Frank at Don Carlos' Rancho

by Harry Castlemon

  CHAPTER VI.

  DON CARLOS' RANCHO.

  Old Davy, the terror of the country, the destroyer of dogs, and winnerof goodness knows how many desperate battles--Old Davy theinvincible--had met his match at last in Frank Nelson, a boy ofsixteen. The young hunter had long enjoyed an enviable reputation,dating as far back as his desperate fight with the moose, which hadtaken place during the previous winter, while he and Archie weresojourning at Uncle Joe's cabin. Since that time he had been the heroof as many scrapes as a boy of his age could well get into. He hadbeen lost on the prairie; stampeded with a herd of buffaloes; passed anight in the camp of a band of blood-thirsty outlaws, who stole hishorse and threatened to tie him to a tree and leave him to the mercyof the wolves; had three desperate encounters with a highwayman, andbeen captured at last and held as a prisoner by him; and in all thesetrying situations he had shown that he possessed a wonderful degree ofcourage, and had always conducted himself in a way to draw forth thehighest praise from his friends the trappers. But all his formerexploits were as nothing compared with the feat he had justaccomplished. He had a reputation now that any farmer in that countrywould have been proud to possess. He would be pointed out as the onewho had killed a monster which had held his own against all the menand dogs that could be brought against him; and when he heard oldbear-hunters recounting their adventures, and boasting of theirachievements, he could hold his head as high as any of them.

  That was what Frank thought half an hour after the fight was over;but, when he stood there looking at his prize and at hiscompanions--at Archie, who sat on the ground beside the bear, with hisaching head resting on his hands, and at Dick, one or both of whom hadbeen saved by his lucky shot, he never reflected on the glory he hadwon. He could not help thinking of what the consequences would havebeen if he, in his excitement, had missed the bear, or failed todisable him.

  Never before had the boys engaged in so exciting a battle. It was farahead of any of their former hunts. It had been ended so fortunately,too! Archie had a lame shoulder and a bruised nose, and for a fewminutes had been utterly unconscious of what was going on around him;but he did not feel half so badly about it as Dick did over the trickhis horse had played upon him.

  "I'll fix him for that," said the boy, with a threatening shake of hishead. "I'll put him in one of father's teams, and make him work forhis living. I don't owe him any thanks for coming out of this fightwith a whole skin. After he has made a few trips between our ranchoand San Diego, hauling heavy loads of provisions, he'll wish he hadbehaved himself."

  "I'll tell you what I am going to do with mine," said Archie, with aglance of contempt at the nag which had been the cause of hismisfortune: "I'll leave him out of doors to-night, and let thehorse-thieves steal him."

  "I don't see how you can be revenged on the horse by doing that," saidFrank. "I don't suppose it makes much difference to him who he has fora master."

  "Who said I wanted to be revenged on the horse?" asked Archie. "Idon't; but I'll take a terrible revenge on the robbers. Perhaps thefellow who gets this horse will try to jump him over a log, and thehorse will fall down with him, as he did with me, and smash therobber's nose, and knock his shoulder out of joint. That's the wayI'll get even with him."

  "Three cheers for the champion rifle-shot and bear-killer!" yelledJohnny, for the twentieth time.

  Again and again the ravine echoed with lusty shouts--even Archielifted his pale face and joined in with a feeble voice--and havingthus given vent to their enthusiasm, the boys pulled off their jacketsand began the work of removing the grizzly's skin.

  "That will be a valuable addition to our museum at home, won't it?"asked Archie, stretching himself out in the shade of a tree close by."When it is stuffed and mounted, it will be worth all our otherspecimens put together. I'd give something to know what Dick Lewiswill have to say about it. Hallo!"

  The boys looked up to see what had caused this exclamation, anddiscovered the trapper standing at a little distance from them,closely watching their operations. They had often seen him astonished,but never before had they seen such a look of utter amazement as thatwhich now overspread his face. He stood with his body bent forward,his neck stretched out, and his eyes almost starting from theirsockets. With one hand he held his horse, and in the other his rifle,with the butt of which he was thumping the ground energetically, as ifgiving emphasis to some thoughts that were passing through his mind.His whole attitude and appearance indicated that he was littleprepared for the scene he was witnessing.

  "Hallo, Dick!" exclaimed Johnny; "we're glad to see you. You and oldBob can just hang up your fiddles now. There's a hunter in thesettlement who is a long way ahead of both of you."

  The trapper tied his horse to a limb of the nearest tree, and walkedtoward the boys. "You amazin' keerless feller!" said he, addressinghimself to Frank, "I b'lieve it's my bounden duty to take this yereramrod out of my gun an' give you the best kind of a wallopin'."

  "You had better be careful how you talk to him," said Dick Thomas."He's the man who killed Old Davy."

  "Don't I know all about it?" exclaimed the trapper. "Didn't I say tomyself this mornin', when you fellers left the rancho, that somethin'was goin' to happen? Didn't I saddle up my hoss an' foller you, tokeep an eye on you, an' haint you gone an' fit an' killed that ar'grizzly bar afore I could find you, to lend you a helpin' hand? Youhave; an' it beats any thing I ever heern tell on. The next thing Iknow you will be foolin' around among them hoss-thieves."

  This was the way Dick always lectured Frank and Archie whenever theydid any thing that astonished him, and a stranger, to have heard himspeak, would have supposed that somebody had ordered him to watch thecousins closely, and keep them out of trouble; and that he had foundthe task an exceedingly difficult one to perform. The stranger wouldhave believed, too, that he was very angry; but the boys knew that thefierce scowl he had assumed was intended to conceal a very differentfeeling--that he was highly elated over their victory, and that,before a week had passed, he would tell it to every body in thesettlement. They knew, also, that the story would lose nothing inpassing through his hands; for, although Dick always confined himselfstrictly to the truth when relating his own adventures, he did nothesitate to exaggerate a little when recounting the exploits of his"youngsters."

  "I wouldn't be in Uncle Jeems's boots fur nothin'," said the trapper,filling his pipe and looking severely at Frank. "He promised yourfolks, afore we left Lawrence, that he would keep you out of alldanger, an' bring you safe back to your hum; but how he's a goin' todo it I can't tell. I wouldn't make no sich bargain as that ar' withno man, 'cause I couldn't live up to it. What's the matter with you,little un?"

  "I've got a broken head, and a lame shoulder, and a cracked nose, andsomehow I don't feel all right," replied Archie.

  "Don't! Wal, tell us all about it."

  The trapper settled back on his elbow to listen, and Dick Thomas, whowas a smooth-tongued fellow, related the story of their adventuresfrom beginning to end. As he proceeded, the scowl gradually faded fromthe backwoodsman's face; and when he told how Frank had stood there atthe log, and risked his life to secure the retreat of the others, Dickslapped the young hero on the back so heartily that he felt theeffects of the blow for a quarter of an hour afterward. When the storywas finished, he unsheathed his long bowie and assisted the boys inremoving the grizzly's skin; and as soon as this had been done, heplaced Archie on his horse, and led the way toward home.

  Their morning's work had sharpened the boys' appetites, and theexcellent dinner which the housekeeper served up for them rapidlydisappeared before their attacks. Even Archie disposed of his fullshare of the eatables, and after a hearty meal, pushed back his chair,declaring that he was all right, and ready for any thing the othershad to propose, even if it was a fight with another Old Davy.

  When the grizzly's skin had been stretched upon a frame to dry, theboys lounged about the house for an hour or two, talking over theincidents of the morning; and then Johnny and Dick bad
e the cousinsgood-by, and started for home. Archie was lonesome and restless afterthey had gone. While Frank sat in his easychair, deeply interested insome favorite author, Archie lay stretched out on the bed, tossing hisheels in the air, and scarcely knowing what to do with himself. Hislost horse was still uppermost in his mind, and he wanted to talkabout him, and about nothing else. There was Frank, as serene andundisturbed as usual, poring over the pages of some dry book, when heknew that the steed he valued so highly was within five miles of him!Archie did not see how any body could read under such circumstances,and he told his cousin so. He did not want to stay in the houseeither; and, what was more, he wouldn't. He wanted to go somewhere,and do something.

  "Well," said Frank, laying down his book, "let's hear what you have topropose. I am quite at your service."

  "Suppose we beard the lion in his den," said Archie.

  "All right. Show me the lion."

  "O, I am not joking. Let's visit Don Carlos. Mark my words now, Frank:that old rascal knows more about the horse-thieves, than any body elsein the country. We are on pretty good terms with him, and perhaps hewill invite us to stay all night. If he does, we may be able to learnsomething about the bridge of clouds, and the other strange things oldBob saw there. Will you go?"

