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CHAPTER XXIII.
WITH THE RURALES
After shouting for an hour or more, Ralph and Walt grew tired of the exercise. As for the professor, with his usual philosophy he had made the best of the situation by surveying their prison, which was a small, barn-like building of adobe. There was nothing very remarkable about it, except that three Americans had been imprisoned there for no apparent reason.
At nightfall they were brought some food, and frantic efforts were made by Walt to interrogate the Mexican who served them, but to no avail. The fellow only shook his head stupidly, and pretended not to understand.
"Whatever are we locked up here for, anyhow?" demanded Ralph, for the fiftieth time, as they ate their evening meal.
"Give it up," said Walt with a shrug.
"You don't think it can have anything to do with Black Ramon, do you?" inquired the professor.
"Not likely," rejoined Walt; "even down here there is some law and order, and the townsfolk of this place, whatever it is, would hardly be in league with a band of robbers."
"Then what do you suppose they have detained us for?"
"As I said before, Ralph, I give it up. Maybe it's for having red hair and looking suspiciously like Americans."
Soon after some blankets were thrown in to them, which they spread on the not overclean floor, and, being tired out, were soon asleep. In the morning they were awakened, and passed a long, dreary day in the semi-darkness.
"I can't stand this much longer," Ralph burst out, on the second night of their imprisonment. "If something doesn't happen soon, I'm going to escape."
"How?" inquired the practical Walt, gazing about at the thick walls and the small windows of their place of captivity.
"I don't know how, but I will, you can bet," said Ralph decisively.
"Well, I'm going to sleep," said Walt; and, accordingly, he curled himself up in his blanket and was soon wrapped in slumber. The professor followed his example, but Ralph could not sleep. What, with worry over their own situation and wondering how his friends, whom he believed were still captives in the mission, were faring, his eyes were wide open till past midnight.
At that hour the quiet of the village was disturbed by a sudden sound – the trample of horses' hoofs and the clanking of metal.
"Black Ramon has found out we are here and is coming for us," was Ralph's first thought.
But the trampling went on, and suddenly a bugle call sounded.
"Soldiers!" exclaimed Ralph.
Hastily he awoke the others, and, after a prolonged period of listening, there was little doubt from the military character of the sounds outside that the newcomers were indeed troops.
"Maybe they are out after the brigands," gasped Ralph, in a hopeful tone.
"If only we could see their commander and explain our predicament to him," wished the professor.
"And get laughed at for your pains," supplemented Walt.
In the morning, so early that the dawn was still gray, their jailer aroused them. Wondering what could be going to happen, the boys hurriedly put on the few clothes they had taken off the night before, and, with the professor, obeyed his signal to follow him.
They were quickly conducted before the short, pursy man, who had committed them to their cell. Now, however, he was all smiles and condescension.
The reason for this may have lain in the fact that a smart-looking officer of the Mexican cavalry stood by his side and eyed the boys with interest as they came in. He was in command of the troops that had arrived the night before, and which, though the boys had not guessed it, were the ones summoned from Los Hominos.
It now appeared that the fat dignitary could talk passable English when he chose, and, as the boys entered, he greeted them with an airy:
"Good morning."
"Good morning," sputtered Ralph, indignation taking the place of prudence. "You ought to beg our pardons. What have we done to be locked up like criminals? We demand a hearing. We – "
"There, there," said the stout man soothingly; "all is well. This officer has told me that in all probability you are respectable, and – "
"In all probability?" burst out the professor, "I am Professor Wintergreen, of Stonefell College, and this young man is my charge, Ralph Stetson, and this other gentleman is Walter Phelps, the son of a rancher."
"The names I have on my list as being among those imprisoned by Black Ramon," interrupted the officer. "Pray, señors, how did you escape?"
"Tell us first why we are locked up," demanded Ralph.
"Why, as I understand it, this worthy man, who is mayor of this village, merely had you detained on suspicion. He thought you might be horse thieves, and – "
"Me a horse thief!" shouted the professor.
"You forget your appearance is – " began the officer, but was interrupted by a good-natured laugh from all three of the adventurers. True, they had forgotten how they must have looked after their adventure in the tunnel. Later, when they saw a mirror, they did not blame the fat mayor so much. Plastered with dirt and mud, scratched and ragged, they did, indeed, look unlike the three trim persons who had set out from the American foothills in pursuit of Black Ramon.
