The young American stared at her upturned animated face, suddenly aroused to womanly interest.
"And what did you say?"
Mercedes stamped her foot savagely on the hard ground, her eyes glowing like coals of fire.
"You ask vat I say? Saints of G.o.d! vat could I say? He vas a good man, dat Senor Brown, but I--I vas not a good voman. I no tell him dat--no! no! I vas shamed; I get red, vite; I hardly speak at all; my heart thump so I tink maybe eet choke me up here, but I say no. I say no once, tvice, tree time. I tell him he big fool to tink like dat of me. I tell him go vay an" find voman of his own race--good voman. I tell him eet could nevah be me, no, nevah."
"Then you do not love him?"
The puzzled dancer hesitated, her long lashes lowered, and outlined against her cheeks.
"Lofe? Dat vas not nice vord as eet come to me. I know not ver" vell just vat. Maybe if I not lofe him I marry him--si; I no care den. I make him to suffer, but not care; ees eet not so? Anyhow, I--vat you call dat?--respect dis Senor Brown mooch, ver" mooch. Maybe dat last longer as lofe--_quien sabe_?"
Scarcely comprehending this peculiar explanation, Beth Norvell"s first conception was that the girl had chosen wrong, that she had allied herself upon the side of evil.
"You mean you--you will go back to Biff Farnham?" she asked, her tone full of horror.
Mercedes straightened up quickly, her young, expressive face filled with a new pa.s.sion, which struggled almost vainly for utterance through her lips.
"Go back to dat man!" she panted. "Me? _Sapristi_! and you tink I do dat after Senor Brown ask me be hees vife! Blessed Mary! vat you tink I am? You tink I not feel, not care? I go back to dat Farnham? Eet vould not be, no! no! I tol" him dat mooch, an" he got mad. I no care, I like dat. I no lofe him, nevah; I vas sold to him for money, like sheep, but I learn to hate him to kill." The deep glow of the black eyes softened, and her head slowly dropped until it touched the other"s extended arm. "But dis Senor Brown he vas not dat kind--he ask me to marry him; he say he not care vat I been, only he lofe me, an" he be good to me alvays. I vas hungry for dat, senorita, but I say no, no, no! Eet vas not for me, nevah. I send him avay so sorry, an" den I cry ven I hear his horse go out yonder. Eet vas like he tread on me, eet hurt dat vay. Maybe I no lofe him, but I know he vas good man an"
he lofe me. Eet vas de honor ven he ask me dat, an" now I be good voman because a good man lofes me. Holy Mother! eet vill be easy now dat he vanted to marry me."
Impulsively Beth Norvell, her own eyes moist, held the other, sobbing like a child within the clasp of sympathetic arms. There was instantly formed between them a new bond, a new feeling of awakened womanhood.
Yet, even as her fingers continued to stroke the dishevelled hair softly, there flashed across her mind a recurring memory of her purpose, the necessity for immediate action. Not for an instant longer did she doubt the complete honesty of the other"s frank avowal, or question the propriety of requesting her aid in thwarting Farnham. She held the slight, quivering figure back, so that she might gaze into the uplifted, questioning face.
"Mercedes, yes, yes, I understand it all," she cried eagerly. "But we cannot talk about it any longer now. It is a wonderful thing, this love of a good man; but we are wasting time that may mean life or death to others, perhaps even to him. Listen to what I say--Farnham has already gone to the "Little Yankee," and taken a gang of roughs with him. They left San Juan on horseback more than half an hour ago. He threatened me first, and boasted that Mr. Winston was out there, and that I was too late to warn him of danger. Oh, girl, you understand what that means; you know him well, you must realize what he is capable of doing. I came here as fast as I could in the dark," she shuddered, glancing backward across her shoulder. "Every step was a way of horrors, but I did n"t know any one who could help me. But you--you know the way to the "Little Yankee," and we--we must get there before daylight, if we have to crawl."
All that was savagely animal in the other"s untamed nature flamed into her face.
"He say vat? Senor Farnham he say vat he do?"
"He said dynamite told no tales, but sometimes killed more than the one intended."
