BACK TO THE RANCHO
Great indeed was the happiness of the trio who had made such an
eventful escape from the gang who had attacked them. As they stood
in the stern of their captured vessel, listening for a time to the
shouts of rage which followed them, and the occasional pistol shots
which echoed down the river, each of the three was deeply grateful
for what had been a most lucky escape, and Dudley and Mr. Blunt in
particular felt that they were specially fortunate.
"We can never hope for such luck again," said Mr. Blunt, as he stood,
tiller in hand. "Those rascals would have murdered us as we lay in
the cabin had it not been for the warning we received. Come, Mr.
Joyce, tell us the whole tale again, and how it came about that you
were in this country, and took passage with those men."
Thus encouraged to speak out, Harold sat on the edge of the rail, and
for some ten minutes described all that had happened. Nor did he
neglect to commence from the very beginning, for as yet his story had
come to the ears of his two listeners in scraps only, interrupted by
the shouts of the enemy. Manfully, therefore, with no attempt to
gloss over the painful incident which had been the commencement of
all his troubles, and of Dudley's, he told how he had stood aside and
seen Dudley suffer, how remorse had promptly attacked him, and how he
had made a clean breast of his fault at home, and then, with the
consent and encouragement of his father and mother, had come out to
Montevideo to find Dudley. His listeners knew in what manner the
strange meeting had been brought about, but they were not aware of
the fact that Harold had arrived in Montevideo to hear that Mr.
Bradshaw, to whom Dudley had been sent out, was dead, and that there
was no trace of the lad he sought; he had disappeared.
Those were days when mails travelled from South America often enough
by sailing vessels, for there were very few steamers, and it happened
that the letter which Dudley had written on his arrival in the
country, to his guardian, had reached home after Harold had set out.
Thus it was that the lad found himself seriously embarrassed at the
first stage of his journey.
"I could hear nothing of Dudley," he said, "and so, after idling for
a few days, I came, on the advice of a rancher, up into this
district. It was a piece of pure bad luck taking passage with such a
gang."
"Your pardon! It was a piece of amazing good fortune," contradicted
Mr. Blunt. "For us, I mean, of course; for, lad, had you not come up
with those fellows, had that rascally English sailor not been one of
them, and, above all, had you not had the courage and resolution to
do as you did, your old comrade and I would not be here now. No, no
more, Harold! Dudley and I will listen to no more from you. We know
the whole story, and it is clear to us what has happened. Lad, there
are many people who get out of line, who do mean and contemptible
tricks. I am not attempting to excuse your faults, let me tell you,
but, as I say, many people sin, and go on sinning. You have learned
a lesson from this fault. You have turned over a new leaf, and as a
man who prides himself on his knowledge of human nature, I say
definitely, without fear of contradiction, that the lad who can make
up for his fault as you have done, who can face the angry friends of
the late captain of the school, wrongfully accused, who can declare
his own guilt to his parents, and then, not content, can follow out
here, covering so many miles, with the one purpose of meeting that
old friend and asking his forgiveness, is one who has good in him.
You have behaved nobly, Harold. From this moment Dudley and I are
your fast friends. We will prove it if you wish. Come with us to
the estancia and see the life of the gauchos. You shall have a post
under my manager, and pay in proportion. There, lad, it's a real
pleasure to meet you."
The tall, kindly owner of the estancia stretched out one hand and
gripped Harold's. Mr. Blunt was a sympathetic man who seemed to be
able to dip under the surface, to read the thoughts and feelings of
those with whom he came in contact. There was some magnetic
attraction about him which drew young fellows to him, which made him
their friend almost from the first moment, and led them to confide in
him, just as Dudley had done so soon after their chance meeting. Was
it extraordinary, therefore, if Harold Joyce fell under the same
spell? These were some of the first really kind words he had heard
for many a day. The lad was deliriously happy. His troubles had
been sliding rapidly from his shoulders, and in an hour, it seemed,
he had regained his old friend, and had won another. He gripped the
extended hand, shook it eagerly, and then burst into tears, tears
which he stifled in an instant.
