The Mystery of Carlitos

  CHAPTER XVIII PRISONERS

  Before Jo Ann could spring to her feet, Carlitos was crouching behind hercrying piteously, "_El jefe! El jefe!_"

  Jo Ann immediately recognized the name "_el jefe_" as meaning the boss.She was right. That man was the mean boss!

  Just then the boss broke into a burst of coarse derisive laughter thatsent shivers down her spine. "Ah, the senoritas _muy bravo_! They bindthe peon who thinks he's a man but has not the strength of a woman."

  It seemed to Jo Ann that the boss's huge body almost filled the narrowopening as he stood there with Florence's gun aimed directly toward them.What could she do now? How could they save themselves and Carlitos? Oh,why hadn't she taken Florence's advice and waited for Jose before comingin here! If only Jose would come now!

  A sudden idea flashed into her mind. When the boss stooped over to untiethe peon, maybe she'd have a chance to slip his gun out of his holster;then she'd watch her chance to take him by surprise.

  Her thoughts were broken into by the boss seizing Florence roughly by thearm and starting toward her.

  "Here's my chance to get his gun," Jo Ann thought, feeling sure that hewas going to untie the peon now.

  To her consternation, instead of untying the peon, he kicked himviciously and snarled, "You no good--you let the senoritas bind youup--now I leave you here for the wild beasts to gnaw on your bones."

  Although Jo Ann could not understand all that he said, she realizedimmediately that he was going to leave the peon here to die. "What abeast that man is," she thought.

  "Get on out--all of you," the boss growled, pushing Carlitos roughly infront of the girls and pointing his gun menacingly.

  When the peon saw them all starting out of the cave, leaving him therealone, bound and helpless, he began struggling and rolling about, tryingto free himself.

  "Don't leave me here! You can't leave me! I did what you told me. Ibrought the boy back. Where is the money you promised me?"

  "The wild animals cannot eat money," the boss flung back, then laughedcallously.

  Jo Ann gasped in horror as she caught the meaning of his cruel words."That man isn't human. No wonder Jose with his family had fled from themine."

  With the peon's piteous cries ringing in their ears the two girlssilently walked on in front of the boss.

  "Go and get on your horses--_pronto_," the boss ordered.

  As Carlitos whimpered softly, Jo Ann caught hold of his hand to silenceand comfort him.

  Too terrified even to speak to each other, the three stumbled along inthe darkness around the ledge. Instead of three horses, they found four.

  "One must belong to the boss," Jo Ann thought. "I wonder if he hasguessed that Jose came with us." She caught her breath as a new fearoverwhelmed her. Had he already found Jose and made away with him--pushedhim over the precipice, perhaps?

  "Go on, _pronto_!" the boss growled.

  In a brilliant flash of lightning Jo Ann saw Carlitos struggling to reachthe horn of his saddle. She leaned over quickly and half lifted, halfpushed him up on the horse.

  "_Infante!_ Can you not ride without Pancho?" the boss growledtauntingly.

  "He must think that the peon and Carlitos came here on a horse," Jo Annthought with a feeling of relief, as she mounted one of the other horses."That means he must not have seen Jose or know that he's with us. Butwhere can Jose be now? Could he have slipped on the trail and fallen overa precipice?"

  "_Andale--mas pronto!_" ordered the gruff voice again.

  "He's in a big hurry to get away from here," thought Jo Ann. "Heevidently has some strong reason for rushing us this way. I'm going todelay him in every way I can so Dr. Blackwell'll be sure to be at themine before we get there. If he isn't there----" She shuddered at thethought of what might happen to Florence, Carlitos, and herself.

  Just then the boss broke into such a rapid flow of Spanish that Jo Anncould catch only a word or two.

  At his threats Florence shook so she could hardly get on her horse. Hewould kill all of them, he had said, if any one of them tried to escape.

  "We no _sabe_," Jo Ann spoke up. "We _Americanos_--no _sabe_."

  The emphasis Jo Ann had placed on the word "we" made Florence understandat once that she did not want her to let the man know that she couldspeak or understand Spanish. Though she could not guess Jo's reason, shedecided to pretend not to understand him.

  Just as they were about to start off down to the trail Jo Ann heard thefaint but heartrending cry of the deserted peon.

