CHAPTER XXI.
A TREMENDOUS SCHEME.
Billie began to tire of lying around, and once more started out toinvestigate things for himself. He carried his little kodak along withhim, for there were a couple of pictures he had thought of which hewanted very much to get, if the opportunity arose, and he could inducesome of the Zuni boys, in their peculiar costumes, to pose for him, andhe thought that would not be hard for a fellow whom his chums both saidhad such an insinuating, wheedling way about him.
He spent a good hour in the task, while Donald still remained absent;and Adrian put in his time in various ways, now with the horses, andagain at the tent.
The one who had remained behind was somewhat surprised at seeing Billiehurrying toward the camp after a while, and to note the look of deepanxiety upon the rosy face of the fat chum.
"Hello! there, what's been happening to you now, I wonder?" Adrianremarked, as Billie threw himself down on the ground beside him,seemingly short of breath, for he was panting heavily.
He made a gesture to indicate that after he had managed to get inhalf-way decent shape again, he would proceed to enlighten thestay-at-home chums; and so Adrian had to take it out for a minute or twoin vague guessing.
"Chances are three to one that it's got something to do with that sameBraddon?" he proceeded to say, presently, when Billie failed to startexplaining.
A violent nod of the other's head announced that his first shot had hitthe mark in the bull's-eye.
"Don't tell me he tackled you, and abused you in any way?" demandedAdrian, with a look of gathering anger on his face.
Billie shook his head, this time in the negative. Then he seemed to havereached the opinion that he had recovered enough of his breath toexplain.
"No, it wasn't that, you see; but what I managed to hear them say," heexclaimed.
"Meaning Braddon and some of his bunch; is that it, Billie?"
"Yes, and the very pair Donald was warning us against, Shorty andJunior," the fat boy went on to declare eagerly.
"So, they were having a nice little confab all by themselves, werethey?" asked the other.
"Just what they were; and say, Ad, d'ye know the temptation was reallytoo much for me, and I _had_ to make the try, even if I did know whatI'd rub up against if they discovered me listenin' to 'em talk."
"Do you mean to say you crept up close enough to hear anything?"demanded Adrian, as though he could hardly believe it possible on thepart of the stout chum to attempt such a bold thing, in the first place,and actually carry it to a successful issue in the second.
Billie wagged his head, and a proud gleam came into his sunny blue eyes.
"I got away with it, though how I did the same will puzzle me lots," hestarted to explain. "But when I saw that bunch with their heads so closetogether I just made up my mind they must be plottin' like fun; and Iwished I could get a chance to listen. Then, all at once I noticed thatthere _was_ a way a fellow might crawl up back of the rocks, if only heknew how to do it. How I wished either you or Donald was with me;because you see I was afraid that I'd make a bad job of the thing, andonly get a few nice kicks for my trouble. But all at once I gritted myteeth this way, you know; and when I do that there's going to somethinghappen, make up your mind to that."
"Yes, I know, Billie, there surely is; and so you concluded to try thecrawl by yourself, did you?"
"I just got down on my ham-bones, and began to sneak along the best Iknew how," the enthusiastic fat boy went on to say, excitedly, as thougheven the remembrance of his recent feat stirred him to the core. "Inchby inch, and foot by foot, I went crawling along, till at last I landedin the snuggest little nook you ever saw, and where I couldn't go anyfurther because there wasn't any more cover."
"And what did you hear?" asked Adrian.
"I just managed to pick up a few words now and then, when one of thebunch talked a little louder than common; and at first it was like a lotof Choctaw to me, because, you see, I hadn't got my clue yet. After alittle I could put things together better, and then the whole thingflashed on me like an avalanche."
"Yes, go on, Billie, I'm listening," urged the other, beginning tohimself feel the thrill of eager expectation, which of course was whatBillie was leading up to all this while.
"Let me tell you what I reckon that schemer Braddon is planning to dowith his big pay promises to the old Zuni chief," Billie continued,impressively; "he wants to get the greater part of the tribe to flockaway after him; and when he finds a chance he means to give 'em theslip, come back here, and force the old medicine man to show him wherethat wonderful treasure of his lies, that has been talked about so muchall through this region for years! What d'ye think of that for a grandscheme, now, Pard Adrian?"
The other sat there for a full minute, as though digesting thetremendous idea in his mind, while Billie waited to hear what hisopinion might be, his face reflecting the various emotions thatcontrolled him.
Finally Adrian looked up.
