Frank Merriwell's Backers; Or, The Pride of His Friends

by Burt L. Standish

  CHAPTER XIV.

  MYSTERIOUS PABLO.

  The following morning, while Frank and his friends were at breakfast,there came the sounds of a struggle outside the cabin, followed by aknock on the door.

  Merry drew a revolver and laid it in his lap.

  "Come in," he called.

  The door was flung open, and Tracy entered, dragging by the collar asmall Mexican lad, who held back and betrayed every evidence of terror.

  "Found him skulking about, Mr. Merriwell," said the foreman. "Don't knowwhar he come from. Just brought him yere fer you to deal with."

  The boy seemed badly frightened.

  "Let him go, Tracy," said Frank.

  The boy hesitated when released, seeming on the point of running, butpausing to look appealingly at Merry. He was not a bad-looking littlechap, although he was rather dirty and unkempt. He had wondrous darkeyes, big and full of interrogation.

  "Well, my boy, what do you want?" asked Merry, in a kindly way.

  The boy shook his head.

  "I want notheenk de senor can gif," he answered, in a low tone.

  "How came you around here?"

  "I hunt for my seestar."

  "Your sister?"

  "_Si, senor_."

  "Where is she?"

  "That I cannot tell, senor. She be take away by de bad man. He haf foolher, I t'ink."

  "What bad man do you mean?"

  "Seester call heem Beel."

  "Bill?"

  "Dat ees hees name."

  "Bill what?"

  The boy shook his head once more.

  "I know eet not," he said. "He half manee man like heem who do what hesay. He get my seester to go wif heem."

  "What is your sister's name?"

  "Eet ees Gonchita."

  Frank jumped.

  "Gonchita?" he cried.

  "Dat ees eet," nodded the boy. "Mebbe you do know her?"

  "I think I have seen her," said Merry. "By Jove! So this fellow Bill ledher to run away with him, did he, the scoundrel? And you are searchingfor him. What will you do if you find him?"

  "I cannot tell, but I want my seestar to come 'way an' leaf heem. He eesbad man."

  "That's right. What's your name?"

  "Pablo."

  "Well, Pablo, my boy, I hope you find your sister all right and get heraway from Bill, but you have a big job on your hands. Come here and havesome breakfast. Are you hungry?"

  "Oh, vera hungree, senor!"

  "You shall have all you can eat. It's all right, Tracy. You may go. I'lltake care of the kid."

  "I wish to report, sir," said Tracy, "that Hop Anson is missing."

  "What's that? Anson--he's gone?"

  "Skipped out last night, sir. He was not to be found this morning. Ithought he'd do it, sir."

  "Well, let him go. I don't think he'll do much harm."

  "If you had listened to me, I'd fixed him so he'd never done any furtherharm."

  "All right, Tracy--all right. I'll see you later."

  Tracy left the room.

  "Look out for that man, Frank," said Hodge, in an ominous manner. "He isnot to be trusted at all."

  "All right," said Merry. "We'll not discuss him--now." Which remark wasmade with a meaning look toward the Mexican lad.

  Pablo was given a place at the table and a steaming cup of coffee placedbefore him. Corn bread and bacon, with some canned stuff, made up thebreakfast, and the boy ate almost ravenously of everything given him.But he kept his hat pulled low over his eyes all the while.

  After breakfast Frank sought to question Pablo further, succeeding indrawing from the boy that both his father and mother were dead, andthat he had lived in Holbrook with his sister, where she had seen Bill,who seemed to fascinate her. At least she had run away with the man,and, arming himself with a knife and pistol, Pablo had followed torescue or avenge her. Chance had led him to the valley in which theQueen Mystery Mine was located.

  It was rather a pathetic little story, and Merry was somewhat stirred byit.

  "What could you do if you should find Bill?" he asked.

  A grim look came to Pablo's soiled yet attractive face.

  "I haf my peestol," he said.

  "But Bill is a very bad man, and he would have a pistol, too."