"But he could have found out who we were by asking us," protested Ralph.
"He tells me he was going to do so – to-morrow."
"You forgot we are in the land of manana," reminded the professor.
After some more palaver, the mayor signified that the three Americans could have their liberty, and apologized for their detention on behalf of himself and his village.
It was soon explained to the boys by the officer that he was hastening with fifty picked men to round up the rustlers who had long infested that part of Mexico.
"But," he admitted, "had we not fallen in with you, we would hardly have known where to find them."
"No, the last place you would look for them would be in a church," grinned Walt.
Soon after, the boys, having despatched a hasty breakfast, the cavalry set out. The boys rode in advance to guide them to the retreat of Black Ramon and his men. The professor ambled along, sitting uneasily on the saddle which had now been provided for him. It was a long time before he recovered from his bareback ride on the old ranch horse.
"If these fellows are Mexican cavalry, they are all right," said Ralph, admiringly looking at the easy riding and smart equipment of the fifty men under the friendly officer.
"They are rurales," explained the officer; "a section of the army kept especially for hunting brigands and robbers. Most of them are former brigands themselves, but there are no better men for the work."
By mid-afternoon they came in sight of the old mission, and, as they approached it, the boys gave a shout of astonishment, which was echoed by the professor.
Riding toward them, from the opposite direction, was a band of horsemen. Faster they came in their direction, seemingly spurring onward to destruction.
"Those greasers must be crazy," exclaimed Ralph, gazing at what seemed a suicidal act. "They're riding right at us."
Suddenly a dip in the foothills hid the approaching horsemen, but the thunder of their hoofs could still be heard. Could Ramon have an ambush on the other side of the rise, wondered Ralph.
The same thought must have come to the Mexican officer, for he gave a curt order and his men, bursting into a wild yell, drew their carbines from their holsters and prepared to use them.
"We'll fire when they come over the ridge," whispered the captain to Ralph.
CHAPTER XXIV.
THE ROUND-UP
Closer and closer came the clatter of the advancing hoofs. Presently a horseman's head showed above the ridge.
The almost formed command was abruptly checked on the captain's lips, as the newcomer, followed by twenty others, swept over the ridge.
It was Mr. Merrill, and close behind him came Coyote Pete and Bud Wilson, with Jack Merrill riding alongside.
"Yip-yip-yip-y-ee-ee-ee!" yelled the cowboys, as they saw the Mexican troops.
"Wow!" yelled the Mexicans.
"Hooray!" shouted the boys, and, amidst all the rejoicing shouts, there came a sudden cry of recognition from Jack as his eyes fell on Walt Phelps' mount.
"Firewater!" he cried, and the pony shared his greetings and congratulations with the three newly-recovered members of the party.
It was soon told how Coyote Pete and Jack, with Jim Hicks and old Sam Simmons, on their way from the dam, had fallen in with the Merrill party near the mission. It was believed that Black Ramon and his men were ambushed there. Then they had decided to make no attack at once, but close in on the place when the troops had been met with, and in this way make the round-up of the rustlers complete.
Ralph, Walt and the professor rapidly told of their escape, and Jim Hicks emitted a whoop when he heard that the treasure had, in all likelihood, been located. Further relation of all their exciting adventures was put aside by them all till Ramon and his band should have been captured.
After a brief consultation, it was decided to advance in a fan-shaped formation on the old mission, gradually closing in as they neared it. If Ramon and his band were ambushed there, they could make deadly defense from its strong walls, and neither Mr. Merrill nor the Mexican captain were anxious to lose any men if it could be helped.
Accordingly, the line moved cautiously forward till it was within a few hundred yards of the building. Up to that moment the old place had been silent and deserted as a tomb. Suddenly, however, as the attackers advanced, a fusillade was opened from the tower. Lead spattered on the rocks about them, but, fortunately, nobody was hit. Ralph turned rather pale. It was the first time he had ever been shot at.
"Better get behind this ridge," said Mr. Merrill, as the fire grew hotter.
Accordingly, the attacking party dropped low into a gully. The firing instantly stopped.
