by Anonymous
CHAPTER XIX
PEDRO'S BOLD STROKE
All this time the wolves had let us alone. Frequently, toward evening,we would detect them standing on the hillsides watching us, but theywere afraid to come near: the hammering and sawing, the stir and bustlechecked them and they kept aloof--by daylight.
Every night, though, they came down to the edge of the canon to howl atus, and as the flume neared completion there was danger that they mightsummon courage to cross by it--the old bridge we had long ago tumbledinto the stream. To prevent this, we at first set up every night atemporary gate across it, but later, we adopted a safer and better plan.We set two doors in our flume, one in the down-stream end, the other inthe side, about the middle, so that by closing the former and openingthe latter, all the water could be made to fall into the stream below.Our supply could thus be regulated at the flume instead of going allthe way up to the old head-gate for the purpose.
These gates being set, Pedro and another Mexican went up and openedconnection between the lake and the low place where we had stirred upthe deer the first day we were up there, and very soon there was asecond little lake formed. Then, the flume being ready, we two and Pedrowent up and raised the stone head-gate three inches. The rush with whichthe water came out was astonishing, and before the day was over it hadcome on down to the flume and was pouring through the side gate into thegorge--making a perfect defence against the wolves.
During the two months, or thereabouts, that we had been engaged in thiswork, Dick had made altogether three trips to Mosby, on which occasionshe had written to Arthur, detailing our progress. Arthur, on his part,had written to us--or, rather, somewhat to our surprise, he had writtento the professor instead of directly to Dick--once from Santa Fe andonce from the City of Mexico, whither he had been sent to institute asearch of the records there. His last letter stated that up to that timeno trace of the old patent had been found, but that, in spite of thatdrawback, his father was vigorously stirring things up at his end of theline, and that we might expect to see "something doing" in the enemy'scamp at any time. He stated also that he had hopes of rejoining us sometime early in July.
In consequence, we had been constantly on the watch for him for nearly amonth, but here was the end of July approaching and no Arthur hadappeared.
As we were very anxious to know when to expect him, and as we were alsoin need of new supplies, the moment the flume was finished Dick set offonce more for Mosby, while Pedro and I, transferring all our tools fromthe far side of the gorge, picked out a new working-ground on our side.
There was nothing further to be done on the "island," but though theflume was finished and ready for use, we still had need of a largeamount of lumber in the construction of our ditch, for at the head ofevery draw it would be necessary to build a short flume, or, in someplaces, a culvert, to allow a passage for the rain-water which otherwiseduring the summer thunder-storm season would wash our ditch full ofearth and rubbish.
As it would be too inconvenient, unfortunately, to cut lumber in theold place and carry it across the flume, we moved all the tools, as Isaid, over to our side, and following along the line of the ditch forabout half a mile, we selected a spot above it on the mountain and thereset our Mexicans to work felling trees and digging new saw-pits.
From the place selected we could see out over the plain in alldirections; a fact which had been one of our reasons for choosing thatparticular spot.
Indeed it had become a matter of great importance that we should be ableto keep a watch on the valley, for we believed we had more than everreason to fear some act of hostility on the part of the padron. Dick hadno more than gone that day, when we were surprised by receiving adaylight visit from our friend, Jose Santanna, who informed us thatGalvez of late had been showing unwonted signs of unrest; that he wasgrowing more and more suspicious, irritable and evil-tempered. That theevening before a man had ridden into the village and had handed Galvez apaper--some legal notice, I guessed--upon receipt of which the padronhad at first broken into a towering rage; had then gone about for halfa day in a mood so morose and snappish that no one dared go near him;and that finally he had ordered his horse and ridden away, saying thathe was going to Taos.
"To Taos!" I exclaimed. "What has he gone to Taos for?"
Jose shrugged his shoulders and spread out his hands, palms upward, asmuch as to say, "Who knows?"
"Have we scared him out after all, I wonder," said I. "Did he sayanything about coming back, Jose?"
"He said he would return in four days," replied the Mexican.
"And is that all you know about it?"
"_Si, senor_, that is all. I know no more."
From this conversation it was plain to me that the law was beginning towork, and that Galvez was becoming uneasy. Knowing his character, I,too, became uneasy, for, should he be rendered desperate, there was notelling what tactics he might resort to. It was this consideration thatmade me so anxious for the safe return of my two partners.
