CHAPTER XIV
NEXT TO THE TELEGRAPH KEY
Tom and Harry started along the trail, side by side.
Something whizzed through the air. Then something struck the earth heavily, and there was a slight, quickly repressed groan.
"Quick, _caballeros_!"
For the life of him Tom could not help halting and wheeling about.
The next second he uttered a low cry of glee.
For Pedro Gato lay flat on the ground, Nicolas bending over him.
"Quick, _caballeros_!" implored Nicolas again.
"You fine chap," chuckled Reade, bounding back and bending over Gato, as Nicolas was doing.
"There was no other way to save you," whispered the servant.
"I had to do it."
As Nicolas raised his right hand, Reade could not help seeing that it was stained with blood.
"See here," gasped Tom, recoiling. "You didn"t--you didn"t knife the scoundrel?"
He had all of an American"s disgust of knife-fighting.
"Oh, no--not I," returned the little Mexican. "I do not use the knife. I am a servant, not a coward. But I had to throw a stone. I am thankful, senor, that my aim was good."
Tom now discovered that blood was coming from a wound in Gato"s head. Moreover, the rascal was beginning to moan. He would soon recover consciousness.
"Do you know how to use this, senor?" Nicolas asked, as he pa.s.sed over a small coil of stout hempen cord.
"I think we can fix the fellow," Tom nodded. "Roll him over, Harry, and hold him. Don"t let the scoundrel reach for any other weapons."
Gato"s rifle lay on the ground. Tom pushed it aside with one foot as Harry turned the fellow.
"Get his hands behind him," muttered Tom. "I"ll do the tying."
In a very short s.p.a.ce of time Gato"s hands had been securely bound behind him. More cord was tied around his ankles, in such a way that Gato would be able to take short steps but not run.
Suddenly Gato groaned and opened his eyes.
"You"ll be more comfortable on your back, old fellow," murmured Tom. "Wait. I"ll turn you."
Gato stared blankly, at first. Evidently he did not realize the situation all at once. At last a curse leaped to his lips.
"Go easy on that bad-talk stuff," Tom urged him. "Gentlemen don"t use such language, and men who travel with us must be gentlemen."
"You miserable Gringo!" wailed Gato, gnashing his teeth. "You will always be full of treacherous tricks. Even when I had you in front of me, and my eyes on you, you managed to knock me down."
"Oh, no!" laughed Tom. "The credit for this stunt belongs to good little Nicolas!"
The servant uttered a protesting cry, but too late. Tom had spoken indiscreetly.
"Nicolas! You? You little mountain rat of a _peon_!" growled Gato. "Excellent! I am glad I know, for I shall destroy you."
Nicolas cowered and shivered before the baleful glare in the larger Mexican"s eyes. But Tom took a savage grip of one of Gato"s shoulders, digging in with his pressure until he made the scoundrel wince.
"You"d better go slow with that talk, Gato," Tom warned him.
"If you don"t we"ll turn you over to Nicolas to do with as he pleases."
"All right," sneered Gato, not a whit dismayed. "He would dare to do nothing to me. He would be too afraid of the vengeance that he well knows stalks in these hills."
"It is all too true," shuddered Nicolas.
"Come, brace up, Nicolas, and be a man," Tom urged, slapping the servant cordially on the shoulder. "Don"t be afraid of any man.
Let Gato threaten you if he wants to. Nothing has happened to you yet, and he who is afraid is the only man that suffers. Come, Gato, you will have to get up on your feet. We can"t let you delay us."
"I shall not stir a step," declared the fellow, grimly.
"Oh, yes, you will."
"Not if you kill me for refusing. If you wish to take me anywhere, Gringos, you will have to carry me every step of the way."
"We won"t carry you, either," Tom continued, coolly. "Gato, a few moments ago, you had the whip-hand. Now, we"re carrying the whip. We don"t want any nonsense. If you carry matters too far you"ll discover that Hazelton and I have had more or less experience as wild animal trainers. But, first of all, your head. It must be attended to."
Tom wiped away the blood, which was now clotting, with his own handkerchief.
"Help me to stand him on his feet, Harry," Reade then commanded.
Between them they dragged the heavy fellow to his feet, but Gato promptly cast himself down again.
"We"ll haul you up again," Tom went on, patiently. "Don"t try that mulish trick any more, Gato, or I promise you that you"ll regret it."
No sooner had he been placed on his feet than. Gato once more threw himself down. As soon as he went down, however, Tom jerked him to his feet.
A roar like that of an angry bull escaped the lips of the suffering Mexican.
"He is trying to summon his men!" cried Nicolas, s.n.a.t.c.hing up the rifle.
No sooner was Gato upright than he threw himself down once more.
Again he was roughly jerked to a standing position.