THE ADVENTURE AT THE MILL-HOUSE
For the moment it must be confessed that Ben was absolutely
dumfounded, and Major Morris also. They had fully expected to see a
woman in the hands of the regulars before them, and they could
scarcely believe the evidence of their own senses.
But if the officers were astonished, the men they confronted were
likewise taken back, and stared in amazement, which quickly gave way
to consternation.
"What do you want?" demanded one, as soon as he could speak. And then
he glanced over their shoulders to see if the newcomers were alone.
"We thought we heard a woman in trouble," answered Ben, slowly.
"And we did hear a woman," put in the major. "Where is she?"
The two regulars exchanged unsteady glances, for each was somewhat the
worse for liquor. "There ain't no woman here," answered one of them,
sullenly.
"Then who was crying for help?" persisted the young captain.
"See here, cap'n, you are on the wrong trail," came from the older of
the regulars. "Me and Bill's jest been having a little rumpus between
ourselves. We meant no harm by it."
"I don't believe you," came from Major Morris, promptly. "There is
some mystery here, and as sure as you're born I'm going to find out
what it is!" he went on.
The major had scarcely finished when Ben's eyes fell to the floor, and
he saw the outline of a trap-door under one of the regular's feet. One
edge of the door was raised about half an inch above the floor proper,
as if the door had been opened and not put back evenly into place.
"Major, look at that trap-door!" he cried. "I'll wager they used it
while we were coming up the outside stairs."
"You must be right, captain. If you'll--"
"We didn't use no trap-door," shouted the younger of the regulars, but
he appeared much disconcerted over the discovery Ben had made.
"Captain, I have them covered," came from Major Morris, as he brought
out the two pistols with which he had wisely provided himself.
"Perhaps you had better investigate."
"I will," returned the young captain, and backed out of the room. The
regulars wanted to stop him, but aiming his weapons at them the major
told them to hold their peace.
"If everything is all right, you won't be harmed," he said. "But it
doesn't look right to me. You have no business here, for one thing."
"And what business have you here?" demanded the older regular. And
then he changed his manner. "We were captured in the fight of last
week, and were just trying to get back to our lines again."
"We'll talk about that when my friend the captain gets back, my man.
If we are treating you unjustly, I'll apologize and do the handsome
thing by you," he added.
In the meantime Ben was making his way down to the bank of the stream,
under the mill, with all possible speed. It was extremely dark, and he
had to pick his way with caution for fear of tumbling into some ugly
hollow. Below the mill was a fall of water, and here the stream ran
between a series of sharp rocks.
Ben had just gained the bank of the stream when a low moan reached
his ears. At first he could not locate the sound, but presently
discovered that it came from the vicinity of the rocks. Feeling his
way along he managed, but not without great difficulty, to gain the
top of the rocks. Here he saw the water foaming and boiling twenty
feet below.
"That woman must be down there," he muttered. Then he raised his
voice. "Where are you?"
"Down here, by the rocks!" came back faintly. "Help! please help me!"
Locating the voice as well as he was able, the young captain began
crawling down from one rock to another. This was difficult work, and
he had to move with extreme care for fear of a tumble, which would
land him directly into the boiling stream. At last, however, he found
himself perched on a bit of a shelf, with the water less than two feet
away.
From this point of view he beheld the sufferer, who was swinging in
the water, with her arms tightly clutching a sharp stone which reared
its point just above the surface of the stream. He saw that she was
evidently a Spanish woman, well along in years, and that her dress was
sadly torn, and her long hair was floating loosely over her neck and
face.
It must be confessed that the young captain was perplexed over the
situation that confronted him. The sufferer was just beyond his reach,
and he felt that to plunge into the water after her would be to take a
big risk, for if the stream at this point was over his waist, the
force of the current would carry him off in an instant.
"Can you hold on a few minutes longer?" he called out.
[Illustration: "Can you hold on a few minutes longer?"--_Page 173._]
"No! no! I am too weak," came more faintly than ever. "Help me
quickly, and Heaven will reward you!"
"I will do what I can--but you must hold tight for a minute," answered
Ben.
Just above his head a number of bushes were growing, and among these
he had espied a long, stout-looking shoot. Clambering to this, he
pulled out his pocket-knife and cut it off. Then he leaped down once
more, and holding tight to the rocks with one hand, shoved out the
branch with the other. "Catch hold, if you can," he cried.
