Bloom of Cactus

by Robert Ames Bennet

  CHAPTER III

  THE GILA MONSTER

  The bacon was ready almost as soon as Lennon's rifle. Carmena rose frombeside the embers of the fire with the pan and corn bread.

  "Fetch the canteens," she directed. "We'll eat over here under thatoverhanging rock."

  But at the edge of the shade, below the outjutting cliff ledge, shestopped short with her gaze fixed upon an object close to thesand-sculptured wall of rock.

  "Ever see a Gila monster?" she queried.

  "No. You don't mean to say--really----"

  Lennon had sprung forward beside her. His curious eyes at once perceivedthe hideous, thickset lizard that lay flattened upon the shadowed sandas if in a torpor. The reptile's dirty orange-mottled black body was asloathsome as its venomous blunt-nosed head.

  "Big specimen--almost two feet long," remarked Carmena. "Hold on. Don'tshoot. That sure would tell the bronchos where we are."

  "But if we are to eat here?" questioned Lennon. "I don't fancy thecompany of this sweet wiggler--not that I believe the wild yarns aboutthem. All lizards are non-poisonous. No poison glands have ever beenfound in the mouth of these so-called monsters."

  "Just look and see," rejoined the girl. "But look in the lower jaw.Trouble is, you science sharps expected to find hollow fangs and thesacs above, like a rattler's. Do you know why a Gila monster flops onhis back when he bites? It's to let the loose poison in his lower jawdrain into the hollow teeth."

  "Really?"

  The girl faced him with a challenging look.

  "If they turn over, it's as bad as being struck by a six-footdiamond-back. They lock their jaws, and the poison---- But I've seen aman snap the head off one of those big snakes. Let's see if you have thenerve to toss this little lizard outside."

  Lennon's smile faded as he perceived that the girl was in sober earnest.Very naturally he hesitated. He was not given to bravado, and evenwithout her assertion that the reptile was deadly poisonous, he wouldhave loathed to touch so repulsive a creature.

  But there is no spur so galling as the derisive smile of a comely youngwoman. Lennon dropped his rifle, walked in beside the Gila monster, andsuddenly clutching the lizard in mid-body, flung it several yards outupon the sun-scorched sand. The girl's scorn gave place to a look ofgrave approval.

  "You'll do," she said. "Fact is, they're so sluggish in the shade youdidn't run the slightest risk. You couldn't know that, though. Yes,you'll do. Only don't try playing with the fellow out there in the sun.The light livens them up."

  The advice was needless. Lennon felt quite ready to sit down beside thegirl and start eating, though he first rubbed his hands thoroughly inthe sand. Neither had much to say. They were alike intent uponsatisfying their keen hunger and keeping a sharp lookout against thechance of an attack.

  After a time Lennon noticed that the Gila monster had crawled up on alittle sand ridge in the full glare of the mid-day sun. It was viciouslysnapping its jaws and twitching its thick head from side to side.Carmena gave no heed to the angered reptile. She was gazing off towardthe jagged hill from which had risen the distant smoke puffs.

  As the girl finished her share of the hearty food she leaned sideways,with her ungloved hand on the sand at the edge of the cliff shadow. Likethe hand, her wrist was white and well rounded. She drew off her oldsombrero.

  Lennon's gaze lifted to the wealth of dark hair that lay coiled abouther shapely head. The girl was neither pretty nor beautiful, yet therewas a certain handsomeness about her strong features.

  Out of the tail of his eye Lennon caught a glimpse of a black and orangeblur streaking toward them over the hot sand. He had seen many dartinglizards that day. But none had moved more swiftly than the clumsilybuilt Gila monster now darted at the disturbers of his torpor. There wasno time for thought. Lennon sensed that the reptile aimed to strike atCarmena's bared wrist.

  "Jump!" he cried, and flung himself forward to block the attack with hisout-thrust right hand.

  An instant later the Gila monster snapped its gaping jaws together onthe fleshy edge of Lennon's palm. It whirled over upon its back. Caughtoutstretched and almost prone upon the ground, Lennon sought to wrenchhis hand free and draw away. The heavy lizard was dragged along with itscrooked legs futilely clawing the air. But its powerful jaws remainedclenched on the hand with bulldog tenacity.

  A voice shrilled in Lennon's ear: "Hold still! Hold still!"

  Carmena stooped over the writhing monster to thrust the muzzle of asmall revolver against the side of its lower jaw. The bullet shatteredthe jaw and blew it half off. A vigorous kick hurled the now harmlessreptile aside.

  Lennon had started to raise himself to a sitting position. Carmena flungherself upon her knees and caught up his torn hand to her red lips. Shesucked hard at the wounds----

  With the suddenness of a dropped veil, the hot, white glare of thedesert noon went black before Lennon's eyes. He sank down upon the sand,unconscious.

  When the light of returning life glimmered back into his brain, he firstwas dimly aware of a pale Madonna face that appeared to hover closeabove him. His clearing gaze gradually made out the girl's features.There was no colour even in her lips. Her eyes were wide with grief anddread.

  She saw the dawning consciousness in his eyes.

  "Jack!" she whispered--"Jack!--You haven't left me--you won't leave me!"

  "Who--what's the matter?---- Oh, that----"

  He sought to raise his right arm. It was strangely numb and heavy. Thegirl lifted it from her lap, where it had been lying. He saw that hersilk handkerchief had been knotted around his bared forearm and twistedvery tight with the barrel of the little revolver. From the tourniquetdown, the arm and wrist and hand were black, and beginning to swell.The lacerations torn in the side of the palm by the Gila monster'sfangs appeared to be clotted with purple blood.

