CHAPTER VI A MYSTERIOUS LIGHT
As soon as they had finished eating and the girls had stacked the dishesand carried them to the kitchen, Jo Ann turned to Florence. "Now get outof here, young lady. I told you I was going to wash the dishes. You goand write that letter to your father."
She caught Florence by the shoulders and playfully pushed her out of thekitchen and across the yard.
"Peg, I might let you wipe the dishes if you'll promise to be good," shetold her as she returned to the kitchen.
"That's really quite considerate of you, my dear," smilingly retortedPeggy. "I appreciate the honor very much."
Gay chatter accompanied the rattle and clatter of dishes as the two girlsmade quick work of their dishwashing. As they worked, their conversationdrifted back to the subject of the bear and the pigs.
"I can't imagine living out in a wild, lonesome place like this and notowning a gun, can you, Peg?" asked Jo Ann. Without waiting for an answershe went on: "It'd be a shame to let that old bear come back and get therest of those pigs when we have a gun and know how to shoot it. I'm goingdown there this afternoon and look the place over. If I can find a ledgeor some place where I can be practically out of danger, I'm going to giveMr. Bear a warmer reception than he's looking for."
"I'm not very keen about a bear hunt myself, but if you go, I'm goingwith you. I have my doubts about Mrs. Blackwell's letting us go, though."
Jo Ann let her hands lie idly in the soapy dishwater while she ponderedover how to meet Mrs. Blackwell's objections. "I wonder," she saidfinally, "if she would be willing to let us go if we get Maria'shusband--Juan--to go with us. I believe she would. I heard her say thatshe thought Juan was one of the most dependable, trustworthy peons sheever knew. We'd be safe enough if he'd go with us, because he'd have hisdagger--stiletto, I believe it's called. The Mexicans're mighty keen andquick about using them, I've heard. Of course, no one's planning to getat such close quarters with a bear, but if worst came to worst----"
"Don't mention such a thing," protested Peggy. "It scares me just tothink about it. I'd run for the nearest tree."
"You would! Don't you know that's the worst thing you could do? Neverturn your back on a bear. He's not likely to attack you, if you hold yourground."
"Well, if you think I'm going to stand perfectly still and let Mr. Bearlook me over and decide whether he likes nice juicy white meat as hisdiet, you're mistaken. Nothing doing, Jo."
"Don't be silly. I'd shoot him before he got near you, anyway."
"But suppose you missed him?"
"Quit talking such foolishness and wipe the rest of those dishes. Let'shurry and finish in a jiffy and go on down to the enclosure where theyhave the pigs and look about for the safest spot in which to wait for Mr.Bear."
"Well, I s'pose it won't do any harm to go down and look, but I believeMrs. Blackwell won't let----"
"Don't be a wet blanket, Peg. I'm going to ask her right now, and you'llsoon see that she will." Jo Ann hastily took her hands out of thedishwater, dried them, and then went over to the door of the bedroom. Inanother moment she came back. "Mrs. Blackwell's asleep, so I'll have towait to ask her. Florence is sound asleep too. I'm sure Mrs. Blackwellwouldn't object to our going down now just to look at the enclosure."
"Do you know where it is?"
"Not exactly, but I think I can find it. We'll follow the path downtoward the goat ranch."
They finished the dishes and put the kitchen in order, then slippedquietly around to the back of the house.
"Here's the path, Peg. Follow me." Jo Ann led the way down the path sheand Florence had taken the afternoon before.
As they neared the goat ranch Jo Ann began looking for some sign whichmight lead them to the enclosure.
"It's bound to be up this way somewhere," Jo Ann said finally. "Let'sfollow this ravine a little ways."
"But suppose we get lost."
"We can turn around and go back, can't we?"
They followed a narrow path leading into the cool, shady depths of a deepravine, a rugged, precipitous wall towering on their right.
"What a beau-ti-ful place," breathed Peggy, a few minutes later, as theystopped to rest and cool off.
"Listen! Doesn't that sound to you like the roar of water?" asked Jo Ann."The river must not be far away."
Both girls listened a moment. "It surely does," agreed Peggy, "but howcould that be?"
"We must've gone around in a circle and'll come out not far from ourspring. Come on, let's see."
They started eagerly up the steep narrow path. A moment later they werestartled by the sound of a shrill squeal above the roar of the river.
