepared to return
+home, along with the professor, who was eager
+to return to his classes in school. The boys were
+looking forward to their second year at Woodcrest,
+to the study and the sports of the coming season.
+Captain Blow left them a few days earlier, expressing
+his pleasure at having met them once more.</p>
+<div class="pb" id="Page_243">243</div>
+<p>“I hope I fall in with you Mercer boys again
+sometime,” he said, as he shook hands at the dock.
+“I always have a barrel of fun when I’m with you.
+Makes me young again. If you ever sail past old
+Mystery Island, think of me, will you?”</p>
+<p>A few days later they all said goodbye to the new
+Mr. and Mrs. Scott, wishing them well and promising
+to come and see them if they were ever in that
+part of the world again. Before long they were
+back in San Francisco and on the train, bound for
+home and school. Terry was with them, having had
+“Jumpiter” shipped by rail.</p>
+<p>“Well,” remarked Don, as they rolled past long
+fields of grain. “That’s the end of one of the best
+vacations we ever had. Now we’ll go back to
+school, to settle down and take things easy for a
+change.”</p>
+<p>But if Don could have seen the events that awaited
+them in the coming school term in the form of a
+baffling mystery he would not have been so sure that
+they would settle down. In the next volume, entitled
+<span class="sc">The Mercer Boys’ Mystery Case</span>, or the
+’13 <span class="sc">Class Trophy Riddle</span> the exciting things which
+befell them will be related.</p>
+<p class="tbcenter"><span class="small">THE END</span></p>
+<h2 id="tn">Transcriber’s Notes</h2><ul>
+<li>Copyright notice provided as in the original—this e-text is public domain in the country of publication.</li>
+<li>Silently corrected palpable typos; left non-standard spellings and dialect unchanged.</li>
+<li>Generated a Table of Contents from the chapter headings.</li>
+<li>In the text versions, delimited italics text in _underscores_ (the HTML version reproduces the font form of the printed book.)</li>
+</ul>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Mercer Boys on a Treasure Hunt, by
+Capwell Wyckoff
+
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diff --git a/53673-h/images/cover.jpg b/53673-h/images/cover.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..59502d7 --- /dev/null +++ b/53673-h/images/cover.jpg diff --git a/53673-h/images/p1.jpg b/53673-h/images/p1.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..00597a4 --- /dev/null +++ b/53673-h/images/p1.jpg diff --git a/53673-h/images/p2.jpg b/53673-h/images/p2.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..af8637e --- /dev/null +++ b/53673-h/images/p2.jpg diff --git a/53673.txt b/53673.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..7578ace --- /dev/null +++ b/53673.txt @@ -0,0 +1,6264 @@ +Project Gutenberg's The Mercer Boys on a Treasure Hunt, by Capwell Wyckoff
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most
+other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
+whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of
+the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at
+www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have
+to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook.
+
+Title: The Mercer Boys on a Treasure Hunt
+
+Author: Capwell Wyckoff
+
+Release Date: December 6, 2016 [EBook #53673]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MERCER BOYS ON A TREASURE HUNT ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Rod Crawford, MFR and the
+Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+ THE MERCER BOYS ON
+ A TREASURE HUNT
+
+
+ By CAPWELL WYCKOFF
+
+ Author of
+ "The Mercer Boys at Woodcrest," "The Mercer Boys' Cruise in the
+Lassie," "The Mercer Boys' Mystery Case," "The Mercer Boys on the Beach
+ Patrol," "The Mercer Boys in Summer Camp."
+
+ [Illustration: Series logo]
+
+ THE
+ WORLD SYNDICATE PUBLISHING CO.
+ Cleveland, Ohio New York City
+
+ Copyright, MCMXXIX
+ _by_
+ THE WORLD SYNDICATE PUBLISHING CO.
+
+ [Illustration: Publisher logo]
+
+ _Printed in the United States of America_
+
+
+
+
+ CONTENTS
+
+
+ CHAPTER PAGE
+ I The Professor's Letter 3
+ II The Story of the Phantom Galleon 13
+ III A Royal Invitation 20
+ IV The Professor is Attacked 29
+ V The Prowler in the Night 41
+ VI The Scene in the Moonlight 52
+ VII Sackett's Raid 63
+ VIII The Search is Begun 72
+ IX The Ruined Castle 81
+ X The Rope in the Dungeon 92
+ XI The Underground Passage 101
+ XII The Tolling of the Bell 109
+ XIII A Forced March 119
+ XIV History Repeats 129
+ XV The Mountain Sage 139
+ XVI The Landing Party 150
+ XVII The Escape 159
+ XVIII Treasure and Treachery 170
+ XIX An Old Friend Joins the Party 182
+ XX The Tar Barrel 191
+ XXI The Cairn 201
+ XXII The Den 211
+ XXIII The Dragon's Last Stroke 219
+ XXIV Ned Takes a New Overseer 237
+
+
+
+
+ THE MERCER BOYS ON A
+ TREASURE HUNT
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER I
+ THE PROFESSOR'S LETTER
+
+
+"I'd like to have a crack at that ball," said Don Mercer, with a grin.
+
+His brother Jim returned the grin as he said: "Let's go out on the field
+and ask the kids to toss us one. They won't mind giving us one swing at
+it." The two Mercer brothers were standing at the edge of a large vacant
+lot near the center of their home town one morning late in June. They
+had been home from Woodcrest Military Institute for a week now on their
+summer vacation, and this particular day, having nothing more exciting
+to do, they had wandered around the town, coming at length to a familiar
+field where they had often played baseball. A number of youngsters were
+on the ground now, tossing and batting a discolored baseball, and the
+sight of them had caused the sandy haired, slightly freckled Don to
+express his wish.
+
+The two boys walked across the field toward the boys and Don said:
+"Wonder how much further I can hit it now than I could when I played
+here as a kid?"
+
+"Hard to tell," returned Jim. "But we certainly got quite a bit of
+practise this spring at Woodcrest."
+
+The small boys looked at them as they drew nearer, but as the Mercer
+boys were well known the boys felt no alarm or resentment at the
+approach of the larger lads. Don walked over to the boy who held the bat
+and held out his hand.
+
+"How about giving me one crack at the ball, Charlie?" he asked.
+
+The boy smiled and extended the bat, a bit of embarrassment in his look.
+"Sure, Don. Take a couple of them," he invited.
+
+"I guess one will be enough," remarked Don, as he turned to face a boy
+who held the ball. "Put a good one over, Tommy, will you?"
+
+The boy addressed as Tommy grinned boyishly and turned to the youngsters
+who stood far afield, waiting for flies to be batted to them. "Get way
+out, you fellows," he cried. "This fellow can hit 'em!"
+
+The two fielders backed away and Tommy threw a fast ball to Don. The
+latter easily batted it out and one of the youngsters caught it
+triumphantly. Don handed the bat to Jim, who in turn cracked the ball
+out along the ground.
+
+"Just one more, fellows," begged Don, taking the bat from his brother's
+hand. When the ball had been turned over to young Tommy he wound his arm
+up slowly and then pitched it with considerable force in Don's
+direction.
+
+"Hit that!" he cried.
+
+It was traveling on a straight line and Don swung the bat around
+sharply. There was a singing crack as the wood met the ball, and the
+muddy spheroid sailed in a mounting curve up into the air. It passed
+high above the fielder's head and made its way straight for the side
+window of a small house that stood on the edge of the field.
+
+"Oh, boy!" shouted Jim. "Right through the window!"
+
+His statement was correct. With a disconcerting crash the ball smashed
+the window to pieces.
+
+Don dropped the bat and shoved his hands into his pocket. "Well, I'll be
+jiggered!" he exclaimed. "How is that for bad luck? Right through
+Professor Scott's window!"
+
+"I hope the professor wasn't at home, and in that room," said Jim.
+"Guess we had better go over and see about it."
+
+"Right you are," nodded Don. "Thanks for the hits, kids. Come on, Jim."
+
+Leaving the boys to gather and talk things over in awed tones the two
+Mercer brothers made their way across the field in the direction of
+Professor Scott's house. The gentleman mentioned had been their history
+teacher while they were in grammar school, and they knew him quite well,
+so they had no great fears as to the outcome. No one had appeared at the
+window or at the doors, and Jim supposed that the professor was not at
+home.
+
+"I guess not," Don returned, "or he would surely have appeared by now.
+But we'll go over and see, and if he isn't we'll leave a note and tell
+him who did it, and offer to pay for it."
+
+While the Mercer boys are making their way across the field something
+may be said as to who they were. Both boys, fine, manly chaps, were the
+sons of a wealthy lumber man of Bridgewater, Maine. They had lived the
+life of healthy young men whose interests were centered in worthwhile
+things. Of late they had had some adventurous events in their lives,
+some of which were related in the first volume of this series, The
+Mercer Boys' Cruise in the Lassie, when they ran down a marine bandit
+gang, and later when solving a baffling mystery at the military school,
+details of which were related in the second volume entitled The Mercer
+Boys at Woodcrest. Together with their comrade, Terry Mackson, they had
+faced many perils and adventures, and now they were home to spend, as
+they thought, a comparatively dull vacation. Just how deeply mistaken
+they were in their thought will be found later.
+
+They entered the front yard of Professor Scott's house and walked around
+to the side, where the broken window faced toward the empty lot. There
+appeared to be no one at home, but when they came opposite to the window
+Don raised himself slightly on his toes and looked in. Then he dropped
+down again and looked at Jim in astonishment.
+
+"The professor is at home," he said, in a low tone. "He's sitting there,
+reading a letter!"
+
+"Reading a letter?" asked Jim, amazed.
+
+"Yes," answered his brother. "Look in."
+
+Jim raised himself and looked in the window. A tall man with bushy white
+hair and a thick iron gray beard was seated at the desk in what appeared
+to be a study, busily engaged in reading a letter. Near him, almost at
+his feet, lay the boys' ball, and fragments of broken glass littered the
+floor. The professor was apparently deeply absorbed in his letter.
+
+"Well, what do you know about that!" exclaimed Jim, softly. "Doesn't
+even seem to know that the window is broken! We always knew that he was
+somewhat absent-minded, but I thought he was more responsible than
+that!"
+
+Before Don could reply there was a stir in the room and the next minute
+the professor came to the window and looked down at them. He still held
+what appeared to be a lengthy letter in his hand, and he recognized
+them.
+
+"Why, Don and Jim Mercer!" he cried, showing strong white teeth in an
+engaging smile. "I'm glad to see you home again. Did you come to see
+me?"
+
+"I came to apologize for breaking your window, and to offer to pay for
+it, Professor Scott," answered Don. "I was batting out the ball for some
+boys, and I hit it harder than I expected to. I hope it didn't startle
+you very much?"
+
+"I jumped a little bit," admitted the professor. "I did notice it!"
+
+"Notice it!" exploded Jim. "I should think that you might have! It
+certainly made enough noise."
+
+"It did make some. I felt that it was some of the boys playing ball and
+I was going to throw the ball back to them in a minute." He picked the
+ball up and handed it to Don. "Throw it back, and then come inside,
+won't you?"
+
+Don threw the ball back to the small boys, who were watching from the
+field. "Are you sure we won't be breaking in on you, professor?" he
+asked.
+
+"Not as much as you did a few minutes ago!" smiled the teacher. "Come
+around through the back way."
+
+When the boys entered the professor's study he motioned them to chairs
+and asked them a few questions about their school life and studies. All
+the time he held the letter in his hand, and when he had finished
+talking about their school he took the lead in the conversation.
+
+"I guess you boys wonder what is so interesting in this letter that I
+hardly noticed a ball when it broke through my window," he began. "Well,
+I remember how interested you boys were in history while in my classes,
+and I'm glad you came along when you did. This letter is from my son
+Ned, who lives in Lower California, and it contains one of the most
+fascinating stories I ever came across!"
+
+Knowing as they did the professor's deep interest in historic and
+scientific studies and discoveries the boys found themselves interested
+at once. The teacher went on, after a glance at the letter, "Ned owns a
+small farm or homestead in Lower California near the mines at San
+Antonio and Triunfo, where he tests the ores and carries on general
+scientific studies. He tells me that the ores are refractory and not
+easy to test, but he enjoys the work and is devoting his whole life to
+it. I don't think he is quite as much interested in historic things as I
+am, but knowing how eager I am for relics and information of the past,
+he has sent me this remarkable piece of news.
+
+"Some time ago, a steam trawler, while fishing in 130 fathoms of water,
+hauled up a piece of wreckage in its net. Upon examination it appeared
+to be the bulwark of an ancient Spanish galleon, with parts of the
+rigging attached. On the sides, plainly distinguishable, were designs in
+hand-sewn leather. Some of those big, lumbering ships were decorated
+quite extensively, you know, and this one was distinguished by its
+hand-sewn leather covering. It was evident that somewhere in the
+neighborhood a Spanish galleon had gone to the bottom, and it is always
+a safe conclusion that where there is galleon there is also a treasure.
+Those ships carried gold, silver and jewels from Old Mexico and Peru to
+Spain, and this particular ship may have been going home after a trip up
+the coast of California. That was the type of ship that the brave
+English seamen of Queen Elizabeth's time whipped so soundly at the time
+of the Spanish Armada, and there were hundreds of them in service along
+the shores of the Americas and the Islands.
+
+"The spot was marked in the hope that treasure would be discovered, on
+the presumption that it was a treasure ship, and shortly afterward
+active operations were started by a California diving company. But
+although they searched the shore under water in minute detail they found
+nothing. The mystery is not that they didn't find any treasure, but that
+they didn't find any more of the ship. You might think that perhaps that
+particular piece had been washed there from some point further out, and
+it is possible, but the piece, when netted, had been buried in the mud,
+and it looks as though it had been there for centuries, though ships
+haven't a habit of sinking in sections, one part at one place and
+another part in a different place. However, they didn't find a thing,
+and at last the whole undertaking was given up."
+
+"That is too bad," said Jim, who was deeply absorbed in the story. "So
+it was a false hope from the first."
+
+"How long ago was that?" asked Don.
+
+"That was a little over a year ago," answered the professor. "And that
+leads me to the second part of my story. Ned had given up all interest
+in it even before the diving and salvage company had, and he thought no
+more about it. The piece of wreckage is a treasure in itself and was
+sent up to San Francisco, where it was subsequently placed in a museum.
+Realizing that I would be interested in it all he first wrote to me at
+the time it happened, and I read it and wrote for news, but as the thing
+died down I forgot it, too. I have planned to run out to San Francisco
+sometime and see the part myself, and I intend doing so soon.
+
+"Ned told me at the time that there had been some slight changes in the
+coast line during the last few centuries. A number of creeks that
+formerly ran into the ocean have closed up and disappeared, some of them
+filled with shifting sand and soil. I don't know if you were ever aware
+of the fact or not, but although Lower California has a dry climate and
+is mostly barren, there are spots where it is tropical and jungle plants
+and trees grow there in luxurious profusion. Although they have almost
+no rain, they do have violent storms, and at such times are treated to
+regular cloudbursts. At those periods the elements raise the old dickens
+and it was during these spells that some creeks and small rivers closed
+up.
+
+"Maybe you wonder why I'm particular to tell you all this. I do so
+because I believe it has a direct bearing on the most amazing part of
+Ned's letter. I believe it explains the disappearance of the Phantom
+Galleon!"
+
+"The Phantom Galleon!" cried Don, while Jim stirred in eager interest.
+"What is that, Professor Scott?"
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER II
+ THE STORY OF THE PHANTOM GALLEON
+
+
+"Well," answered the professor, slowly. "Up until a very short time Ned,
+and others, thought that it was only a legend. He hadn't been in the
+country very long before he heard it, and he put it down as one of those
+semi-historic tales that consist of half truth and half fancy. The tale
+had been handed down for centuries and always by word of mouth, and this
+is the story:
+
+"On a certain evening, hundreds of years ago, a huge, lumbering Spanish
+galleon, loaded with treasure, fled along the coast of Lower California,
+pursued by three English barks. In the long run there was not a chance
+that the gold ship would get away, for the light English barks were much
+faster, and it was only a question of time before they hauled down on
+her and boarded. The way they were situated was this: one ship was in
+the rear of the Spaniard, one was coming up in front of it, and a third
+was moving in from the open sea. It was a regular trap, you see, and
+merely a matter of time.
+
+"But fortunately--or unfortunately, I don't know which--for the galleon,
+one of those rare tropical storms came up at that moment when capture
+seemed assured for the gold ship. There was a furious rush of the wind,
+the sky grew black and lowering, and finally, in one great maelstrom of
+confusion the three ships and the galleon were blotted out of sight. The
+storm only lasted for some half hour, which is unusually long for some
+of them, and when it lifted the galleon was nowhere to be seen. The
+English barks had had all they could handle and had been so busy holding
+their own against the elements that they hadn't time to keep up the
+pursuit, and their conclusion was that the Spaniard had gone to the
+bottom of the sea. As it was built much higher and was much harder to
+handle than the lighter ships, the conclusion was justified, and the
+pursuers drew off and left the shore.
+
+"As I told you, that had happened in the evening, just as dusk was
+coming down over the shore and the sea, and the high decked galleon,
+with its spread of strained canvas and yellow streamers, its lofty
+rigging and its ornamental work, looked like some strange phantom as it
+fled down the coast. I don't know who saw it or how many saw it, but to
+this day the story, half legend as it is, has persisted concerning the
+phantom galleon. Some fantastic tales still linger about it appearing on
+dusky nights and sailing swiftly along the shore, but they are idle
+stories to which no one with intelligence pays any attention. Ned never
+gave the whole thing much credit until a remarkable circumstance brought
+it forcefully to his mind.
+
+"Near his little ranch there is a large old estate which belongs to a
+once noble family of mixed Spanish and Mexican blood, and although they
+keep pretty much to themselves, out of a lofty sense of pride, they have
+been rather friendly to Ned, in their stately and exacting way. There
+was an old man who was head of the place, his daughter, and one or two
+servants. Lately the old gentleman died, and Ned kindly helped out with
+the funeral and the management of the ranch affairs until a permanent
+overseer was brought over from Mexico, and in her gratitude the young
+senorita allowed him to roam pretty much around the house. I suspect
+from his letter that he has of late become rather more than friendly
+with the young lady, but that doesn't make much difference either way.
+It seems that she had been left with quite a library, reading being an
+important business in such a lonely place, and some of the volumes were
+pretty precious, being hand written works of early settlers and priests,
+who thus left interesting historic records. One of these books attracted
+Ned's attention strongly.
+
+"It had been written by a priest in the year 1571, and it described the
+Spanish treasure hunts, some of which were plain plundering expeditions,
+and this particular book related them in detail. Ned wasn't unusually
+interested until he came across the part relating to a chase that the
+galleon had had from three English ships. According to the author they
+had loaded with something like 100,000 pesos and a fortune in gold and
+silver bars, to say nothing of jewels, and had sailed for Upper
+California. But near the shores of Lower California the galleon had been
+sighted by an English bark, which had instantly given chase. The
+galleon, which had a good start, fled, but its chances of escape
+suddenly became less as another English ship appeared before it, and
+another bore down on it from the open sea. It was growing dark, wrote
+the priest, and there was some hope that it would slip away in the
+darkness, but something more to the point stepped in when a tropical
+storm wrapped the nearby world in temporary darkness. The _Don
+Fernando_, that was the name of the galleon, slipped into a nearby creek
+or small river and ran hard and fast aground, the lofty masts and spars
+crashing down, a total ruin. The creek seems to have been far enough
+back for the wreck to have escaped the notice of the English, for they
+were not molested, and the crew, after assuring themselves that the
+treasure was safe, tried to make their way inland for help.
+
+"But somehow or other--the writer does not say how--they all perished,
+and he alone escaped to Mexico, there to write down the story of the
+flight of the galleon. He affirms positively in his journal that the
+treasure was not touched, and he planned to raise enough men to go and
+get it. Whether he did or not no one knows, but if he didn't that
+treasure is still somewhere in a creek, in the wreck of that galleon,
+perhaps buried below the level of the sand which has shifted. Ned thinks
+that it is nearby and that is why he has written to me.
+
+"The tragedy of the thing is this: the priest wrote everything except
+the name of the creek down which the phantom galleon fled. There are
+several pages missing from his book, and it breaks off like this: 'The
+ship with its fortune in gold and precious stones, its coin and bars, is
+still buried in the sand in a creek called----' and there it
+unfortunately ends. If the name was only there we could tell something,
+for it is always probable that someone can be found who will recall the
+name, no matter how ancient it may be, but as the name is lost, Ned
+faces a blank wall. He inquired from Senorita Mercedes just where she
+had obtained that book, but she knew nothing outside of the fact that it
+had apparently always been in their house."
+
+"That certainly is interesting," said Don, as the professor stopped.
+"Your son Ned thinks that it is somewhere near his place?"
+
+"Yes, he believes it is somewhere within a radius of a hundred miles.
+The legend has it that the galleon vanished somewhere right on that very
+shore, and that would indicate that the galleon ran up some creek very
+near to his place. If no one ever did get back and take that treasure it
+is probably in the rotted hold of the treasure ship, buried more or less
+deeply in the sand, just waiting for some lucky one to discover it. Much
+of the land near Ned's ranch has never been thoroughly explored, and it
+may be that it is nearer to him than he has any idea of."
+
+"Has he made any effort to find it?" inquired Jim.
+
+"A somewhat feeble one, yes. He endeavored to enlist the aid of some
+nearby ranch men, some half breed Mexicans, but although they started
+with some enthusiasm they soon gave it up. They are the kind who would
+not mind sharing in the rewards if someone else does the work. So he
+gave it up, except that he patiently read every other book in Senorita
+Mercedes' library in the hope of obtaining some clue, but the missing
+pages were not to be located and he is still no nearer to finding out
+the name of that creek than he was at first."
+
+"And he never did find out how that book came to be in the library of
+the Spanish ranch?" asked Don.
+
+"No, but we can hazard a guess as to that. The Mercedes family have
+lived in Lower California for at least a hundred years, but before that
+they came from Mexico. It is very possible that the priest had escaped
+to Mexico and fallen in some way in with this ancient Spanish family,
+perhaps dying there and leaving the book with them. How the last few
+leaves of the book came to be missing no one knows. But perhaps you can
+see the possibilities?"
+
+"What do you mean?" asked Jim.
+
+"I mean that perhaps someone has already read that book, tore out the
+sheets with the information on them, and has already found that
+treasure!" was the startling answer.
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER III
+ A ROYAL INVITATION
+
+
+They were somewhat dismayed at the professor's reasoning but at length
+Don shook his head. "I don't see that it is necessarily so," he
+insisted. "Of course, there is a big chance that such is the reason, but
+on the other hand it may simply be that the pages have been lost. It can
+be taken both ways."
+
+"Yes," nodded the professor. "It can. That is why I would never allow
+myself any false hopes."
+
+"Then you are going out and help Ned look for this treasure?" asked Jim.
+
+"I'm going out more because he wants me to come than for anything else,"
+said Professor Scott. "And as much for the change as for anything else.
+I've been studying pretty hard of late, and I'm sure a change of air and
+scenery wouldn't hurt me a bit. I haven't any idea that Ned will ever
+find that legendary treasure, but the fact that he found evidence that
+the story of the phantom galleon is true interested me greatly."
+
+"But if you do go out there you will look around for it, won't you?"
+inquired Don.
+
+"Oh, yes, Ned will see to that! He has the idea that he will run across
+it, and nothing stops him once he gets an idea. I'll join in with him
+and do some tramping around, but while he'll be looking for gold I'll be
+looking for health. I'm rather more sure of finding what I am after than
+he is."
+
+"Just the same," murmured Jim. "It is a dandy opportunity, and I
+wouldn't mind having a shot at it."
+
+"You boys are greatly interested," remarked the professor, looking at
+them keenly.
+
+"I suppose we are," admitted Don, smiling. "It appeals to us, and I
+guess it would to any fellow. If you go, professor, we certainly wish
+you all kinds of luck."
+
+"Thanks," said the professor. "If you went on such a trip, I suppose
+you'd hunt the treasure with much energy?"
+
+"I guess we would," nodded Jim. "If it was anywhere near I guess we
+would uncover it."
+
+"I don't doubt it," the professor smiled. He was silent a moment and
+then he asked: "Now that you boys are home for a vacation, what do you
+plan to do? Have you anything definite in mind?"
+
+Don shook his head. "We might do a little sailing," he replied. "We have
+a fine thirty-foot sloop, and we may sail for a ways down the coast.
+Last summer we did and we had a good time."
+
+"I know about that voyage," the professor returned. "That was the time
+you ran down those marine bandits, wasn't it? I remember reading about
+it."
+
+"That was the time," Don answered. "We don't expect to run down any
+bandits this summer, but we may take a cruise."
+
+"That is fine," said the professor, somewhat absent-mindedly. "So you
+two boys were interested in what I told you of Ned's letter, eh?"
+
+"We couldn't help being," grinned Jim. "I guess every fellow is
+interested in treasure hunting."
+
+"I suppose that is true," the professor returned. "Well, that is the
+contents of the letter which made me so interested that I paid very
+little attention to the ball as it broke the window."
+
+"I'm sorry about that, professor," said Don. "How much is it, please?
+I'm very anxious to have it repaired."
+
+"Forget it," said the professor.
+
+But Don insisted, feeling that it would not rightly do to accept the
+professor's generous offer to put it in himself, and at length the
+teacher agreed that Don should pay for the work. He rather admired Don's
+spirit in insisting upon paying his own way through life, and although
+he knew that the Mercer brothers had plenty of ready money he allowed
+Don to pay for the broken glass more as a concession to his spirit of
+the right thing to do than for any other reason. After Don had turned
+over the money to the professor the boys took their leave.
+
+"Thanks for that interesting story, Professor Scott," said Jim, as they
+were leaving.
+
+"Yes, we enjoyed it," added Don.
+
+"You are very welcome," smiled the professor. "I thought you would be
+interested, and may--be--humph, well, let that pass for now. Good
+morning, boys."
+
+The boys left the professor and walked slowly down the shady street,
+discussing the letter and his story. It appealed to them greatly.
+
+"That sure was a strange thing, that finding of the old book relating to
+the flight of the galleon," mused Don. "Looks like the hand of fate,
+eh?"
+
+"It surely does," chimed in Jim. "Those fellows took that treasure
+centuries ago, it lays buried in the sand for years and years, and then
+a chance discovery points to where it is. Sort of like a dead man's
+finger pointing at the treasure, isn't it?"
+
+"Somewhat," admitted Don. "I rather feel that if the treasure had been
+found by someone else Ned Scott would not have come across that book.
+Now, that is my own way of looking at it. Just as the professor says,
+someone may have torn the valuable leaves, with the location of the
+creek on them, out and have found it long ago. But I somehow just can't
+believe it."
+
+"Nor I," said Jim. "I'd surely like to be along when Ned Scott unearths
+that old ship and its treasure."
+
+"Provided that he does," smiled Don, as they reached their home. "There
+isn't any guarantee that he will. It is always possible that the whole
+thing happened miles down the coast, for if I remember correctly, from
+my school map, Lower California is a mighty long stretch. Well, all I
+hope is that he'll tell us if anything turns up. Just as soon as he
+comes back, if we are home from school, we'll hunt him up and ask him
+all about it."
+
+"Surely," agreed Jim. "If he isn't home by the time we are ready to
+return to school we can see him during some vacation. Well, what do you
+say, old man? Shall we go down and tinker with the boat?"
+
+"Don't think we have time," decided Don, looking at his watch. "That
+visit to the professor took up the whole morning, and mother will be
+waiting dinner."
+
+The boys entered the quiet but homelike little house which was their
+home and prepared for dinner. When they sat down at the table Mr.
+Mercer, a kindly and energetic man, was there. He worked in a local
+office, where he ran his vast lumber business, and was generally home
+for meals. Margy Mercer was also there, and the family was complete.
+
+"Well, what have you two fellows been doing this morning?" asked Mr.
+Mercer, as he vigorously attacked a piece of steak.
+
+"Don's been breaking into people's houses!" chuckled Jim. "This was an
+expensive morning for Don."
+
+Don related what had happened, and finding his family deeply interested
+in the professor's letter, told them the story of the phantom galleon.
+Mr. Mercer smiled as he finished.
+
+"I suppose you two wouldn't mind going along on a trip like that, would
+you?" he asked.
+
+"I should say not!" exclaimed Jim. "We'd go without mother's apple pie
+for a month to go on that trip!"
+
+"Hum!" said Mr. Mercer. "Score one for mother's pie! I imagine if
+anything spectacular comes out of the professor's treasure hunt the
+newspapers will have it."
+
+The two boys went for a brief sail in a small catboat during the
+afternoon and later worked at the bench in their boathouse, turning out
+the sides for some bunks which they planned to place in their little
+sleeping cottage at the end of the yard. They already had three beds in
+the little place, but lately Jim had hit upon the idea of constructing
+regular ships' bunks and they were now busy making the pieces. They
+stuck to this job until the time of the evening meal, and after that
+they remained at home, listening to the radio entertainment.
+
+Don, who was sitting near the living room window, idly looking out,
+suddenly uttered an exclamation and straightened up.
+
+"What's the matter, Don?" asked Jim, quickly.
+
+"Here comes Professor Scott!" Don exclaimed.
+
+"In here?" demanded Jim.
+
+"Yes, he's coming up the walk." And Don got up and went to the door, to
+open it for the teacher.
+
+"How do you do, Professor Scott," he greeted. "Won't you come in?"
+
+"Yes, thank you," nodded the professor. "Is your father at home?"
+
+"Yes, he surely is," said Don. "Come right on in."
+
+He showed the professor into the living room, where the Mercer family
+greeted him, and after a few minutes of pleasant talk Mr. Mercer guided
+him to his study, where they might talk in quietness and alone. Jim
+looked inquiringly at Don.
+
+"What in the world do you suppose he wants with dad?" he whispered.
+
+"Jiggered if I know," shrugged Don.
+
+In less than half an hours' time the two men returned, both of them
+smiling, and Mr. Mercer turned off the radio. Then, as they sat down the
+father looked with mock sternness at his two boys.
+
+"I want your promise to at least make an effort to keep out of trouble
+while you are with Professor Scott," he said.
+
+"With Professor Scott!" echoed Don, while Jim stared. "Where are we
+going with Professor Scott?"
+
+"Out to tramp all around the sands of Lower California, I think," Mr.
+Mercer returned.
+
+"No!" shouted Don, leaping to his feet.
+
+"No? Well, all right. I thought that you wanted to go, but as long as
+you don't why----"
+
+That was as far as he got. "Of course we want to go," cried Jim. "By
+George, this is great. What made you decide to take us with you,
+professor?"
