CHAPTER V.
PINTO PEDE RECEIVES HIS LESSON.
Pinto Pede was the most disgusted Mexican in all Arizona. At the sametime he was thoroughly thunderstruck. That Merriwell had secured thepair of fives with his three jacks for all of his style of drawingseemed like legerdemain.
Big Monte gave a shout of surprise, that was not entirely unmingled withdelight.
"Waal, say!" he roared; "that's the furst time I ever seen Pede done upon his own deal by a tenderfoot! Haw! haw! haw!"
As the game continued Frank soon demonstrated that he was quite capableof holding his own with those men. On his deal he simply played "hob"with them. In less than thirty minutes he had won over a hundred andfifty dollars.
Cimarron Bill had sauntered up and was standing near, his arms folded,silently watching the progress of the game.
"Gentlemen," said Frank finally, "you're too easy for me. Just to showyou how easy you are, I'll deal a hand around and then tell you what youhave."
"Not if you lets me cut," declared Monte.
Merry had gathered the cards and was shuffling them.
"You may cut," he said.
He put the cards down on the blanket, and Monte divided them into twoparts, after which he watched Frank to see that he picked them up right.
Merry picked them up with one hand, doing so swiftly. He picked them upall right, but he cleverly made the pass, which restored the cards totheir original positions, as they were before Monte had cut.
Then he dealt.
When they picked up their cards, he began at the left and called off thecards each man held, going around the entire circle.
Monte threw his down, with a cry of amazement.
"An' this yere is what we takes for an easy mark!" he exclaimed.
"He cheat!" grated Pinto Pede. "Dat how he win all da mon'."
"I don't want your money," said Merry. "I find it too easy to make moneyoff such chaps as you. You talk about tenderfeet, but the East is fullof tenderfeet who could skin you fellows to death. If you ran into a NewYork bunco man he'd have your boots off your feet in less than thirtyminutes. In fact, gentlemen, you need to get your eye-teeth filed."
He was laughing at them, as they plainly saw. This made Pinto Pedefurious, and, with a cry of rage, the Mexican snatched out a knife,flung himself forward on his knees, clutched the captive's throat andseemed about to finish him.
Quick as a flash, Merriwell had seized Pede's wrist, which he gave atwist that made the bones crack and brought a yell from the yellow-facedfellow's lips. The knife dropped. Merry tossed it over his shoulder, andthen flung Pede backward, groaning over his wrenched arm.
"The only safe way to play such tricks on me," said the undisturbedcaptive, "is to catch me when I'm asleep."
Then Cimarron Bill spoke, and they saw he had a pistol in his hand.
"It sure is a good thing for Pede that the gent stopped his play just ashe did, for if Pede had done any cuttin' I'd sartin shot him up a wholelot. I has told you boys that Mr. Merriwell is to be kept safe an'unharmed until I gits ready to finish with him, an' when I says a thinglike that, I generally has a way o' meanin' it. If Pede had used hisknife, I'd a-let daylight through him instanter."
Now they all knew Bill spoke the truth, and so Pede was doublyhumiliated.
"He was a trifle hasty," said Merriwell coolly. "I was about to explainthat I never keep money won at cards, as I do not believe in gambling. Isat in this game to illustrate to you fellows that it doesn't always payto get puffed up and look contemptuously on a tenderfoot. Having madethe lesson plain, I will withdraw my own money, which will leave theamount I have won. You may divide it equally among you and go on withyour game."
This Frank did exactly as he said, taking himself out of the game.
There would have been a quarrel over the division of the money had notBill interfered.
Possibly Frank was counting on that quarrel, for a fight among the menmight have given him an opportunity to escape. However, if such was hisplan, it miscarried, for Bill acted as judge and saw that the matter wassettled without further dispute or bloodshed.
Merry turned away, his hands in his pockets, seeming to take no furtherinterest in the gambling ruffians. They looked after his fine, supple,manly figure, and Big Monte said:
"Gents, he shore is a hummer! I admits it now. He's put up a heapdifferent from any tenderfoot I ever struck afore. We knows he kinshoot, fer didn't he perforate Sam's coat back yander in the raveen whenSam h'isted it on his rifle. We know he kin play keerds, fer didn't hejest demonstrate it to our complete satisfaction. We know he has a heapof nerve, fer he sure has showed it all the way through. An' I'm bettin'he's goin' ter make it a right hot fight afore the galoots what arearter his mines gits what they wants."
"You forgits he's dealin' with Bill," said one of the others; "an' Billshore has the keerds stacked on him."
"That's all right," said Monte; "but you got ter do somethin' more thanstack the keerds on that young chap. Didn't Pede do that, an' didn't hebeat Pede a-plenty at his own game? That showed me that you never kintell when you has Frank Merriwell beat fer fair."
