A TAMED OUTLAW
Rhoda had a great deal to tell her girl friends the next morning.
She came into their room before even Nan was up, and curled down on
one of the beds to relate to an enormously interested trio all the
particulars of her father's interrogation of the Mexican prisoner.
"And is he that Juan What-you-may-call-him?" asked Bess.
"Truly-ruly?"
"He is. Daddy made him admit it. And more."
"Go on, dear," said Nan. "You know we are just as curious as we can
be."
"Well, I tell you, girls, it was no easy matter to get the truth
out of that fellow. But he is scared. He fears being handed over to
the American sheriff. He knows that the men he brought up here have
got into trouble. They quarreled about the treasure's hiding place.
Some of the men had ridden with Lobarto himself, and they thought
they knew more about the treasure than this Juan does."
"But the map?" cried Grace.
"Yes. He's got it. But it isn't much of a map. Because daddy knows
the country so well, he says he recognizes the places marked on the
diagram."
"Oh, bully!" exclaimed Bess Harley.
"Don't be so quick," advised Rhoda. "It is not very clear at the
best."
"Oh! Oh!" groaned the too exuberant Bess.
"There are certain places marked on the diagram. Daddy says the
cross Lobarto made where the location of the hidden treasure is
supposed to be, is on a bare hill. It is the hill between that
gulch where we took refuge from the storm that day, and the gully
up which Tom Collins says he chased that black horse."
"On the hill, then? Not in a hole at all?" asked Nan.
"That is what makes daddy doubtful. He says to have dug a hole out
in the open, on the side or the top of that hill, would have been
ridiculous. So he says he doesn't believe in it any more than he
did before."
"But can't we go to look?" pleaded Grace.
"Of course we can," agreed Rhoda.
"Let's, then," Bess said, eagerly.
"That's what we will do, Bessie. Daddy says we can have the boys
again and a pack horse, and can grub around all we like. Meanwhile
he is going to hold on to the Mex. to see what turns up."
"And the others? What of them?" asked Nan.
"Why, we know that a part of his gang went back into Mexico with
the stolen horses. Daddy has a posse of our own boys hunting the
hills for those scoundrels that scared Steve's steers the other
night. He says--daddy does--that he believes those Mexicans started
that stampede just to get the outfit away from there. Evidently the
gang believed the treasure is buried up that way. They haven't got
the diagram, you see."
"That young Mexican must have been looking for the treasure when he
came to the mouth of the bear den that time and scared us so," said
Nan thoughtfully.
"Yes," Rhoda agreed. "He says he has been scouring the locality."
"And no luck?"
"So he says. But he believes his uncle's map is all right, when
once he can understand it."
"I declare!" Nan observed, "I don't see why we can't find the
treasure, then, if it is somewhere about the hill."
"We'll dig all over it," said Bess eagerly. "Come on, girls! Let's
go to-day," and she hopped out of bed.
Walter was eager for the second treasure-hunting trip, as well. The
party got away before mid-forenoon and took their dinner at the
mouth of the gulch in which the bear den was located.
"I tell you what," Walter said to Nan privately, while they were
eating. "That cross on the old bandit's map is between this gulch
and that other where Tom lost the outlaw."
"Yes. So they say, Walter," Nan replied.
"Do you know, Nan, I've an idea there is a hole right through this
hill?" said the boy.
"A hole? You mean that the cavern goes clear through?"
"Clear through to that funnel-shaped place where our pack horse
fell down."
"Walter! That's an idea!" admitted Nan.
"Guess it is," he returned, smiling. "Let's get them to search the
cavern first. We've got lanterns and a big electric torch. There is
one thing I want to assure myself about, too," he added.
"The treasure, of course."
"Something more. I want to know what made that noise that
frightened you girls so."
"Oh, Walter! I had forgotten about that. Why remind me?" cried Nan.
"Well, don't remind the others, then," laughed Walter.
Rhoda was quite willing to go to the bear den first of all, and the
other girls seemed to have forgotten the noise that had so
disturbed them when they took shelter there from the tornado.
This time they left the ponies outside, with Frank to watch them.
Tom and Hess Kane entered the cave with the party of young people.