+
+"It's a protective measure," smiled the professor, pleased at their
+enthusiasm. "I saw how interested you boys were when I told you about it
+this morning, and I was wondering if you would care to go and if I could
+persuade your father to allow you to go. You see, I want to go out there
+for a rest, and I'm afraid Ned will insist upon dragging me all over the
+country in search of Spanish treasure, so I'm taking you boys along as
+buffers, to help him in his mad adventuring."
+
+"Well," smiled Mrs. Mercer. "We'll let them go if you'll try to keep
+them out of trouble, Professor Scott. They have a very bad habit of
+getting into plenty of it."
+
+"I guess Ned will keep them so busy that they won't have time to get
+into any scrapes," said the professor.
+
+They sat and talked for another hour, the boys unable to believe their
+good fortune, the suddenness of which had stunned them. The professor
+took his leave at last, telling them that he planned to start at the end
+of the coming week. After he had gone they sat and talked some more, the
+boys excited at the prospect of their coming trip.
+
+When at last they went up to bed it was not to sleep immediately. They
+discussed the event for more than an hour.
+
+"Dad and mother say for us to keep out of trouble," chuckled Jim. "We'll
+try hard to obey orders, but I do hope we have some exciting times."
+
+"Don't you worry," chuckled Don. "I wouldn't be a bit surprised if we
+did!"
+
+The two boys fell asleep, worn out by the events of the day. It is
+doubtful if they would have slept so peacefully had they been able to
+foresee the events which loomed before them.
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER IV
+ THE PROFESSOR IS ATTACKED
+
+
+After three days of preparation the boys and the professor were ready to
+leave for the west coast. They were to go to San Francisco and take a
+steamer there down to the settlements in Lower California. It was a
+bright Saturday morning when they waved out of the window to their
+friends on the station platform.
+
+"Well," remarked Don, as the train moved out of the station. "We are off
+for new scenes at last."
+
+The journey across the continent was uneventful. They enjoyed it
+thoroughly, never growing tired of the endless views which unfolded as
+the train sped westward. The professor, with his varied knowledge of
+places and people, his understanding of scientific facts and his
+historic incidents, proved to be a most delightful companion. In a few
+days they left the train at the great city of the coast and the
+professor hunted up a hotel.
+
+Professor Scott had never been to California, although he had been in
+many other cities in the United States, and his interest was as keen as
+that of the boys. One of his first tasks, after they had been installed
+in a good hotel, was to hasten to the water front and inquire concerning
+a steamer to take them down the coast. When he returned he reported his
+findings to the boys.
+
+"There is a steamer named the _Black Star_ that will take us down the
+day after tomorrow," he said. "I went aboard and arranged for our
+passage. It isn't a passenger boat, but I didn't have any trouble in
+persuading the captain to take us as passengers. The boat is a fruit
+steamer, but they have one or two extra cabins for our use."
+
+They turned in early that night and the next day took an extensive tour
+of the great city. A great many of the foremost buildings and places of
+interest were visited, and they obtained their longed-for view of the
+piece of wreckage of the Spanish galleon of which Ned Scott had written
+them. It was a huge piece, worn by the action of the waves, with studded
+leather on the sides and pieces of rigging still clinging to it. It
+occupied a prominent place in the city museum.
+
+"If that thing could only talk," the professor remarked, as they walked
+around it. "What a story it could tell!"
+
+"I guess it would be very helpful to us, in our search," smiled Jim.
+
+When evening came the boys were tired, but strange to relate, the
+professor was not. His interest in places and men amounted to a passion
+with him, and he loved to study them at every opportunity. The boys were
+sitting around in the hotel room and the professor, after walking around
+restlessly, suddenly faced them.
+
+"Are you boys too tired to do some more walking?" he asked.
+
+"Well, I'm pretty well played out," admitted Don. "But if you'd like us
+to go with you, anywhere, professor, we'll gladly go."
+
+"Oh, no," replied the professor, hastily. "I just wanted to ask you if
+you'd care to take a stroll down near the water front. There are some
+very quaint places down there, and I'd like to visit some of them. But I
+don't want you boys to go out if you are tired." He reached for his hat
+and went on: "I'm going down there for a stroll. I'll be back shortly."
+
+"If you want us--" began Jim, but the professor cut him short.
+
+"No, no, not at all. You boys stay here and I'll wander a bit myself.
+See you later."
+
+"Take care of yourself, professor," called Don, as he went out.
+
+"I will, thanks. Don't worry; I'll be right back."
+
+Once on the street the professor struck off for the water front at a
+brisk pace. In the hotel room Jim looked inquiringly at Don.
+
+"Do you suppose it is alright for him to go?" he asked.
+
+"I guess so," nodded Don. "He is pretty well able to take care of
+himself."
+
+The city was wrapped in darkness when the professor began his wandering,
+a darkness which was broken by the bright lights on the business streets
+and the more feeble ones on the side streets. The professor headed for
+the wharves, where the masts of the medley of crafts could be seen
+rising above the low houses which fronted the bay. Down in this section
+the savant found some queer crooked streets, lined with rows of box-like
+houses and cheap eating places. Groups of men and women sat on the
+doorsteps and fire escapes, children whooped and played in the streets,
+and scraps of music, jarring one on the other, came from phonographs and
+radios. Sailors and business men walked back and forth in the narrow
+streets, and the professor found much to study.
+
+He strode along the docks, examining with interest the multitude of
+ships there, ranging from huge ocean steamers to small private boats.
+Liners, tramp ships, battered steam boats, sailing vessels, schooners,
+yachts, sloops, catboats, yawls and power cruisers lay side by side with
+tugs and ferries. An army of stevedores worked under blazing arc lights
+loading and unloading, and the air vibrated with the rattle of
+machinery, the hoarse cries of the men, and the thump of boxes and
+crates. So deeply engrossed was the professor in the scenes which he was
+witnessing that he forgot the passage of time.
+
+He had wandered far down the shore line when he came at last to a street
+more narrow and crooked than the rest. It was in fact nothing more than
+an alley, flanked by tall seamen's houses, with restaurants and pool
+parlors on the ground floors. The professor looked at a sign post and
+saw that it was named Mullys Slip.
+
+"Mullys Slip, eh?" thought the teacher. "This is the quaintest of them
+all. I think I'll stroll up it."
+
+Accordingly, he walked up the narrow sidewalk, looking with interest
+into the stores and eating houses as he passed by, listening to snatches
+of conversation as he passed groups who sat out taking advantage of the
+cool air. When he had walked to the end of the Slip he walked back, and
+seeing a well-lighted eating place near the dock, entered it and sat
+down at a round table. While he ordered a sandwich and coffee he looked
+around him.
+
+It was a long, low room, the air of which was nearly obscured by tobacco
+smoke, half filled at the time with men who evidently came from the
+ships. Most of them were eating, the rest were smoking and talking, and
+a few slept, hanging over the tables. The professor ate his sandwich and
+sipped his coffee, content and easy in his mind, until, looking across
+from him into a narrow corner, he found the eyes of two men fixed upon
+him.
+
+One of the men was a powerful individual with a heavy, unhealthy looking
+face, whose eyes, set close together, looked slightly crossed. The other
+was tall and thin, with long and dangling arms. Both of them were
+dressed in rough black clothing, which gave no real hint as to what
+business they were engaged in. They might have been sailors or
+stevedores, and both showed unmistakable signs of hardy, adventurous
+lives. They had evidently been talking about the professor, for their
+eyes were bent on him with earnest scrutiny, and when they observed that
+he had seen them they hastily resumed their conversation.
+
+The professor paid no attention to them at first, but went on eating,
+looking around with keen eyes and mentally cataloguing the men in the
+place. But when he once more looked across at his neighbors they were
+bending the same intent look upon him. Vague doubt began to stir the
+mind of professor Scott.
+
+"I don't altogether like the looks of those fellows," decided the
+professor, as he called a waiter and paid his small bill. "By the way
+they look at me I'd say they were talking about me. All in all, I'm in a
+pretty rough neighborhood, and perhaps the sooner I get out of it, the
+better."
+
+He went out of the place at once, casting a single look back of him as
+he did so, and he was not made to feel any easier as he noted that they
+were following him with the same steady look. He was not greatly
+alarmed, for he did not carry much money with him, but feeling that he
+would be better off on a well-lighted thoroughfare, he made his way back
+along the dark street. It was now growing late and the lights were being
+extinguished. He found his road darker than it had been when he had
+followed it earlier in the evening, and so he hurried on, bent on
+reaching the business section.
+
+He had covered two blocks when he began to think that he was being
+followed. It was as much of a feeling as an actual fact, for each time
+he looked around he was unable to see anyone who looked as though he
+might be trailing him. He fancied once that he saw a shadow dart quickly
+into a doorway, but though he looked keenly in that direction he was
+unable to make sure.
+
+"Humph, I had better get back to the hotel," mused the teacher. "I think
+I'm beginning to imagine things."
+
+On the block beyond a number of dark alleys opened from the houses, and
+the professor was compelled to pass them. Either the houses were
+deserted or there was no one up at the time, for he saw no one as he
+crossed the corner. Only far ahead of him, on the opposite side of the
+street, a battered old car was pulled up to the edge of an empty dock,
+and a man sat looking out over the water at a group of three-masted coal
+carriers.
+
+Just as the professor was passing a wide alley he thought he heard a
+step beside him. He turned his head quickly, and then gasped. Two
+shadows seemed to detach themselves from the passageway and bore down on
+him. Before he could utter any cry a powerful pair of arms was thrown
+around him and he was strained close to the body of a big man. At the
+same time, without loss of a moment, the second man dipped his hands
+into the professor's trousers pockets and into his inside coat pocket.
+
+Taken completely by surprise the old teacher for a second did not offer
+any kind of resistance and when he did it was rather feeble, for his
+arms were pinned close to his sides, and he was fairly standing on his
+toes. But his feet were free, and he managed to kick the man who held
+him a smart blow in the shin. A low, growling curse was his reward, and
+a blow of considerable force followed, landing on his shoulder. By a
+sudden twist the professor squirmed from the arms of the man who was
+holding him, and strengthened by his indignation, which was kindling
+into hot wrath, the savant punched the second man full on the mouth.
+
+The first man, who was none other than the narrow-eyed individual of the
+restaurant growled in his throat. "I'll bust your head, you old
+windjammer!" he roared, and swung his fist at the professor. The blow,
+which landed on the teacher's neck, felled him instantly to the
+sidewalk.
+
+"Grab him up," ordered the second man, stooping over the professor, who
+was somewhat dazed. "We'll dump him in the bay."
+
+Both men leaned down to pick up the form of the professor when there was
+an interruption. The young man who had been sitting in the nondescript
+automobile had had his attention attracted by the beginning of the
+struggle, and unnoticed by any of the principals he had jumped out of
+the car and was now upon them. Although he did not know one from the
+other he could see that two were against one, and noting, under the
+faint light from a nearby lamp-post that the lone fighter was an elderly
+man, threw himself without hesitation upon the two wharf-men. His active
+fist jarred against the jaw of the heavyset man.
+
+"Take that, with the compliments of the lone star ranger!" he muttered.
+"Don't know what it's all about, but that's my share."
+
+His blow infuriated the man, who drove at him with an angry roar, but
+the professor was scrambling to his feet, and the second man grasped his
+leader by the arm. He spoke to him in a low tone, and the two, with a
+slight hesitation, turned and fled up the alley. Convinced that pursuit
+would be useless, the young man turned to the professor.
+
+"Are you hurt, sir?" he asked, quickly.
+
+In the faint light the professor saw that he was a boy of twenty or
+thereabouts, tall and somewhat lanky, with red hair and a lean face, on
+which freckles had taken up a permanent home. The professor shook his
+head.
+
+"No, thanks to you. Those fellows were going to throw me into the water.
+Were you in that car?"
+
+"Yes," grinned the boy. "That is my private chariot, called 'Jumpiter,'
+because of its habit of doing something very much like jumping! Have you
+been robbed?"
+
+The professor felt through his pockets and nodded. "Yes, a few dollars
+and a letter has been taken from me. I don't care much about the money,
+but the letter was from my son Ned, and I valued that somewhat. I would
+like to thank you sincerely for your timely arrival."
+
+"Don't mention it," begged the young man. "Let's get out of here. I'll
+drive you to wherever you want to go."
+
+When they entered the battered car the professor told the boy the name
+of the hotel at which he was staying and they rolled away. Then the
+teacher asked the name of his rescuer.
+
+"Mackson is my name," replied the boy. "Terry Mackson, from Beverley,
+Maine."
+
+"Why," exclaimed the professor. "I come from Maine, too. I am a history
+teacher in Bridgewater!"
+
+"In Bridgewater!" cried Terry as they entered the business section.
+"Then you must know the Mercer brothers."
+
+"Know them!" laughed the professor. "I have them here with me!"
+
+"Here, with you? Well, I'll be jiggered! They are my very best chums!"
+said Terry. "Last summer I was in Bridgewater, sailing with them, and we
+go to Woodcrest together, in fact, we room together. What are they doing
+here?"
+
+"We are going down to Lower California to visit my son Ned, on his
+ranch, and make some scientific studies, and perhaps look up a treasure
+that Ned feels sure that he can find nearby. How did you come to be out
+here?"
+
+"I didn't have a thing to do this summer," explained Terry. "My mother
+and sister went to visit friends in New Hampshire, and so I decided to
+tour the country in my car. I've been out here for the last two days,
+and I was going to head for Mexico tomorrow."
+
+"How very strange that we should meet," commented the professor. "You
+must step up and see the boys. They will be glad to see you."
+
+"I won't be a bit sorry to see them," returned Terry, heartily. "They
+certainly will be surprised."
+
+They drove on until they were almost at the hotel, and then Terry, who
+had been thinking deeply, suddenly began to chuckle. Then, as the
+professor looked inquiringly at him, the red-headed boy spoke.
+
+"Professor," he said, "how would you like to help me in a little joke?"
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER V
+ THE PROWLER IN THE NIGHT
+
+
+A few minutes later the professor entered the rooms which he and the two
+boys had engaged together alone. He found Don and Jim reading some
+magazines which the hotel management furnished.
+
+"Hello, professor," greeted Don. "Safely back, eh?"
+
+"We were beginning to think that you had been lost," smiled Jim, putting
+down his magazine.
+
+"I was not lost," returned the professor. "But I have had a most
+extraordinary adventure."
+
+"What was it?" they asked, in chorus.
+
+"I came across a very distressing thing," the teacher continued. "I
+wonder if you boys will help me? Outside, on a lonely street, I met a
+young man wandering, and it appears that he has amnesia!"
+
+"Amnesia!" cried Don. "That means loss of memory, doesn't it?"
+
+"Yes," answered the professor, seriously. "He could not remember who he
+was nor where he came from. I questioned him at length, and while he
+answers rationally enough, he simply cannot remember a thing past a week
+ago."
+
+"That surely is tough," murmured Don. "What did you want us to do?"
+
+"I have the young man outside here," replied Professor Scott. "I
+wondered if you two would help me question him? If we ply him with
+questions we may be able to suggest something that will make him
+remember who he is and some details of his past life."
+
+"We'll be glad to help," said Jim, heartily. "Where is he?"
+
+"I'll bring him in," replied the teacher, and he left the room.
+
+"That's mighty hard luck," commented Don. "I hope we can do something to
+help."
+
+A moment later the professor returned, gently leading someone with him.
+"Come right in here, young man," he said, loudly and gently. "There are
+only friends in here, so don't be afraid."
+
+"Thank you sir," a voice replied. "Oh, if you can only do something for
+me!"
+
+Professor Scott appeared in the room, leading with him a dazed-looking
+young man with red hair and freckled face, at the sight of whom Don and
+Jim sprang to their feet with a cry. The boy looked at them dully and
+swallowed.
+
+"Terry Mackson!" they shouted.
+
+"What!" cried the professor, in amazement, as he pushed the boy down
+into a large chair. "Do you know this boy?"
+
+"We certainly do!" Don shot out. "This is Terry Mackson, an old chum of
+ours. We room with him at school."
+
+The professor looked down at Terry, who stared in puzzled wonder at Don.
+"That is very strange. He doesn't appear to know you."
+
+"Perhaps he has been hit on the head," suggested Jim, coming forward.
+
+"This is fierce," said Don, worry on his face. "Terry, don't you know
+me?"
+
+"'Shoot if you must this old gray head, but I don't remember you, she
+said,'" was the unexpected reply, and the corners of his mouth, which
+had been quivering, expanded. The professor burst into a roar of
+laughter.
+
+The Mercer boys stood for a moment rooted to the spot, while Terry and
+the professor laughed in unrestrained glee. After the first moment of
+disgust their eyes narrowed and two determined chins were thrust
+forward.
+
+"Jim," said Don, quietly. "Put out the light. I don't want the world to
+witness the awful thing that is going to happen here!"
+
+"Put it out yourself!" retorted Jim. "I am due for a first class murder,
+and I'm late now!"
+
+And with that the two brothers threw themselves in mock fury onto the
+body of their laughing friend and bore him to the floor, where they
+punched him soundly, finding their task an easy one, for the red-headed
+boy was weak from laughter. When they had tired themselves they jerked
+him up and pushed him into the chair, the professor enjoying it all
+hugely.
+
+"That was positively the most low trick I ever saw," declared Don
+disgustedly.
+
+"I'd like to have a look at the brain that would think of such a thing,"
+chimed in Jim.
+
+"Oh, boy!" laughed Terry. "If you could ever have seen the kindly,
+anxious looks in your eyes as you bent over me to help restore my
+fleeting memory! My friends, I thank you! If ever I do lose my identity
+I shall request that I be taken to the Mercers, who will surely restore
+me!"
+
+"Oh, shut up!" said Don, beginning to smile. "We admit that we were
+completely sold that time. Where in the world did the professor find
+you?"
+
+"I didn't find him," put in the teacher. "Luckily, he found me." And he
+related the events of the evening to them.
+
+"You aren't hurt, I hope, professor?" asked Jim, anxiously.
+
+"No, just bruised a bit. I would have been severely wet if it had not
+been for Terry's timely intervention. It was while on the way over here
+in Terry's--er--remarkable car that he proposed the trick that was
+played on you."
+
+"I'm surprised you would go in for such a thing, professor," said Don.
+"But you can be excused because you don't know Terry. But in the future
+never do anything that he suggests. If you don't get in trouble you will
+be sure to lose all respect for yourself, so I advise against it."
+
+"Oh, I don't know," smiled the older man. "I enjoyed that little scene
+in which Terry lost his mind!"
+
+"The part we enjoyed," returned Don, grimly, "was the thumping part."
+
+"You say your letter was taken from you, professor?" asked Jim.
+
+"Yes, and I wanted that more than anything else. However, it won't do
+anyone else any good, so I suppose it is not such a loss, after all."
+
+For the next hour they talked and Terry related his experiences during
+his trip across the country. He spoke of going on down into Mexico, and
+the professor listened, his eyes fixed on the newcomer thoughtfully. At
+last he spoke up.
+
+"Terry," he said. "Why don't you come along with us?"
+
+Terry grinned. "I was hoping you'd say just that," he admitted, frankly.
+"I have no definite plan in mind, and I would certainly hate to miss any
+fun that Don and Jim are in. But on the other hand I wouldn't want to
+put you out any."
+
+"You wouldn't," said the professor, heartily. "Ned has plenty of room
+for all of us at his ranch. I'm really taking the boys along so that I
+won't have to tramp all over the country looking for Ned's treasure, and
+you can come along to help in that line."
+
+After some talk it was agreed that Terry should store his car away until
+such time as they should want it again. It was late when he left them,
+agreeing to meet them on the following day and go to the steamer with
+them. The professor and the Mercers slept soundly that night and the
+next day were ready to begin their trip down the coast.
+
+Meeting Terry in the morning they all went down to the steamer, a small
+fruit carrier, and the captain consented to add one to the party.
+Although the steamer was not scheduled to start until evening the
+friends went aboard early in the afternoon and settled themselves in
+their cabin, a good sized room which was plain but clean. After that
+they wandered over the ship, keeping out of the way of the men who were
+storing crates, preparatory to their cruise southward to load fruit. The
+smell of different grades of fruit was a permanent part of the black
+steamer, and it was by no means unpleasant.
+
+In the evening, just before sailing time, Don and Jim stood out on the
+deck, watching the men at work. The professor and Terry were in the
+cabin. Just before the gangplank was hauled in a heavyset man walked
+confidently aboard and spoke to the mate. The captain was nowhere about
+at the time. Although not particularly interested the boys noted that
+the man had a shifty, watchful look, and that his eyes were set close
+together. The mate appeared to know him and engaged him in conversation,
+talking in low tones and looking around sharply while doing so. At the
+end of their short conversation, during which both men looked at the two
+boys, the newcomer went forward and they saw no more of him.
+
+The steamer cast off and headed south, swinging out in a wide arc, and
+the voyage was on. Terry and the professor came on deck at the sound of
+the last whistle and together they watched the purple coast line fade
+from sight. Supper followed and they made a hearty meal of it, eating
+with the captain at a private table in sight of the main mess tables.
+
+The evening was spent in talking in the cabin and in pacing the deck.
+The night was clear and calm and the sky dotted with a myriad of stars,
+and the steady throbbing of the huge engines made almost the only sound
+as they ploughed through the blue waters of the Pacific. Quite early
+they turned in and soon fell into a deep sleep.
+
+It was Terry who woke up with a sense that all was not right. He was a
+lighter sleeper than the others, and some slight noise had awakened him.
+He sat up in his bunk, peering across the room at a shadow which seemed
+out of place there. Thinking it might be one of his chums stirring he
+spoke.
+
+"Hello there! Who's prowling around?"
+
+His words, spoken quietly, had an effect that astonished him. Someone
+moved out of the shadows and for a second into the faint light which
+streamed in through a port hole. Instantly Terry recognized one of the
+men who had attacked the professor on the previous night.
+
+The man ran to the door, jerked it open and darted along the narrow
+hallway that led to the companionway ladder. Terry swung his feet over
+the edge of his bunk.
+
+"All hands to repel boarders!" he yelled, and without waiting to put on
+shoes or clothing, dashed out of the door after the fleeing man.
+
+The others woke up instantly, to see Terry streaking down the hall.
+Terry ran rapidly up the ladder and saw the intruder slipping over the
+rail. The steamer was close into the shore, and without hesitation the
+man dropped over into the water and struck out for the shore, just as
+Terry gained the rail.
+
+While he watched the man swimming for shore the others ran up, followed
+a moment later by the captain and the mate, a lean-jawed man with a
+hooked nose and wide mouth. To their excited inquiries Terry explained
+what had happened.
+
+"No use trying to catch him with a boat," decided the captain, seeing
+that the man was almost to the shore. "What did he look like?"
+
+Terry described him, and the professor and the boys were astonished to
+find that it was one of the men who had attacked the professor on the
+previous night. The captain broke out in an exclamation.
+
+"Sackett!" he cried.
+
+"You know him?" asked the professor.
+
+"Squint Sackett is one of the worst bay bandits we have," said the
+captain. "He is a noted river pirate, and the police would give a whole
+lot to lay hands on him. Mr. Abel, how did that man get on board?"
+
+"I don't know, sir," said the mate, promptly.
+
+"You don't know?" asked Jim, in amazement. "Why you let him on board
+yourself. My brother and I saw you talking to him this afternoon, just
+before we sailed."
+
+"It's a lie," shouted the mate, darting a bitter glance at him.
+
+"Oh, no it isn't," said Don, coldly. "We saw you. After you and he
+talked this man Sackett went forward, and you didn't make any effort to
+stop him."
+
+"I've had my suspicious of you for sometime, Mr. Abel," growled the
+captain, "and now I know you are crooked. You get off my ship! The first
+port we come to you sling your pack and get out. I can't prove anything
+on you, but I won't have any mate of mine having relations with a man
+like Squint Sackett. D'you understand?"
+
+"I'll break these kids in two!" shouted the mate, advancing. But the
+captain, who was bigger than the mate, quickly barred the way, his heavy
+fists raised.
+
+"You touch these boys and I'll bust you over the rail!" he roared. "Get
+down below and pack up. Tomorrow you're clearing this ship. Now get!"
+
+Muttering angrily to himself the mate obeyed, and when he was gone the
+captain turned back to the party. "I'd advise you to look out for that
+mate," he warned. "I'm glad you found out what you did. Did Sackett
+steal anything from you?"
+
+A hasty examination of the cabin revealed that Sackett had been in the
+act of going through the professor's inside coat pocket at the time he
+was surprised by Terry, but nothing had been taken. Putting the whole
+affair down as an attempt at robbery the captain left them to
+themselves, assuring them that no further harm would come to them.
+
+"We'll have to keep our eyes open for this Sackett," said Don, as they
+went back to their bunks. "For the life of me, I can't see why he should
+take the trouble to come aboard and try to rob us. He must have a
+mistaken idea that there is a lot of money in this crowd."
+
+"That may be it," agreed the professor, somewhat doubtfully. "But it
+does seem strange that he should take such pains to follow us."
+
+"Wonder how he knew we were on this particular boat?" mused Jim.
+
+"That's not so hard," Terry explained. "Perhaps he hangs around the
+docks and saw us come aboard today. But that mate must surely be one of
+the gang."
+
+"No doubt of it," said Don, yawning sleepily. "Well, he's gone, and we
+probably won't see anything of him again."
+
+But if Don and the others could have even guessed at the plans which
+were at that moment being formulated in the evil brain of Squint Sackett
+they would have had much food for thought. They were destined to see him
+again, and not in the distant future.
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER VI
+ THE SCENE IN THE MOONLIGHT
+
+
+The sail down the beautiful California coast was uneventful. The fruit
+steamer was a staunch old boat, though somewhat battered, and it kept
+its course steadily. After the boys and the professor had tired of
+exploring it from end to end and looking in on the huge engines which
+drove it with throbbing energy they spent most of their time on the deck
+watching the passing shore line, enjoying the warmth and brilliant
+sunshine. The nights, they found, were cold even in that particular time
+of the year, and they were not sorry to use blankets even in the shelter
+of their cabins. They became quite friendly with the captain, who told
+them stories of many exciting voyages and some unusual storms. Nothing
+further was seen of Sackett and the mate went sullenly ashore at the
+first port.
+
+No storms broke the monotony of fair weather and quiet sailing, and when
+at last they entered Magdalena Bay and approached the settlements they
+were almost sorry to leave the fruit steamer. At ten o'clock one bright
+morning they climbed into the cutter and were pulled away to the shore,
+landing at length on the sandy soil of the small town of Quito.
+
+Ned's ranch lay several miles inland, and the only means of travel was a
+lumbering wagon which went to the mines. Learning that this vehicle was
+to start out the following morning they hunted up the driver, a Mexican,
+and arranged to drive with him. A small hotel provided them with a place
+to put up over night and after a satisfying supper they wandered around
+the town, seeing the sights. The steamer had gone on its voyage after a
+brief stop.
+
+The population of the town was very small, and exceedingly sleepy. Terry
+remarked that they slept all day in order to recruit strength enough to
+play on guitars at night. The population was composed of Spaniards,
+Mexicans, and a few Americans, whose interest seemed to be chiefly
+centered in the inland mines, and a number of halfbreeds. Droves of
+dogs, whose seemingly endless variety astonished the boys, roamed the
+streets.
+
+"Gosh," exclaimed Jim, as they came around a pack of them. "I used to
+like pups, but I don't know as I do after seeing these. Guess I'll look
+under my bed when we get back to the hotel and see if there are any
+there!"
+
+Soft lights gleamed from most of the houses when evening came on, and
+the sound of guitars was to be heard on every street. There were no
+lights along the streets, but the night was warm and bright, and the
+Americans had no difficulty in walking around the town. Quite early they
+returned to their hotel and after drinking some cold orange drink, went
+to bed.
+
+Bright and early in the morning they were up, as they had been told that
+the mine wagon was to leave at six, and after a hearty breakfast went
+out and loaded their bags on the vehicle. The driver appeared shortly
+afterward, rolling a cigaret with amazing skill between two fingers.
+Terry eyed him in admiration.
+
+"By golly!" he muttered. "I don't smoke and don't know as I shall, but
+if I did I'd give a lot to be able to roll 'em like that! I couldn't
+roll one that way with both hands."
+
+Later on, when in the course of their journey the Spaniard yawned, Terry
+pretended to be enthusiastic. Without bothering to take the cigaret out
+of his mouth the driver yawned heartily, and the cigaret, clinging to
+his upper lip, simply hung suspended until he closed his lips again.
+Then he resumed smoking, the operation being none the worse for the act,
+and Terry again shook his head in envy.
+
+"Wonderful people!" he whispered to Don. "Too lazy to do anything at
+all! Wonder what happens to a cup of coffee when he yawns!"
+
+"Probably he keeps right on pouring it down and doesn't waste any time,"
+chuckled Jim. "Great labor savers, these people!"
+
+"I guess their hardest work is to keep from doing any work," smiled
+Professor Scott.
+
+The wagon was a large open affair, with two long boards like benches on
+the side, and the boys and the teacher sat on the seats with their
+baggage at their feet. The driver sat slumped forward on the front seat,
+smoking, yawning and dozing by turns, muttering in broken exclamations
+sometimes to the horses and sometimes to himself. Although they tried to
+talk to him they received only weary shrugs of his narrow shoulders, and
+they soon gave it up and talked among themselves.
+
+The country through which they were passing led up in a gradual sweep
+from Magdalena Bay, and they soon drew out of sight of that broad sheet
+of blue water and plunged on into the more open country. The soil was
+somewhat sandy, with an almost tropical vegetation, and small brooks
+spread like silver ribbons toward the sea. As they continued to work
+further inland the country became more and more open, with rolling
+plains and afar off darker stretches marked the hills in which the mines
+were located.
+
+"Ned's place is off in that direction," said the professor, pointing to
+the southwest. "He tells me that it is in a basin between two small
+ranges, so we'll probably come across it all at once."
+
+At noontime they halted in the shade of a spreading tree which was more
+of an overgrown bush, a species that the professor did not know, and in
+which he speedily became interested. The driver immediately sat in the
+shade and proceeded to eat his lunch from a black box which he had,
+paying not the slightest attention to them. The boys, wishing to make
+some coffee, cut some mesquite bushes which were nearby and kindled a
+small fire. Jim set the coffee to boil and they ate some sandwiches
+which they had been wise enough to bring with them.
+
+When the coffee was made Don took some to the Spaniard, who accepted it
+with a brief nod of his head. Terry poked Jim.
+
+"That means thank you," he said. "Too much trouble to say it!"
+
+Immediately after the noon meal the driver toppled over silently and
+went to sleep, a movement that afforded Terry much amusement. On this
+particular occasion, however, the boys could not blame him very much. It
+was hot, so much so that they were glad to stretch out and nap
+themselves. At the end of an hour the driver got up suddenly, resumed
+his seat and clicked his tongue at the two horses. The wagon, with its
+crew, rumbled on.
