CHAPTER XVI
THE HEAVY PAYS A DEBT
When Threewit and Farrar reached Noche Buena, Pasquale was absent fromcamp, but Culvera made them suavely welcome.
"Senor Yeager has recovered and was called away unexpectedly onbusiness," he explained; adding with his lip smile, "He will bedesolated to have missed you."
"He is better, then?"
"Indeed, quite his self. He nearly died from gunshot wounds, but unlesshe suffers a relapse he is entirely out of present danger."
"Shouldn't have thought it would have been safe to travel yet," Farrarreturned.
He was uneasy in his mind, sensing something of mocking irony in themanner of the Mexican. It was strange that Yeager, wounded to death ashis letter had said, was able in two days to be up and around again.
"We were anxious to have him stop, but he was in a hurry. Personally Idid my best to get him to stay." Culvera's smile glitteredreminiscently: "The truth is that he thought our climate unhealthy. Hewas afraid of heart failure."
Threewit scoffed openly. "Absurd. The man is the finest physicalspecimen I ever saw. If you had ever seen him on the back of an outlawbronc, you'd know his heart was all right."
The door of the room opened and Harrison came in. He stopped, mouth openwith surprise at sight of the Americans.
"Some of Mr. Yeager's anxious friends come down to inquire about hishealth, Harrison. Did he seem to you healthy last time you saw him?" theMexican asked maliciously.
Like a thunderclap the prizefighter broke loose in a turbid stream ofprofanity. It boiled from his lips like molten lava from a crater. Theraucous words poured forth from a heart furious with rage. The man wasbeside himself. He raved like a madman--and the object of his invectivewas Stephen Yeager.
And all the time the man cursed he stamped painfully about the room, asight to wonder at. His face was so swollen, so bruised and discolored,that he was hardly recognizable. He had managed to creep into anothersuit of clothes after the doctor had dressed his wounds and sewed up hiscuts, but these could not hide the fact that every step was a torment tohis pummeled ribs and lacerated flesh. He was game. Another man in hiscondition would have been in the hospital. Harrison dragged himselfabout because he would not admit that he was badly hurt.
Culvera turned to the Americans and explained the situation in a fewsentences. He was enjoying himself extremely because the vanity of hiscompanion writhed at the position in which he was placed.
"Your friend Yeager was not pleasing to our general and was sentenced tobe shot. He escaped in the night. Our companion Harrison, also I believea compatriot and friend of yours, is a charmer of ladies' hearts, as youwill perceive with one glance at his handsome face. Behold, then, anelopement, romance, and moonshine. 'Linda de mi alma, amor mia, come,'he cries. The lady comes. But, alas! for true love, the brutal vaquerofollows. They meet, and--I draw a merciful curtain over the result."
Harrison was off again in crisp and crackling language. When at last hisvocabulary was exhausted, he turned savagely upon Threewit and Farrar.
"I'll see Pasquale gets the right dope on you fellows too. You're a pairof damned fools for coming here, believe _me_. If the old man can't getYeager, he'll take his friends instead. Didn't I tell you I'd make yousick of what you did to me, Threewit? Good enough. I've got you bothwhere I want you now. You'll get plenty of hell, take my word for it."
Threewit turned with dignity to the Mexican. "I have nothing to say tothis man, Major Culvera. But you are a gentleman. We have been deceived.I ask for an escort as far as the border to see us safely back."
Culvera was full of bland hospitality. "Really I can't permit you toleave before the general returns. He would never forgive me. Whenfriends travel so far, they must be entertained. Not so?"
"Are we prisoners? Is that what you mean?" demanded Farrar bluntly.
The major shook his finger toward him with smiling deprecation."Prisoners! Fie, what a word among friends? Let us rather say guests ofhonor. If I give you a guard it is as a precaution, to make sure that norash peon makes the mistake of injuring you as an enemy."
"We understand," Threewit answered. "But I'll just tell you one thing,major. Our friends know where we are, and Uncle Sam has a long arm. Itwill reach easily to Noche Buena."
"So, senor? Perhaps. Maybe. Who knows? Accidents happen--regrettableones. A thousand apologies to your Uncle Sam. Oh, yes! Ver' sorry. Toolate to mend, but then have we not shot the foolish peon who made themistake in regard to Senors Farrar and Threewit? Yes, indeed."
Culvera tossed off his genial prophecy with the politest indifference.The prisoners read in his words a threat, sinister and scarcely veiled.
"You're talking murder, which is absurd," answered Threewit. "We've doneno harm to you or General Pasquale. We came here by mistake. He'll letus go, of course."
"You sent Yeager down here to spy about those cattle you lost. Nowyou've come down here buttin' in to see for yourself. I don't expectPasquale is going to stand for any such thing," broke in Harrison.
Farrar looked the prizefighter straight in the eye.
