CHAPTER VI
A STERN CHASE
As the shout which greeted Conrad's entrance died away the Sheriffcalled out, "Now, gentlemen, you must all have one with me," and everyone lined up at the bar. A rollicking din of chaff and laughter filledthe room, and no one except Little Jack Wilder noticed the entrance of aMexican at the street door. He heard the step, turned quickly, andrecognized the man who had told Tillinghurst that he was not LiberatoHerrara. Glancing along the line of backs at the bar, the Mexicansingled out Conrad and touched his arm.
"I beg your pardon, senor, but did you send some one to ride your mare?"
"To ride my mare? No; what do you mean?"
Before he could answer Wilder sprang forward demanding, "Is she gone?"and Conrad started for the door.
"A man has just ridden her away on the run," the Mexican saidexcitedly, and every one in the room rushed for the street.
"She's gone!" shouted Conrad.
"Did you see him? What was he like?" demanded the Sheriff.
"A pock-marked greaser with a bad eye?" yelled Wilder, toweringthreateningly above the bearer of the news.
Gonzalez threw back his head, folded his arms across his breast, andanswered deliberately, "He was a Mexican, senor, he was pock-marked, andhe was blind in one eye."
"Melgares! He's done it at last! Hooray!" shouted Wilder.
Far down the street, beyond the last cottonwood, against the gray,sun-flooded road, they could see a dark object, distorted by the heathaze, but still showing the form of a man on a galloping horse.
Tillinghurst's smile became an eager grin as he started up the street ona run. "Everybody come that wants to," he called over his shoulder.Wilder and Conrad were already half a block ahead of him, and severalothers quickly followed.
When they presently came pelting back, their horses at top speed, acrowd of men still stood on the sidewalk, where the Blue Front made asplash of brilliant color against the sombre grays and browns of thesurrounding adobes. Wilder's tall, thin figure was in the lead, bendingforward in the saddle like a sapling in a gale, the wide, limp brim ofhis sombrero flapping in the wind. Conrad and Tillinghurst were pressinghim close, and half a dozen others were pounding along behind thesethree, while a stout man, who rode awkwardly, trailed along in the rear.
The crowd at the Blue Front shouted encouragingly as they clatteredpast, and made bets on the chances of catching the fugitive. TheMexican, Gonzalez, watched Conrad closely as he sped by, and saidcarelessly to the man beside him, "Senor Conrad is a good rider, thebest of them all. I hope he will get back his fine mare."
The horsemen swept down the street past the last straggling houses, andout into the open plain. Fleeing down the road, perhaps two miles aheadof them, galloped the Mexican. Tillinghurst measured the distance with acareful eye, and said to Conrad, "He's our meat. We can get him easy."He glanced backward, chuckled, then turned in his saddle, and calledloudly, "Come along there, Pendy! Don't get discouraged!"
Another of the party turned his head and yelled, "You're all right,Pendy! You'll get there before Dan does!"
The stout man who brought up the rear had made sure of his gray slouchhat by tying it on with a red bandanna handkerchief. He was gripping hisbridle with both hands and bouncing in his saddle like a bag of meal."Don't you worry about me!" he yelled back good-naturedly; "you can'tlose me if you try."
"Who is he?" asked Curtis.
"Pendy? Oh, he's a tenderfoot. Blew in from the East two or three weeksago. Somethin' wrong with his bellows--or likely to be, though you-allwouldn't think it, considerin' his fat. He's grit clear through, though!Just look at the way he rides!"
Conrad glanced back, laughed, and replied, "Oh, it'll be good for hisliver!" Then he went on seriously, "Dan, do you think there's any truthin the story that this man Melgares began horse-stealing because DellBaxter did him out of his ranch?"
"Oh, I don't know! Baxter got his ranch all right, but the greaserdidn't have to go to stealin' horses on that account. Chickens aresafer; and _chilis_ don't even squawk. I reckon likely he steals horsesbecause he'd ruther."