The place was utterly dark and utterly silent. But they soon lit
the lanterns, and Walter went in advance with the electric torch.
The main cavern in which the girls had waited for the storm to blow
over was of considerable size, as they had thought at that time;
and the domed roof was very high. The hill really was a great
hollow.
There were passages into several smaller caves; but these were mere
pockets beside the larger apartment. Wherever there was any
appearance of the floor of the cavern having been disturbed, the
men used the spade and bar. But they found no hidden treasure. In
fact, the floor was mostly of solid rock. The old bandit would have
found it difficult to have buried anything under such flooring.
It seemed as though they had searched the place thoroughly, and all
the little chambers, too, when Walter's torch revealed to him a
crack in the wall at the far end of the cavity, and almost as high
as his head. He soon called the others to come and examine this
place.
"A big boulder has been rolled into an opening. That is what it
is," said Nan.
"Just what I was saying to myself," Walter confessed. "And I
believe nature did not roll the rock here, either."
"Think somebody shut the door on a passage, do you?" asked Tom
Collins, curiously. "Bring along the bar, Hess, and let's see."
"If nature did not wedge that rock into the opening, then whoever
did it did an excellent job!" growled Walter, after working on the
boulder for a couple of hours.
"It's started. Yes, it's started," said Tom complainingly. "But you
can't say much more about it and speak the truth. If that old
Mexican's treasure ain't behind that rock, then it ought to be,
that's sure!"
Supper time came, and they were still working at the boulder. It
was agreed to camp in the cavern for the night, and continue
working at the wedged rock until bedtime.
"And might as well bring the ponies in and hobble 'em, eh?"
suggested Tom Collins. "No use standing watch on 'em outside.
They've grazed themselves full this afternoon."
It was so agreed. Hess went out and helped Frank bring in the
animals and wood for the cooking fire.
But here was a surprise. Almost as soon as the horses clattered in
on the hard floor of the cavern one of them whinnied. Seemingly in
response, the reechoing sound that had previously so startled the
girls rang faintly through the cavern. But from much farther away,
it seemed, than before.
"The haunt!" gasped Bess. "There it is again."
The men and Walter looked inquiringly at each other. Tom Collins
shook his head: "Can it be the echo of that little roan of mine
squealing?"
"Never!" cried Rhoda. "That doesn't sound like any horse I ever
heard. Why, it's queer!"
"Queer's the word; but horse queer," muttered Tom.
Walter looked eagerly at Nan in the lamplight.
"Do you believe that black horse is somewhere here?" she whispered.
"I most certainly do, Nan," he said with confidence.
They worked all the evening on that stone. Occasionally the faint
and mysterious sound floated to them. The men would not give their
opinion about this, but they were warmly expressive of what they
thought about the boulder that had to be moved.
They rolled up in their blankets and sleeping bags finally, and
left the rest of the job until morning. Without proper tools to
attack the boulder it was a slow and back-breaking task.
In the morning, however, while Tom Collins was getting breakfast
and Frank drove the ponies out to graze, Walter and Hess tackled
the boulder again. It seemed that at night, when they left the
work, they had been just on the verge of prying it loose.
Suddenly it heaved over. It was rounded on the front, so once
having turned it, it was an easy matter to get it out of the way.
The lantern light showed that there was a passage behind the fallen
barrier.
The girls came running at the crash and at Walter's cry. The boy
had grabbed up the torch and pressed the switch. He shot the round
ray of the lamp into the dark passage.
"Oh! There is no treasure there!" murmured Bess, in disappointment.
Walter ventured in, the others crowding after him. The passage was
long and crooked. They traveled at least a hundred yards, the roof
of the tunnel being nowhere more than ten feet in height.
Suddenly there was a sound in front. Something scrambled over the
rocks. Walter shut off the lamp and they saw daylight ahead of
them.
"See here! Here he is!" shouted the boy, hurrying on. "What did I
tell you?"
There was more scrambling of hoofs, and then a shrill
squeal--surely the noise made by a horse! Hess and the girls
following, Walter came to the circular place to which the tunnel
led. They all saw what Walter saw. For once Hesitation Kane was
surprised into expressing himself suddenly:
"It's the black outlaw or I'm a dodo!"