CHAPTER XIX
THE RENDEZVOUS
Enoch Birdsall stared in amazement at the four he had admitted, despitethe remembrance of the names they had whispered through the crack of thepartly opened door, the light from a single candle making gargoyles oftheir hideously painted faces. Alonzo Webb was peering along the barrelof a newfangled Colt, his eyes mere pin-points of concentration, hisbreathing nearly suspended.
Hank's low, throaty laughter filled the dim building and he slapped Tomon the shoulder. "Didn't I say I could fix us up so our own motherswouldn't know us?" he demanded.
"God help us!" said Enoch in hopelessly inadequate accents as he gropedbehind him for his favorite cask. He seated himself with greatdeliberation. "When Turley's man Allbright brought aroun' yer rifles ina packload o' hay, I knowed we'd be seein' ye soon; an' he told us plainthat four Injuns had left 'em with him. But; h--l!"
Alonzo had cautiously put away the Colt and was readjusting his facialexpression to suit the changed conditions. Then he suddenly leaned backagainst a bale of tobacco leaf, jammed an arm tightly against his mouth,and laughed until he was limp.
Zeb Houghton glared at him in offended dignity, not knowing just whatto say, but determined to say something. He felt embarrassed andslightly huffed. "Caravan have airy trouble arter we left it?" he asked.
"Trouble?" queried Enoch, a wise grin wreathing his face. "Some o' usmade more profits this year than we ever did afore. Soon's we found tharwarn't no custom guard ter meet us at Cold Spring, thanks ter themTexans, we sent some riders ahead from th' ford o' th' Canadian, an'Woodson held th' caravan thar in camp fer a couple o' days. Them greaser_rancheros_ air half starved 'most all year 'round an' they jumped atth' chance ter earn some good U.S. gold. Some o' us had quite somevisitors one night an' some o' th' waggins, ourn among 'em, shorestrayed away from th' encampment an' got lost in th' hills. He had saidsomethin' 'bout not wantin' to waste so much time, an' o' takin' ashort-cut; an' everybody war so excited about bein' so clost ter SanterFe, an' by this time used ter folks goin' on ahead, that we warn'thardly missed. Them that did miss us soon forgot it. We're ahead fivehundred dollars a waggin, besides th' other imposts an' th' salve money;our waggins air waitin' fer us when we go back, an' our goods air comin'in from th' ranchos in _carretas_ an' by pack mule, under hay, hoja an'faggots, an' other stuff. Thar's them two axles o' Joe Cooper's that hewar so anxious about back at th' Grove an' at every stream we had tercross. Thar empty now, but thar war plumb full o' high-class contrabandwhen they got here. Woodson slung 'em under one o' his waggins that comethrough on th' reg'lar trail, an' brought 'em in. Over thar's what'sleft o' your stuff."
"Have you fellers looked in a glass yit?" demanded Alonzo, taking amirror from the wall. "Hyar, Boyd, whichever ye air, see what ye looklike."
The passing of the mirror and the candle was the cause of much hilarity,and the room was filled with subdued merriment until there came apeculiar knock on the massive door. The candle flame struggled under abox while voices murmured at the portal, and then there came a cautiousshuffling of feet until the box was removed.
Joe Cooper's curious glance became a stare and his jaw dropped. Tearinghis eyes from the faces of the villainous four he used them to ask aquestion of the grinning Enoch which his lips were incapable of framing.
Enoch looked at the four. "One o' ye, who knows who's who, interduce yerfriends ter Mr. Cooper, o' St. Louis, Missoury," he suggested.
Hank shoved Jim Ogden a step forward. "This 'Rapahoe is Jim Ogden, o'Bent's Fort an' th' Rockies; this other un is Zeb Houghton, o' th'Louisiana Purchase, Mexico an' Texas; hyar's Tom Boyd, hopin' ter savehis ear-tabs; an' I'm--" from his mouth sounded the twang of abowstring.
Uncle Joe sank down on a pile of smuggled Mackinaw blankets, shoved acigar in his mouth, lit it and took several puffs before he slammed iton the floor and crushed it with his foot. Then he recovered himself,joyously shook hands all around and started a conversation that scornedthe flying minutes. During a lull Alonzo looked shrewdly at thecheerful Indians and put his thoughts into words.
"Boys, anythin' we've got is yourn fer th' askin'," he slowly said; "butI'd hate ter reckon it war through me an' Enoch that ye lost yer lives,an' yer ears. We all war clost friends in Independence an' on th' trail.Clost friends o' yourn air goin' ter be watched like sin from now on.Tom Boyd an' his friends left th' caravan ter go ter Bent's--an' apassel o' greasers went arter 'em hot foot. Mebby th' first gang didn'tgit ter Bent's--an' it's shore th' greasers ain't showed up yit--not oneo' them. Bad as Armijo is he ain't no fool by a danged sight. Fer yerown sakes ye better stay with Armstrong till ye leave th' city. Now thatI've warned ye, I don't give a cuss what ye do; yer welcome ter stayhyar till yer bones rot--an' ye know it."