From my vantage-point on the mountain I kept up a pretty constant watchfor the next few days; no one could come across the valley from anydirection without my seeing them--during daylight, that is--and unlessGalvez had slipped into Hermanos after dark I was sure he had notreturned, when, about three o'clock on the afternoon of the fourth day Iespied Dick, a long way off, coming back from Mosby. It was twelve hoursearlier than I had expected him, and wondering if he had any specialreason for making such a quick trip, I got my pony and hurried off tomeet him.
I had a feeling that Dick was bringing news of some sort, and his firstwords after shaking hands proved the correctness of my impression.
"Well, old chap!" he exclaimed. "I've got news for you this time thatwill make you 'sit up and take notice':--Arthur may be here any day; andhe has at last got track of that patent."
"Got a letter from him, then, did you?" I asked.
"Yes; written from Cadiz, in Spain, more than three weeks ago."
"From Cadiz!" I cried. "What's he doing there?"
"His father sent him over to go through a chest of old papers they havein their house there. Arthur says--I'll give you his letter to read assoon as we get to camp--he says that he spent a fortnight reading allsorts of musty documents, without success, when at last he came upon anold note-book with the name of Arthur the First on its fly-leaf, and inthat he found a single line referring to the patent--the only mentionthat has turned up anywhere."
"And what does that say?"
"It says---- Here, wait a minute; hold my rifle. I'll show you what itsays."
So saying, Dick took the letter out of his pocket, and finding the rightplace, handed it to me. The passage read: "It was an old memorandum-bookin which my very great-grandfather used to note down all the particularsof the copper shipments and other matters dealing with the K. P. mine;but on the last fly-leaf was this entry, written in English: 'Mem. Incase of accident to myself: The King's patent and the King's commissionare in a hole in the wall above the door of the strong-room.' Where thestrong-room may have been," Arthur went on, "I don't know, unless it isin the _Casa_. Ask Pedro."
"What do you think of that?" asked Dick.
"I think---- Well, I think we'll do as Arthur says: ask Pedro."
In the course of an hour we had reached camp, when Dick, as soon as hehad greeted the faithful Mexican, at once propounded the importantquestion.
"Pedro," said he, without any preface, "did you ever hear of the'strong-room'?"
"Surely," replied Pedro, with an air of surprise at being asked such aquestion. "Everybody knows the strong-room. It is a little room on theeast side of the _Casa_; it has a door and no window; it is where onetime the copper was stored, waiting for the pack-trains to come and takeit away."
"It is, is it!" cried Dick. "Then, Frank, I shouldn't be a bit surprisedif those deeds were in there now. How are we to find out?"
"Go and look!" I exclaimed, springing to my feet. "Now's our chance!Galvez is away--gone to Taos. Let us make a try for it a
t once. He's dueto be back to-day, and then it will be too late. Come on! Let's get out!We haven't a minute to lose! Will you come with us, Pedro?"
To my surprise, and, I must confess, to my disappointment also, Pedroshook his head. I supposed he was afraid to leave his mountain, and fora moment my opinion of his courage suffered a relapse. But I was doinghim an injustice, as I heartily owned to myself, when, pointing out overthe valley, he said, quietly:
"It is too late already, senor. Look there!"
Half a mile the other side of Hermanos, riding toward the village, werethree horsemen, one of whom we recognized as Galvez. Who the othersmight be, and why the padron should be bringing them to Hermanos, wecould not guess. We were destined, however, to learn all about themlater in the day.
As a matter of course, the sole subject of our thoughts and ourconversation was the King's patent, and whether or not it was still inits hiding-place above the door of the strong-room. The only way to findout was to get in there and search for it, but how to do that was thequestion. Many plans did we discuss and discard, and we were stilldiscussing as we sat round the fire that night--our Mexican workmenbeing encamped some distance away--when Pedro suddenly jumped up, andsignaling to us to keep quiet, stood for a moment with his head bentforward, listening intently. His sharp ears had detected some soundinaudible to our less practised hearing.
Making a quick backward motion with his hand, he whispered sharply:"Get away! Get away back from the light of the fire while I go see!"
We speedily retreated up the hill a little way and hid ourselves amongthe trees, while Pedro, with the stealth of a wild animal, slippedsilently off into the darkness. So quick and so noiseless were themovements of the clumsy-looking Mexican that I thought to myself I hadrather be hunted by wolves than by that skilful woodsman, with his keensenses, his giant strength and his deadly, silent bow and arrow. I didnot wonder any more that Galvez kept himself aloof.
For two or three minutes silence prevailed, when we saw Pedro step backinto the circle of light, and with him another man. It was our friend,Jose Santanna, again.
"Well, Jose!" cried Dick. "What can we do for you?"