"I came out here to be a man, to act like one if possible, and to
show that I was not altogether bad," he said, steadying his voice.
"If you and Dud will have me, why----"
"You'll come, old chap," chimed in Dudley.
"I will. It will be ripping."
"Then that is settled," said Mr. Blunt. "Now I think it is high time
we discussed some other matter. We seem to have forgotten that we
are sailing down the Paraná in a strange vessel. The question is,
shall we drop anchor and wait till morning, or shall we carry on down
to Buenos Ayres?"
"The question is settled already," burst in Dudley, "for we cannot
anchor if we wish to do so. You forget that the gang who attacked us
cut their cable when we were escaping, and that you yourself tossed
the spare anchor into the boat which came alongside. So far as I can
see there is nothing to be done but to carry on till morning."
As it happened, however, the voyage downstream which the trio had
been compelled to make was shortly afterwards brought to a sudden
conclusion. It was densely dark, and in consequence steering was
impossible, for it was seldom that Mr. Blunt caught a glimpse of the
banks. Indeed, some few minutes later the boat grounded upon a bank
of mud, coming to a standstill so gently that those aboard were
hardly aware of the circumstances.
"The difficulty vanishes," laughed Mr. Blunt, when all were sure of
what had occurred. "We may just as well make ourselves comfortable
for the remainder of the night, for we are fast ashore. I don't
think we need fear a second attack from our enemies, for they are far
behind us, and if they venture to follow will probably run past us
without even seeing our spars. But I fancy they will be too busy
looking to their own safety. They know very well that I shall take
steps to have a search made for them, though it is little enough that
one can expect from such action. Still, there are police down at
Buenos Ayres, and some also at the settlements lying between us and
that city. I shall make complaints, and try to stir the authorities
up to some sort of action. But I fear little will come of it, for
the cities and settlements are too busy to spare men for police
duties, as a rule, while the country is so vast, there are such
numbers of unregistered foreigners in it, that arrest of evildoers
becomes a rare occurrence. Still, I will make my complaints, and
will then return to the estancia. For the next few months I will
devote myself to the building of forts, for I know now that the
rascal who has on former occasions caused attacks to be made on me is
still in the country. He will not rest after this. There are a
hundred cut-throats to be had in the ports of Montevideo and Buenos
Ayres, broken down gauchos and other ruffians. We must make
preparation to meet them in case a second band is organized. And now
for a sleep. As I said, there is practically no fear of
interruption, for now that those rascals have failed they will be
eager to make good their escape."
Feeling secure against further attack, and having assured themselves
that their vessel was hard and fast on the mud, the trio lowered the
sail and stepped down into the cabin so lately occupied by the
Italian and his rascals. The door had been left wide open, and as a
consequence the pokey little place had been thoroughly aired.
However, when the lamp had been set alight, the feeble illumination
it gave showed to some extent the character of its late inhabitants.
Tin pannikins, some half-filled with spirit and water, still lay on
the table, while the stone jar had rolled on to the floor, where it
had smashed into a hundred pieces, scattering them and what little
was left of the contents all over the cabin. Dudley at once took a
broom, which he found on the deck, and swept the boards clean. Then
some sacking was procured, and within a little while all were fast
asleep, Harold hugging himself closely in some sacking; for the night
had been a little cool, and his soaking garments had not conduced to
warmth.
A brilliant sun greeted the trio as they came on deck on the
following morning.
"As I thought," said Mr. Blunt in tones of satisfaction. "We are
ashore on the mud, and should be able to push the vessel off with
poles. No damage has been done to our craft, and we shall soon have
an opportunity of acting as navigators. But what about some
breakfast? Come, Harold, you shall be our cook to-day, and Dudley
shall supervise your work. He is a practised hand after his life on
the pampas."