Tom nodded. "Yer right, Alonzo. I just got a brand new reason fer livin'till th' return caravan gits past th' Arkansas. Patience Cooper has_got_ to go with it; she ain't a-goin' ter spend no winter hyar, if Ikin help it--an' if she does stay, then I do, too, ears or no ears." Hisface tensed, his eyes gleaming with hatred through the paint and dirt."I come nigh ter commitin' murder tonight. 'Twasn't my fault that Ididn't."
Hank clapped him on the shoulder and turned to Uncle Joe. "We war alla-lookin' in at th' fandango," he explained. "It war a mighty clostshave fer th' sheep-stealin' shepherd o' Chavez rancho, that growed upter be governor. If 'twarn't fer th' gal I'd never 'a' grabbed Boyd."
Uncle Joe shook his head. "There'll be trouble comin' out o' that," hedeclared. "We couldn't do nothin' else, but Armijo'll never rest till hewipes out th' insult o' our turnin' our backs on him an' leavin' like wedid. An' did ye see th' look she gave him? D----d if it wasn't worth th'trip from Missouri to see it! Us Americans ain't loved a whole lot outhere, an' them blessed Texans has gone an' made things worse. I wish weall were rollin' down to th' Crossin'. Patience is goin' back. I'veargued _that_ out, anyhow; right up to th' handle!"
"Get her out of town _now_," urged Tom, wriggling forward on his box."Us four'll whisk her up to Bent's, an' jine ye at th' Crossin'."
"If we do that her father will have to leave, too," replied Uncle Joe;"an' he's stubborn as a mule, Adam is. He says it'll be forgotten, an'if we make a play like that it'll raise th' devil."
"When her safety is at stake?" sharply demanded Tom.
"He says she ain't in no danger. Him an' Armijo is real friendly. Adamis th' one man th' Americans in this town depend on ter git 'em a littlejustice. I've been arguin' with him tonight, an' I aim to keep onarguin'; but he's set. I know Adam."
Tom cursed and arose to his feet. "An' _I_ know _Armijo_! I know hisvile history like a book, for I took pains to learn it. His whole careeris built on treachery, sheep-stealin', double-dealin' and assassination.He robbed Chavez of thousands of sheep--even stealing them and sellingthem back to their rightful owner. He sold one little flock back toChavez over a dozen times, an' had stolen it from him in th' beginnin'.Then he dealt _monte_ and made a pile. Then he was made chief customhouse officer in this town, got caught at some of his tricks an' kickedout. Governor Perez put another man in his place. The condition ofpolitics in Mexico worked in Armijo's favor and he stirred up a ferment,headed a conspiracy, raised a force of about a thousand Mexicans an'Pueblo Indians up at La Canada, and when Perez moved against him Perez'stroops went over to Armijo and the old governor had to flee to thistown, and out of it on th' jump. With him went a score or so of hispersonal friends; but the next day the little party was caught, morethan a dozen of them put to death, an' Perez was murdered in theoutskirts of this town and his body dragged around through the streets.Armijo had not shown his hand openly and the new governor was one of theactive leaders of the insurrection. This did not suit Armijo, who wasplaying for big stakes, and he started another revolution, adoptedFederalism for a cloak, drove the insurgent governor from the city,later shot him and, after declaring himself governor, had hisappointment made official by the Federal government at Mexico City, andever since has played tyrant without a check. That'
s Adam Cooper'sso-called friend. That's the man he trusts. God help Adam; an' God helpArmijo if he harms Patience Cooper!"
His friends nodded, for they knew that he spoke the truth; and Uncle Joethoughtlessly lit another cigar before he remembered its make. "Adam'slast cent is sunk out here," he remarked. "He says he ain't goin' toturn himself inter a pauper an' flee for his life just because his foolbrother is a-scared of shadows. He says th' beast was drunk tonight an'didn't know what he was doin'."
Tom spread out his hands helplessly, and then clenched them. He paced afew turns and stopped again. "All right, Uncle Joe; he's her father andhe's backin' his best judgment. I'm an outsider an' have nothin' to say.Boys," he said, looking at his three hunter friends, "we got work terdo. We got ter watch Patience Cooper every minute that she's out o' th'house. Thar's too much at stake fer us to rendezvous hyar, we'll stay atArmstrong's. Enoch, git our rifles over thar as soon as ye kin. I wantanother repeatin' pistol, in a leather case, to hang under my shirt,below my left arm-pit. Thank th' Lord that Turley's plantin' a relay ferus up in th' mountains; I'm bettin' we'll need it bad." He looked atHank. "Bet it's eighty mile to that place, ain't it?"
"Th' way we come it is," replied the hunter. "I know a straighter trailthat ain't got so many people livin' along it. It's twenty mile shorter,but harder travelin'."