"First of all, let me congratulate you, Billie, on doing what you did.It was the work of no greenhorn. After this Donald and myself have gotto look out, if we don't want to wake up some fine morning, and findourselves only has-beens. You're getting there with a rush. But I reckonyou hugged that hiding-place till they went about their business; younever tried to crawl back again, and take new chances?"
"I guess I knew enough for that, Adrian. I just lay there, and waited.They went off after a bit; and when the coast was clear, I stepped outand walked around, like nothing was the matter. But as soon as I got thefirst chance, let me tell you I scooted for the camp, licketty-split. Iwas fairly bursting with that news. And it's nice of you to pay me sucha compliment, that's right. I feel as if it was worth all it cost, justto know that one of my chums appreciates me."
"And the other will say the same when he hears what you did," Adrianhastened to declare. "But I wish Donald would show up; he's been goneall of two hours."
"Say, you don't think they could a got hold of him, any sort of way, doyou, Adrian?" questioned Billie, as though a sudden terrible suspicionhad gripped him.
"Well, hardly, in broad daylight," laughed the other; "if it was night,now, there might be some little reason to think that way. He'll be alongsoon. P'raps he's found those cowboys good company, and is clinchingthem as friends, so we could rely on their backing, if it came to such ashowdown."
"Oh! I hope we don't have trouble with that bunch," remarked Billie;"because I'm opposed to violence, you know; but then, if they try tochase us out of this Zuni town, I reckon I'd get my back up, and kickjust as hard as the rest of you. But you believe what I told you, don'tyou, Adrian?"
"It seems almost too terrible to believe, but when I remember the lookon the face of that man, Mark Braddon, I'm tempted to say that nothingwould be too dreadful for him to try, if he thought he saw a chance tomake a big haul by it."
"Well, he would, if his game worked well, and they could force the oldmedicine man to give up the secret of his hidden treasure," Billie wenton to say in a reflective sort of way. "Goodness knows we've heard aheap about the same; and if even one tenth of it is true, he must knowwhere a mighty rich gold vein lies in the heart of this old SacredMountain of theirs."
"Still, do you know, I'm not so very much surprised at what you've beentelling me," the other chum went on to say.
"You sort of had an idea he was up to some dodge like that, didn't you,Adrian?" Billie asked; for he had fallen into a way of believing thatthese two wide-awake comrades of his could see through puzzles thatbothered him greatly.
"He looked like a man who would engineer a big game, and yet I couldn'tseem to get it through my head what sort of a play he could make byluring the chief away with more than half the tribe. Then what I heardabout the tremendous pay he offered, which he kept on increasing everynew time he talked it over with the head man, made me suspect that henever meant to do the right thing. But honest now, Billie, I never oncethought of such a clever scheme as you've been telling me about."
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"Well, what'll we do about it?" demanded the fat chum.
"Nothing right away, I should think," replied Adrian, after apparentlythinking it all over.
"What, not even tell the chief how he's been taken in and done for;would that be fair and square for us, Adrian?"
"There's no hurry, you see," answered the other, calmly; "look at thething without getting excited, Billie, and you'll agree with me.To-morrow comes the day for all this Zuni ceremony business to reach ahead, for they're going to give the rattlesnake dance then. After that'sonce over with we can get the chief to listen, while you tell all youheard. He'd be a fool after that to take any stock in the big offers ofmoney that Braddon is making, to coax him to be an attraction for hisWild West Show, which, between you and me, I never heard of, and don'tbelieve ever had any existence."
Billie sighed. Perhaps he still thought they should "make hay while thesun shone," and it may have been that he secretly feared lest theschemer Braddon find some way to get the better of them; so that hispath might be cleared, and nothing interfere with the carrying out ofhis villainous scheme.
But then he was so accustomed by now to yielding to the better judgmentof his two chums that he did not offer any further objections.
"We'll see what Donald says about it when he comes in," added Adrian;"though I feel pretty sure he'll think the same that I do. We don't wantanything to interfere with our enjoying that wonderful affair tomorrow,you know. And this fakir of a showman can't just swoop off with the mainpart of the village in the wink of an eye. If they concluded to go withhim they'd have to take some time to make preparations, you see; andthat'd let us have a chance to whisper a few interesting things in theear of the old chief, that might make him sit up and take notice."
"You're right, Adrian, quite right," admitted Billie, as though fullyconvinced by this time; "there's no desperate need of hurry; and just asyou often say, many a well laid plan's gone to pieces because of toomuch haste. But we'll soon know what Donald has to say about it, becausehere he comes right now, and with a wide grin on his face, as thoughhe'd made good friends of those cow-punchers!"