CHAPTER XVII A STARTLING CRY
It seemed to Jo Ann that years passed before her horse came to a stop.She drew a quick breath of relief, then turned about quickly to see ifFlorence were safe.
"Thank goodness!" she ejaculated as she saw that Florence's horse, thoughstill slipping, was over the worst of the incline, and that Florence washanging on pluckily.
"O--oh, Jose!" Jo Ann ejaculated. "This is terrible!"
"_Si, si_," Jose agreed, watching Florence anxiously.
Shortly after Florence's horse had come to a safe halt, she called outbetween gasps, "Jose--are there--any more--places--this bad?"
"No, senorita. This is the worst."
In spite of the fact that their horses were getting tired they urged themon, as darkness was beginning to settle down over the mountains.
"I thought surely we'd have caught up with Carlitos and that man by thistime," thought Jo Ann. "The poor child must be nearly dead, walking sofast. I'm tired, and we've been riding all the way."
When she saw how swiftly the shadows were deepening, she wondered howthey would ever be able to follow the trail from now on. But they must.
"If that mean boss ever gets his hands on Carlitos, that'll be the lastwe'll ever see of him," she thought. "That boss wants to keep the mine,and he won't stop at anything to have his way."
After they had ridden for about an hour, the darkness grew so thick thatit was almost impenetrable.
Jo Ann called back in a low anxious voice to Florence, "I can't see athing--it's so black. I'm glad, though, the trail's not so dangerousalong here. It must be almost time for the moon to be up."
"I'm sure it is," Florence answered, then called to Jose, "Isn't it timefor the moon to come up?"
"_Si_, senorita, but I have much fear there will be no moon tonight. Ithink there will be a storm."
Even as he was speaking the girls saw a flash of lightning and heard thedistant rumbling of thunder. A few moments later great drops of rainbegan to pelt into their faces as a gust of wind blew against them. Withalmost incredible swiftness the storm broke in all its fury. Blindingflashes of lightning darted in every direction, deafening rolls ofthunder echoed and re-echoed over the mountains.
Never had Jo Ann heard such thunder--it growled and raged like somehorrible monster. The rain began sweeping down in torrents, lashing themfuriously.
In a brilliant flash of lightning Jo Ann was horrified to see streams ofwater rushing down the mountain side carrying stones and debris. Sherealized at once that they were in grave danger.
The next moment Jose was beside her. Without a word he caught her horse'sbridle and began leading him over the treacherous, slippery trail.
"Is Florence coming----" she began, but her words were drowned by thestorm.
In a few more moments Jose turned off the trail and started leading thehorse almost straight up the rocky mountain side.
"What--where are you going?" Jo Ann gasped, unheard.
When her horse had climbed a little farther, lightning illuminated thedarkness enough to show her an overhanging ledge of rock jutting out justahead of them.
Instantly she grasped Jose's plan. Here was a shelter--a refuge from thestorm!
As soon as he had led her up under the cliff she sprang off her horse,crying, "Get Florence! Hurry!"
"_Si, si_," he nodded.
With that Jose was off again down the trail. After what seemed to Jo Annan endless time, he reappeared leading Florence's horse and his own.
The moment Florence leaped off her horse Jo Ann caught her in a warmembrace.
"Oh, Florence, I'm so thankful you're safe!"
"And I'm thankful we're all safe."
"If only we had Carlitos here with us, too! Oh, Florence, where do yousuppose he is now? He might get washed off the trail if that man forceshim on in this storm."
"I believe that kidnaper'll do exactly what Jose is doing--seek refugetill the storm checks," Florence comforted.
"I hope so. He and Carlitos might be under just such a rocky ledge asthis right now. What puzzles me is how they could've got this far withoutour overtaking them."
As soon as Jose had tied the horses to some scrubby bushes he hurriedover to Florence's side and shouted, "I go now to look for Carlitos. Weare getting near the mine, and I must find him."
"But, Jose, the storm is terrible. Wait a little while."
After the rain had checked a little, Jose turned to Florence and said,"Wait for me here, _sabe_? I go now." With that he started off anddisappeared in the darkness once more.
"Oh, if he can just find Carlitos!" Jo Ann said wistfully.
She drew back hastily against the rocky wall in an effort to escape asudden gust of rain, as did Florence.
"This isn't as good a shelter as I thought," Florence gasped. "Thewind--must be changing--to another direction. It's cold, too."
"Yes, it is. Let's move over farther this way."
"All right."
Keeping close to the wall they made their way farther on around a sharpprojecting rock, which protected them a little better.