"Oh, do you suppose the bear's after another pig?" whispered Peggy,grabbing Jo Ann by the arm. "What'll we do?"
"I don't know. I wish I'd brought the gun."
"Let's go back," begged Peggy, but Jo Ann shook her head. "Wait aminute."
They listened intently a moment, then, to their relief, the squealschanged to contented grunts.
Jo Ann laughed. "Juan must be feeding the pigs, but it did frighten mefor a minute."
A moment later they came in sight of a crude enclosure built against theoverhanging wall of the cliff. Tall poles were lashed together around arecess in the wall, making a small circular pen. The next moment theyspied Juan working at strengthening a weak place in the wall. It appearedimpenetrable, as it was, to them, and they wondered that any animal, evenone as large as a bear, could break through such a barricade.
Juan turned from his work as he saw the girls approaching. After thecustomary salutation he went on in Spanish. "The bear very bad--veryferocious. He like much the pig."
Jo Ann nodded her head. "_Si, si_--but why can't we shoot him? I'll killhim for you."
Juan shook his head and looked puzzled, and Jo Ann realized he had notunderstood a word she had said.
She racked her brain for a way to make her meaning clear to him. Finallyshe picked up a stick and, after pointing to herself, put it to hershoulder and pretended to pull a trigger. "Pling! See! _El oso muerto_[The bear dead]."
Juan smiled approval; then, jabbering rapidly, he pointed to himself andshook his head.
"No--not you," Jo Ann tried again, motioning to herself. "Me! See--I'llshoot him!"
Finally, after several attempts, she succeeded in making him understand.
But Juan shook his head. "The Senora no like," he said.
"I know," agreed Jo Ann, "but if you come with Peg and me"--she pointedto each of them--"I think it'll be all right."
For a while Peggy enjoyed watching the pantomime, interrupted now andthen with a few English and Spanish words. Never before had she seenanyone go to so much trouble to make herself understood. Jo Ann certainlywas a determined person.
After a little, however, Peggy became restless and began gathering someof the dainty little ferns growing at the base of the cliff. She wanderedover to the bank of the mountain stream and stood for a few momentswatching the water as it rushed and tumbled down the rocky gorge. Thenher thoughts drifted back to the bear. She wondered if he could be hidingsomewhere near, waiting for a chance to steal another pig.
She glanced nervously about, then called over to Jo Ann, "Aren't youready to go? They'll be wondering what's become of us."
"Yes, I'm ready," Jo Ann called back. "Everything's all set for thesurprise party tonight. See that ledge up there?" She pointed to a narrowledge about fifteen feet straight up the side of the cliff. "That's whereyou and I are going to wait for Mr. Bear. We couldn't be in any dangerthere--unless you got scared and tumbled off."
"But how're we going to get up there?" Peggy asked quickly. "I'm not abird or a lizard."
"That's easy. Juan's going to cut notches in a pole for us to climb upon," explained Jo Ann. "But come on, I've got lots to do to get ready fortonight."
She turned and called to Juan, "Don't you forget."
He nodded his head vigorously to reassure her, and the
n she and Peggystarted down the path for home.
"Where on earth have you girls been?" Florence called to them.
"Exploring," Jo Ann called back.
As soon as they reached the porch Jo Ann began talking as rapidly as hertongue could fly, explaining about Juan's consent to help them on theirbear hunt, the ledge above the enclosure where they could wait in safety,and the other details of her plans. She ended with a vigorous appeal toMrs. Blackwell: "You'll let us go, won't you, now that Juan's consentedto go with us and that we'll be in no danger? We've got to help Juan killthat bear before he gets the rest of the pigs."
Mrs. Blackwell was silent for several moments before answering. Afterwhat seemed to Jo Ann to be an age, she said slowly, "If Juan'll be withyou--and if you'll promise not to take any unnecessary risks, I'll letyou two go."
"Oh, thank you, Mrs. Blackwell. That's grand!" cried Jo Ann.
"I'll see that Jo Ann doesn't do anything rash," put in Peggy.
Florence smiled over at Jo Ann. "Maybe you won't be so enthusiastic bythe time that bear hugs you. I'm glad I'm going to stay here withMother."
Jo Ann merely smiled back at Florence and caught Peggy by the arm. "Comeon, let's go in and get our things ready for the hunt."
The two girls went on into the house, and Jo Ann quickly opened her bagand took out several garments and handed them to Peggy. "We'll need theseknickers. We can't be bothered with skirts flapping about our legstonight," she said.
