The Mercer Boys on a Treasure Hunt
CHAPTER IX THE RUINED CASTLE
The professor enjoyed his day of solitude. Long years of serious studyand instructive reading had made him one of the men who prefer beingalone to mixing with a noisy crowd. Not that the professor was the leastbit snobbish or unsociable, but he loved the quietness of inner thoughtand the companionship of a book.
After the boys had disappeared over the hill he returned to the livingroom and sat in a sunny window looking out over the rolling countrywhich extended for miles back of Ned's ranch, away to the purplemountains in the distance. A feeling of warm contentment came over theelderly man, for an hour or more he simply dreamed there, enjoying thecomfort of Ned's best armchair.
After that he read for a long time, until the cook announced that dinnerwas ready. He ate alone, well served by the silent Indian and then wentback to smoke his pipe and dream in the window once more. When afternooncame on he imitated the actions of the cook and Yappi, who both went tosleep, the cook in a bunk off the kitchen and Yappi beside the barn, hisbattered hat over his eyes. The professor sought the dull colored sofain the living room and slept until the sun began to go down.
He awoke much refreshed and drank copiously, realizing for the firsttime in his long life just how good water could be. Another lone mealfollowed and he spent the evening with another book, sitting under theoil lamp until it was nearly time to go to bed. Then, enchanted with thefine moonlight, the professor went out on the front porch to smoke afinal pipe before retiring.
The whole landscape was flooded by the brilliant slice of moon whichhung far over in the sky, and the professor drank in its beauty. Thecook had finally cleared up everything in the kitchen and gone out tothe small bunkhouse, to listen for a time to the guitar which Yappi wasplaying and then finally to coax the old mestizo into playing a game ofcards with him, over which they droned half asleep, seriously intent.When Professor Scott had finished his pipe he knocked out the ashes,yawned and with a final look around, went to his room.
This was in the back of the long, low building, facing the plains andmountains. He opened the window and finding that there was enough lightfrom the moon, extinguished the lamp which he had lighted and took offhis necktie. His eyes wandered dreamily over the landscape. Then hesuddenly stopped unbuttoning his collar, his eyes narrowed, and hebecame all attention.
On the top of a sand dune a man was standing and looking toward theranch. It was only for an instant and then the man disappeared, slippingdown the other side noiselessly. He had on a cape and a sombrero, andthe professor was puzzled. He wondered if Yappi or the cook had left theplace, and after a moment of thought he went back to the front porch andlooked around. There was no light in the bunkhouse now. But when hestarted to go out there he saw the cook walking toward the kitchen doorand the ranchman coming out of the barn.
His first impulse was to speak to Yappi, but thinking it useless toalarm the man he returned to the house and to his room. It was noteither of the men whom he had seen, but some stranger who was carefullylooking down on the ranch. It was possible that it was only some chancewayfarer who had topped the rise and was examining the ranch, but theprofessor knew that Sackett was in the neighborhood and that it would bewell to keep his eyes open. For an hour he looked steadily out of thewindow, but he saw nothing more to alarm him, and at last, after makinga tour through the house and locking every door and window, includingthe window in his bedroom, he went to bed and soon fell asleep.
When morning came he was awakened by the sound of the cook trying theback door, and he hastily opened it for the Indian. The cook answeredhis cheery morning greeting unemotionally. The Indian had never knownNed to lock the doors, and he wondered why the older man did it, but nosign of his thoughts appeared on his shiny dark face and he set aboutgetting breakfast ready. The professor dressed and then sat down to hismorning meal, after a hasty look around to see that all was well.
Yappi had already attended to the horses when the professor went out totake a walk around the ranch, and the mestizo was busy in the barn.After enjoying the clear morning outside the professor went back to thehouse and once more resumed his reading, sitting in the window throughwhich the sun came brightly. From where he was sitting he could seeYappi at work on a saddle, mending a flap on it, sitting on the lowdoorstep of the bunkhouse.
The professor had read for perhaps a half hour and was in the act ofturning a page when he happened to look up and out at the old mestizo.The man had ceased his stitching and was looking back of the house, thesaddle hanging loosely in his hand. And to the professor's vastastonishment, he suddenly tossed the saddle over his shoulder and withthe agility of a cat rolled himself without rising into the doorway ofthe bunkhouse.
Struck with amazement at the man's actions the teacher put down his bookand got up, striding for the front door. But even before he reached ithe heard the back door pushed open and he turned. His worst fears wererealized when he found Sackett standing on the threshold, a rifle in hishand, and Abel just back of him. Both men were smiling in triumph, butkeeping a wary eye on the house just the same.
"Ah," said Sackett, grinning broadly. "We didn't know you was going outthe front door, governor! Or maybe you was goin' to let us in?"
"What do you want here?" asked the professor, stiffly.
Sackett looked all around. "We ain't sure, yet. We want you, for onething. Keep your gun on him, Abel. Where's Manuel?"
"Watching the front door," growled the former mate.
The two men stepped into the house and the professor saw that he wastrapped. He had no idea what the men wanted with him, although his heartsank a little he resolved to face them unflinchingly. Out of the cornerof his eye he saw the cook glide out of the back door.
"You two men get out of this house!" the professor snapped.
Sackett laughed and walked boldly through the rooms, while Abel kept hisrifle pointed in the professor's direction. After he had looked throughevery room the leader came back.