  "I rubbed in snake medicine--permanganate of potash crystals," quaveredthe girl. "That'll kill the poison and not hurt you a bit. You're allright now--only we'll have to ease off a little on your arm. Take somegood deep breaths."

  Though sick and giddy and still faint, Lennon forced himself to obey. Herallied sufficiently to sit up. Carmena loosened the tourniquet andbriskly rubbed his swollen hand and arm. The tingling pain of returningcirculation roused him like a stimulant. But the poison had not all beensucked from the wounds or counteracted in the veins by the permanganate.Before the girl could again twist tight the tourniquet he sank down forthe second time, unconscious.

  Out of the utter blankness of oblivion he first dreamed that he wasalternately swimming through a rough sea and rocking in a wave-tossedboat---- A gush of water dashed into his face--then the sea appeared tosolidify into dry sand. He became conscious that Carmena was violentlyrolling him from side to side and slapping his face. She paused in thispunishment to pump his arms above his head, forcing the air in and outof his lungs.

  He struggled feebly to free himself. The girl jerked him to a sittingposition and, with a desperate output of lithe strength, grasped hisbody from behind to heave him upright. He gained his feet, but was fartoo giddy to stand alone. The girl clasped his left arm about her neckand rushed him out beside the pony.

  "Brace up!" she breathlessly implored him. "Grip hold of his mane withyour good hand. We'll have to hit out. The broncs are coming."

  She ran back to snatch up Lennon's sombrero, the rifles and one of thecanteens. The other had been emptied into Lennon's face. Out again shedarted to clap the sombrero on his drenched head and steady him with ahand on the tourniquet. A guttural command started the pony off at awalk. The direction chosen by his mistress was northwest, aslant theBasin, almost at right angles to the jagged hill where she had seen thesmoke puffs.

  For a while Lennon tottered and reeled like a drunken man. Time andagain he stumbled and would have sunk down upon the hot sand but for theconvulsive clutch of his left hand on the pony's mane and the strongsupport of Carmena at his other side. He was giddy and nauseated andleaden-footed. Every step required an agoniz
ed effort of will power.

  Yet the exertion of walking proved the best of treatment for him.Before half a mile had been covered, his head had cleared and hisstrength was fast returning. To offset this benefit, his arm was nowblacker than ever and rapidly swelling. Carmena gave him a copious drinkfrom the canteen, hesitated, glanced toward the smoke hill, and came toa desperate decision.

  "We can't let that arm go," she said. "The tie must come off. Get readyfor a rush."

  At her command, the pony quickened his pace to a jog trot. As they ranalong beside him Carmena untwisted her revolver from the tourniquet.This time Lennon did not lose consciousness. Either the remaining poisonhad been almost destroyed by the permanganate or else his previousreactions to the venom had rendered him partly immune.

  Though the nausea and giddiness again threatened to overcome him, thesupport of Carmena and her pony kept him steadied. Very soon the rununder the hot sun had him panting for breath. His highly oxygenizedblood gushed through his arteries in a veritable stream of life. Hisface glistened with a profuse sweat.

  Carmena held to the pace until he fell down, gasping for water andcompletely exhausted. The wonder was that he had been able to do so muchafter the terrible shock of the Gila monster poison. They had come intothe midst of scattered mesquite trees, which offered a degree of cover.Carmena first tied up the pony, then opened the half gallon canteen forLennon.

  While he sought to quench his fierce thirst, she hastily threw off thepony's loosened pack. Silk tent, blankets, prospector's tools,packsacks, bacon, flour--all were discarded. From her saddlebags shedumped half of her own bacon and all but a pint of cornmeal. Into itsplace she slipped the half dozen sticks of dynamite, with their fusesand caps.

  One of Lennon's full gallon canteens was slung to the saddlehorn,opposite the horsehair rope. From its mate the girl refilled the smallercanteen, which Lennon had already more than half emptied. She took adeep drink and then carefully closed both canteens.

  "Sorry, but we must cut it close on water," she said. "The bronchos haveus headed off from the other tanks. With your hand useless, we can'tfight. We'll have to swing around through the dry side of the Basin. Notime to lose! They'll be on our trail before long."

  Lennon sprang to his feet.

  "Mount your horse and ride as fast as you can," he ordered. "I'll trotalong after you. Don't bother about me. I can shoot well enoughleft-handed to hold off the beggars until dark."

  Carmena suddenly came close to him, her eyes aglow with soft radiance.She caught up his injured hand. It was still swollen and bleeding, butthe purple-black discoloration had lightened to red; her deft fingerstore a strip from her handkerchief and bound up the ragged wounds.

  "There. Now you'll get on and ride," she said. "You don't suppose I'llleave you to those devils, after you saved my life!"

  "But it is you who have saved mine, Miss Farley."

  "To say that--when you jammed your hand into the monster's mouth! If hehad bit me I'd have had no show at all. You didn't know how to treat thepoison. No. Either the bronchos will get us both, or we're going to winthrough to the ranch together."

  "But, Miss Farley----"

  The heat-flush in the girl's tanned cheeks deepened to rose.

  "I never before knew a man like you, Jack. Won't you call me Carmena?"

  The candid directness of this rather took Lennon's breath. But the girlwas of the desert--efficient, resolute, crude in dress, yet richcoloured as the bloom of the red-flowered cactus. She had saved himfrom the horrible death of the Gila monster's poison and was now intentupon saving him from even worse fate at the hands of the murderousApaches.

  He caught up her willing hand in an eager clasp.

  "Carmena!--To have a girl like you for pal--it's simply ripping!"

  "Pal?" she repeated the word after him, as if not quite certain of itsmeaning. "Oh, you mean pard. Yes, we're partners now--for this deal atleast--whether it means life or death."