CHAPTER XV.
A RACE FOR LIFE.
The electric thrill that passed through the lads at the words, andtemporarily rendered them powerless to move, would have speedily madethem an easy prey for the aggrieved Mexican officers, but that thelatter were equally excited by the announcement. The mention ofRamon's name, in fact, seemed to cause a galvanic wave of activitythroughout the bivouac. Men could be heard running hither and thither,and above all sounded the heavy trample of the new arrivals' horses.
In less than two minutes the last of the wounded Mexicans had pickedhimself up from the ground, and, clapping a hand over a rapidlyswelling "goose egg," was hurrying from the scene of the sudden battle.The last to get up was the pudgy little officer whom Jack hadoverthrown. This fellow painfully scrambled to his feet, and,breathing the most terrible threats in his native tongue, limped off.
The boys stood alone on the card-strewn, coin-littered battle-ground.Dismay was pictured on their countenances. The crucial moment hadcome, and they were fairly caught in a trap from which there seemed tobe no possible means of extricating themselves.
"Come on, boys," cried Bob Harding, who had quite recovered hisequanimity, "here's your friend Ramon, now."
He hastened off, not even looking to see if the supposed adventurerswere following him. Suddenly, while the three lads stood regarding oneanother, there came a high-pitched voice ringing clearly above theconfusion and shouts:
"You consarned yaller coyote, you take yer leathery lunch-hooks off me,or I'll fill yer so full uv holes your ma can use you for a collander!"
"Coyote Pete!" exclaimed Jack. "Oh, boys, he's all right!"
"Oh, Jack! What are we going to do?" gasped Ralph, pale under his coatof tan, and looking about him nervously.
"We must act quickly, whatever it is," exclaimed Jack. "Thankgoodness, Coyote Pete is safe. The professor must be all right, too,then. Look, there are the Mexican's horses off yonder. Let's make adash for them, and try to sneak out while they are still looking forus."
"Do you think we can do it?" Ralph's voice was full of hesitancy.
"If we don't, we'll all be lined up with a firing squad in front of uswithin the next ten minutes!" exclaimed Jack. "Hark!"
They could hear shouts and angry cries, above which Ramon's voicesounded, as if he were narrating something.
"He's telling them about us," cried Jack. "Come on; there's not afraction of a second to lose."
Headed by Jack, the three Border Boys started on the run for the grovein which the horses had been picketed. Some of the animals weresaddled and bridled, and for these they made a dash. They were not toescape without some difficulty, however, for, as they placed their feetin the stirrups, preparatory to swinging into the high-peaked saddles,a dozing trooper sprang up from a litter of opened hay-bales. Heshouted something in Spanish, and made a spring for the head of theanimal Jack bestrode. It was no time for half measures. The heavyquirt, with its loaded handle, hung from the horn of the saddle. Witha quick movement, Jack secured it, and brought the loaded end down onthe fellow's skull. He fell like a log, without uttering a sound.
"Now, forward boys!" cried Jack in a low tone, "it's a ride for life."
The others needed no urging. As rapidly as they could, consistent withmaking as little noise as possible, the three young horsemen rode outof the patch of woods in which the camp had been made, and emerged onthe high road without being stopped. Suddenly, however, a sentry witha fixed bayonet, seemed to spring from the ground in front of them. Hecried something in Spanish, to which Jack replied by driving his horsefull at him. The fellow went down, and rolled over and over, as thehorse's hoofs struck him. Before he recovered his feet, the BorderBoys were upon the road and galloping for dear life. There was no usein caution, now. Everything depended, in fact, on putting as muchdistance as possible between themselves and the camp before theirabsence was discovered.
Fortunately, their horses were fresh, powerful animals, with long,swinging gaits. They got over the ground at a wonderful rate, andJack's heart began to beat exultingly. Not far distant lay some hillyground, broken with deep gullies and thickly grown with wooded patches.Could they gain it, they would have a chance of concealing themselves.
"Hullo! They've discovered we've gone!" exclaimed Jack suddenly, asbehind them they could hear shots and bugle calls. "Don't spare thehorses, boys; we've got to make that rough country."
The quirts fell unmercifully on the big, powerful horses, and theyplunged snorting forward.