  "Of course. But I'll tell you what it is: You are going to bedisappointed. We must not let Don Carlos know that we suspect anything, for if we do, we may get ourselves into trouble."

  "I guess we are smart enough to look out for that. We will listen tohis stories, and hear him rail at the robbers, and lament the loss ofhis fine horses, and all that, and act as though we believed everyword of it. We mustn't let Dick know where we are going," addedArchie. "He would be sure to make a fuss about it, for he has somehowgot it into his head that he is our guardian in uncle's absence."

  One would think that the cousins had already seen enough of excitementand perilous adventure, to satisfy any two boys in the world; andthat, after their recent narrow escape from the clutches of Old Davy,they would think twice before undertaking so dangerous an enterpriseas this, which Archie had called "bearding the lion in his den." Theway they went about their preparations, however, showed that they werein earnest, and that they were fully determined to learn more aboutthe mysterious rancho, that is, if there was any thing more to belearned. Frank did not think there was. Of course the friendly oldSpaniard would insist that they should accept his hospitality for thenight, as he always did when they visited him. They had passed two orthree nights under his roof, without seeing or hearing any thingunusual, and they would do it again. As for Don Carlos' complicitywith the horse-thieves, that was all in Archie's eye. It was onlyanother of the thousand-and-one foolish notions he was continuallygetting into his head, and when morning came he would be obliged toacknowledge the fact. Archie, on the other hand, had made up his mindto see some queer sights during the night, if they remained at DonCarlos' rancho. He knew that he would have to fight somebody, and heprepared for it by putting a small revolver into his pocket, as didFrank, also. He was satisfied, too, that Bob had seen his horse gointo the Spaniard's rancho; and, if he was still there, Archie wouldhave him out, or he would raise a fuss about the old fellow's earsthat would make him think he had stirred up a hornet's nest.

  "Just think of it!" exclaimed Archie, indignantly. "Our horses arebeing used every night by those robbers! O, you may smile and shakeyour head as much as you please, but I _know_ it is so!" Frank thoughtif his cousin's convictions on this point were as strong as the blowhe struck the table to emphasize his words, they must have been verypowerful indeed. "Now, I can tell you in a few words just how thismatter stands," continued Archie, "and one of these days you will seethat I am right. The robbers make their head-quarters at that rancho,and ride Roderick and King James on their plundering expeditions. Theyknow that the animals are swift, and that if they are discovered theycan run away from their pursuers very easily. But my horse sha'n'tengage in any such business. He is a good honest horse, and I am notgoing to have him taught any bad habits."

  In a few minutes the boys were in their saddles, and galloping throughthe grove toward the creek. They carried their rifles slung over theirshoulders by broad straps, their navy revolvers in their holsters, andtheir small pistols in their pockets. They rode the same horses thathad carried them through the fight with the grizzly, Archie remarkingthat although his nag was not much of a jumper, he was a good one togo, and he might have occasion to use a fast horse before morning.They succeeded in leaving the rancho without the trapper's knowledge;and in half an hour drew rein on the bank of the creek a shortdistance from Don Carlos' rancho.

  The building was like a good many others in that country--there wasnothing remarkable about it, either in its appearance or history. Ithad stood a siege, and there were plenty of bullet-marks about it; andthe same was true of the rancho in which Frank and Archie lived. Itwas built in the form of a hollow-square; the rough stone walls werefive feet thick; and all the openings, except the port-holes, wereprotected by heavy plank doors and shutters, through which arifle-ball could not penetrate. A tall flag-staff arose from the opencourt in the center, and from it floated the Stars and Stripes. DonCarlos was evidently patriotic.

  The boys gazed long and earnestly at the building, and Archie was agood deal disappointed because he did not see some signs of thecurious things the old trapper had witnessed there. They saw somethingelse, however, at least Frank did, and he called Archie's attention toit, by inquiring:

  "Do you see the second port-hole from the right-hand side of thebuilding?"

  "I do," replied his cousin; "and I see something sticking out of it.It looks to me like a spy-glass."

  "That's just what it is. There is somebody in there watching us. Andwasn't that flag flying at the mast-head when we first saw it?"

  "Of course it was," answered Archie, beginning to get excited, "andnow it is at half-mast. Now it is being hauled down altogether," headded, as the bunting disappeared behind the walls of the rancho."What can it mean? It must be a signal of some kind; and I--I--believeI won't go any farther. I'll return home and report the matter."

