Beth Norvell: A Romance of the West

by Randall Parrish

  CHAPTER XXIII

  A NEW VOLUNTEER

  The desperate seriousness of their situation was only too evident.Both men recognized this, yet had no opportunity then to reflect overits possibilities, or plan for relief. Without exchanging a word,except as related to their present labor, the two at once beganministering to the relief of Hayes, confident that Brown, stationedwithout, would guard vigorously against any surprise attack. The twowounds upon the sheriff's head were extremely ugly in appearance, beingboth deep and jagged, and having bled profusely. However, whencarefully washed and probed, neither proved particularly severe ordangerous. In less than an hour, conscious yet exceedingly weak andbecoming somewhat feverish, the injured man, dazed in mind but fairlycomfortable in body, had been safely stowed away in a bunk, with everyprospect of an early recovery.

  Not until all this had been accomplished did his anxious nurses ventureto look thoughtfully into each others' faces and take direct cognizanceof their own perilous position. Hicks stepped outside into thesunlight, wiping the perspiration from off his face, and a moment laterWinston joined him, the two standing in grave silence, gazing offtoward the apparently deserted "Independence." The strain of the pastnight and day had plainly marked them both, yet it was not exposure andtoil alone that gave such anxiety to their faces. Finally Hicks turnedfrom his long scrutiny and glanced back toward the younger man,stroking his goat's beard solemnly.

  "Looks ter me like we'd managed ter drop into a mighty bad hole, an'was up agin the real thing," he began gloomily, yet hastening to add inexplanation, "not as I have any notion o' cavin', you onderstand, onlyI ain't overly pleased with the situation, an' thet 's a fact. I neveryit objected in particular ter no fair fight, not o' any kind, free ferall, or stan' up, but I ain't used ter buckin' agin the law nohow, an'someway thet seems ter be 'bout what we 're up agin this trip. Beatshell the way things turned out, don't it?"

  Winston nodded without opening his lips. He was thinking moreearnestly about Miss Norvell's unpleasant position than of their own,yet compelled himself to attention.

  "Now, this yere Farnham is a gambler an' a thief; he 's all roundcrooked, an' we 've got a cinch on him fer the penitentiary. But weain't got the right holt," the old miner continued, squinting his eyesas if thus endeavoring to get the thought firmly lodged in his brain."He 's ben made a deputy sheriff. He kin turn that crowd o' toughsover thar into a posse, an' come over here with the whole law o' theState backin' them in any deviltry they decide on, even ter killin' offthe lot o' us for resistin' officers. Es Sam Hayes said, if we shoot,we 'll be a-shootin' up Gulpin County. An' yet, by thunder, we 'veplumb got ter do it, er git off the earth. I jest don't see no otherway. Biff, he won't care a damn how he gits us, so he gits us afore wehave any chance ter turn the tables on him, an' shift the law over terour side. Hayes can't help any, fer he 's out o' his head.Consequent, it's up ter us. Thet warrant business, an' deputy sheriffracket, was a blame smart trick, all right. It would 'a' corralled usgood an' proper if thet fool Swede had n't run amuck. Not that he leftus in no bed o' roses, but, at least, we got a fightin' chance now, an'afore we did n't have even that. I was inclined ter let yer surrenderto the sheriff, fer Sam Hayes is a squar' man, but not ter Farnham an'his gang--not much, Mary Ann! Thet would mean lynchin', an' I know it.So, I reckon we jest got to plug it out, an' trust ter luck. Thet 'smy view-point, but ye 're a more higher edycated man ner me, Mr.Winston, an' maybe you kin see some other way out."

  The old man sat down on an outcropping stone, pulled out his pipe andlit it, puffing thick rings of smoke into the air with manifestenjoyment. Winston did not answer until the other again turned hiseyes upon him questioningly.

  "I was busy thinking," explained the engineer, "but must confess thesituation looks about as bad to me as it does to you. The silverlining of this cloud is not apparent. Of course, we 've got the rightof it, but in some way Fate has managed to leave us set square againstthe law. We 're outlaws without having done a thing to warrant it.There is n't but one possible way out, and that is for us to get on theright side again. Now, how can it be done? Some one of us will haveto go down to San Juan, before those fellows get over here in force,swear out warrants against Farnham and his partners, and have thiswhole affair probed to the bottom. We 've got them, if we can only getthe ear of the District Attorney, and shift this fight into the courts.The trouble is, Farnham was smart enough to get there ahead of us, andhe 'll win out if we don't move quick and block him. I can't gomyself, for I 'm a prisoner, and must remain with the sheriff, or willbe considered a fugitive. The only question is, Can any one hope toget through?"