Frank had known all the time that Bill was watching. He had played thegame more for the benefit of the chief of the rascals than any one else.At the same time, it had served to pass away a little time and had beena diversion for the moment.
The guards also were near, watching every move closely.
Frank had satisfied himself that there was no chance of making a breakto escape without throwing his life away, and so he seemed to return tothe hut with perfect content. Indeed, his nonchalance and apparent lackof fretfulness and dissatisfaction over his misfortune was most amazingto the rough men.
Merry ate supper heartily.
There was a clay fireplace in the hut, and, the night coming on cool, afire was built there. Merry lolled before the fire on the hard-packedearth, which served as a floor to the hut. Bill came in, sat down on theground, and rolled a cigarette.
"Well," he finally said, "how do you find yourself to-night?"
"Oh, comfortable," carelessly answered Frank.
"Smoke?"
"Never do."
"Drink?"
"Out of my line."
"Still you can shoot and play poker! I certain admits you're a queerone!"
After a little silence, Bill again dismissed the guard. Then he said:
"I'm in a leetle hurry to know what your answer is to that therepropersition I made ye. I sw'ar, partner, I sure reckons we'd make a hotpair. I takes to you!"
"You're very complimentary!"
"I'm givin' it to ye straight. You're my style. Now, I wants ye ter knowthat I kin be of great service to ye, so I reckons it was well enough totell ye what has been done. You sent them papers to your brother in theEast. Well, I has sent one of my best men a-chasin' the papers, an'he'll be sure to get 'em if it kin be did. If he succeeds, you'll beplumb out in the cold. Howsomever, in case we rigs up a partnership, itwon't be nohow so bad, fer my man he brings me the papers, an' thatfixes it all right. Savvy?"
"That is the way you look at it."
"Sure. You may have thought you was a-givin' me too much to let me havea half-share in your mines; but when you reckons that you gits yourliberty, my friendship, and you has your papers saved, which sameotherwise would go to the minin' trust, I opine you'll come to see thatyou're not makin' such a powerful bad trade after all."
"But it is not at all certain that you'll get possession of thosepapers. In fact, everything is against such a thing happening."
"Is that so?"
"It is."
"How do ye make it out?"
"My brother knows his business, and he will take care of the papers."
"How did you send them?"
"Registered mail."
"So I opined. Now you knows it takes things registered a heap sightlonger to travel than it takes other mail."
"Well?"
"Such bein' the case, One-hand Hank is powerfu
l sartin to git thar aheado' the letter."
"He may."
"In which case he watches the post-office close. When he sees your kidbrother take out the package, he follers the boy, taps him on thekebeza, knocks him stiff, takes the papers and ambles. See how easy itis to be did?"
"It is easy enough to talk about it; but my brother is pretty shrewd,and One-hand Hank will have the time of his life getting those papers."
"You don't know Hank. He's perfectly familiar with the East, an' thatwas why he was sent. One time he escaped from Sing Sing. That was whenhe had two good arms. He's a mighty bad man, an' he'll eat up thatbrother of yours but he'll have the papers."
"I give you my assurance that Dick will sit hard on Hank's stomach. Iam not greatly worried, for all of what you have told me."
Bill frowned.
"All right," he said. "I did have some intentions of usin' persuasivemeasures on ye, such as puttin' your feet to the fire, or things likethat; but I holds them things off to the last finish, as I opine apartnership brought about that there way would be onpleasant to usboth."
"Rather," laughed Frank.
"Still," said Bill; "I may have to be rather harsh, which certain wouldgrieve me up a lot with such a fine young fellow as you are. I hopes youdon't bring me none to that. Thar's no chance fer you to give me theslip. I've taken mighty good keer of that p'int. It will save ye a greatamount of trouble if you decides to-night that we becomes pards. I'lljest walk out with ye an' interduce ye to ther boys as equal with me,an' ev'rything will be lovely. I don't reckon you'd be fool enough to goback on any sech arrangement you made, fer Cimarron Bill ain't the manto be throwed down in such a way."
"There is no need of even suggesting a threat," said Merry. "If I enterinto such a partnership with you, you can be sure I'll stand by it."
Bill urged him to make the agreement at once, but still Merry declined.
"Time is right precious," said the leader of the ruffians.
"Perhaps I'll give you an answer to-morrow."
And that was all Bill could get out of him then. So the chief fell totalking of other things, and they chatted agreeably for some time.
When the ruffian was ready to retire, he called the guard. Then he badeFrank good night and went out.
Merry slept with the same amazing peacefulness. But some time in thenight he started wide-awake, seeming to feel near him the presence ofsome one.