"Senor," replied the Mexican, "I came up to tell you something--to warnyou. The padron is come back. He has been to Taos and he has broughtback with him two men. They are bad--like himself. I go up to the _Casa_this evening while they are at supper and I hear them talking andlaughing together through the door which is open. They say they likenow to see three boys and a stupid peon"--he nodded toward Pedro--"getthem out. They say if they catch Pedro they hang him, and if they catch'that young Blake' they shoot him. They are dangerous, senor."
"We shall have to keep our eyes wide open," said Dick. "Do you thinkthey'll venture up here, Jose?"
"I think not," replied the Mexican. "One of the men say, 'Let us go upon the mountain and catch them,' but the padron, he say very quick, 'No,no. I do not go up on the mountain. While they are there they do noharm, but if they come down here, then----!'"
"I see," said Dick. "They mean to hold the fort against all comers. Itis pretty evident, I think, that Galvez has been back to his old haunts,hunted out a couple of his old-time cronies, and brought them back togarrison the _Casa_, meaning to defy the law to get him out."
"That's it, I expect," said I. "And our chances of getting into thestrong-room are a good deal slimmer than ever."
It certainly did look so; yet, as it happened, I never made a greatermistake.
Who would have guessed how soon we were to get that chance? And whowould have guessed that the man who was to provide the opportunity--andthat by a plan so bold that I am astonished at it yet--was the man whomI had that day mentally accused of cowardice? How I did apologize to himin my thoughts!
"Jose," said Pedro, "does the padron still go to bed every night at teno'clock, as he used to do?"
"_Si_," replied the cowman.
"Does he always come out to the well to get a drink of cold water justbefore he goes to bed, as he used to do?"
"_Si_," replied the cowman once more.
"Those two men, are they to sleep in that room next the padron's?"
"_Si_," replied the cowman for the third time.
"Good!" exclaimed Pedro. "What time is it, senor?" turning suddenly toDick.
"Half past eight," replied my partner, looking at his watch.
"Good!" exclaimed Pedro once more.
For a minute he sat silent, his lower lip stuck out, frowning at thefire, while we sat watching him, wondering what he was thinking about,when, with an angry grunt he muttered to himself, "Stupid peon, eh!Humph! We'll see!" Then, jumping up, he said briskly: "Senores, getyour horses. We will search the strong-room to-night."
Still wondering what scheme he had in his head, we saddled up andfollowed him as he rode down the mountain and out upon the plain, toomuch engaged for the moment in picking our way to find an opportunity toask questions.
It seemed to me that our guide must have something of the wild animal inhim, for, though it was very dark, he never hesitated for a moment, butwent jogging along, threading his way through the sage-brush without apause or a stumble. Either he or his burro must have had the cat-likegift of being able to see in the dark.
In about an hour we saw dimly the walls of the _Casa_ looming up nearus, and passing by it, we went on down to the creek where we dismountedand tied up our horses to the trees. Then, following down the creek fora short distance, we presently came opposite the front gate of the_Casa_, about a hundred yards distant. The village on the other side ofthe stream was dark and silent, but in one of the rooms in the _Casa_,facing the gateway, we could see a light burning.
"That is the padron's room," whispered Jose. "He has not gone to bedyet."
Against the light of the open door we could see between us and the housethe long, black arm of the well-sweep, and advancing toward it, we hadcome within about thirty steps of it when Pedro requested us to stopthere and lie down, while he himself went on and crouched behind thecurbing of the well. We could not see him; in fact we could see nothingbut the lights in the window and doorway, the well-sweep, and, verydimly, the outline of the building.
There we lay in dead silence for a quarter of an hour, wondering whatPedro expected to do, when we heard voices, and the next moment thefigures of two men showed themselves in the lighted doorway. One of themcarried a candle, and the pair of them went into the next room--all therooms opened into the courtyard--and shut the door. For five minutes thelight showed through the little window and then went out. The padron'sfriends had gone to bed.
For another five minutes we waited, and then the padron himselfappeared. We could hear the jingle of his spurs as he came leisurelydown to the well to get his nightly drink of cold water. We lay still,hardly daring to breathe.
Presently, we heard the squeak of the well-sweep and saw it come round,dip down and rise again. Then we heard the clink of a cup: Galvez wastaking his drink. He never finished it!
At that moment Pedro's burly form rose up from behind the curbing; hetook two steps forward, and with his great right hand he seized Galvezby the neck from behind, giving it such a squeeze that the unfortunateman could not utter a sound. We heard the cup fall to the ground with aclatter.
