A DARING LEAP.
For the moment neither Alano nor myself spoke as we gazed at the gap
before us. Then I gave a groan which seemed to come from my very soul.
"We are lost, Alano! They have hemmed us in!"
My Cuban chum did not answer. Instead, he gazed to the right and the
left.
But this was useless. On our right was a stony undergrowth impossible
to traverse, on the left a thick jungle leading down into what looked
like a bottomless morass.
The hoof-strokes of the pursuing horses sounded nearer, and I expected
every moment to see the band of Spanish cavalrymen dash into sight
with drawn arms, ready to shoot or cut us down. Alano must have been
thinking the same, for I saw him grate his teeth hard.
"Mark!" he cried suddenly. "Come, it's our only hope."
"What?"
"To cross the stream."
"But how? We can't jump it."
"We'll make the horses do it. Be quick, or it will be too late. Watch
me. I am certain these horses know how to do the trick."
He rode back a distance of two hundred feet. Then on he came, like the
wind, his animal well in hand. A cry of command, and the horse rose in
the air and went over the chasm like a bird.
Could I do as well? There was no time left to speculate on the subject.
Our pursuers were but just around the turn. I rode back as Alano had
done and started to make the leap.
"_Halte!_" It was the cry of Captain Crabo, who was in the lead of the
oncoming cavalrymen. I paid no attention. The edge of the mountain
stream was reached, and I cried to my horse to move forward.
But he was stubborn, and made a balk for which I was hardly prepared.
Down went his front feet against a bit of sharp rock, and the shock
threw me over his head and directly into the middle of the mountain
torrent!
I heard Alano give a cry of alarm, and then the waters closed over my
head. Down and down I went, for at this point the water was at least
fifteen feet deep. The sunlight was shut out as I passed under several
overhanging rocks, only to bump up against the roots of a tree, where
the water rushed rapidly in several directions.
Dazed to such an extent that I hardly knew what I was doing, I caught
at the roots, held fast, and drew my head above the surface of the
stream. I was out of sight of those who were after me, and prudently
concluded to remain where I was.
My hiding-place was far from agreeable. The tree roots were slimy, and
I imagined they must be the home of water snakes. Just over my head was
a mass of soil over which crawled innumerable black beetles, some as
big as a man's thumb. Within reach of my hand, a large green-and-white
frog blinked at me in amazement.
The shouts of the Spaniards reached me in a muffled way, as I heard
them dismount and tramp up and down the torrent in search of me. I
expected every moment to be discovered, but that moment did not come,
and quarter of an hour passed.
By this time I could scarcely hold on longer to the tree roots. I
listened as well as I could, and, hearing no sound, let go my hold. The
rush of water speedily carried me fifteen feet further down the stream,
and here I caught hold of some bushes and pulled myself up on the bank
and out of sight.
I was now on the same side to which Alano had crossed, and I soon
discovered that several of the Spaniards had also come over, although
on foot. They were in the neighborhood of the highway, and I could make
out enough of their talk to know they were deploring their luck in not
being able to find me and stop my Cuban chum.
Feeling that it would be foolhardy to leave my place of concealment
for some time to come, I endeavored to make myself as comfortable as
possible under the shelter of a clump of wild orange trees. These were
full of the tempting-looking fruit, which, however, I found on sampling
was so bitter it fairly puckered my mouth. But in my bag were some
biscuits, and, as these were thoroughly water-soaked, I ate several
with a relish.
Twice did the Spaniards pass within fifty feet of my hiding-place, and
each time I felt like giving myself up for lost. They remained in the
vicinity until nearly sundown, and then withdrew in the direction from
whence they had come, growling volubly among themselves over their
ill-luck.
With cautious steps I left the clump of wild oranges, and hurried to
the highway. As Alano was on horseback, I felt he must have kept to the
road. How far he had gone there was no telling, although it must be
several miles if not much further.
While at the military academy we boys had, like many other school
fellows, adopted a peculiar class whistle. This I felt certain Alano
would remember well, and, at the risk of being spotted, I emitted the
whistle with all the strength of my lungs, not once, but half a dozen
times.
I listened intently, but no answer came back; and, satisfied that my
chum was not within hearing, I went on my way, up the road, keeping an
eye open for any enemy who might be in ambush.
It was now growing dark, and I felt that in another half-hour night
would be upon me. To be alone in that wilderness was not pleasant, but
just then there appeared to be no help for it.
At the distance of half a mile I stopped again to whistle. While I was
listening intently I fancied I heard a rustle among the trees to my
right. I instantly dove out of sight behind some brush, but the noise
did not continue, and I concluded it must have been made by some bird.
Presently the road took another turn and made a descent into a canyon
from which the light of day had long since fled. I hesitated and looked
forward. Certainly the prospect was not an inviting one. But to turn
back I felt would be foolish, so I went on, although more cautiously
than ever.
At the bottom of the hollow was a bit of muddy ground, over which a
mass of cut brush had been thrown, probably to make the passage safer
for man and beast. I had just stepped on this brush when something
whizzed through the air and encircled my neck. Before I could save
myself, I was jerked backward and felt a rawhide lasso cutting into my
windpipe. I caught hold of the rawhide and tried to rise, but several
forms arose out of the surrounding gloom and fell upon me, bearing me
to the earth.