Daughter of the Sun
CHAPTER VII
OF A GIRL HELD FOR RANSOM AND OF A TOAST DRUNK BY ONE INFATUATED
Jim Kendric returned straightway to the rooms allotted to him andBarlow, hoping to find his companion there. They must talk together,they must understand each the other; they must know, and know withoutdelay, just in what and to what lengths friend could count on friend.To the uttermost, Kendric would have said a week ago. Now he onlypondered the matter, recalling that in some ways Barlow did not seemquite the old mate.
He found the rooms empty and threw himself into one of the big chairsto wait. As he regarded the situation it had little enough torecommend itself to a man of his stamp. He had not the least desire tomeddle in any way with Mexican revolutionary politics; upheavals wouldcome and come again, no doubt, for thus would a great country in duetime work out its own salvation. But it was no affair of his. Thisfomenting nucleus into which he and Barlow had come was, he estimated,foredoomed to failure and worse; one fine day Ruiz Rios and FernandoEscobar and their outlaw followings would find themselves with theirbacks to an adobe wall and their faces set toward a line of rifles.And Zoraida Castelmar had best think upon that, too. For turbulenttimes had borne women along with men to a quick undoing.
All this was clear to him. But here clarity gave way to gropinguncertainty. Less than anything else did he have a stomach for beingbottled up in any house in the world, Zoraida's house least of all, anddenied the freedom of the open. It looked as though he, who had neverdone another man's command, must now do a girl's. At call she hadfifty, perhaps a hundred retainers, ugly-looking devils all and nolovers of Americans who came unbidden into their country.
"There's always a way out of a mess like this," he told himself,determined to find it. "But right now I don't see it."
There was also the lodestone toward which he and Barlow had steered andwhich had drawn Fernando Escobar. And that amazing creature who coollylaid claim to the royal blood of the Montezumas, laid claim as well totheir treasure trove. Just how any of them could make a move toward itwithout her knowledge baffled him. And hence, more than ever before,did his desire mount to get his own hands on it.
When presently Barlow entered, Kendric looked up at him thoughtfully.Barlow bore along with him a subdued air of excitement.
"You've just left Rios?" asked Kendric.
"Yes." Barlow came in and closed the door, looking quickly andquestioningly at his friend. He appeared to hesitate, then saidhurriedly: "There are big things ahead, old Headlong! Big!"
"Shoot," answered Kendric sharply. "What's the play, man?"
Again Barlow hesitated, plainly in doubt just how far Kendric might bein sympathy with him.
"It wouldn't make you mad to fill your pockets, Headlong, would it?" heasked. "Bulgin' full? And you wouldn't mind a scrap or two and a blowor two in the job, would you?"
"Watch your step, Twisty, old timer," said Kendric. "Rios has beentalking revolution to you, has he? Sometimes an uprising down here isa nasty mess that it's easier to get into than out of again. And, ifwe get our hooks on the loot that brought us down here, why should wewant to mix it with the federal government?"
Barlow began tugging at his forelock.
"I'm up a tree, Jim," he muttered at last. "Clean up a tree."
"Then look out you light on your feet instead of on your head when youdecide to come down. It would be easy to make a mistake right now."
"Yes, easy; dead easy.--Old Headlong counseling caution!" Barlowlaughed but with little genuine mirth.
"I want a straight talk with you, Twisty," said Kendric soberly. "Ifor one don't like the lay-out here and I'm going to break for theopen. You and I have fallen among a pack of damned thieves, to draw itmild. It strikes me we'd better understand each other."
"Right!" cried Barlow eagerly. "Let's talk straight from the shoulder."
But events, or rather Zoraida Castelmar who sought to usurp destiny'sprerogatives here, ruled otherwise. There came a quiet rap at thedoor, then the voice of one of the housemaids, saying:
"La Senorita Zoraida desires immediately to speak with Senor Barlow."
Barlow, just easing himself into a chair, jumped up.
"Coming," he called.
Kendric, too, sprang up, his hand locking hard upon Barlow's arm.
"Twisty," he said, "hold on a minute. The house isn't on fire."
"Well?" Barlow's impatience glared out of his eyes. "What is it?"
"I've got a very large, life-sized suspicion that it would be just aswell if you sent back word you couldn't come. At least, not untilwe've had our talk."
"She said immediately," said Barlow. And then, "You don't want me tosee her? Why?"
"Because, it you want to know, she isn't good for you. She'll seek todraw you in on this fool scheme of hers, and if you don't look outyou'll do just what she says do. There never was a mere woman likeher. She's uncanny, man! She will give you the same line of mad talkshe gave me, she will make you the same sorts of offers----"
"You've seen her then? Tonight? While I was out with Rios you werewith her?"