Then, grasping the helpless padron by the back of his trousers, thelittle giant swung him off his feet and hoisting him high above hishead, stepped to the rim of the curbing. The next moment there was amuffled splash--Galvez had been dropped into the well!
He had been dropped in feet foremost, however, and as the well was onlytwelve feet deep with four feet of water in it, his life was notendangered.
At this point we all jumped up and ran forward, reaching the well justas Galvez recovered his feet, as we could tell by the coughing andspluttering noises which came up from below. As we approached, Pedroleaned over the coping and said in a low voice:
"Good-evening, Padron. This is Pedro Sanchez. If you make any noise Idrop the bucket of water on your head."
&nb
sp; This gentle hint was not lost upon Galvez, who contented himself withmuttered growlings of an uncomplimentary nature, when Pedro, turning toDick, whispered sharply:
"Run quick now to the strong-room. I stay here to guard the padron."
In company with the barefooted Jose, we ran into the courtyard, wherethe Mexican pointed out to us the door of the strong-room, the first onthe right, and while Dick and I pulled it open, taking great care tomake no noise, Jose himself ran on to the padron's room, whence hequickly returned with a candle in his hand.
While Dick stood guard outside, in case the padron's two friends shouldcome out, I slipped into the little room, where, finding an emptybarrel, I placed it in front of the doorway, jumped upon it, and takingmy sheath-knife, I stabbed at the adobe wall just above the lintel ofthe door. The second or third stroke produced a hollow sound andbrought down a shower of dried mud, when, vigorously attacking the spot,I soon uncovered a little board which had been let into the wall andplastered over with adobe.
In a few seconds I had pried this out, when I found that the spacebehind it was hollow, and thrusting in my hand I brought out a brass boxshaped like a magnified cigar-case.
"Dick!" I whispered, eagerly. "I've found something! Come in here!"
My partner quickly joined me, when we pried open the box, finding thatit contained a parcel wrapped up in a piece of cloth. Imagine ourexcitement when on tearing off the wrapping we found that the contentsof the package consisted of two parchment documents, written in Spanish!We had no time to examine them thoroughly, but a hasty glance convincingus that we had indeed found what we sought, and there being nothing elsein the hole, I crammed the parchments back into the box, shoved the boxinto my pocket, buttoned my coat, and away we went back to the well.
"Find it?" whispered Pedro.
I replied by patting my pocket.
Pedro nodded; and then, having first lowered the bucket into the wellagain, he leaned over the coping and said softly:
"Padron, you may come out now as soon as you like."
With that, leaving Galvez to climb out if he could, or to remain wherehe was if he couldn't, we all turned and ran for it.
Having recovered our horses, Jose bolted for home, while we went off asfast as we dared in the darkness for camp.
There, by the light of the fire, we examined our capture. One of theparchments was the commission of old Arthur the First to the"Governorship" of the King Philip mine; the other was the original"Grant" of the Hermanos tract from Philip V, King of Spain, the Indiesand a dozen other countries, to his trusty and well-beloved subject,Arturo Blake.
"This _is_ great!" cried Dick. "This will settle the title without anychance of dispute. Galvez may as well pack up and go now. I wonder whathe'll do?"
"I don't know what Galvez will do," said I; "but I can tell you what_we_ must do, Dick. We must cut and run. This patent must be put away ina safe place--and it isn't safe here by any means. Galvez will be aboutcrazy with rage at having been dropped into the well; and for anotherthing, he'll see that hole above the door, and he'll know that whateverit was we took out of the hole, it must be something of importance tohave induced us to come raiding his premises like that."
"That's true," said Dick, nodding his head.
"And I shouldn't be a bit surprised," I continued, "now that he has twoother unscrupulous rascals to back him, if he were to come raiding us inreturn. What do you think, Pedro?"
"I think it is likely," replied the Mexican. "I think it is well thatyou go, and stop the Senor Blake from coming here. Those men aredangerous. For me, I have no fear: I can take care of myself."
"Then we'll skip," said Dick. "It's safest; and it's only for a time,anyhow, for, of course, Galvez's legal ejection is certain, sooner orlater, now that we have the patent in our hands. So we'll get out,Frank, the very first thing to-morrow."
It was the night of July 28th that we came to this resolution; though,as a matter of fact, we were not aware of it at the time, for we hadlost track of the days of the month. It was the astounding event of theday following that impressed the date so indelibly on our memories.
