Felicia awoke in great alarm and sat up, staring bewildered at Abe and the two men.
"Oh, ho!" said one of the guards. "What is this we finds? It is a strange bird we diskeevers."
"There"s two," said the other. "And, by smoke, t"other one is a gal!"
"Don"t you touch her!" shrilly screamed the boy. "Don"t you put a hand on her!"
He endeavored to jerk himself from the grip of the man who had seized him, but the strong hand held him fast.
"Whatever is the use to jump around this yere way?" said the man. "We ain"t a-hurting you none. Don"t git so excited-like. Mebbe it"s a right good thing we finds ye yere."
"Who are they, Abe? Who are they?" whispered Felicia.
"I dunno," confessed the boy, filled with regret and despair at his own carelessness in permitting the men to come upon them in such a manner while he was absorbed in his playing. "But they shan"t hurt yer. I won"t let um."
"Mebbe you tells us what you"re doing yere, you two kids," suggested one of the men.
"We"re jest lost," said Abe.
"Only that?" laughed the man. "Well, that sure is nothing much. Perhaps if we don"t find yer you stays lost. Where did yer get lost from?"
"Oh, I know you won"t hurt us!" said Felicia quickly. "Why should you?
We can"t hurt any one. My horse was frightened and ran away. Abe tried to catch him. That was how we got separated from d.i.c.k and the others."
"d.i.c.k! Who is this yere d.i.c.k?"
Before Abe could check her, Felicia answered.
"Why, d.i.c.k Merriwell!"
"Hey?" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed one of the men. "Merriwell! Why, I sure opines that name is a heap familiar. d.i.c.k Merriwell! Mebbe you means Frank Merriwell?"
"No! no! I mean d.i.c.k Merriwell, his brother."
"His brother?" burst from both of the men.
"Yes," said Felicia.
"Then he has a brother, has he? Well, this is right interesting and no mistake."
"You bet it is!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed the other. "Where is this yere d.i.c.k Merriwell, Hunchy?"
It was the old hateful name which Abe detested, and his soul revolted against it.
"Don"t you call me Hunchy!" he shrilly exclaimed. "I won"t be called Hunchy!"
In his excitement he actually bristled at the ruffian.
"Ho! ho!" laughed the other man. "What do yer think of that, partner?
Why, he is going ter soak me one."
"Ho! ho!" came hoa.r.s.ely. "That"s what he is. Don"t let him hit yer hard, for he"ll sure fix yer!"
The one who had addressed Abe as "Hunchy" now removed his hat and made a profound bow.
"I begs yer pardon, your royal highness," he said. "If I treads on the tail of yer coat any, I hopes you excuses me. I am not counting to rile you up any, for I reckon you might be a whole lot dangerous."
Abe knew this was said in derision, but he muttered:
"I won"t have anybody calling me Hunchy no more. Don"t you forget that!"
Felicia was clinging to the cripple now, and he could feel her trembling. He put one of his long arms about her and sought to rea.s.sure her by a firm pressure.
"If I hasn"t offended your highness," said the man who had asked the question, "perhaps you tells me now where this d.i.c.k Merriwell is?"
"Don"t tell him, Abe!" whispered the girl. "They are bad men. I"m afraid of them."
"I wist you could tell me," said the boy. "I"d like ter find him myself."
"Then he is somewhere yereabouts?"
"Don"t tell!" breathed Felicia again.
"I dunno "bout that," said Abe. "Mebbe he is two hundred miles away now.
I dunno."
"Ef he is so fur, however is it you expects ter find him in a hurry?"
Barely a moment, did the boy hesitate, and then he declared:
"Why, he was a-going through to Californy on the train. We live down on the Rio Verde. Our dad, he"s got a cattle ranch down there. Yesterday we started out to go to Flagstaff. They wouldn"t let us go alone, so we runned away. We thought mebbe we could find the way there all right, but I guess we can"t."
The two men looked at each other in the starlight and shook their heads.
"Sounds fishy," said one, immediately detecting that this statement conflicted with the one made by Felicia.
"A whole lot," agreed the other.
Felicia had gasped when she heard Abe fabricate so glibly. It was a surprise to her, and she was almost sorry she had cautioned him not to tell the facts to those men.
"Well, you certain is off the trail, kids, providing you"re bound for Flagstaff. It"s right lucky we finds you. We takes you to the camp, and mebbe your dad what you speaks of pays us well if we returns you to him safe and sound. I opines he runs a pretty big ranch."
"You bet," said the boy quickly. "He"s got one of the biggest down that way. He has jest heaps of cattle and keeps lots of cowpunchers."
"That being the case," chuckled the man who had grasped the boy"s shoulder, "he certain pays liberal when he gits his children back. Now you two come along with us."
He marched them along, one on either side, while his companion set out to catch the grazing horses and bring them.
Felicia slipped from the man"s hand and again sought Abe"s side, pressing close to him. In his ear she whispered: