CHAPTER XIII A FORCED MARCH
Terry and Jim had made their way northward and up the mountain. It wasgrowing dark and they wished to cover as much ground as possible beforethe night would make their task difficult. They planned to seek somehigh point and camp there, watching the mountain sides for a sign of afire or light of any kind. With this in mind they pushed steadily on,winding up the sloping side of the range.
When darkness finally came on they pitched camp, a process thatconsisted of very little else than getting off their horses and buildinga fire. There was a chill in the air which made them glad of the smallfire, and they ate a hearty supper beside it, discussing the business athand.
"If we find that nothing has been discovered," said Jim, "we'll have tobeat up the mountain in deadly earnest in the morning. We're satisfiedthat they didn't go toward the sea, but we must take care that theyhaven't skipped out of these mountains."
"Right you are," agreed the red-headed boy, as he poured out coffee,"but there must be a million hiding places in these mountains, and we'llhave to draw mighty fine lines. I suppose there is no use of going anyfurther tonight?"
"I hardly think so," rejoined Jim, thoughtfully. "We don't know thecountry and we may run into some trouble. We are on a knoll here andshould be able to see any light that would show on the mountain."
"Suppose someone should see our fire?" asked Terry, practically.
"There isn't much danger of that," said Jim. "The fire is small and weare up pretty high. When we go to sleep the fire will die down andprobably go out. We can comb a few miles of the woods before we go backto meet Don and Ned."
After the meal was over the boys cleaned up around their camp site andstood for some time on the crest of the rise looking down into theblackness of the forest below them. There was no sign of life in thedense trees and no light was to be seen. Jim and Terry once moreseriously considered the possibility of making a night search and thenfinally decided against it.
"I certainly am sleepy," yawned Terry, as they made their way back tothe fire.
"Well, as soon as we gather some wood we'll turn in," suggested Jim. "Idon't know that it is necessary to keep the fire going all night, but wewill have wood at hand for the first thing in the morning so that we canbuild a fire without wasting any time."
With their knives and their hands the two boys gathered enough wood tolast them for several hours and then gave a final look at the horses.Then each of them took his blanket from the pile of equipment, stackedhis gun alongside, loosened shoes and neckties and rolled up in theblankets.
"If either one of us wakes up he can put wood on the fire," said Terry,as he settled himself in the blanket.
"Yes, but don't wake up purposely," advised Jim.
They went to sleep without any trouble, being pretty well tired from theday's journey. The air was cool and fresh and they were healthy youngmen, so they slept soundly. Terry was perhaps the lighter sleeper of thetwo, and it was he who shook Jim into wakefulness after they had beenasleep for a few hours.
"What is up?" asked Jim, awaking swiftly, his brain working perfectly.
"Listen and see if you don't hear a bell ringing!" whispered Terry.
Jim listened, and in spite of himself he felt his flesh quiver. Themountain was dark, the wind fitful, and the fire was a dull red. Fromoff in the distance the sound of a bell was heard, a bell that clashedand rang without rhythm. The sound was far away and very faint, and whenthe wind blew with a slight increase in force they lost the sound.
"That's funny," murmured Jim, propped on his elbow.
"What do you suppose it is?" whispered Terry.
"I haven't the least idea. I don't know where there could be a bellaround here. It might be possible that there is a village nearby and forsome reason or other they are ringing the town bell."
"Maybe. Shall we go down, follow the sound, and see what it is?"
"I don't see why we should," Jim argued. "It might simply be a wildgoose chase. The sound is coming from the south, and maybe Ned and Donwill investigate. I guess we had better stay where we are."
"I guess you are right," Terry agreed, throwing some wood on the fire."Back to sleep we go."
Jim followed Terry's advice. The red-headed boy dozed and woke up,staring at the sky and moving restlessly. The sound of the bell hadstopped and he closed his eyes and once more dozed off. He had sleptlightly for perhaps an hour when he woke up, his senses alert.
There had been a sound near the camp. The horses were moving restlesslyand Terry raised himself on his elbow and looked into the shadows. Thefire had burned low again and he could not see far. He debated whetherto wake Jim or not, and then decided not to.
"Getting jumpy," he thought. "I must go to sleep."
But at that moment two shadows moved quickly from the tall trees andtoward the fire. With a warning shout to Jim, Terry rolled out of hisblanket and reached for the nearby guns.
"Leave your hands off them guns!" snarled Sackett, as Jim kicked his wayclear of his coverings.
Terry looked once at the two outlaws and the guns which they had intheir hands and decided to give in. Jim scrambled to his feet and stoodbeside him, dismayed at the turn events had taken.
"A couple of bad pennies turned up," muttered Terry, inwardly angry atthe new developments.
"All those kids weren't together," said Abel, aside to Sackett.
"I see they weren't. Well, we'll take these youngsters along," repliedthe leader, taking their guns from the tree where they were leaning.
"What do you want with us?" Jim demanded.
"You'll find out soon enough," retorted Sackett.
"You meddling kids made us lose the old man so we'll just take you alongfor a little ride."
"Ned and Don must have rescued the professor," said Jim to Terry.