+
+It was five o'clock when they topped the final rise and looked down on
+the Scott ranch. As the wagon rolled down to the place they had a good
+opportunity to study it closely. There was the main ranch building, a
+single story affair, constructed of plain boards that showed up gray and
+sordid against the declining sun. Two large barns flanked the house and
+an inclosed field with some scattered patches of grass afforded a ground
+for a half dozen horses. In back of the ranch was another frame
+building, which they afterward found out was Ned's laboratory, in which
+he tested metal from the mines.
+
+Ned Scott was at home when they arrived, in fact, he had seen the wagon
+top the rise, and came riding out to meet them. They saw him swing
+carelessly onto the back of a horse and dash up, and Jim, who was used
+to riding a cavalry horse at school, admired the grace and ease with
+which he did it. Then, having greeted his father enthusiastically, Ned
+Scott was introduced to the boys.
+
+He was a young man in his early thirties, broadly built, with black hair
+and eyes and a serious look. For some years he had lived in practically
+what was solitude, seeing a few white men from the mines and a good many
+halfbreeds and Mexicans. The sight of three boys somewhat near his own
+age was welcome, and he looked forward to some interesting days to come.
+
+When greetings had been exchanged the young engineer led the way to the
+ranch, where the boys alighted from the mine wagon, and paid the driver.
+The man took the money unemotionally and drove off, having only
+exchanged a word in Spanish with Ned.
+
+"Well," said Terry, as they watched him drive off. "That man is a
+treat!"
+
+"How is that?" asked Ned.
+
+"He is so calm," replied Terry, solemnly. "And he is a splendid example.
+After seeing him I don't think I'll ever be fussed or excited over
+anything again!"
+
+Ned Scott led them into the ranch building, a rough but comfortable
+place, with a wide, hospitable living room, a big dining-room, kitchen
+and a number of small bedrooms, all on the one floor. There was a small
+loft above for storage purposes, but no real upper floor. After they had
+stowed their things away and had made themselves comfortable Ned took
+them around the ranch and showed them the place in detail.
+
+As his chief interest was centered in the mines he did not raise cattle,
+but he had one man to take care of his horses and generally help about
+the place. There was also an Indian cook, who was blackened by the sun
+and wind until his skin glowed with a dull color. Ned explained that the
+man who kept the horses and the barns was a mestizo.
+
+"What is that?" asked Don.
+
+"A man of mixed Spanish and Indian blood," explained Ned. "Sometimes he
+is very funny. The Spanish in him gets very dignified at times and he is
+almost stately, and at other times he is just plain Indian, not much of
+anything. However, he has a passion for the horses and he is faithful,
+and outside of the fact that I have to drive him to work in the barns he
+is all right. I call him Yappi."
+
+Yappi was seen presently, a tall old man with curiously mixed white and
+black hair, a skin that was a mottled yellow, and dull black eyes. He
+bowed to them and passed on, apparently not at all curious. They
+inspected the barns and looked with considerable interest through Ned's
+laboratory and the metals from the mines.
+
+Supper was well served by Spanci the cook, and in the evening they sat
+on the long low porch talking until it was time to turn in. After a good
+sleep they were up, taking a trip with Ned to the mines. He led them
+through the tunnels and explained the complete workings to them, showing
+how the silver and lead was mined. This took up most of the day and they
+were thoroughly tired when night came.
+
+Ned was not impressed by the loss of his letter. "Those fellows who
+attacked you have probably thrown it away," he said. "I'll write you
+another one sometime, dad!"
+
+He asked the boys if they could ride and was delighted to find that they
+could. Jim, being a cavalry lieutenant at Woodcrest, was somewhat better
+at it than the others were, but they soon got accustomed to it. On the
+third day of their visit Ned proposed that they take a moonlight ride
+that night.
+
+"The moon, as you noticed last night, is beautiful just at this time,
+and there is a lot more fun riding in the coolness of the night than in
+the heat of the day," he said. "I think you will thoroughly enjoy it."
+
+After supper they mounted and rode out of the ranch grounds, the
+professor refusing to accompany them. It was a beautiful night, with a
+glowing moon and a sky splashed with stars and they rode for miles
+across the open country. The air was clear and cool, the mountains dark
+and mysterious near at hand, and the boys from Maine enjoyed every
+minute of it. As they were returning Ned spoke up:
+
+"When we get to the top of the next hill I'll show you the ranch of my
+neighbor, Senorita Mercedes," he said.
+
+His tone was casual, but the boys, remembering what the professor had
+said about Ned's interest in the senorita, felt that he was himself
+interested in looking at the place where she lived. He had not mentioned
+her name since they had been there, and Terry did not know anything
+about her. Nor had they discussed the treasure as yet, thought the boys,
+but that would no doubt come soon.
+
+They topped the rise and paused to rest the graceful, lively horses
+while Ned pointed to a small white ranch which gleamed brightly in the
+moonlight. The house itself was small, but the outlying barns were
+large, and Ned explained that the senorita was at present raising
+cattle.
+
+"Not many of them," he went on. "Just enough to keep her alive and
+eating regularly. She has three ranchman and an overseer."
+
+Near the ranch some trees and mesquite bushes grew and Don was looking
+toward this clump fixedly. He thought that he had detected some movement
+there but was not sure. Ned pulled the rein and turned his horse's head.
+
+"Well, I guess we had better be getting back," he said.
+
+"Wait a minute," called Don, in a low voice. "There are two men coming
+out of that clump of trees near the ranch and creeping toward the
+house."
+
+Ned spun around in his saddle and looked closely. Two men were crossing
+an open space toward the house, taking care to keep as much as possible
+in the shadows. Gaining the side of the house they crept to a window and
+one of them reached up and pushed it. Instantly it swung open.
+
+"Are those fellows her ranchmen?" asked Terry.
+
+"I don't think so," said Ned. "That is the library window they just
+opened. By George, I think they're going in that window!"
+
+"I suppose that's what they are opening it for," nodded Jim.
+
+Ned dug his heels into the flank of his horse. "Then come on," he
+shouted, as the first man slipped through the window. "We've got to see
+what is going on in Senorita Mercedes' ranch!"
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER VII
+ SACKETT'S RAID
+
+
+They galloped down the long sloping hill rapidly, unobserved by the two
+men who were entering the Mercedes ranch. The second man had leaped
+lightly in the window and disappeared from sight. It was evident that
+they feared no interruptions for they did not even glance out and the
+party of boys arrived in the yard without having warned the men of their
+coming.
+
+But once in the yard the ring of the horses' hoofs on the hard packed
+soil reached the ears of the men inside the house. Two heads appeared
+swiftly at the window, at the same time that a candle flickered
+upstairs. The men, seeing the party of boys, jumped from the window with
+one accord.
+
+"Sackett and Abel!" cried Don, as he jumped from his horse.
+
+All the boys had dismounted, which was precisely the wrong thing to do,
+for the two men began to run swiftly for a small patch of trees and
+bushes which stood at the edge of the senorita's property. Ned rushed
+forward and seized Sackett, who promptly felled him with a blow on the
+chin, while Abel kept on going and entered the grove several yards ahead
+of his pursuers. Sackett soon joined him, and before Terry, who was in
+the lead, could reach him, he had joined Abel, who was already on
+horseback with a second rein in his hand. Sackett tumbled into the
+saddle and the two men thundered away across the plains.
+
+"Shall we go after them?" shouted Jim, as the senorita appeared on an
+upper balcony.
+
+"No," cried Ned. "They have too big a start, and I want to find out what
+they were doing here."
+
+Somewhat reluctantly the boys turned away, while the two outlaws put
+greater distance between themselves and the ranch party. The senorita,
+recognizing Ned in the moonlight, hurried back to her room and soon
+appeared at the side door of the ranch house.
+
+"Senor Ned, what is it?" she called, and the boys were attracted by her
+soft and gentle voice.
+
+Ned and the boys walked to the steps, taking off their hats, and Ned
+spoke up. "We were riding by at a distance, senorita, and we paused to
+look down at your ranch. While we were looking these two men that just
+rode away broke in a side window and entered the house."
+
+Ned then went on to introduce his friends, to whom the senorita bowed
+with a stately grace. They were quite taken with her beauty and charm,
+her fine olive skin and her flashing black eyes. She drew their
+admiration, for she was not the least bit terror stricken by what had
+happened, but only thoughtful and puzzled.
+
+"In the library you say, Senor Ned?" she puzzled. "But why do you think
+they should want to go in my library? What is it that is in there?"
+
+She spoke remarkably good English, with only a slight accent. Ned shook
+his head.
+
+"Senorita, I do not know. May we inspect your library and see if
+anything is missing?"
+
+"Certainly. Do come right in, and welcome," she replied, and led the way
+into the small library of the Mercedes ranch.
+
+It was a square room filled with books, in cases reaching to the
+ceiling. A single table was there, and two comfortable chairs. Upon
+examination the boys found that a few books, in a section which was
+filled with ancient, hand-written manuscripts, had been handled by the
+men.
+
+"It is evident that those fellows were about to steal some of your
+valuable manuscripts, senorita," remarked Ned, after they had made an
+examination.
+
+"Yes," nodded the girl. "But I wonder how those men knew that I had any
+books?"
+
+"I'm very much afraid you are wrong in your ideas," spoke up Don, who
+had been considering deeply. And Jim nodded, for his ideas were running
+along the same lines of those of his brother.
+
+"What do you mean, Don?" asked Ned, quickly.
+
+"You remember that your father was attacked in San Francisco by this man
+Sackett, who took away your letter to him? Well, that letter contained
+your ideas about the treasure and that ancient book which came from this
+library. Those men are taking that matter seriously, and they have been
+here tonight to try and find the other half of that Spanish manuscript
+and learn the exact location of the wreck!"
+
+"Ah, ha!" cried Senorita Mercedes sharply. "The senor is right!"
+
+"I certainly believe that you are!" cried Ned. "I had never thought of
+it all in that light, but that is surely the answer. Sackett is a
+freebooter who will turn his hand to anything that promises profit, and
+he has done as you say, taken that letter seriously. I wish it had never
+fallen into his hands. However, with all of his knowledge of the
+country, and I suppose he has quite a knowledge of the land, he doesn't
+know where the treasure is, so we are safe on that point."
+
+"Yes," put in Terry. "But we'll have to be on our guard from now on.
+There is no doubt that that gang will push the search with all vigor."
+
+"They seem to have faith in the story," said Ned. "I have unlimited
+faith in it because I have seen the manuscript, but they are placing
+their faith in my letter to my father. There is only one weak spot in my
+claim of thought."
+
+"What is that?" asked Jim.
+
+"That the treasure may have been found and removed since that book was
+written. The priest who wrote the book was going to raise a party to go
+back and recover the treasure, but whether he did or not is not known.
+He may have done so, in which case our efforts and plans are absolutely
+useless."
+
+"Of course," nodded Don. He turned to the senorita. "Senorita Mercedes,
+you do not know how that book ever came to be in your house, do you?"
+
+"No," confessed the girl. "As far as I have knowledge, senor, it has
+quite always been here. But I can say this, which will perhaps aid you:
+before my family came here to dwell we lived in Mexico. You see what I
+mean?"
+
+"I do," nodded Ned. "You mean that this priest may at one time have
+lodged at your house and have left his book there?"
+
+"He may have even died there, Senor Ned."
+
+"That is very true. I lean to the belief that the treasure was never
+recovered. Well, there are two parties after it now, so we will have to
+be on our guard."
+
+Terry, who had walked to the window, spoke up. He had been examining the
+double windows, which opened like doors, with hinges on each side.
+
+"Do you keep your windows locked at night, senorita?" he asked.
+
+"Of a certainty, senor," she replied.
+
+"I was just wondering," said Terry, slowly. "Because these two fellows
+just reached up and pushed the window open."
+
+"Impossible, Senor Mackson! You may see that there is a much thick bar
+across that window."
+
+"Yes, so I notice. But all of the boys will tell you that they simply
+reached up and pushed the window open, and that they didn't have a thing
+in their hands when they did it!"
+
+"That's so," exclaimed Ned, a sudden light breaking over him. "Senorita,
+where is Alaroze, your overseer? How is it that he has not appeared
+during all of the excitement? The rest of your men are outside; I can
+see them gathered in the courtyard."
+
+"I do not know," answered the senorita, "I shall call him at once." She
+stepped to the door and clapped her small hands sharply.
+
+There was a slight pause and then a man entered the room quickly. He was
+small and chunky, with a brown face and shifty eyes. He was fully
+dressed in the nondescript outfit of a ranch foreman.
+
+"Senor Alaroze, where have you been?" the senorita asked him in Spanish,
+which the boys understood slightly. They had studied the language in
+high school, all except Terry, and they could follow the conversation.
+
+"A thousand pardons, senorita, but I was awakened by the noise and
+hastened to dress," the Mexican said, softly.
+
+"It took you much time, senor," retorted the senorita, curtly. "Tell me,
+when you closed up did you lock this library window?"
+
+"Surely, senorita. I take pains to always carry out faithfully the tasks
+intrusted to me," he replied, his tone becoming haughty.
+
+"The reason we ask you, Senor Alaroze," said Ned, still in Spanish, "is
+because two rascals have just broken into the house and have searched
+this library. But the strange part is that they did not even have to
+break in. They simply reached up and pushed the window and it opened
+under their touch. That does not look as though they found the window
+barred, does it?"
+
+"I can only say that I dropped the bar across the window before I
+retired, senor," replied the overseer, his lips moving uneasily.
+"Perhaps someone else----"
+
+"Nonsense!" cried Ned, sharply. "The senorita is the only one who sleeps
+in the house. You and the ranchmen sleep in the bunkhouse. You do not
+think for a minute that Senorita Mercedes came down and took the bar
+from the window do you?"
+
+"I regret to say that I do not know what to think, senor," returned the
+overseer, quietly enough. The other boys watched him closely, puzzled at
+his calm and speculating as to what thoughts might be in his mind.
+
+"Well, it is very strange," remarked Ned, closing the window and
+dropping the bar in place. When he spoke there was a trace of gloom in
+his voice, especially when he addressed the overseer. "Be more careful
+in the future, Senor Alaroze. You alone have the keeping of Senorita
+Mercedes and her safety."
+
+"I am worthy of the trust, senor," retorted the overseer, his eyes
+narrowing.
+
+Ned looked at his watch. "We'll have to be getting back, or dad will
+begin to be worried. I don't think you will have any more trouble,
+senorita. If you do, send one of your men to me and I will come as
+quickly as possible."
+
+The senorita murmured thanks and accompanied them to the courtyard,
+where the boys swung onto their mounts. The three ranchmen, seeing that
+all was well, went back to the bunkhouse, while the overseer, his face
+hidden in the shadow of the doorway, stood back of the senorita.
+
+She bade them goodbye, thanking them once more. The boys quietly
+overlooked the fact that she held onto Ned's hand for a moment longer
+than seemed actually necessary. They rode away, looking back more than
+once at the gleaming white ranch in the moonlight, until it was lost to
+sight.
+
+"I'm very much afraid I don't trust that overseer," said Don.
+
+"Well," said Ned. "So far he has been very good in the management of the
+ranch. I wonder if he can be in league with that Sackett gang?"
+
+"Hard to tell," said Terry. "I don't like the thought of the senorita
+living alone with that fellow around, and not a woman for miles."
+
+There was a pause, and then: "I don't like it, either," spoke Ned,
+frankly. "But she claims that she is not afraid. She goes armed all the
+time and is very determined to be a success at raising cattle and caring
+for herself. Pride, you know, is something that the Spanish are great
+for, and I'm afraid she has more than her share. However, sometime----"
+
+He did not finish his thought, but the boys thought that they knew what
+he had in mind. They arrived at the ranch in silence and relieved the
+professor's anxiety.
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER VIII
+ THE SEARCH IS BEGUN
+
+
+"According to this thing," said Terry, with a grin, "if we find that
+treasure the dragon will eat us!"
+
+It was on the following day and the entire group was bent over the
+manuscript which had been written by the long dead priest. The book lay
+spread out on the library table before them, yellow and fragile, with
+corners which threatened to fall away to dust at their touch. Rotted
+cord held it together and had broken in so many places that the ancient
+book held together by a miracle.
+
+They had read together the thrilling story of the flight from the
+English barks, of the wreck in the lonely creek, and the description of
+the treasure up to the point where the missing pages spoiled the
+worthwhileness of the manuscript.
+
+"That galleon must have been pretty big," Jim had said. "How big is an
+English bark?"
+
+"A bark is a three-masted, square-rigged vessel. The mizzenmast is
+fore-and-aft rigged, if I remember my history correctly," the professor
+replied. "There are still barks left in service, and you can see that
+they were of a fair size from the fact that they had three masts."
+
+The statement regarding the dragon had drawn Terry's attention. It was a
+solemn statement to the effect that if anyone who was not a subject of
+His Sovereign Majesty the King of Spain attempted to lay hands on the
+treasure the guardian dragon would utterly destroy them.
+
+"I wouldn't pay much attention to that," smiled the professor. "In the
+first place, the Spaniards stole it from the Indians, and it never did
+belong to His Sovereign Majesty. We won't worry about the dragon until
+we have found the treasure."
+
+They had planned to start out on the following day in an effort to find
+the river up which the galleon had sailed. The professor declined to
+accompany them.
+
+"You boys go ahead and do the hunting," he said. "I'm a little too old
+to be riding around the country looking for gold. But when you find it
+I'll help you dig it out."
+
+"Well, if we don't find it, we'll have a good camping trip, anyway,"
+said Ned, who knew that his father did not place much stock in his ideas
+regarding the treasure.
+
+It had been agreed that no long trip was to be arranged just yet. Ned
+planned to explore the coast for several miles to the south at present,
+and if that failed to show any signs of a river or the wreck to make
+preparations for a trip of several days. They were to be gone overnight
+this time and that was all.
+
+So on the following day they were ready to go. Each boy had a packet of
+provisions and his blanket strapped on the back of his saddle and a
+light automatic rifle in his hands. The boys had been taught to shoot
+with a fair degree of accuracy at Woodcrest School and so felt no fear
+of appearing backward in that respect in Ned Scott's eyes. They all
+shook hands with the professor, who wished them luck, and then they rode
+away to the southward in the first step of their hunt for the Spanish
+treasure.
+
+The day was warm and clear, and before they had been many hours on the
+open plain they felt the heat keenly. The sun beat down directly on the
+flat, dry soil, and dancing waves of heat soon showed above the ground,
+as far as the eye could see. Ned would have turned to the distant
+mountains except that their search lay along the sea coast and they
+would gain nothing by seeking the coolness of the higher lands.
+
+"What mountains are those?" Don asked, pointing to the sweeping ranges.
+
+"That central range which you see is the Sierra Gigantea," explained
+Ned. "In some places it is three and four thousand feet above sea level.
+The high ranges are north and south, and on this southwestern side the
+rocks are granitic. There is plenty of sandstone on the other slope, and
+the range is full of volcanic dykes."
+
+"Looks mighty cool up there," said Terry, mopping his forehead.
+
+"It is. We have all kinds of weather in this country, from burning
+tropical heat and its characteristic vegetation to the icy cold of the
+peaks."
+
+In the afternoon they halted under a friendly group of trees and ate a
+light lunch, stretching out to talk afterward for a brief time. The
+afternoon was even hotter than the morning, and while they did not feel
+like sleeping they did enjoy the rest under the trees. They resumed
+their journey after three o'clock, keeping the calm blue waters of the
+Pacific in sight all the while.
+
+Several creeks were found, but none of them were wide enough to have
+ever allowed the passage of a galleon, although they were forced to bear
+in mind the fact that the passage of centuries might have closed up
+small rivers or narrowed creeks. Sandstorms rapidly changed the
+topography of countries, they knew. They followed two large streams for
+several miles inland and then cut across country again to the sea.
+
+When they stopped for their supper Ned said: "The fact is, we may be
+looking the wrong way. Perhaps we should have gone north instead of
+south. The directions in the manuscript were vague, much as though the
+priest himself did not know just where he was at the time. After all,
+this whole hunt is a matter of faith, and if we don't ever find anything
+we'll just put it all down as a good time and a summer vacation."
+
+"Of course," rejoined Don, heartily. "But I feel as you do, that the
+treasure was never found again. But aren't you neglecting one very good
+clue?"
+
+"What is that?" asked Ned, quickly.
+
+"You recall that peculiar piece of wreckage that was picked up by the
+steam trawler? Well, the funny thing was that no other piece of the
+galleon to which it was a part could be found anywhere nearby. Don't you
+feel that it was washed out of a nearby creek and settled in the mud in
+the place where the fishing boat found it?"
+
+"There was no creek anywhere near it," Ned answered.
+
+"Perhaps not, but it could have come from quite some distance. Are we
+near the place where the piece of wreckage was found?"
+
+"It was found about fifty miles further up the coast," Ned said.
+
+"It is my opinion that somewhere near there the galleon ran up a river.
+Can we go there tomorrow?"
+
+"Well," said Ned, slowly. "I think if we visit that spot we had better
+plan to make a much longer stay of it. We ought to spend several days in
+the vicinity, perhaps a week. Suppose we spend the night here, go home
+in the morning and outfit for an intensive hunt."
+
+"That would be a good idea," Jim thought.
+
+"I think we should," argued Don. "You plan to run over every inch of the
+coast north and south, don't you? Then I think we might as well outfit
+ourselves for a hard and active campaign."
+
+The sun was now going down, turning the hills and distant mountains into
+things of rare beauty as the multitude of lights danced and gleamed
+along the crests of the mighty range. The boys cut enough wood to last
+them through the night, and sat around a glowing little fire, telling
+Ned of past adventures until they all were sleepy enough to go to bed.
+
+"By golly," said Terry, as he rolled himself up in his blanket. "In the
+daytime you roast around here and at night you need a blanket. Very
+unreliable climate, I must say. Jim, will you kindly dust the snow off
+me when you arise in the morning!"
+
+They were up early in the morning and ate a hearty breakfast, enjoying
+the glory of another perfect day. Ned calculated that they would strike
+the ranch again about noontime, and soon they were in the saddle once
+more, striking north along the sea coast. They had gone along the hard
+sand at a brisk trot for some ten miles when Jim stopped and pointed to
+a group of buildings back against a sandy cliff.
+
+"What is that place?" he asked.
+
+"That is a group of tannery buildings," explained Ned as they jogged on
+toward it. "Years ago, in the days of the sailing ships, when California
+and Lower California were first opened up, hides were collected inland
+and dragged to that cliff, where they were thrown down below, still in a
+raw state. Then, while the ships went on up the coast, a picked crew of
+sailors remained here, curing the hides and storing them until the ship
+returned and picked them up."
+
+"I remember reading about it in that fine old book, 'Two Years Before
+the Mast,'" said Don. "I'm glad of the chance to see one of the
+tanneries."
+
+When they arrived at the mouldering tannery they dismounted and went
+inside, examining with interest this last relic of an ancient business.
+The buildings were made of rough logs, hauled for many miles to the
+coast, and some scraps of ancient hides still clung to the storage
+racks. The vats were still there, stained with many colors, and a heavy
+smell was still noticeable indoors. Outside they found the framework of
+the stretching racks.
+
+"That certainly is interesting," commented Jim. "You must tell your
+father, Ned. Perhaps he'll want to come and look at the place."
+
+"We'll tell him," the young engineer nodded, as they resumed their
+journey.
+
+Ned's calculations were correct, for it was just noontime when they
+arrived at his ranch. They rode down the incline toward the house, which
+looked deserted. Ned whistled but there was no response.
+
+"Maybe dad is still in bed," he laughed, as he swung from his horse.
+
+But when they went into the house the professor was not to be found. Nor
+was the cook around. Ned hurried to the barns and looked for Yappi, but
+in vain. As he hurried back to the house Don called to him.
+
+"It's all right, Ned," Don said. "There is a note from him on the table.
+He has gone out looking for plant specimens."
+
+Ned hastened into the room, relief on his brown face, and took up the
+note. It was a simple message, worded as Don had explained, but as Ned
+read it his brow darkened.
+
+"Look here," he said, crisply. "Do you know what dad's first name is?"
+
+"I don't," answered Don, and Jim shook his head. Don pointed to the
+note. "I see he signed it 'Duress Scott.' I never heard of that name
+before."
+
+"It isn't a name," was the startling answer. "Dad signed it that way to
+let us know that he signed it under duress, under compulsion! The cook
+and the overseer are both gone, evidently carried off by the same gang
+who captured dad!"
+
+"I'll bet everything I've got that it is Sackett again!" groaned Jim.
+"What are we to do?"
+
+"Just as soon as we can tie up a little grub and fill up with plenty of
+ammunition we'll start to run those fellows down," said Ned, grimly. "I
+think it is high time that somebody put an end to Mr. Sackett and
+Company, and we're going to do it!"
+
+"That's the talk!" cried Terry. "War to the knife! Where is my gun?"
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER IX
+ THE RUINED CASTLE
+
+
+The professor enjoyed his day of solitude. Long years of serious study
+and instructive reading had made him one of the men who prefer being
+alone to mixing with a noisy crowd. Not that the professor was the least
+bit snobbish or unsociable, but he loved the quietness of inner thought
+and the companionship of a book.
+
+After the boys had disappeared over the hill he returned to the living
+room and sat in a sunny window looking out over the rolling country
+which extended for miles back of Ned's ranch, away to the purple
+mountains in the distance. A feeling of warm contentment came over the
+elderly man, for an hour or more he simply dreamed there, enjoying the
+comfort of Ned's best armchair.
+
+After that he read for a long time, until the cook announced that dinner
+was ready. He ate alone, well served by the silent Indian and then went
+back to smoke his pipe and dream in the window once more. When afternoon
+came on he imitated the actions of the cook and Yappi, who both went to
+sleep, the cook in a bunk off the kitchen and Yappi beside the barn, his
+battered hat over his eyes. The professor sought the dull colored sofa
+in the living room and slept until the sun began to go down.
+
+He awoke much refreshed and drank copiously, realizing for the first
+time in his long life just how good water could be. Another lone meal
+followed and he spent the evening with another book, sitting under the
+oil lamp until it was nearly time to go to bed. Then, enchanted with the
+fine moonlight, the professor went out on the front porch to smoke a
+final pipe before retiring.
+
+The whole landscape was flooded by the brilliant slice of moon which
+hung far over in the sky, and the professor drank in its beauty. The
+cook had finally cleared up everything in the kitchen and gone out to
+the small bunkhouse, to listen for a time to the guitar which Yappi was
+playing and then finally to coax the old mestizo into playing a game of
+cards with him, over which they droned half asleep, seriously intent.
+When Professor Scott had finished his pipe he knocked out the ashes,
+yawned and with a final look around, went to his room.
+
+This was in the back of the long, low building, facing the plains and
+mountains. He opened the window and finding that there was enough light
+from the moon, extinguished the lamp which he had lighted and took off
+his necktie. His eyes wandered dreamily over the landscape. Then he
+suddenly stopped unbuttoning his collar, his eyes narrowed, and he
+became all attention.
+
+On the top of a sand dune a man was standing and looking toward the
+ranch. It was only for an instant and then the man disappeared, slipping
+down the other side noiselessly. He had on a cape and a sombrero, and
+the professor was puzzled. He wondered if Yappi or the cook had left the
+place, and after a moment of thought he went back to the front porch and
+looked around. There was no light in the bunkhouse now. But when he
+started to go out there he saw the cook walking toward the kitchen door
+and the ranchman coming out of the barn.
+
+His first impulse was to speak to Yappi, but thinking it useless to
+alarm the man he returned to the house and to his room. It was not
+either of the men whom he had seen, but some stranger who was carefully
+looking down on the ranch. It was possible that it was only some chance
+wayfarer who had topped the rise and was examining the ranch, but the
+professor knew that Sackett was in the neighborhood and that it would be
+well to keep his eyes open. For an hour he looked steadily out of the
+window, but he saw nothing more to alarm him, and at last, after making
+a tour through the house and locking every door and window, including
+the window in his bedroom, he went to bed and soon fell asleep.
+
+When morning came he was awakened by the sound of the cook trying the
+back door, and he hastily opened it for the Indian. The cook answered
+his cheery morning greeting unemotionally. The Indian had never known
+Ned to lock the doors, and he wondered why the older man did it, but no
+sign of his thoughts appeared on his shiny dark face and he set about
+getting breakfast ready. The professor dressed and then sat down to his
+morning meal, after a hasty look around to see that all was well.
+
+Yappi had already attended to the horses when the professor went out to
+take a walk around the ranch, and the mestizo was busy in the barn.
+After enjoying the clear morning outside the professor went back to the
+house and once more resumed his reading, sitting in the window through
+which the sun came brightly. From where he was sitting he could see
+Yappi at work on a saddle, mending a flap on it, sitting on the low
+doorstep of the bunkhouse.
+
+The professor had read for perhaps a half hour and was in the act of
+turning a page when he happened to look up and out at the old mestizo.
+The man had ceased his stitching and was looking back of the house, the
+saddle hanging loosely in his hand. And to the professor's vast
+astonishment, he suddenly tossed the saddle over his shoulder and with
+the agility of a cat rolled himself without rising into the doorway of
+the bunkhouse.
+
+Struck with amazement at the man's actions the teacher put down his book
+and got up, striding for the front door. But even before he reached it
+he heard the back door pushed open and he turned. His worst fears were
+realized when he found Sackett standing on the threshold, a rifle in his
+hand, and Abel just back of him. Both men were smiling in triumph, but
+keeping a wary eye on the house just the same.
+
+"Ah," said Sackett, grinning broadly. "We didn't know you was going out
+the front door, governor! Or maybe you was goin' to let us in?"
+
+"What do you want here?" asked the professor, stiffly.
+
+Sackett looked all around. "We ain't sure, yet. We want you, for one
+thing. Keep your gun on him, Abel. Where's Manuel?"
+
+"Watching the front door," growled the former mate.
+
+The two men stepped into the house and the professor saw that he was
+trapped. He had no idea what the men wanted with him, although his heart
+sank a little he resolved to face them unflinchingly. Out of the corner
+of his eye he saw the cook glide out of the back door.
+
+"You two men get out of this house!" the professor snapped.
+
+Sackett laughed and walked boldly through the rooms, while Abel kept his
+rifle pointed in the professor's direction. After he had looked through
+every room the leader came back.
+
+"Nobody else in the place, just like Manuel said," he reported. He faced
+the old savant. "Where did those boys go to?"
+
+"Off on a camping trip," answered the professor, calmly.
+
+"Sure they didn't go looking for that treasure?" inquired the outlaw,
+thrusting his face close to Mr. Scott's.
+
+"Do you mean to say that you believe that story?" sniffed the professor,
+scornfully.