Mercedes" hand went to her head as though a pain had smitten her, and she stepped back, half crouching in the glow like a tiger cat.
"He say dat? De man say dat? Holy Angels! he vas de bad devil, but he find me de bad devil too. Ah, now I play him de game, an" ve see who vin! De "Leetle Yankee," eet tree mile, senorita, an" de road rough, mooch rough, but I know eet--si, I know eet, an" ve get dare before de day come; sure ve do eet, _bueno_." She grasped the arm of the other, now fully aroused, her slight form quivering from intense excitement.
"Come, I show you. See! he vas my pony--ah! eet makes me to laugh to know de Senor Farnham give him me; now I make him to upset de Senor Farnham. _Sapristi_! eet vas vat you call de vay of de vorld, de verligig; vas eet not so? You ride de pony, senorita; I valk an" lead him--si, si, you more tired as Mercedes; I danseuse, no tire ever in de legs. Den I find de vay more easy on foot in de dark, see? You ride good, hey? He jump little, maybe, but he de ver" nice pony, an" I no let him run. No, no, de odder vay, senorita, like de man ride. Poof!
it no harm in de dark. _Bueno_, now ve go to surprise de Senor Farnham."
She led promptly forth as she spoke, moving with perfect confidence down the irregular trail skirting the bank of the creek, her left hand grasping the pony"s bit firmly, the other shading her eyes as though to aid in the selection of a path through the gloom. It was a rough, uneven, winding road they followed, apparently but little used, littered with loose stones and projecting roots; yet, after a moment of fierce but useless rebellion, the lively mustang sobered down into a cautious picking of his pa.s.sage amid the debris, obedient as a dog to the soft voice of his mistress. The problems of advance were far too complicated to permit of much conversation, and little effort at speech was made by either, the princ.i.p.al thought in each mind being the necessity for haste.
Swaying on the saddleless back of the pony, her anxious gaze on the dimly revealed, slender figure trudging st.u.r.dily in front, Beth Norvell began to dread the necessity of again having to meet Winston under such conditions. What would he naturally think? He could scarcely fail to construe such action on his behalf as one inspired by deep personal interest, and she instinctively shrank from such revealment, fearing his glance, his word of welcome, his expressions of surprised grat.i.tude. The awkwardness, the probable embarra.s.sment involved, became more and more apparent as she looked forward to that meeting.
If possible, she would gladly drop out, and so permit the other to bear on the message of warning alone. But, even with Mercedes" undoubted interest in Brown, and her increasing dislike of Farnham, Beth could not as yet entirely trust her unaccompanied. Besides, there was no excuse to offer for such sudden withdrawal, no reason she durst even whisper into the ear of another. No, there was nothing left her but to go on; let him think what he might of her action, she would not fail to do her best to serve him, and beneath the safe cover of darkness she blushed scarlet, her long lashes moist with tears that could not be restrained. They were at the bottom of the black canyon now, the high, uplifting rock walls on either side blotting out the stars and rendering the surrounding gloom intense. The young Mexican girl seemed to have the eyes of a cat, or else was guided by some instinct of the wild, feeling her pa.s.sage slowly yet surely forward, every nerve alert, and occasionally pausing to listen to some strange night sound. It was a weird, uncanny journey, in which the nerves tingled to uncouth shapes and the wild echoing of mountain voices. Once, at such a moment of continued suspense, Beth Norvell bent forward and whispered a sentence into her ear. The girl started, impulsively pressing her lips against the white hand grasping the pony"s mane.
"No, no, senorita," she said softly. "Not dat; not because he lofe me; because he ask me dat. Si, I make him not so sorry."
She remembered that vast overhanging rock about which the dim trail circled as it swept upward toward where the "Little Yankee" perched against the sky-line. Undaunted by the narrowness of the ledge, the willing, sure-footed mustang began climbing the steep grade. Step by step they crept up, cautiously advancing from out the bottom of the cleft, the path followed winding in and out among bewildering cedars, and skirting unknown depths of ravines. Mercedes was breathing heavily, her unoccupied hand grasping the trailing skirt which interfered with her climbing. Miss Norvell, from her higher perch on the pony"s back, glanced behind apprehensively. Far away to the east a faint, uncertain tinge of gray was shading into the sky. Suddenly a detached stone rattled in their front; there echoed the sharp click of a rifle hammer, mingled with the sound of a gruff, unfamiliar voice:
"You come another step, an" I "ll blow h.e.l.l out o" yer. _Sabe_?"