"We're kicking up dust enough to be seen ten miles," grumbled Walt.
"Can't be helped," flung back Jack, "speed is what counts now."
Before many minutes had passed, such good progress had they made thatthe edge of a clump of woods was reached, and they plunged rapidly intothe friendly shelter.
"Where to now?" gasped Ralph.
"Right on! Right on!" shot out Jack. "Keep going till the horsesdrop, or they overtake us. It's our only chance."
On and on into the wood, the hunted boys rode. Their wiry horses wereflagging now, but still seemed capable of more effort. Over the roughground, though, the pace at which they urged them was a killing one.Still, as Jack had said, it was "their only chance."
All at once, from their rear, they heard shouts and bugle calls. Jackturned a shade paler. The demonstration was much too close to bepleasant. He had hardly believed that it was possible for the Mexicansto have gained upon them so rapidly.
"Guess we're up against it," muttered Walt Phelps, in his usual laconicmanner.
"Not yet, by a good sight," pluckily retorted Jack. "Come on--intothis gulch. It takes a turn above here, and we may find some means ofgetting out of their sight altogether."
Almost on their haunches, the horses were urged down the steep bank ofthe gully to which Jack had referred. It was about twenty feet indepth, with steep sides at the point at which they entered it, andbare. Farther on, though, it took a turn, and was covered almost tothe bottom with chaparral and brush.
As Jack had said, if they could gain this portion of it, it ought toafford them an ideal hiding-place.
Rapidly they pressed forward along the rough bottom of the gulch, whichwas evidently a roaring water-course in times of heavy rain, but whichwas now as dry as a bone. It was stiflingly hot, too, but none of themnoticed that. Other things far more overwhelming in importance, wereupon their minds just then.
Evidently, such skilled trackers as the Mexicans, had not been at faultin locating the woods into which the boys had vanished. The yells andcries, which Jack had heard, were rapidly drawing nearer in the woodsabove them. But, if they could only gain the shelter of the overgrownpart of the gulch, they might still be safe.
It was in this extremity that Jack bethought himself of an old trick hehad heard the cow-punchers talk of at his father's ranch. They hadused it in old frontier days, when the Indians were thick and hostile.The deception was a simple one. It consisted in the hunted personslipping from his horse at a suitable hiding-place and then letting theanimal wander on.
The pursuers would naturally be guided by the sound of the horses'hoofs, and would follow them up, leaving the concealed victim of thechase at liberty, either to double back upon his trail, or remain wherehe was. His intention of putting this trick into execution Jackrapidly confided to his two companions. They rode forward through thethick brush, which they had now gained, gazing eagerly at the walls ofthe gulch for some cave, or other suitable place of concealment.
Suddenly Walt spied the very place which they were in search of,apparently. It was a small opening in the rocky wall of the gully,which appeared from below to penetrate quite some distance back intothe earth. Its mouth was sheltered with brush and creepers, and butfor the fact that a bird flew out from it as they passed, and thusattracted their attention, they might have passed it unnoticed.
A brief inspection showed that it was a small cave, about twenty feetin depth, and, as has been said, we
ll screened from below.
"We're not likely to find a better place," announced Jack, after ahasty inspection.
"Turn the horses loose," he cried in a low, but penetrating voice, downto Walt, who had remained below with the stock.
The red-headed ranch boy slipped off the back of his steed and alightedon a rock, so as to make no tracks. He then gave the three horses,that had borne them so bravely, their liberty. At first the animalswould not move, but began cropping the green stuff about them.
"Here, that won't do," breathed Jack, as the three lads crouched at thecave mouth. "Throw some rocks at them, Walt."
The boys picked up some small stones, which lay littered in front ofthe cave, and commenced a fusillade. It had such good results, that afew seconds later, the three horses were plunging off along the bottomof the gully as if Old Nick himself had been after them.
As their hoof-beats grew faint, Jack held up his hand to enjoinsilence, although the boys had been discussing their situation in suchlow tones that their voices could not have traveled ten feet from thecave mouth.
"Hark!" he said.
From farther down the gully came shouts and yells, and then thedistinct rattling sound of loose shale, as several horsemen descendedthe steep bank into the gulch.
"They've picked up the trail," commented Walt grimly.