"If only we could draw enough of their fire to exhaust their ammunition," mused the rancher.
"I have a plan," cried Jack suddenly.
"What is it, my boy?"
"Why can't we elevate hats and caps on rifle-barrels and let them blaze away at those? That would soon empty their ammunition belts."
"A good idea," said Mr. Merrill, while the other ranchers warmly approved. The preparations to carry out Jack's plan were rapidly made. Soon, what was apparently a head, was poked above the ridge. A perfect fusillade of bullets came showering about it.
"Drop it," cried Jack. "Make it look as if the man was killed."
The ruse worked perfectly. Every time a "head" appeared, a tornado of bullets rattled about it, and the riddled condition of the caps and hats thus held up, bore eloquent testimony to the efficacy of the enemy's marksmen.
Finally, however, the fire began to slacken. Instead of a hail of bullets, only two or three greeted the appearance of a head.
The moment they had waited for had arrived. With a cheer, the full force of rurales leaped from the trenches.
"Come on!" shouted Jack, but Mr. Merrill restrained him.
"Remember, we are in a foreign country, my boy. The rurales must do the work or we shall be in serious trouble."
"Oh, bother," cried Jack, "and I wanted to see the attack."
On swept the rurales, a final fire hailing about them, but a volley from their carbines soon silenced the last feeble attempt at defense.
"I guess the rustlers have about given up," exclaimed Jack.
Suddenly, from the old mission gates there swept out a figure on horseback. It was instantly recognized as that of Black Ramon. He was mounted on his magnificent black horse, and waved his hand defiantly at the advancing line. The rurales poured a perfect storm of bullets at him, but the chief of the cattle rustlers seemed to bear a charmed life. Once he reeled in his saddle as if he had been hit, but he instantly recovered himself.
Spurring his superb mount, he sprang forward over the brow of a protecting ridge, and was lost to view. When he next appeared he was silhouetted in striking outline on the summit of another ridge of foothills. For an instant he paused, and they could see him look defiantly back. Then, with a wave of his sombrero, he vanished. It was useless to pursue him. There was not a horse among the ranchers or the Mexicans that could approach the big black.
"There goes a rascal that would look better decorating a telegraph pole with a hemp necktie around his yellow throat, than anywhere else," said one of the Americans, as the desperado vanished.
"And yet," said Mr. Merrill, "I should not have wished to see him shot down in cold blood. If only we had our horses and cattle – "
"We'll have them before long," said Ralph quietly, as, with a loud series of yells, the rurales charged into the mission itself.
"What do you mean?" asked Mr. Merrill. The other Americans, watching from the little knoll the attack on the mission, looked at him questioningly.
"We've found them all," announced Ralph calmly, "in the sunken valley – "
"A remarkable geographical 'freak,' if I may use the expression," broke in the professor, "at some remote period of the earth's life – "
"Yip-yip-y-ee-ee-ee!"
Coyote Pete and Bud Wilson set up loud yells, which were joined in by the other cow-punchers and Americans, as the little Mexican captain could be seen in the distance, waving his sword in token that the cattle rustlers' stronghold had fallen. The whole cavalcade, with a cheer, Swept forward, with Jack Merrill, Ralph Stetson and Walt Phelps in the lead. The professor's horse ran away with him in the wild stampede, but luckily, by dint of fastening his bony fingers in its mane, he managed to hold on.
Without a single life being lost, or any wounds received on either side, the band that had so long harassed the border had fallen into the hands of the authorities. Eventually every member of it but Black Ramon was rounded up, including the renegade cow-puncher.
All were placed under escort of the troops, and taken to Mexico City. They are now serving long sentences in Mexican penal institutions. The Border Boys later received the thanks of President Diaz for the part they had played in bringing the outlaws to book. After seeing the prisoners disposed of, of course the Americans had to be shown how the boys and the professor had effected their escape from the church. With torches and lamps they crowded into the narrow pit, and the hole which had gaped open when the ring was pulled loose soon appeared. Of the noxious gases, however, no trace remained. The air was pure and healthful. The professor ascertained later that the old missionaries who had buried the treasure there, had placed pungent chemicals under the trapdoors, so that, in case of marauding Indians attacking the treasure, it would be safe. The skull and bone, it seemed reasonable to suppose, had been placed in the passage wall as a warning to other visitors. The mysterious noise that had alarmed Ralph remained a mystery for a long time, till one of the prisoners admitted that he had caused it under Ramon's orders, the object being to scare the boys.
