MEETINGS AND GREETINGS.
It was no time for explanations. Jim Montfort put out a hand like a pine
knot, and gave Rita's fingers a huge shake.
"Glad to find you, cousin," he said. "I've been looking for you. Now,
what's up over there?" He nodded in the direction of the fire.
"A _candela_," said Delmonte, briefly. "I must get back; there are women
there. If one of your men will catch me that horse--"
"But you are wounded!" cried Rita. "Cousin, he is shot in the arm. Do
not let him go!"
Delmonte laughed. "It's nothing, Miss Montfort," he said; "but nothing
at all, I assure you. When we get to camp you shall put some carbolic
acid on it, and tie it up for me; that's field practice in Cuba. I shall
be proud to be your first field patient." He spoke in his usual laughing
way; but suddenly his face changed, and he leaned toward her swiftly,
his hand on the horse's mane. "I shall never forget this time--our ride
together," he said. "I hope you will not forget either--please? And now,
Miss Montfort, I have no further right over you. I would have done my
best, I think you know that; but--I must give you into your cousin's
protection. You will remain here?"
"Of course she will!" said Cousin Jim, who had heard only the last
words. "I'll go with you, comrade. Raynham, Morton, you will mount guard
by the lady."
The troopers saluted, and raised their hats civilly to Rita, inwardly
cursing their luck. Because they owned the next ranch to Jim Montfort,
was that any reason why they should lose all the fun? and why could not
girls stay at home where they belonged?
But Rita herself cried out and clasped her hands, and ran to her cousin.
"Oh, Cousin Jim--Senor Delmonte--let me go with you! Please, please let
me go back. My poor Manuela--Marm Prudence--they may be hurt, wounded.
There can be no danger with all these brave men. Cousin, I have been in
a camp hospital, I know how to dress wounds. I can be quiet--Senor
Delmonte, tell him I can be quiet!"
She looked eagerly at Delmonte.
"I can tell him that you are the bravest girl I ever saw," he said.
"But, you have been through a great deal. I don't like to have you go
back among those rascals."
James Montfort stroked his brown beard thoughtfully.
"Guess it's safe enough," he said at last. "Guess there's enough of us
to handle 'em. Don't know but on the whole she'll be better off with
us. My sister Peggy wouldn't like to miss any circus there was going,
would she, little girl? Catch another of those beasts for the lady,
Bill!"
Rita, with one of her quick gestures, caught his great hand in both
hers. "Oh, you good cousin!" she cried. "You dear cousin! You are the
very best and the very biggest person in the world, and I love you."
"Well, well, well!" said Cousin Jim, somewhat embarrassed. "There,
there! so you shall, my dear; so you shall. But as for being big, you
should see Lanky 'Liph of Bone Gulch. Now there--but here is your horse,
missy."
The horses of the dead Spaniards had been circling about them, more or
less shyly. Two of them were quickly caught by the rough riders, and
Rita and Delmonte mounted. As they did so, both glanced toward the spot
where lay the brave horse that had borne them so well.
"It was for life indeed, Aquila!" said Captain Jack, softly. His eyes
met Rita's, and she saw the brightness of tears in them. Next moment
they were galloping back to the _residencia_.
They came only just in time. Not ten minutes had passed since they left
the courtyard, but in that time the savage Spaniards had done their work
well. The house itself was in flames, and burning fiercely. Good Don
Annunzio lay dead, carbine in hand, on the steps of his ruined home.
Beside him lay the Creole youth in whose charge Delmonte had left
Manuela. The lad was still alive, for as Delmonte bent from the saddle
above him he raised his head.
"I did my best, my captain!" he said. "They were too many."
"Where are they?" asked Delmonte and Montfort in one breath.
The boy pointed down the road; raised his hand to salute, and fell back,
dead.
[Illustration: "NOW AGAIN IT WAS A RIDE FOR LIFE."]
Now again it was a ride for life--not their own life this time. Rita had
clean forgotten herself. The thought of her faithful friend and servant
in the hands of the merciless Spaniards turned her quick blood to fire.
She galloped steadily, her eyes fixed on the cloud of dust only a few
hundred yards ahead of them, which told where the enemy was galloping,
too.
Jim Montfort glanced at her, and nodded to himself. "She'll do!" he said
in his beard. "Montfort grit's good grit, and she's got it. This would
be nuts to little Peggy."
Jack Delmonte, too, looked more than once at the slender figure riding
so lightly between him and the big rough rider. How beautiful she was!
He had not realised half how beautiful till now. What nerve! what
steadiness! It might be the _Reina de Cuba_, Donna Hernandez herself,
riding to victory.
He felt an unreasonable jealousy of "Cousin Jim." Half--nay! a quarter
of an hour ago, she was riding with him; there were only they two in
the world, they and Aquila, poor Aquila,--who had given his life for
theirs. She was his comrade then, his charge, his--and now she was Miss
Montfort, a young lady of fortune and position, under charge of her
cousin, a Yankee captain of rough riders; and he, Jack Delmonte,
was--nothing in particular.