"Well, anyway, Dan, all I want out of this is to get Brown Betty back. Ishall not make any complaint against him. So, if he gives up the mare,I'd rather you let him go."
"Huh," grunted the Sheriff, with an apprehensive glance at Wilder, afull length ahead. "For God's sake, Curt, don't let Jack hear you saythat! He'd be so disgusted he'd turn tail and go straight back toGolden!"
The fugitive kept his distance well; it seemed to Conrad's eye that heeven gained a little. Now and again they could see him look back, andwith spur and quirt urge the mare to a fresh burst of speed.
"Brown Betty's a stayer," said Curtis, bringing his horse besideTillinghurst's again, "and she's fast. I don't believe we'll catch himunless something happens to her."
The Sheriff turned a smiling face and said confidently, "If we get alittle nearer I reckon somethin''s likely to happen to _him_. Hello,Pendleton!" he exclaimed as the stout man came up on the other side."That noble steed of yours is sure gettin' a gait on him, ain't he? Ifyou-all don't wait for the rest of us there'll be trouble, I'm tellin'you!"
"Say, Sheriff," called Pendleton between his gasps and grunts as hebounced up and down, "are you going to keep up this pace all day?"
Tillinghurst eyed him benignly. "As long as he does," he said, noddingtoward the fleeing spot of black down the road. "Say, Pendy," he went onin a kindly tone, "it's a pretty stiff gait for you-all, and unlessyou're anxious to take your meals standin' for the next month you'dbetter drop out and go back. It's likely to be an all-day job."
"Not much! You can't lose me till the fun's over!"
"Hooray for Pendy! He's all right!" yelled a man behind, givingPendleton's horse a sharp cut across the flank with his whip. The beastjumped, and its rider lurched to one side, fell forward, and savedhimself by grabbing the mane with both hands. The men shouted withmerriment as Pendleton righted himself, turned a laughing face and shookhis fist at the man who had played the joke on him. "Just wait till Iget you where I want you, Jack Gaines," he called, "and you'll be sorryyou ever played tricks on a tenderfoot."
The gulch spread out into a wide, shallow valley--a draw, they calledit--and the waters of the stream disappeared, sucked up by the thirstyearth. The valley curved to the east, the road climbing over its rim andholding straight toward the south. The figure of Melgares, mounted onBrown Betty as on a pedestal, stood out boldly for a moment against theturquoise sky as he crossed the summit, then sank out of sight beyondthe hill. The party galloped on, and as they crossed the ridge and sawhim on the top of a smaller hill beyond, Conrad's eye swept the distancelying between and he exclaimed, "We've gained on him!"
At the same moment Little Jack Wilder, who had been watching the roadintently, shouted joyously, the first words he had spoken since leavingthe town, "She's cast a shoe! Now it's a cinch!"
Tillinghurst turned his head and shouted, "Get your gun ready, Pendy!your chance is comin'."
Jack Gaines, riding neck and neck with the Sheriff, looked back andyelled, "Come a-runnin', Pendy! The greaser can't wait for you allday!"
They were gaining rapidly on Melgares and, as they swept over the top ofa little hill and saw him cross the next low rise, Conrad exclaimed,"She's limping, damn him! If he hurts Brown Betty--"
"You won't mind so much if we hurt him," quietly put in the Sheriff, whowas riding on his lee. Curtis spurred his horse to Wilder's stirrup.
"Jack," he said, "I don't want the fellow hurt. If he'll give up my mareI'm willing to let him go."
Little Jack grunted contemptuously without replying.
"I want you to understand," Conrad went on, "that if you take him Ishall make no complaint against him, provided I get Betty unhurt."
"You don't have to make no complaint," Jack growled; "I'll do thatmyself."
They gained steadily on the fugitive, and presently Curtis curved hishands about his mouth and called, "Betty! Betty B!" They could s
ee themare check her speed, and the faint sound of her whinny reached theirears. Conrad called again; and the mare wheeled in her tracks. TheMexican jerked her back, lashed her furiously, and set her forward againat a gallop. Curtis called again and again, and every time they couldsee Melgares using whip and spur to force her on. But presently the maredropped tail and head, arched her back, and, stiff-legged, began to jumpup and down.