After they had stood there several minutes, an unusually brilliantlightning flash lighted the surrounding blackness long enough for them tosee that back to their right was what appeared to be the opening of acave.
"If that's a cave back there and we can get in it, we'll be entirely outof the rain," Jo Ann told herself as she wiped her rain-drenched face onher sleeve.
When at last the thunder's reverberations were beginning to die away, sheleaned over closer to Florence and said, "Did you see that cave-likeopening back there on your right?"
"Yes."
"Let's go on back and see if it is a cave."
"No--no. There might be a bear--or some other animal in it."
"That's right! I didn't think of that."
In a sudden lull in the rain and thunder just then a wailing soundfloated to them.
Both girls uttered little gasps of fright.
That was the cry of a human being! The same thought struck them--couldthat be Carlitos?
Jo Ann leaned over and whispered excitedly in Florence's ear, "Thatsounds like Carlitos' voice. Do you think----?" She halted to listen tothe wailing notes again. "I believe that is Carlitos! It's a boy'svoice!"
"You're right--it is. There probably wouldn't be any other child up herein this wild place on a night like this."
"Let's slip up closer and see if we can tell whether it's Carlitos. If itis, we've got to get him."
"But that man! We couldn't get Carlitos away from him without Jose tohelp us."
Jo Ann caught Florence's hand in hers. "Come on. Let's slip on up closerand see if we can find out for sure if it's Carlitos."
Together they stealthily crept along the wall till they could see twofigures crouched about a small fire on the floor of the cave.
Jo Ann squeezed Florence's hand tightly to indicate to her that she hadrecognized Carlitos. Quickly Florence returned the pressure, then beganpulling her backwards.
Jo Ann obediently turned, and silently the two girls retraced their stepsout of hearing distance.
"We've got to get Carlitos away from that man right away," Jo Annwhispered excitedly.
"But Jose isn't here to----"
"I'm afraid to wait for him. That man might leave with Carlitos before hegets back. I'm going to get the rope and pistol out of the saddle-bag,and we can capture that man ourselves."
"Oh, but, Jo!" Florence's voice was filled with horror.
"All you'll have to do'll be to hold the gun on him while I tie him."
"Oh, Jo! Let's wait for Jose."
"No. You wait here while I get the things."
Without waiting to hear Florence's whispered protest, she hurried back tothe horses and returned with the pistol and rope.
As she handed Florence the pistol she whispered, "Don't get so excitedyou forget to throw off the safety. As soon as I fix my rope, we'll beready."
br /> She hastily tied a slipknot in the rope, then ordered, "Come on. Stayright behind me and hold that gun on the man. We'll wait till it thundersagain, so he won't hear us."
Slowly and cautiously they slipped on toward the cave. Jo Ann could seethat the man and Carlitos were still crouched around the fire.
When they had gone as close as they dared, they waited till there was aloud crash of thunder. Immediately Jo Ann crept forward till she wasdirectly behind the man.
With amazing swiftness she dropped the noose over the man's head and downover his shoulders, then jerked back on the rope. Automatically his handflew toward his stiletto as he leaped forward. But the ropetightened--his arms were pinioned to his sides. He wheeled partly aroundonly to find he was looking into the barrel of a 32-caliber automatic.
"Stand still or I'll shoot," Florence ordered in Spanish. "Carlitos--getback. You might get hurt."
Jo Ann quickly slipped a loop of the rope over the man's right hand anddrew it behind his back, then his left, and tied the two togethersecurely.
"Tell him to lie down on the ground now," Jo Ann said.
Florence quickly repeated the order.
The man's eyes blazed angrily. "No--no. I no----" His protest was lost ina clap of thunder.
"Do as you're told or I'll shoot," Florence commanded a moment later.
As the man made no move, Jo Ann quickly gave him a hard shove and senthim sprawling headlong on the ground.
"You do what we tell you," she scolded in English as she jerked the ropeabout his feet and began tying them together. "What do you mean byrunning off with this little boy?"
As soon as she had finished tying him, she remarked to Florence, "Ask himwhere he's taking Carlitos and what he was going to do with him."
Just as Florence had begun asking him these questions, Carlitos suddenlycried out in terror and pointed to the entrance.
The same instant Florence felt a strong hand clutch her shoulder as thegun was snatched out of her hand.
At Carlitos' cry of terror Jo Ann's gaze turned toward the cave entrance.Then cold fear clutched her heart as she saw towering over Florence agreat hulk of a man with a long mustache who she instinctively felt mustbe the mean boss.