“You’ve been listening at doors--and behind trees--and down
chimneys--or you couldn’t have known it!”
--_Humpty-Dumpty._
At last, on a happy day, there came to the Judge’s office, demanding
and receiving brief audience, a fat man with an indictable face; a man
disreputable, vast and unkempt, with a sloven’s shoebrush for beard.
Him, so propitiously ill-favored, Aughinbaugh dogged to Leo’s satrapy.
There Leo took cognizance of him and, after a window-breaking progress,
companied him to Juarez.
Mindful of Pringle’s adventure and mishap with the Judge he took a
long chance. Reasoning that, if their theories held good, this man
would take the same route the Judge did, Leo left the car at the first
street before San Rafael and followed it eastward till he came to Calle
Terrazas. After heartbreaking delay he had the satisfaction of seeing
his man turn the corner above and come lurching on his way. Apparently
the delay had not been totally unconnected with the wineshops en route.
Leo took refuge in a curio store, buying things he did not in the least
want. Emerging with his compulsory parcels, he followed in the wake of
the unwieldy leviathan to the International Hotel. Leo entered shortly
after him, ordered supper, and went into eclipse behind a paper. The
big man took another at the bar, called for his key and stumbled
upstairs.
Supper over, Leo loafed aimlessly; and so became involved in many games
of pool with a person in a voluble plaid vest--who beat him shamefully.
After this hanger-on had been encouraged a few times, a careless
mention of the big man ‘on the bat’ elicited the information that the
big man’s name was Borrowman, that he was off his schedule by reason
of his hilarity, since he usually did night work--running a stationary
engine, the pool shark thought, or something like that--that he was a
sulky swine and several other things.
Ballinger lost enough more games and departed to ’phone Aughinbaugh.
Not getting him, he next sent urgent summons to Billy Beebe’s hotel,
the whereabouts of John Wesley being problematical in the extreme. Mr.
Beebe was not in; but the clerk would deliver any message when he came.
So Leo made an appointment, naming a hostelry in the block adjacent to
the International, whither he repaired, engaged a room and kept sharp
watch till Billy came.
After consultation, Billy registered at the International. Borrowman
had not seen him before, whereas he might easily remember Ballinger’s
face and become suspicious. This was no ordinary chase: an alarm meant,
in this case, not a mere temporary setback, but irremediable disaster.
Leo went to El Paso, left an ad. with the papers, the purport of the
same being that the search was “getting warm for enemy of good men and
true,” and then hunted up Pringle and Aughinbaugh. They returned to
Juarez and there separated, to a loitering patrol of the streets east,
south and north of the International House.
Billy passed a tedious evening in the office and barroom of the
International. At midnight Borrowman had not shown up as expected; it
began to look as though his work had gone by the board for that night.
But he came down shortly before one, little the worse for his liquor,
and set forth at once.
When Borrowman came out he turned east at the first corner. A
little in front of him was a slim and sauntering youth--Aughinbaugh
by name--who presently quickened his pace and drew ahead, keeping
straight on. Far behind, Beebe brought up the rear, and on the next
streets, paralleling the quarry’s course, came Pringle on the north and
Ballinger on the south, with varying gaits; one or the other waiting at
each corner till the chase had crossed between them.
So the pursuit drew on for blocks. Aughinbaugh was far ahead, when,
near the town’s edge, Borrowman turned to the left again, northward
to the river. The chase wheeled with him--Pringle, a block to the
north, crossed the street openly and walked briskly ahead; Billy turned
riverward on the street west of him; Aughinbaugh brought up the east
side, and Ballinger fell in behind.
There was no more doubling. Pringle, in front, saw the river close
ahead. The end must be near; he turned east into a side street and
disappeared. Borrowman kept straight on; Ballinger, hidden in a
doorway, close behind, saw him enter an adobe house on the river bank.
It was a dark and shuttered house; no light appeared from within, but
smoke was rising from the chimney.
Ballinger turned back, rounded the block and so foregathered with
Aughinbaugh and Pringle. After a long wait Beebe joined them, guided at
the last by sundry guarded whistlings; slowly, stealthily, tiptoe, they
glided through the rustling shadows to reconnoiter.
The old adobe was flat-roofed and one-storied, as usual. They found
chinks in the shuttered windows. No fire was to be seen; the smoke came
from an underground room; the hunt was over.
Billy plucked Pringle by the sleeve and bent over, clasping Leo in a
fond embrace. After wordless investigation of this human stairway, by
sense of touch, Pringle stepped from Billy’s back to Ballinger’s broad
shoulders, and so wriggled to the roof with noiseless caution.
After an hour-long infinity he reappeared, bulked black and startling
against the starlight; descended, led his little flock to the safety of
the open _playa_ by the river bank and made exultant oration:
“Jeff’s there! Having the time of his life! Chimney goes straight down;
I could hear every word they said. They’re a clever gang of all-round
crooks, counterfeiters, smugglers and what-not. Thorpe is the brains.
They have a stand-in with some of the police and officials. This cellar
was used as a warehouse for storing Chinamen, to be smuggled across
in boatload lots. The other man on guard is fat, as we expected, and
better looking than Borrowman. He was hopping mad at Borrowman for
getting full and leaving him on guard overtime; threatened him with
discipline, gave him a tongue-lashing--Jeff egging him on, enjoying
himself very much and urging Borrowman not to stand such abuse. He
wouldn’t trust Jeff to Borrowman till he was comparatively sober;
cussed him again and made him turn in to sleep it off. So of course
they’ll both be here all night.”
“Why, how can you tell that this other man is better looking than
Borrowman?” asked George, puzzled. “You couldn’t possibly see him.”
“Suppose I didn’t--I’ve seen Borrowman, haven’t I?” retorted Pringle
triumphantly.
“What else did you gather?” asked Billy.
“Well, not much except that we had it all figured out about right. They
kept him there at first to make him join ’em. He wouldn’t, and what
they are keeping him for instead of wiping him out I don’t just see.
I’d sure hate to have to keep him. And now, boys, us for El Paso, U. S.
A. No more to be done here to-night.”
“How are we going to get him out without getting him slightly killed?”
demanded George. “I can sit down in an office and study things out, all
right--I learned deduction from observing Hibler’s methods of settling
up estates. But when it comes to violent action I don’t know which foot
goes first.”
“Easiest thing there is,” said Pringle. “We’ll put him wise by a
personal. To-morrow we’ll keep out of sight for a day to give him time
to see it. We’ll get a hook, a line and a gun, wait till only one man
is with Jeff, till Jeff is standing by the fire, and till he gives us
the signal we mention in our little ad. Then we let the gun down the
chimney to him and he’ll do the rest. Why, it’s the only way! There
ain’t no other way, and couldn’t be. Two days more and the jig is
strictly up. Let’s go home and sleep those two days.”