The two young fellows ran off to see what the ship's larder
contained, and very soon a column of black smoke was rising from the
funnel which protruded from the galley. As for Mr. Blunt, while he
waited the results of his two young friends' efforts, he carefully
surveyed his surroundings, and was overjoyed to see, a mile or more
up the river, and almost wholly out of sight round a gentle bend, the
boat which he and Dudley had chartered.
"Then I feel fairly sure of obtaining my goods again," he said, as he
watched the craft. "I see no one moving aboard her, and as she, too,
has run ashore, I fancy the rascals who were aboard her have
decamped. But they shall hear from me later, and in the meanwhile I
have a bone to pick with the crew of both vessels. It seems to me
that they must have known of this proposed attack, and have absented
themselves purposely."
This was, indeed, the fact, for unknown to him the crew of the boat
he had chartered had slipped ashore across the gangway soon after the
hands he had hired had made their way to the saloons; while the men
who manned the boat on which he found himself now had dropped into
their small boat and followed the same plan.
It was in the dinghy which they had used to get ashore that his own
hands had put out into the river in order to join their accomplices.
"Breakfast!" shouted Dudley, appearing at the door of the galley in
his shirt sleeves, and bearing a smoking pan in his hands. "Now,
Harold, pass Mr. Blunt the bill of fare and get into the cabin to lay
the cloth. We shall want forks and knives."
Harold Joyce, his face radiant, a merry smile on his lips, issued on
to the deck, slate in hand, and ran to Mr. Blunt. A
disreputable-looking object he appeared, too, for he had merely a
shirt, socks, and overall trousers to clothe him, and they were by no
means improved by his immersion during the night.
"Fish first, sir?" he cried, as he pushed his slate before Mr. Blunt
and pointed to the letters scrawled in chalk. "We found a good
supply, which was quite fresh. Then we come to eggs, poached or
boiled, sir?"
"'Pon my word, trust youngsters to look after a meal!" laughed the
owner of the estancia. "And what a feast it is, to be sure! Fish,
eggs, toast and coffee! A bill of fare fit for a king! Boiled,
please, Harold, and if there is a good supply I can manage two. By
the way, lad, what about that wound? I had forgotten it entirely,
for you have not even mentioned it."
Harold flushed to his eyes again. "It's nothing at all," he said
hastily. "It did not even keep me awake. However, you may see it if
you wish."
His shirt was all stained with blood about one shoulder. Mr. Blunt
therefore at once helped him to slip the garment off. Then he
examined the wound critically; living as he did miles away from a
settlement, he had in course of time become quite accomplished in the
art of treating hurts, for the gauchos often came to grief.
"I should not make so little of it as you do," he said with one of
his friendly smiles. "However, the ball has done no great damage.
It struck the very edge, slipped under the skin, and flew out again.
The wound is little more than skin deep, it is true, but none the
less painful. As soon as we get back to our own vessel I will dress
it, for I have nothing with me here. Now let us have that breakfast;
I admit that I have a huge appetite."
It was a merry party which sat down in the tiny cabin below, and the
jollity of the trio was not a little due to the good fare placed
before them. Dudley had long since had lessons in camp cooking from
Pietro and the other gauchos, and could poach an egg so well that
even the most delicate appetite would be tempted by it. He was an
expert in the manufacture of steaming coffee, and with Harold's help
had produced an excellent repast.
"It was my first experience of cooking," laughed Harold, as he
tackled a piece of fish, "and I confess I like the work. It
interests me, and I shall devote heaps of time to it. Then I mean to
learn how to ride these American horses, and how to shoot. Dud has
been telling me something about it all, and I am sure I shall enjoy
the life of the rancho."
"Take your lessons from him, then," answered Mr. Blunt. "He can
shoot, as even the gauchos admit, and they are very grudging with
their praise in that respect. He has a good seat in the saddle, and
above all he knows how to work with the men. That is a great secret.