  Hicks permitted his gaze to stray out across the dim valley below, thenup toward the ragged summit of the overhanging crest of rocks. Throughthe smoke of his pipe he deliberately surveyed Stutter Brown, perchedmotionless at the edge of his watchtower, a Winchester silhouettedblack against the stone.

  "Not down thet way, anyhow," he announced, finally, pointing with hispipe-stem. "I reckon a mosquiter could n't git through along thettrail ternight. Ever hear tell o' Daggett Station?"

  Winston rubbed his chin, endeavoring to recall the name.

  "I 'm not sure. Is it the water-tank and section-house, next stopbelow Bolton Junction, on the main line?"

  "You 've called the tarn. Wal, it's over thar," pointing apparentlyinto the heart of the mountain, "straight south, twenty miles as thercrow flies from the foot o' this rise, across as barren a sand waste asever broke a man's heart--nary drop o' water from start ter finish, an'hot--oh, hell!" He paused, thinking. "But I hardly reckon them peoplewould ever think 'bout guardin' thet way out, an' a good rider couldmake it easy afore daylight, an' catch the train East."

  "How do you get down?"

  "Through a long, twistin' ravine; it's a mean place fer travellin', an'you have ter lead the hoss till yer strike the sand."

  "Ever cross there yourself?"

  "Wal, no," stroking his beard; "but Stutter come back thet way onct,from a hunt or something. He never said nothin' when he struck in, butyer could 'a' scraped alkali off him with a hoe, an' he drunk a wholebucket o' water without takin' breath. So I reckon it wa'n't nopleasure jaunt."

  "Then it's got to be Stutter," decided Winston, rising to his feet,"for we must get word to San Juan. I 'm going inside to see how Hayesis feeling."

  "I reckon thet's the ticket," agreed Hicks, gloomily, "but I 'm blamedif I like losin' him. He 's a fightin' man, thet Stutter, after heonct gits his blood stirred up, an' I 'm sorter expectin' a lively timeyere when it gits dark. It 'll be Farnham's last chance ter put us outo' the way, an' he 's likely ter take it. I 'll bet Stutter won't go,leastwise without the gal; he 's natural bull-headed, besides bein' inlove. Thet makes an ornery combination."

  Within the cabin, the door closed behind him, the single small windowshedding a dim light across the apartment, Winston turned, his handstill upon the latch, and confronted Beth Norvell and Mercedes. Theirpresence there was so unexpected that the young man paused in suddenembarrassment, ready words failing him. The two were seated closetogether on rude stools beneath the window, where they had evidentlybeen in intimate conversation. The former, her gaze lowered upon thefloor, did not glance up; but Mercedes flashed her black eyes into hisface, recognizing his confusion, and hastening to relieve it.Warm-hearted, impulsive, already beginning to experience the value oftrue love, the young Mexican was eager to bring these two into a betterunderstanding. Her quick smile of welcome swept away for an instantall memory of the other's apparent indifference.

  "Ah, eet vas good you come, senor. See, ve shut up here likeprisoners; ve see nottings, ve hear nottings, ve know nottings. Now vemake you tell us eet all, de whole story. Miladi here, she tink eetall ver' bad; she cry, de tear yet in her eye, an' I know not vat totell to make her feel bettah. She 'fraid for ever'ting, but most Itink, she 'fraid for you, senor."

  Miss Norvell hastily laid her hand upon the girl's sleeve inremonstran
ce, her face showing grave in the dim light.

  "No, no, Mercedes; you must not say too much, or Mr. Winston will thinkus both very foolish."

  "Eet vas not foolish for us to vant to know, vas eet, senor?"

  "Assuredly not." He walked across the narrow room, glanced into theface of the sleeping sheriff, came back beside them, and leaned againstthe wall. The movement served to yield him confidence andself-control, to decide him as to his future course. "What is it youare so desirous of knowing?"

  "Vy, de whole ting, senor, de whole ting."

  He gazed directly into the partially upturned face of the other, asthough urging her also to speak.

  "We do not in the least comprehend the situation here, Mr. Winston,"she responded, her voice low and steady. "No one has taken the troubleto explain. We realize, of course, it must be serious, but possiblythe strain would prove less if we understood clearly what must be met."

