JACK IS RESCUED.
But Jack was not dead. When he returned to consciousness, he was
surprised to find himself no longer on the prairie, but lying on
sheep-skins spread over a wooden couch, and covered with a blanket.
He was in a rough kind of tent, and through the turned-back flap of
canvas at the entrance, he could see the prairie. He could remember
nothing of what had happened, and tried to imagine how in the world he
had got into such a place. His head still ached badly, and, putting
his hand up, he found his forehead was bandaged. He felt very weak and
ill, but his surroundings were so strange to him, he tried to sit up
and look about him. The effort was too much for him, and with a groan
of pain he fell back on the sheep-skins.
At the sound he made, a man appeared at the tent-door, and approached
the couch. He was a fine-looking fellow, evidently a Mexican, from his
swarthy complexion, but there was a look of compassion in his dark eyes
that inspired Jack with confidence, and made him feel that he had found
a friend in need.
'Where am I?' he asked feebly, fearing the man would not understand the
English words, and his relief was great when the Mexican answered:
'In my tent. I had lost some sheep last night that scattered in the
storm, and while looking for them, my dog Senor found you lyin' on the
prairie. You were hurt here'--pointing to his forehead--'and I thought
you were dead. I carried you here, and you were nearly gone, but I got
you round at last. You've got mountain fever, and you must keep very
still if you want to get well. Here, drink this.'
[Illustration: '"HERE," SAID THE MEXICAN, "DRINK THIS."']
As he spoke he handed Jack a cup, and the boy, thanking him, drank the
liquid, which the Mexican told him was a kind of tea he made from the
wild sage which grew all over the prairie and was a grand remedy for
agues and fevers.
Jack was suffering from the chill he received in his state of fatigue,
and it was fortunate for him he had been rescued in time by the
shepherd's dog, and had fallen into the hands of such a kind-hearted,
sensible man as Pedro Gomez, who had lived all his life on the prairie
near the mountains, and knew how to treat most of the maladies that
people were subject to in that part of the country.
He saw Jack was excited, so wisely said, 'I shan't listen to you for a
day or two, but when you're better, then you can tell me where you come
from. It was lucky I found you in time.'
'Yes,' said Jack. 'I believe I asked God to help me, and I expect He
heard, for, ye see, He sent you to me.'
The Mexican listened gravely, and said, 'I reckon you've got Him to
thank for it arter all, for it was strange we should come across you,
and not another soul near you for miles.'
He then gave Jack injunctions to lie very still until he returned
again, and prepared to go back to his sheep. He first called his dog
and put him on guard.
'There,' he said; 'if you want me, just tell Senor. He knows more than
many a man, and 'll come for me at once.'
Jack looked gratefully at him, and said wistfully, 'I guess ye don't
hate kids, like Lem?'
'Hate 'em?' repeated Pedro. 'No! My boss has two little uns at his
ranch, and I've nursed 'em often. They just love to play with Senor,
and want me to tell them prairie tales when I'm there all day long.'
Left by himself with Senor, Jack prepared to make friends with him. He
was not a beautiful animal, being a long, thin, vagabond-looking dog;
but faithfulness was stamped in his honest, intelligent face, and Pedro
was right in saying he knew more than many a human being. Jack was
fond of animals, and made the first advances towards his guardian, but
Senor was not disposed to be friendly incautiously. His life had made
him suspicious of strangers, and he _hated boys_.
Like Jack, he had a rough time of it when he went to the Mexican
village with his master, as dogs and boys invariably attacked him. He
therefore avoided them, and at first deemed it wiser not to notice this
boy who spoke to him in a coaxing voice. He had stretched himself down
on the ground near the tent-door, and prepared to spend his hours of
watching with one eye on his charge and the other out-of-doors.
Jack, however, was restless and lonely, and anxious to make friends, so
he continued calling him in a caressing way, until at last Senor
thought he might as well investigate him closer. Accordingly he rose
up, and in a slow, cautious way walked up to the couch, and looked up
in the boy's face.
Apparently he was satisfied with his scrutiny, for when Jack ventured
to pat his rough head, he returned the friendly act by licking his
hand. As Jack talked and caressed him further, Senor gradually threw
off all reserve, and when Pedro returned he was surprised to find the
dog curled up on the couch, as friendly as possible with the invalid.
