CHAPTER VIII
A STARTLING DISCOVERY
The Mexican boy had apparently escaped serious injury at the time thefrightened cayuse made a sudden bolt upon sighting the bear, and threwhim over his head onto the rocks.
The lad was already sitting up, and rubbing his knee in a dazed way, asif not fully understanding what had happened. The pony rushed wildlyaway, heading up the wide gully, as though with a full knowledge ofwhere it was going. And the poor little burro would doubtless havebeen only too glad of a chance to follow, if only it could break loosefrom the detaining rope.
Meantime the ugly monster, that had been the cause of all thiscommotion, was shuffling closer with each passing second, eager tostrike down the burro with one savage blow from his mighty paw with itslong claws, after which he could proceed to help himself to what thosevarious packages contained.
All this Frank Haywood saw in that one glance he shot toward the sceneof action. The boy was apparently directly in the path of the hungrybear. And when his pony had fled in such a panic he must have alsocarried off the rifle, if the boy possessed so valuable a weapon.
Thus the little fellow was at the mercy of the most feared wild beastto be found in all the territory between the Atlantic and the Pacific.
A wild inclination to hurl himself between that brute and hisprospective victim surged over Frank. With but a knife, or even arevolver to back him up, such a rash act would have been little shortof madness. Fortunately it was not needed.
"Let me try for him, Frank!" said a trembling voice at his side.
And then, all at once, Frank Haywood discovered his chum was crouchingclose by, and that he was clutching a rifle in his shaking hands. Howhe had managed to get hold of the weapon Frank could not even guess,because his own was a dozen feet away just then.
Now Bob Archer had certainly never before set eyes on a ferocious bearoutside of the circus or museum. And doubtless that brownish-coloredbeast looked as big as a house to him, for he was very much excited.But he had true Kentucky pluck, and even that circumstance did not makehim quail. If the monster had seemed to equal two houses, still wouldBob have tried to do his duty. And just then it was to save that poorlittle Mexican boy.
The grizzly had advanced so rapidly that he was already almost upon thecrouching boy, who stared at him as if in dire dismay, as well hemight. It was not too late, even then, for the boy to have escaped,could he have understood the real situation, and that it was the foodin the packs the bear craved, rather than his life; but he did not seemto realize the fact.
They had seen him fumbling about his sash, and now he drew somethingforth that glistened in the early morning sun. Why, the little chaphad actually drawn his knife, as though that trifling bit of steelcould avail anything more than the prick of a pin against that shaggymonster.
The boy was shivering as with terror, but all the same he showedhimself game. Frank was amazed by the sight, and not apt to forget itin a hurry.
But by now Bob had stepped forward, uttering a sharp "hello" as he didso. His object, of course, was to attract the attention of the beartoward himself. This might cause the grizzly to change his course, andallow of a few more seconds' delay. It would also divert the attackfrom the helpless boy to one who was at least better armed, even thoughnot professing to be a bear-hunter.
Frank aroused himself. He remembered that he, too, had a repeatingrifle, leaning against the trunk of a tree not far off. He sprang tosecure the firearm, in the belief that possibly his assistance would beneeded in order to finish the dreaded animal.
However good Bob's intentions were, when he sought to draw theattention of the grizzly toward himself, they did not succeed as he hadhoped. Bruin seemed to know that a feast awaited him as soon as hecould clear a way to that frantic little burro with the big load. Andhe declined to be turned aside on any account.
Seeing this, the Kentucky boy dropped on one knee. He felt that hemust find some sort of rest for his gun, since his shaking hands couldhardly be expected to hold the weapon steady when it came time to pullthe trigger.
Even as Frank swept up his gun he heard the weapon of his chum speaksharply. The report was instantly drowned in a tremendous roar.Looking, even as he drew back the hammer of his rifle, Frank saw thatthe bear had finally turned away from temptation in the way of meat andsupplies. He had started to rush Bob, whom he evidently recognized asthe cause of that sudden pain which had shot through his bulky body.
Bob was pumping another cartridge into the firing chamber of hisrepeater. He seemed cool, although perhaps only he himself knew howhis heart was pounding away like mad against his ribs.
