CHAPTER V FOOTPRINTS
When the girls neared the house they were surprised to hear severalpeople talking in Spanish. Perhaps the family from the cave have come upthe mountain by the cart road, Jo Ann thought, and have stopped to talkto Mrs. Blackwell. But a moment later a shadow of disappointment crossedher face as she recognized the woman and children from the goat ranch.
"For a moment I thought it was those people from the cave with theblue-eyed boy," Jo Ann said in a low voice to Peggy.
Peggy shook her auburn head. "Forget it, Jo. There's no such luck."
The girls exchanged greetings in Spanish with the visitors, then droppeddown on the floor beside the two little girls. Jo Ann, in her poorSpanish, attempted to carry on a conversation with the children, whilePeggy looked on, amused.
She was interrupted a few minutes later by Mrs. Blackwell. "Girls, Mariasays a bear carried off one of their pigs last night. Isn't that too bad?They had them in an enclosure against the cliff just back of the househere."
Jo Ann jumped quickly to her feet. "I bet that's what got our things atthe spring. A bear! Why didn't we think of that before?"
"We've never been bothered with one before," put in Florence.
"Maria's husband, Juan, said the continued drouth up in the mountains hascaused the wild animals to come down into the valley in search of food,"Mrs. Blackwell continued. "The bear had evidently followed the river,because they found tracks up the ravine."
Maria, who had been watching the expression on their faces intently, nowbegan to shake her head and to talk rapidly in Spanish.
"She says that bears like much the pork," translated Florence for thegirls' benefit. "She's afraid he'll come back for the rest of the pigs,and she doesn't know what to do to keep him away."
"What to do!" exclaimed Jo Ann. "Why, shoot him, of course."
Mrs. Blackwell smiled. "I doubt if Juan has ever owned a gun. About theonly weapon the peon ever uses is a stiletto, and it would not be an easymatter to kill a bear with a stiletto--or even with a machete."
Peggy shivered as if she were cold. "I should say it wouldn't. I'd hateto get that close to one, especially a real wild bear! It gives me thecreeps to think about it."
"I've got a grand idea," burst out Jo Ann. "Why can't we go on a bearhunt? We have a gun, and I can shoot."
"I can shoot pretty good, too," added Peggy. "Daddy taught me when welived in the country. I killed a possum once when he got in ourhenhouse."
Jo Ann smiled. "He probably just played possum when he heard the reportof your gun, and you thought he was dead. They'll do that sometimes."
"No, I killed him--sure enough."
"Well, that's not like killing a bear--a real, live, wild, grizzly bear."
"They don't have grizzly bears down here, silly."
"How do you know they don't?" retorted Jo Ann. "Grizzlies are found inthe mountains of North America, and this is North America, isn't it?Besides, you haven't seen his tracks."
As the argument continued, Florence explained to Maria and the childrenwhat it was about. The two little girls stared wide eyed at Jo Ann andPeggy. They had never in all their lives heard of a girl's going out tohunt a bear. They decided a gun must be one of those terrible thingswhich their grandmother had told them about. A stick which shot forth adeadly fire that killed everything before it. She had warned them neverto touch a fire stick and to hide if they saw anyone with one.
Peggy burst out just then with, "Well, young lady, you're not going on abear hunt without me, that's sure."
Mrs. Blackwell stared at Jo Ann and Peggy in horrified amazement. "Girls!What are you talking about? A bear hunt! The idea!"
"But, Mrs. Blackwell, we wouldn't be in any danger," protested Jo Ann."We'd hide in a safe place and watch for the bear; then, when he came foranother pig, we'd shoot him--that's all."
"I'm afraid, my dear, that it wouldn't be as simple as that."
Florence, seeing the worried expression on her mother's face, changed thesubject. "The bear must've smelled the bacon, and that's the reason hefound our box at the spring. By the way, I wonder what time it is." Shegot up and walked to the door. As she looked in at the clock sitting ontheir improvised dressing table, she gasped, "Good gracious! I had noidea it was so late. If we're going to have any dinner around here today,I'll have to start the fire this very minute."
She went on through the house toward the kitchen, Peggy and Jo Annfollowing a moment later.
"I'll build the fire, Florence," offered Jo Ann, taking the wood out ofher hands. "I'll have it burning before you and Peg get something readyto cook on it--and I'll start it Mexican fashion, too."
"Don't be too sure, Jo," teased Peggy. "Suppose there aren't any livecoals left?"
"We'll see."
Peggy and Florence disappeared into the kitchen, and Jo Ann placed herarmful of wood down beside the outdoor fireplace. She stirred the coalsleft from their breakfast fire then carefully laid several small piecesof wood over them. Leaning down, she began blowing on the coals as shehad seen the peon women do. Soon, to her delight, tiny flames beganlicking at the wood. She kept on blowing a few minutes longer, then satback on her heels to look with satisfaction at the fire which was nowburning brightly in the fireplace.
"When in Mexico do as the Mexicans do," she called gaily to Florence andPeggy. "I'm getting good. I beat you, and I didn't have to use a match,either. Now bring on your dinner."
"You didn't beat us much. Here, put these potatoes on to boil," Peggyreplied as she handed a pot of potatoes to Jo Ann. "I used the last ofthe water over them. Hadn't I better get some more?"
