CRAFT--OR SURRENDER?
"He's a puzzle," remarked Harry, four days later.
"Meaning our sick man?"
"Of course. But he isn't going to be a sick man much longer,
thanks to you, Tom. You were born to be a physician."
"Don't you believe it," smiled Reade. "The only previous experience
I've had was when I simply had to pull you through out on Indian
Smoke Range last winter. Harry, I was afraid you were a goner,
and I couldn't let you go. But then, just when you were at your
worst I had the best of outside help in pulling you through."
"You mean you got help after you had pulled me out of all danger,"
Hazelton retorted. "And now you've pulled our stranger through.
Or the next thing to it. His fever is gone, and he's mending."
"Nothing much ailed him, I reckon, but intense anxiety and too
little food. Our man is resting, now, and getting strong."
"But he's a mystery to me," Harry continued.
"How so?"
"I can't make anything out of him."
"That's right."
"Do you figure out anything concerning him?" Hazelton inquired.
"I don't want to. It isn't any of my business. Our unknown guest
is very plainly a gentleman, and that's enough to know about him.
If he hasn't told us anything more then it's because he thinks
his affairs are of more importance to himself than to us."
"Oh, of course, I didn't mean that I wanted to pry into his affairs,"
Harry protested.
"No; and we won't do it, either, Harry. If our guest should happen
to be missing some morning, without even a note of thanks left
behind, we'll understand what it cost him to slip away without
saying farewell."
The day before Don Luis had made one of his occasional visits,
but he had not gone into the cook tent. Even had he done so the
mine owner would probably have seen nothing to make him curious.
At the further end of the cook tent lay the stranger, and his
bed had been curtained off by a dark-colored print curtain that
looked as though it might have been placed there to partition
off part of the tent. Don Luis had called merely to chat with
the young engineers, and to use his keen eyes in determining whether
his enforced guests were any nearer to the point of yielding to
his demands upon them.
Concerning the sick man, Nicolas had remained wholly silent.
He did not offer to go near the sick man, but brought whatever
Tom or Harry had called for. To have the sick man on their hands
had been a rather welcome break for the young engineers, since
it had given them something with which to occupy themselves.
Just before dark on the fifth day, Tom strolled into the cook
tent, going to the rear and parting the curtain.
"How do you feel, now?" Reade asked in a whisper.
"Much stronger, senor," came the grateful answer. "Last night,
when your servant slept, I rose and walked about the tent a little
to find the use of my legs again. To-day, when alone, I did the
same thing. By morning I shall be fit to walk once more. Senor,
do not think me ungrateful if you come into this tent, some morning,
soon, and find my end of it deserted. I shall go, but I shall
never forget you."
"You will please yourself, sir," Tom answered, simply. "Yet I
beg you not to attempt to leave until you are able to take care
of yourself. We shall not think you ungrateful if it be a long
time before we hear from you again. Another thing, sir. When
you go do not fail to take with you, in your pockets, food enough
to last you for some days."
"I--I cannot pay for it," hesitated the stranger. "Nor, for
the present, can I offer to pay you back the money you have expended
on my medicines."
"Now, who said anything about that?" Tom asked, nearly as gruffly
as it was possible for him to speak to a sick man. "Pay for nothing
here, sir, and do not worry about it, either. You do not know
how much pleasure your coming has given us. We needed something
to do needed it with an aching want that would not be stilled.
Looking after you, sir, has been a very welcome treat to us."
"You have been kinder to me, senores, than any one has been to me in
many years," murmured the stranger, tears starting to his eyes.
"There, there! Forget it," urged Tom.
"Good evening, Don Luis!" sounded Harry's voice outside. "Ah,
Dr. Tisco."
"That's our warning to stop talking," whispered Tom in the stranger's
ear, then rose and slipped outside the curtain.
"Where is Senor Reade?" inquired Don Luis.
"Any one calling me?" inquired Tom, looking out of the cook tent.
"Ah, good evening, gentlemen."
Tom stepped outside, offering his hand. As this was the first
time of late that he had made any such overture to the mine owner,
Montez was quick to grasp the hope that it conveyed.
"You are not comfortable here, Senor Reade," said Don Luis, looking
about. "I regret it the more when I remember how much room I
have under my poor roof. Why don't you move up there, at once.
There are several apartments any one of which you may have."
"On the contrary we are very comfortable here," Tom rejoined,
seating himself on the ground. "We have lived the open-air life
so much that we are really happier in a tent than we could be
in any house."
"I cannot understand why you can feel so about it," murmured the
Mexican stepping to the entrance of the larger tent and glancing
inside. "I will admit, Senor Reade, that you keep a very tidy
house under canvas, and your wants may be extremely simple. But
a house offers comforts that cannot possibly be found in a tent
like this. And the other is still smaller and more cheerless,"
he added, crossing into the other tent.
Don Luis was now within arm's length of the thin curtain, and was
apparently about to push it aside.
"Won't you come outside," suggested Tom, "and tell me the object
of your call this evening? It is too warm in here."
"Gladly," smiled the Mexican, letting go of the curtain, which
he had just touched, and wheeling about.
"Hang the rascal!" muttered Tom, inwardly. "Has he gotten wind
of the fact that we have a stranger here? Does Don Luis know
all about the man? Is he playing on my nerves at this moment?"