"No, we surely can't. They'd be a terrible nuisance."
"Get the flashlight, and I'll get the gun. This is a peach of a gun," JoAnn added a moment later, running her hand lovingly over the polishedsurface of the stock. "I wish it were mine."
"Why? Is it different from any other gun?" Peggy asked.
"Different! I should say it is. It's two guns in one, a double-barrelshotgun and a 30-30 rifle. This little barrel underneath is the riflebarrel." She opened a box and held it out to Peggy. "See whatvicious-looking cartridges you shoot in it. They'll blow a hole clearthrough that bear."
Peggy's eyes opened wide in surprise. "I've never seen a gun like thatbefore."
"I never have, either. They're very expensive. Florence said her fatherordered this one so he wouldn't have to carry two guns when he wenthunting. You see, in the mountains you never know whether you'll run intowild turkeys or mountain lions, and with this gun you're ready foranything. I want to get started as early as possible tonight."
They hurried outdoors, built the fire and began preparations for supper.
Later that evening, after the supper things were cleared away, they satout under the stars, watching a full round moon rise from behind themountain range across the valley. As it rose higher and higher theshadows began to disappear, and soon it was almost as light as day.
Jo Ann was very thankful for the bright moonlight. It made their daringadventure seem a little less dangerous. Now that it was so light shedecided it was time to leave. She sprang up, saying, "I believe it'slight enough for us to see now, Peg. Come on; let's change our clothesand get started."
In a few more minutes two knicker-clad figures disappeared down the path.
When they neared the deep gorge which had looked so beautiful to themthat afternoon, the girls began to feel a little nervous. They peered atevery shadow, almost expecting it to rush at them. Jo Ann held the gunready to throw it into position in a second. She had the safety on, butthe gun was loaded, ready to use. Peggy stayed as close behind her as shepossibly could without getting in her way.
When they saw Juan coming to meet them they breathed a sigh of relief. Hewore the usual white trousers and loose white shirt of the peon, and theymade him look like a ghost walking in the moonlight. But Jo Ann and Peggywere not afraid of ghosts just now. They were looking for something bigand black and terrifying.
Jo Ann started to speak, but Juan motioned to her to be quiet. He ledthem to the base of the cliff, then pointed to the crude notched polewhich he had placed against the ledge.
A few minutes later both girls had climbed up the narrow rocky ledge andwere wriggling about trying to find a comfortable position. Statue-likeJuan took his place just below. Jo Ann held the gun across her lap, readyto throw it into position in an instant.
The moonlight, filtering through the trees, cast grotesque shadows on theground below them. Several times Jo Ann was sure she saw a dark hulkshambling toward the enclosure, only to discover it was the shadow of atree swaying in the night breeze. She strained her eyes till they hurt,trying to peer into the dark depths of the ravine from which theyexpected the bear to appear.
In the excitement of making plans for the bear hunt, Jo Ann had forgottenabout the blue-eyed boy, but now her mind drifted back to him and themysterious way in which he and the rest of the family had disappeared. Itwas almost as though the earth had opened and swallowed them, shethought. She went over the events of the last two days in her mind andtried to plan some course of action. She did not intend to leave onestone unturned that might help in solving the mystery.
While she sat there dreaming, she was startled by a tiny stone hittingher on the arm. She glanced around quickly and saw Peggy pointingquestioningly to the high range of mountains on their right. Withdifficulty Jo Ann turned partly around on the ledge. A tiny lightflickering against the blackness of the mountains caught and held herattention. For a moment she thought it was a star falling; then shenoticed that it did not move. What could it be? She looked at Peggy andshook her head to indicate that she did not know what it was.
For a while they watched the light. There was something mysterious aboutthe way it flared up brightly then almost flickered out, only to brightenup again. That could not be a campfire, she decided. Florence had said noone lived up on the side of that mountain. It was too wild forhabitation. At that distance a tiny campfire could scarcely be seen.
Suddenly a thought flashed through her mind. It was a signal light.Someone was trying to send a message across the valley. Perhaps theblue-eyed boy _had_ been kidnaped, after all, and that was why the familyhad disappeared so suddenly.
She turned to tell this to Peggy, then realized she must not talk. Thenext instant she was half ashamed for being so suspicious. If that boyhad been kidnaped, she felt sure those people had not done it--they weremerely tools in the employ of someone else, she decided.