'Well, that's good! I see Senor has taken to you, boy,' he said
approvingly. 'He can't abide strangers as a rule, so I take it as a
sign as we'll get on all right.'
Pedro was a good nurse, and looked after Jack so well that in a few
days he was able to get up for a bit and sit at the tent-door. He was
very weak, and Pedro told him it was madness to think of trying to
continue his journey for some time.
When Jack was strong enough to tell him his story, Pedro proved a most
interested listener.
'An' where are your folks now?' he asked.
'Over on the Cochetopa Creek,' answered Jack.
'Why, that's way over t'other side o' the range. You'll never get
across the mountain pass alone,' exclaimed Pedro. 'It ain't safe for a
child to wander up there with no one near him. There's bears an'
mountain lions--let alone the timber wolves! You'd be eaten, boy,
afore you'd crossed the divide.'
Jack shuddered. He was afraid of bears. He had never seen one, but
they had always been a terror to him.
'I'm terrible afraid o' bears,' he said truthfully; 'but p'raps I'd
meet someone going over as would let me go with them.'
'You might,' agreed Pedro; 'but winter's coming on fast, an' it'll be
bad getting over the range after November comes. You bide here for a
few weeks with me until my boss comes over again, an' I promise you as
he'll help you along a bit. He'll be right along shortly to bring me
flour an' grub, an' to look at the sheep.'
And so it was decided that Jack should stay on with the Mexican until
Mr. Stuart came again, when they would ask him his opinion as to the
wisest course for Jack to take to get safely over the mountains.
Pedro took a great fancy to his little visitor, and the quiet life in
the tent was very pleasant to Jack after his rough experiences. He was
astonished at the Mexican's cleverness: he seemed able to do anything
with his fingers, and had a wonderful store of knowledge about plants,
insects, and animals, which he had acquired by study and observation in
the long, monotonous hours he spent on the prairie.
Jack's clothes, which at his start from Longview were none of the best,
had suffered a good deal from the wear and tear of travelling, and by
the time he arrived at Pedro's tent they were nothing but rags, and his
boots were all to pieces. He was much distressed at his tattered
garments, whereupon Pedro said he would soon make it all right for him,
and proceeded to hunt out some buckskin leather, which he had tanned
himself. It was quite thin and soft, and out of it he cut a suit for
Jack, and sewed it together. When the clothes were finished, Jack was
delighted with them. They were so comfortable, and the leather shirt
and long-fringed trousers made him look like a little cowboy.
His worn-out boots hurt his feet, so his friend made him a pair of
mocassin shoes, cut out of a single piece of leather, which fitted him
nicely.
Pedro was pleased with the success of his tailoring, and said: 'There,
lad; them clothes 'll never wear out, but 'll last after you've
outgrown 'em.'
The herd of sheep that Pedro looked after numbered over a thousand, and
as winter approached he began driving them towards a place on the
prairie where there were corrals, or yards, to put them in at nights,
and where a hut had been erected for his own use.
As long, however, as the weather permitted, they lived in the tent, and
as Jack grew stronger every day, he was allowed to accompany the
sheep-herder and Senor and help to drive home the sheep in the evening.
Although they never saw anyone, Jack was never dull or lonely, as Pedro
was excellent company. He showed him how to prepare the different
skins of animals they found near their camp, and when Jack was tired of
work, he and Senor would go off to hunt for chipmunks and gophers.
Chipmunks were like small squirrels, and gophers were pretty striped
little animals that played about on the prairie.
It had puzzled Jack very much to find a lonely Mexican sheep-herder
could speak English so well, until he learned from Pedro that he had
lived from the time he was a boy with English people. He had spent
many months every year with his young master, hunting, shooting, or
minding cattle with him, and thus had learnt to speak the language
fluently. He said when Mr. Stuart married and settled down on his
ranch, he wanted him (Pedro) to live in a shanty, and look after things
for him, but the love of camp life was too strong in him, and he begged
his master to give him a situation as a sheep-herder. Mr. Stuart had
done as he wished, and he was as happy and contented as possible in his
rough old tent.