The manager, the officer, even the proprietor of a business, who has
a way with his men, who studies their comfort, respects them, and
gains their sympathy, while at the same time insisting on obedience,
gains as well their respect. You must make that your aim, lad. Show
the men that you can ride and shoot, that you are not afraid even of
Indians, and then they will be friends of yours. That reminds me;
there are Indians near the rancho. You will have to expect sudden
raids, and there is not the slightest doubt that now we who live on
the rancho shall carry our lives in our hands. Now, does that deter
you?"
Harold shook his head vigorously.
"If you and Dudley are there, that is good enough for me," he
answered briskly. "I shall do my best to share in the fighting if
the Indians come. But tell me more about them, please. Dudley
mentioned something about a raid which was made quite recently."
As they discussed the meal Mr. Blunt outlined their doings on the
rancho since he and Dudley had arrived from England, and did not fail
to give due praise to his young manager. The tale opened Harold
Joyce's eyes very wide indeed, and after that he looked at his old
friend with increasing admiration, and swore once again that his old
captain should be his model for the future.
"Now for work," said Mr. Blunt, when all the good things had
disappeared. "We will hoist the sail first of all, and then push the
vessel off the mud. There is a fine fresh breeze blowing upstream,
and that should help us along wonderfully."
"What will happen when we get opposite the port again?" asked Dudley.
"We have no anchor, and if we drop our sail we shall soon drift
downstream again."
"There is a simple way out of the difficulty," was the prompt answer.
"I will run her ashore on a soft spot as near the port as possible.
Then I will go to the port authorities, make my complaints, and hire
a boat and a couple of men to take us down to our own vessel."
They laid hold of the tackle at once, and by dint of much hauling
finally got their sail up. Then the wind helped them more than they
had expected, for, filling the sail at once, it drove them off the
mud out into the middle of the stream. A little movement of the
tiller brought the bow into the right direction, and very soon they
were bowling along towards their destination. Indeed, in an hour
they were opposite the port, which consisted of an official residence
and office, a few private houses, and the odious saloons. There was
a patch of soft mud just above the wharf, and Mr. Blunt calmly ran
the vessel ashore there, dropping the sail when she was securely
embedded. An hour later he and his young friends were aboard their
own boat.
"As I thought," he said. "My complaints of those rascals were
listened to politely. The official was all sympathy, but when it
came to a question of action he merely shrugged his shoulders and
pointed out that he had no one to help him. But he promised to send
a report down to Buenos Ayres, while I myself will set private agents
to work to make inquiries for me. However, our friend the official
has promised to procure men to help in the loading, so that we may be
off to-night."
Indeed, that same evening saw them sailing up the river, their old
crew having come aboard.
"Of course they expressed the utmost surprise and indignation," said
Mr. Blunt to Dudley, as the captain and his men filed aboard. "What
can one say? I suspect them strongly. In fact I am positive that
they kept out of the way purposely. However, they are necessary to
us, and the failure of their friends will make them careful of their
behavior in the future."
On the following day the vessel put in at the port at which Mr.
Blunt's cattle were shipped, and they found Pepito waiting for them
there, while half a dozen of the gauchos had ridden in to help with
the logs, and to carry to the estancia the goods which had been
bought in Buenos Ayres.
"Now, Harold, you will be able to pick a horse, and try what it is to
sit a South American saddle," cried Dudley, as the party prepared to
ride away. "See here, I will give you a lesson in mounting."
Pepito had brought Dudley's favorite horse to meet him, and striding
up to the beast he sprang into the saddle with a bound which
surprised the lad who was watching. The reins were gathered up in an
instant, the feet seemed to find the stirrups by themselves, and in a
moment he was off. But Dudley swung his animal round when fifty
yards away, brought him back at a gallop, and was on his feet beside
Mr. Blunt at the very moment when his horse came to a standstill.
"Just what I have been longing for ever since we left for Buenos
Ayres," he laughed. "Life on shipboard may be very nice, but give me
the open pampas and a horse."
