CHAPTER XXVII.
HOMEWARD BOUND.
Billie was also a little bit worried for fear that Braddon and his twocompanions might not have gone far away; but, feeling so badly towardthe three chums for having nipped their scheme in the bud, he dreadedlest they return under cover of darkness, bent on evening up the debtthey thought they owed the Broncho Rider Boys.
"Don't you believe anything of the sort, Billie," urged Donald, when thestout chum ventured to mention his fears on this score.
"No," added Adrian, positively; "they knew that the medicine man meantevery word of it when he warned them that the old chief would set someof his braves on their track, after nightfall. Make your mind easy, forBraddon isn't the kind of man to take chances, when he can get away.They're whipping their ponies for all they're worth, so as to cover asmany miles as they can before another dawn."
As the others were so confident, Billie began to lose his nervousness.Perhaps after all this was more the result of the terrible scenes he hadlooked upon that afternoon, than any real fear of the three rascalswhose departure from the Zuni village had been so hurried.
"On the whole," said Adrian, "I don't think any of us will get too muchsleep this same night."
"Why so?" asked Billie, as though wondering what new tribulations mightthreaten them now.
"Listen!" said the other, holding up his hand.
They had finished their supper, and were lying around taking their easeat the time this conversation sprang up.
"Well, they _are_ pretty noisy over there in the village, for a fact,"admitted Billie, as he caught the sound of wild shouts, and a sort ofnative song that many voices chanted in unison; "but once let me snuggledown, with my head under my good old blanket, and nothing like that willkeep me awake."
"From what I've seen of some of your performances," admitted Adrian, "Ireckon you're right, Billie. But Donald has agreed that we pull upstakes here tomorrow some time, and make a start for home."
"Is that so, Donald?" demanded the fat chum.
"Yes, by afternoon we might pull out, though we'll not get very far bynight-time, it may be," came the answer.
Perhaps Billie caught a certain significance about it, for he instantlywent on to remark:
"Huh! guess you mean to have a look-in at that Sacred Mountain racket,and find out what the old medicine man keeps hidden there?"
The others exchanged glances.
"Talk a little lower when you're saying things like that, Billie,"cautioned Donald.
"I hope you don't think there's a spy ahanging around camp right now,one of those Zuni braves, awanting to hear what we might be saying afterour supper?" Billie asked, anxiously, as he sat up, to stare around atthe rocks seen beyond the circle of firelight.
"No, but sometimes they tell us the walls have ears, and nobody can tellwho might catch what we happened to be saying," Adrian observed. "Butanswering your question, I'll just remark that we do mean to make a tryto find out about the strange noises they say come out of that mountainat times, when the Witch Doctor is talking with the Great Spirit."
"Yes," added Donald, "it's none of our business, that's right, andperhaps we hadn't ought to poke in there; but we've heard so much thatwe just feel we can't go away from here without one good try to solvethe mystery."
"But remember, Billie, we haven't got the same motive that Braddon had,"Adrian hastened to remark, seeing the other smile faintly.
"Not much," added Donald; "if there's a treasure cave in there itbelongs to the Zunis, and we'll never tell anybody what we'vediscovered."
"Because," Adrian continued, "that would start a rush of crazyprospectors and miners over this way, and you never could tell what theend would be; all sorts of fights, and in some way or other the Zuniswould be turned out of the homes their people have occupied for hundredsand hundreds of years."
"And we couldn't stand for that, you know, Billie," said Donald.
"Huh! I should say not," agreed the other.
Adrian changed the subject abruptly, showing that whatever he and Donaldhad settled upon as a part of their future programme, he did not thinkit wise to continue the discussion of it under the existing conditions.
The night wore on.
Up to the time they were ready to lie down and get some sleep, theracket still kept up over at the village. It seemed as though theIndians were bound to wind up their gala time with a grand hurrah. Nodoubt on the next day they would have relapsed once more into theirordinary prosy state of existence.
Just as he had said, Billie seemed to have no trouble whatever in goingto sleep, and Donald, who also lay down while Adrian took the firstwatch, really envied him the ease with which he passed away intodreamland.
There was nothing occurred to disturb them all the night through, andboth sentries managed to secure a fair amount of rest before dawn came.