+
+"I believe it, and so do you," replied the chief.
+
+"A fairy story," said the professor, contemptuously. "My boy has long
+since found out that there isn't anything to it."
+
+"You and your boy know more about that treasure than you feel like
+telling," retorted Sackett. "You're coming with us and stay with us
+until you tell us what you do know."
+
+"I guess I'll stay with you a long time," said the professor,
+humorously. "Because I don't know anything about it."
+
+"Stow the talk and come on," growled the mate. "Want them boys to come
+back again?"
+
+"Yes, we had better get moving," agreed the leader of the gang. He
+walked to the desk and took out a piece of paper and a pen, which he
+dipped in the ink. "You write a note saying you have gone for a little
+exploring trip," he directed the professor.
+
+"I won't write a line!" said the professor, stubbornly.
+
+"You write quickly or I'll punch your head!" growled the outlaw, raising
+his heavy fist.
+
+Convinced that he would gain nothing by arguing with these men the
+professor took the pen and wrote a short note. He hesitated a moment and
+then signed it "Duress Scott."
+
+"Hey!" cried Sackett, suspiciously. "What's that you're putting?"
+
+"You want me to sign my name, don't you?" asked the teacher, blandly.
+
+"That isn't your name," argued the man.
+
+"Oh, it isn't, eh?" said the professor. "Very well, I'll sign it just
+plain Dad, and then Ned will know that something is wrong."
+
+The leader thought a moment. "Never mind," he growled. "That will do as
+it is. Now come along, and mind, no funny business, or it will be the
+worse for you."
+
+The professor accompanied them out of the house, jealously guarded by
+the two men, and in the back yard Manuel, a short and stolid Mexican,
+was waiting for them with a horse from Ned's own stock. In silence the
+professor mounted and the cavalcade moved out of the ranch grounds, the
+professor looking around for the cook and Yappi. Neither of them were in
+sight.
+
+"Miserable cowards!" muttered the professor, between his set teeth.
+
+They headed for the mountains, the Mexican in front and the professor
+riding just ahead of Sackett and Abel, who kept watchful eyes on him.
+They travelled in silence during the morning and stopped at noon to eat
+and rest, after which they pushed on, in a direction southwest of the
+mines. Manuel, it seemed, was the lookout and rode ahead to see to it
+that they did not unexpectedly run across some party from the mines or
+from other scattered ranches. They had passed to the north of the
+Senorita Mercedes ranch and there was no help from that quarter. And
+when at last they entered the trees at the foot of the central range
+they had not been seen by anyone.
+
+There Manuel waited for the party and they rode on in a compact body,
+ascending the long slopes, skirting abrupt cliffs and rising high above
+sea level. The woods were of a semi-tropical nature, with thick trees
+and bright green leaves, surrounded by dense bushes of undergrowth. It
+was cool above the level of the plain and they made good time, coming
+out onto a flat plateau late in the afternoon. Before them was a wall of
+vegetation, and to the professor's astonishment they rode straight to
+it, pushed their way through and came unexpectedly upon the ruins of a
+small castle.
+
+The building was small and now nothing more than a tumbled heap of
+ruins. Looking at it closely the professor was inclined to think that it
+had never been completed at all, but had been abandoned before the roof
+had been put on. Creepers grew in reckless profusion all over the stones
+and a bright green snake glided across a door sill with a slight hiss.
+The men sprang from their horses and the professor got down slowly,
+waiting the next move.
+
+Guided by his captors he was led across the first floor of the place,
+evidently the effort of some Spanish nobleman to plant a small empire of
+his own in a new country, and ushered into a single room toward the back
+of the castle. This room had a ceiling to it and he could see at once
+that it was the headquarters of the gang. A stove, made out of bricks
+held together by clay, stood in one corner and several strings of red
+peppers, dried with heat and age, hung from strings over the stove. A
+rough table, two chairs and a bench, and a long box made up the
+furniture of the place. Besides the door, which was constructed of heavy
+wood, there was a single window in the place, which was barred, though
+it had no glass in it. The forest grew close to the back of the place.
+
+"Now look here," commanded the leader, as soon as they were all in the
+room. "Are you going to talk, or do we have to starve it out of you?"
+
+"If you mean I am to tell you anything about that treasure, I guess
+you'll have to starve me," returned the professor, with spirit. "I tell
+you I don't know a thing about it."
+
+Sackett turned to Abel. "No use arguing with this man now, I can see
+that. Maybe when he gets hungry he'll sing another tune. Put him in the
+dungeon."
+
+Without wasting a word on the matter Abel drove the professor before him
+to a small door which opened in one side of the room. This door, when
+opened, disclosed a turning flight of narrow stairs, and down this the
+professor went, guided by the light from a lantern which Manuel had
+lighted and handed to the mate. After turning around and around they
+came suddenly to a narrow cell, in front of which swung a heavy wooden
+half door, the upper part of which was composed of iron bars. Abel
+opened the door by pulling it toward him and then pushed the professor
+inside.
+
+"Stay there until you get hungry," he said, grimly. "When you feel like
+talking just yell for the captain."
+
+He closed the door with a sharp slam, snapped a padlock in place, and
+taking the light with him, remounted the stairs. The professor stood
+still, watching the light flash and twinkle on the white stone steps
+until it was gone and he was in the darkness alone.
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER X
+ THE ROPE IN THE DUNGEON
+
+
+The light was gone at last and with it the professor's hope. He was
+totally alone in the inky darkness, a prisoner in a cell whose size he
+was not certain of, down under the ruins of a castle in the woods. Far
+above him he could hear the slam of another door and the faint footsteps
+of the two men. Then there was complete silence and the teacher turned
+away from the barred door.
+
+"A truly ancient castle," grumbled the professor. "The dungeon completed
+before the rest of the house!"
+
+He wondered, as he moved cautiously around if anyone had ever been a
+prisoner in this cold and wet-smelling cell. He found his way around
+without difficulty, running his hands along the wall and extending his
+feet carefully. There was not a single object in the place, and he felt
+that they had not expected to have him there, for there was no bed or
+chair in the place.
+
+"Unless," thought the savant, as he continued to feel his way around.
+"They wouldn't be decent enough to give me a chair or bed, anyway. No
+use in expecting mercy from villains like these, I suppose."
+
+The walls were perfectly smooth, composed of sandstone, as was the
+entire castle. Ned had told his father that the opposite slope of the
+mountain was almost wholly composed of this particular type of stone,
+and the original owner and builder had no doubt had it quarried and
+dragged to the spot, using Indians who had been taken captive by the
+Spaniards. Such was the professor's belief and it was reasonable. Even
+in his anxiety to escape from these men he found himself taking an
+interest in the place and resolved that if these men were ever cleaned
+out of it he would explore it thoroughly.
+
+The floor was also of stone, wet and slippery, and for all the professor
+knew, the dwelling place of spiders and other crawling things. He hated
+to sit down on it, but there was no other place and he was very tired
+from his long ride and the excitement of it all, so he felt around the
+floor with shrinking hand and finally found a spot near the door which
+seemed to be drier than the rest of the floor. Pretty much exhausted the
+history professor sank to the floor and rested his back against the cold
+wall.
+
+He was in some doubt as to what to do. He felt that Ned would catch on
+to his meaning when he read the word "duress" and the boys would surely
+make a vigorous effort to find him, but how long that would be or what
+would happen in the meantime he had no idea. The men upstairs were
+convinced that he knew something about the treasure, that he possessed
+some information which he was withholding, and they would do their best
+to get it out of him. They would try to starve him first, and in that
+fact he found a ray of hope, for it would take them several days to find
+out that he did not intend to say anything, and then they would adopt a
+more severe program. In that time Ned and the boys from Maine would have
+time to find him, and they would naturally look near the mountains. It
+was possible that they might think he had been carried off to sea, but
+surely the cook or Yappi would tell them the true facts of the case,
+provided they hadn't been so frightened that they hadn't even seen in
+which direction the cavalcade had gone.
+
+But if the men decided to change their plans and try to pump information
+from him he would have a bigger problem on his hands. These men were by
+no means gentle, they were men who were willing and able to sweat hard
+to earn money and especially dishonest money, and they would not be
+likely to stop at anything cruel or inhuman. They were miles away from
+any source of help and the woods would effectually hide any story which
+might shock the outside world if it were known. Sackett and the mate
+must know that the boys would soon be on the trail, and he was inclined
+to think that they would resort before very long to methods other than
+peaceful.
+
+"If that is the case," thought Professor Scott, jumping to his feet,
+"I'm just wasting time by sitting here. There seems to be no way of
+getting out of the place, but it may be that there is some flaw that
+will ultimately prove my biggest help."
+
+So once more he began to feel his way along the wall and then stopped as
+a new thought came to him. A few days before Ned had given him a cigar
+lighter, a somewhat unreliable engine that lighted once in a great
+while, but which always gave off a bright flash when the little wheel
+was turned by the thumb. It was in his vest pocket and he reached for
+it. He had not had any matches with him and had secretly lamented the
+fact, but now his main difficulty was in a fair way to be overcome.
+
+He took the little case from his pocket and spun the wheel. A sputtering
+little flash was the answer, which lighted up the cell for a split
+second and gave him his bearings. It was evident that the cigar lighter
+had no intentions whatsoever of lighting for any length of time, but it
+at least gave forth a flash that threw the heavy stones into a sort of
+bluish picture for an instant. Working it constantly the old gentleman
+moved around the dungeon, exploring the walls and floor, until something
+in one corner arrested his attention.
+
+There was a crevice there, running from the floor to the ceiling and in
+that crack was a moulded rope. The rope ended near the floor, and hung
+straight down from a round hole in the ceiling above him. He took hold
+of the rope, to find it wet and slippery but fairly strong. The men had
+evidently not seen it and he knew why. Anyone who stood in the room and
+threw the beams of a lantern around would cast the light in a confused
+way into the corners and so miss seeing the rope, which was deep in the
+cranny, and indeed the professor would not have seen it himself if he
+had not been standing right at the crevice. Probably the men had never
+gone over the walls inch by inch, and unless one did that the hidden
+rope would surely escape their eye. But now that he had the rope, what
+was he to do with it?
+
+He pulled on the rope and his answering came with a suddenness that
+startled him into stepping back hastily. Far above his head a bell
+pealed out sharply, shattering the silence of the mountain fastness with
+disconcerting vigor. Nervously he dropped the lighter and then picked it
+up, his brow wet with a nervous perspiration.
+
+"Great heavens!" murmured the professor. "I must stop that, or I'll have
+them down on me."
+
+Upstairs there was a moment of silence and then a sudden commotion. A
+chair fell over and he heard running footsteps. Apparently the upper
+door was opened, for he could hear the words of the men.
+
+"What is ringing that bell?" he heard Sackett roar.
+
+"You got me, captain," replied Abel, while rapid chattering in Mexican
+reached the ears of the professor. "That bell is just up there in the
+tower and nobody can ring it. There must be ghosts in this place, I tell
+you!"
+
+"Keep shut about your ghosts!" snarled the leader. "What's that Mexican
+saying?"
+
+"He's howling prayers because he's scared," the mate said.
+
+Understanding came over the professor all at once. One tall tower had
+struck his attention as they had approached the ruined castle and it was
+evident that this tower had in it a large bell, placed there when the
+castle was first built. The rope which the professor had pulled led
+directly to this bell, a circumstance of which the men upstairs knew
+nothing, and he found that fate had provided him with a weapon to work
+against them with telling force. Realizing in the long run what this
+would mean the teacher once more took hold of the rope.
+
+"Somebody is ringing that bell," said Sackett, his tone ugly and
+uncertain. "Ain't there no way to get up in that tower and stop it?"
+
+"No," answered Abel. "The tower has no steps and it's no use anyway. I
+tell you a spirit is ringing that bell! I knew I hadn't ought to have
+come in on a game like this."
+
+"Oh, shut up," growled Sackett. "It isn't ringing anymore."
+
+But at that moment the bell rang out, and this time the professor used
+it effectively. With long sweeping strokes he tolled it, so that the
+melancholy sounds sounded out and over the country for miles. It was a
+solemn and fearful sound, and the men above were thoroughly awed and
+frightened by it.
+
+"Go see if that professor has escaped from his cell," ordered Sackett,
+as the professor paused in his labors. "He may be out and doing this
+somehow."
+
+The professor thanked his lucky stars that he had overheard this bit of
+conversation and gave the bell a final toll. Then he quickly resumed his
+place near the door, holding onto the bars and peering anxiously out as
+the mate came down the stairs with the lantern.
+
+The man flashed the light full in the face of the professor, who blinked
+and threw up his hand to cover his eyes. At the same time he eagerly
+questioned the mate.
+
+"Why is that bell ringing? What does it mean? Why is there a bell here?"
+he cried.
+
+The mate looked troubled but attempted to pass it off. "You mind your
+own business," he said, in a surly tone. At the same time he pressed
+close to the door and flashed the light into the dungeon, looking
+intently at the corners. Without another word he went back up the
+winding stairs, and before he closed the door the professor heard him
+say: "The old man is all right. He hasn't been out of the cell and he
+couldn't ring the bell. I tell you----"
+
+That was as much as Professor Scott heard but it was enough to satisfy
+him. His best plan was now to mystify the men in the hope of terrifying
+them so that they would leave the place and take him somewhere else.
+Whether that would in the end be a better move or not he did not know,
+but it was at least better than waiting and wasting time, and it would
+serve to bring Ned and the boys to the spot. There was no doubt that the
+sound could be heard far from the mountain, and he had no doubt that it
+would be of great value to him.
+
+Feeling that it would do him no good to keep on tolling the bell he gave
+up the task for the time being, planning to ring it wildly in the very
+middle of the night. The men would no doubt be asleep and he could ring
+it out in such a way as to bring them to their feet with fast beating
+hearts, convinced that the place was haunted by a spirit that rang the
+bell. If they persisted in staying even after that he would keep ringing
+the bell at intervals, taking care not to break the rope, which,
+fortunately for him had originally been tarred and so was preserved.
+
+With that thought in mind the professor pulled his coat more closely
+around him, curled himself up on the hard floor and went to sleep. His
+sleep was fitful and restless, and after two hours of it he had the
+impression that something nearby was scratching. Awakening at last he
+sat up, wide awake in an instant, to find that the steady scratching
+sound was no dream, but an actual fact, and seemed to come from the wall
+beside him.
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER XI
+ THE UNDERGROUND PASSAGE
+
+
+The scratching sound continued to come as the professor listened, and he
+got up and bent his head close to the wall. It sounded to him as though
+someone was scraping the rock wall on the other side of his cell, and he
+was puzzled over the circumstance. There was a measure of hope in the
+sound, perhaps the boys had arrived and were trying to break through to
+him. But as he continued to think it over he realized that it could not
+be so. The dungeon was deep in the earth and it would be impossible for
+them to get down on a level with his cell. The only other thing he could
+think of was that there was a prisoner in a cell next to his.
+
+It might easily be possible that Sackett, in some of his other dishonest
+games, had taken someone else prisoner and the man was trying to break
+through to him. In that case it behooved the professor to try and help
+whoever was coming through the wall of his dungeon. He took the cigar
+lighter from his pocket, made it flash and then looked at his watch by
+its brief blue flame. It was now one o'clock in the morning.
+
+Continuing to make flashes the teacher watched the wall and after a time
+found the rock upon which the unknown man was working. It was a large
+block in the very center of the south wall, and under the soft blows of
+the man on the other side it was already slightly loose. The professor
+could see it move. He took out a knife which he had and began to pick at
+the edges on his side, chipping carefully and as noiselessly as
+possible. It was evident that the person on the other side knew that he
+was helping for the scraping stopped abruptly but after a moment it was
+resumed.
+
+They worked on in silence, the professor listening for sounds from
+upstairs, but none came. The men were evidently asleep or they had left
+the place altogether, for he heard no movement and he was not
+interrupted in his labors. He found that the soft and rotted material
+between the stones was easy to dislodge, and his mysterious helper was
+pushing as he worked, so that the huge stone was beginning to move
+toward the cell of the professor. Only a fraction of an inch at a time,
+but it was enough to give the teacher hope, and finally it was far
+enough out to allow him to get the tips of his fingers under the rough
+edge of the stone.
+
+By working it back and forth the professor at length got it loose. It
+came out with a rush, nearly bending him double with the unexpected
+weight. At the same time a light flared in his eyes and he hastily
+deposited the stone on the floor of his dungeon. When this was completed
+he straightened up and confronted his companion.
+
+It was Yappi, the mestizo. He held a torch of pitch wood in his one hand
+and a keen knife in the other. He had evidently worked hard at the
+stone, for his hands were dirty and so was his mouth and forehead,
+showing that he had stopped more than once to wipe them with his dirty
+hands. The professor was glad to see the man but more than astonished at
+what he saw back of him. The ranchman was standing in a vaulted
+underground passage, which ran back a distance that the professor could
+not make out.
+
+"Yappi!" cried the professor, in a low voice. "How did you get here?"
+
+"I followed you, senor," said the old man, simply. "It was somewhat hard
+work, for my feet are not so swift to run as they once were. But when I
+knew that they had carried you off to this castle I laughed inside, for
+I knew this castle very well."
+
+In one sense Yappi was a mystery. He was an ordinary mixture of Spanish
+and Indian, and yet not ordinary in other ways. He possessed a dignity
+and his English was perfect. Ned Scott could never learn where he got
+it. Except for rare periods when he became sulky or falsely sensitive he
+was always steady and reliable. The professor had greatly misjudged him
+when he had thought him a coward, and later on apologized, an apology
+which was very graciously accepted.
+
+"What is this underground passage?" whispered the professor eagerly,
+forgetting his situation in his interest.
+
+"It is as old as the castle, senor, and I have known of it since I was a
+child. Many times I have played around these ruins. But come, we waste
+time and must be going."
+
+The opening that the removal of the stone had made was not a big one and
+the professor had a hard struggle to get out, in fact Yappi was
+compelled to haul him through bodily. Of a necessity the professor
+squirmed out and landed on his face, grumbling at the man who had made
+him resort to so clumsy a method of action. Once in the passage he
+looked around, finding that it was made of stone and arched overhead,
+the entire height being about seven feet. Consequently they were not
+compelled to bend over, and they hurried through the passage in comfort,
+the ranchman in the lead.
+
+"What was this passage ever made for?" the professor asked.
+
+"I do not know, senor. It may be that once that room was not a dungeon,
+or it may be--but who knows? Only I happened to know of the passage and
+knew that they would put you in that cell, so I have been at work for
+some hours on the stone."
+
+"I certainly appreciate your hard work, Yappi," said the professor.
+
+The mestizo made no reply. The professor noted that the passage was
+sloping upward somewhat, and before long he felt cool fresh air on his
+cheek. Near the entrance Yappi extinguished the torch by grinding it
+under his heel and they proceeded in the darkness, until the mestizo
+stopped and grasped his arm, pointing silently ahead.
+
+The end of the passage was before them, and lounging there, a rifle in
+his hands, was the mate Abel. They could make out the lines of his body
+plainly as he stood near a mound, totally unconscious that he was within
+five feet of a secret tunnel. The professor could see that the mouth of
+the secret passage was screened in some dense bushes and that it curved
+right up from the ground. But in spite of all their brilliant work Abel
+suspected something, and for the time being at least they were halted.
+
+They held a council of war right there, speaking in whispers. It was
+evident that the mate had heard something or had the feeling that all
+was not well, for he stood on his guard, the rifle held slightly
+forward. Yappi was for rushing him and fighting it out, but the
+professor opposed it firmly. The man was armed and Yappi was not, and
+the ranchman was old and none too strong. Beside all that, the professor
+had another thought.
+
+He asked the old man if he had heard the bell tolling and the mestizo
+replied that he had. Professor Scott then went on to tell him how it was
+done, and to propose that he steal back and ring the bell, thus puzzling
+the men and taking Abel away from his most inconvenient post. The
+mestizo gravely approved of his plan and together they retraced their
+steps until they came to the hole in the wall.
+
+Knowing where the bell rope was even in the darkness the professor
+insisted upon being the one to go back into the dungeon, so with Yappi's
+help he once more pushed and puffed his way through the hole. He landed
+on the other side pretty well mussed up.
+
+"Confound these fellows," he growled inwardly. "I've lost several pounds
+squirming in and out of these holes!"
+
+He had regained his feet and was tiptoeing toward the bell rope when a
+warning hiss from Yappi reached him. He turned toward the hole.
+
+"What is it, Yappi?" he whispered.
+
+"Come back! Light coming!"
+
+Surely enough, at that moment a light flashed on the winding steps and
+began to descend. The professor made a wild dive for the hole and then
+stopped with a groan. It would take him several moments to worm his way
+back into the passage, and already it was too late for that. Sackett was
+coming down the stairs with the lantern, and he was now in plain sight
+around the last turn.
+
+For an instant the professor remained rooted to the spot as though
+paralyzed. The leader of the gang was approaching the door, holding the
+lantern before him, his eyes squinted more than usual as he tried to see
+into the cell. Yappi had disappeared somewhere, and the professor felt
+suddenly alone and miserable.
+
+Sackett looked in the dungeon and his eyes fell on the block which had
+been removed. With a snarling oath he saw the hole in the wall and
+turned red and angry eyes on the professor. But the old teacher had
+decided on his course of action.
+
+Without fully realizing why he did it the professor stepped to the bell
+rope and pulled it with all his strength. The bell in the tower pealed
+out with a terrific clash, sending the tocsin booming out over the
+mountain side. Sackett saw the move and a great light swept over him.
+
+"So!" he shouted, above the clanging of the bell. "You're the one who is
+ringing that bell!"
+
+Swinging the handle of the lantern over his arm he dived viciously into
+his pocket for the key to the padlock. As he did so there was the sound
+of running footsteps over his head and Abel's voice reached them.
+
+"That bell is ringing again, Sackett!" the mate cried, his voice showing
+his alarm.
+
+"Yes, and here is the bird that is ringing it!" roared the leader. "Get
+down here right away, Abel! Where is Manuel?"
+
+"He ran away, scared to death," replied the mate.
+
+"Get down here and help me choke this old one," commanded Sackett,
+thrusting the key into the padlock.
+
+But Abel called down once more, and there was a new note in his voice.
+"Never mind him, Squint! Get up here as fast as you can! Here come a
+whole rescue party, with all them blasted kids in it!"
+
+The professor gave the bell one last pull of triumph and then let the
+rope go. Sackett hesitated for a moment, muttering savagely to himself
+and holding onto the padlock and key. Then he turned and ran up the
+steps, dashing the lantern against the wall in his hurry, causing the
+glass to break and go tinkling down the stone steps.
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER XII
+ THE TOLLING OF THE BELL
+
+
+The four boys hastily armed themselves to go and find the professor. Ned
+packed some provisions in a knapsack and slung it behind his saddle, not
+knowing just how long they might be on their hunt. The other boys
+watered their horses and Ned's and waited around for him to get ready.
+
+Just before leaving Ned made a final look around, greatly puzzled at the
+absence of Yappi and the cook. "Must have taken them prisoner, too," was
+his conclusion, as he joined the others. It was a somewhat grim
+cavalcade that swung out of the ranch yard.
+
+There were two possibilities, the sea and the mountains. One guess was
+as good as the other, but Ned chose the mountains and they headed that
+way. They had gone but a scant mile when Don pulled up.
+
+"Who is this coming?" he asked, pointing to a lone figure which was
+running over a nearby hill.
+
+"Looks like the cook," said Ned. It was Spanci and he drew nearer,
+evidently recognizing them. When he came up he was slightly out of
+breath but able to talk.
+
+"Spanci, where have they taken my father?" asked Ned, in Spanish.
+
+"They have taken him to the mountains, senor, but do not fear, Yappi is
+with him, trailing them." The cook then went on to tell of the raid and
+of Yappi's stealthy trailing and his own effort. "I ran to the ranch of
+the Senorita Mercedes, senor, and she has sent her overseer and two men
+out to the mountain to aid your father."
+
+Ned thanked the old Indian for his devotion and the cook went on back to
+the ranch, to await the turn of events. Ned was greatly relieved to hear
+that Yappi was on the trail, and he knew that the old mestizo would
+stick to it and help his father no matter what turned up. It was with a
+much more cheerful heart that the party rode on toward the mountains.
+
+"No doubt they will stop and hold dad somewhere for a day or two,"
+argued Ned. "We should run across them shortly, and if it is possible
+Yappi will leave some kind of a guiding sign."
+
+"The best part of it is that we know now that they didn't go toward the
+sea," put in Terry and Ned nodded.
+
+They stopped briefly late in the afternoon to eat and rest the horses
+and in the early evening reached the edge of the mountain range. Once
+within the shadows of the mighty trees they were at a loss as to how to
+go. Had the party gone north or south? It was a big decision to make,
+for if they proceeded far in one direction and found that they were
+wrong they would have to retrace and lose valuable time. Just as the
+last shadows of the day were stealing across the sky they stopped for a
+council of war.
+
+"There is nothing to indicate which way they would be likely to go,"
+said Jim.
+
+"Wouldn't they be most likely to go south, to get away into a wilder
+country?" asked Terry.
+
+"Maybe," said Ned. "But the northern part of the range is the wildest.
+So we can't tell. They may have even gone right on over, to the waste of
+wilderness on the other side."
+
+"Whichever way we guess we may be dead wrong," murmured Don.
+
+"Yes, and we can't afford to be wrong," Ned answered. "Look here, we'll
+have to split the party."
+
+"Split the party?" echoed the others.
+
+"Yes. Don and I will go south, and Jim and Terry north and over the top.
+In that way we should be able to cover a lot of territory. I propose
+that we make this spot our meeting place, and that we all assemble here
+at seven o'clock tomorrow morning to compare notes. Let's have a signal
+of three shots. That will mean to either come back to the meeting place,
+or ride toward the shots."
+
+"Better make it the signal to ride toward the shots," advised Don.
+"We'll repeat the shooting and keep it up until the other party joins
+us. But if one party picks up Professor Scott it had better ride back
+here with him and fire the shots from here, because we all know just
+where this place is and can find it easily."
+
+"That's right," agreed Ned. "Of course, we are splitting our party and
+lessening our strength."
+
+"I don't see that we can help that," Jim argued. "If we were looking for
+something that didn't require every minute we could keep together and
+take our time. But there is no knowing what the outfit will do to the
+professor. Besides, two of us should be able to handle those fellows,
+even if there are three of them."
+
+"We should be able to depend on a surprise attack," said Terry.
+
+"Yes," agreed Ned. "What is that?"
+
+The others looked at him questioningly. Ned listened intently. "I
+thought I heard the sound of a bell tolling," he said.
+
+"Where would there be a bell around here?" asked Don.
+
+"I don't think that there is a bell nearer than the mines. I guess I
+must have imagined it, that is all. Well, it is growing dark. Shall we
+separate now?"
+
+"Guess we might as well," the others agreed.
+
+With mutual goodbyes and agreeing to meet again at the grove in which
+they were at present stopped, the four boys split into two groups and
+went in opposite directions. Terry and Jim rode north and up the
+mountain, and Ned and Don began to make their way south, moving up the
+mountain on a gradual slant.
+
+"Funny about that bell," Ned said, as they rode slowly forward. "I could
+have sworn to it that I heard a bell ringing."
+
+"What kind of a bell?" asked Don.
+
+"Sounded like a church bell, and it seemed to be tolling. But I guess it
+was some other sounds that I mistook. Certainly there is no church
+anywhere around here."
+
+"Doesn't look as though there is," grinned Don.
+
+The sun had now set on the other side of the giant range and they were
+in total darkness. Knowing that it would be useless to push on very
+rapidly during the night they planned to put up a temporary camp on some
+ridge and wait there until daylight came. That would give them a few
+hours to look around before returning to their meeting place to compare
+notes.
+
+"Guess we might as well camp and eat," Ned suggested, and they found a
+spot that was dry and sheltered, where they speedily kindled a small
+fire and made some coffee. Sandwiches went with it and then they settled
+down beside the fire, talking quietly and keeping both ears and eyes
+open for any strange sound. It was early when they turned in and slept
+soundly.
+
+How long they had been asleep was a matter of conjecture, but they were
+shocked into a state of wakefulness by the furious tolling of a bell. It
+was near at hand, and they leaped to their feet with rapidly beating
+hearts. Alone there on the mountain fastness the sound was awe-inspiring
+and unpleasantly thrilling, and both boys felt chills running up and
+down their backs. The bell which was ringing so mysteriously was not
+more than a hundred feet from them.
+
+"My goodness, what in the name of glory is that!" gasped Ned, as the
+horses moved restlessly back and forth.
+
+"Your bell," cried Don, snatching up his rifle. "We were camped almost
+on top of it!"
+
+Ned secured his weapon. "Never mind the horses, let's see what is up,"
+he shouted. They started on a run in the direction of the sound of the
+bell, breaking recklessly through the undergrowth. In less than a
+hundred yards they emerged into a clearing and came upon the ruins of a
+castle, in the tower of which the bell was tolling madly.
+
+A man stood in a doorway, a faint light behind him. He had seen them
+coming and shouted something to someone within. The bell ceased to toll
+and the boys pressed on, straight for the figure in the doorway. It was
+joined by another and Ned raised a shout.
+
+"Sackett!" he cried. "I guess we'll find dad now!"
+
+His answer was a shot from Sackett's revolver, and they threw themselves
+flat on the ground, to send two high shots whistling through the narrow
+doorway. Had Sackett and Abel known that they were alone the two outlaws
+would not have run, but they were unable to make out anything accurate
+against the black trees and thought that a full party had arrived. The
+two men did not linger, but made their way out over the ruins of the
+first floor and escaped the boys hearing them take to their horses.
+
+"They didn't take dad with them," cried Ned, leaping to his feet. "He
+must be in the house yet."
+
+They entered the castle, to find a candle in a bottle giving light to
+the single good room which remained of the ruins. Seeing the door in the
+side of the wall Ned and Don made for it, the former taking up the
+candle as they did so. They had no more fear of the bandits and they
+fairly ran down the stairs, to find Professor Scott waiting at the
+barred door.
+
+"Dad!" cried Ned in delight. "So you are really here?"
+
+"Oh, yes, and I thought I'd be here for sometime," smiled Mr. Scott.
+"You boys arrived just in time. How did you like my bell concert?"
+
+"If it hadn't been for that we might never have found you," said Ned. He
+broke the padlock with the butt of his gun, and then stepped hastily
+back. "What is that?"
+
+A dark figure was worming through the hole in the wall of the dungeon.
+"Don't be afraid," the professor said cheerfully. "It is Yappi, who is
+joining the party."
+
+The padlock was broken off, the door opened and Ned and his father
+embraced warmly. He shook Don by the hand and after hasty explanations
+had been made they followed Yappi up the stairs. The mestizo had refused
+to accept any thanks and took the lead in getting them out of the place.