  "Suppose the boss should tie us and leave us to die of thirst andstarvation like that," she said to herself. "Perhaps that's what he didto Carlitos' father, Jose said no one knew what had become of him."

  "I'm glad I'm first," she thought a moment later. "That'll give me abetter chance to delay him."

  On reaching the trail, she deliberately turned her horse back in thedirection from which they had just come. That would delay them a littlebit.

  The horses of both Carlitos and Florence followed her lead.

  No sooner did the boss realize that they were going in the wrongdirection than he roared out angrily, "Wait! That's not the direction togo!"

  Jo Ann paid no attention to this gruff command but kept on.

  A few moments later her horse was stopped by being crowded against therocky wall. Then she felt her arm seized in a vise-like grip and heardthe boss's shouts in her ear. A flash of lightning showed her hisanger-contorted face only a few inches from her own.

  Though she was terrified, she controlled herself enough to cry out, "No_sabe_. No _sabe_."

  "I make you _sabe_!" He blocked the trail in front of her with his horse,then leaped off and grabbed her horse's bridle and turned him around. Ashe struck him sharply with his quirt, the animal leaped forward.

  Instantly she realized the danger of pushing one of the other horses offthe narrow trail and drew back on the reins in time to avert a disaster.

  With Florence in the lead they set off toward the mine.

  "At least I made him waste a little time," Jo Ann thought, "but if hefinds out I'm deliberately trying to delay him there's no telling whathe'll do. He's the meanest man I ever saw."

  Having come to an unusually slippery stretch she could think only of thedanger of riding on the treacherous winding mountain trail in thedarkness. One thing lifted her flagging spirits. The storm wasabating--abating almost as rapidly as it had begun. "Now if only themoon'll come up," she thought.

  Shortly afterwards she noted a light shining from behind the fast-sailingstorm clouds. Even as she looked, the moon came into full view, lightingup the mountain side.

  "Thank goodness!" she exclaimed to herself. At least they could see wherethey were going now. It would be safer traveling for Jose, too. But wherewas he? Would they meet him soon? But if they did, what would the boss doto him? He might treat him as badly as he had the peon.

  Even as she was wondering, Jose was struggling up a steep bank not farbelow the cave. In his haste to get back to the girls he had, Indianfashion, left the trail and had struck straight up the mountain side,scaling almost perpendicular rocks and pulling himself up by anythingthat offered a finger hold.

  Just before reaching the rocky ledge under which he had left the girlsand the horses, he heard a wailing sound that made him stop as rigid asif frozen. Who was that? What was the matter? The senoritas! He must getto them at once.

  Cautiously but rapidly he crawled up to the ledge. As soon as he sawthere was no sign of the girls or the horses there, his eyes widened inhorror. What had happened to them? That cry--but that was a man's voice.

  All at once it flashed through his mind that it might be the very man hehad been hunting. Was Carlitos there with him? The senoritas----

  Just then the cry, half wailing, half groaning, sounded again.

  Silently Jose started in the direction of the cry. That might be only atrap, and he must not be caught.

  When he neared
the cave he saw through the opening the dying embers of afire. By its faint glow he could make out the figure of a man strugglingand rolling about on the ground.

  As soon as Jose saw that the man was tied and that there was no one elsein the cave, he called out, "What is your trouble? Who are you?"

  At the sound of Jose's voice the man instantly stopped struggling. "Comeand release me! Release me!"

  Jose made no move to enter, "Who are you?" he demanded again. "Who tiedyou?"

  "Two senoritas tie me up. Then that man take them away--and leave me hereto die. Release me! I kill him!"

  Immediately Jose knew that this must be the man who had stolen Carlitos."Where is the boy--Carlitos? What have you done with him?" he demandedsharply.

  "_El jefe_ take him. Release me and I go kill _el jefe_. He no give methe money he promised. And he leave me here for the animals to eat."

  "Did he take the senoritas to the mine?"

  "Si--I think so."

  After Jose had asked him a few more questions the man promised to showhim a short cut to the mine so they could overtake the boss and hisprisoners. "I help you get the senoritas and the boy." Convinced,finally, that the man was in earnest, Jose quickly untied the rope thatbound him and coiled it over his arm.

  A few minutes later the two men set off together down the steep, rockymountain side.