  The engineer bowed, drawing toward him an empty cracker-box, and satdown facing them both.

  "I will relate the circumstances to you in all their unpleasantness,"he began quietly. "Perhaps your woman wit may discover some loopholewhich has escaped us." Clearly, yet rapidly, he reviewed the salientpoints of the controversy between Farnham and the "Little Yankee," hisown brief connection with it, the discoveries made in the lower levelsof the "Independence," his desperate struggle with Burke, the swearingout and serving of warrants, the sudden change in situation which hadplaced them legally in the wrong, the accident to the sheriff, the curtdismissal of his deputy, and the probable consequences. His voice grewdeep as he proceeded, marking the intense interest with which theyfollowed his recital. Then he unfolded briefly the plan adopted forrelief. It was the impulsive Mexican who broke the silence thatfollowed his conclusion.

  "Si, I see dat!" she exclaimed, leaning eagerly forward, her headbetween her hands. "Eet vas ver' good vay. But you tink dar be fightsoon? You tink so? Beell, he tink so? Den you no like dat de SenorBrown be avay? No, no, you no like be lef' alone ven de fight come?He big, strong, brav'; he bettah as ten men, hey? Eet vas so, I tellyou. I go vis de message, si; Senor Brown he stay here. Vould not datbe de bettah?"

  Winston shifted uneasily upon his cracker-box, his gaze wandering fromthe animated face confronting him to that of the other farther backamid the shadows, still grave and full of doubt.

  "You?" he exclaimed in surprise. "Surely you do not suppose we wouldever permit you to attempt such a thing."

  "No? An' vy not, senor?" springing impulsively to her feet, her eyesopening wide. "Maybe you tink I not know how ride? Maybe you tink Ivas 'fraid of de dark? or dat I lose my vay? You tink me leetle girl,"and she snapped her fingers indignantly. "Do dat? Of course I do dat!_Sapristi_! Eet vas easy. Just ride twenty mile. Bah! I do dat lotso' times. My pony he take me in tree, four hour sure. He nice pony,an' he lofe Mercedes."

  "But you do not know the way, girl, and the ride must be made at night."

  "De vay--poof! You speak ver' foolish. De vay?--you tink I cannotfind de vay! Vy, I Mexicana, senor; I know de vay of de desert; I readde sign here, dar, everyvere, like miladi does de book. I know how;si, si. Senor Brown he show me how get down de side of de mountain,den I know de res'. Twenty mile south to de rail; I read de stars, Ifeel de wind, I give de pony de quirt, and it vas done--_bueno_!"

  Winston sat silently watching her, impressed by the earnestness of herbroken English, the eloquent energy of her gesticulations.

  "Vas dat not de bettah vay, senor? I no good here; I just girl in devay, an' ven de fight come maybe I be 'fraid. But Senor Brown he notgit 'fraid; he fight hard, more as ten men. So I help too; I just ridede pony, but I help. I go San Juan; I see de Distric' Attorney." Sheclapped her hands, laughing at the thought. "Si, I know de Distric'Attorney ver' veil. He tink Mercedes ver' nice girl; he tink I dancebettah as any he ever saw; he say so to me. He do vat Mercedes vant,vat she say vas de right ting--sure he do. Vas dat not de bettah,senor?"

  "Possibly," yet secretly questioning her motives, "but--but really, youknow, I always supposed you to be a friend of Farnham's!"

  The girl instantly flushed crimson to the roots of her black hair,bringing her hands together sharply, her eyes straying from Winston tothe suddenly uplifted face of Miss Norvell.

  "No, no," she said, at last, her voice softer. "He vas not to meanyting! She know how it vas; maybe she tell you sometime. Not now,but sometime. I jus' vant do right. I vant serve Senor Brown, not datFarnham no more. No, no! once, maybe, I tink dat man ver' nice; I tinkhim good friend; he say much promise Mercedes. Now I tink dat nomore--I know he lie all de time; I see tings as dey vas right, an' Itry be good girl. You sabe all dat, senor?"

  "I understand some of it at least," and he smiled back into herpleading eyes, "enough to trust you. If Hicks and Brown consent, yourgoing will be all right with me."

  "_Bueno_!" and she dropped him a deep Spanish courtesy, executing aquick dancing step toward the door. "Den eet vill be so. I no 'fraid.I go see dem both. _Adios_."

  The door opened, and she flashed forth into the fading sunlight; itclosed behind her, and left the two alone among the shadows.