Both guns spoke together, it seemed. The grizzly gave another roar,even more furious than before. At the same time, however, he stumbled,and fell over sideways. Then he tried desperately to scramble back tohis four feet, still full of fight.
Both the boys again put their guns in a firing condition. Even iftremendously excited at the moment, they seemed to remember what wasnecessary to do in order to accomplish this result.
But the bear was apparently unable to get up again. One of the bulletsmust have most luckily reached a vital point in the region of hisheart. He was floundering about unevenly, while the little Mexican boysat and stared, still gripping that ridiculously small blade in hishand.
"We got him that time, Frank!" exclaimed Bob just then, though he couldhardly believe his eyes at seeing the monster growing weaker. "He's agoner, as sure as shooting! Look at him wobble! Wow! there he goesover, to make his last kick! Frank, just think of me having a hand inthe killing of such royal game! A real grizzly! Oh! I can hardlybelieve it!"
They now approached the spot where the little Mexican boy was gettingon his feet again. He was no longer white. The threatening monsterhad been placed where he could do no more harm; but the little chapstared uneasily at the two saddle boys. Evidently he was possessed ofa new cause for alarm in the mere fact of their unexpected presence.
The burro, meanwhile, had somehow managed to effect his release fromthe rope that had become fast in the crevice of the rock. Still in apanic because of the wild animal odor so close at hand, the ladenanimal hurried off after the cayuse that had fled along the gully,heading for where Frank had declared the canyon must undoubtedly lie.
And the boy really looked very much as though he, too, would like todepart with equally scant ceremony.
"Hi! there goes the burro!" called out Bob. "Head him off, Frank; orshall I jump on my horse and try to rope him?"
To the astonishment of both the saddle chums the Mexican boy threw outa detaining hand, crying earnestly:
"Senors, all, there is no need to chase them. They know where to go,believe me, and surely I must soon overtake them. You have saved mylife, Senors. Lopez, he thanks you both. Before now have I seen sucha bear; but this time I was caught dreaming. He would surely havekilled me if it had not been for the brave Americanos."
Frank was struck with the soft tones of the small chap, who did notlook as if he could be much more than twelve years of age. Hisfeatures were regular, if thin, and the big black eyes seemed to befilled with a courage beyond the ordinary. Indeed, they could notdoubt this, having seen how he had drawn that small knife on findinghimself confronted by the Rocky Mountain terror.
"Well, we were only too glad to have been of help to you, Lopez," Frankremarked, as he advanced with outstretched hand.
The boy looked embarrassed, as though hardly knowing what to do. Itseemed to Frank that he had been staring very hard at Bob, and hewondered why. Then again he imagined that the boy must be keepingsomething back. This would account for the worried look on his small,pinched, but good-looking face.
But undoubtedly Lopez realized that it ill became him to decline totake the hand that had helped save his life.
"You understand that we are your friends, Lopez, don't you?" askedFrank, as he held the small palm of the Mexican in his own strong onefor a moment, and looked with a
puzzled expression into the big blackeyes that quickly fell under his gaze.
"Oh, yes, Senor, surely you have proved it more than enough," thelittle fellow hastened to say; and Frank was astonished to hear whatgood language he used.
"You go across mountains, eh?" asked Bob, indifferently; truth to tellhe was just then more interested in the size of the great grizzly thathad fallen before the guns of himself and his saddle chum, than themere fact of this stripling being entrusted with such a task asbringing supplies to prospectors, or rustlers, as the case might prove.
A flash crossed the face of the boy, just as though he saw a suddenopening whereby his presence here might be explained without enteringinto details.
"Oh! yes, across the range. I get supplies for prospectors in camp,"he replied, with an intake of his breath, while he watched Bobnarrowly, as if, somehow, he believed he had more to fear from thatsource than from the tawny-haired prairie lad.
"That's kind of queer, seems to me," remarked Bob, slowly, turning toagain survey the boy; "for them to send so small a chap on so long atrail. I should think it was more of a man's work, toting suppliesacross these mountains, through the canyons. And with the chances ofrunning foul of such dangers as bears, not to speak of rustlers."