"You're a liar and you know it, Harrison. Let me tell you somethingelse. You've stood here and cursed Yeager to the limit. Why? Becausehe's a better man than you are. I don't know just what's happened, but Ican see that he has given you the beating of your life. And he did it infair fight too."
Harrison interrupted with a scream of rage. "I'll cave his head in whenwe meet sure as he's a foot high."
"No, you won't. He's got your goat. What I've got to say about Yeager isthis. If you put over any of your sculduggery on us, he'll wipe you offthe map no matter in what lonesome hole you hide. Just stick a pin inthat."
The bully moved slowly toward Farrar. His head had sunk down and hisshoulders fallen to the gorilla hunch.
"You've said enough--too much, damn you," he roared.
With catlike swiftness Culvera sprang from where he sat, flung hisweight low at the furious man from an angle, and tipped him from hisfeet so that he fell staggering into a chair.
"None of that, amigo," said the Mexican curtly. "These gentlemen areguests of General Pasquale. Till he passes judgment they shall betreated with ver' much courtesy."
Panting heavily, Harrison glared at him. Some day he intended to take afall out of this supercilious young Spanish aristocrat, but just now hewas not equal to the task. He mumbled incoherent threats.
"I don't quite catch your remarks. Is it that they are to my address,Senor Harrison?" asked the young officer silkily.
Heavily Harrison rose and passed from the room without looking at any ofthem. For the present he was beaten and he knew it.
The Mexican smiled confidentially at his prisoners. "Between friends,it's ver' devilish unpleasant to do business with such a--what youcall--ruffian. But ver' necessar'. Oh, yes! Quite so."
"Depends on one's business, I expect," replied Farrar.
"You have said it, senor. A patriot can't be too particulair. He usesthe tools that come to his hands. But pardon! My tongue is like awoman's. It runs away with time."
He called the guard and had the prisoners removed. They were put in thesame adobe hut where Yeager had been confined a few days earlier.
Threewit lit a cigar and paced up and down gloomily. "This is a hell ofa fix we're in. Before we get out of here the old man will be holleringhis head off for that 'Retreat of the Bandits' three-reeler."
The camera man laughed ruefully. "I ain't worrying any about the oldman. He's back there safe in little old New York. It's Frank Farrarthat's on my mind. How is he going to get out of here?"
The director stopped, took the cigar from his mouth, and looked acrossquestioningly at him.
"You don't really think Pasquale will hurt us, do you?"
"No; not unless the breaks go against us. I don't reckon Pasquale hasanything much against Yeager any more than he has against us. Of course,Harrison will do his darndest to make him sore at us. Notice how hetried to put it over that we had come a
bout that bunch of cattle hestole?"
"Sure I did. But it is not likely that Harrison is ace high in thispack. What I'm afraid of is that the old general will soak us for aransom. He's nothing but an outlaw, anyhow."
Within the hour they were taken before Pasquale. He was still coveredwith the dust of travel. His riding-gloves lay on the table where he hadtossed them. His soft white hat was on his head. As rapidly as possiblehe was devouring a chicken dinner.
It was his discourteous whim to keep them waiting in the back of theroom until he had finished. They were offered no seats, but stoodagainst the wall under the eye of the guard who had brought them.
The general finished his bottle of wine before he turned savagely uponthem.
"You are friends of the Gringo Yeager. Not so?" he accused.
It was too late for a denial now. Threewit admitted the charge.
"So. Maldito! What are you doing here? I've had enough of you Yankees!"he exploded.
Before Threewit had more than begun his explanations he brushed asidethe director's words.
"This Yeager is a devil. Did he not crawl up on me unexpect' and strikeme here with an axe?" He touched the back of his head, across which awide bandage ran. "Be sure I will cut his heart out some day. GabrielPasquale has said it. And you--you come here to spy what we have. Youclaim my cattle. Am I a fool that I do not know?"
"We are sorry--"
The Mexican struck the table with his hairy brown fist so that thedishes rang. "Sorry! Jesu Cristo! In good time I shall see to that. If Ido not lay hands upon this devil Yeager, his friends will do instead. AmI one to be laughed at by Gringos?"
Threewit spoke as firmly as he could, though the fear of this big,unshaven savage was in his heart. "We are not spies, general. We werebrought here by the lie that Yeager lay here dying and had sent for us.In no way have we harmed you. Before you go too far, remember that ourGovernment will not tolerate any foul play. We are not straysheepherders. Our friends are close to the President. They have his earand--"
Pasquale leaned forward and snapped his fingers in the face of Threewit."That for your President and your Government. Pouf! I snap my fingers. Ispit on them. Mexico for the Mexicans. To the devil with allforeigners."
He nodded to the guard. "Away with them!"
As they left they could hear him roaring for another bottle.
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