The lights of the torches and lamps carried by the party, shone redly into the black hole, and the three Border Boys peered eagerly over. Jack and Ralph, by a common impulse, leaped downward together. Their feet struck the lid of an old wooden chest with a splitting, rending sound, as the rotten wood gave. The next instant a cheer went up. Jim Hicks' treasure-trove had been found. The flickering lights gleamed on the dull glint of gold coins and ornaments of priceless value.
"Wow!" yelled Jim Hicks; "I'm rich. But so will you boys be, too. I'll take care of that, and you, likewise, Coyote Pete."
In vain the boys protested; Jim Hicks insisted, and long afterward, when the Mexican government's claim had been settled and the treasure appraised, each boy received a crisp check for two thousand dollars. Coyote Pete was also a recipient of the miner's good will.
Among the prisoners taken, was a queer-looking old man, with a long, white beard, and the quick, shifty, dark eyes of an ape. Jack Merrill and Pete gave an exclamation of surprise as their eyes fell on him. It was the old hermit of the cañon! He recognized them, and gave them a baleful scowl.
"It wasn't his fault that Ramon didn't have us where we've got him," commented Pete.
After remaining camped at the mission for a day, while final arrangements for the taking of testimony at the cattle rustlers' trials, and the matter of the boys' depositions was attended to, the American party bade farewell to the Mexican captain and his troops and set out for the home-side of the border.
Carefully guarded by several cowboys was a pack horse, carrying the treasure chest. Its contents had been roughly valued at $75,000.
"Well, Ralph," said Jack, with a laugh, as the boys rode along at an easy lope together, "what do you think of the West now?"
"It's great, Jack," responded Ralph, who had been thinking over the adventures of the last few days.
"But if things had turned out differently," put in Walt.
"No use thinking of that," decided Jack. "All we've got to think about is, that we have had the luck to be the means of cleaning out that bunch of rustlers, and ridding the border of them forever."
"Forever's a long time," commented Mr. Merrill, who had spurred up alongside the boys. "However, I think you boys have had quite enough adventures for a time."
"I'd like to start out again to-morrow," exclaimed Jack.
"So would I," echoed Ralph.
"Well, you may have a chance before long," said Mr. Merrill enigmatically. He would add nothing further, however.
At Maguez a great reception had been prepared for the returning ranchers. The celebration was held some days later. The boys, their faces suffused with blushes, had to make speeches and describe in part their adventures.
"Three cheers for the Border Boys," yelled the crowd, as Ralph limped through some sort of an oration. Jack had done much better, while Walt Phelps was overtaken with stage fright and couldn't speak at all.
"Well, good-bye to the strenuous life for a while," said Jack, as they rode home after the celebration. Behind them were the yells and whoops of the enthusiastic citizens who were still keeping it up.
"Well, we've been through many dangers and perils," rejoined Ralph, "but somehow, it's pleasant to look back on them. I hope we will have some more adventures before long."
"Not likely to," commented Walt Phelps.
"Why not?" asked Jack. "Black Ramon is still at large, remember, and somehow, I've got a feeling that as long as he is at liberty he'll make trouble."
"Well, the Border Boys will take care of him every time," shouted Ralph, giving a regular cowboy yell:
"Yip-yip-y-ee-ee!"
It was echoed by the other Border Boys, as they spurred forward for the home ranch, under the clear stars. On and on they rode, their little ponies' feet making the lively kind of music each of them loved best to hear.
All at once they rode over a slight rise – the first "land-wave" to mark that they were approaching the foothills. With yells, the Border Boys dashed down the other side of it and disappeared from the starlit desert trail – and from this story.
But we shall meet the Border Boys again in further adventures and perils, more exciting than any through which they had yet passed. Ralph Stetson's introduction to frontier life – thrilling as it had been – was but one series of incidents in the lives of the dwellers along "the line."
How the Border Boys were tried in future stirring scenes and exciting adventures, those who choose to follow their career may find related in another volume of this series, which will be called: The Border Boys Across the Frontier.