Jo Ann stopped in the act of setting the pot of potatoes over the fire asa thought suddenly flashed into her mind. "I'll get the water," sheoffered quickly. She put the pot down and hurried to the kitchen for thebucket. A moment later she disappeared down the path to the spring.
Jo must be up to something, thought Peggy.
When Jo Ann reached the spring, she set the bucket down on a rock andstood gazing at the overturned box which they had so proudly called theirrefrigerator the night before. If a real live bear had been the thief,then what had he done with the jars of milk and butter? she askedherself. "I'm going to see if I can find a clue. There ought to be trackssomewhere around here."
She began looking among the ferns and rocks along the bank of the riverbeyond the spring in search of some sign of the marauder. Carefully sheexamined every track. Here were their own tracks made the night before,and the tiny footprints of a squirrel, but not a sign of big paddedfootprints made by a large, heavy animal.
Still unwilling to give up, she jumped from stone to stone across theswiftly flowing stream, and began searching the opposite bank. A momentlater, with a cry of satisfaction, she dropped to her knees and beganexamining some huge tracks in the soft earth.
"It was a bear, all right!" she exclaimed out loud. "Here's where hecrossed the river--but, gee, what a big one!" Instinctively she glancedall around as though expecting to see the bear. "I bet he smelled ourbacon and crossed right here." She began slowly jumping back over thestones, watching for any sign left by the recent thief.
When in midstream she caught a glimpse of a familiar-looking object ashort distance ahead. So suddenly did she stop that she lost her balanceand toppled off into the swiftly rushing stream.
Gasping from her sudden plunge into the icy water, she scrambled back upon the rock. "Gosh, that water's cold!" she shivered. "But since I'malready wet I might as well go on and see if my eyes are deceiving me."
With the water foaming about her knees, she carefully picked her way downthe stream to a large boulder hidden under an overhanging tree. Then,reaching down, she picked up the object that had been wedged between theboulder and the bank.
"Just as I thought," she said to herself. "Here's our jar of butter. Itwon't do anyone any good because the jar's broken and there might beglass in the butter, but at least I have proof now that
those people atthe cave didn't steal our things--I can show Florence and Peg the beartracks, too."
She hastened back up the stream to the spring, and forgetting the bucketof water she had come after, ran on to the house. So eager was she totell the girls of her discovery that she did not notice that her wetskirt was flapping about her legs and the water sloshing in her shoes.
"Why, Jo, what in the world's happened?" began Peggy as she saw thebedraggled figure running toward her. "Did you see the bear?"
"No, but I found his tracks! And look what else I found!" she held up thebroken jar, partly filled with butter. "I told you those people at thecave didn't get our things."
On hearing the noise, Florence ran from the kitchen. "What on earth----"she began, then saw what Jo Ann was holding in her hand. "Where did youfind that?"
While Jo Ann was explaining the details of her discovery, they heard aslight noise behind them and, turning, saw Mrs. Blackwell standing in thedoorway. "I heard all this chatter and had to find out what it was about.You're a real Sherlock, I see, Jo--you've solved the mystery."
"Yes," beamed Jo Ann, "and I've proved that I was right about the peopleat the cave not stealing our things."
After they had talked a few minutes longer, Florence asked, "What'd youdo with the bucket of water, Jo? I want to make Mother's tea, so we canhave dinner."
Jo Ann stared in blank amazement a moment, then said sheepishly, "Iforgot it. I was so excited about my discovery that I forgot all aboutit. I'll bring it in a minute."
She was off like a shot and a few minutes later returned with the bucketof water. "I'm sorry I kept dinner waiting so long," she told them, asshe set the bucket on the table, "but I'm glad I've solved that mystery.I'm going to solve the other one, too, before I stop."
Peggy grinned mischievously. "Which mystery do you mean, Jo? Thedisappearance of those people at the cave or the mystery of the blue-eyedboy?"
"Both. Just give me time."
"Dinner's ready," Florence called shortly afterwards as she came from thekitchen with a pot of tea, which she placed on the table beside hermother's plate.
"Be there in a minute," called back Jo Ann. "I'm simply starving."
She took a plain little print dress out of her bag, then jerked off herwet clothes. "Can I--may I--eat barefooted?" she asked in a muffled voiceas she pulled the dress over her head. "It'll take too long to put onshoes and stockings."
"When in Mexico do as the peons do," quoted Peggy, laughing. "That's yourmotto, is it? You'll probably want to use the floor for your table andyour fingers for knives and forks, too."
"No; I haven't any _tortillas_ to use for knife and fork as they do. Onlymy feet are peon, anyway, and you can't see them under the table." Jo Annslipped quickly into her place at the table where the others were alreadyseated.
Mrs. Blackwell laughed gaily. "You girls are as good as a tonic," shedeclared a little later. "I haven't laughed so much for months. I feelmuch stronger today, too. I think I'll take a short walk later on when itgets cooler."
Florence beamed as she leaned over and squeezed her mother's hand. "Iknew you'd get well up here. I'm going to write Daddy this very afternoonand tell him what a good patient you are and how much better you lookalready."
"You can do that right after dinner," put in Jo Ann. "I'm going to washthe dishes to make up for running away and leaving you and Peg to getdinner alone. I promise to be good after this."
"You mean till next time," laughed Florence.
"Well, of course, when there's something important----" began Jo Ann.
"We understand, Jo," smiled Mrs. Blackwell.