The Mercer Boys on a Treasure Hunt

  CHAPTER VII SACKETT'S RAID

  They galloped down the long sloping hill rapidly, unobserved by the twomen who were entering the Mercedes ranch. The second man had leapedlightly in the window and disappeared from sight. It was evident thatthey feared no interruptions for they did not even glance out and theparty of boys arrived in the yard without having warned the men of theircoming.

  But once in the yard the ring of the horses' hoofs on the hard packedsoil reached the ears of the men inside the house. Two heads appearedswiftly at the window, at the same time that a candle flickeredupstairs. The men, seeing the party of boys, jumped from the window withone accord.

  "Sackett and Abel!" cried Don, as he jumped from his horse.

  All the boys had dismounted, which was precisely the wrong thing to do,for the two men began to run swiftly for a small patch of trees andbushes which stood at the edge of the senorita's property. Ned rushedforward and seized Sackett, who promptly felled him with a blow on thechin, while Abel kept on going and entered the grove several yards aheadof his pursuers. Sackett soon joined him, and before Terry, who was inthe lead, could reach him, he had joined Abel, who was already onhorseback with a second rein in his hand. Sackett tumbled into thesaddle and the two men thundered away across the plains.

  "Shall we go after them?" shouted Jim, as the senorita appeared on anupper balcony.

  "No," cried Ned. "They have too big a start, and I want to find out whatthey were doing here."

  Somewhat reluctantly the boys turned away, while the two outlaws putgreater distance between themselves and the ranch party. The senorita,recognizing Ned in the moonlight, hurried back to her room and soonappeared at the side door of the ranch house.

  "Senor Ned, what is it?" she called, and the boys were attracted by hersoft and gentle voice.

  Ned and the boys walked to the steps, taking off their hats, and Nedspoke up. "We were riding by at a distance, senorita, and we paused tolook down at your ranch. While we were looking these two men that justrode away broke in a side window and entered the house."

  Ned then went on to introduce his friends, to whom the senorita bowedwith a stately grace. They were quite taken with her beauty and charm,her fine olive skin and her flashing black eyes. She drew theiradmiration, for she was not the least bit terror stricken by what hadhappened, but only thoughtful and puzzled.

  "In the library you say, Senor Ned?" she puzzled. "But why do you thinkthey should want to go in my library? What is it that is in there?"

  She spoke remarkably good English, with only a slight accent. Ned shookhis head.

  "Senorita, I do not know. May we inspect your library and see ifanything is missing?"

  "Certainly. Do come right in, and welcome," she replied, and led the wayinto the small library of the Mercedes ranch.

  It was a square room filled with books, in cases reaching to theceiling. A single table was there, and two comfortable chairs. Uponexamination the boys found that a few books, in a section which wasfilled with ancient, hand-written manuscripts, had been handled by themen.

  "It is evident that those fellows were about to steal some of yourvaluable manuscripts, senorita," remarked Ned, after they had made anexamination.

  "Yes," nodded the girl. "But I wonder how those men knew that I had anybooks?"

  "I'm very much afraid you are wrong in your ideas," spoke up Don, whohad been considering deeply. And Jim nodded, for his ideas were runningalong the same lines of those of his brother.

  "What do you mean, Don?" asked Ned, quickly.

  "You remember that your father was attacked in San Francisco by this manSackett, who took away your letter to him? Well, that letter containedyour ideas about the treasure and that ancient book which came from thislibrary. Those men are taking that matter seriously, and they have beenhere tonight to try and find the other half of that Spanish manuscriptand learn the exact location of the wreck!"

  "Ah, ha!" cried Senorita Mercedes sharply. "The senor is right!"

  "I certainly believe that you are!" cried Ned. "I had never thought ofit all in that light, but that is surely the answer. Sackett is afreebooter who will turn his hand to anything that promises profit, andhe has done as you say, taken that letter seriously. I wish it had neverfallen into his hands. However, with all of his knowledge of thecountry, and I suppose he has quite a knowledge of the land, he doesn'tknow where the treasure is, so we are safe on that point."

  "Yes," put in Terry. "But we'll have to be on our guard from now on.There is no doubt that that gang will push the search with all vigor."

  "They seem to have faith in the story," said Ned. "I have unlimitedfaith in it because I have seen the manuscript, but they are placingtheir faith in my letter to my father. There is only one weak spot in myclaim of thought."

  "What is that?" asked Jim.

  "That the treasure may have been found and removed since that book waswritten. The priest who wrote the book was going to raise a party to goback and recover the treasure, but whether he did or not is not known.He may have done so, in which case our efforts and plans are absolutelyuseless."

  "Of course," nodded Don. He turned to the senorita. "Senorita Mercedes,you do not know how that book ever came to be in your house, do you?"