"If thar's anybody at Bent's ranch on th' Purgatoire, we might pick up are-mount thar," muttered Tom. "That'd give us fresh hosses fer th' lastninety miles to th' fort; but we'll have ter cross th' wagon road tergit thar."
"We'll use that fer th' second bar'l," said Hank. "I know a better way,over an old Ute trail leadin' toward th' Bayou Salade; but we'll havehosses at Bent's ranch if I kin git word ter Holt, Carson or Bill Bent.We better go 'round an' see Armstrong right away; he may know o'somebody that's goin' up on th' trail through Raton Pass. He'll doanythin' fer me."
"Cover th' candle," said Tom. "Give us our rifles; we kin carry 'em allright at this time o' night, with everybody stayin' indoors on accounto' th' Texans. Any time ye have news fer us, Enoch, an' can't git it terArmstrong's, set a box outside th' door."
"It'll be stole," said Enoch, grinning.
"Then set somethin' else out."
"That'll be stole, too."
"What will?"
"Anythin' we put out."
"God help us!" ejaculated Uncle Joe. "Try a busted bottle."
"Glass?" laughed Alonzo, derisively. "No good. If you kin think o'anythin' that won't be stole, I shore want to larn o' it." He considereda moment. "Hyar! If I git flour on my elbow an' brush ag'in th' door, wegot news fer ye. I don't think they kin steal that, not all o' it,anyhow!"
Enoch nodded. "If thar's any news we'll git it. This is th' meetin'place o' most o' th' Americans hyar. Thar banded purty clost togetheran' have made Armijo change his tune a couple o' times. Onct they waraccused o' conspiracy ag'in th' government, which war a danged lie, an'th' scarecrow troops war ordered out ag'in 'em; but we put up such afierce showin' that Armijo climbed down from his high hoss an' nothin'come o' it except hard feelin's. That's one o' th' reasons, I reckon,why Adam Cooper ain't worryin' as much as he might about his dater'ssafety. An' lookin' at it from a reasonable standpoint, I'm figgerin'he's right. Boyd, hyar, would worry powerful if _she_ got a splinter inher finger."
After the laughter had subsided and a little more talk the fourplainsmen slipped out of the building and cautiously made their way toArmstrong's store and dwelling where, after a whispered palaver at theheavy door, they were admitted by the sleepy owner of the premises andshown where they could spread their blankets. In the faint light of thecandle they saw other men lying about on the hard floor, who stirred,grumbled a little, and went back to sleep again.
When they awakened the next morning they recognized two old friends fromBent's Fort, a trader from St. Vrain's, and an American hunter andtrapper from the Pueblo near the junction of the Arkansas and BoilingSpring Rivers. The simple breakfast was soon dispatched and gossip andnews exchanged, and then Hank led aside a hunter named Hatcher, whostood high at Bent's Fort, and earnestly conversed with him. In a fewmoments Hank turned, looked reassuringly at Tom and smiled. Bent'slittle ranch on the Purgatoire was being worked and improved and therewould be men and a relay of horses there, providing that the Utesoverlooked the valley in the meantime.
All that day they remained indoors and when night came they slipped out,one by one, and drifted back to the corral where the _atejo_ stillremained. They had lost their rifles, were sullen and taciturn from toomuch drink, and paid no attention to the knowing grins of the friendlymuleteers. Thenceforth they drew only glances of passing interest on thestreets, no one giving a second thought to the stolid, dulled and soddenwrecks in their filthy, nondescript apparel; and the guard at the_palacio_ gave them cigarettes rolled in corn husks for running errands,and found amusement in playing harmless tricks on them.
At the barracks they were less welcome, Don Jesu and Robideau, bothsubordinates of Salezar, scarcely tolerating them; while Salezar,himself, kicked them from in front of the door and threatened to cut offtheir ears if he caught them hanging around the building. They acceptedthe kicks as a matter of course and thenceforth shrunk from hisapproach; and he sneered as he thought of their degradation from onceproud and vengeful warriors of free and warlike tribes, to fawningbeggars with no backbone. But even he, when the need arose, made use ofthem to fetch and carry for him and to do menial tasks about the mudhouse he called his home. He had seen many of their kind and wasted nothought on them.
He was the same cruel and brutal tyrant who had herded almost twohundred half-starved and nearly exhausted men over that terrible traildown the valley of the Rio Grande, and his soldiers stood in mortalterror of him and meekly accepted treatment that in any other race wouldhave swiftly resulted in his death. He had played a prominent part inthe capture and herding of the Texan prisoners and loved to boast of itat every opportunity, using some of the incidents as threats to hisunfortunate soldiers. Tom and his friends witnessed scenes that madetheir blood boil more than it boiled over the indignities they electedto suffer, and sometimes it was all they could do to refrain fromkilling him in his tracks. At the barracks he was a roaring lion, but atthe _palacio_, in the sight and hearing of the chief jackal, he remindedthem of a whipped cur.
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