It all occurred so quickly that neither spoke; they caught their breath and waited in suspense. A shadow, dim, ill-defined, seemed to take partial form in their front.
"Well, can"t yer speak?" questioned the same voice, growlingly. "What yer doin" on this yere trail?"
Mercedes released the pony"s bit, and leaned eagerly forward.
"Vas dat you, Beell Heeks?" she questioned, doubtfully.
The man swore, the b.u.t.t of his quickly lowered rifle striking sharply against the rock at his feet.
"I "m d.a.m.ned if it ain"t that Mexican agin," he exclaimed, angrily.
"Now, you get out o" yere; you hear me? I "m blamed if I kin shoot at no female, but you got in one measly spyin" job on this outfit, an" I "ll not put up with another if I have ter pitch ye out inter the canyon. So you git plum out o" yere, an" tell yer friend Farnham he better take more care o" his females, or some of "em are liable ter get hurt."
There was the harsh crunch of a footstep in the darkness, another figure suddenly slid down the smooth surface of rock, dropping almost at the pony"s head. The animal shied with a quick leap, but a heavy hand held him captive.
"Y-you sh-sh-shut up, B-Bill," and the huge form of Stutter Brown loomed up directly between them, and that menacing rifle. "I-I reckon as how I"ll t-t-take a h-hand in this yere g-g-game. Sh-she ain"t no s-spy fer Farnham, er I "m a l-l-liar." He touched her softly with his great hand, bending down to look into her face, half hidden beneath the ruffled black hair. "C-come, little g-g-girl, what"s up?"
She made no response, her lips faltering as though suddenly stricken dumb. Beth Norvell dropped down from the pony"s back, and stood with one hand resting on Mercedes" shoulder.
"She only came to show me the way," she explained bravely. "I-I have a most important message for Mr. Winston. Where is he?"
"Important, d-did you s-s-say?"
"Yes, its delivery means life or death--for Heaven"s sake, take me to him!"
For a single breathless moment Brown hesitated, his eyes on the girl"s upturned face, evidently questioning her real purpose.
"I c-can"t right n-now, Miss," he finally acknowledged, gravely; "that"s s-straight; fer ye s-s-see, he "s down the "I-I-Independence"
shaft."
CHAPTER XIV
UNDERGROUND
It was a daring ruse that had taken Ned Winston down the shaft of the "Independence" mine with the midnight shift. Not even the professional enthusiasm of a young engineer could serve to justify so vast a risk, but somehow this battle of right and wrong had become a personal struggle between himself and Farnham; he felt, without understanding clearly why, that the real stake involved was well worth the venture, and would prove in the end of infinitely more value to him than any settlement of the mere mining claims at issue. For several hours he had been below in the tunnel of the "Little Yankee," measuring distances, and sampling the grade of ore. All the afternoon and much of the early night had been utilized in a careful exploration of the surface ledges; creeping in, under protection of the low-growing cedars, as closely as a vigilant rifle-guard would permit, to the great ore dump of the busy "Independence"; diligently studying their system of labor, and slowly crystallizing into shape his later plan of action.
He was already morally convinced that the Farnham people were actively engaged in stealing the "Little Yankee" ore; that they were running their tunnel along the lead of the latter; that they were doing this systematically, and fully conscious of the danger of discovery. His lines of survey, the nature of the ore bodies, the m.u.f.fled sound of picks, plainly discernible in the silent breast of the "Little Yankee"
while he lay listening with ear to the rock, as well as the close secrecy, all combined to convince him fully of the fact. Yet such vague suspicions were perfectly useless. He must have absolute, convincing proof, and such proof could be obtained nowhere excepting at the bottom of the "Independence" shaft.