Conrad laughed joyously and slapped his thigh. "Bully for Betty B! Inever knew her to buck before."
They urged on their horses and pounded down the hill toward the smallcircus Brown Betty was making of herself. She cavorted, shook herself,humped her back, jumped up and down, stood on her front feet and almostsat on her tail, and did everything that equine intelligence coulddevise to rid herself of the masterful hand on her bridle. But theMexican kept his seat and his grip upon the rein. With spur and quirtand compelling voice he finally forced her into submission. As shequieted down they were facing the pursuing posse and Melgares had justturned the mare's head in another desperate attempt at escape whenConrad's voice rang out once more, and Brown Betty refused to move. Shetossed her head, laid back her ears, and whinnied, but would not lift ahoof. The Mexican drew his revolver and shouted, "Stop!"
The horsemen, not more than a hundred yards distant, drew rein at theword--all except Pendleton, who came pounding and bouncing to the front,his horse still on the gallop. Gaines, just behind Tillinghurst andWilder, called out laughingly, "Hooray for Pendy! Go on and get him,Pendy!"
Pendleton had been too much occupied with keeping his seat to try tostop his horse, and as it went on half a length in advance of the restGaines leaned forward and gave it a cut across the flank with his quirt.It leaped forward smartly and Pendleton, taken unawares again, bobbeddown on its neck and grabbed for its mane. Melgares saw the horse startforward and instantly his revolver flashed. The bullet left a singedstreak across the back of Pendleton's coat, whistled on, and foundrefuge in Gaines's side.
Wilder's gun was out and cocked. He saw Pendleton lying on his horse'sneck, and heard Gaines cry out, "I'm hit!" as he fell forward across hispommel. "Stop that!" he called. "Fire again and you're a dead man!"
Melgares leaped from the mare's back and ran at full speed down thevalley, away from the road. Brown Betty came trotting to Conrad's side,whinnying joyfully. Pendleton sat upright, calling out, "Say, fellows,is there any blood on my back?" They told him no and as he climbed downfrom his saddle clumsily he grinned and said:
"Well, I can still die of consumption, then!"
Tillinghurst, Wilder, and several of the others were galloping afterMelgares, who was running for his life down the valley toward a clump ofcactus and juniper.
"Wing him, Jack!" called the Sheriff. "There's a crack in the grounddown there where he can hide and pick us off as he pleases."
Little Jack brought his horse to a sudden stop, aimed low, and theMexican reeled and fell, the blood gushing from a wound in the calf ofhis leg. He scrambled to his feet, and fired his second shot. The bulletnicked the brim of the Sheriff's hat. There was another flash, andWilder heard the bullet sing past his ear.
"Stop it, you damned greaser!" he yelled, "or I'll let daylight throughyour head." In quick succession he put two holes through the Mexican'ssombrero. "The next one is for your other eye!" he called, and Melgaresdropped his weapon.
Wilder leaped to the ground and ran toward him. He glanced at the groupof horsemen, each with revolver drawn, and at Wilder coming with his gunat cock, then threw back his head with his own pistol at his temple.Little Jack grabbed his arm, but Melgares fought desperately. The otherscame running to Wilder's assistance, and it was not until they had takenhis revolver, put handcuffs upon him, and taken from his clothinganother pistol, a knife, and a belt full of cartridges, that he gave uphis struggles.
They put him on the horse that Conrad had ridden, with his feet tiedunder its belly. Tillinghurst and Wilder, revolvers in hand, rode oneither side of him. Conrad, mounted on his own mare, and another wereside by side with Jack Gaines laid across their laps. Two more went onat a gallop to bring out a doctor and a carriage for the wounded man.The rest rode slowly back through the hot sunlight and the high wind,guarding their captive and carrying his victim.