CHAPTER IV.
SILVER TIP APPEARS.
The interval of silence which succeeded to the discovery that they weresurrounded by Moquis was the most trying any of the party had everknown. Resistance was useless, for each of the Indians carried a rifleof modern make, and even had the boys been armed, they could not havedefended themselves.
"What do you want?" demanded Rob at length, of an Indian who, judging byhis ornate feather headdress, seemed to be the chief of the party.
"White boys go to mountains?" demanded the chief.
"Yes. We are going to the Harkness ranch," rejoined Rob, a trifle moreboldly, as there did not seem to be any active antagonism in the chief'stone.
"White boys got money?"
"It's a hold up!" gasped Tubby.
"Say, hold your tongue for once, can't you?" snapped Merritt angrily.
"Yes, we have some money. Why?" inquired Rob.
"We want um."
It was a direct demand, and as the boy hesitated, a grim look spreadover the chief's face. Rob, like the others, carried most of his moneyin a belt about his waist, but each lad had a few bills in his walletand some small change in his pockets.
"Say, what is this--Tag Day?" demanded Tubby, as the chief, havingsolemnly taken all Rob's small change, drew up in front of the stoutyouth and extended his dirty palm.
"All right," said the fat boy, hastily digging down into his pocket, asthe red man stared steadily at him. "Here's all I've got. Take it, ChiefWhat-you-may-call-um, and I hope whatever you get with it chokes you."
Fortunately for Tubby, the chief did not understand this, or it mighthave fared badly with the irrepressible youth. Merritt's turn came next,and then Jose, with many lamentations, surrendered a few small silvercoins.
"All right. You go now," said the chief, as with a shrill, wild yell hedug his naked heels into his pony's sides, and the little beast plungedup the steep bank. Echoing his shrill cries, the other Indians joinedhim, and the body of marauders swept off across the foothills at a rapidpace.
"So that's the noble red man, is it?" demanded Tubby. "Hum! back homewe'd call them noble panhandlers."
"What did they want the money for?" asked Rob of the Mexican, who wasstill wringing his hands over the loss of his pocket money.
"Moqui's go snake dance. Moocho red liquor," explained the guide fromacross the border.
"Oh, that's it, is it?" said Rob. As he spoke, his eyes fell suddenly ona small piece of paper the Indian chief had dropped when he rode up thesteep side of the water hole. He picked it up and opened its foldscarefully. It appeared to be a scrap torn from a notebook, and the boystared as his eyes fell on the name "Clark Jennings, His Book."
"Say, fellows, look here," he cried excitedly, as he perused somewriting on the other side. "That sneak I gave the razzle-dazzle toyesterday is in this."
"What, Clark Jennings?"
"The same. Listen!"
From the side of the paper which bore the writing Rob read as follows:
"'They will be near the water hole at noon. All three have money.'"
"Well, what do you make of it?" asked Tubby in a puzzled tone. "I don'tsee the connection, quite."
"It's plain enough. I've heard that these Indians are placid enough ifthey are not interfered with and given money. That fellow Clark knewthey were somewhere hereabouts--you remember he asked Harry about themyesterday. He and Jess Randell left Mesaville early, so as to meet themand bribe them to hold us up."
"But can the Indians read English writing?" asked Tubby.
"Yes. Most of the present generation have been to government schools andare comparatively well educated."
"Hooray for education!" shouted Tubby. "They sure are promisingscholars."
There came a sudden shout from above.
"Hey, what's the matter with you fellows, anyhow? You've been gonealmost an hour."
Harry Harkness stood at the edge of the dip, looking down at the excitedboys.
"An hour isn't the only thing that's gone," wailed Tubby; "all ourchange has gone, too."
When the laugh at Tubby's whimsical way of putting it had subsided, thesituation was explained to Harry, who agreed that there was nothing tobe done.
"We had better be pushing on as fast as possible, though," he said;"there's no knowing when those fellows may wake up to the fact that wehave more money about us and come back after it."
A hasty lunch was cooked and eaten, and the mules watered with a bucketof water each. This done, the team was once more hitched, and Jose, whohad in the meantime dropped off to sleep again, awakened. But as theMexican cracked his whip, and his long-eared charges began to move, asudden surprise occurred. From a little dip ahead a horseman suddenlyappeared and hailed the boys.