At that Lopez drew his diminutive figure up, and tried to assume a boldlook. The Spanish blood was proud, Bob could see.
"This have I done a long while, Senors, believe me," he said, calmly;"and until to-day never have I met with trouble. Had I not been sotired and sleepy, perhaps even I might have shot the bear, who knows?It would not be the first I have seen, no, nor yet the second; but thehorse ran away with my gun. But Senors, I must go on after my animals;they will be waiting for me farther along."
"Then you won't wait for us?" asked Frank. "My friend, he would liketo get the claws of this fellow, to remember him by. It will not takevery long, Lopez."
"Thank you, Senors, but I must not delay. Perhaps you may overtake mefarther along the trail. There is no more danger; and my pack burromight scrape off his load if I am not there to watch. Again I thankyou, Senors."
The boy bowed to each of them in turn, just as though he might havebeen an actor in some old-time play. Frank believed he had never seensuch remarkable grace in any half-grown lad. Generally, at that age,boys are apt to be about as clumsy as bear cubs at play. He lookedafter Lopez with a frown on his face.
"What's the matter, Frank?" demanded Bob, as he noticed thisexpression. "Are you huffed just because the independent little rascalwouldn't let us mother him? Say, look at his strut, will you? If hewas heir to the throne of Alfonso he couldn't walk finer. Give me awhack between the shoulders, won't you, Frank? Perhaps I've beenasleep, and dreamed all this."
"Oh, rats! Take a look at the bear, and that'll show you what's what.There, he's disappeared behind that clump of mesquite yonder," andFrank turned to look at his saddle mate with an expression ofbewilderment on his face, as though he might be trying to clutch someidea that kept eluding him.
"Suppose you help me cut these awful claws off, Frank. You see I don'tknow the first thing about how it's done; and I think your idea aboutkeeping 'em for trophies is just immense."
"Well, for that matter," replied Frank, "I don't know as I ever did ajob like that, myself; but I've watched old Hank do it, so I reckonwe'll get along."
For a few minutes they worked away in silence. Then Bob looked up toremark:
"He said it was prospectors he was taking those supplies to, didn't he;and that he'd been doing the same a long while?"
"That was about the size of it, Bob," returned his chum, thoughtfully.
"Well," Bob went on, "between you and me, Frank, I'd rather believelittle Lopez was in touch with the rustlers. I mentioned that wordjust on purpose to see if he would turn red, or give himself away."
"And did he?" asked the other, quickly.
"Well," replied Bob, "not so you could notice; but then he seemed sucha smart chap, like as not he knew how to hide his feelings. He lookedfrightened when we talked of wanting him to stay with us. Mark me,there's a heap of mystery bound up in that little fellow."
"He sure puzzles me, all right," remarked Frank. "Did you notice howhe had a silk handkerchief bound around his head, regular Mex fashion?"
"Sure I did," laughed Bob, without glancing up, as he used his knifeindustriously after the fashion set by his chum. "And I also tooknotice that he had a fine, glossy bunch of hair under that same coloredsilk bandana."
"Great governor!" ejaculated Frank, suddenly.
"What's the matter--you didn't cut yourself, I hope?" demanded hiscomrade, uneasily, starting up.
"Shucks! no. Something just struck me, that's all," replied Frank,with an air of disgust, and a quick look up the gully where the littleMexican had last been seen.
"Oh! Is that so?" mocked Bob. "Must have hurt right bad then, to makeyou peep like that. Now, I reckon it might have been something aboutLopez?" for he had noted that hasty glance, and the disappointed frown.
"That's just what it was, Bob," Frank continued, in an even tone."Fact is, I just remembered who Lopez put me in mind of. Only perhapsyou'll laugh when I tell you. Remember that poor little girl Peg Grantwas cuffing when you knocked him down? Well, if you took that coloredhandkerchief off Lopez, and let his black hair fall down, I give you myword he'd be a ringer for that Mexican child!"
Bob stared as if dazed, and then the light of a great discovery dawnedupon him.
"Say, Frank!" he exclaimed presently. "Honest Indian, now, I believeyou've sure struck pay dirt, and that's what!"