CHAPTER V.
KIDNAPED.
As our old readers know, Carlos Merriwell was Frank's deadly enemy,although they were blood cousins.
Carlos was the son of Asher Merriwell, the brother of Frank's father.
At the time of his death, Asher Merriwell was supposed to be a crustyold bachelor, a man who had never cared for women and had never married.But he had not been a woman-hater all his life, and there was a romancein his career.
Asher Merriwell had been snared by the wiles of an adventuress, and hehad married her. By this woman he had a son, but the marriage had beenkept a secret, so that when she deceived him and they quarreled theywere able to separate and live apart without the fact becoming publicthat Merriwell had been married.
Fortunately the woman died without openly proclaiming herself as thewife of Asher Merriwell. In her veins there had been Spanish blood, andher son was named Carlos.
After the death of his wife, Asher Merriwell set about providing for andeducating the boy, although Carlos continued to bear his mother's maidenname of Durcal.
As Carlos grew up he developed into a wild and reckless young blade,making no amount of trouble and worry for his father.
Asher Merriwell did his best for the boy, but there was bad blood in thelad's veins, and it cost the man no small sums to settle for the various"sports" in which Carlos participated.
Finally Carlos took a fancy to strike out and see the world for himself,and he disappeared without telling whither he was going.
After this, he troubled his father at intervals until he committed acrime in a foreign country, where he was tried, convicted, andimprisoned for a long term of years.
This was the last straw so far as Asher Merriwell was concerned, and hestraightway proceeded to disown Carlos, and cut him off without a cent.
It was afterward reported that Carl Durcal had been shot by guards whileattempting to escape from prison, and Asher Merriwell died firmlybelieving himself to be sonless.
At his death, Asher left everything to Frank Merriwell, the son of hisbrother, and provided that Frank should travel under the guardianship ofProfessor Scotch, as the eccentric old uncle believed travel furnishedthe surest means for "broadening the mind."
But Carlos Merriwell had not been killed, and he had escaped fromprison. Finding he had been cut off without a dollar and everything hadbeen left to Frank, Carlos was furious, and he swore that his cousinshould not live to enjoy the property.
In some ways Carlos was shrewd; in others he was not. He was shrewdenough to see that he might have trouble in proving himself the son ofAsher Merriwell by a lawful marriage, and so he did not attempt it.
But there was a still greater stumbling block in his way, for if he cameout and announced himself and made a fight for the property, he would beforced to tell the truth concerning his past life, and the fact that hewas an escaped convict would be made known.
Having considered these things, Carlos grew desperate. If he could nothave his father's property, he swore again and again that Frank shouldnot hold it.
With all the reckless abandon of his nature, Carlos made two madattempts on Frank's life, both of which were baffled, and then the youngdesperado was forced to make himself scarce.
But Carlos had become an expert crook, and he was generally flush withill-gotten gains, so he was able to put spies on Frank. He hired privatedetectives, and Frank was continually under secret surveillance.
Thus it came about that Carlos knew when Frank set about upon histravels, and he set a snare for the boy in New York City.
Straight into this snare Frank walked, but he escaped through his ownexertions, and then baffled two further attempts on his life.
By this time Carlos found it necessary to disappear again, and Frank hadneither seen nor heard from him till this moment, when the fellow stoodunmasked in the Mexican town of Mendoza.
Frank had become so familiar with his villainous cousin's voice andgestures that Carlos had not been able to deceive him. From the first,Frank had believed the old man a fraud, and he was soon satisfied thatthe fellow was Carlos.
On Carlos Merriwell's cheek was a scar that had been hidden by the falsebeard--a scar that he would bear as long as he lived.
Professor Scotch nearly collapsed in a helpless heap, so completelyastounded that he could not utter a word.
As for Hans, he simply gasped:
"Shimminy Gristmas!"
A snarling exclamation of fury broke from Carlos' lips.
"Oh, you're too sharp, my fine cousin!" he grated, his hand disappearingbeneath the ragged blanket. "You are too sharp to live!"
Out came the hand, and a knife flashed in the light that shone from thewindow of the hotel. Frank, however, was on the alert, and was watchingfor just such a move. With a twisting movement, he drew his body aside,so the knife clipped down past his shoulder, cutting open his sleeve,but failing to reach his flesh.
"That was near it," he said, as he whirled and caught Carlos by thewrist.
Frank had a clutch of iron, and he gave Carlos' wrist a wrench thatforced a cry from the fellow's lips, and caused the knife to drop to theground.
"You are altogether too handy with such a weapon," said the boy, coolly."It is evident your adeptness with a dagger comes from your mother'sside. Your face is dark and treacherous, and you look well at home inthis land of dark and treacherous people."
Carlos ground forth a fierce exclamation, making a desperate move tofling Frank off, but failing.
