Chapter XIV
TRAPPED
Gale, her revolver clasped firmly in her right hand, and the knife withwhich she was to free Valerie secure in her left, crept forward to thedoor. What if the door was bolted on the inside? That would spoileverything! With her foot she pushed on the heavy panels and, creakingprotestingly, the door swung inward.
The Mexican had wheeled sharply when the door first moved, and now hestared in amazement at the slender girl on the threshold and then at thebusiness-like revolver in her hand.
"Oh, Gale!" was all that Valerie could manage to utter, so great was herjoy and relief.
"Hands up, Senor," Gale commanded.
The knife clattered to the floor as the Mexican obediently raised hisarms above his head. Gale walked forward to Valerie.
"O. K., Val?"
"Yes--now," Val said, with answering smile.
The Mexican, thinking to catch Gale off guard, slowly lowered his arms,but she was watching him.
"Reach for the sky, you!" she said savagely. "I'm not afraid to shoot,so be careful."
But the Mexican, his pride outraged that such a slip of a girl shoulddare oppose him, lunged forward and caught Gale's wrist in his hand.Gale's finger pressed the trigger, but the bullet sped harmlessly pasthim. His fingers were like steel talons about her wrist, hurting so shehad to drop the revolver. It fell to the floor by her foot and a kicksent it spinning into the corner. At the same time she pulled herselffree of the man and darted to the other side of the rickety table. Heretrieved his knife from the floor and took a few catlike steps towardher.
Gale retreated until she stumbled against a stool. She gripped it firmlyand watched her enemy.
"Don't come near me!" she warned.
Forgotten was the knife she still had. Now she had another plan ofdefense and, desperate as it was, she meant to use it. The Mexican camenearer and she swung the stool up with a crashing blow against his head.It was an effective means of subduing him, for he crumpled to the floorwithout a sound.
"That was the one I owed him," Val muttered.
Gale shivered, and turning away, secured her gun and went across to Val,her back deliberately upon her fallen enemy. It took but a moment toslash Valerie's bonds.
"Oh, Gale!" Valerie said, almost sobbing, her head on Gale's shoulder.Now that there was no longer any reason for her to be brave, reactionhad set in. "It was--horrible!"
"You were marvelous!" Gale said soothingly.
"I was scared!" Val contradicted with a nervous laugh. "And now I'macting like a silly goose. Oh, Gale, how did you get here? Where did youcome from?"
"I was here all the time," Gale said, "ever since this afternoon. Butwe'll have explanations later. Come along, we have to get out of here."
"Slowly my young friends!" an oily voice spoke behind Gale.
The latter could see Val's face whiten with sudden terror. She heard hercatch her breath and felt her tremble.
"Gale--he was shamming--it was a trick. He's got a gun!" Val whisperedbrokenly.
Gale put Valerie from her and turned about. The Mexican was peeringalong the barrel of a rifle leveled at them. Her gaze went beyond him tothe corner where lay the saddle and where, this afternoon, she had foundthe same rifle he now held. Her hand went into her breeches pocket andshe smiled broadly.
The more the Mexican glowered over the gun at them, the more Galesmiled. Valerie watched her friend with amazement. Had the evening'sevents mentally unbalanced Gale? It was no situation at which to laugh.At least she didn't see the funny side.
"Gale! What's the matter?" Val asked, shaking Gale's arm vigorously."Are you crazy? He'll shoot!"
"No, he won't," Gale said, shaking her head. "He can't. The gun isn'tloaded." For an instant the rifle wavered. "Look for yourself," sheinvited, hoping desperately that it _hadn't_ been reloaded.
Pedro did so and with a muttered exclamation of disgust flung the gunaside.
"And now we'll let you take Val's place," Gale said, leveling herrevolver at him. "Come on, sit down there!"
It took but a moment to fasten him as securely as Valerie had been. Heglared at them all the while.
"W'en I am free I will keel you!" he promised balefully.
"Ah, but you won't be free," Gale assured him happily. "The Sheriff willtake care of that."
"You t'ink so, eh?" he laughed. "The gringo jail cannot hol' me!"
"Sure of yourself, aren't you?" was Gale's opinion.
He nodded. "I know. An' I weel fin' you and wit' my knife I weel slashso----"
"Never mind the details," Valerie interrupted. "Come on, Gale, let'sleave him."
"Right you are," Gale said cheerily. "Well, Pedro, the next time we seeyou I hope you are behind bars."
"I weel not be," he said confidently.
Outside was the sound of voices. Valerie turned startled eyes to Gale.The Mexican laughed and then Gale understood why he had talked so loudand confidently. He had talked to cover the sound of approaching horsesand he had succeeded. His friends had returned and they were trapped.
Gale's mind worked with lightning rapidity. If their plans had workedonly two outlaws were to return here. The other three would be busytaking cattle across the border into Mexico. But even two----
"What will we do, Gale?" Valerie's voice was steady. The emergency hadbrought back her courage.
Gale thrust her revolver into Val's hand and snatched up the rifle. Shebrought the shells from her pocket and loaded it.
"Get on the other side of the door," she directed her friend. "We haveto take 'em by surprise or else----"
Valerie shivered. "Yes," she agreed, "or else!"
"Steady," Gale warned, "here they come."
There was a ring of a bootheel as the two men approached the cabinunsuspectingly. Gale was on one side of the doorway and Val on theother. As the men stepped into the room and stopped aghast at the sightof the Mexican, the girls stepped forward. The two, taken utterlyunaware by the pressure of the gun muzzles in their backs, raised theirhands obediently.
"Face the wall," Gale ordered, and the two turned meekly. She knew ifshe gave them time to overcome their surprise they would not be sodocile. Cautiously she reached forward and secured first one man's gunand then the other. While Valerie watched the two, Gale emptied theguns, put the shells into her pocket and tossed the revolvers onto thetable.
"What shall we do with them?" Valerie asked nervously, indicating thetwo men standing, faces to the wall, at the rear of the cabin.
"That's what I'm wondering," Gale murmured with a frown. "I suppose oneshould watch them while one goes back to camp for Tom and Jim."
"Well," Val said firmly, "I'm sure I couldn't find the way back to thecamp, and I refuse to stay here alone! So what?"
"Indeed, so what?" Gale returned. "We have to do one or the other. Standstill there!" she warned, as one of the outlaws made as though to turnaround. "Don't forget I've got a gun and I know how to use it."
"It's almost morning," Val said.
Through the window they could see the sky growing lighter as night fadedinto dawn. One of the bandits turned about.
"See here you----"
"Keep quiet," Gale commanded, "and turn around."
"No kid is gonna tell me what to do," the man returned. "I'll----"
Deliberately Gale raised her gun and fired a bullet into the wall overhis head. "I might hit you next time," she said sweetly.
The man turned then with a muttered exclamation that only his companionheard. The two of them stood with their faces to the wall while thegirls held a conference.
"We have to do something," Valerie said. "And in a hurry too," sheadded.
"What's that?" Gale asked.
Val went to the window and looked out. Coming into view between thetrees were riders, about six of them and all of them carried riflesacross their saddles.
"Horses," Val answered in a low, worried tone. "I wonder if their palsare to come
back this morning?"
"Maybe some of them," Gale replied uneasily. "Now what will we do? Iwish we had never got mixed up in this."
"No more than I do," Val agreed. "Well?" she asked.
"Can you recognize any of the riders?" Gale wanted to know.
"No," Val answered, gazing out the window. "They are not coming towardthe cabin now. They seem to be having a conference about what to do."
"If they come on here we are lost," Gale declared. "We'll have to stopthem."
Val turned to watch the outlaws while Gale took a look out the window.There were men in the distance, but they were indistinguishable in thegray light of dawn and because of the thickness of the trees. While shewatched, they started forward toward the cabin. She raised her rifle andfired a bullet that raised a spurt of dust in front of the advancinghorses. That had the desired effect. The men retreated to the treesagain. There they seemed to spread out fanlike.
"Going to surround the place," she said to Val. "We're trapped allright. We might as well invite them in now."
"We won't give up without a fight," Val said staunchly.
At the moment she spoke a well-planted bullet shook the center panel ofthe door. The girls exchanged looks.
"I don't think it will be much of a fight," Gale said. "We have only onerifle bullet left. That won't be much help."
"I'd like to know who it is," Valerie said with a frown. "If it is thesefellows' friends why did they stop before they got to the cabin in thefirst place?"
Another bullet thudded into the door. The outlaws looked about uneasily.
"Why don't you go out and meet your friends," one of them demanded ofGale.
She regarded him with a shrewd glance. "Our friends?" she murmured. "Areyou sure you weren't expecting anybody?"
"Shore, the King of England," the other man drawled loftily.
"Do you suppose it could be our friends?" Valerie asked.
"Too many," Gale said immediately, but she was uncertain.
Were the outlaws as uneasy over these new arrivals as they seemed? Orwas it pretense to trick the girls? Gale wished she knew. To her theterror of the outlaws seemed real enough. There was no mistaking thefear on the face of Pedro when a bullet entered through the window andpinged against the fireplace alarmingly close to him. They feared thesemen, but why? Were the new arrivals officers of the law or a band ofrival outlaws? Were there such things as rival groups of bandits?
Gale pulled Val against the wall beside her. It was safest out of rangeof any gun that might shoot in the window. Suddenly from the rear of thecabin came a shout. Another voice took it up. A hasty glance out thewindow showed men running from cover and toward the door.
"Use your gun," screamed one of the outlaws.
"No," Gale said firmly. "We'll see who they are--first!"