But Montez, with an appearance of being wholly interested in Tom
Reade, went outside with him. Harry placed campstools for the
callers, while the young engineers threw themselves upon the ground.
Don Luis Montez, as usual, was to do the talking, while Dr. Tisco's
purpose in being present was to use his keen, snapping eyes in
covertly studying the faces of the two Americans.
"I have called to say," declared Don Luis, coming promptly to
the point, "that within three days a party of American visitors
will be here. They come with a view to buying the mine, and I
shall sell it to them at a very handsome profit. Before we can
deal with these Americans it will be absolutely necessary for
me to have that report, signed by you both. Moreover, you must
both give me your word of honor that you will meet the Americans,
and stand back of that report. That you will do all in your power
to make possible the sale of the mine."
"We've discussed all of that before," said Harry, dryly.
"And we shall yet require a little more time before we can give a
too definite answer," Tom broke in hastily, to head off his chum.
"But the time is short, _caballeros_," Don Luis urged, a new light,
however, gleaming in his eyes, for this was the first time that
the young engineers had shown any likelihood of granting his wishes.
"A great deal can be decided upon in three days, Don Luis," Tom
went on, slowly. "You will have to give us a little more time,
and we will weigh everything carefully."
"But you believe that you will be ready to meet my views?" Don
Luis demanded, eagerly.
"I cannot see how our endorsement of your mine can be of any very
great value to you," Tom resumed. "It is hardly likely that any
of these capitalists who are coming have ever heard of us. In
any case, they are quite likely to feel that we are much too young
to be able to form professional opinions of any value."
"You give me your help in the matter," coaxed Montez, "and I will
attend to the rest. More, _caballeros_; stand by me so well that
I dispose of the mine, and I will promise you twenty thousand
dollars, gold, apiece."
"That is a lot of money," Reade nodded, thoughtfully. "But there
are other considerations, too."
"Yes; your liberty and your safety," Montez broke in, quickly,
with a meaning smile. "_Caballeros_, do not for one moment think
that I can be hoodwinked, and that you will be safe as soon as
you meet your fellow Americans. One single flaw in your conduct,
after they arrive, and I assure you that you will be promptly
arrested. That would be the end of you. It is always easy for
government officers to report that prisoners attempted to escape,
and were shot dead because of the attempt. That is exactly what
will happen if you do aught to hinder the sale of this mining
property."
"Nothing like a clear understanding," smiled Tom, rising, and
once more holding out his hand. "Don Luis, it will be enough
if we give you our answer by the morning of day after to-morrow?
And I will add that I think we shall see our way clear to help
along the sale of this mining property at a high figure. Let
me see; at what value do you hold it?"
"At two million and a half dollars, Senor Reade."
"I think we can assure your visitors that they are doing well
enough," Tom nodded.
"One word more, _caballeros_," said Montez, as he let go of the
young chief engineer's hand. "If you fail us, do not either of
you imagine, for a moment, that you have any further lease of life."
"I don't believe we shall fail you," Tom assured the Mexican.
"I believe that the visiting Americans will buy. If they don't
it won't be our fault."
"And now that we are at such an excellent understanding once more,
Senor Reade," proposed the mine owner, "can't we prevail upon
you to come up to the house and spend a pleasant evening."
"Thank you," Tom returned, graciously. "But not to-night. I
am restless. I must do considerable thinking, and I don't want
to talk much. Action is what I crave. If you see us running
all over your property, don't imagine that we are trying to run
away from here."
"My property is at your disposal," smiled Don Luis. "I shall
feel assured that you will not go many miles from here."
The remark covered the fact that Montez had all avenues of escape
so well guarded that the young engineers simply could not escape
by flight.
Good nights were exchanged, and the visitors, smiling politely,
departed.
"Now, why on earth did you talk to Don Luis in that fashion?"
Harry demanded, as soon as they were alone. "You know, well
enough, that not even the certainty of immediate death would make
you accede to his rascally wishes."
"I'm afraid I don't know anything of the sort," Tom drawled.
"On the contrary, we may help Montez sell out to the American
visitors."
Harry gasped.
"Tom Reade, are you going crazy?"
"Not that I've noticed."
"Then what are you talking about?"
"Harry, I'm tired, and I think you are."
"I'm sick and tired with disgust that Don Luis should think he
could use us to bait his money-traps with," Hazelton retorted.
"Let's turn in and get a good night's rest."
"Oh, bother!" retorted the junior engineer. "I couldn't sleep.
Tom, I shan't sleep a wink to-night, for dreading that you'll turn
rascal-helper. Tell me that you've been joking with me, Tom!"
"But I can't truthfully tell you that," Reade insisted. "I am
not joking, and haven't been joking to-night."
"Then I wish you'd open up and tell me a few things."
"Wait," begged Tom. "Wait until I'm sure that the few things
will bear telling."
With that much Harry Hazelton found that he would have to be content.
He allowed himself to be persuaded to turn in.
Tom Reade was asleep in a few minutes. It was after two in the
morning ere Harry, after racking his brains in vain, fell asleep.
The next morning it was found that the stranger in the back of the
cook tent had made good his prophecy by vanishing.