Men plot and plan and calculate and contrive, thinking themselves veryclever; but how feeble they are when Dame Nature steps in and takes ahand, and how easily she can upset all their calculations, we were tolearn, once for all, that coming day.
CHAPTER XX
THE MEMORABLE TWENTY-NINTH
Though we had intended to get off about sunrise we failed to do so, forwe found that Galvez was on the lookout for us. No sooner had we startedthan we saw the three men ride out from the _Casa_ with the evidentintention of cutting us off, so, not wishing to get into a fight if itcould be avoided, we turned back again.
Thereupon, the enemy also turned back; but, watching their movements, wesaw that soon after they had entered the house, the figure of one ofthem appeared again on the roof, and there remained--a sentinel.Plainly, they were not going to let us get away if they could help it.
At midday, however, we saw the sentinel go down, presumably to get hisdinner, when we thought we would try again. Pedro therefore went off toget our horses for us, but he had hardly been gone a minute when we werestartled to see him coming back with them, running as fast as his shortlegs would permit.
"What's the matter, Pedro?" cried Dick. "What's wrong?"
"I see the Senor Arturo coming!" shouted the Mexican.
"What!" cried Dick, and, "Where?" cried I, both turning to look out overthe plain.
That man, Pedro, must have had eyes like telescopes to pretend todistinguish any one at such a distance, but on examining the littleblack speck through the glass I made out that it was a horseman, andafter watching him for a few seconds I concluded that it was indeed ourfriend, Arthur, returning.
"Frank!" cried my partner. "We must ride out to meet him at once! Pedro,you stay here and watch the _Casa_. If those three men come out, make abig smoke here so that we may know whether we have to hurry or not."
"It is good," replied the Mexican; and seeing that he might be reliedupon to give us timely warning--for he at once began to collectmaterials for his fire--away we went.
Riding briskly, though without haste, we had left the mountain and werecrossing a wide depression in the plain, when, on its further edge,there suddenly appeared the solitary horseman, riding toward us at ahard gallop. Dick turned in his saddle and cast a glance behind him.
"The smoke!" he cried; and without another word we clapped our heelsinto our ponies' ribs and dashed forward.
As Arthur approached--for we could now clearly see that it was he--weobserved that he kept looking back over his left shoulder, and just aswe arrived within hailing distance three other horsemen came in sightover the southern rim of the depression, riding at a furious pace, theirbodies bent forward over their horses' necks. Each of the three carrieda rifle, we noticed, and one of the three was Galvez.
At sight of us, the pursuers, seemingly taken aback at findingthemselves confronted by three of us, when they had expected to findonly one, abruptly pulled up. This brief pause gave time to Arthur tojoin us, when Dick, slipping down from his horse, advanced a few stepstoward the enemy, kneeled down, and ostentatiously cocked his rifle.
Whether the padron's quick ears caught the sound of the cocking of therifle--which seemed hardly likely, though in that clear, stillatmosphere the sharp _click-click_ would carry a surprisingly longdistance--I do not know; but whatever the cause, the result was asunexpected as it was satisfactory. Galvez uttered a sharp exclamation,whirled his horse round, and away they all went again as fast as theyhad come.
"See that!" cried Arthur. "What did I tell you, Dick? We have to thankthat locoed steer for that."
"I expect we have," replied Dick.
"Not a doubt of it," said I. "I was sure that Galvez was much impressedby the way that steer went over, and now I'm surer. Lucky he was, too,for those three fellows meant mischief, if I'm not mistaken."
"That's pretty certain, I think," respond
ed Arthur. "And it was anotherpiece of good fortune that you turned up just when you did. How did ithappen?"
We explained the circumstances, but we had no more than done so, whenArthur exclaimed:
"Why, here comes old Pedro now! At a gallop, too! Everybody seems to beriding at a gallop this morning."
Looking toward the mountain, we saw the Mexican on his burro coming downat a great pace, but we had hardly caught sight of him when he suddenlystopped. He was on a little elevation, from which, evidently, he couldsee Galvez and his friends careering homeward, and observing that theaffair was over and that his assistance was not needed, he forthwithhalted, and, with a mercifulness not too common among Mexicans, jumpedto the ground in order to ease his steed of his weight.
There he stood, nearly two miles away, with his hand on the burro'sshoulders, watching the retreating enemy, while we three rode toward himat a leisurely pace.
As will be readily imagined, there was great rejoicing among us over thesafe return of our friend and partner, and a great shaking of hands allround, when, hardly giving him time to get his breath again, Dick and Iplunged head-first into the relation of all we had done since we saw himlast: the finding of the head-gate and the building of the flume;triumphantly concluding our story with the recovery of the patent thenight before.