"Yes. And not because I found any pleasure in her company, either."
Barlow jerked free, laughing his disbelief, his look at once unpleasantand suspicious.
"Tell that to the marines," he jeered. He threw the door open and wentout. In the hall Kendric could hear his steps sounding quick andeager. Kendric returned to his chair, perplexed. Then again he sprangup, throwing out his hands, shaking his shoulders as though to rid themof a troublesome weight.
"Too much thinking isn't good for a man," he told himself lightly."The game's made; let her roll!"
He took a cigar from the table, lighted it and passed through the bathand adjoining room. A door opened to the outer corridor. He steppedout upon the flagstones and strolled down the aisle flanked on one sideby the adobe wall of the house, on the other by the white columns andarches. The night was fine, clear and starlit; the fragrance of athousand flowers lay heavy upon the-air; the babble of the outdoorfountain made merry music. He left the stone floor for the graveleddriveway and put his head back to send a little puff of smoke upwardtoward the flash of stars.
"It's a good old land, at that," he mused. "Big and clean and wideopen."
He strolled on, looking to right and left. Before him the gardensappeared deserted. But there were patches of inpenetrable blacknessunder the wider flung trees, and it seemed likely, from what Zoraidahad said, that some of her rabble were watching him. If so, he deemedit as well to know for certain. So he kept straight on toward thewhitewashed wall glimpsed through the foliage. He came to it andstopped; it was little higher than his head and would be no obstacle initself. He shot out his hands, gripped the top and went up.
And still no one to dispute his right to do as he pleased. He sat fora moment atop the wall, looking about him curiously. He marked that ateach of the corners of the enclosure to be seen from where he sat, wasa little square tower rising a dozen feet higher than the wall. Ineach tower a lamp burned. From the nearest one came the voices of twomen. Tied near this tower and outside the wall were two horses; he sawthem vaguely and heard the clink of bridle chains. Saddled horses.There would be saddled horses at each of the four towers; night andday, if Zoraida's talk were not mere boasting. The temptation to knowjust how strict was the guard kept moved him to drop to the ground, onthe outside of the wall. He moved quickly, but his feet had not struckthe grass when a sharp whistle cut through the still night. Thewhistle came from somewhere in the shadows within the enclosure.
Kendric stood stone still. But had he been ready for flight he knewnow that he could not have gone twenty paces before they stopped him.Where he had heard the voices of two men he now heard an overturnedchair, jingle of spur and thud of boots, a sharp command. He saw twofigures run out on the wall and leap down into the saddles just below.And he knew that in the other towers there had been like readiness andlike action. For already he saw fo
ur mounted men and needed no tellingthat each man carried a rifle.
He climbed back on the wall, his curiosity for the moment satisfied.And there he sat until one of the riders galloped to him. The man cameclose and said gruffly:
"It is not permitted to cross the wall. It would be best if SenorAmericano remembered. And went back to the house."
"Right-o!" agreed Kendric cheerily. "I just wanted to be sure,_compadre_," and he turned and dropped back into the garden. "Sheholds the cards, ace, face and trump!" he conceded sweepingly. "Butthe game's to play." And, as again he strolled along the driveway, histhoughts were not unpleasant. For what had he come adventuring intoLower California if he weren't ready for what the day might bring? Thesituation had its zest. He wondered how many men were hidden about thegarden, like the fellow who had watched him and whistled? How manywere watching him now? He reflected as he walked on, but hisconjectures were not so deep as to make him oblivious of his cigar. Onthe whole, for the night, he was content.
Just as he turned the corner of the house a rider, coming from thedouble front gate, raced down the driveway and flung himself to theground. A figure stepped out from the shadowy corridor and Kendric wasnear enough to recognize the second figure as that of Captain Escobar,even before he heard his sharp:
"Is that you, Ramorez? What luck?"
"Si, Senor Capitan. It is Ramorez. And the luck is fine!"
"You have her?" Escobar's tone was exultant.
"Just outside. Sancho is bringing her. I am here for orders. Whereshall we take her?"
"Here. Into the house. Senorita Castelmar knows everything and iswith us."
Ramorez swung back up into the saddle and spurred away, gone into thedarkness under the trees toward the gate. Kendric stood where he was,receptive for any bit of understanding which might be vouchsafed him.He was satisfied with his position in the shadows; glad when Escobarstepped out so that the lamp light from within streamed across hisface. Actually the man's hard eyes gloated.