+
+They made a hasty search but found nothing of importance. The men had
+escaped on their mounts, and it was useless to think of following them.
+Yappi took them to the mouth of the underground passage and showed them
+how to drop down in it, and they walked along it back to the dungeon and
+then once more went back to the courtyard before the castle.
+
+"The rascals either took my horse or loosed it," said the professor. "I
+guess I'll have to walk home."
+
+"No, no, senor," said Yappi, quietly. "I have provide for that. Two
+horses in yonder bush."
+
+And he went to the thicket indicated and led out two horses. They
+praised his foresight lavishly but he was indifferent to their praises.
+Ned then proposed that they go back to the meeting place.
+
+Accordingly they mounted and went down the mountain to the place where
+they had left Terry and Jim. It was decided to wait until morning for
+the other two, rather than fire off their guns to attract them.
+
+"They should be here at seven in the morning, and it won't be long
+before it is that time," Don said. "So we might as well wait."
+
+So they waited, sleeping by turns, waking at last to greet a fine warm
+day. Seven o'clock came and passed and no sign of the others was to be
+seen. When a half hour had passed they began to fire their guns at
+intervals, but there was nothing but silence after the echoes had broken
+in different places over the mountain sides.
+
+Refusing to be worried over it they ate breakfast and again fired their
+guns, riding out from their camp for a few miles in either direction.
+But when ten o'clock in the morning came they once more assembled in the
+camp and faced the bitter facts.
+
+"Well," said Ned, in despair. "Now those fellows are gone. They must
+have become lost."
+
+"Either that," said Don, gravely. "Or they have fallen into the hands of
+Sackett!"
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER XIII
+ A FORCED MARCH
+
+
+Terry and Jim had made their way northward and up the mountain. It was
+growing dark and they wished to cover as much ground as possible before
+the night would make their task difficult. They planned to seek some
+high point and camp there, watching the mountain sides for a sign of a
+fire or light of any kind. With this in mind they pushed steadily on,
+winding up the sloping side of the range.
+
+When darkness finally came on they pitched camp, a process that
+consisted of very little else than getting off their horses and building
+a fire. There was a chill in the air which made them glad of the small
+fire, and they ate a hearty supper beside it, discussing the business at
+hand.
+
+"If we find that nothing has been discovered," said Jim, "we'll have to
+beat up the mountain in deadly earnest in the morning. We're satisfied
+that they didn't go toward the sea, but we must take care that they
+haven't skipped out of these mountains."
+
+"Right you are," agreed the red-headed boy, as he poured out coffee,
+"but there must be a million hiding places in these mountains, and we'll
+have to draw mighty fine lines. I suppose there is no use of going any
+further tonight?"
+
+"I hardly think so," rejoined Jim, thoughtfully. "We don't know the
+country and we may run into some trouble. We are on a knoll here and
+should be able to see any light that would show on the mountain."
+
+"Suppose someone should see our fire?" asked Terry, practically.
+
+"There isn't much danger of that," said Jim. "The fire is small and we
+are up pretty high. When we go to sleep the fire will die down and
+probably go out. We can comb a few miles of the woods before we go back
+to meet Don and Ned."
+
+After the meal was over the boys cleaned up around their camp site and
+stood for some time on the crest of the rise looking down into the
+blackness of the forest below them. There was no sign of life in the
+dense trees and no light was to be seen. Jim and Terry once more
+seriously considered the possibility of making a night search and then
+finally decided against it.
+
+"I certainly am sleepy," yawned Terry, as they made their way back to
+the fire.
+
+"Well, as soon as we gather some wood we'll turn in," suggested Jim. "I
+don't know that it is necessary to keep the fire going all night, but we
+will have wood at hand for the first thing in the morning so that we can
+build a fire without wasting any time."
+
+With their knives and their hands the two boys gathered enough wood to
+last them for several hours and then gave a final look at the horses.
+Then each of them took his blanket from the pile of equipment, stacked
+his gun alongside, loosened shoes and neckties and rolled up in the
+blankets.
+
+"If either one of us wakes up he can put wood on the fire," said Terry,
+as he settled himself in the blanket.
+
+"Yes, but don't wake up purposely," advised Jim.
+
+They went to sleep without any trouble, being pretty well tired from the
+day's journey. The air was cool and fresh and they were healthy young
+men, so they slept soundly. Terry was perhaps the lighter sleeper of the
+two, and it was he who shook Jim into wakefulness after they had been
+asleep for a few hours.
+
+"What is up?" asked Jim, awaking swiftly, his brain working perfectly.
+
+"Listen and see if you don't hear a bell ringing!" whispered Terry.
+
+Jim listened, and in spite of himself he felt his flesh quiver. The
+mountain was dark, the wind fitful, and the fire was a dull red. From
+off in the distance the sound of a bell was heard, a bell that clashed
+and rang without rhythm. The sound was far away and very faint, and when
+the wind blew with a slight increase in force they lost the sound.
+
+"That's funny," murmured Jim, propped on his elbow.
+
+"What do you suppose it is?" whispered Terry.
+
+"I haven't the least idea. I don't know where there could be a bell
+around here. It might be possible that there is a village nearby and for
+some reason or other they are ringing the town bell."
+
+"Maybe. Shall we go down, follow the sound, and see what it is?"
+
+"I don't see why we should," Jim argued. "It might simply be a wild
+goose chase. The sound is coming from the south, and maybe Ned and Don
+will investigate. I guess we had better stay where we are."
+
+"I guess you are right," Terry agreed, throwing some wood on the fire.
+"Back to sleep we go."
+
+Jim followed Terry's advice. The red-headed boy dozed and woke up,
+staring at the sky and moving restlessly. The sound of the bell had
+stopped and he closed his eyes and once more dozed off. He had slept
+lightly for perhaps an hour when he woke up, his senses alert.
+
+There had been a sound near the camp. The horses were moving restlessly
+and Terry raised himself on his elbow and looked into the shadows. The
+fire had burned low again and he could not see far. He debated whether
+to wake Jim or not, and then decided not to.
+
+"Getting jumpy," he thought. "I must go to sleep."
+
+But at that moment two shadows moved quickly from the tall trees and
+toward the fire. With a warning shout to Jim, Terry rolled out of his
+blanket and reached for the nearby guns.
+
+"Leave your hands off them guns!" snarled Sackett, as Jim kicked his way
+clear of his coverings.
+
+Terry looked once at the two outlaws and the guns which they had in
+their hands and decided to give in. Jim scrambled to his feet and stood
+beside him, dismayed at the turn events had taken.
+
+"A couple of bad pennies turned up," muttered Terry, inwardly angry at
+the new developments.
+
+"All those kids weren't together," said Abel, aside to Sackett.
+
+"I see they weren't. Well, we'll take these youngsters along," replied
+the leader, taking their guns from the tree where they were leaning.
+
+"What do you want with us?" Jim demanded.
+
+"You'll find out soon enough," retorted Sackett.
+
+"You meddling kids made us lose the old man so we'll just take you along
+for a little ride."
+
+"Ned and Don must have rescued the professor," said Jim to Terry.
+
+"You never mind what happened!" growled Abel, in such a manner that they
+knew their guess was correct. "Get your horses and come on!"
+
+"Where are you taking us?" asked Terry.
+
+"Mind your own business," snapped Sackett. "Gather up your junk and
+hurry up about it."
+
+"I see," nodded Terry. "I'm going somewhere and it isn't any of my
+business where! And Jimmy, my boy, all this nice equipment that Ned gave
+us is just junk!"
+
+"Quit your talking," commanded Abel. "We have no time to lose."
+
+In silence the two boys gathered up the blankets and the camping kits,
+strapped them on the horse under the watchful eye of the mate, and then
+mounted. Sackett whistled and Manuel appeared, leading three horses. The
+outlaws sprang into the saddle and Abel took the lead, the other two
+hemming in the boys from the rear. Abel turned his horse's head down the
+mountain and toward the sea.
+
+"Too doggone bad we didn't keep a sharper lookout," Terry grumbled.
+
+Jim shrugged his shoulders. "Perhaps, but I don't know. These fellows
+were running from Don and Ned, and their falling in on us was an
+accident. We'll have to keep our eyes open and see if we can give them
+the slip."
+
+The horses picked their way down the mountain expertly, and they had
+worked several miles to the southward before they rode out on the open
+plain. Daylight was now not far off, and they went on in silence, both
+parties keenly awake to the slightest movement of the other. When
+daylight did break over the plain they were miles from the mountain and
+almost to the sea. There had been no chance to make a break and Terry
+and Jim resigned themselves to their fate.
+
+No halt was made to eat, and the boys found that they were very hungry
+and somewhat tired. What little sleep they had had was only enough to
+refresh them sufficiently to keep going, and they would have liked to
+lay down and enjoy a full, untroubled sleep. But they knew that if they
+were ever to escape from Sackett and his men they must be on the alert
+every minute.
+
+They rode steadily onward, the men apparently indifferent to the thought
+of breakfast and the boys grimly uncomplaining. Jim was more used to a
+horse than Terry and did not mind the ride, but the red-headed boy was
+growing restless. From time to time the men looked back at the distant
+mountains, but as they were now many miles below the vicinity of the
+ruined castle there was nothing to be feared from the other party. The
+sea was now very near and Jim thought he recognized the country.
+
+"If I'm not mistaken we rode over this country yesterday," he said aside
+to Terry.
+
+Before them at a distance of less than a mile, was a high bluff, and
+when they rode to the edge of this bluff the boys saw a familiar sight.
+Directly below them was the tannery which they had stopped to inspect on
+the day before. It was at this point that the Mexican slipped out and
+took the lead, showing them a steep and winding path that ran down
+beside the cliff and led to the beach below. Down this the party made
+its way, the nimble horses bracing their feet expertly, and after some
+twenty minutes of steady descending they emerged at length onto the hard
+sand of the beach.
+
+Manuel still kept the lead, riding up to the tannery, and at one of the
+smaller sheds he alighted from his horse, an example which was followed
+by the others. The boys were not sorry to follow suit and when they had
+done so Manuel took the horses and lodged them out of sight in the main
+building.
+
+"Say," demanded Terry. "Haven't you fellows any stomachs? I'm starved!"
+
+Sackett opened the door to the smaller building with a grin on his ugly
+face. "We're all hungry," he said. "Abel, cook up some grub."
+
+"Not while them kids are here," said the mate, promptly. "Let them do
+the cooking."
+
+"I'm too hungry to say 'no' just now," said Jim, promptly. "Somebody get
+me wood and I'll make breakfast."
+
+Abel brought wood while Manuel went up the bluff and disappeared.
+Sackett sat on a ledge near the door, keeping a watchful eye on the
+boys. Jim cooked an excellent breakfast and the men enjoyed it. Manuel
+had come back and reported briefly.
+
+"Ship's coming in," he said in Spanish, but the boys understood him.
+
+Just as the meal was over the Mexican looked out of the door and got up.
+"The boat is in," he said to Sackett.
+
+The leader arose quickly and motioned to the boys. "Come on, you boys,
+we're moving. Abel, bring up in the rear."
+
+"Where are we going?" Jim asked.
+
+"You'll find out when you get on board," retorted Sackett, as he marched
+them out of the shack.
+
+"Evidently on a ship," murmured Terry.
+
+He was right. Off the shore a battered old schooner with two masts was
+tossing gently to and fro and near them on the beach a long boat was
+hauled up, with its crew of six waiting. The men touched their caps when
+Sackett approached.
+
+"Get in the boat," ordered Sackett, and the boys climbed in, taking
+their places in the stern seats. The outlaws followed, all but Manuel,
+who stood on the shore.
+
+"Get the horses back to the hide-out," Sackett said to the Mexican.
+"We'll be back soon." To the boat's crew, who had taken their places at
+the oars he said, "Row us alongside."
+
+The crew pulled with a will and the boat moved from the shore, out onto
+the blue waters of the Pacific. After a row of a half mile they ranged
+alongside of the schooner, which had the name _Galloway_ painted on the
+stern. Jim and Terry were ordered up the side ladder, where they dropped
+over the rail to the deck. Sackett and Abel, followed by the crew,
+speedily joined them.
+
+"Put on sail," ordered Sackett of the ship's captain, as that officer
+approached. He turned to the boys, a grin of evil delight on his face.
+"You kids wanted to know where you are going, eh? Well, we're taking you
+to Mexico, to keep you prisoners on a nice, deserted ranch until it
+suits us to let you go!"
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER XIV
+ HISTORY REPEATS
+
+
+For a moment after Sackett made his startling statement the two boys
+could only stand and stare at him. At last Jim spoke up.
+
+"You are taking us to Mexico?" he cried.
+
+"Exactly!" mocked the outlaw. "We can't afford to have you two boys
+hanging around while we are looking for that treasure. So we are going
+to put you in cold storage for a time!"
+
+"Mexico isn't exactly cold storage," murmured Terry. "Bum joker, this
+Sackett man!"
+
+"You'll find out it ain't a joke," said Sackett, as the sails were run
+into place. "It'll be a long time before you boys get home again."
+
+"You'll run into a lot of trouble over this," Jim warned.
+
+"Trouble is something I'm used to," Sackett grinned. He turned to the
+villainous-looking captain of the schooner. "Captain Jake Ryan, keep
+your eyes on these boys and put them ashore where I tell you. I'm going
+ashore at Peso myself, so I make you responsible for them."
+
+"You needn't be afraid they'll get away from me," the captain growled,
+looking them over keenly. "They're nothing but kids!"
+
+"Yes, but they're pretty slippery ones," warned Sackett. "Come down in
+the cabin with me."
+
+The two men, followed by Abel, left the boys and walked off. Jim looked
+at Terry and the latter shrugged his shoulders.
+
+"Looks like we're in for it now," the red-headed boy remarked.
+
+"I'm afraid we are," Jim replied, in a low voice. "But we must get away.
+If we are carried to Mexico there is no telling when we will ever get
+home again."
+
+"True enough, but I don't recommend starting anything with this crew,"
+said Terry.
+
+The crew was indeed a rough looking outfit, apparently picked up in many
+ports and composed of rascals of every sort. They wore no uniforms and
+were seemingly expert in their trade, by which sign the boys took it
+that they had spent most of their life on board sailing vessels. They
+represented different nationalities and were a hardy and bold set of
+men, who would not stop at any kind of trade so long as it promised them
+gain of some sort.
+
+"I'll bet the police of many a town would like to see these fellows,"
+was Jim's estimate of them.
+
+The ship was rapidly leaving that portion of the coast where Jim and
+Terry had come aboard and was heading south. That meant that they
+intended to round off the tip of Lower California and run up the shore
+of Mexico, probably in one of the wildest portions of the tropical
+country. The boys looked once or twice over the side, but they knew it
+would be foolish to jump over, since they would be shot or overtaken by
+a boat before reaching the shore. There was nothing left for them to do,
+therefore, but to make the best of the situation.
+
+They wandered over the deck of the schooner, forgetting in their
+interest that they were captives. Jim and Terry had done enough sailing
+to know something about sailing ships, and this ancient schooner
+interested them greatly. It had evidently been in active service for
+years, for it was battered and beaten by many storms and its decks were
+worn deeply in spots. The vast expanse of sails overhead, close hauled
+in the wind, drew their eyes in admiration, even though the sails were
+dirty and patched. The crew worked busily around the rigging, coiling
+ropes and stowing loose equipment, paying no attention to the boys, much
+as though taking prisoners was an every-day affair with them. The boys
+noted that two of the men worked apart from the main crew and looked to
+be men of a better stamp than the rank and file.
+
+After a short run down the coast a tiny village appeared on the coast
+and once opposite it Sackett and the mate appeared on deck. The town was
+that of Peso and the captain of the _Galloway_ ordered the boat over the
+side. Sackett and Abel entered the boat and then looked up to where Jim
+and Terry leaned over the rail.
+
+"Goodbye, boys," mocked the bay pirate. "If we run across the other
+members of your party we'll give them your regards, shall we?"
+
+Jim only glowered, but Terry raised his slouched camping hat. "Why Mr.
+Sackett!" he exclaimed sweetly. "How very lovely of you! If I were only
+nearer to you I would kiss your sweet face for that kind thought!"
+
+The crew of the _Galloway_ broke into broad grins and the captain
+chuckled. Sackett's face grew red and he half rose from his seat in the
+long boat. But Abel pulled him down again.
+
+"Quit fooling with those kids and let's go," he said, and Sackett sat
+down, after saying something fiery through his set teeth. The sailors
+pulled on their oars and the long boat shot through the water to the
+shore. When the two men had been set on shore the boat returned, and the
+schooner continued on its way.
+
+Up to that time the air had been clear and the water untroubled, but a
+change gradually developed.
+
+A slight haze sprang up over the water and the air became thicker.
+Little choppy waves began to form, and before long the schooner was
+beginning to rock with increasing force.
+
+In the bow there was a commotion. A lookout in the crow's nest had
+called something down, and the captain came hurrying on deck. The boys
+soon discovered a large black schooner to the west of them, some four
+miles off, and the sight of it appeared to alarm the crew. Acting under
+orders from the captain they crowded on more sail and began to run
+before the wind. It was a move that was not particularly wise under the
+increasing strength of the rising wind, and the two boys were puzzled.
+
+"Terry," said Jim, as he stood in the stern watching the schooner in the
+distance. "These fellows are running away from that ship!"
+
+Terry looked with increasing interest and found that Jim was right. The
+schooner behind them was also crowding on sail, heeling over in the wind
+but running toward them in a direct line. The crew of the _Galloway_ was
+now fully on the alert and obeying the shouted orders of the skipper.
+The two men who had attracted the attention of the boys by their
+difference in looks compared to the rest of the motley crew, looked
+eagerly toward the oncoming schooner until they were literally driven to
+work by Captain Ryan.
+
+As may be imagined the boys watched the chase with an interest that was
+painful. The outcome of it meant everything to them. They had no idea
+who could be on the pursuing schooner, but whoever it was would be sure
+to release them if they overhauled the _Galloway_. When the crew of the
+schooner ran out a small cannon Terry whistled in surprise.
+
+"This is no comedy," he remarked. "These fellows mean business."
+
+The sky to the south had turned an ominous black and the wind was now
+shrieking through the shrouds of the schooner. Cursing aloud Ryan
+ordered sail taken in, and the crew sprang aloft, running along the
+ropes in a way that took away the breath of the watching boys. The
+oncoming schooner was also forced to take in canvas but it did not give
+up the chase. The waves, an hour ago, so calm and peaceful, were now
+mountain high, raging and boiling along the sides of the laboring ship.
+
+"History repeats itself!" exclaimed Jim, suddenly.
+
+"What do you mean?" blinked Terry.
+
+"Why, it's just like the story of the galleon! We are being pursued by
+an enemy and a storm is surely going to close over us! See the point?"
+
+"Yes, I do. Confound this storm, anyway! If it wasn't for it I believe
+those fellows in back would overtake us!" cried Terry.
+
+"I never saw a storm come up so rapidly," said Jim.
+
+In that part of the Pacific storms rise with incredible swiftness and it
+was such a storm, half cyclonic, as now burst over the pursued and the
+pursuer. In a twinkling of an eye the ship to the rear vanished from
+sight as the _Galloway_ staggered into a yawning trough. The boys had
+all they could do to hang on as the deck slanted under their feet, and
+they were soaked to the waist by the wash that flooded the deck. A
+single slashing flash of lightening flared in the sky.
+
+"Do you think we had better go below, so as not to be washed overboard?"
+shouted Terry above the whine of the wind.
+
+"Nothing doing!" roared Jim, his voice sounding like a whisper above the
+crash of the waves. "I wouldn't miss this for anything!"
+
+So they hung on to the rear mast and the ropes, keenly alive to the
+picture of action which was going on before them. They could see the men
+busy at the sails, pulling ropes, furling, lashing fast and jumping as
+the skipper signalled his commands. They had been forgotten in the
+excitement of the storm, and so were free to watch what was going on.
+They knew that the pursuing schooner would never haul down on them now.
+
+The captain was at the wheel helping the helmsman, and between the two
+of them they could scarcely control the wild plunging of the schooner.
+The boys watched with fascination as wave after wave reared up before
+the schooner, to curl and break over the bow and come thundering over
+the deck in a mad swirl. At such times they were wet to the waist but
+they did not mind that, so interested were they in the events of the
+moment. Their hands ached from holding onto ropes but they stuck to
+their perilous post.
+
+"They are running in too close to the shore!" shouted Terry in Jim's
+ear.
+
+"They should know the coast well enough to do it," Jim returned.
+
+He had scarcely spoken when there was a slight scraping and grinding
+sound and the men at the wheel spun the helm rapidly. The _Galloway_
+swung further away from the shore, listing dangerously as it did so. One
+of the crew ran down the companionway and reappeared soon afterward,
+making his way to the captain.
+
+"She scraped a ledge that time," called Jim and Terry nodded.
+
+It was now so black that the boys could scarcely see before them. The
+captain spoke rapidly with the man, who was the mate, and the officer
+quickly singled one or two men from the crew and then made his way over
+the bounding lurching deck to the boys. Placing his wet mouth near their
+ears he shouted: "Get on the pumps! We're leaking!"
+
+Without loss of time the boys followed him across the deck to where the
+pumps were located. Two men had already seized the handle of one pump
+and were bending their backs to the task, pumping up and down with all
+their strength. At a signal from the mate the two boys took hold of the
+handle of a second pump and fell to the urgent task.
+
+A thick stream of water shot out of the end of the pump and they knew
+that the lower part of the schooner was filling rapidly with water. It
+seemed to them that there was no use in pumping, but they realized that
+it was their only chance. No life-boat could live in those seas and it
+was a case of keep the ship from going down under their feet under the
+added weight of the water that was pouring into the hold, where a seam
+had been opened up by the ledge over which they had scraped. So they
+worked with a will, moving the handle up and down, until their backs,
+totally unused to the work, ached with the tiring strain of it. A
+continual stream of water rushed from the mouth of the pump with every
+stroke.
+
+They were soon gasping for breath and both of them longed for the moment
+when two other men would relieve them. The two on the other pump kept at
+it grimly, somewhat more used to the work, moving automatically,
+unmindful of the stinging waves that slapped them from each side. The
+schooner pitched and rolled and bucked, now on top of a wave and now
+sinking deep into a trough.
+
+To their unspeakable relief they saw two more men approach with the mate
+to take over their task. The captain had realized that they would not
+last long at the cruel task, and had sent relief. The men were coming
+toward them, were almost to them.
+
+There was a sharp grinding sound and the schooner crashed hard aground.
+Every man who was standing went over like a stick of wood. Down came the
+rigging in a tumbled, confused mass, the forward mast snapped off sharp,
+the bow seemed to crumple like paper. Terry and Jim were torn from the
+pump handle and hurled through the air, to land like playthings in a
+smother of foam and swirling water. All became black in an instant,
+there was a sucking sound and the schooner settled down in the water
+with a shudder.
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER XV
+ THE MOUNTAIN SAGE
+
+
+Don's grave statement to the effect that Jim and Terry might have fallen
+into the hands of Sackett was received with a gloomy degree of
+conviction by the others. They knew that the outlaws had fled somewhere
+across the mountains, and it was very likely that they had run across
+the trail of the two boys in their flight. The professor spoke up.
+
+"We must lose no time in following them," he declared, with spirit.
+
+"The rest of us will follow them," said Ned. "You had better go back to
+the ranch, dad."
+
+"Why should I go back?" demanded the professor.
+
+"You must be tired. You had a long ride yesterday and didn't sleep much
+last night. You and Yappi go back to the ranch and we'll push on after
+Jim and Terry."
+
+"I'm going with you," declared the professor, stoutly. "I'm no child!
+Don't you think I have any interest in finding the boys and running this
+gang down? I would be mighty restless back on the ranch. So let's
+start."
+
+After some further discussion they struck off in the direction last
+taken by the missing boys and rode up the mountain, keeping a careful
+lookout as they did so. They spread out in fan fashion, keeping close
+enough together so as to call back and forth. It was sometime in the
+afternoon when Yappi called out and the others closed in and joined him.
+
+The mestizo was off his horse, standing close to the ashes of a fire
+which had evidently been out for some hours. They were all of the
+opinion that Terry and Jim had built the fire and had spent the night
+beside it.
+
+"The question is now where they went from here," mused the professor.
+
+Ned was searching the nearby bushes and he set up a shout. "There were
+others here last night, too," he announced.
+
+Upon inspection they found the bushes beaten down by the hoofs of
+horses, but at first Don was not convinced. "This is probably where they
+tied up their own horses," he said.
+
+"Other horse over here," replied the mestizo, gravely.
+
+On the other side of the clearing they found the traces of other horses.
+There had been two parties, or else one spot marked the location of the
+missing boys' horses and the other that of the second party. The
+professor was sure that Sackett and his men had come down on them in the
+night while they slept. And later all doubt was laid aside when Ned
+found a big foot print in the soft sand.
+
+"Neither Jim nor Terry made that," he said, with conviction.
+
+The others agreed with him, and by careful tracing they found that the
+party had gone down the mountain toward the sea. They followed the trail
+for at least a half mile and then lost it on some rocky ground, but they
+were satisfied that they were on the right track.
+
+"They are heading for the sea," Ned said. "Perhaps they have some kind
+of a boat down there. Well, we might as well get right on the trail."
+
+"Looks like a bad storm coming up," cried Don.
+
+The sun had long since been lost in a slow gloom which had come in from
+the sea, and the air was hot and still. Heavy black clouds were rolling
+in from the south, and there was an almost ominous stillness in the air.
+Far away they heard the low rolling of thunder off at sea.
+
+"It may be a bad one," admitted Ned, as he studied the sky. "We don't
+have many storms in this region, but when we do get one it generally
+amounts to something. Well, we'll push on until we have to stop."
+
+They had gone perhaps a mile along the mountain, working down toward the
+sea, when the leaves of the trees began to stir with increasing force.
+Secretly, Ned was worried, for he knew the strength of some of the
+storms his country was subject to, and he would have welcomed some sort
+of shelter. Just as he was beginning to think it best that they find
+shelter in the lee of some big rock Yappi called to him in Spanish. The
+ranchman had sighted an Indian hut just before them in the woods.
+
+They rode up to the place, to find a withered old Yuqui Indian sitting
+on a crude bench at his door. He was engaged at the task of weaving a
+basket, and he looked up unemotionally as they drew up before his door.
+The hut back of him was a simple round affair, made of rough wood held
+together with a clay filling, which showed between the logs. Two
+windows, neatly glassed with glass which had been procured in some town
+nearby, and a single door alone broke the monotonous expanse of rough
+wood. A single chimney protruded from the top of the hut.
+
+At a nod from Ned Yappi addressed the Indian in his native dialect, but
+it turned out that the Yuqui was very familiar with Spanish. Yappi told
+him that they wished shelter during the oncoming storm, and the old man,
+without showing pleasure or displeasure on his lined old face, replied
+that what he had they were welcome to. No sooner had he finished his
+statement than the rain began to descend in torrents.
+
+The white men slipped from their horses quickly, Yappi took the bridles
+and led the horses to the shelter of a nearby leanto which the Indian
+had, and the whole party entered the hut. The Indian slipped in before
+them and was heaping wood on the small fire which burned in his
+fireplace, and as the flames shot up they had time to look around the
+hut. It was an interesting place.
+
+There was a woven mat on the floor, a bed in one corner, and a rough
+table and chair in the center of the room. On the wall was hung a
+splendid bow and a sheaf of arrows, several baskets such as the one
+which the Yuqui had been weaving, and an Indian headdress. That portion
+of the floor which was not covered with a mat was neatly carpeted with
+leaves. The fireplace was constructed of hard clay. The entire hut was
+neat and orderly.
+
+"The strangers are welcome," said the Indian, as he sat beside the fire.
+
+Ned thanked him gravely and for a few moments nothing more was said.
+They sat and listened to the fury of the storm outside. The wind hissed
+and slapped against the windows and the sides of the hut, the wind
+moaned overhead and the sky had become inky black. Don was worried.
+
+"I hope Jim and Terry aren't anywhere exposed in this storm," he said.
+
+"I don't think so," Ned hastened to assure him. "Those fellows know the
+sign as well as we do, and they must have dug for shelter. The fellows
+are all right, and we'll hit the trail as soon as we can."
+
+The Indian was looking at them earnestly, and the professor, who could
+speak Spanish quite well, took it upon himself to tell him the
+circumstances. The old man listened intently and then nodded.
+
+"I am a sage," he said proudly. "I tell you that you shall find them.
+Yengi is my name."
+
+The visitors were silent, not knowing how to take this abrupt
+declaration. Yappi talked rapidly with the sage and seemed impressed.
+
+"Yengi is a wise man," he told Ned. "What he says is true. Long has he
+dwelt in these mountains, and his ancestors dwelt here before he did."
+
+The Indian sage nodded and addressed the whole party. "He speaks truth.
+For many generations my people have lived in this land. But not here in
+this mountain. I live here alone. My people lived far to the south, on a
+broad plain, until the people in beautiful clothes came. Those were the
+Spanish. They drove some of our people into slavery and killed others,
+and because we were few in number we were compelled to flee to the
+mountains and hide like wild beasts. My fathers told me."
+
+The fire had died down, the storm still beat outside, and the white men
+were silent as they listened to the simple but tragic story of the
+Indian sage. They knew that his tale was only too true, for they had
+read many times of such things, the professor being well versed in the
+history of the Spanish conquest of the southern part of America. It was
+a moving experience to hear it now from the lips of a descendent of the
+persecuted race that suffered so many centuries ago. Ned, the professor
+and Yappi understood perfectly what the sage was saying, and Don knew
+enough of Spanish to follow him without trouble.
+
+The professor was smoking his pipe, so the sage reached into a niche
+beside the fireplace, took out a long crude Indian pipe and gravely
+lighted it. He smoked awhile in silence and then went on: "But my
+fathers had revenge."
+
+No one said anything and he puffed once or twice and then went on: "The
+English were our saviors. They chased the Spanish from our coasts. But I
+spoke to you about the revenge that my fathers took. One day in the long
+ago there was a storm and a Spanish ship fled from the English and was
+wrecked somewhere on the coast. I do not know where, but the men from
+the ship came straggling past our hidden village in the fastness of the
+mountain. My fathers saw them and ambushed them, slaying all of them,
+allowing only a priest to go free. He had been kind to some Indians once
+and his life was spared. He had with him a book and he was led to the
+sea coast, where he took ship to Mexico and was never seen more."
+
+Yengi looked up as there was a stir among his hearers, and he was
+astonished to see them regarding him eagerly. He took his pipe out of
+his mouth in astonishment.
+
+"These men that your fathers killed came from a wrecked ship?" asked the
+professor eagerly.
+
+"Yes, so they told my fathers. Why does that excite you so?"
+
+Ned told the sage that they knew the story of the wrecked galleon and
+that there was supposed to be much treasure in the wrecked ship. The
+Indian was sure that the men must have come from that very ship, but
+beyond that he was not helpful.
+
+"I do not know where the ship could be," he told them. "The men, with
+the exception of the priest with the book, were all killed. They never
+went back, but the priest may have returned for the gold."
+
+"As long as the priest had a book, that must surely have been the crew,"
+said Don.
+
+But the professor shook his head. "The book which the priest had may
+have been his own Bible, or some other book. It couldn't have been the
+written story of the wreck, for you must remember that it was written
+after the storm and wreck and after the men were killed."
+
+"I see," nodded Don, somewhat cast down. "But you have no doubt that it
+was the galleon's crew, have you?"
+
+"Oh, none at all," returned the professor. "The story is too closely
+allied to the one we know to be at all doubtful. It seems to me that if
+we can get the Indian here to take us to the spot where the crew was
+killed that would be somewhere near where the galleon struck. At least,
+we would be in the immediate neighborhood, and not all at sea, as we are
+now."
+
+"But how about losing time in the hunt for the boys?" suggested Ned.
+
+"We can get some idea of the location and then push on after the boys,"
+said the professor. He turned to the Yuqui and asked him if he would
+lead them to the spot where the men from the ship were killed.
+
+"I have seen the place," nodded the Indian. "I will show it to you."
+
+"If we find the treasure through your help we will give you a share of
+it," promised Ned.
+
+The Indian waved his hand impatiently. "Gold is cursed," he said,
+sternly. "Yengi has wisdom, which is more than gold. I wish none of it."
+
+The party was impatient to start out but when night came on the storm
+had abated but little and they accepted the Indian's invitation to stay
+with him all night. They ate together and sat around the fire talking,
+the Indian telling them many more stories of his race in their glory,
+himself astonished at the learning of the professor. He found it hard to
+believe that the professor had learned so much from books.
+
+At last they lay down and wrapped themselves in their blankets, Don
+breathing a prayer for the safety of his brother and his chum before
+they fell asleep. It had been agreed that they would leave early in the
+morning to look at the spot where the old Indian village had stood and
+from there they would push on to the sea in the search for the missing
+boys. Yengi, who knew the country much better than even Yappi did, was
+to go with them and lend his valuable aid. With many varied conjectures
+in their minds as to what the morrow would bring forth the whole party
+soon became quiet in sleep, the professor very nearly exhausted by the
+events of the past two days.
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER XVI
+ THE LANDING PARTY
+
+
+When the morning dawned the party was not slow to spring into action,
+but quick as they were their host was up before them. He was preparing
+breakfast at the fire and greeted them with quiet dignity. Before eating
+Ned and Don looked outside, to find a day somewhat better than the one
+before it had been, but still showing the effects of the storm. Sullen
+gray clouds passed overhead, impelled by the wind which was driving
+forward steadily, and the ground was still muddy from the rain which had
+fallen heavily. They were certain to escape the exhausting heat which
+had lately hindered them, and thankful for this circumstance the boys
+went in and enjoyed Yengi's breakfast.
+
+The horses were saddled and without loss of time the company set out.
+The Indian closed his door but did not lock it, saying that no one would
+be likely to enter his place during his absence. They struck off to the
+south, following the sage and Yappi, who rode well to the front.
+
+The horses found the going a little difficult, as the ground was
+slippery, and the men soaked their trouser legs as they scraped past
+bushes and small shrubs. This condition of affairs did not last long,
+for they soon rode down out of the mountains and reached the level
+plain. Here the going was much better and they went off at a brisk trot,
+heading for a furrowed section of uplands which they could see some
+miles before them.
+
+During the journey they kept a sharp look-out for their missing
+companions, but no sign was seen of any living being as they went on.
+One or two large jack-rabbits crossed their path and Yappi brought one
+down, stowing it in a bag behind his saddle for some future meal. The
+act was opportune, for they had now run out of provisions and would have
+to depend in the future on whatever they brought down with their guns.
+
+Don was in a curious state of mind as they travelled on. He was anxious
+about Jim and Terry, and the thought that he might be going further away
+from them with each mile was not a pleasing one. But they had no
+definite clue as to the whereabouts of the others, and one direction was
+as good as another. All of them felt that they had made for the coast,
+but just where on the coast they had no idea. It was simply a matter of
+keeping going, and watching carefully for the slightest sign which would
+send them in the right direction.
+
+Before noon they arrived at the place where the old Indian village had
+been and where the Spanish crew, probably from the galleon, had been
+killed. The village had stood in a slight basin, hidden in a convenient
+roll of the sheltering foothills, and there was now but little to tell
+that there had ever been a village there. All trace of the huts which
+had once been there was lost, but several places in the hills, hollowed
+out of the volcanic dykes, showed that someone had once lived there.
+Some low mounds marked the burial places of the ancient Indians.
+
+The sage pointed to the south. "From that direction the men came," he
+said, his dull eyes kindling as he thought of the glory of his former
+race. "The village in which my fathers lived was originally there, but
+they lived here in order to flee into the mountains when the Spaniards
+came. It was here that the crew of the great ship were killed, and
+afterward my people scattered, leaving a few of my race in the hills and
+the mountains."
+
+They looked around the spot with interest and discussed the
+possibilities. Some miles east of them lay the sea, and Ned argued that
+the creek up which the galleon had sailed could not be far off. He would
+have liked to have set out for it at once, but realizing that the task
+of finding the missing boys was of far greater importance he smothered
+his desire, resolved to return some day and strike off from that spot.
+
+"The Spaniards were evidently heading for the mountains at the time that
+they fell into the hands of the Indians," the professor said.
+
+"Why should they head for the mountains?" Don asked. "Wouldn't they have
+been more likely to have kept to the shore, in the hope of being picked
+up by another ship?"
+
+"I don't think so," replied the professor. "They may have intended to
+make their way over the mountains to Mexico, or they may have feared the
+Indians with good cause, for their cruelties made the Indians eager to
+lay hands on them. Probably they feared the very thing that did befall
+them."
+
+"Well, now that we have at least marked the portion of the country where
+the crew appeared, let's get on," suggested Ned. "In all my searching I
+fell short of this region by a good twenty-five miles, and this will
+help me get my bearings. Evidently the spot of the wreck is still some
+miles to the south, but I think we should be able to come across it when
+we have more leisure to look around."
+
+"What is your thought?" inquired Professor Scott. "Shall we strike down
+to the coast?"
+
+"I think so," nodded Ned. "Then we can beat up the coast toward the
+ranch, keeping our eyes open for the boys. Surely they didn't go any
+further south than this."
+
+"Possibly not," Don put in. "We can't tell, but I feel we should go to
+the shore and see if we can pick up anything there."
+
+They now said goodbye to the sage, who did not feel inclined to go any
+further with them. He was used to solitude and did not care to mix in
+with their problems and adventures, and he refused any pay for his
+hospitality or information. He once more expressed his belief that they
+would be fortunate in their search and then gravely turned his horse's
+head back to his mountains, seemingly no longer interested in what went
+on. With feelings of warmest gratitude for him the party from the ranch
+went on their journey toward the coast.
+
+The coast was reached in the afternoon and they began to head north,
+watching both land and sea for any trace of the missing boys. Hunger at
+last caused them to halt while Yappi prepared and cooked the rabbit
+which he had killed, and the others enjoyed the meat of the little
+animal. As soon as this simple repast was completed they once more moved
+on.
+
+"What are we to do if we don't find them on this trip?" asked Don.
+
+"We'll have to go to San Diego, recruit a good-sized force and hunt
+Sackett from one end of Lower California to the other," replied Ned,
+grimly. "And we may have to get the proper Mexican officials on the job,
+too. You see, it is possible that Sackett may have carried them off to
+Mexico, and if that is the case we'll have a fine time locating them.
+But we'll leave no stone unturned to do it, you may be sure."
+
+"And in the meantime we'll leave Yappi at the ranch in case any news of
+them should come there," the professor suggested.
+
+Yappi was riding ahead and was just topping a small rise when they saw
+him slip from the back of his horse and lie flat on the ground. He
+motioned to them to dismount and they did so, wondering. Cautiously they
+moved up beside him and looked over the brow of the small hill into the
+vale below.
+
+The sight that met their eyes astonished them. Off to their left was the
+sea, not now the calm Pacific, but a tumbling, boiling stretch of water,
+still showing the effects of the storm. An eighth of a mile off shore a
+schooner lay on its side, the black expanse of the hull showing above
+the water, a portion of the keel rising out of the waves. The ship had
+evidently run aground during the storm, for there was a gaping hole in
+the bow and the masts were snapped off short, the rigging strewing the
+deck and trailing into water. But it was the sight of several men in the
+hollow below which drew their greatest attention.
+
+The men were members of the crew of the schooner and they were at
+present gathered around a small fire. They had been wet and bedraggled
+and were gathered close to the fire as though their only concern was to
+get warm. Some of the crew had gathered wood and lay it piled high
+nearby. No one was keeping watch and the party on the hill top had not
+been seen.
+
+"Jim and Terry aren't there," whispered Don, in disappointment.
+
+They were not, and Ned was about to advise that they pass on, when Yappi
+seized his arm and pointed to a spot some half mile down the shore, to
+the north of the men. To their astonishment they perceived another
+schooner, standing at anchor in a cove, and a boat was putting out from
+that schooner and making for the shore. The second schooner was in good
+condition and had apparently not suffered from the storm.
+
+"It looks to me as though those fellows were after the men below," the
+professor said, in a low tone.
+
+They watched the boat from the schooner discharge its load of men, who
+immediately took to the shelter of a friendly hill and made their way
+silently toward the party which sat around the fire. The oncoming men
+were led by a tall old man with white hair, who seemed to have full
+authority, for the sailors, who were an orderly looking lot in
+comparison with the crew below, obeyed his every gesture. They crept
+nearer the unsuspecting men below until they were on a hilltop opposite
+from the ranch party.
+
+"Why," murmured Ned. "I think we are going to witness a battle!"
+
+Scarcely had he spoken than the old captain waved his hand and his band
+rushed down on the men who were seated around the fire. Their coming was
+totally unexpected and the crew from the wrecked schooner sprang to its
+feet in dismay. The men from the second schooner fell on them bodily and
+a free-for-all fight began, a fight that was short-lived, for the second
+crew were superior in number and moreover, was armed. After a few
+knock-downs the wretched crew was overcome and all neatly tied up by
+their attackers.
+
+"Well, I must say I don't understand this," said the professor. "I
+wonder which one of the parties is in the right?"
+
+"I don't know," answered Ned. "But we've got to go down and ask them if
+anything has been learned of Sackett or the boys. But I am not sure but
+what we are running our heads into some sort of a trap."
+
+The mestizo had been following the events below with absorbed interest
+and had forgotten everything else. He turned to speak to the others. But
+instead of speaking at them he stared back of them, and then, with a
+motion like that of a cat, he made a quick dive for his rifle, which was
+laying beside him.
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER XVII
+ THE ESCAPE
+
+
+It seemed to Jim that he was under tons of water and that everything
+around him was a roaring whirl of confusion. His lungs were filled with
+water and close to bursting when he finally gained a breath of fresh air
+after expelling the water from his lungs. He was still on the deck of
+the _Galloway_, crumpled up against the deckhouse and half buried in the
+wash which still swept across the deck.
+
+His first act was to stagger weakly to his feet and look for Terry. He
+was relieved to see the well known red-head emerge from behind some
+lashed-down canvas on the deck, and a moment later the boy was
+staggering toward him, furiously blinking his eyes. To their surprise
+they found that the deck of the schooner was tilted on a decided angle
+and that the starboard rail was well under water.
+
+The schooner had run hard aground and had settled on its side. One or
+two of the crew had been swept over the side and lost, the whole thing
+having happened so quickly that no aid could be given them. The rest of
+the men were picking themselves up from the deck and looking dazedly
+around, uncertain as to the next move. Captain Ryan shouted orders which
+could be heard above the din and the men worked their way over the
+sloping deck to the large life boat which was hanging at the port side.
+
+Terry started to follow them but Jim grasped his arm, placing his mouth
+close to his ear. "Wait a minute," he said. "Let them go!"
+
+"Aren't you going with them?" asked Terry, astonished.
+
+Jim shook his head. "Let's stay here. I don't think this ship is going
+to sink, and we can make our escape. Let's duck behind the wheelhouse."
+
+Terry was a bit bewildered but he followed Jim's lead in crouching out
+of sight. "Do you think it is safe?" he asked. "Those fellows are
+leaving the schooner, and they should know if it isn't going to sink."
+
+"Those fellows are scared to death," Jim said. "They have forgotten
+about us and the only thing they have in mind is to get to shore. I
+don't think the ship will go under because it is too firmly grounded. We
+can give them time to get to the shore and when the storm lets up we can
+get ashore ourselves. Remember, if we don't want to make a long trip to
+Mexico, we must get away from here."
+
+"You are right there," murmured Terry. "Did you get hurt any in the
+crack?"
+
+"Got a bruise on my shoulder, that's all. Look, there goes the crew."
+
+The crew had jumped into the life boat and had pushed it away from the
+schooner's side. Captain Ryan gave one sweeping look around the wrecked
+ship as the boys hastily ducked from sight, and satisfied that they had
+been swept overboard and drowned, he gave the order to pull for shore.
+The men settled to it with a will, and before many minutes had passed
+the boys lost sight of them in the gloom which hung over the sea and
+blotted out the shore.
+
+Terry stood up and looked around. "Alone at last, as the song says.
+Wonder if we are the only ones on board?"
+
+"I think so," Jim replied, looking rapidly around. "Is there any other
+boat aboard?"
+
+A thorough search convinced them that there was no other boat on the
+wreck. They tried to get down into the hold to look around, but it was
+filled with water. The schooner would have sunk like a shot except that
+it had folded up on a rock and was held there. Jim noted that the rail
+was going deeper into the water with the passage of time.
+
+"We'll have to get off in some manner," he told his companion. "I think
+the ship is slowly turning over, at least it is going to settle
+completely on its side. But as to how to get off is the problem."
+
+Terry peered off toward the shore, over the heaving water. "The blow has
+gone down considerably," he said. "The shore isn't far off, you can see
+it. Do you think you could make it by swimming?"
+
+"I think I could," replied Jim, after considering. "How about you?"
+
+"I could if I had something to hang onto and get a breathing spell once
+in awhile," Terry thought.
+
+"Well, we can settle that. We can lash a couple of spars together and
+use them for resting stations. Goodness knows that there are enough
+spars around."
+
+They secured two large spars and roped them together firmly. Shedding
+all of their clothing except those absolutely necessary for use on shore
+they were about to leave the ship when Jim was struck with an idea.
+
+"We can take along all of our clothes by tying them on the spars," he
+said.
+
+They tied all of their clothes to the top of the spar and threw it into
+the foaming sea, which had abated in force considerably during the last
+twenty minutes. Realizing that the men would be on shore directly ahead
+of them and not wishing to fall into their clutches they decided to head
+for a point further down the shore, and with this plan in mind they dove
+off together, landing with a rush in the stinging salt water. When they
+bobbed up and shook the water out of their eyes they saw the spars a few
+feet before them. They struck out for the rude craft and each boy passed
+one arm over it, propelling with the other.
+
+In this manner the spars kept progress with them in their attempt to
+escape to the shore, and when they became tired, which was often in the
+long struggle, they hung onto the spars and rested. They knew better
+than to waste breath in idle talk, so no word was spoken during the
+fight for shore. Jim was a better swimmer than the red-headed boy, but
+Terry grimly stuck it out, and after a half hour battle they landed on
+the shore, almost exhausted.
+
+Terry splashed his way up to the beach, collapsing in a heap on the wet
+sand, but Jim, blown as he was, had presence of mind enough to take the
+clothing off of the raft and look around them. The storm was blowing
+itself out and the sky growing lighter, but as there was no sight of the
+men nearby Jim soon lay down beside his companion and rested gratefully.
+They had drifted a mile or more down the shore in their swim and felt
+reasonably safe from capture.
+
+Jim was the first to sit up and he looked keenly around. They were in a
+lonely section of coast country, uninhabited and infinitely dreary. He
+wondered what the next best plan should be, and asked Terry. Both felt
+that it would be foolish to go back toward the ranch directly, and both
+agreed that it would be foolish to go south.
+
+"That means we push inland," Terry nodded.
+
+"Yes, that is all that we can do. And we are in one fine shape to do
+that, I must say! No weapons, no matches, and not a thing to eat! If we
+don't fall into somebody's hands we'll starve," said Jim.
+
+"It does look tough from every angle," Terry agreed. He got up and wrung
+the water out of his trousers and shirt. "I'm pretty tired, but I
+suppose we ought to get moving, eh?"
+
+"I think so. At least we should get away from the coast. Maybe when we
+get inland we can find some place to put up for the night, some hollow
+or something. After a good night's sleep we should be able to cover a
+lot of ground."
+
+"Little Terry hasn't been bad, but he has to go to bed without his
+supper!" the red-headed boy grimaced, as they started inland.
+
+They walked slowly, keeping a sharp lookout, but met no one in their
+journey. They meant to make a long half circle in their return, planning
+to avoid the party from the schooner and Sackett's henchmen. There was
+also the possibility that they might run across their own party, who
+they felt was surely looking for them. But the present object was to
+find some protected shelter and hide away for the night.
+
+Evening was close upon them when Jim suddenly pulled Terry down behind a
+bush. He pointed to the right and whispered to his chum.
+
+"A man, over there!"
+
+Terry looked, to see a lone traveler encamped in a small hollow some
+little distance from them. The man was seated beside a small fire,
+busily engaged in frying something in a small pan. His horse, a
+beautiful black animal, was grazing on the short grass nearby, and the
+man's rifle stood close at hand. Terry turned to Jim with a satisfied
+air.
+
+"There's my supper!" he announced, pointing to the pan in the man's
+hand.
+
+"Don't be too sure of that," Jim warned. "We want to be mighty careful
+who we walk up to."
+
+"Say, you don't think every human being in this country belongs to
+Sackett's gang, do you?" asked Terry.
+
+"I suppose not," Jim gave in. "Shall we walk up and announce ourselves?"
+
+"We'll walk up and reserve a table!" grinned Terry. "That pan excites
+me; let's go!"
+
+They advanced toward the man, who did not see them coming until they
+were barely twenty yards from him. Then he looked up and they saw that
+he was a Mexican. He gave a slight start and reached for his gun, but
+allowed his fingers to slide from the stock as he continued to look at
+them. At the same time the boys recognized him.
+
+"It is Alaroze, the overseer of Senorita Mercedes ranch!" cried Jim, and
+Terry nodded.
+
+Seeing that he was recognized the Mexican broke into a smile and
+welcomed them in Spanish. He was frankly puzzled at their strange and
+uncouth appearance, but he did not ask any questions. Jim, who could
+speak fair Spanish, told him that they had taken a trip down the coast
+in a ship and had been cast ashore, feeling that it would not be wise to
+tell too much. When the Mexican had heard their story he expressed
+himself as being deeply grieved and hastened to offer them food. He had
+some beans and bread and seemed to have a plentiful supply with him, so
+the boys were not averse to taking what he offered.
+
+They sat down and gratefully ate what he set before them. The overseer
+talked rapidly, smiling, rebuilding the fire and insisted upon cooking
+them more of his provisions. Once when he was out of earshot Terry spoke
+out of the corner of his mouth.
+
+"He isn't a half-bad fellow, this Alaroze. I didn't think I liked him at
+the ranch, but he surely is treating us royally now."
+
+"He certainly is," agreed Jim, heartily. "We'll see to it that he never
+regrets it."
+
+Finally the Mexican sat down and ate with them and afterward smoked
+cigaret after cigaret as he talked with them. He did not seem to be
+inquisitive as to the whereabouts of the others, in fact, Jim was more
+curious than the foreman, for presently he asked him what he was doing
+so far away from the Mercedes ranch.
+
+"I am looking for stray cattle," the overseer said. "Many of them have
+wandered away of late and I am looking for them."
+
+It was growing dark now and they made a large fire, before which the
+boys dried their dripping clothes. The three companions agreed to head
+back for the ranch of the senorita on the following day and to go from
+there to the Scott ranch. Jim and Terry warmly thanked the overseer for
+his supper and hospitality, but the Mexican was effusively modest about
+it.
+
+Quite early the three of them turned in, the Mexican lingering for some
+little time after the boys. He sat beside the fire, still smoking his
+inexhaustible cigarets, looking out into the blackness of the night. He
+seemed to have no fear of anyone. The boys lay under the shelter of some
+sandy banks, for the Mexican had but one blanket, and just before they
+fell asleep they looked at the lone figure near the fire.
+
+"Lucky thing for us that we fell in with him," Jim commented.
+
+"Right you are," Terry returned. "He certainly has been fine to us. I'm
+just about sorry I ever distrusted him."
+
+"You can't go by looks," said Jim. "But I don't think he is pushing his
+search for those stray cattle very vigorously."
+
+"Well, you know how lazy most of these Mexicans are," Terry yawned.
+"Probably just taking his own sweet time."
+
+"Funny he should be out looking for them, instead of the other cowboys,"
+Jim went on. "I should think that he would be needed at the ranch."
+
+"Maybe it is his personality that counts," grinned Terry. "He may
+attract the cows and bring 'em home that way. I don't care how he does
+it. I'm going to sleep."
+
+Both boys fell into a deep sleep. The Mexican sat motionless beside the
+fire for some time longer. Once he turned and looked toward the boys, at
+the same time smiling at some thought which was passing through his
+head. His teeth gleamed for a second and then his face once more became
+impassive. Shortly after that he rolled himself up in his blanket and
+fell asleep.
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER XVIII
+ TREASURE AND TREACHERY
+
+
+The boys slept late the next morning and when they awoke the Mexican was
+still lying on his blanket, not sleeping but still not working. Feeling
+that they should do something to earn the hospitality of their new-found
+friend the two boys brought wood from the thicket and kindled the fire.
+The Mexican gave them some beans and they speedily made enough for all
+of them.
+
+After they had eaten they started off in the direction of Senorita
+Mercedes' ranch, the Mexican riding slowly and the boys walking beside
+him. They had managed to dry out their clothes and put them on, and
+although they were a mass of wrinkles and ridges they did well enough.
+Their shoes had shrunk somewhat and walking was not easy, but they stuck
+to the task manfully, plodding along mile after mile without complaint.
+
+Several times during the trip the overseer got down from his horse and
+insisted that one of the boys mount and ride for a few miles, and
+although they protested he would not listen to them. So they rode
+gratefully, in this way saving themselves from a good many aches and
+pains. The Mexican was not used to walking but he said nothing, trudging
+along on one side or the other of the horse cheerfully.
+
+They stopped once for dinner and then pressed on again. The foreman of
+the ranch was sure that they would reach the Mercedes place in two days,
+or late on the following day, so they pushed on eagerly. In the early
+afternoon they were forced to take a rest from the heat of the sun, but
+covered a few miles before it was time to make camp for the night.
+
+They were near the coast at the time and their camp was pitched in the
+hollow formed by two small hills. They had looked for a favorable
+location, for this one had no wood near it, as the country was mostly
+barren, and thickets few and far between. Some green bushes grew nearby
+and they resolved to use these as a final resource, but before doing so
+Jim and Terry started out to see it they could find anything more
+promising. Terry went over the top of one hill and Jim over the top of
+the other, while the overseer prepared for their supper.
+
+Jim had a small axe which Alaroze had given him and he walked along the
+ridge of the small hill looking carefully around. On the opposite side
+of the hill he found a long depression in the soil which looked as
+though it might have been the bed of a stream at one time, perhaps some
+creek which had originally flowed from the distant mountains. He
+wandered down it aimlessly, convinced that his quest for wood was not
+likely to be very successful. A vast stillness lay over the country and
+he felt very much alone. A mile or more to the east of him he could hear
+the sound of the ocean.
+
+There was no use in walking down the defile, he decided, so he started
+for the slope of the slight hill which was beside him. As he did so his
+foot struck something solid. He bent down to see what it was and found a
+small stick of wood protruding from the sand at his feet. He cleared the
+sand away around the stick, to find that it was quite large and that it
+ran into the sand for some little distance. When he had finally drawn it
+from its sheath be examined it with curiosity.
+
+It was a piece of mahogany and it showed the hand of civilization.
+Although it was now black with age it had at one time been varnished. It
+was a large splinter and he wondered how it ever got there. Examining it
+closely he detected signs which led him to believe that it had been
+burned at some time. There was a thin line running across it that
+suggested carving.
+
+"That's funny," he reflected. "Somebody once had a fire here and used
+good wood for it. Perhaps there is more nearby."
+
+With this thought in mind he dug his axe deeper in the sand and began to
+scoop it out. Before many minutes had passed he ran across another piece
+of wood, but this one he could not get out. It seemed to have no end and
+he set to work in earnest to uncover it. But after he had uncovered
+about twenty-five running feet he stopped in perplexity.
+
+"This must be a house!" he cried. "Every bit of it burned, too."
+
+The top of the long section of wood had been burned. It was thick wood
+and he tried to dig down under it. But after he had dug sand out to the
+depth of four feet he stopped and looked puzzled. It was a straight
+wooden wall, extending down into the valley of sand.
+
+Jim stopped his work and walked to the top of the rise, where he slowly
+looked up and down the pass. He looked toward the ocean, calculated
+thoughtfully and then looked toward the mountains. Then, looking down
+toward the long strip of black wood which he had uncovered he voiced his
+thought.
+
+"That's a ship down there, evidently burned to the water's edge and
+later covered up by shifting sand. Now, I wonder----?"
+
+Without finishing his thought he hurried down to the trench and once
+more went to work. Digging some five feet down beside the wall of wood
+he came to a flooring of hard planks, just what he had been looking for.
+It was the deck of a ship, and he began feverishly to dip out sand. In
+this task he was finally surprised by Terry and the overseer.
+
+Terry had returned to the camp with a few dead bushes and they had
+waited around for Jim to return, but as he did not do so they became
+alarmed and set out to find him. Their first glimpse of him was an odd
+one. When they topped the rise some distance back of him they saw him
+standing in a deep trench, facing a four foot wall of wood, busily
+engaged in scooping sand from the hole and throwing it as far away as he
+could. With cries of astonishment they hurried up to the long trench
+which he was making.
+
+"Jim!" Terry cried, while the Mexican looked on with bulging eyes. "What
+is this?"
+
+Jim started slightly as he straightened up. "It is the remains of a
+sunken ship," he cried. "See, this is evidently the rail, a solid wall
+of wood, and I'm just uncovering the deck. It was burned to the edge of
+the water, and later covered up with sand."
+
+"Well, I'll be jiggered!" shouted Terry. "Do you think it is the
+treasure ship?"
+
+"I don't know, but I wouldn't doubt it. As you can see, I have uncovered
+about twenty-five feet of this rail. The deck seems to be good and I'm
+trying to uncover enough of it to find a hatchway, so that we can see if
+it is empty down below."
+
+Terry and the Mexican jumped down beside him. The Mexican understood
+enough of English to know that they thought the ship beneath them might
+be a treasure ship, and he set to work with a sincere will to scoop
+sand. They could not make much progress, however, for it was rapidly
+growing dark, and at last they were forced to give it up until the next
+day.
+
+"That is the best we can do," Jim decided, peering about him in the
+dark. "Let's chop some of this wood and then we'll go back to camp."
+
+With his axe he hacked off enough wood to last them through the night
+and the three companions carried it back to their camp, where, amid much
+talking, they built the fire and cooked the supper. The Mexican was told
+the whole story and he replied that he knew the legend of the phantom
+galleon. The boys were not averse to telling him the story for they felt
+that they owed him much and knew that his future help would mean
+everything. It was late that night before they lay down to sleep, and
+with the rising of the sun they were up and at work on the buried wreck.
+
+It took them all the morning to clear the solid deck of the ancient ship
+for a space of several feet and at last they came to a hatchway, covered
+by a heavy door which was flush with the deck. There was a bolt on the
+door but one blow of the axe broke it in pieces, and the three united
+all their strength to pulling the hatch open. It came upward at last,
+releasing a flood of stale and poisonous air that sent them reeling
+backward with all possible speed.
+
+"Diable!" gasped Alaroze. "I think all the fiends are closed inside!"
+
+When the air had cleared sufficiently they all peered down the open
+hatchway, to discover a wide flight of stairs leading down into the hold
+of the ship. There was now no longer any doubt but what it was the
+phantom galleon, for it was built on a magnificent scale. They realized
+that had it not been burned the rear of the galleon would never have
+been covered up, for the rear of the Spanish ships were composed of high
+after-deck houses, but this ship had been burned and only the deck,
+which had been below the water, had remained.
+
+"The hold must be full of water and sand," Terry commented.
+
+Jim swung his feet over the edge of the deck and gingerly felt the step
+below. "Full of sand, yes, but not of water. The sand will be wet,
+though. Now be careful on these stairs."
+
+The stairs were solid and safe, but they did not go far. Originally the
+ship had run aground and filled with water, and in time the sand had
+filled up the hold of the galleon. A space of about six feet only was
+open, and in this space the foul air had been held. The three companions
+found a bed of moist sand cutting off any further progress.
+
+"If there is any gold in this ship, it is below the sand," Alaroze said
+in Spanish.
+
+"Yes, senor," nodded Jim. "I think we had better not walk on this sand
+for fear of falling into some pit. If we ever sank in this wet stuff,
+that would be the end of us."
+
+"It surely would," remarked Terry. "What is this sticking up out of the
+sand? A piece of brass?"
+
+It was a dull strip of brass, but when Jim scraped the sand from it they
+found that it was long and finally discovered that it was the edge of a
+brass-bound chest.
+
+"Oh, somebody's trunk!" said Terry, indifferently.
+
+But the eyes of the Mexican were glittering and Jim himself was excited.
+"More likely the top of a treasure chest!" he retorted, and dealt the
+chest top a slashing blow with his axe.
+
+With a shuddering, sucking sound the paper-like substance tore off,
+revealing to the three in the hold a sight which took away their breath.
+Gold in the form of coins of all sizes was revealed, gold which lay and
+still gleamed in the interior of the trunk. The Mexican talked furiously
+to himself in his native language, and the boys simply stared.
+
+"Gold, the gold of the treasure ship!" gasped Jim, scarcely able to
+believe his eyes.
+
+Terry picked up some of it and examined it curiously. "It is gold, sure
+enough," he agreed, dazzled. "Wish we had the professor here to tell us
+just what it represents."
+
+"Perhaps there is more around," Jim suggested. He began to dig his axe
+into the sand, while the Mexican stood back of him, his eyes gone
+suddenly black and calculating. But Jim found that there was no more.