"Well, that was a great stroke, sure enough!" exclaimed Arthur. "Thatwill settle the business. The 'stupid peon' got ahead of the padron thattime, all right. But before we talk about anything else, Dick," he wenton, "I have something I want to tell you about, something in myopinion--and the professor thinks so too--even more important--toyou--than the title to the Hermanos Grant."
"What's that?" cried my partner, alarmed by his serious manner. "Nothingwrong, is there?"
"No, there's nothing wrong, I'm glad to say. Quite the contrary, infact. I'm half afraid to mention it, old man, for fear I should bemistaken after all, and should stir you up all for nothing, but--whydidn't you tell me, Dick, that your name was Stanley?"
"Why, I did!" cried Dick.
"No, you didn't, old fellow. If you remember, you were going to do sothat first day we met, down there in the canon by the opening of theKing Philip mine, when Pedro interrupted you by remarking that thedarkness would catch us if we stayed there any longer."
"I remember. Yes, that's so. Ah! I see. That was why you addressed yourletters to the professor instead of to me."
"Yes, that was the reason. It didn't occur to me till I came to write toyou that I didn't know your name."
"That was rather funny, wasn't it?" said Dick, laughing. "But I don'tsee that it made much difference in the end: I got your letters allright."
My partner spoke rather lightly, but Arthur on the other hand looked soserious, not to say solemn, that Dick's levity died out.
"What is it, old man?" he asked. "What difference does it make whethermy name is Stanley or anything else?"
"It makes a great difference, Dick," replied Arthur. "I believe"--hepaused, hesitating, and then went on, "I'm half afraid to tell you, forfear there might be some mistake after all, but--well--I believe, Dick,that I've found out who you are and where you came from!"
It was Dick's turn to look serious. His face turned a little pale underits sunburn.
"Go on," said he, briefly.
"You remember, perhaps," Arthur continued, "how I told you that onereason why I had to go back by way of Santa Fe was because I had someinquiries to make on behalf of my mother. Well, as it turned out, SantaFe was the wrong place. The place for me to go to was Mosby, and the manfor me to ask was--the professor!
"When I reached Mosby yesterday," he continued, "I rode straight on upto his house, when the kindly old gentleman, as soon as I had explainedwho I was, made me more than welcome. We were sitting last eveningtalking, when I happened to cast my eye on the professor's book shelf,and there I saw something which brought me out of my chair like a shot.It was a volume of Shakespeare, one of a set, volume two--that bookwhich the professor found in the wagon-bed when he found you. I knew thebook in a moment--for we have the rest of the set at home, Dick!"
Dick stopped his horse and sat silent for a moment, staring at Arthur.Then, "Go on," said he once more.
"I pulled the book down from the shelf," Arthur went on, "and looked atthe fly-leaf. There was an inscription there--I knew there wouldbe--'Richard Livingstone Stanley, from Anna.'"
"Well," said Dick. His voice was husky and his face was pale enough now.
"Dick," replied Arthur, reaching out and grasping my partner's arm, "mymother's name was Anna Stanley, and she gave that set of Shakespeare toher brother, Richard, on his twenty-first birthday!"
For a time Dick sat there without a word, not at first comprehending,apparently, the significance of these facts--that he and Arthur must befirst cousins--while the latter quickly related to us the rest of thestory.
Dick's mother having died, his father determined to leave Scotland andseek his fortune in the new territory of Colorado, whose fame was thenmaking some stir in the world. In company, then, with a friend, DavidScott--the "Uncle" David whom Dick faintly remembered--he set out,taking the boy with him.
From the little town of Pueblo, on the Arkansas, Richard Stanley hadwritten that he intended going down to Santa Fe, and that was the lastever heard of him. At that time--the year '64--everything westward fromthe foot of the mountains was practically wilderness. Into thiswilderness Richard Stanley had plunged, and there, it was supposed, heand his son and his friend had perished.
As for Dick, he seemed to be dazed--and no wonder. For a boy who hadnever had any relatives that he knew of to be told suddenly that theyoung fellow sitting there with his hand on his arm was his own cousin,was naturally a good deal of a shock.
If it needed a counter-shock to jolt his faculties back into place, hehad it, and it was I who provided it.
In order to give the pair an opportunity to get used to their newrelationship, I was about to ride forward to join Pedro, when I saw theMexican suddenly commence cutting up all sorts of queer antics, jumpingabout and waving his arms in a frantic manner.