It was only a moment until Ramorez returned, another man riding kneeand knee with him, a led horse following them. It was this animal andits rider that held Kendric's eyes. In the saddle was what appeared aweary little figure, drooping forward, clutching miserably at the hornof the saddle with both hands. As she came nearer and there was morelight he saw the bowed head, made out that it was hatless, even saw howthe hair was all tumbled and ready to fall about her shoulders.
"You will get down, senorita." It was Escobar's voice, gloating likehis eyes.
The listless figure in the saddle made no reply, seemed bereft of anyvolition of its own. As Ramorez put up his hands to help her, she camedown stiffly and stood stiffly, looking about her. Kendric, to seebetter, came on emerging from the shadows and stood, leaning againstthe wall, drawing slowly at his cigar and awaiting the end of thescene. So now, for the first time, he saw the girl's face as shelifted it to look despairingly around.
"Oh," she cried suddenly, a catch in her voice, throwing out her twoarms toward Escobar. "Please, please let me go!"
The hair was falling about her face; she shook it back, still standingwith her arms outflung imploringly. Kendric frowned. The girl was toofair for a Mexican; her hair in the lamp light was less dark than blackand might well be brown; her speech was the speech of one of his owncountry.
"An American girl!" he marveled. "These dirty devils have laid theirhands on an American girl! And just a kid, at that."
With her hair down, with a trembling "Please" upon her lips, she didnot look sixteen.
"I am so tired," she begged; "I am so frightened. Won't you let me go?Please?"
Kendric fully expected her to break into tears, so heartbroken was herattitude, so halting were her few supplicating words. A spurt of angerflared up in his heart; to be harsh with her was like hurting a child.And yet he held resolutely back from interference. As yet no rude handwas being laid on her and it would be better if she went into the housequietly than if he should raise a flurry of wild hope in her frightenedbreast and evoke an outpouring of terrified pleadings, all to no avail.What he would have to say were best said to Escobar alone.
Slowly her arms dropped to her sides. Her look went from face to face,resting longest on Jim Kendric's. He kept his lips tight about hiscigar, shutting back any word to raise false hope just yet. The resultwas that the girl turned from him with a little shudder, seeing in himbut another oppressor. She sighed wearily and, walking stiffly, passedto the door flung open by Ramorez and into the house. Escobar wasfollowing her when Kendric called to him. The bandit captain mutteredbut came back into the yard.
"Well, senor?" he demanded impudently. "What have you to say to me?"
"Who is that girl?" asked Kendric. "And what are you doing with her?"
Escobar laughed his open insolence.
"So you are interested? Pretty, like a flower, _no_? Well, she is notfor you, Senor Americano, though she is of your own country. She isthe daughter of a rich gentleman named Gordon, if you would know. Herpapa calls her Betty and is very fond of her. Him I have let go backto the United States. That he may send me twenty-five thousand dollarsfor Senorita Betty. Are there other questions, senor?"
"You've got a cursed high hand, Captain Escobar," muttered Kendric."But let me tell you something: If you touch a hair of that poor littlekid's head I'll shoot six holes square through your dirty heart." Andhe passed by Escobar and went into the house.
He meant to tell the daughter of Gordon that he, too, was an American;that Barlow, another American, was on the job; that, somehow, theywould see her through. But he was given only a fleeting glimpse of heras she passed out through a door across the room, escorted by thegrave-eyed young woman who an hour ago had warned him not to angerZoraida. He saw Betty Gordon's face distinctly now; she was fair, herhair was brown, he thought her eyes were gray. But before he couldcall to her she was gone, clinging to the arm of Zoraida's maid.
"Poor little kid," muttered Kendric, staring after her. "I'd give myhat to have her on a horse, scooting for the _New Moon_. All aloneamong these pirates, with her dad the Lord knows where trying to dig uptwenty-five thousand dollars for her!"
At least she was no doubt well enough off for the night. She lookedtoo tired to lie awake long, no matter what her distress. He returnedto his rooms and sat down to wait again for Barlow.
When at last Barlow came Kendric knew on the instant what successZoraida had had with him. Twisty's eyes were shining; his head was up;he walked briskly like a man with his plans made and his heart in them.
"You poor boob," muttered Kendric disgustedly. "Once you let a womanget her knife in your heart you're done for."
Barlow swept up the brandy bottle and filled a glass brim full.
"To Zoraida, Queen of Lower California!" he cried ringingly. He drankand smashed the glass upon the floor.
Kendric sighed and shook his head hopelessly. And thanked God that hehad never been the man to go mad over a pretty face.