CHAPTER XXIV
THE PRISONER
Pasquale changed his tactics. Having located his prey with fairaccuracy, he spread his men so as to converge upon the fugitives as thespokes of a wheel do toward the hub. His instructions were that the menwere not to fire unless they were within close enough range to be surenot to hit the girl.
His courage had been tested often enough to be beyond doubt, so Gabrielcontented himself with waiting behind his horse for the captives to bebrought to him. He had no intention of being killed in a skirmish ofthis kind as long as he had peons to send forward in his place.
"Bet five dollars gold I have them inside of a quarter of an hour,captain," the Mexican general said, peering across his saddle toward thegrove.
"Yes," assented Major Ochampa in a depressed voice. He objected tohaving camp vagrants take liberties with his leg. "Hope you make anexample of them, general."
Pasquale turned, his eyes like cold lights on a frosty night. "They'llpray for death a hundred times before it comes to them," he promisedbrutally. Then, with quick surprise, "Where's Holcomb?"
"He went forward with the men."
"Just like him," replied Gabriel, shrugging his shoulders. "The madmanmust always be in the thick of it. It's the Gringo way."
From his mesquite thicket Yeager kept up as rapid a fire as possible,using rifle and revolver alternately so as to deceive the enemy intobelieving the whole party was there. His object was merely to gain timefor his escaping friends. Ochampa had been wounded as an object lesson,but he did not intend to kill any of those who were surrounding him. Ifthere had been a dozen of them he would have fought it out to a finish,but with one against a thousand he felt it would be useless murder tokill.
Steve fired into the air, knowing that would do just as well to delaythe attackers. Each time he fired his revolver he called aloud softly tohimself the number of the shot. It was essential to his plan that thereshould be one bullet left the moment before they took him.
He could hear them stumbling toward him through the brush and could makeout the dark figures as they crawled forward.
"Four," he counted as he fired his revolver into the air and cut off atwig.
His rifle sang out twice. He waited, listening. Bushes crackled a fewyards behind him. Snatching up his revolver, he turned.
"Don't fire, Steve," said a low voice in perfectly good English.
Holcomb came out of the thicket toward him.
"Hello, captain. Nice large warm evening. You out taking the air?" askedthe cowpuncher.
"Did the rest get away?"
"Hope so. I had rotten luck. One of the guards plugged me in the leg, soI thought I'd kinder keep the Legion busy while our friends make theirgetaway."
"Can't you run?"
"Can't even walk." Yeager raised the revolver and fired. "Five. One leftnow."
His eye met that of the captain. Each of them understood perfectly.
"That first shot of yours just missed Pasquale. Pity you didn't shootstraighter."
"I had a dead beat on the old scamp, but I didn't want him. If Ruth getsaway, that's all I ask. He's all kinds of a wolf, but Mexico needs him,I reckon."
"You're right about that, Steve. It wouldn't have done you any good tolay him out. Here they come."
A man ploughed through the brush toward them. Another appeared to theleft. The face of a third peered around the trunk of an adjacentcottonwood. Of a sudden the grove seemed alive with them.
Raising his gun, Steve nodded farewell to his friend.
A moment before Holcomb had had no intention of interfering, but animpulse that was almost an inspiration gave springs to his muscles. Heleaped.
The fling of his arm sent the shot flying wildly into the night. Yeagerturned on him furiously as he picked himself up to his knees.
"What did you do that for?"
"I don't know--had no intention of it a moment before. Maybe I've doneyou a bad turn, Steve. It came over me as a hunch that you were comingout of this all right."
"The devil it did. Gimme your gun. Quick!"
It was too late. The Mexicans were closing with him. They flung him downand pegged him to the ground with their weight. He made no attempt tostruggle.
"Get off of him. He's my prisoner," roared Holcomb, flinging one of theMexicans back.
They poured on him a flood of protesting Spanish. They had taken himwhile he was still at large. The reward was theirs.
"Confound the reward. You may have it, but the man belongs to me. Getup. He's wounded. Two of you will have to carry him."
"But if he tries to escape, senor--"
"Don't be a fool," snapped Holcomb curtly.
The captain was troubled in his heart. Had he saved this fine youngfellow to be the plaything of old Pasquale's vengeance? He knew wellenough what would happen to the Arizonian if Ruth escaped. But as longas there was life there was a chance. Something might turn up yet tosave him.
When Pasquale found that only an insignificant peon Pedro Cabenza hadbeen taken in his dragnet, he exploded with fury. He ordered the manshot against the nearest wall at once.
Culvera turned the prisoner so that the moon fell full upon his face. Helooked searchingly at him. Yeager knew that he was discovered. He spokein English.
"Good-evening, Colonel Culvera. You've guessed right, but you've guessedit a little too late."
"What is this? Who is this man?" demanded Pasquale harshly.