He was a tall, bearded man in regulation plainsman's costume, and hissun-burned face was shielded by a broad sombrero. On his face was a lookof determination and self-reliance. As the boys looked at him they feltthat here was a man of action and character.
"Hullo, strangers," he said, checking the splendid horse he rode, as themules came to a stop. "Have you seen anything of any Moquis hereabout?"
"Why, yes," responded Rob; "they----"
"Saw us to the extent of all our small change," put in Tubby.
"Mine, too!" wailed the Mexican. "Mucho malo Indiano."
"What! you have been robbed by them?"
"Feels that way," said Tubby, patting his empty pockets.
"That's too bad," said the man. "I am Jeffries Mayberry, the Indianagent from the reservation. I am trying to round those fellows upwithout making a lot of trouble over it, and having the papers get holdof the story and print exaggerated accounts of an uprising. They arereally harmless if they don't get hold of liquor."
"Or money," put in Tubby.
"Well, as far as we know, they swept off to the southeast," said Rob.
"Yes. They are going to have their snake dance in the Santa Catapinas.Every once in a while they break out and head for there. All therenegade Indian rascals for miles round join them, and besides thedance, which is a religious ceremony, they drink and gamble. Well, Imust be getting on, and thank you for your information."
With a wave of his hat, he dug his big blunt-rowelled spurs into hishorse's sides and was off in a cloud of dust.
"I'd like to help that fellow get his Indians rounded up," said Rob; "heseems the right sort of a chap."
"Yes, his name is well known around here," rejoined Harry, as the wagonmoved onward once more. "He is the best Indian agent that the Moquishave ever had, my father says. He knows them, and can handle them at allordinary times. He dislikes fuss, however, and hates to see his name inthe papers. Otherwise, I guess, he'd have had the soldiers after thosefellows."
"I wish we had the Eagle Patrol out here," said Merritt. "We'd soon getafter that bunch of redskins."
"Well, why not?" said Harry enigmatically.
"Why not what?"
"Why not form a patrol out here? You know we talked about it in theEast in the brief time we had together."
"Say, that's a great idea," assented Rob.
"Who could we get to join, coyotes, rattlers, and jack-rabbits?" askedTubby solemnly.
"Say, Tubby, this is no joking matter," protested Merritt.
"I'm not joking. Never more serious in my life. A coyote would make afine scout."
"Yes, to run away," laughed Rob. "But seriously, Harry, could we getenough fellows out here to form a patrol?"
"Sure; I know of a dozen who would join. We could make it a mounteddivision, and maybe we could help Mr. Mayberry round up his Moquis."
"Say, fellows!" exclaimed Rob, with shining face, "that would besplendid!"
"Maybe we'd get our money back then," grunted Tubby.
"Tell you what we'll do," said Harry. "To-morrow I'll take you with me,Rob, and we'll ride round all the ranches where I know some boys, andget them to sign up. We ought to have a patrol organized in a week atthat rate."
"Put me in as a com
missariat officer, will you?" asked Tubby.
"That goes without saying," laughed Rob.
As the wagon jolted on over the road, which grew rapidly rougher androugher, the boys eagerly discussed their great plan.
The foothills were now passed, and they were forging ahead through adeep canyon, or gorge, well wooded on its rugged sides with dark treesand shrubs. Here and there great patches of slablike rock croppedthrough the soil and showed nakedly among the vegetation. All at onceRob gave a shout and pointed up the hillside at one of these "islands"of rock.
"Look, look!" he shouted. "Something moved up there."
"Something moved," echoed the rest, Indians being the "something"uppermost in every mind.
"Indians?" gasped Tubby.
"No; at least, I don't think so. It was some animal--a huge beast, itseemed to be."
As he spoke there came a crashing of brush far up on the hillside, andevery one in the party, even the sleepy Jose, gave vent to a perfectyell of amazement. On one of the rock shelves far above them was poisedthe massive form of an immense bear. His huge body showed blacklyagainst the sunset-reddened shelf on which he stood. With the exceptionof one spot of white on his great chest, he was almost black.
"Silver Tip!" shouted Harry Harkness, too excited even to remember hisrifle, which lay in the bottom of the wagon.
As he uttered the exclamation, the great ragged brute gave a snort ofapparent disdain and clumsily lumbered off into the darker shadows. Thenext instant he was gone.