"Nobody else in the place, just like Manuel said," he reported. He facedthe old savant. "Where did those boys go to?"
"Off on a camping trip," answered the professor, calmly.
"Sure they didn't go looking for that treasure?" inquired the outlaw,thrusting his face close to Mr. Scott's.
"Do you mean to say that you believe that story?" sniffed the professor,scornfully.
"I believe it, and so do you," replied the chief.
"A fairy story," said the professor, contemptuously. "My boy has longsince found out that there isn't anything to it."
"You and your boy know more about that treasure than you feel liketelling," retorted Sackett. "You're coming with us and stay with usuntil you tell us what you do know."
"I guess I'll stay with you a long time," said the professor,humorously. "Because I don't know anything about it."
"Stow the talk and come on," growled the mate. "Want them boys to comeback again?"
"Yes, we had better get moving," agreed the leader of the gang. Hewalked to the desk and took out a piece of paper and a pen, which hedipped in the ink. "You write a note saying you have gone for a littleexploring trip," he directed the professor.
"I won't write a line!" said the professor, stubbornly.
"You write quickly or I'll punch your head!" growled the outlaw, raisinghis heavy fist.
Convinced that he would gain nothing by arguing with these men theprofessor took the pen and wrote a short note. He hesitated a moment andthen signed it "Duress Scott."
"Hey!" cried Sackett, suspiciously. "What's that you're putting?"
"You want me to sign my name, don't you?" asked the teacher, blandly.
"That isn't your name," argued the man.
"Oh, it isn't, eh?" said the professor. "Very well, I'll sign it justplain Dad, and then Ned will know that something is wrong."
The leader thought a moment. "Never mind," he growled. "That will do asit is. Now come along, and mind, no funny business, or it
will be theworse for you."
The professor accompanied them out of the house, jealously guarded bythe two men, and in the back yard Manuel, a short and stolid Mexican,was waiting for them with a horse from Ned's own stock. In silence theprofessor mounted and the cavalcade moved out of the ranch grounds, theprofessor looking around for the cook and Yappi. Neither of them were insight.
"Miserable cowards!" muttered the professor, between his set teeth.
They headed for the mountains, the Mexican in front and the professorriding just ahead of Sackett and Abel, who kept watchful eyes on him.They travelled in silence during the morning and stopped at noon to eatand rest, after which they pushed on, in a direction southwest of themines. Manuel, it seemed, was the lookout and rode ahead to see to itthat they did not unexpectedly run across some party from the mines orfrom other scattered ranches. They had passed to the north of theSenorita Mercedes ranch and there was no help from that quarter. Andwhen at last they entered the trees at the foot of the central rangethey had not been seen by anyone.
There Manuel waited for the party and they rode on in a compact body,ascending the long slopes, skirting abrupt cliffs and rising high abovesea level. The woods were of a semi-tropical nature, with thick treesand bright green leaves, surrounded by dense bushes of undergrowth. Itwas cool above the level of the plain and they made good time, comingout onto a flat plateau late in the afternoon. Before them was a wall ofvegetation, and to the professor's astonishment they rode straight toit, pushed their way through and came unexpectedly upon the ruins of asmall castle.
The building was small and now nothing more than a tumbled heap ofruins. Looking at it closely the professor was inclined to think that ithad never been completed at all, but had been abandoned before the roofhad been put on. Creepers grew in reckless profusion all over the stonesand a bright green snake glided across a door sill with a slight hiss.The men sprang from their horses and the professor got down slowly,waiting the next move.
Guided by his captors he was led across the first floor of the place,evidently the effort of some Spanish nobleman to plant a small empire ofhis own in a new country, and ushered into a single room toward the backof the castle. This room had a ceiling to it and he could see at oncethat it was the headquarters of the gang. A stove, made out of bricksheld together by clay, stood in one corner and several strings of redpeppers, dried with heat and age, hung from strings over the stove. Arough table, two chairs and a bench, and a long box made up thefurniture of the place. Besides the door, which was constructed of heavywood, there was a single window in the place, which was barred, thoughit had no glass in it. The forest grew close to the back of the place.
"Now look here," commanded the leader, as soon as they were all in theroom. "Are you going to talk, or do we have to starve it out of you?"
"If you mean I am to tell you anything about that treasure, I guessyou'll have to starve me," returned the professor, with spirit. "I tellyou I don't know a thing about it."
Sackett turned to Abel. "No use arguing with this man now, I can seethat. Maybe when he gets hungry he'll sing another tune. Put him in thedungeon."
Without wasting a word on the matter Abel drove the professor before himto a small door which opened in one side of the room. This door, whenopened, disclosed a turning flight of narrow stairs, and down this theprofessor went, guided by the light from a lantern which Manuel hadlighted and handed to the mate. After turning around and around theycame suddenly to a narrow cell, in front of which swung a heavy woodenhalf door, the upper part of which was composed of iron bars. Abelopened the door by pulling it toward him and then pushed the professorinside.
"Stay there until you get hungry," he said, grimly. "When you feel liketalking just yell for the captain."
He closed the door with a sharp slam, snapped a padlock in place, andtaking the light with him, remounted the stairs. The professor stoodstill, watching the light flash and twinkle on the white stone stepsuntil it was gone and he was in the darkness alone.