  "I do my best. I am not skeert of Beel."

  "Well, as I happen to know something of Bill, I tell you now, Pablo,that it will be better for you if you never meet him."

  "But my seestar--my seestar! I mus' find her."

  Frank was tempted to tell the boy what he knew about Gonchita, butdecided not to do so, believing it would be to no purpose.

  So Pablo remained in the valley for the time, seeming in no hurry tocontinue the search for his sister. He wandered about the mine and thebuildings, peering curiously at everything with his big eyes, listeningto the talk of the men, and seeming to have a great curiosity.

  All this was observed by Bart Hodge, who watched the lad as closely aspossible. That afternoon Bart said to Frank:

  "Merry, that greaser boy acts queer. Have you noticed it?"

  "How do you mean?"

  "Why, he told a story about being in a dreadful hurry to find hissister, but he hangs around here."

  "I suppose the little chap doesn't know where to look for the girl."

  "But he's such an inquisitive little rascal. He goes slipping aroundeverywhere, looking at everything, and listening to the talk of the men.He acts to me like a spy."

  "It's his way. Mexicans have a sneaking way about them, you know."

  "Well, it may be his way, but I wouldn't trust him."

  "I don't propose to trust him," said Frank, with a laugh. "I am notgiven to trusting greasers. It is probable that he will go awayto-morrow and we'll never see anything more of him."

  "Perhaps so."

  "I expect to find him gone in the morning," said Merry.

  But in the morning Pablo was found sleeping just outside Frank's doorwhen Merry opened it. He lay there, his old hat pulled down over hisears, curled up like a dog; but he started wide-awake and sat up,staring at Merriwell with his big black eyes.

  "What the dickens you doing here?" asked Frank, annoyed.

  "I tak' de sleep," grinned Pablo faintly.

  "Well, couldn't you find any other place? Have you been there allnight?"

  "Oh, I haf no odar place. Thees good for Pablo."

  "Well, it may be all right for you; but it seems deuced uncomfortable tome. When are you going to look for Bill and your sister?"

  "_Manana_."

  "To-morrow?"

  "_Si, senor_."

  Frank could not refrain from smiling at this characteristic answer. Withthe Spaniards everything is to be done to-morrow, and the lazy Mexican,having adopted the language of the Spaniard, has also adopted his motto.

  When Frank turned back he found Hodge washing.

  "I told you," said Bart. "The fellow acts to me like a spy. It wouldn'tsurprise me to find out that he had been sent here by Bill. This storyabout his sister may be faked up."

  "But I know Gonchita is with the ruffians."

  "That's all right. That makes it all the easier to deceive you. Thatmade the boy's story seem all the more probable. Just you watch himclose and see if he doesn't act the spy."

  "All right," laughed Merry. "But let's have breakfast without worryingabout him."

  It was necessary to drag Ready out.

  "Oh, me! oh, my!" sighed Jack dolefully. "Methinks I have bestriddensomething that hath galled me extensively. I am likewise weary and sorein every limb and joint."

  Gallup had stood the riding much better, but even he was lame.

  After breakfast Frank went out and found Pablo curled in the sunshinearound the corner of the hut. And not more than four feet from theMexican lad was a rattlesnake.

  The crack of the pistol in Frank's hand caused Pablo to start up with ajump. He stared in astonishment at Merry, who stood over him, holdingthe smoking pistol. Then he looked and saw the headles
s snake stretchedon the ground.

  "Oh, _Madre de Dios_!" he cried. "You shoot de snake! Mebbe you save mefrom de snake!"

  "Perhaps so," nodded Frank, with a slight smile. "You had better becareful, for snakes are not all the dangerous things you will find onthe ground."

  Pablo made a spring and caught Frank's hand.

  "To me you are so veree goode!" he said, kissing Merry's hand in amanner that surprised Frank somewhat.

  Then he saw the pistol with which the snake had been shot.