The woman understood and gave up the rock for the stick, and Ben
pulled her toward him. It was no easy task, and once it looked as if
she would lose her hold and be swept away. But in a minute the danger
was past, and the young captain was hauling her up to where he stood.
She was thoroughly exhausted, and no sooner did he have her in his
arms than she fainted.
One difficulty had been overcome, but another still remained, and that
was to get up to the safe ground above the rocks. But once again the
bushes growing out of the crevices came into play, and, hauling
himself from one to another, Ben at last found himself safe, with his
burden resting heavily over his shoulder.
It was now that the young captain found the woman was suffering
from a blow over the left temple, from which the blood was slowly
trickling. Laying the form down, he brought out his handkerchief and
bound up the wound as well as he was able. This had just been
accomplished when the sufferer came again to her senses and stared
around her in bewilderment.
"You--you--am I safe?" she asked, in broken English, but in a sweet
voice which went straight to Ben's heart.
"Yes, madam, you are safe," he answered. "Did those two men throw you
into the stream?"
"Yes, yes! Oh, they are villains, senor--great villains."
"I must say they look it, even if they are of our troops," replied the
young captain. "Come, do you think you can walk back to the mill with
me?"
The woman said she would try, and he assisted her to her feet. She was
still very weak, and readily consented to lean on his arm; and thus
they moved slowly back the way the captain of Company D had come.
During all this time Ben had not heard a sound from the house, and he
was anxious to know how Major Morris was faring, although feeling
positive that the major was fully capable of taking care of himself.
Now, as they came closer, he heard loud talking.
"We ain't goin' to stay, major,--an' it ain't right fer you to ask us
to," the older of the regulars was saying.
"You will stay, and that's the end of it," came in the major's
clean-cut tones. "If you attempt to pass through that doorway, I'll
put a bullet through you."
"But we are friends, major, and--"
"I don't know that I am a friend to you. It depends upon what my
companion the captain will have to report when he gets back."
"He won't have nuthin' to report, so far as we are concerned," put in
the younger regular. "We ain't done any wrong, 'ceptin' to quarrel a
bit between us. Everybody has a set-to once in a while, you know."
By this time Ben was tramping up the outside stairs, supporting the
woman as before. Now he pushed his way into the outer room of the
mill-house, the woman following with some hesitancy. At the appearance
of their late victim the regulars fell back as though struck a blow.
"Nice sort of chaps you are," exclaimed Ben, hotly. "You don't deserve
to wear Uncle Sam's uniform. A set of prison stripes would suit both
of you much better."
"Hullo, you've found the lady," cried the major. "Sit down, madam, and
tell us what this means."
A bench was handy, and the sufferer dropped heavily upon it. The
regulars looked as if they wished themselves anywhere but in their
present situation, yet they did not dare to budge, for Major Morris
still held "the drop" upon them, and the commander of the first
battalion looked as if he would stand no nonsense.
"These men came here to rob me," said the woman, slowly. "They are of
your kind, but they are not honest."
"Then they are not of our kind," answered Ben, promptly. "We do not
allow our soldiers to rob anybody."
"We didn't come to steal--" began the older regular, when Major Morris
stopped him.
"Silence! Not another word until the lady has finished her story."
There was a second of painful silence, and the lady continued: "I am
staying at the mill alone, for my husband has gone to the Laguna de
Bay on business. Several hours ago, these two soldiers came in and
demanded that I serve them with a hot supper. Not wishing to have
trouble I gave them the best I had. But they were not satisfied, and
broke into my husband's wine closet and drank two bottles of his
choicest wine, and smoked his best cigarettes, package after package.
Then, after drinking much wine, they demanded that I give them money,
and that man," pointing to the older prisoner, "told his companion
that I must have money hidden somewhere, as all the Spanish
mill-owners in Luzon were rich, while the truth is, we are very poor,
as the war has taken away everything. Then the men drank more, and at
last they caught hold of me and threatened me with great violence if I
did not give up what I had hidden away. I gave them the little silver
I had, but they were not satisfied, and when I tried to run away, one
hit me over the head with this bench. Then they plotted to get me out
of the way entirely and go on a hunt for money themselves. I cried
louder than ever, and then you started to come in. One of the men had
opened that trap leading to the river, and as you came up the outer
stairs both dropped me down, no doubt to drown me. I was swept down to
the rocks at the falls, and there the _capitan_ saved me, God bless
him for it."