CHAPTER IX
FLIGHT TO THE HILLS
Tim could hardly contain himself. He raced along the bed of the stream,leapt across the stepping-stones, and bounded down the rocky track withsmall concern for his limbs. When he came in sight of the party hesnatched off his hat and waved it wildly in the air. Romana followedless swiftly and with more circumspection. He was smiling at histhoughts.
"First the son, then the father--both Mollendists!"
That was the happy consummation to which he flattered himself eventswere leading.
"Ah, Tim!" said Mr. O'Hagan as they met. "We were one too many for thePrefect, you see. Your mother was the one, bless her! But she musttell you all about it herself by and by. The first thing is to secureourselves. Many thanks, Romana. Now, are we going right for that campof yours?"
"Straight on, senor," said Romana. "You will presently come to theriver. The path runs alongside it for several miles; then it divergesto the right, and meets the path that goes past Senor Durand's hacienda.The two paths become one. Keep straight on. The senor capitan willwelcome you."
"But aren't you coming too, to make the introductions?"
"The senorito and I will follow. We must fetch the machine."
"I can't leave Tim," said Mrs. O'Hagan.
"What's the path like?" cried Tim. "Can I ride, Romana?"
"For some distance, yes. There are steep places after the paths join."
"There are indeed," said Tim. "That's where the brigands--your friends,I mean--had to haul the cycle. A very stiff job too. Mother, ride onwith Father. I'll catch you in no time. I'll mount Romana behind me:he's lighter than the gobernador!"
"You're quite sure you'll catch us?" said Mrs. O'Hagan anxiously.
"Quite, so don't worry. Oh! you don't know how jolly glad I am to seeyou."
The other two members of the party, Andrea and another house servant,rode on with their master and mistress, while Tim and Romana returned tothe cave for the cycle. They had a good deal of difficulty in hoistingit up from the bed of the stream on to the path, but when they were oncethere, they soon made up on the riders, and went on all together at arapid pace.
"Shall we run ahead and warn Senor Mollendo?" asked Tim presently.
"No: stay with us," said Mrs. O'Hagan. "I don't want to lose sight ofyou."
"Better not, senorito," added Romana. "We must be careful as we approachthe place where the paths join. If the escape has been discovered, andthey are pursuing, they will come by the other path: it is shorter. Whydid you choose this one, senor?"
"It was recommended to us by that ragged old man who sells lotterytickets. Is he a friend of yours?"
"He is a caballero, senor," replied Romana with dignity. "Senor Galdoswas once a sub-prefect."
"Was he indeed? He has been a very good friend to us, and I hope we maybe able to reward him some day. How much farther is it? The path isbecoming very rough."
"It is several miles, senor; but if all is well when we come to thejunction of paths, there will be no need to hurry for the rest of theway."
Soon after this the path diverged from the stream, which wound away tothe westward. Romana now recommended that the party should ride slowly,while he himself scouted ahead on foot. The track here was too roughfor the motor-cycle to gain anything in point of speed.
"When you come to a large stone, senor, which I will place in the middleof the track," said Romana, "then halt. It will be no more than a milefrom the forked path, and you will do better to go no farther until Ireturn to you, lest the clatter of hoofs should be heard."
He went on and disappeared. About two miles farther on the riders cameto the arranged signal. They halted, the men dismounted, and Tim,leaning against the flank of his mother's horse, and clasping her hand,begged her to tell him how the escape had been contrived.
"You had heard the result of the trial?" she asked.
Tim nodded.
"Were you there, Mother?"
"I was not. I thought it best for your father's sake to keep out of thetown. Yesterday afternoon that wretch Pardo came and took possession ofour house. He showed me a document authorising him to work the estateon behalf of the government----"
"Which means the Prefect, of course," Mr. O'Hagan put in.
"Then the wretched creature politely turned me out. I told him that hewas in rather too much of a hurry; he might at least have had thedecency to wait until all was over. But of course I didn't squabblewith the worthless fellow. I packed up a few things, got my horse--heallowed me that!--and rode with Andrea and Juan into the town. Dr.Pereira was brave enough to take me in. No doubt the Prefect will makehim pay for it."
"Was the Prefect still in the town?" asked Tim.
"He had gone back to San Juan, leaving Captain Pierola to carry out thesentence. I had made up my mind to see your father for the last time,and when it was dark Senora Pereira lent me a dress and a mantilla, andthe doctor escorted me to the gobernador's house. Of course, hispermission had to be got. He was very much distressed, poor man; he isterribly afraid of the Prefect: but he promised to admit me to theprison for a quarter of an hour to-morrow night. I asked him whether hecouldn't let my husband escape, but he went nearly frantic at the idea.