He talked over the situation frankly with the two partners in the little single-roomed cabin perched on the cliff edge, while the obedient though grumbling Mike, rifle in hand, sat solemnly on the dump pile without. Little by little the three conspirators worked out a fairly feasible plan. There were numerous chances for failure in it, yet the very recklessness of the conception was an advantage. Winston, his face darkened as a slight disguise, and dressed in the rough garments of a typical miner, was to hide beside the footpath leading between the "Independence" bunk-house and the shaft. Should one of the men chance to loiter behind the others when the working shift changed at midnight, Brown was to attend to him silently, relying entirely upon his giant strength to prevent alarm, while Winston was promptly to take the vacated place among the descending workmen. By some grim fate this crudely devised scheme worked like a well-oiled piece of machinery. A sleepy-headed lout, endeavoring to draw on his coat as he ran blindly after the others, stumbled in the rocky path and fell heavily. Almost at the instant Stutter Brown had the fellow by the throat, dragging him back into the security of the cedars, and Winston, lamp and dinner-pail in hand, was edging his way into the crowded cage, his face turned to the black wall.
That was five hours before. At the very edge of the black, concealing chaparral, within easy rifle range of the "Independence" shaft-house, Hicks and Brown lay flat on their faces, waiting and watching for some occasion to take a hand. Back behind the little cabin old Mike sat calmly smoking his black dudheen, apparently utterly oblivious to all the world save the bound and cursing Swede he was vigilantly guarding, and whose spirits he occasionally refreshed with some choice bit of Hibernian philosophy. Beneath the flaring gleam of numerous gasoline torches, half a dozen men constantly pa.s.sed and repa.s.sed between shaft-house and dump heap, casting weird shadows along the rough planking, and occasionally calling to each other, their gruff voices clear in the still night. Every now and then those two silent watchers could hear the dismal clank of the windla.s.s chain, and a rattle of ore on the dump, when the huge buckets were hoisted to the surface and emptied of their spoil. Once--it must have been after three o"clock--other men seemed suddenly to mingle among those perspiring surface workers and the unmistakable neigh of a horse came faintly from out the blackness of a distant thicket. The two lying in the chaparral rose to their knees, bending anxiously forward. Brown drew back the hammer of his rifle, while Hicks swore savagely under his breath. But those new figures vanished in some mysterious way before either could decide who they might be--into the shaft-house, or else beyond, where denser shadows intervened. The two watchers sank back again into their cover, silently waiting, ever wondering what was happening beyond their ken, down below in the heart of the hill.
Some of this even Winston never knew, although he was a portion of it.
He had gone down with the descending cage, standing silent among the grimy workmen crowding it, and quickly discerning from their speech that they were largely Swedes and Poles, of a cla.s.s inclined to ask few questions, provided their wages were promptly paid. There was a deserted gallery opening from the shaft-hole some forty feet below the surface; he saw the glimmer of light reflected along its wall as they pa.s.sed, but the cage dropped to a considerably lower level before it stopped, and the men stepped forth into the black entry. Winston went with them, keeping carefully away from the fellow he supposed to be foreman of the gang, and hanging back, under pretence of having difficulty in lighting his lamp, until the others had preceded him some distance along the echoing gallery. The yellow flaring of their lights through the intense darkness proved both guidance and warning, so he moved cautiously forward, counting his steps, his hand feeling the trend of the side wall, his lamp unlit. The floor was rough and uneven, but dry, the tunnel apparently having been blasted through solid rock, for no props supporting the roof were discernible. For quite an extended distance this entry ran straight away from the foot of the shaft--directly south he made it--into the heart of the mountain; then those twinkling lights far in advance suddenly winked out, and Winston groped blindly forward until he discovered a sharp turn in the tunnel.
He lingered for a moment behind the protection of that angle of rock wall, struck a safety match, and held the tiny flame down close against the face of his pocket compa.s.s. Exactly; this new advance extended southeast by east. He snuffed out the glowing splinter between his fingers, crossed over to the opposite side, and watchfully rounded the corner to where he could again perceive the twinkling lights ahead.