CHAPTER XXIV
A GOOD DEAL OF EXCITEMENT
Pete twisted himself around to look over his shoulder, but still kepthis clutch on the breathless young man. However, Pratt feebly draggedhis wrists out of the man's grasp.
Frances was riding the pinto directly at them. Under her skillfulguidance the pony's off shoulder must collide with Pete, unless the mandropped Pratt entirely and sprang aside.
The man did this, uttering a yell of anger. Pratt staggered the otherway and Frances brought Molly to a standstill directly between the two.
"You let him alone!" the girl commanded, gazing indignantly at therascally man. "Oh! you shall be paid in full for all you have done thisday. When Captain Rugley hears of this.
"Quick, Pratt!" she shrieked. "That rifle!"
Pete was bent over reaching for the weapon. Frances jerked Molly around,but she could not drive the pony against the man in time to topple himover before his wicked fingers closed on the barrel of the gun.
It was Pratt who made the attack in this emergency. He had played on theAmarillo High football eleven and he knew how to "tackle."
Before Pete could rise up with the recovered weapon in his grasp Pratthad him around the legs. The man staggered forward, trying to kick awaythe young fellow; but Pratt clung to him, and his antagonist finallyfell upon his knees.
Quick as a flash Pratt sprang astride his bowed back. He kicked Pete'sbraced arms out from under him and the man fell forward, screaming andthreatening the most awful punishment for his young antagonist.
Frances could not get into the melee with Molly. The two rolled over andover on the ground and suddenly Pete gave vent to a shriek of pain. Hehad rolled on his back into the fire!
"Quick, Pratt!" begged Frances. "Get away from him! He will do you somedreadful harm!"
She believed Pete would, too. As Pratt leaped aside, the man bounded upfrom the bed of hot coals, his shirt afire, and he unable to reach itwith his beating hands!
Pratt ran to Frances' side. She pulled Molly's head around and the ponytrotted across the clearing, with Pratt staggering along at the stirrupand striving to get his breath.
As they passed the spot where the battle had begun, Pratt stooped andsecured the rifle. Pete, in rage awful to see, was tearing thesmouldering shirt from his back. Then Pete dashed after the escapingpair.
The rifle encumbered the young man; but if he dropped it he knew the manwould hold them at his mercy. So, swinging the weapon up by its barrel,he smashed the stock against a tree trunk.
Again and again he repeated the blow, until the tough wood splinteredand the mechanism of the hammer and trigger was bent and twisted. Petealmost caught him. Pratt dashed the remains of the rifle in his face andran on after Frances.
"I'll catch you yet!" yelled Pete. "And when I do----"
The threat was left incomplete; but the man ran for his own horse.
If Frances had only thought to drive Molly that way and slip the hobblesof Pete's nag, much of what afterward occurred in this hollow by theriver bank would never have taken place. She and Pratt would have beenimmediately free.
It was hours afterward--indeed, almost sunset--that old Captain Rugley,sitting on the broad veranda of the Bar-T ranch-house and expectingFrances to appear at any moment, raised his eyes to see, instead,Victorino Reposa slouching up the steps.
"Hello, Vic!" said the Captain. "What do you want?"
"Letter, _Capitan_," said the Mexican, impassively, removing hisbig hat and drawing a soiled envelope from within.
"Seen anything of Miss Frances?" asked the ranchman, reaching lazily forthe missive.
"No, _Capitan_," responded the boy, and turned away.
The superscription on the envelope puzzled Captain Dan Rugley. "Here,Vic!" he cried after the departing youth. "Where'd you get this? 'Tisn'ta mailed letter."
"It was give to me on the trail, _Capitan_," said Victorino,softly. "As I came back from the horse pasture."
"Who gave it to you?" demanded the ranchman, beginning to slit the flapof the envelope.
"I am not informed," said Victorino, still with lowered gaze. "The Senorwho presented it declare' it was give to heem by a strange hand atJackleg. He say he was ride this way----"
The Captain was not listening. Victorino saw that this was a fact and heallowed his words to trail off into nothing, while he, himself, beganagain to slip away.
The old ranchman was staring at the unfolded sheet with fixed attention.His brows came together in a portentous frown; and perhaps for the firsttime in many years his bronzed countenance was washed over by the sicklypallor of fear.
Victorino, stepping softly, had reached the compound gate. Suddenly theforelegs of the ranchman's chair hit the floor of the veranda, and heroared at the Mexican in a voice that made the latter jump and drop thebrown paper cigarette he had just deftly rolled.
"You boy! Come back here!" called Captain Rugley. "I want to know whatthis means."
"Me, _Capitan_?" asked Victorino, softly, and hesitated at thegate. With his employer in this temper he was half-inclined to run inthe opposite direction.
"Come here!" commanded the ranchman again. "Who gave you this?" rappingthe open letter with a hairy forefinger.
"I do not know, _Capitan_. A strange man--_si_."
"Never saw him before?"
"No, _Capitan_. He was ver' strange to me," whined Victorino, toofrightened to tell the truth.
"What did he look like?" shot back the Captain, holding himself insplendid control now. Only his eyes glittered and his lips under the bigmustache tightened perceptibly.
"He was beeg man, _Capitan_; rode bay pony; much wheeskers onface," declared Victorino, glibly.
The Captain was silent for half a minute. Then he snapped: "Run findSilent Sam and tell him I want him _pronto_. _Sabe?_ Tell Joeto saddle Cherry, and Sam's horse, and you get a saddle on your own,Vic. I'll want you and about half a dozen of the boys who are hangingaround the bunk-house. Tell 'em it's important and tell them--yes!--tellthem to come armed. In fifteen minutes. Understand?"
"_Si, Capitan_," whispered Victorino, glad to get out from underthe ranchman's eye for the time being.
He was the oldest of the Mexican boys employed at the Bar-T, and he hadbeen very friendly with Ratty M'Gill while that reckless individual hadbelonged to the outfit.
It was Victorino who had let Ratty drive the buckboard to the railroadstation one particular day when the cowpuncher wished to meet hisfriend, Pete, at Cottonwood Bottom.
Now, unthinking and unknowing, he had been drawn by Ratty into a serioustrouble. Victorino did not know what it was; but he trembled. He hadnever seen "_El Capitan_" look so fierce and strange before.