CHAPTER XVIII
SEPARATED
Though realizing how useless it was to question Mike--useless becauseshe doubted if he understood her, and equally futile because he wouldnot bother to answer her--still Rosemary fired a volley of questions atthe Indian.
"If I had my way I'd fire a volley of bullets at him--provided I hadthem to fire!" growled Floyd. But he had not, and Rosemary did notdeem this an occasion to again produce her weapon, which she waskeeping as a last resort.
Besides, Mike did not betray any specially hostile intentions. Heseemed merely anxious to get Rosemary and Floyd out of their prisonpen, so to speak, and on the move.
"But what's it all about?" demanded Rosemary. "What's the excitement,and what's the hurry?"
For that there was excitement and an alarm, and that she and herbrother were being urged to hurry was very evident.
"Yes, what is it?" and Floyd added his demand to that of his sister.
"No _sabe_!" grunted Mike, that being his way of using his command ofSpanish to indicate that he did not know. More likely he did not wantto tell. But there was no way of forcing him.
"Oh, we've got to ride those horrid knife-backed ponies!" half groanedRosemary, as she saw led out for the use of herself and her brother thesteeds on which they had been carried thus far into the mountains."They're so bony I'm afraid their backbones will cut through thesaddle."
"They look as though they might," agreed Floyd. "Gee, but I'm dirtyand I'd like a shave and this is perfectly rotten altogether!" hecompleted with a sigh.
"Don't mention such a thing as a bath tub!" wailed Rosemary. "I don'tbelieve these heathen know what water means for washing in."
Certainly the appearances of the Yaquis bore out that assertion. Theywere dirty, grimy and greasy to a degree--and a high degree at that.
Rosemary wore bloomers under a short skirt, an attire eminently suitedto women folk in the west. For Rosemary was a rider of no smallability, more at home in the saddle than on the seat of an auto, andshe and Floyd counted on much riding once they reached their uncle'sranch which now, alas, seemed far away.
Thus attired the girl found no difficulty in getting into the saddle,and her ability provoked murmurs of admiration from the Yaquis.
"Oh, if I only had a chance I'd show you how to ride!" declaredRosemary, when she understood that her skill as a horsewoman was beingcommented on. "Let me set out in the open once, with a good horseunder me instead of a specimen of crow-bait, and I'll open your eyes!"
But this was not to be--just yet.
Floyd, too, was a good rider, but his sister had more of a naturalknack with ponies, and often bested him in a race. He too, now swung aleg over the saddle and mounted. With Mike in the lead, and several ofthe Yaquis bringing up in the rear as a guard against a retreat on thepart of the captives, they were urged forward out of the rocky defileinto which they had come the night before.
Eagerly Rosemary and Floyd looked about them for some indication as tothe cause of the sudden excitement, and the movement among the Indians.Anxiously the captives scanned the horizon for a sight of some rescueparty, the approach of which might have sent the Indians scurrying forcover. But nothing was to be seen--at least of that nature, thoughRosemary and her brother did see something that caused them greatsurprise.
This was a sight of the main body of the Yaquis, under the leadershipof Paz, moving off at a right angle to the main trail, while Mike,evidently in command of the smaller party which guarded the captives,was going on up the mountain slope, farther into the fastnesses of therugged peaks.
"Say, what's up?" asked Floyd, of his sister.
"Don't know, but it looks as if they had separated. One band going oneway and our bunch this way. I don't like it either. I'd rather dealwith Paz, ugly as he is, than with this Mike, who is Irish only becausewe've given him that name," Rosemary answered.
"It is queer," murmured Floyd, as he guided his pony along thedifficult trail. "Paz has gone off with the main body of Indians, andleft us in charge of these. If I only had a gun we could take a chanceand rush them, Rose. There's only about three dozen!"
"Too many for just one gun," she answered.
"But can you guess what the game is?" her brother wanted to know.
"Well that's all I can do--guess. From what went on soon afterbreakfast I imagine some of the Indians saw, or heard about a partythat was on their trail."
"You mean a party from Diamond X?"
"Either that or soldiers."
"That's so! Soldiers!" cried Floyd. "I hadn't thought of them! Ofcourse there are troopers stationed out here at various places. Andword of the Yaquis uprising is sure to go to them. Maybe a band ofU.S. Regulars is on the way to save us, Rose!"
"I hope so. But we can't count on it. What I do think, though, isthat Paz took alarm at something, and he isn't going to chance beingfound with us on his hands."
"You mean he's passing the buck to Mike here?"
"Something like that. If our friends or Uncle Sam's men round up thisbunch of cut throats and find us in their possession it will go hardwith them. So Paz isn't taking any chances."
"That may be the explanation," agreed Rosemary. "Anyhow we're beingtaken farther into the mountains by a small band, and the larger bodyis sliding off to one side."
"It's a queer thing," said Floyd, as he and his sister rode along sideby side, "that these Yaquis didn't turn back into Mexico, and take usacross the border instead of rushing us into the United States."
"Maybe they were afraid to cross the border, which is pretty sure to bebetter guarded than usual, after this outbreak," Rosemary said. "Ormaybe the Yaquis didn't want to share spoils with any of their friendson their own side of the fence."
"That's so!" agreed Floyd. "And now that there's a chance of ransommoney--or these beggars think there is--I reckon they're less anxiousthan before to whack it up.
"That's it! They're taking us as far off as they can to keep the cashamong themselves, and, meanwhile, Paz leads the main body away from us."
"But what that move means I'd like to know," mused Rosemary.
It was rather a puzzle to her and her brother. All they were sure ofwas what they saw--that the Yaquis had separated, most of themfollowing Paz, while the captives were left in charge of the villainousMike and his selected followers.
Rosemary slipped her hand into her pocket to feel the handle of herautomatic.