"Oh, you are smart!" the fellow with the scarred face admitted. "But youhave been lucky. You were lucky at Fardale, and you were lucky in NewYork. Now you have come to a land where I will have my turn. You'llnever leave Mexico alive!"
"I have listened to your threats before this."
"I have made no threats that shall not come true."
"What a desperate wretch you are, Carlos! I would have met you on eventerms, and come to an agreement with you, if you----"
"Bah! Do you think I would make terms? Not much! You have robbed me ofwhat is rightfully mine, and I have sworn you shall not take the good ofit. I'll keep that oath!"
A strange cry broke from his lips, as he found he could not tear hiswrist from Frank's fingers.
Then came a rush of catlike footfalls and a clatter of hoofs. All atonce voices were heard, crying:
"Ladrones! ladrones!"
Dark figures appeared on every hand, sending natives fleeing to shelter.Spanish oaths sounded on the evening air, and the glint of steel wasseen.
"Shimminy Gristmas!" gurgled Hans Dunnerwust. "Uf we don'd peen in aheap uf drouble, I know noddings!"
"It's the bandits, Frank!" called Professor Scotch. "They have chargedright into the town, and they----"
"Ha! ha!" laughed Carlos. "You fear the bandits! They are my friends.They are here, and it is my turn!"
A horseman was riding straight down on Frank, and the boy flung Carlosaside, making a leap that took him out of the way.
Something, glittering brightly, descended in a sweep toward Frank'shead, but the blow was stopped by Carlos, who shouted something inSpanish.
Frank understood Spanish well enough to catch the drift of the words,and he knew his cousin had not saved him through compassion, but forquite another purpose.
Carlos coveted the riches into which Frank had fallen, and he meant tohave a portion of the money. If Frank were killed, there was littlechance that he would ever handle a dollar of the fortune, so he hadcried out that his cousin was to be spared, captured, and held forransom.
That was enough to warn Frank of the terrible peril that overshadowedhim at the moment.
Out came his revolvers, and his back went against the wall. Upward wereflung his hands, and the weapons began to crack.
Two horses fell, sent down by the first two bullets from the pistols ofthe boy at bay.
But Frank found he could not shoot horses and save himself, for darkforms were pressing upon him, and he must fall into the clutches of theba
ndits in another moment unless he resorted to the most desperatemeasures.
"If you will have it, then you shall!" he muttered, through his setteeth, turning his aim on the human forms.
Spouts of red fire shot from the muzzles of the revolvers, and thecracking of the weapons was followed by cries and groans.
Through a smoky haze Frank saw some of the dark figures fling up theirarms and topple to the ground within a few feet of him.
He wondered what had become of Hans and the professor, for he could seenothing of either, and they had been close at hand a moment before.
In the midst of all this, Frank wondered at his own calmness. His onethought was that not a bullet should be wasted, and then he feared hewould find his weapons empty and useless before the desperadoes wererebuffed.
But this reception was something the bandits had not expected from aboy. They had no heart to stand up before a lad who could shoot with theskill of a Gringo cowboy, and did not seem at all excited when attackedby twenty men.
Mexican half-bloods are cowards at heart, and, by the time they saw twoor three of their number fall before the fire from Frank's revolversthey turned and took to their heels like a flock of frightened sheep.
"Say, holdt on avile und led me ged a few pullets indo you, meinfriendts."
It was Hans' voice, and, looking down, Frank saw the Dutch lad on theground at his feet, whither he had crept on hands and knees.
"What are you down there for, Hans?"
"Vot you dink, Vrankie? You don'd subbose I sdood up all der dime undged in der vay der pullets uf? Vell, you may oxcuse me! I don'd like topeen a deat man alretty yet."
"That's all right, Hans. I admire your judgment."
"Dank you, Vrankie. I admire der vay you vork dose revolfers. Dot peatder pand, und don'd you vorged him!"
At this moment, a horse with a double burden swept past in the flare oflight.
"Help! Frank--Frank Merriwell! Help--save me!"
"Merciful goodness!" cried Frank. "It is the professor's voice!"
"Und he vos on dot horse!"
"Yes--a captive!"
"Dot's vat he vos!"
"Our own horses--where are they? We must pursue! What have become of ourhorses?"
"Dose pandits haf dooken them, I susbect."
This was true; Frank had killed two of the horses belonging to thebandits, but the desperadoes had escaped with the three animals hired byour friends.
But that was not the worst, for Professor Scotch had been captured andcarried away by the bold ruffians.
Frank heard the professor's appeals for help, and heard a mocking,cold-blooded laugh that he knew came from the lips of Carlos Merriwell.
Then the clatter of hoofs passed on down the street, growing fainter andfainter, till they left the town for the open plain, and finally diedout in the night.