During the day that followed they saw the other visitors and theirguides take their departure. The three chums purposely delayed leavinguntil the afternoon had well advanced, for they did not mean to get agreat distance away by nightfall, since they expected to retrace theirsteps, returning to the side of the Sacred Mountain.
Having marked the spot well where the cliff arose, which they knewconcealed the secret tunnel the medicine man seemed to use in enteringthe mountain, they felt sure they could easily find it again, when thetime came for action.
Billie succeeded in securing a few more snapshots to complete hiscollection; and was very happy over his success. In fact, the only cloudupon the horizon, so far as Billie was concerned, lay in his inabilityto guess the identity of the mysterious party who had three times donethem such a favor.
If he was one of the cowboys who had been present to witness thesnake-dance, why would he not have admitted as much before leaving thevillage? Billie had taken particular pains to be in the society of thesefellows more or less during the morning before they went away, and notby the faintest sign did any one of them give him a hint that he mightbe the good friend.
The mystery was as dark as ever, it seemed; and Billie wondered verymuch as to whether he would ever know the truth.
"If Adrian keeps his word," he said to himself, as he sat there,pondering the aggravating matter all over, "we'll just as like as not bestarting for Wyoming soon after we hit the Keystone Ranch country; forhe's getting wild to set eyes on his own cattle ranch up there, that hisUncle Fred Comstock has been running so long. And if that comes about,why, I reckon, then, I'll never know just who to thank for all thesesplendid favors."
Whenever he tried to picture this unknown friend Billie always seemed tohave in mind some sort of splendid looking man, who was just amusinghimself going around doing good wherever he found a chance. And itgrieved him very much to realize that his chances of ever thanking himwere growing less and less all the time.
About the middle of the afternoon they said good-bye to all their Zunifriends and rode away. The old medicine man was among the crowd that sawthem off; he even condescended to shake hands with each of the lads.Doubtless it had dawned upon the mind of the conjurer that he and theZuni tribe in general were under heavy obligations to these boys forwhat they had done. Had it not been for them that fraud of a showmanmight have succeeded in coaxing the chief to start away, with most ofthe people, tagging after him, to leave them stranded and helpless insome faraway station; while meanwhile he returned to try and find thesecret treasure which report said the Witch Doctor knew of in the heartof the Sacred Mountain.
"I want to tell you, boys," remarked Billie, after they had gone farenough on the other trail that would avoid crossing the main desert tono longer see any sign of the wonderful home of the cliff dwellers; "I'mnot sorry to get away from that place. Too many creeping things to suitme. I don't much mind standing up and waiting to receive the charge of amad bull elk; or calmly puncturing the tough old hide of a whopper of agrizzly bear; but excuse me from all sorts of scaly things. Noalligators, lizards or Gila Monsters need apply for a job to BronchoBillie. Set tha
t down with a red stone to mark it, will you?"
After going as far as they thought fit the three boys turned aside fromthe main trail, and finding a good place where camp could be made, aswell as water secured for themselves and ponies, they settled down.
Supper came next in order, with Billie plying his old trade, andapparently doing about all there was to accomplish, yet actuallyperforming very little through lack of system.
Night had now closed in about them, but they did not mean to be in anyundue haste about attempting to carry out the little scheme they had onfoot.
In fact, both Adrian and Donald were somewhat ashamed of this spirit ofcuriosity that was coaxing them back, to pry into the secret of themedicine man. They assured each other many times that they did not meanhim any harm in the least, and only entered into the game on account ofa natural feeling, such as all boys possess to a greater or lessextent--a desire to know "what makes the wheels go around."
They had heard so much concerning this wonderful voice in the heart ofthe mountain that they just felt that it would be a shame for them to goaway without at least making one good effort to learn what it all meant;and how, when a man with a high-pitched, screechy voice like that of theWitch Doctor went alone into the rocky uplift, there came pealing outthe deep tones of a strange voice, thrilling those who heard, under thebelief that it was Manitou who spoke.
Three hours after sunset Donald arose, and said that it was time theymade their start. Adrian quickly joined him, and Billie also stretchedhimself; for while he did not feel very much enthusiasm about theaffair, he was determined not to be left there alone.
So the three boys went forth, carrying their guns along, of course; andin addition Donald made sure of a couple of ropes, which he judged wouldbe plenty long enough to reach from the top of the cliff down to thatledge the wizard had used.