CHAPTER XVI
INDIAN "SIGN"
"What's that?" cried Snake, turning from where he had been talking withCaptain Marshall. "Real Indians this time?"
"Nothing to worry about," answered the commander of the troopers with asmile. "That's one of my scouts, and he's evidently found something."
"Found something?" questioned the veteran cowboy.
"Indian sign, most likely. I sent several men out, just before wesighted your party and took you for the Yaquis. I told my men, if theydiscovered anything, to get within sight of us and fire one shot. Thenthey were to stay on the spot until we came to investigate, and that'swhat we'll do now."
"Do you think it's the trail of the Yaquis he has discovered?" askedNort, waving his hand toward the solitary horseman.
"It may be--I rather hope so, for we haven't had any luck thus far inlocating the beggars. When we sighted you we thought we were in for afight, but it didn't happen," the captain added, his voice quite rueful.
"I notice you came along all primed for business!" chuckled Yellin' Kid.
"But we were ready for you--in case you had turned out to be thoseMexican imps!" added Rolling Stone.
"Yes, you seemed to have picked out a good spot," complimented thecavalry captain. "We were just talking among ourselves that we weregoing to have trouble in getting you out, when we saw one of you wave ahat and then we knew it was all right. In a way we were glad, for thisfighting is nasty business at best, though we don't pass any of it upwhen it comes our way," he added with an air of pride in his troop.
"You weren't any gladder to find out there was a mistake than we were,"said Dick. "You soldiers looked like a lot of Indians with lances andscalps dangling from them." Indeed the lances of the troopers weredecorated with wisps from the tails of horses, and, at a distance,might have resembled grewsome human scalps.
"There are few Indians, now-a-days who use lances," said CaptainMarshall. "They went out of date about the time Fenimore Cooper wroteabout Leather Stocking. The Indians didn't keep to their bows andarrows, or lances, once they could get guns and powder. I don't knowmuch about the Yaquis, but I fancy they did the same--discarded theirlances, if they ever used any, and their bows, for guns."
"Another thing," added Lieutenant Snow, who was next in command to hiscaptain, "scalps were too precious a trophy to dangle from the point ofa lance. Some Indians may have tied strands of human hair on theirlances, but I doubt if they used scalps. The scalps were hung at thebelt of the man who took them, to be afterward displayed in his tepee.But I don't believe the Mexican Indians followed that practice, thoughof course I'm not certain about it."
"The modern Yaquis are mean enough to do anything," said Rolling Stone."What the old timers did doesn't matter now. It's what these of todaydo. And I reckon ye've heard how a party of 'em has taken prisonerssome of their friends," and he waved his hand toward the outfit fromDiamond X, of which he was not yet a full-fledged member.
"Yes, we heard about the uprising," admitted Captain Marshall. "We hadorders to take the trail, and we've been on it since. Well, as long asyou are ready, we may as well trot over and see what the scout has toreport. I hope he can put us on the real trail."
The bugle sounded, the troopers formed, and with the boy ranchers andtheir friends falling in the rear, an unofficial part of the company ofregulars, the cavalcade set forth again.
On the way Snake Purdee, who rode beside Captain Marshall, told suchdetails as he possessed about the capture of Rosemary and Floyd. Theofficer had heard pretty much the same story, for it had been wired todistant points on the theory that the Yaquis would scatter, and therewas no telling in which direction they would travel.
"So Del Pinzo is on the rampage again; is he?" asked the Captain, asthey neared the lone scout, who was patiently waiting to impart suchinformation as he had.
"Well, he won't rampage an awful lot until he gets a new outfit!"chuckled Yellin' Kid, who had ridden up to be on hand when the scoutwas reached.
"What do you mean? Did you shoot him up?" asked the cavalry captain."If you did you ought to get a medal of honor, for of all the rascalsin this section he's the worst."
"We shot him and his followers up a bit," admitted Snake, "but wedidn't damage 'em as we ought. However we took their horse furnitureand guns away and left 'em their animals. It'll be a few days beforethey get active again."
"Good!" exclaimed Captain Marshall. "And now we'll hear what Kelly hasto report."
The scout saluted as his commanding officer rode up, and the others,realizing that there was a certain need of reserve in this firstinterview, held back until the captain should signify that he was readyto talk to them. For a time Captain Marshall and Private Kelly talkedin low tones, the scout frequently leaning over to point to somethingon the ground, the captain gazing intently where his trooper indicated.Finally the commander waved his hand to invite his fellow officers andtroopers, as well as the members of Diamond X, to approach.
"Kelly has found it," said the captain. "Plenty of Indian sign, whichshows the Yaquis, or some of them at least, passed this way. Here'sthe trail, and we'll follow it. Do you want to come with us?" he askedof Snake Purdee.
"Well, we'd like to, if it isn't asking too much. Our main object isto get within shooting distance of these Yaquis, and save this Rosemarygirl and her brother."
"Precisely our object," the captain said. "And as long as we have thesame business I think we can do better together than if we separate.Your men will undoubtedly be of service to us if the trail getsfainter, and there's no telling how many are in this band, so the moreguns we have the better."
"My idea," agreed the leader from Diamond X. "And now let's have alook at this Indian sign. Rolling Stone here claims to know a lotabout the Yaquis, and he may be able to put us wise to some of theirwrinkles. Come here, Stone!" he invited.
In order not to obliterate the faint marks in the soil which indicatedthe passage of a body of horsemen, the troopers, with Bud and hisfriends, had halted some distance away from the lone scout. The latterhad remained a little way off the trail, so his own horse's feet wouldnot mingle with those of the enemy.
For some time the older cowboys, Rolling Stone, Captain Marshall and afew of his men who had fought Indians years back, gazed at the Indian"sign" as it is called. In this sense the word means the evidencesleft by a passing body of Indians, the casual and accidental record ofpassage. The word is also used to indicate arbitrary marks and symbolsmade by one body of Indians to leave a message for some body offollowing savages. This sign language is very difficult for a personnot accustomed to it to read, though it can not be said that thedegenerate Yaquis had the art down as fine as had our own AmericanIndians of two or three generations ago.
"Well, they've been along here, and they're headed that way," saidRolling Stone, thus confirming the opinion of the older troopers.
"Then the thing to do is to follow them," said the Captain. "Give thesignal, bugler!" he called.
Once more the clear notes rang out, and the party started off after theYaquis.
Nort and Dick, riding beside Bud, toward the rear of the cavalcade,looked down to see what the "sign" consisted of. Aside from some hoofmarks in the earth they saw nothing.
"They might have been made by our own ponies," observed Nort.
"Yes, but they weren't," Bud declared.
"How can they tell?" asked Dick.
"Oh, I don't know exactly, but there are dozens of little points thatan Indian trailer looks for," Bud answered. "He can tell whether thehorses trotted or walked. He can tell whether the man who rode him wasa tenderfoot or a cowpuncher. And of course it's easy enough to tellin which direction a horse is going."
"Unless they put the shoes on backwards," said Nort.
"There isn't much of that done," said Bud. "And, as a matter of fact,as you know, they don't shoe many horses out here. They let 'em runbarefoot. Anyhow, it looks as though we really were on the trail oft
he Yaquis at last."
"I hope so!" agreed Nort and Dick.