  "_Carrambo_!" he cried, in astonishment. "Where you geet eet? Depeestol. Eet do belong to my seestar."

  For Merry had shot the snake with the pistol given him by Gonchita.

  "How you haf eet?" asked Pablo, with great eagerness. "Where you geeteet?"

  Frank was fairly cornered. As a result, he sat down there and told theMexican boy of his capture by Cimarron Bill's gang and of Gonchita.

  "Then she be steel alife?" exclaimed Pablo. "Beel haf not keeled her!"

  "He had not then."

  "But she help you to geet away?"

  "Yes."

  "Then mebbe Beel be veree angry weeth her--mebbe he keel her! Eef he dothat----"

  "If he does he ought to be hanged! Pablo, Bill is sure to be hanged orshot before long, anyhow."

  "But he tell Gonchita he mak' veree much monee. He say big men what canbuy the law pay him much monee."

  "I know what he means, Pablo. A lot of men have banded together to robme of my mines, this one here and another in Mexico. They expected to doso with ease at first, but made a fizzle of it. They thought to take themines from me by law; but now they know they cannot do that, and theyhave hired Bill and his ruffians to seize it. Those men are the ones whoare paying Bill for his work. He expects they will protect him when itis done. He is looking for a pardon for all past offenses."

  "But you weel not let him beat you?"

  "Not if I can help it. He has failed thus far. He attacked the mine withhis ruffians and was repulsed."

  "De nex' time he do eet deeferent. He come een when you do not expect.Mebbe he geet somebody to gef de mine up to them."

  "Nobody here," said Merry, with a laugh. "I can trust my men."

  "You theenk so."

  "Oh, I'm sure of it."

  "One try to shoot you not long 'go."

  "Yes. How did you learn of that?"

  "Pablo have de ear. He hear something."

  "What did you hear?"

  "Dat man be paid to try de shoot."

  "Look here, how do you know?"

  "Oh, I hear some of de men talk. They all say they pritee sure of eet.How you like my seestar?"

  The boy asked the question with such suddenness that Frank was a bitstartled.

  "I am sorry for her, Pablo. I'm sorry Bill has her in his hands."

  "Oh, Beel he say he marree her; but I know he lie. Mebbe she know eetnow. Beel want her to help heem. You theenk she veree bad girl?"

  This question was put almost pathetically, Pablo again grasping Frank'shand and gazing wistfully into Merry's eyes.

  "No; I do not think she is very bad."

  "She do noteeng to make you theenk so?"

  "Well, she fooled me somewhat at first by telling me a story about herwounded father. She had such an innocent way that I swallowed the yarn.That was how I fell into Bill's hands. I accompanied her to go, as Isupposed, to her wounded father. She decoyed me into a trap."

  "But afterward--afterward?" eagerly asked the boy.

  "She seemed to change in a most remarkable manner, and helped me out ofit. But for her, I fancy I'd surely been disposed of by those ruffians."

  "Then you see she be not so veree bad. When she first see you mebbe shenever seen you before. Mebbe she haf promeesed to Beel that she take youeento trap. Aftare she see you she be soree, and she want you to geetaway."

  "I think that was about the way things happened, Pablo."

  "I am glad you do not theenk she ees so veree bad girl. What you do eefI breeng her here?"

  "What would I do?"

  "_Si senor_; how you like eet?"

  Pablo was watching Frank's face closely.

  "Why, I would do my best for her," said Merry. "I should feel it my dutyafter what she did for me."

  "You would not be veree angree?"

  "No."

  "Nor veree please'?"

  "Why, for your sake I would be pleased."

  "But you never care for your own sake at all? You never want to see myseestar again?"

  "I should be glad to see her and thank her."

  "Dat ees all?"

  "And to do her any other favor in my power. I am not ungrateful enoughto forget what she did for me."

  "Dat ees all?"

  "What more do you want?" demanded Merry, in surprise.

  "Notheeng," murmured Pablo regretfully, as he turned and walked away.