"What's the matter with Pedro?" I called out. "Look there, you fellows!What's the matter with Pedro?"
"Something wrong!" cried Dick. "Get up!"
Away we went at a gallop, keeping a sharp lookout in all directions lestthose three men should bob up again from somewhere, while the Mexicanhimself, jumping upon his burro, rode down to meet us.
"What's up, Pedro?" Dick shouted, as soon as we had come within hearing."Anything the matter?"
"Senores," cried Pedro, speaking with eager rapidity, "those men comehunting us. I watch them ride back almost to the _Casa_, and then of asudden they change their minds and turn up into the mountain. They thinkto catch us, but"--he stretched out his great hand and shut it tight,his black eyes gleaming with excitement--"if the senores will give meleave, we will catch them!"
If his surmise was right, if those men were indeed coming after us as hebelieved, there was no question that if any of us could beat them atthat game, Pedro was the one. Dick was a fine woodsman, but Pedro was afiner--my partner himself would have been the first to acknowledgeit--and it was Dick in fact who promptly replied:
"Go ahead, Pedro! You're captain to-day! Take the lead; we'll follow!"
"_'Sta bueno!_" cried the Mexican, greatly pleased. "Come, then!"
Turning his burro, he rode quickly back to camp, and there, at hisdirection, having unsaddled and turned loose our horses, we followed himto the flume, taking with us nothing but our rifles.
There had been a little thunder-storm the day before, and the soil nearthe flume was muddy. Through this mud, by Pedro's direction, we tramped;crossed the flume on the gangway we had laid for the purpose, leavingmuddy tracks as we went; jumped down at the other end and set offhot-foot up the gully to the little new-made lake and thence on up tothe old lake; in several soft places purposely leaving footmarks whichcould not escape notice.
"What's all this for,
Pedro?" asked Dick. "What's your scheme?"
"The padron will see our tracks crossing the flume," replied Pedro. "Hewill think you take Senor Arturo up to show him all the work you havedone, and he will follow. If he does so, we have him! When he is safeacross, we slip back, and then I hide me among the rocks on the otherside and guard the flume. Without my leave they cannot cross back again.Thus I hold them on the wrong side, while you ride away at your ease toMosby. Now, come quick with me!"
So saying, Pedro turned at right angles to the line of the ditch,climbed a short distance up the hillside, and then, under cover of thetrees, started back at a run, until presently he brought us to a pointwhence we could look down upon the flume, its approaches at both ends,and the line of the ditch up to the head of the little lake.
Hitherto it had been all bustle and activity, but now we were calledupon to exercise a new virtue, one always difficult to fellows of ourage--patience.
It must have been nearly an hour that we had lain there, sometimestalking together in whispers, but more often keeping silence, when Dick,pulling out his watch, said in a low voice:
"If those fellows are coming, I wish they'd come. It's twenty minutespast two; and we're in for a thunder-storm, I'm afraid. Do you noticehow dark it's getting?"
"Yes," whispered Arthur. "And such a queer darkness. I'm afraid it's aforest fire and not a thunder-storm that is making it."
"I believe you're right," replied Dick. "It _is_ a queer-colored light,isn't it?"
We could not see the sun on account of a high cliff at the foot of whichwe were lying, and if we had had any thought of getting up to look atit, we were stopped by Pedro, who at this moment whispered sharply to usto keep quiet. His quick eyes had detected a movement on the far side ofthe canon.
Intently we watched, and presently the figure of a man stepped out fromamong the trees. Advancing cautiously to the end of the flume, heexamined the tracks in the mud, climbed up to the gang-plank, inspectedthe tracks again, and turning, made a sign with his hand; whereupon twoother men stepped out from among the trees. The three then crossed theflume, jumped down, and set off up the gully.
We watched them as they followed the ditch up to the new lake, andthence to the draw which led up to the old lake. At the mouth of thedraw they paused for some time, hesitating, doubtless, whether theyshould trust themselves in that deep, narrow crevice--a veritable trap,for all they knew.
Presumably, however, they made up their minds to risk it, for on theywent, and a few minutes later were lost to sight.
By this time the darkness had so increased that the men were hardlydistinguishable, though they, themselves, seemed to take no notice ofit. The sun was behind them, and so intent were they in following ourtracks and keeping watch ahead, that they never thought to cast a glanceupward to see what was coming.
"Pedro," whispered Dick, as soon as the men had vanished, "let us getout of here. Either the woods are on fire or there'll be a tremendousstorm down on us directly."