"You never mind what happened!" growled Abel, in such a manner that theyknew their guess was correct. "Get your horses and come on!"
"Where are you taking us?" asked Terry.
"Mind your own business," snapped Sackett. "Gather up your junk andhurry up about it."
"I see," nodded Terry. "I'm going somewhere and it isn't any of mybusiness where! And Jimmy, my boy, all this nice equipment that Ned gaveus is just junk!"
"Quit your talking," commanded Abel. "We have no time to lose."
In silence the two boys gathered up the blankets and the camping kits,strapped them on the horse under the watchful eye of the mate, and thenmounted. Sackett whistled and Manuel appeared, leading three horses. Theoutlaws sprang into the saddle and Abel took the lead, the other twohemming in the boys from the rear. Abel turned his horse's head down themountain and toward the sea.
"Too doggone bad we didn't keep a sharper lookout," Terry grumbled.
Jim shrugged his shoulders. "Perhaps, but I don't know. These fellowswere running from Don and Ned, and their falling in on us was anaccident. We'll have to keep our eyes open and see if we can give themthe slip."
The horses picked their way down the mountain expertly, and they hadworked several miles to the southward before they rode out on the openplain. Daylight was now not far off, and they went on in silence, bothparties keenly awake to the slightest movement of the other. Whendaylight did break over the plain they were miles from the mountain andalmost to the sea. There had been no chance to make a break and Terryand Jim resigned themselves to their fate.
No halt was made to eat, and the boys found that they were very hungryand somewhat tired. What little sleep they had had was only enough torefresh them sufficiently to keep going, and they would have liked tolay down and enjoy a full, untroubled sleep. But they knew that if theywere ever to escape from Sackett and his men they must be on the alertevery minute.
They rode steadily onward, the men apparently indifferent to the thoughtof breakfast and the boys grimly uncomplaining. Jim was more used to ahorse than Terry and did not mind the ride, but the red-headed boy wasgrowing restless. From
time to time the men looked back at the distantmountains, but as they were now many miles below the vicinity of theruined castle there was nothing to be feared from the other party. Thesea was now very near and Jim thought he recognized the country.
"If I'm not mistaken we rode over this country yesterday," he said asideto Terry.
Before them at a distance of less than a mile, was a high bluff, andwhen they rode to the edge of this bluff the boys saw a familiar sight.Directly below them was the tannery which they had stopped to inspect onthe day before. It was at this point that the Mexican slipped out andtook the lead, showing them a steep and winding path that ran downbeside the cliff and led to the beach below. Down this the party madeits way, the nimble horses bracing their feet expertly, and after sometwenty minutes of steady descending they emerged at length onto the hardsand of the beach.
Manuel still kept the lead, riding up to the tannery, and at one of thesmaller sheds he alighted from his horse, an example which was followedby the others. The boys were not sorry to follow suit and when they haddone so Manuel took the horses and lodged them out of sight in the mainbuilding.
"Say," demanded Terry. "Haven't you fellows any stomachs? I'm starved!"
Sackett opened the door to the smaller building with a grin on his uglyface. "We're all hungry," he said. "Abel, cook up some grub."
"Not while them kids are here," said the mate, promptly. "Let them dothe cooking."
"I'm too hungry to say 'no' just now," said Jim, promptly. "Somebody getme wood and I'll make breakfast."
Abel brought wood while Manuel went up the bluff and disappeared.Sackett sat on a ledge near the door, keeping a watchful eye on theboys. Jim cooked an excellent breakfast and the men enjoyed it. Manuelhad come back and reported briefly.
"Ship's coming in," he said in Spanish, but the boys understood him.
Just as the meal was over the Mexican looked out of the door and got up."The boat is in," he said to Sackett.
The leader arose quickly and motioned to the boys. "Come on, you boys,we're moving. Abel, bring up in the rear."
"Where are we going?" Jim asked.
"You'll find out when you get on board," retorted Sackett, as he marchedthem out of the shack.
"Evidently on a ship," murmured Terry.
He was right. Off the shore a battered old schooner with two masts wastossing gently to and fro and near them on the beach a long boat washauled up, with its crew of six waiting. The men touched their caps whenSackett approached.
"Get in the boat," ordered Sackett, and the boys climbed in, takingtheir places in the stern seats. The outlaws followed, all but Manuel,who stood on the shore.
"Get the horses back to the hide-out," Sackett said to the Mexican."We'll be back soon." To the boat's crew, who had taken their places atthe oars he said, "Row us alongside."
The crew pulled with a will and the boat moved from the shore, out ontothe blue waters of the Pacific. After a row of a half mile they rangedalongside of the schooner, which had the name _Galloway_ painted on thestern. Jim and Terry were ordered up the side ladder, where they droppedover the rail to the deck. Sackett and Abel, followed by the crew,speedily joined them.
"Put on sail," ordered Sackett of the ship's captain, as that officerapproached. He turned to the boys, a grin of evil delight on his face."You kids wanted to know where you are going, eh? Well, we're taking youto Mexico, to keep you prisoners on a nice, deserted ranch until itsuits us to let you go!"