"Well, then, use your knife. I"ll take care of the girl," and he advanced upon Guadalupe.
But Tanto"s blood was up. Everyone but Guadalupe was an enemy. As he stood by the girl"s side, with lips drawn back and every hair erect, he was a foe to be considered. The taste of blood had made him wild. Before the speaker had taken five steps, the dog was at his throat. The force of the attack carried both dog and man to the ground, where for some seconds they fought desperately. But the unarmed peon was no match for the great beast. In a few minutes the conflict was over, and a second figure lay stretched upon the earth, while Guadalupe-unnerved by the sight-covered her face with her hands.
She was brought back to herself by a soft voice saying: "Call off your dog, _senorita_, and I will help you to get away from here."
Guadalupe raised her eyes in surprise.
"You need have no fear," the speaker continued. "I am not making war on women. Call off your dog, or I shall be obliged to kill him," and Santiago, for it was he, drew a revolver from his breast.
Seeing that the man was armed, when he had declared to his companion that he was not, Guadalupe perceived that he must be friendly, and so called to the dog.
At first Tanto was not inclined to mind, but, after a second command, he left his last victim and placed himself at Guadalupe"s side.
"You can see I could kill your dog," explained Santiago. "I could have killed him before. But I have no love for these," and he gave the two bodies a contemptuous kick. "Keep your dog at your side and follow me before someone else comes."
Even as Santiago spoke, they heard voices, and other men came crashing through the bushes some distance away.
"This way," said Santiago, and he started in an opposite direction.
But they had no more than reached level ground than they heard voices on the other side.
"It is impossible for us to get away without being seen," said Santiago.
"Can you send the dog home?"
"Yes."
"Then do so, and trust to me."
Bending over Tanto, the girl said in a firm, low voice: "Go home, Tanto!
Go home and bring my father!"
The dog looked at her earnestly for a moment and then at Santiago.
"Go!" again said Guadalupe, and she reached out and took Santiago"s hand. "No one is going to harm me."
The dog gave a low whine, as though he perfectly understood, and bounded away through the underbrush. As he disappeared, Santiago fired his revolver into the air and advanced toward the approaching footsteps. A moment later a dozen of the smugglers appeared.
"What"s the meaning of this shooting?" asked the leader.
"Go to the top of yonder mound and see for yourself," was Santiago"s reply.
Several of the men hastened to follow the instructions. They scrambled up the mound, where they recoiled in fright at the sight of their comrades.
"How did it happen?" asked the leader, as he returned to where Santiago and Guadalupe were standing.
"Ask the girl," replied Santiago. "All I know is that I came up from the room below to bring an order to Louis and Leocadio, who are on guard at this place. I found them both as you see them. The girl and her dog were running away as fast as they could. I fired a shot at the dog, but missed him. I captured the girl, and am going to hold her for a ransom."
The leader looked at him incredulously. Then to Guadalupe he said:
"How could a dog kill two men?"
Guadalupe looked at Santiago, but made no reply.
"Tell him," said Santiago. "Tell Fillipe how it happened."
"I don"t know," declared Guadalupe. "One man seized me and Tanto sprang upon him. A few minutes later the other came."
"Who is the girl?" asked Fillipe.
"She belongs at the Hacienda del Rio," replied Santiago.
"_Asi!_" exclaimed Fillipe. "This is good news. Don Rafael will be glad to get her. Come along!"
He seized Guadalupe by the arm and started to lead her away, but Santiago interfered.
"Hands off!" he said. "She belongs to me. I"ll take her to Don Rafael, and, if there is any ransom, I shall have it."
Although Santiago"s words were spoken in a low, soft tone, Fillipe obeyed, and the entire party left the place and proceeded by a circuitous route to the rear of the little chain of foothills which bordered the river. After a walk of some five or ten minutes they approached a clump of bushes in front of which a Mexican was standing guard. He stepped aside, and the men entered the bushes, which Guadalupe soon discovered concealed a door in the hillside. At a knock from Fillipe the door was opened, disclosing a pa.s.sageway through which the men and their captive proceeded, closing the door behind them.
They had no sooner disappeared than two figures emerged stealthily from behind a jutting rock and threw themselves upon the guard, whom they quickly overcame and bound.
The two figures were Donald and Adrian.
CHAPTER XI.
A COUNCIL OF WAR.
Having secured the guard and bound him firmly to a tree, the boys approached the door through which Guadalupe had just been led captive.
"I never suspected it," said Adrian.
"Nor I," said Donald, "I thought sure it would be Billie. Where do you suppose they caught her?"
"I can"t imagine. You don"t suppose they have attacked the house, do you?"
"Hardly."
"Where do you suppose this door leads to?"
"There must be some sort of a cave back in these hills," and Donald left the door and began exploring the immediate neighborhood.
"By George!" he finally exclaimed, "I believe I"ve got it. You see these hills form a little ridge leading to the creek. Somewhere in here there is a cave which opens onto the creek, and these cutthroats have made some kind of an underground pa.s.sage to the cave."
Donald"s guess was a good one. The only thing wrong about it was the fact that the underground pa.s.sage was not made by the men at present using it, but by others many years before-how long, no one knows.