The fire had died out, save for a few glowing coals on the hearth. Thesentinel sat rigid in his corner. Merry could not tell if he slept ornot.
Outside the cabin something seemed to brush lightly against the wall.
This gentle sound was not repeated. After listening a long time, Frankfell asleep once more.
In the morning he found a black feather where it had fallen to theground after being thrust through a crack in the wall.
At sight of the feather he started. Then he hastened to pick it up andconceal it.
For that feather told him that old Joe Crowfoot was near. It promisedescape from the hands of the ruffians, and caused Merry to suddenlycease planning himself and trust things wholly to Crowfoot. He knew oldJoe would find an opportunity to try to aid him to escape.
That morning Frank was asked by Bill to come out and take breakfast withthe rest of the men, an invitation which he willingly accepted, as hewas beginning to thirst for the open air.
It was a glorious morning, just as all mornings in that land of eternalsunshine seem to be glorious. The elevation was sufficient to give theair a pleasant coolness. The sun shone down brightly. The horses fed inthe valley. The men were lazing about, as usual. Never had Merry seemedso perfectly at his ease as he was on this morning. He was in a jovialmood. Some of the men attempted to chaff him.
"You're right peert fer a tenderfoot," said Red Sam. "But the effeetEast is ruther slow as compared with the West, you knows."
"I'm sure I don't know," smiled Frank, sipping his coffee. "In what wayis the East behind the West?"
"Waal, when it comes to fast trains, we lays away over the East outyere."
"I have my doubts."
"Waal, you see it's this a-way," said Sam, winking at some of hiscompanions, "the trains out yere don't hev to stop ev'ry few miles, an'so, havin' once got started, they kin keep increasin' an' a-pilin' onspeed till they literally tears along. Now, thar's the Overland Express.Why, I was a-ridin' on that train oncet when she was jest running atcomfortable speed, and the telygraft-poles beside the track seemed asnigh together as teeth in a fine-tooth comb."
"That's speedy," confessed Frank.
"You bate. But it warn't northin' to what she did later. A hot box, orsomethin', kind o' delayed us, an' we hed to make up lost time. Sir,it's a fact that arter she got on full head the telygraft-poles lookedpresactly like a solid fence along beside the track!"
"But you see," said Frank, "you confess that your trains out here haveto take time to get up such high speed. That is where they are behindthe trains in the East."
"How?" demanded Sam contemptuously.
"Why, having to stop often, the Eastern trains make it a practise tostart quick and at high speed. They don't have to pump away for fifteenor twenty miles in order to get to going at a comfortable rate of speed.Instead of that they start right off at full speed. Now there is a trainruns between New York and Washington. I got aboard at the station inJersey City. My girl had come along to see me off. I opened the carwindow and leaned out to kiss her good-by, and, so help me, I kissed acolored woman in Philadelphia!"
There was a moment of silence, and then Big Monte gave a roar ofdelighted laughter. This was the kind of humor he could appreciate, andthe fact that Red Sam had been doubly outdone by the tenderfoot gave himgreat joy.
The others laughed, also, and their respect for their captive roseseveral notches.
Cimarron Bill thoroughly appreciated Merry's cleverness in getting aheadof Red Sam.
"That youngster'd make the greatest pard a man could tie to!" thoughtBill.
After breakfast Merry coolly sauntered about the hut. He was followedeverywhere by the two guards, but he gave them no heed whatever. Helooked for some further sign of old Joe, but saw nothing.
Merry wondered how the redskin would go to work to accomplish what hemeant to attempt.
Bill let Frank alone until after dinner. Then he sat down with Merry,they being by themselves, and again broached the subject that seemeduppermost in his mind.
"See here," said Frank, "I offered one of your men a thousand dollars toget me out of this. The same offer stands good with you."
The dark face of Cimarron Bill flushed and he looked deadly.
"Mebbe you don't know you're insultin' me a heap!" he said. "Such bein'the probable case, I resents it none. The minin' trust has promised mefive thousan' when I turns them papers over."
"Which you will never do."
"Which I'll sure do if you gits foolish an' refuses to tie up with me."
"Well," said Frank, "I'm not bidding against the mining trust. I haverefused to recognize that organization."
"Then you refuses my proposal?" said Bill, in that cold, dangerous voiceof his.
"Not that. I want until to-morrow morning to think it over. Just tillto-morrow."
"You'll give me my answer to-morrer mornin'?"
"Yes."
"Then it's settled that you has that much more time. I won't ask ye nomore about it until to-morrer morning; an' then you must sure give ananswer. I knows what that answer will certain be if you has the levelhead I thinks."
Frank Merriwell's Backers; Or, The Pride of His Friends Page 7