"And me also," sang out Mr. Blunt, as he climbed into his saddle.
"You will learn it all in a little while, Harold, and, like Dudley,
will enjoy every minute of the day. For me the life is fascinating,
and I'll be bound that you will find it the same. But come along.
Let us be off."
Harold had had some practice with horses in England, and he mounted
the beast he had chosen without so much as a qualm. But he soon
found that an American saddle and a fresh, almost wild, horse were
very different from pigskin and the hacks one usually obtains
elsewhere. Still, he sat well, and managed his steed after a little
practice. Indeed, he soon felt so much at home that he was able to
take some note of his surroundings, and was delighted with the
pampas. As to the camp they formed that night, the hearty meal, and
his bed under the shelter of his saddle, the boy simply revelled in
the experience, and woke as rosy and happy as possible. Within a
week he had quite settled down to the new life, and ever by the side
of our hero had ridden from end to end of the rancho. By then a good
proportion of the logs which Mr. Blunt had ordered had been delivered
at the wharf on the river, and had been divided.
"I have arranged for the work of fort building to go on at each of
the corrals at one and the same time," said the owner of the
estancia, as he and the lads sat in the one room of the house one
evening after the day's ranching was done. "And I will give you my
reasons for such a step. A plan that appeared some three weeks ago
to be one demanding no haste is now one which undoubtedly demands
instant execution. I shall not feel secure till all the forts are
erected."
"Then have you had news of the roughs who attacked us?" demanded
Dudley anxiously, for ever since the attack made upon them on the
river he had been thinking of the consequences. He had now obtained
some insight into the conditions of this portion of South America,
and knew that the Entre Rios district was one which lay at the mercy
of any well-organized gang of brigands who cared to take to the
pampas. He had met a few of the neighboring ranchers, all of whom
had at some time been victims of the Indian raids, or of sudden onset
by white outlaws, and he knew now how real was the danger of which
Mr. Blunt had warned him on the way out to the country. "You have
heard something?" he asked. "What is the news, sir?"
"There is little, but what I have gathered is bad," was the prompt
answer. "I set agents to work, and already I have had a report. The
ringleader of the gang who attacked us on the way up the river--I
mean, of course, the ruffian who organized them, but who took no
active part, has not yet been discovered. But the authorities in
Montevideo have had warning that a gang is being formed. They have
had complaints about these marauders before, and as far as possible
they endeavor to send warning to the ranchers. They tell me that it
has come to their knowledge that the graziers in the Entre Rios
district are to be attacked; but where the gang of rascals is now,
when they will commence operations, and of how many they consist, the
agents have no definite information. So we must be prepared, for the
storm will burst when least expected, and those who have made no
preparation will go under. For that reason I am setting all the
hands I can procure to work at the forts, and I shall not rest till
they are completed."
That he was ill at ease was evident, and from that date, for a month,
building operations went on feverishly, and wooden forts were erected
close to each one of the corrals. Not till they were finished did
Mr. Blunt consider that he could spare Dudley.
"I have waited till now, as an attack might come at any moment," he
said one day when each one of the forts was declared to be ready.
"We have now finished the first portion of our plan. It remains now
to train the men, to teach them the signals, and to accustom them to
the use of the forts. After that is done we must communicate with
the neighboring ranchers, and I will send you two youngsters to make
all arrangements. You shall set out at the end of the week, and I
will give you an escort, for you might be attacked. Select your own
men, Dudley, and let me know who they are as soon as possible."
The two young fellows could not repress the smile of pleasure which
wreathed their lips at the orders just received. It meant that they
would ride away from the estancia, and that, added to the joy of
camping in the open, there might even be some adventure, for the
times were likely to be stirring. They selected their escort, took a
spare horse apiece, and one fine morning rode from the estancia,
armed to the teeth, and prepared for any trouble which might happen
to come their way.