+
+"Probably this chest was brought up here, while the rest of the treasure
+is still below. At any rate, even if there is no more, there is enough
+to make us all rich." He turned to Alaroze with a smile. "Well, senor,
+it was lucky for us when we ran across you, and lucky for you when you
+agreed to guide us home. Your share from this will make you a rich man."
+
+"Yes, yes, senor," agreed the overseer, breaking into a smile. "I bless
+the day we met! May the saints reward you!"
+
+"We've been rewarded pretty well already!" grinned Jim. "Well, what
+shall we do? We can't do much of anything until we return home, get the
+rest of the party and return here to go to work. Suppose we take along
+some of the gold and start out for the ranch."
+
+They took several of the largest coins, the hands of the Mexican
+trembling as he did so, and made their way up on deck again. Terry
+demanded of Jim if he was going to leave the galleon ruins uncovered.
+
+"Yes," replied Jim. "There isn't much chance of anyone coming this way,
+and it would take us hours to cover it up. Let's spend that time on our
+homeward journey."
+
+"All I hope is that we run across the others in quick order, then," said
+Terry. "I'd hate to lose time while this treasure is lying uncovered."
+
+Leaving the galleon they returned to camp and prepared to start back for
+the ranch. The Mexican went to his horse, picked up his rifle and looked
+at it, and then placed it against a tiny mound of sand. With averted
+face he picked up the blanket and his few supplies.
+
+Terry and Jim were conferring earnestly. "It will take a large force of
+men to dig down into that wreck," Terry said. "We'll let the professor
+and Ned decide what is best to do."
+
+"Sure," agreed Jim, swinging around. "Well, I guess we're ready to go."
+
+Then, both boys stopped suddenly. Standing before them, with his rifle
+levelled straight at them, stood the Mexican overseer. There was a hard
+light in his black eyes and his mouth was a straight line, the lips
+white.
+
+"What--what's the matter?" asked Jim, smiling slightly, and thinking
+that there was some joke in the wind.
+
+"Nothing is wrong, senor," came the reply. "But since you two know so
+well where the gold is, I shall regret the necessity of killing you both
+so that it will be all mine!"
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER XIX
+ AN OLD FRIEND JOINS THE PARTY
+
+
+The party on the hill was surprised at the action of the mestizo as he
+fairly pounced upon his rifle. But before he could even lift it a
+clear-cut voice spoke out back of them.
+
+"Keep your hands off of that gun, or I'll drill a few holes into you!"
+
+They turned, to find back of them a little short man in a blue uniform
+of a sailor, who had crept up on them quietly from the rear. He held a
+rifle in his hand and turned it unwaveringly toward the members of the
+watching group.
+
+"What is the meaning of this?" demanded the professor, after a second of
+silence.
+
+"No meaning at all," chuckled the man, whose uniform proclaimed him a
+mate on a sailing ship. "You fellows march down the hill until my
+captain looks you over."
+
+"Who are you to tell us to march down the hill?" snapped Ned. "This is a
+free country, in case you don't know it."
+
+"I know it," chuckled the mate. "But this here gun of mine don't know
+nothing about it! I've tried my best to teach the blooming thing, but
+it's just naturally ignorant!"
+
+"Who are you?" Don asked.
+
+"Go on down the hill!" commanded the mate, suddenly changing his tone.
+"The captain will answer all questions."
+
+There was nothing to do but to obey, so, in silence the boys and the
+older man walked down the hill, leading their mounts. The crowd below
+saw them coming and looked on with marked interest. The captain of the
+attackers strode to the front. He was a tall old man with a white beard
+and snow white hair, and at sight of him Don caught his breath.
+
+"What have you here, Harvey?" the captain asked.
+
+"This bunch was lying on their tummies and looking over the hill at
+you," answered the mate, a twinkle in his eyes.
+
+"Yes, we were, Captain Blow," said Don, boldly. "How are you, sir?"
+
+Captain Blow, their old friend from Mystery Island, started at hearing
+his name, and looked closely at Don's smiling face. He had been their
+staunch friend at the time they made their summer cruise and captured
+the marine bandits. Recognition dawned on him and he joyously seized the
+boy's hands.
+
+"Why, by jumping Tunket, if it isn't Don Mercer!" he roared heartily.
+"What in the name of Goshen are you doing out here, boy?"
+
+Don explained briefly that he was staying with the Scotts at their ranch
+and then looked around at the sullen captives. "What is all this,
+Captain Blow?" he asked.
+
+"These fellows are one fine bunch of prison birds who are soon going in
+their cage!" retorted the captain vigorously. "I'm running a schooner
+out here, in the carrying trade now, and this Captain Jake Ryan run off
+with two of my men. Last night I chased them but lost 'em in the storm.
+Early this morning I saw the wreck and sent my mate there ashore to
+locate them. When he gave me the signal, from the hill back of where you
+were looking, we came ashore. He saw you fellows and thought you were
+part of the enemy."
+
+Don then introduced the Scotts and told the captain of their search for
+Jim and Terry. The captain was deeply interested.
+
+"These fellows are part of Sackett's gang," he said. "Maybe they know
+something." He turned to the scowling Ryan. "Did you have anything to do
+with two boys?" he asked.
+
+"No!" said Ryan, promptly.
+
+But one of the men who had been liberated by the coming of Captain Blow
+spoke up quickly. "Yes he did, Captain Blow! Those two boys came aboard
+yesterday just before the storm, down at the old tannery. And they are
+still aboard the wreck!"
+
+"How do you know they weren't swept overboard?" shouted Jake Ryan.
+
+"You know how I know, you scoundrel!" snapped the sailor, shaking his
+fist in Ryan's face. "When you stampeded for the lifeboat I saw those
+two boys duck down behind some canvas and I told you to put back and
+make 'em come off in the lifeboat, but you was so scared you wouldn't go
+back!"
+
+"It's a lie," Ryan retorted.
+
+"No it isn't. Those boys are still on the ship," said the sailor.
+
+"I guess they decided to stay on the schooner and keep out of the hands
+of these fellows," decided Captain Blow. "Too bad they didn't come right
+along, and we would have them now. But we'll probably find them out
+there."
+
+"That is once Jim and Terry figured their move wrong," grinned Don,
+greatly relieved at the news concerning his chums.
+
+"Yes, but they thought they were doing the correct thing," put in the
+professor. "Now, what do you propose to do with these men, Captain
+Blow?"
+
+Blow turned to his mate. "Harvey, you and the men march these fellows
+back to the boats and take 'em to the schooner. I'm going out to the
+wreck with these men and I'll be back to the ship later. Don't let one
+of these rats escape, and we'll take them to prison."
+
+"Aye, aye, sir!" replied Harvey. The crew hustled the captives away over
+the top of the hill and then Captain Blow turned to the party of
+friends.
+
+"Now we'll go out and look that wreck over," he announced. The boat in
+which the crew of the _Galloway_ had reached shore was still lying upon
+the sand, and they all climbed in and pushed off, the old captain, Ned
+and Don taking the oars. It was the first time that the mestizo had ever
+been in a boat and he sat gingerly in the bow, holding himself stiffly.
+
+"When did you leave Mystery Island, Captain Blow?" asked Don, as they
+rowed out to the wreck.
+
+"Early in the spring," replied the old captain. "When I saw you last I
+told you that Mystery Island would soon be a regular summer colony, now
+that the old house and bandits are gone, and sure enough, that is what
+happened. Got so full of young men with white pants and slicked down
+hair and young ladies with tootin' roadsters that my polly and me didn't
+have any peace at all. So I came west, got a nice schooner, and am now
+running between here and Mexico, picking up anything I can get, mostly
+fruit. I didn't have any trouble, although I had heard plenty about this
+Sackett, until a few days ago when this Ryan ran off with two of my men.
+Kidnapped them in some eating house in San Francisco and I went right
+after them."
+
+"I see," nodded Don. "So Bella, the parrot, is still living?"
+
+"Oh, yup! She's still sayin' 'Bella is a good girl.' Probably she'll
+still be saying that after I'm dead and gone."
+
+They had now approached the wreck and the captain made fast the painter
+of the lifeboat. Climbing aboard was somewhat of a task, as the deck
+sloped dangerously, but by dint of clinging to every support available
+they managed to do so. But a hasty survey of the deck revealed that the
+two boys were not on board.
+
+"Maybe they are in the hold," suggested Ned.
+
+"I doubt that," replied Captain Blow. "That hold must be full of water.
+You see, these fellows crowded on all canvas to get away from me and
+they ran in too close to shore, with the result that they jammed hard
+and fast aground. The bottom must be stove in plenty and full of water,
+and the only reason they didn't sink is because they are sort of lying
+on a shelf. However, we'll give a look down the companionway."
+
+A look down into the hold of the wrecked schooner proved that Captain
+Blow was right in his surmises. The hold was filled with water and it
+was manifestly impossible for anyone to have gone down there. Don was
+worried.
+
+"You don't suppose they were swept overboard, do you?" he asked,
+anxiously.
+
+"No," said the captain promptly. "I don't. My sailor says they ducked
+down behind something to keep hidden probably with the idea of escaping
+all by themselves. My idea is that they grabbed a spar or two, swam to
+shore, and got away that way. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if they was
+even now heading up the shore toward your ranch, professor."
+
+"I believe you are right, Captain," replied the professor. "They
+certainly wouldn't stay here when there was no necessity for it, and
+they probably swam ashore, as you say. I think, therefore, that we
+should go ashore and follow up the coast, in the hope of overtaking
+them."
+
+"We ought to overtake them," said Ned. "We are mounted and they aren't.
+No use in wasting any more time around here, is there?"
+
+"No," Captain Blow answered, slipping down the deck. "Let's go back."
+
+On the way to the shore the professor told the captain about the
+treasure hunt and he was tremendously interested. Once on shore he spoke
+about going back to his boat.
+
+"I wish you the best of luck," he told Don. "By thunder mighty! I
+wouldn't mind going with you!"
+
+"Why don't you?" asked Don, quickly. "Can't your mate sail with these
+men to the city and stop for you on the return trip? I feel sure that
+the rest of us would be glad to have you."
+
+"We surely would!" said Ned and his father, together.
+
+"Why, yes, I guess that would do," said the captain slowly. "I'd sure
+like to go along. Will you give me time to go out and tell Harvey what
+to do?"
+
+They assented and the captain signalled for a boat, which took him off
+to his schooner. He was gone for about fifteen minutes, and when he came
+back he had a blanket and some supplies. He joined them and the boat put
+off once again for the schooner.
+
+"Harvey is in complete charge," he announced. "He'll stop for me at
+Quito on the way back. I'm ready to go now."
+
+The mestizo surrendered his horse to the captain, who protested
+vigorously, but the mestizo was a far better hand at trotting along than
+the old salt, so they arranged to share the horse, and when it was
+cooler, to ride it double. Feeling that their best plan was to push on
+back to the ranch they started off, leaving the deserted wreck far
+behind them.
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER XX
+ THE TAR BARREL
+
+
+Jim and Terry looked helplessly at the Mexican overseer as he faced them
+with levelled rifle and the cool assurance that he would kill them to
+keep the treasure from the galleon for himself. They tried to believe
+that he was only joking, but from the set on his face and the glint in
+his eyes they knew better. All too often in the history of gold hunting
+and discovery had the discoverers paid for it with their lives, so that
+someone else could reap the reward.
+
+"But why should you wish to kill us, senor?" Jim asked in Spanish. "Have
+not we agreed to see that you have a large share in it?"
+
+"How do I know that you will keep your word to me?" the Mexican
+answered.
+
+"Well, I like that!" cried Jim. "We know how to keep our word, Senor
+Alaroze!"
+
+"What of it?" returned the overseer, with a slight shrug. "Why should I
+not have all of it instead of a small part?"
+
+"Oh, well, if you feel that way about it," said Jim, turning pale.
+
+While Jim had been talking Terry had been doing some rapid thinking.
+They were standing close to the man, and the extended muzzle of the
+rifle was within easy reach. Any kind of motion toward it would be sure
+to be disastrous, and Terry knew it. There was one thing needed and
+Terry did it. With great coolness, a feeling which he was far from
+possessing, he looked over the shoulder of the overseer.
+
+"Well," he said, carelessly. "I guess neither of us will get the
+treasure. Here comes Sackett and his party."
+
+He used just the right amount of conviction in his tones and he won. Jim
+looked away over the Mexican's shoulder and was fooled as completely as
+the overseer. With a muttered imprecation the man turned his head
+slightly to see who was back of him. That motion was his undoing. Quick
+as a flash Terry's foot came up in a splendid football kick that sent
+the rifle flying upward. Before the astonished ranchman could move the
+red-headed boy flung himself on him and punched him a hard wallop on the
+stomach. With a groan the Mexican sank to the ground.
+
+"Bully for you, Chucklehead!" cried Jim, springing forward and securing
+the gun. "Now we have this fellow where we want him!"
+
+They dragged the crestfallen Mexican to his feet and tied his hands
+behind him with a piece of cord which they had originally tied their
+clothes to the spars with. He groaned and moaned and begged them to show
+mercy to him. Terry became impatient.
+
+"Shut up!" he ordered, savagely. "If I hadn't done that our two bodies
+would have been lying here right this minute, and here you are crying
+your head off for mercy! You're getting a whole lot better than you
+deserve right now, let me tell you. Don't howl until you get back to the
+ranch, then we'll give you something to howl about."
+
+Still dazed at their terrible peril the boys started on the journey,
+placing the cowardly overseer on the horse and following close behind.
+When darkness came down they made camp, fed the captive without speaking
+with him, and then made camp for the night, resolving to take turns at
+keeping watch.
+
+"We can't let this snake get loose again," warned Jim. "If he ever gets
+away, good night!"
+
+"That was the luckiest break we ever had," said Terry. "If he had been
+standing any further away I never could have done it."
+
+Jim took the first watch and Terry the second, during which time the
+Mexican seemed to sleep calmly. His hands had been untied, so they
+covered him with the rifle and kept unwavering eyes upon him. In the
+morning the march was resumed and late in the afternoon they approached
+the ranch of the Senorita Mercedes.
+
+The senorita was the first to approach and she expressed amazement at
+the strange sight which they presented as they walked down into the
+ranch yard. Jim related the story to her and she was deeply interested.
+Turning to the sullen foreman she upbraided him furiously in Spanish and
+turned back to the boys.
+
+"He did not go away to look for stray cattle," she said. "None of my
+cattle have strayed. I do not know why he left me, but I think he is
+part of that wicked Sackett band. I think he was only kind to you so he
+could place you in that man's hands."
+
+"By George, I'll bet that is right!" exclaimed Jim, and Terry nodded.
+
+"Put him in that small shed," directed the senorita, pointing to a
+little building which stood at the edge of the ranch yard. "Then come to
+the house and rest and eat."
+
+Quite willingly the two boys locked the silent prisoner in the little
+shed and returned to the ranch house. The energetic little senorita had
+hot water, soap and towels laid out for them, and they fairly revelled
+in the washing process.
+
+"When I was a kid," grinned Terry, "I loved to have a dirty face, but
+now I know just what luxury it is to feel clean again."
+
+"Hope I don't break this comb of the senorita's trying to comb my
+tangled hair," grunted Jim. "I can't honestly say that we are any
+beauties to appear at the table of the young lady."
+
+When they sat down with the youthful and beautiful owner of the little
+ranch to eat she said: "My men are at present eating, but as soon as
+they have finished I shall send one of them to Ned's ranch for your
+friends."
+
+"That is very kind of you, Senorita," murmured Jim, as he ate
+ravenously.
+
+"Nonsense!" laughed the girl, tossing her head. "You have been through
+such thrilling adventures of late! Tell me more about them."
+
+As Jim knew more Spanish than Terry it fell to him to relate the
+experiences of the past few days. They were lingering over their coffee
+when an excited ranchman burst into the room. All three at the table
+rose quickly and the man poured something out in some unknown dialect.
+
+"Ride immediately to the Scott ranch for help!" commanded the senorita,
+growing pale.
+
+"Alas, senorita, the house is surrounded, I cannot go," said the man, in
+Spanish.
+
+"What, is the house surrounded?" asked Jim, quickly.
+
+"Yes," answered the senorita, rapidly. "This man tells me that Sackett
+and three men rode down, let Alaroze out, and are creeping to the house.
+Fly to the doors, quickly!"
+
+Flying was necessary. Terry and Jim hurled the main door of the ranch
+house shut just in time to keep Sackett and Abel from rushing it.
+Rapidly, under the direction of the girl, they closed all windows and
+drew the blinds. Then she gave them each a rifle and took one herself.
+
+"We must watch diligently," she said, her eyes shining. "They will try
+to burst in and we must keep them off."
+
+A shot rang out and a bullet crashed through the front door. Feeling
+that they would be attacked from more than one side they separated, Jim
+going to the front of the house and Terry and the senorita keeping watch
+on the sides. Several shots were fired, all of which did no harm.
+
+It was now very dark and their peril was increased. A concerted rush
+might blast their hopes and Jim in particular was worried. It would be
+bad enough to have to surrender to Sackett's gang, but it would be far
+worse to have the dainty senorita fall into their hands. He set his
+teeth and determined that it should not happen. There was complete
+silence outside, a silence that was not reassuring.
+
+Jim went to the girl where she was crouching beside a window, peering
+out into the darkness of the yard. He knelt down beside her.
+
+"Is it possible that one of your men could have slipped away to Ned's
+ranch?" he asked.
+
+"I am sorry to say no, senor. My man tells me that they were all penned
+up in their bunkhouse. There is no way we can let our friends know of
+our danger."
+
+"I see. They couldn't see a light from the top of the ranch, could
+they?"
+
+"No, the hills are too high. We must fight these men off until morning
+and then see what we can do."
+
+"If we could only attract Ned's attention someway," said Jim. "Watch
+out, senorita!"
+
+He fairly dragged her away from the window as a shot tore in through the
+glass and the blinds. She shook him off, but kept away from the exposed
+part.
+
+"There is nothing--Ah, the tar barrel!" she exclaimed.
+
+"Where is there a tar barrel?" asked Jim, quickly, as Terry fired his
+rifle out of another window.
+
+"You see that hill?" asked the senorita, pointing to a low mound back of
+the ranch. "On top of that hill is a barrel which is half full of tar. I
+have been using it to repair my roofs, and it is half full. If that
+could only be lighted they would see it at Ned's ranch."
+
+"That's fine!" cried Jim. "I'll light that tar barrel myself!"
+
+"Senor, you will be killed!"
+
+"Maybe!" said Jim, grimly. "But I'll start that bonfire, anyway!"
+
+He related his plan to Terry, who warmly assented, and a little later
+Jim worked his way to a side of the house where there was no shooting.
+Senorita Mercedes wanted to send her ranchman out on the perilous
+venture but Jim had opposed it.
+
+"No, I'll go," he said. "It means everything to have it succeed, and the
+man might get scared or bungle it in some way. Let me do it."
+
+He opened a low window on the quiet side of the house, while Terry stood
+in the shadows, prepared to shoot down anyone who should loom up. Jim
+dropped out of the window and lay flat alongside of the house, and after
+a moment he raised his head. The attacking party was in the front and
+the rear of the house and he had not been seen. Terry closed the window
+and watched Jim slide forward along the ground toward the distant barn.
+
+Fortunately the night was dark and Jim had a good opportunity. Using
+extreme care he reached the barn and then looked toward the hill where
+the tar barrel stood. The senorita had stood it on the hill because she
+was afraid of fire and thought it best to keep it away from the ranch
+building. Bending low Jim ran quickly toward the black barrel and
+reached it in safety.
+
+Near the house he could see three shadows and he knew that they were
+Sackett's men. They had not dreamed that anyone would be foolhardy
+enough to leave the building and so they waited for a favorable
+opportunity to rush the doors and break in. They had no intention of
+doing so as long as those three guns were flashing out viciously.
+
+There were still three flashes from the house and Jim readily saw what
+had happened. Terry or the senorita had given the ranchman who had
+brought the news of the attack a gun and he was firing. Probably the
+attacking party thought Jim was still in the house. Lying flat on the
+ground Jim took a long piece of paper from his pocket and a box of
+matches. He placed the papers in the soft tar and lighted it.
+
+The tar caught fire quickly, so quickly that Jim was bathed for a second
+in its light. He had made no plans for a retreat, and as the tar barrel
+burst into flames he was clearly revealed.
+
+A shout arose from the men who were attacking the house and they sprang
+recklessly from cover and dashed toward him. This piece of carelessness
+cost them dearly, for the senorita and Terry each brought one man down
+with accurate shots in the legs. At the same time Jim sprinted for the
+corner of the barn and crouched there, his rifle held in readiness to
+bring down anyone who should attempt to put out the blazing beacon.
+
+Higher and higher blazed the barrel with its cargo of tar, sending its
+light for several miles over the surrounding countryside. The outlaws
+had now rushed back to cover, to consider what move to make next.
+
+"I surely hope the others are at Ned's and that they see that light,"
+thought Jim fervently, as he waited in his position back of the barn.
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER XXI
+ THE CAIRN
+
+
+Professor Scott, the captain, Don and Ned were all sitting around a fire
+in the living room discussing the next move to be made. To their intense
+disappointment they had not found the missing boys upon their return to
+the ranch, nor had they come across a single trace on their homeward
+journey. They had just decided that a more vigorous hunt must be started
+in the morning when Yappi hastily entered the living room.
+
+"There is a large fire at the ranch of Senorita Mercedes, senor," he
+informed Ned.
+
+The young man jumped to his feet in dismay. "Oh, I hope those fellows
+haven't set her ranch on fire!" he groaned. "Let's see what is up."
+
+The entire party ran to the back door and looked across the plains in
+the direction of the Mercedes ranch. Just as the mestizo had said, the
+sky in that direction was red and they could see the flames against the
+sky. But it was several feet south of the house.
+
+"It isn't the house," decided Ned. "Perhaps they are just burning some
+old rubbish."
+
+"Why should she select a hilltop to burn rubbish on?" asked the
+professor, sensibly. "Does she usually burn things at night?"
+
+"No," admitted Ned. "There must surely be something wrong. Yappi, the
+horses!"
+
+The mestizo sprang around the house and went to the barn, from which he
+soon led mounts for all of them. He was instructed to stay at the ranch
+with the cook, in case the boys should return, and then the others threw
+themselves on the animals and started off. Ned and Don rode well in
+front, their anxiety making them impatient, while the professor and the
+captain, who were not riders of note, lagged somewhat.
+
+It was not a long journey to the ranch of the senorita, but to the boys
+it seemed long, and when at last they ascended the last hill they drew a
+breath of relief. They were now near enough to see that the blazing
+beacon was a tar barrel, and the circumstances became more puzzling than
+ever. But before they had much time to wonder about it they had topped
+the rise and were looking down on the scene below.
+
+The light from the blazing barrel showed them a curious scene. The
+outlaws had realized that they must make one last desperate assault, and
+at the present moment they were making it. Four men were close to the
+front door, flat in the yard, a log rolled before them as a shield, over
+which they were firing at the door, splintering the wood badly. They
+were rolling the log before them as they advanced, and hoped in this
+manner to get close enough to the door to make a determined rush. From
+the interior of the house came occasional flashes of fire from three
+rifles and from the corner of the barn came another.
+
+While the relief party was taking this in the professor and the captain
+joined them. The attacking party had not yet become aware of their
+presence, and seeing that the moment was favorable Ned and Don charged
+down the hill, the older men following. A single shot, fired by Ned,
+told Sackett and company that help had arrived, and without even
+stopping to offer resistance they fled in every direction.
+
+The captain instantly discharged his gun at one of the fleeing men and
+he went down in a heap. The professor shot Abel in the shoulder and Ned
+and Don pounced on the same man, springing from their horses upon the
+man. The fourth man, who was Sackett, ran to the thicket, made a single
+bound into his saddle, and thundered away, passing close to Jim in his
+corner of the barn, who fired at him but missed in the excitement.
+
+Jim looked for an instant after the fleeing outlaw and then dashed
+around the barn and entered it. The horses stood there, moving
+restlessly, and he selected a fine looking steed and hastily saddled it.
+Leading it from the barn he mounted and started off with all speed after
+Sackett.
+
+The slim edge of a moon was rising above the horizon and by its somewhat
+sickly light Jim was able to follow the course of the bay pirate. The
+man was making straight for the mountain and felt confident that he
+would make it, but he was soon undeceived. The horse which Jim had
+selected from the stables of the senorita was a high strung, fiery
+animal, and he was eager to run. Jim needed no spur to keep him at top
+speed, and the lead which the bandit had held was steadily cut down.
+
+Seeing that he could not make the mountains before the pursuing boy was
+well within gunshot the outlaw made for a patch of trees that stood
+nearby. They were a little more than a mile before him, and consisted of
+a fairly dense tangle of low bushes and trees. His idea was probably to
+make a last stand there, Jim decided, and the race settled down grimly
+in that direction.
+
+Once Sackett turned and fired at Jim, but the shot went wide of the
+mark, for the ground was uneven and the distance too great for accuracy.
+From that time on he gave his attention to the task of escaping, bending
+low over the neck of his steed and urging it on. The patch of trees was
+now very near and Sackett well in the lead.
+
+The outlaw drove his horse into the shelter of the little refuge at
+headlong speed and vanished from Jim's sight. Jim pulled the steed to a
+halt and paused uncertainly. Sackett was in the thicket and armed, and
+he knew better than to recklessly dash on. If his theory was right the
+pirate was waiting for him to do that very thing, and it would be the
+worst move he could make. So he sat quietly in the saddle, wondering
+what his next move should be.
+
+It was impossible for Sackett to escape to the mountains without being
+seen for Jim could see all around the thicket, and if the man tried to
+slip from the other side and continue his flight Jim would surely spot
+him. And yet, his object in running into the brush also puzzled Jim.
+What could he gain by that? In a few minutes the others would come up
+and they would be able to charge him and take him prisoner. It seemed to
+Jim that there was some deep scheme in the head of the outlaw, and so he
+watched with all his senses alert, keeping well out of gunshot.
+
+In this position Don and Ned found him when they galloped up a half hour
+later. Don fairly threw himself on his brother in his joy and Ned was
+equally enthusiastic. Jim was in rags but was a welcome sight to Don.
+
+Jim explained the position of the outlaw in the thicket and they were
+undecided. No sound had come from the thicket all the time that Jim had
+been stationed there, and no one had left the place. Ned decided that
+they had better spread out and rush the cover.
+
+"If we rush the woods on three sides we'll have him," he said. "He can't
+shoot at all three of us at once, and we can fairly hurl ourselves into
+the place. By coming up on three different points we can prevent him
+from running out of one side of the thicket while we charge in another."
+
+"We must rush the thicket in a zigzag course," Don put in. "If we don't,
+we're likely to be shot."
+
+Agreeing on a gunshot for signal purposes the three boys took up
+positions on three sides of the silent thicket and looked to their
+rifles. Each one could see the other and at last Ned discharged his gun.
+At top speed they bore down on the thicket, driving the horses in an
+irregular line.
+
+To their astonishment there was no shot or sound from the thicket and
+they entered it together, to find it empty of life except for Sackett's
+horse, which was quietly grazing close to the edge of the brush. The
+patch inclosed by trees was about twenty-five feet in diameter and was
+nothing more than a mere cluster of trees and bushes. The only thing to
+be seen, beside the horse, was a huge pile of stones. They jumped from
+the horses and looked at each other in perplexity.
+
+"Now, where in the world did that man go?" demanded Ned, holding his
+rifle in instant readiness.
+
+"You can search me!" answered Don, in bewilderment. "He's not in the
+trees, is he?"
+
+Ned looked quickly up and then shook his head. "No, there isn't room
+enough in these trees for anyone to hide themselves. He must be in the
+place, because he certainly didn't walk out while we were there."
+
+"He didn't get away before you came, either," Jim said. "I kept an eagle
+eye on the place, and he couldn't have made it without my seeing him."
+
+"Well, he's gone," said Ned, walking to the horse and examining it.
+"Just vanished into thin air."
+
+Don was looking at the heap of stones. It was a high cairn, composed of
+stones which had been heaped there generations ago for some unknown
+reason, and moss had grown over the mound. Stones of a larger size made
+up the bottom and smaller stones lay above these. Near the base of it he
+found a straight slab with some Spanish lettering cut upon it.
+
+"What is written on this stone?" he asked Ned. The young engineer bent
+over the stone, lighted a match and read the inscription.
+
+"I can't make it all out," he replied, as the match expired in his hand.
+"But it seems to be the burial place of someone of importance. They had
+a custom once of taking a distinguished man and piling a cairn of stones
+over his grave. Sometimes the custom was for anyone who came past to add
+a stone to the pile and in that way it grew larger. This is one of those
+piles, and someone is buried down at the bottom of it."
+
+"All of which doesn't bring us any nearer Mr. Sackett," murmured Jim.
+"I'd give anything to know where that gentleman went to!"
+
+"It just seems silly!" said Ned, impatiently. "You chase him in here and
+he simply disappears. That isn't logical."
+
+"Look here!" cried Don, who had been moving around the pile of stones,
+and who was now on the other side. "Shouldn't all of these stones be
+covered with moss?"
+
+"I suppose so," Ned replied. "Why."
+
+"Because they aren't covered with moss on this side. The stones here are
+different than the others, and seem to be looser. Come here and give me
+a hand."
+
+The other two boys hastened to Don's side and found that he was right.
+The stones to which he pointed had a brighter look than the others, and
+where the chinks and crevices of the other rocks had long since been
+stopped up by moss, these rocks were singularly free. Moreover, they
+were not well placed, and the boys were struck by the same idea.
+
+"Ah, ha!" exclaimed Ned, as he began to tear away the upper stones. "I
+think I see a thing or two! Help me with these stones."
+
+The other two went to work with a will and soon the stones were pulled
+out and tossed to one side. To their intense satisfaction a large
+opening was revealed.
+
+"Just as we thought, the opening of a tunnel!" exclaimed Don.
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER XXII
+ THE DEN
+
+
+No sooner were the words out of Don's mouth than a burst of flame came
+from the interior of the cairn and a shot whistled uncomfortably close
+to their heads. They made all haste to retreat, Ned dragging Jim aside
+somewhat roughly.
+
+"He's in there, all right," said Jim, grimly.
+
+"Yes, there must be a regular hiding place in there," responded Ned.
+"The question is: how are we going to get him out? We certainly can't
+rush him in there."
+
+"We can starve him out," suggested Don.
+
+"That will take too long," said Ned. "However, if there isn't anything
+else to do, we'll do that."
+
+"I have another plan," put in Jim. "We'll smoke him out!"
+
+"Smoke him out!" echoed Don and Ned.
+
+"Sure, why not? I doubt if there is any other outlet to that cairn,
+except maybe some small air-hole, so we can easily smoke him out. Let's
+gather some of this green wood and set it afire."