  "No," confessed the girl. "As far as I have knowledge, senor, it hasquite always been here. But I can say this, which will perhaps aid you:before my family came here to dwell we lived in Mexico. You see what Imean?"

  "I do," nodded Ned. "You mean that this priest may at one time havelodged at your house and have left his book there?"

  "He may have even died there, Senor Ned."

  "That is very true. I lean to the belief that the treasure was neverrecovered. Well, there are two parties after it now, so we will have tobe on our guard."

  Terry, who had walked to the window, spoke up. He had been examining thedouble windows, which opened like doors, with hinges on each side.

  "Do you keep your windows locked at night, senorita?" he asked.

  "Of a certainty, senor," she replied.

  "I was just wondering," said Terry, slowly. "Because these two fellowsjust reached up and pushed the window open."

  "Impossible, Senor Mackson! You may see that there is a much thick baracross that window."

  "Yes, so I notice. But all of the boys will tell you that they simplyreached up and pushed the window open, and that they didn't have a thingin their hands when they did it!"

  "That's so," exclaimed Ned, a sudden light breaking over him. "Senorita,where is Alaroze, your overseer? How is it that he has not appearedduring all of the excitement? The rest of your men are outside; I cansee them gathered in the courtyard."

  "I do not know," answered the senorita, "I shall call him at once." Shestepped to the door and clapped her small hands sharply.

  There was a slight pause and then a man entered the room quickly. He wassmall and chunky, with a brown face and shifty eyes. He was fullydressed in the nondescript outfit of a ranch foreman.

  "Senor Alaroze, where have you been?" the senorita asked him in Spanish,which the boys understood slightly. They had studied the language inhigh school, all except Terry, and they could follow the conversation.

  "A thousand pardons, senorita, but I was awakened by the noise andhastened to dress," the Mexican said, softly.

  "It took you much time, senor," retorted the senorita, curtly. "Tell me,when you closed up did you lock this library window?"

  "Surely, senorita. I take pains to always carry out faithfully the tasksintrusted to me," he replied, his tone becoming haughty.

  "The reason we ask you, Senor Alaroze," said Ned, still in Spanish, "isbecause two rascals have just broken into the house and have searchedthis library. But the strange part is that they did not even have tobreak in. They simply reached up and pushed the window and it openedunder their touch. That does not look as though they found the windowbarred, does it?"

  "I can only say that I dropped th
e bar across the window before Iretired, senor," replied the overseer, his lips moving uneasily."Perhaps someone else----"

  "Nonsense!" cried Ned, sharply. "The senorita is the only one who sleepsin the house. You and the ranchmen sleep in the bunkhouse. You do notthink for a minute that Senorita Mercedes came down and took the barfrom the window do you?"

  "I regret to say that I do not know what to think, senor," returned theoverseer, quietly enough. The other boys watched him closely, puzzled athis calm and speculating as to what thoughts might be in his mind.

  "Well, it is very strange," remarked Ned, closing the window anddropping the bar in place. When he spoke there was a trace of gloom inhis voice, especially when he addressed the overseer. "Be more carefulin the future, Senor Alaroze. You alone have the keeping of SenoritaMercedes and her safety."

  "I am worthy of the trust, senor," retorted the overseer, his eyesnarrowing.

  Ned looked at his watch. "We'll have to be getting back, or dad willbegin to be worried. I don't think you will have any more trouble,senorita. If you do, send one of your men to me and I will come asquickly as possible."

  The senorita murmured thanks and accompanied them to the courtyard,where the boys swung onto their mounts. The three ranchmen, seeing thatall was well, went back to the bunkhouse, while the overseer, his facehidden in the shadow of the doorway, stood back of the senorita.

  She bade them goodbye, thanking them once more. The boys quietlyoverlooked the fact that she held onto Ned's hand for a moment longerthan seemed actually necessary. They rode away, looking back more thanonce at the gleaming white ranch in the moonlight, until it was lost tosight.

  "I'm very much afraid I don't trust that overseer," said Don.

  "Well," said Ned. "So far he has been very good in the management of theranch. I wonder if he can be in league with that Sackett gang?"

  "Hard to tell," said Terry. "I don't like the thought of the senoritaliving alone with that fellow around, and not a woman for miles."

  There was a pause, and then: "I don't like it, either," spoke Ned,frankly. "But she claims that she is not afraid. She goes armed all thetime and is very determined to be a success at raising cattle and caringfor herself. Pride, you know, is something that the Spanish are greatfor, and I'm afraid she has more than her share. However, sometime----"

  He did not finish his thought, but the boys thought that they knew whathe had in mind. They arrived at the ranch in silence and relieved theprofessor's anxiety.