Pedro, however, requested us to wait another five minutes, when, jumpingto his feet, he cried:
"Come, then! Let us get back! We have them safe now!"
Down we ran, but no sooner had we got clear of the trees than Pedrostopped short. In a frightened voice--the first and only time I everknew him to show fear--he ejaculated:
"Look there! Look there!"
Following his pointing finger, we looked up. The uncanny darkness wasaccounted for:--a great semi-circular piece seemed to have been bittenout of the sun!
"The eclipse!" cried Arthur. "I'd forgotten all about it. This is thetwenty-ninth of July. The newspapers were full of it, but I'd forgottenall about it!"
"A total eclipse, isn't it?" asked Dick, quickly.
"Yes, total."
"Then it will be a great deal darker presently. We'd better get out ofthis, and cross the flume while we can see."
In fact, it was already so dark that the small birds, thinking it wasnight, were busily going to bed; the night-hawks had come out, thecurious whir of their wings sounding above our heads; and then--a soundwhich made us all start--there came the long-drawn howl of a wolf!
"Run!" shouted Dick. "They'll be after us directly!"
Undoubtedly, the wolves, too, were deceived into the belief that nightwas approaching, for even as Dick spoke we heard in three or fourdifferent directions the hunting-cry of the packs. Wasting no time, aswill be imagined, away we went, scrambled up on the gang-plank of theflume, and there stopped to listen.
"I hope those men"--Dick began; when, from the direction of the drawabove there arose a fearful clamor of howling. There was a shot! Anotherand another, in quick succession! And then, piercing through and risingabove all other sounds, there went up a cry so dreadful that it turnedus sick to hear it. What had happened?
The hour that followed was the worst I ever endured, as we crouchedthere in the darkness and the silence, not knowing what had occurred upabove.
At length the shadow moved across the face of the sun, it was brilliantday once more, when, the moment we thought it safe to venture, down wejumped and set off up the line of the ditch. We had not gone aquarter-mile when we saw two men coming down, running frantically. In afew seconds they had reached the spot where we stood waiting for them,not knowing exactly what we were to expect of them.
Never have I seen such panic terror as these men exhibited; they werewhite and trembling and speechless. For two or three minutes we couldget nothing out of them, but at length one of them recovered himselfenough to tell us what had happened.
The wolves had caught them in that narrow, precipitous arroyo, comingfrom both ends at once. The two men, themselves, had succeeded inscrambling up to a safe place, but Galvez, attempting to do the same,had lost his hold and fallen back. Before he could recover his feet thewolves were upon him, and then----!
Well--no wonder those men were sick and pale and trembling!
That the padron's designs against us had been evil there could be nodoubt--in fact, his shivering henchmen admitted as much--but, quiteunsuspicious of the coming of the midday darkness, and knowing nothingof the fierce nature of these "island" wolves, he had run himself intothat fatal trap. It was truly a dreadful ending.
Does any one wonder now that the date of the eclipse of '78 should be soindelibly stamped on our memories?
There being now nothing to interfere with us, we went down to Hermanosand took possession of the _Casa_, and from that time forward the workon our irrigation system moved along without let or hindrance fromanything but the seasons.
But though it was now plain sailing, and though we eventually gottogether a force of twenty Mexicans to do the digging, the amount ofwork was so great that we had not nearly finished that part of the ditchwhich wound over the foothills when frost came and stopped us. We atonce moved everything down to the village and began again at that end,keeping hard at it until frost stopped us once more, and finally forthat year.
In fact, it was not until the spring of '80 that we at last turned inthe water--a moderate amount at first--but since then the quantity hasbeen increased year by year, until now we are supplying at an easyrental a great number of small farms, many of them cultivated byMexicans, but the majority by Americans.
The largest of the farms is that run by the two cousins and myself, andits management, together with the supervision and maintenance of thewater-supply keeps us all three on the jump.
As for old Pedro, he stuck to his mountain until just lately, when wepersuaded him to come down and take up his residence on the ranch;though even now, every fall he goes off for a three-months' hunt and wesee nothing of him till the first snow sends him down again.
He is a privileged character, allowed to go and come as he pleases; forwe do not forget his great services in turning this worthless desertinto a flourishing community of busy wheat-farmers and fruit-growers;nor do we forget that it was really he who started the whole business.
As to that, though, we are not likely to forget it, for w
e have on handa constant reminder.
Above the fireplace in our house there hangs, plain to be seen, a relicwith which we would not part at any price--the "indicator" which pointedthe way for us when we first set out on this enterprise--the originalcopper-headed arrow!
THE END