"I was very much upset, as you may imagine. On the way back Dr. Pereiranoticed a man following us. At first he paid no attention, but by andby got angry, and turned round upon the man, and asked him what he meantby it. 'Go on, senor doctor,' said the man. 'Do not notice me, but letme quietly into your house presently.' We went on, and I had only justtaken off my borrowed things when the doctor brought the man to my room.It was the little old man who sells lottery tickets. He told me that ifI would give him L200 he would set your father free. 'How?' I said.'It will be better to ask no questions,' he said. I had no money----"
"The gendarmes stripped the safe when they arrested me," said Mr.O'Hagan.
"But I had brought my jewel-case," his wife went on. "I suppose Ishowed my doubts in my face, for the old man said, 'The senora can trustme,' and, looking at him, I felt that I could. I put my jewel-case inhis hands and told him to take what was necessary, quite expecting thathe would take everything. But he examined the things as if he knewsomething about them, and selected my pearl necklace and two bracelets.'The senora will not like parting with them,' he said, 'but there is noother way.' I told him he might have everything if he would save myhusband, and he seemed quite hurt. Then he told me that I must not goto bed, but be ready to leave the house at any moment. He kissed myhand in the most courtly way and was gone.
"About two o'clock he came again. 'All is ready,' he said: 'come withme.' You may imagine what a state I was in. I followed him through thedark streets until we came out into the country, and there I found yourfather and the two men waiting for me with a spare horse. The old mantold us the way to come, and here we are. I love that dear old man."
"He bribed the jailers, I suppose--jolly old soul!" said Tim.
"The Prefect's own methods," said Mr. O'Hagan. "I'm afraid thegobernador will have a bad time of it. He was responsible for me."
"And won't the jailers suffer, too?" asked Tim.
"They decamped at once, you may be sure," replied his father. "Buthere's Romana back again. He's in a hurry."
Romana was running down the path.
"We cannot go on, senor," he said. "I crept as close as I dared to thefork, and caught sight of some men among the trees beyond. I don't knowwho they are, but it is not safe to proceed."
"What are we to do, then?"
"We must go back until we come to the river. The water is very low, andwe can walk up along the sand at the edge. Presently we shall come to astream that flows down the hill-side from near Senor Mollendo's camp.We can climb up there. It is very steep and rocky, but it is the onlyway."
"Very well: lead on."
On reaching the river, the party scrambled down the b
ank to the bottom.In times of rain the torrent had deposited large quantities of sand inthe bed, which the shrinking of the channel in the summer had left bareand dry. On this firm floor, level as a billiard table, but ascending ina gentle plane, progress was easy; but when they reached the stream ofwhich Romana had spoken, and had to strike up the hill-side, they foundthemselves in difficulties. They had to dismount and lead the horsesover great ledges of quartz, polished to a dangerous slipperiness by theaction of sand and water, and round huge boulders, that offered, atfirst sight, insuperable obstacles. Difficult as the way was for thehorses, it was doubly so for the motorcycle, which had to be carried formany yards at a time, and hauled up and over sharp-edged rocks thatthreatened damage to its tyres. Many times they had to stop and rest.It was now midday, and very hot, and Mr. O'Hagan's party, having had nofood since the night before, were hungry as well as tired.
"Plucky little woman!" said Mr. O'Hagan at one of these halts, to hiswife who sat beside him on a ledge of rock.
"Just think of Tim spending nights by himself in a cave!" said Mrs.O'Hagan. "How horrid for him!"
"Boys like that sort of thing," returned her husband with a smile."Don't they, Tim?"
"If there's another fellow with them," said Tim. "There's no fun incamping-out alone. I wish I'd thought to bring some grub. Mother mustbe famished!"
"I confess I hope Senor Mollendo will have _something_ for us," saidMrs. O'Hagan. "Going long without food is bad for a growing boy."
"I can eat anything," said Tim, "but I'm afraid you won't like theirgrub."
"My dear boy, I would rather eat parched peas with Senor Mollendo thansit down to a banquet with the Prefect.... Hark! What's that?"
She clutched her husband's arm at the sound of rifle-shots far to theeast.
"We had better get on, I think," said Mr. O'Hagan, rising. "Where'sRomana?"
"He has gone ahead to warn Senor Mollendo of our coming," said Andrea."He will come back to help with the machine."
An hour later the whole party, hot, exhausted, and hungry, entered theenclosure which Tim had described to his parents. The assembledMollendists greeted them with loud vivas, and Senor Mollendo's facebeamed as he came forward, hat in hand, to meet them.
"Welcome to my little castle, senor, senora," he said, with the air of apotentate. "I rejoice in the circumstances which have given me thehonour of entertaining such distinguished guests."
"I don't," said Mr. O'Hagan bluntly, "though I thank you for yourhospitality, senor. Do you know what is the dearest wish of my heart atthe present moment?"
"If it is anything I can do----"
"A glass of wine for my wife, and then dinner, senor. Your guests, Ishould think, never reach you without an appetite."