"The man Yeager, who escaped from you two weeks since," explained Ramon."He has been in camp with us over a week arranging this girl's escape."
The old general let out a bellow of rage. He strode forward to makesure for himself. Roughly he seized his prisoner by the hair of the headand twisted the face toward him.
"Sorry I had to leave you so abruptly last time, general. Did you have apleasant night?" taunted Yeager.
Gabriel choked. He was beyond words.
"I see you haven't been able to get anybody else to assassinate yourfriend Culvera yet," he said pleasantly.
The American had given up hope of life. He was trying to spur Pasqualeinto such an uncontrollable anger that his death would be a swift andeasy one.
"Tie him hand and foot. Let a dozen men armed with rifles stay in theroom with him till I return. Ochampa, I hold you responsible. If heescapes--"
"He won't escape," answered the major. "I'll see to that myself."
"See that you do." Pasquale swung to the saddle and looked around."Ramon, you're not a fool. Where shall we look for this girl and thosewith her?" he demanded, scowling.
"They must have horses to escape, general. Except in the stable here,which is guarded heavily, the nearest are across the river in thedirection they must be moving."
"Of course. Juan, have the remuda driven up and let every man saddlehis horse. We'll comb these hills if we must. Maldito! She shan't escapeme."
He galloped off at the head of his troop, taking the short cut to thepasture.
The prisoner was dragged into the house where Ochampa was staying. Adoctor presently arrived and took care of the wounded leg of the major.After he had finished dressing it, he turned to Yeager.
"No use bothering with mine. I'll have worse wounds soon," the man fromArizona told him calmly.
The little doctor smiled genially because his heart was good. "Quiensabe, senor? Yet it is my duty," he reminded his patient gently.
"Old Gabriel might not say so," demurred Steve.
Yet he conceded the point and let the surgeon minister to him. There wasno anaesthetic. The patient had to set his teeth and bear the pain whilethe bullet was removed and the wound washed and dressed. Little beads ofperspiration stood out on his forehead. The lean muscles of his cheeksstood out like ropes. But no sound escaped his lips.
"You are a brave man," said the doctor when he had finished. "I wish yougood fortune, sir."
A faint smile rested in the eyes of the cowpuncher. "I'm right likelyto have it, don't you think?" he asked ironically.
Whether Ochampa suspected Holcomb of being in collusion with hiscountryman or was merely taking no chances, the prisoner had no way oftelling. But the major refused flatly to let the artillery officer intothe room.
"Tell him he can see the man after the general returns--if the generalwants him to see him," he told the messenger.
They could hear the voice of Holcomb, angry and insistent, protestingagainst such treatment. But a file of soldiers stood between him and theroom. He had to retire defeated.
Slate-colored dawn rolled up without the return of Pasquale. With everypassing hour Steve gathered hope. It was certain that Ruth and herfriends had escaped through the lines or they must have been broughtback long ago. And if they once reached the hills and became lost amongthem, they would surely be safe from pursuit.
The prisoner was drinking a cup of coffee the doctor had brought himwhen the sound of horses' hoofs came to him through the open window.
The voice of Pasquale rang out, and at the sound of it Steve's heartgrew chill. For there was in the timbre of it a brutal, jovial triumph.
"Take these horses, boys,--feed them, water them. Let the girl go toher room, Ramon, but see that she is watched every minute. Garcia,attend to the Gringos."
He strode into the room where Yeager was detained. His greedy littleeyes sparkled; his face exuded malice and self-conceit.
"Ho, ho, amigo! Who laughs now?" he jeered. "I found yourfriends--stumbled on them in a pocket of the hills while we werereturning. They had lost their way, of course, since Senor Yeager wasunfortunately not able to go along. So I brought them home to breakfast.Was I not kind?"
He threw back his head and laughed. Steve said nothing. His heart wassick. He had thrown the dice for his great chance and lost.
"First, to breakfast," repeated the Mexican. "And afterward--the younglady shall have love. Por Dios, you shall be at the wedding," decidedPasquale on malicious impulse, hammering on the table with his greatfist.
"If I had only had the sense to pull the trigger last night when I hadyou at my mercy," Yeager commented aloud.
"Yes, you and all her friends--you shall all be there to wish herjoy--even Holcomb, who wearies me with his protests. Maldito! Is GabrielPasquale not good enough for a kitchen wench from Arizona?"
"It's an outrage beyond belief."
"And afterward--while the little chatita makes love to Gabriel--herfriend Steve whom she loves will suffer his punishment with whatfortitude he can."
"And her other friends?"
"Behold, it is a great day, senor. Not so? If the chatita, linda de mialma (pugnosed one, pretty creature of my love), asks for their freedom,she shall have it. I, Gabriel, will send them home under safe escort. AmI not generous? A kind lover? Not so?"
Steve turned his head away and looked through the window at the sunrising behind the distant hills. There was nothing to be said.