+
+Keeping a vigilant lookout toward the mouth of the uncovered tunnel so
+as to guard against a sudden dash or shot the three boys gathered some
+fairly green wood, with which they mixed some dry dead wood, and after
+piling it near the mouth of the tunnel, pushed it into place with the
+butts of their guns. They knew that the tunnel was straight and not wide
+enough to allow the penned outlaw to fire on them unless they stood
+directly before the opening, so they took excellent care to keep out of
+range. When the wood was piled Ned leaned cautiously forward and lighted
+the pile.
+
+The dry wood caught fire and blazed up, touching the green wood and
+causing it to smoke. The boys stood with guns in readiness to fire a
+shot into the entrance of the cave if the bandit tried to make a thrust
+at the fire with a view to scattering it. The flames mounted higher,
+causing a heavy pall of smoke from the green wood.
+
+"Take off your hats and fan it down the opening," said Ned, suiting the
+words by the action. All three of the boys fanned the smoke vigorously,
+causing it to go into the tunnel.
+
+They did not have long to wait for results. After a few moments they
+heard a violent coughing and then at last Sackett staggered out into the
+opening, still coughing and wiping his streaming eyes. Before he could
+use the gun which he held in his hands they were upon him and had
+disarmed him.
+
+"Well, Squint Sackett," said Ned, grimly, as they bound his hands with a
+piece of rope which was on his own horse. "We have you at last."
+
+The bandit replied by a fit of coughing that made him red in the face.
+Seeing that he was quite safe Don scattered the fire and stamped it out.
+The quest was now over and the bay pirate securely bound.
+
+"You kids'll pay for this!" the man said, hoarsely. "You can't prove
+anything against me!"
+
+"No, not at all," said Don cheerfully. "Just stealing, breaking into a
+ranch, kidnapping, and a few other trifles. I guess we can put you where
+you belong this time. It was an unlucky day for you when you decided to
+attack Professor Scott."
+
+"Suppose we take a look through this cairn and see what it looks like
+before we go?" suggested Jim.
+
+"All right," agreed Ned. "But first we'll tie this slippery gentleman
+up. He mustn't be allowed to get away again."
+
+Sackett was tied to a convenient tree and then the boys made a torch of
+a dry stick of wood. With this in hand Ned took the lead and they
+entered the mouth of the tunnel, bending low to keep from scraping their
+heads on the roof of the passage. They went down on a slight slope for a
+distance of about four feet and then came to a single cave-like room
+hollowed out under the rocks.
+
+"I see the whole business now," remarked Ned, as they peered about the
+little cave. "This place was evidently some pirate's den years ago, and
+in some way Sackett learned of it. You can see that the place was built
+for no other purpose, and the slab outside is a plain blind."
+
+Ned was right in what he said. Some forgotten pirate had purposely built
+the cairn retreat for a refuge in time of storm, when the law was
+hunting him along the coast. The room was large enough to contain a
+blanket and a low table that had evidently been constructed in the
+place. Overhead there was a concealed opening between the rocks, so that
+air could get into the place and the inmates could breathe. Once inside
+it was an easy matter to place the rocks before the opening in such a
+way that no one except a careful observer would ever discover it.
+
+"It is a pretty clever hiding place," remarked Don. "Anyone would have
+one chance in a hundred of finding it. I only stumbled across it because
+I was curious about the whole mound."
+
+"It pretty nearly stood Sackett in mighty good stead," Jim said.
+
+They left the cairn and went back to the thicket, to find the outlaw
+tugging frantically at his bonds, but when he saw them he sullenly
+ceased and became quiet. They untied him from the tree, leaving his
+hands tied, however, and helped him mount his horse. Then they left the
+thicket and started back for the ranch of the senorita.
+
+Three miles from the ranch they were joined by the professor, the
+captain and Terry, who had become anxious because of their long absence
+and who had mounted and set out to find them. The meeting between the
+reunited friends was warm and they were glad to see that the author of
+all their troubles was taken at last.
+
+"Well, Sackett," said the professor, with a twinkle in his eyes. "It is
+certainly time that we took you. You had your inning at taking most of
+us and now it is our turn."
+
+"You won't keep me long," snarled the man.
+
+"No, we won't," struck in Captain Blow. "But the big house with the bars
+will hold on to you for a good long time, my bucko!"
+
+"Who are you?" demanded the bay pirate. "I never did anything to you!"
+
+"No, but your friend Captain Ryan took a couple of my sailors with him
+when he sailed on his last voyage. He's taking another sail right now,
+down to San Francisco to the jail."
+
+"Tryin' to be funny, aren't you?" retorted the river pirate.
+
+"All of your gang is in custody, Sackett," said Professor Scott,
+quietly.
+
+They went back to the ranch, to find the senorita taking care of four
+wounded men, all of whom had slight wounds in the legs or shoulders. The
+overseer was one of them and he pleaded for mercy with the boys. Jim and
+Terry were undecided but Captain Blow and the professor were not.
+
+"Can't let these fellows go, any of 'em," said the old captain. "He
+would have left you two boys' bodies out there in the desert without
+thinking about it, according to Terry's story, so you can't let him go.
+Maybe he wouldn't ever turn up to harm you again, but he's a potential
+murderer and he's better off behind bars."
+
+It was now late at night and the whole party accepted the invitation to
+remain at the ranch until morning, at which time they were to take the
+prisoners to Quito and see that they were taken from there to San
+Francisco. The night passed without incident and in the morning the
+whole party, with the wounded men in a wagon which belonged to the
+senorita, started for the sea coast.
+
+The journey to Quito was a long one and all of them did not make it. The
+professor dropped off at the Scott ranch and the others kept on with the
+cargo of dangerous rascals. In due time they reached the town, made out
+the proper papers, and then waited two days for a government boat to
+come and take the prisoners away. When this was done they went back to
+the Scott ranch.
+
+Subsequently Sackett, who was wanted for many types of crime, was placed
+behind the bars for the rest of his life and his crew of men each
+received all that was coming to them from their lives of dishonesty. The
+river pirates and bay pirate gang, of which Ryan and his crew formed the
+main branch, was broken up once and for all, and it was a good many
+years before any of them ever became free again.
+
+Captain Blow left a message at Quito for his mate and then joined the
+party that was going home. He had been invited to go with them on their
+gold hunt and was eager to do so. But this time all stories had been
+told and the boys in particular were impatient to go and dig for it.
+
+"Well, now we'll go have a look at that Spanish gold," said the captain,
+as they started on the return trip. "And I want to have a look at that
+ship moored in the sand for so long! They say some of those old-timers
+were pretty good sailors, but I don't think much of a skipper who runs
+his windjammer under the ground!"
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER XXIII
+ THE DRAGON'S LAST STROKE
+
+
+The sun had barely raised above the horizon on the following day before
+the ranch echoed to the preparations for the treasure hunt. The boys had
+slept poorly, looking forward eagerly to the time when they should be in
+close contact with the long buried ship in the desert sands. With hurry
+and bustle and good-natured shouts they prepared to set out.
+
+Now that their minds had been relieved of all anxiety concerning Sackett
+and his gang their spirits soared as only those of the young adventurous
+can. They had spent a jolly evening around the fireplace on the previous
+day, talking, planning and laughing over some of Captain Blow's humorous
+stories. It was late before they sought their beds, and the professor
+had been compelled to curb some of their animal vigor.
+
+Jim had stood at the foot of his bed, surrounded by Ned, Don and Terry.
+Captain Blow and Professor Scott were preparing for bed in another room
+at the time. There had been some pillow throwing and now Jim was acting
+a part.
+
+"This is the way Terry kicked the gun out of the overseer's hand," he
+said. He was in his pajamas at the time and the other boys were also
+ready for bed. Jim loosed a vigorous kick in front of him, but his
+enthusiasm proved his undoing. The force caused him to lose his balance,
+and amidst the shouts of delight of his companions he thumped to the
+floor, knocking the wind out of himself.
+
+"That was some kick!" exclaimed Don, laughing. "No wonder the poor
+overseer lost his gun! If the kick had that much force I bet the gun
+sailed clear into the ocean!"
+
+"I protest," put in Terry, solemnly. "I never cut such a wild figure as
+that! Your imagination is running away with you, Jimmie, my boy!"
+
+"Somebody else had better start running away!" puffed Jim, in huge
+disgust. "Just wait until I get up!"
+
+Once up he bore down on the grinning Terry and bowled him onto the bed.
+Don reached for his foot, but received a hearty thrust in the stomach
+from the foot, which Jim declared he had tickled. Don then jumped on the
+wiggling chums and Ned stood laughing. But in a minute he too was drawn
+into hostilities. He attempted to pile pillows on the warring factions,
+who promptly turned upon him, and the four young men were soon engaged
+in a frantic tussle that overturned one bed and mussed them up royally.
+
+Such was the scene that greeted the eyes of Captain Blow and Professor
+Scott as they hastily entered the room. The professor opened his mouth
+to protest, but the captain, his gray eyes snapping with mischief,
+whispered something to him. The professor smiled and nodded and they ran
+forward, the professor seizing the ankles of Terry, who happened to be
+on top of the pile, while Blow grasped his shoulders.
+
+"Heave aloft!" bellowed the captain, and in concert they heaved.
+
+To his astonishment Terry felt himself lifted bodily from the struggling
+mass and tossed through the air, to land with a bounce on the bed. Ned
+Scott followed and Jim followed him. Don, seeing what was in the wind,
+made a frantic scramble to get under the bed, but to the delight of the
+watching boys he was switched from under by the active captain and
+treated to a ride through the air. When he had finally landed with a
+thud on the bed the two older men promptly sat on him.
+
+"Now," said the professor, with mock severity. "What is the meaning of
+all this?"
+
+"Jim was illustrating something," replied Terry, gravely. "And we helped
+him out!"
+
+"By jumping tinder!" cried the captain. "I don't know what in time you
+could have been illustrating! Showing your affection for each other,
+likely!"
+
+"What ever it was," said the professor. "I suggest that you stop it. We
+want to make an early start in the morning and you can save some of that
+energy for digging sand. From the noise we heard we thought that Sackett
+had returned and was trying to carry one or all of you off. Who upset
+the bed?"
+
+"All of us," said Don, truthfully.
+
+"I don't doubt it. Well, to bed now, and calm down a bit."
+
+Now, on the morning of the hunt, the boys impatiently ate their
+breakfast and placed blankets and provisions on the horses. There was no
+telling how long they would linger around the sunken galleon, and they
+wanted to be sure that it would not be necessary to cut the visit short
+because of a lack of provisions. It had been decided to take the mestizo
+along with them and leave only the cook at home. When all arrangements
+had been made they started briskly off.
+
+The day was bright and somewhat cool and they made rapid progress, the
+boys in their eagerness keeping always ahead of their elders. The older
+men wisely held them in check, realizing that there was a long journey
+in front of them and not wishing to run the risk of tiring out before
+they got there. They halted once for a meal and then pushed on, not
+stopping for a nap in the afternoon, since it was not hot enough to do
+so, and just as evening drew on they topped a small hill and looked down
+on the valley in which Jim and Terry had so nearly lost their life.
+
+"There is the wreck!" shouted Jim, pointing to the corner of the galleon
+which they had uncovered. "Looks as though no one had been near it, all
+right."
+
+No one had apparently been near the place, for there were no traces of
+footmarks in the sand other than those left by the two boys and the
+treacherous overseer. They rode down the incline and picketed the
+horses, hastening at once to the few feet of deck uncovered. The
+professor gazed at the uncovered rail in rapture.
+
+"By George, this is wonderful!" he exclaimed, his face glowing with the
+enthusiasm of the scholar. "Just think, after reading a story like that,
+to run across the very ship on which it happened! I hope we can uncover
+the whole ship!"
+
+"Ned," asked Don. "Where was that piece of wreckage found, the piece
+that first gave the idea of a sunken galleon?"
+
+"About three miles north of here," replied the engineer. "I guess I see
+what you are getting at. You think that the piece was washed out of the
+creek that used to be here, and was found, after it drifted down shore?"
+
+"Yes," nodded Don. "Don't you think so?"
+
+"I surely do," assented Ned, stepping down onto the deck of the buried
+galleon. "Is this the hatchway?"
+
+Terry lifted the hatch, which they had replaced when they had left the
+galleon with the Mexican. "Yes, and here is the flight of stairs. Did
+anyone bring a flashlight?"
+
+"I have one," said the professor, producing it from his saddle bag.
+"Let's be very careful about going down those stairs."
+
+It was now dark and the flashlight was needed. The professor flashed the
+beam of light down the stairs and went first, treading with infinite
+care, but the steps were apparently solid. The others, with the
+exception of the mestizo, who would not trust himself in a place which
+looked so much like a trap, followed the savant down into the hold of
+the ancient ship.
+
+"There is the treasure chest," said Jim, and the professor swung the
+beam of light on the mouldering chest. Don lifted the lid and the gold
+was revealed.
+
+They fingered it and found that it consisted of coins of various
+degrees. The professor did not recognize any of them except some pieces
+of eight.
+
+"Sorry I didn't study up on ancient coins," murmured the teacher.
+"However, I'm pretty sure that there is quite a fortune here."
+
+"No doubt there is a substantial treasure further down in the sand,"
+suggested Ned.
+
+"Yes," the professor agreed. "Cups and plate silver and perhaps other
+things. The sailors didn't carry anything away with them, expecting to
+return and gather it all on some other occasion, I presume." He turned
+his light from side to side. "The hold here was filled with water, and
+all above deck must have been burned. We won't find much of anything
+until we get down under the sand."
+
+After some more looking around they went outside and made camp close to
+the wreck, the boys again hacking firewood from the remains of the
+galleon. They ate supper and then sat around the fire discussing plans
+and waiting for the morrow and daylight.
+
+"It is going to be quite a job digging into that sand," observed the
+captain. "In the first place, it's mighty wet."
+
+"Yes," said the professor. "I'm very much afraid it is too much of a job
+for us to attempt. It will take a whole crew to dig down into those
+ruins, and a regular excavating gang will be the ones to do it. However,
+we can look around and see what we can pick up ourselves, and then later
+see to it that the right sort of a company goes to work on the job."
+
+"We'll have to make a legal claim to it, won't we?" asked Jim.
+
+Ned nodded. "That will have to be our first job. If we don't anybody who
+comes along will be able to take it right out of our hands. It is much
+the same as discovering a gold mine, only in this case the gold is
+already refined and cast for us."
+
+"I can't wait until morning!" said the impatient Terry.
+
+"I'm glad you said that," the professor spoke seriously. "I want you
+boys to promise me that you won't go on the wreck at any time during the
+night or in the morning before we are all awake and ready to tackle it.
+We have had quite a bit of trouble so far and we want to avoid any more,
+certainly any that may turn out to be more serious than any we have had.
+I don't believe that there are any ghosts or goblins on the thing that
+will hurt you, but we had better not do anything that we'll regret."
+
+"I for one won't," Terry promised. "I remember what that dragon says in
+the old manuscript!"
+
+The others promised, and after some further talk they all went to sleep
+and remained asleep until daylight. After a hasty breakfast they went to
+the wreck once more.
+
+"Fine day we have for our treasure hunting party," remarked Don, as they
+went down the hatchway.
+
+It was indeed a fine day, with a clear blue sky and a bright sun. Once
+down in the hold, however, all light and warmth was shut out, except for
+a single shaft that came in from the open hatchway.
+
+"Now," said the professor, who was the leader. "We aren't going to be
+able to do much with this proposition, but I suggest that we at least
+dig out this room. It wouldn't be of any use to dig down into the main
+hold of the galleon, for it would take us months and it would be
+dangerous work. Before anything like that is done all sand would have to
+be cleared away from the sides of the ship."
+
+The room in which they stood, and which held the chest of gold, was
+about fourteen feet square. With small trench shovels brought from the
+ranch they went to work on the moist sand, digging it out and by a
+system of relays throwing it out on the deck. Don stood on a wide step
+where the sand was deposited by Ned, the professor and Jim, and
+shovelled it up to the hatch, where Terry and Blow threw it to one side.
+They worked on with a will, and although it soon became hard work no one
+complained.
+
+It was soon found that the chest of gold had been upon a table at the
+time of the sinking of the galleon, for they had scarcely begun their
+work before they struck the top of the table. It was soon uncovered and
+proved to be a massive affair of black wood. It was about four feet
+high, and when they had cleared away the sand down to the bottom they
+found solid flooring.
+
+From time to time they changed positions so as to give each one a chance
+to work inside the buried galleon and also to get a chance at the
+sunlight. The person who relayed the sand on the stairs had the hardest
+job, as he was compelled to stoop down, scoop the sand, straighten up
+and throw it out of the hatch. Don was not sorry to give up his post and
+get out on the deck, and later on to get down into the old hold.
+
+When Don got downstairs the room had been almost completely excavated
+and some more treasure had been found. Several bars of solid silver had
+been uncovered in one corner and even the walls held relics, in the
+shape of several old muskets and knives, along with a rusted sword.
+There were two heavy chairs in the room also, which were both
+overturned, probably by the force of the shock when the galleon ran
+aground.
+
+They stopped at dinner time to eat, all of them being profoundly
+grateful for the respite. The room in which they had been working was
+now almost empty and they decided to do a little more work and then take
+the gold and as much silver as they could carry and go back to the
+ranch, there to put in motion the necessary machinery to make the
+treasure theirs. Accordingly, as soon as the noon meal was finished,
+they went back to work.
+
+"Better not do much more excavating," warned Captain Blow. "That pile of
+wet sand on the deck is getting pretty heavy."
+
+They finished excavating that room, finding nothing more of importance
+and then held a parley. There was a door in one side of the room and
+they were in doubt as to whether to open it. The professor feared that
+something might happen if they did, but the others disagreed with him,
+so the door was finally chopped open.
+
+It came out of its frame with a rush, disclosing nothing but a blank
+wall of sand. Some portion of the deck, as yet under sand, had evidently
+been ripped off or had burned off, and in that manner the ship had
+filled completely, much as a paper boat that a child buries in the sand.
+They picked at the wall of sand before them, but it was solid and they
+gave it up.
+
+"I guess this will be as much as we'll want to do," the professor
+announced. "The rest of the job is for a regular crew of excavators, and
+moreover, must be undertaken scientifically. We'll be satisfied to go
+back with what we have and lay claim to the rest of it in the right
+way."
+
+"Are you thinking of starting tonight?" asked Terry, looking at his
+watch. "It is five o'clock now!"
+
+"Is it that late?" cried Captain Blow. "By thunder mighty! this day
+zipped right by!"
+
+"Yes, it is that late," retorted the professor, consulting his own
+watch. "We've been so busy and interested that we haven't kept track of
+the time. No, we won't start back tonight. We'll stay in camp and start
+early in the morning!"
+
+"All right, suppose we get back," suggested the captain. "The bottom of
+my stomach is sunk lower than this fishing smack!"
+
+They went up the stairs, Ned and Don stopping to examine one of the
+musty guns that was on the wall. The others stepped off of the deck and
+onto the sand, and seeing that the two boys were not with them, the
+professor called out: "Come on, boys, back to camp."
+
+"We're coming!" Don replied, as he started up the stairs, with Ned a
+step or two back of him. Don had just thrust his head out of the
+hatchway when there came a warning shout from Terry.
+
+"Hurry up!" he yelled. "The sand is sliding!"
+
+The wet sand which they had piled up during the day suddenly slid down
+the hill with gathering force. Don sprang forward quickly, but was too
+late. The sand hit the deck of the galleon, there was a dull report and
+a sucking sensation, and then the whole room which they had excavated
+caved in. The deck, rotting and weakened, gave way under the descending
+weight of the wet and dry sand, and went through with a roar. Don and
+Ned disappeared from sight, buried alive in the wreck of the galleon!
+
+The party on the shore stared dumbly for one minute, appalled by the
+horror of the tragedy, and then Captain Blow leaped forward.
+
+"Come on and dig!" he cried. "If we don't dig like fury they'll smother
+to death!"
+
+As the others followed him the intrepid captain leaped down on the heap
+of sand where the boys had last been seen and began to dig frantically.
+The sand was loose and he sank down in it, but he dug without heeding
+his own peril, and the others helped him. Don's hand speedily worked
+loose from the sand and they caught hold of it.
+
+"Work right around his arm," cried the captain. "Be careful not to hit
+his head with your shovels."
+
+The scene was one of wildest confusion. By digging with furious energy
+they got Don's head free and only just in time. He was purple and fairly
+clawed for air. They attempted to drag him loose, but failed. He pushed
+the sand from his mouth and spoke urgently.
+
+"Get Ned!" he gasped. "He's down around my knees, somewhere!"
+
+The professor's face was white and he silently kneeled beside Don's head
+and dug with all his strength. Terry and Jim held the slippery sand back
+as the two men shovelled it away, and in a few seconds, which seemed
+like hours to them, one of Ned's shoulders was uncovered. Dropping their
+shovels the men wormed their hands beneath his armpit and tore him loose
+from the sand.
+
+"Here, water, senor," said Yappi, appearing beside them with a canteen.
+
+Ned was blue and unconscious, and they were forced to dig the sand from
+his nose and mouth before he could catch his breath. When he had become
+conscious he drank some water, and Don followed his example. They both
+were free to breathe but were still buried and sinking, for the sand was
+sifting down into the room below.
+
+"This fight has only just begun," said the captain, grimly. "We've got
+to get them out of here as fast as we can."
+
+Then began a spirited battle between the men and the sand, the human
+beings putting every ounce of strength into the battle to keep their
+companions from being engulfed again and the sand exerting its power to
+entomb them once more, with a persistence that was perfectly amazing.
+The muscles of the friends ached, for they were tired from the events of
+the day, but they knew it was a race of life and death. They dug
+ceaselessly, throwing sand as far away as possible, baffled and maddened
+by the steady stream of the soil that returned to the charge.
+
+It grew steadily darker and at last the captain, who had assumed charge
+of the rescue operations spoke briefly to the professor. "Tell your man
+to light a big fire," he commanded.
+
+When this was done they labored on, and after an hour had gone by they
+were down as far as the boys' waists. They were working in a hollow that
+had been made even more of a hole than normally by the collapse of the
+deck, and so the sand proved to be a persistent foe. As fast as they
+threw it up it slid back, and there was no way to keep it up.
+
+"Now," said the captain, briskly. "Tell your man to back the horses down
+here, throw out a hawser, grapple onto those lads, and tow 'em out!"
+
+When this had been put into the kind of language that Yappi could
+understand he quickly ran the horses into position, threw out a rope,
+and it was passed under Don's armpits. Yappi sprang into the saddle gave
+the horse the pressure of his heels, his hand steady to check him at
+moment's notice.
+
+The rope tightened, and the boys pushed Don's body, with the result that
+he was hauled out of the treacherous hole. Nothing was said at the time,
+and Don made all haste to scramble to safety, shaken by his experience.
+It was now an easier task to get at Ned, for the freeing of Don had left
+a bigger hole, and they tied him up securely. This time the horse
+strained, the boy gritted his teeth as the rope cut into his body, and
+the others pushed with a will. With a final rush he came up and out of
+the hole.
+
+"Hurrah!" shouted the captain, dropping his shovel. "The battle is won,
+mates! By tunket, let's get out of here."
+
+They made haste to leave the place and then had a happy reunion. The
+professor's lips moved as he pressed Ned to him and Jim's eyes were not
+steady when he hugged Don. Terry addressed the remains of the wreck,
+while the mestizo patted the head of the horse.
+
+"Pretty smart, you old mud scow!" the red-headed boy said. "That was the
+dragon's last stroke, and he nearly made good on it."
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER XXIV
+ NED TAKES A NEW OVERSEER
+
+
+They were all glad enough to rest that night around the campfire. The
+muscles of the party were stiff and sore, and Don and Ned declared that
+their bodies ached from head to foot.
+
+"Got enough sand in me to build a new bunkhouse at the ranch," Ned,
+declared.
+
+They told their sensations as the wall of sand closed over them,
+sensations by no means pleasant. Smothering in sand was not an enviable
+means of ending one's life, according to Ned, who had been closest to
+it. Don had felt that he had a good chance for his life, for he had been
+near the surface, but his chief worriment had been for his friend, whom
+he knew to be lower down.
+
+"All things considered, I rather think we earned that treasure," the
+professor remarked, and the others agreed with him heartily.
+
+Yappi could not be persuaded to go near the place again. He was firm in
+the belief that an evil spirit had tried to punish them for meddling
+with the gold of dead men. During the time they had needed his help he
+had been brave enough, but now that there was nothing to fear he was
+more frightened than he had ever been. More than all the others, he
+looked forward to going home in the morning.
+
+They slept the sleep of the utterly exhausted that night and were late
+in getting up on the following day. When all their things were packed
+and the treasure which they had taken placed on the horses they left the
+place and started for the ranch.
+
+"That place isn't the best place in the world for us," laughed Don, as
+they paused on a rise and looked around. "Jim and Terry were nearly
+killed near there and then Ned and I got a sand bath. That guardian
+dragon doesn't appear to like young men!"
+
+"Maybe he doesn't object to the professor and me," observed the captain,
+with a broad smile. "We both have beards and are more nearly his age!"
+
+The journey back to the ranch was made without incident and they were
+glad to arrive. After remaining there for a day the professor and the
+captain took the treasure and set out with it to the coast, there to go
+to San Diego and claim legal right to it. The boys accompanied them to
+Quito, where Blow's own schooner, which was fortunately lying at anchor,
+took them to their destination. The boys left them in the town and
+returned to the ranch.
+
+There they passed several happy days, riding, visiting the mines, going
+once or twice to visit the senorita, and generally having a good time.
+Ned went several times to the senorita's and Terry wisely nodded his
+head.
+
+"Big doings pretty soon," he observed, wisely.
+
+"What do you mean?" asked Don. They were out near the barn and Ned was
+not with them.
+
+"Wait and see. The young man is going over the hill quite frequently
+now, and you wait and see if something exciting doesn't happen."
+
+"Getting married isn't exciting," said Jim.
+
+"Don't know, my boy," drawled Terry, trying to throw a lasso. "Never
+been that way, myself! Look at that for a throw, will you! Aimed it at
+the fence post and got the corner of the barn!"
+
+When the professor and the captain returned they reported success. Their
+claim was legal and they had authority to recruit a gang of men to
+excavate the ancient ship.
+
+"That's the end of the phantom galleon," observed Don. "It won't be a
+phantom any more."
+
+"You pretty nearly joined the phantoms yourself," Jim reminded him.
+
+Terry's surmise regarding the state of affairs at the Mercedes ranch
+turned out to be correct. In a few days Ned announced that they were to
+be married.
+
+"There is no use in allowing her to stay over there and try to run that
+little ranch all by herself," he said, as they sat in the living room
+one night. "So we are going to combine and form one big ranch, after we
+are married. That will end all of her troubles about getting help and
+overseers."
+
+"I see," said Terry, dryly. "You are doing it so as to help her run her
+ranch. Funny way to get married."
+
+Ned made a pass at him and the red-headed boy dodged. The professor
+smiled.
+
+"That's the easiest way of saying it," he said. "Ned wouldn't want you
+to suspect that he loves the young lady!"
+
+"Ned spoke about her difficulty in getting an overseer," remarked Don.
+"Another way to look at it is that Ned himself is getting an overseer!"
+
+"Yes, he'll have to behave himself now," said the captain, as they all
+laughed at Ned's red face.
+
+In the days that followed an excavating crew came down from San
+Francisco and went to work on the wreck of the galleon. In a remarkably
+short time it was unearthed and systematically cleaned out. A treasure
+estimated in value at something like fifty thousand dollars was found in
+the wreck, a treasure that consisted of gold and silver plate, gold
+coins, silver coins and several gold chains. There was also some silk,
+but it had been spoiled. The wreck itself, when uncovered, showed that
+it had been burned to the water's edge before being covered with the
+sands of the plains.
+
+"Well, when that is all divided, up, we'll have plenty, each one of us,"
+said the professor.
+
+"At last my mother will get a few of the things in life that she has
+really needed," said Terry, to whom the fortune meant most.
+
+Not long after that there was a simple wedding in the Scott ranch. A
+minister came to the ranch from Quito and Ned and the senorita were
+married in the living room of the ranch which was now to be her home.
+Ned was quietly happy and the senorita brilliantly so. All the lonely
+years of living alone were now over, and she looked forward to a life of
+happiness with the American boy whose simple manliness had always
+appealed to her. Don was Ned's best man.
+
+"By golly," said Terry, when it was all over. "If getting married makes
+you feel as happy as Ned and his lady friend looked, I think I'll try
+it!"
+
+"That'll be fine, Terry," responded Jim. "By the way, who is the lady?"
+
+"What?" asked the red-headed boy, blankly.
+
+"Who is the lady that will look so happy when you marry her?" Jim
+answered.
+
+"Gee, I don't know!" was the reply. "You have to have a lady friend,
+don't you? I hadn't thought of that!"
+
+"You had better give it some thought," retorted Don. "Most people have
+one when they get married."
+
+After a few more days the boys prepared to return home, along with the
+professor, who was eager to return to his classes in school. The boys
+were looking forward to their second year at Woodcrest, to the study and
+the sports of the coming season. Captain Blow left them a few days
+earlier, expressing his pleasure at having met them once more.
+
+"I hope I fall in with you Mercer boys again sometime," he said, as he
+shook hands at the dock. "I always have a barrel of fun when I'm with
+you. Makes me young again. If you ever sail past old Mystery Island,
+think of me, will you?"
+
+A few days later they all said goodbye to the new Mr. and Mrs. Scott,
+wishing them well and promising to come and see them if they were ever
+in that part of the world again. Before long they were back in San
+Francisco and on the train, bound for home and school. Terry was with
+them, having had "Jumpiter" shipped by rail.
+
+"Well," remarked Don, as they rolled past long fields of grain. "That's
+the end of one of the best vacations we ever had. Now we'll go back to
+school, to settle down and take things easy for a change."
+
+But if Don could have seen the events that awaited them in the coming
+school term in the form of a baffling mystery he would not have been so
+sure that they would settle down. In the next volume, entitled The
+Mercer Boys' Mystery Case, or the '13 Class Trophy Riddle the exciting
+things which befell them will be related.
+
+
+ THE END
+
+
+
+
+ Transcriber's Notes
+
+
+--Copyright notice provided as in the original--this e-text is public
+ domain in the country of publication.
+
+--Silently corrected palpable typos; left non-standard spellings and
+ dialect unchanged.
+
+--Generated a Table of Contents from the chapter headings.
+
+--In the text versions, delimited italics text in _underscores_ (the
+ HTML version reproduces the font form of the printed book.)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Mercer Boys on a Treasure Hunt, by
+Capwell Wyckoff
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