  "What good will that do?" asked Frank.

  "Why, when uncle comes back, he can raise a crowd of men, and stormthe old villain."

  "I don't think he would do it. He would want the very strongestevidence before he would consent to assault a peaceable settler in hisown dwelling, and that is something we haven't got yet. Of course wecan say that we saw somebody watching us through a spy-glass, andthat the flag was hauled down when we came in sight; but that doesn'tprove any thing. If we should go home with that story, every bodywould laugh at us."

  "It is proof enough for me," said Archie, "and I don't care abouttrusting myself inside that rancho. I believe I'll go back."

  "And I will go on," said his cousin, riding down the bank toward theford. "If Don Carlos asks me to stay all night, I'll do it: and Ishall feel as safe under his roof as I would at home."

  Archie pulled off his sombrero, and scratched his head in deepperplexity. He did not want to go home without Frank, and neither didhe want to go with him into the rancho. The hauling down of the flaghad made him timid. If it was not a signal, why was it pulled down atthat time of day--two hours before sunset? If he had never beensatisfied before that there was something wrong with Don Carlos, hewas now. Beyond a doubt he was connected with the robbers--he wastheir leader, perhaps--and when he and Frank went into the rancho,they would find themselves surrounded by a crowd of villainousMexicans, broken-down miners, and other desperate characters, whowould never allow them to go out again. Worse than all, they could nothope for assistance, for they had left the rancho without telling anyone where they were going; and when their absence was discovered,their friends would not know where to look for them.

  "Frank," exclaimed Archie, "are you really going in there?"

  "I am, if I can get in," replied his cousin, who was by this time halfway across the ford. "Come on. I want to satisfy you that you ha
vebeen wrongfully accusing an honest man."

  "And I'll show you that I haven't," said Archie, galloping down thebank of the creek, and into the water. "If you are bound to go on, ofcourse I shall stick to you."

  While the boys were riding toward the rancho they kept their eyesfastened on the port-hole, and saw that the person with the spy-glassclosely followed all their movements. They discovered nothing elsethat looked suspicious, however, and when they dashed through thegate-way and drew up in the court, the reception they met with, fromthe proprietor of the rancho, went a long way toward convincing Archiethat he had made a great mistake.

  Don Carlos was a small, slim man, with a very sallow face, a long,hooked nose, and an immense gray mustache, which covered all the lowerpart of his face. He called himself a Spaniard: but he looked morelike a German Jew, and talked exactly like one. He was as polite as aFrenchman; and when the boys rode up to the porch, he pulled off hissombrero, and stood bowing and scraping to them until they dismountedfrom their horses.

  "Ach! here ish my goot leetle poys!" he exclaimed, in his brokenEnglish. "I peen so glad to see you. You shall shtay mit me now allnight, of course, aint it? Peppo!" he added, in a louder tone,addressing a young Mexican who stood at a little distance, lookingon--"you von grand rascal! dake dis horses to dem shtables. I do sohope dem horse-dieves won't shteal 'em pefore mornings. Valk right inde house, leetle poys."

  "The more I see of this old fellow, the more I am convinced that he isa Dutchman," thought Archie, as he followed Frank and the Don intothe rancho. "I've met a good many Spaniards since I have been inCalifornia, but I never heard one talk like that."

  Their host conducted them through a long wide hall, the walls of whichwere ornamented with old-fashioned pictures and implements of thechase, and ushered them into an elegantly-furnished room, where heleft them to take care of themselves; telling them that his herdsmenwere out collecting a drove of cattle to be sent to San Diego, andthat it was necessary that he should superintend their operations. Ifthe boys wanted to read, there were plenty of books on thecenter-table; and if they did not feel like sitting still, they mightwalk about the rancho, and see if they could find any thing to amusethem. Supper would be ready at sunset; he would then be back, andwould pass the evening with them.

  "What do you think now, Archie?" asked Frank, when the Don had goneout. "Is this the sort of a reception a robber would be likely toextend to visitors? Do you suppose that if there was any thing wronghere, he would have allowed us the freedom of the house so readily?"

  "He does that merely to blind us," replied his cousin. "He is morepolite and attentive than he used to be, and that makes me suspicious.If we don't wish ourselves a thousand miles from here before morning,I will make you a present of my horse when I get him."

  Frank recalled these words a few hours afterward, and told himselfthat Archie had more sense than he had ever given him credit for.