As he was thinking these thoughts, Rita chanced to turn her head, and
met his gaze fixed earnestly upon her. She blushed suddenly and deeply,
the lovely colour rising in a wave over cheeks and forehead; then turned
her head sharply away.
"Now I have offended her!" said Jack. "Idiot!" and perhaps he was not
very wise.
But there was little time for thinking or blushing. The Spaniards,
seeing Delmonte, whom they regarded as the devil in person, descending
upon them in company with a giant and an army (for so they described
the band of rough riders at headquarters next day), abandoned their
prisoners. The Americans chased them for a mile or so, killed three or
four, and, as they reported, "scared the rest into Kingdom Come,"
leaving them only on coming to a thick wood, into which the Gringos,
leaping from their horses, vanished, and were seen no more. The victors
then returned to the forlorn little group of women and negroes, huddled
together by the roadside. Rita had already dismounted, and had Manuela
in her arms. She felt her all over, hurrying question upon question.
"My child, you are not hurt? not wounded? these ruffians--did they dare
to touch you? did they have the audacity to speak to you, Manuela? Oh,
why did I leave you? I could not help it; you saw I could not help it.
You are _sure_ you have no hurt?"
"But, positively, senorita," said Manuela. "See! not a scratch is on me.
They--one fellow--offered to tie my hands; I scratched him so well that
he ran away. I am safe, safe--praise be to all saints, to our Holy Lady,
and the Senor Delmonte. But--poor Cerito, senorita? what of him? he was
with us; he fought like a lion. I saw him fall--"
"Poor Cerito!" said Rita, gravely. "He was a brave, brave lad. A
thousand sons to Cuba like him!"
Donna Prudencia was sitting apart on a stone by the roadside. Rita went
up to her, took her hand, and kissed her cheek. The Yankee woman looked
kindly at her and nodded comprehension, but did not speak. Rita stood
silent for a few minutes, timidly stroking the brown cheek and white
hair. Her cousin Margaret came into her mind. What would Margaret say,
if she were here? She would know the right word, she always did.
"Marm Prudence," she said, presently, "to have the memory of a hero, of
one who dies for his country,--that is something, is it not? some
little comfort?"
Marm Prudence did not answer at once.
"Mebbe so," she said, presently. "Mebbe so, Miss Margaritty. Noonzio was
a good man. Yes'm, I've lost a good husband and a good home! A good
husband and a good home!" she repeated. "That's all there is to it, I
expect." Her rugged face was disturbed for a moment, and she hid it in
her hands; when she looked up, she was her own composed self.
"And what's the next thing?" she asked. "Thank you, Cap'n Delmonty, I'm
feeling first-rate. Don't you fret about me. You done all you could.
I'll never forget what you done. Poor husband's last words before he was
shot was thanking the Lord Miss Margaritty was off safe. We knew we
could trust her with you."
"Indeed," said honest Delmonte, "it is not me you must thank, Donna
Prudencia. I did what I could, but it was Captain Montfort and his men
who saved both her life and mine."
He told the story briefly, and Marm Prudence listened with interest.
"Well," she said, "that was pretty close, wasn't it? Anyway, you done
all you could, Cap'n Jack, and nobody can't do no more. And he's Miss
Margaritty's cousin, you say? I want to know! He's big enough for three,
ain't he?"
Rita laughed, in spite of herself. She beckoned to Cousin Jim, who came
up and shook hands with the widow with grave sympathy. But he seemed
preoccupied, and, while they were preparing to return to the ruined
farm, he was pulling his big beard and meditating with a puzzled air.
"Look here!" he broke out at last, addressing his men. "I've been
wondering what was wrong. I couldn't seem to round up, somehow, and now
I've got it. Where's that poor old Johnny? I left him with you when I
rode forward to reconnoitre."
The rough riders looked at one another, and hung their heads.
"Guess he must have dropped behind," said Raynham. "We didn't wait long
after you signalled to us to come on. We--came."
"That's so!" clamoured the rough riders, in sheepish chorus. "We came,
Cap'n Jim. That's a fact!"
"Well--that's all right!" said Jim. "You might have brought the old
Johnny along, though, seems to me. Two of you ride back and get him;
you, Bill, and Juckins. If he seems used up, Juckins can carry him, pony
and all."
Juckins, a huge Californian, second only to Montfort in stature,
chuckled, and rode off with Raynham at a hand gallop.
Montfort turned to Rita.
"I haven't had time to tell you about it before," he said. "Cousin Rita,
I've been hunting for you for three days. We met an old Johnny--an old
gentleman, I should say--riding about on a pony, for all the world like
Yankee Doodle. He'd got lost, poor old duffer, among these inferior
crossroads, and didn't know whether he was in China or Oklahoma. We
picked him up, and, riding along, it came out that he was searching for
his ward, a young lady who had run away from a convent. Ever heard of
such a person, missy? He had started out alone, to ride about Cuba till
he found her. Kind of pocket Don Quixote, about five foot high, white
hair, silk clothes; highly respectable Johnny."
"Don Miguel!" cried Rita. "Poor, dear, good Don Miguel! I have never
written to him, wicked that I am. Oh, where is he, Cousin Jim?"
"Come to ask him," Jim continued, "it appeared that the young lady's
name was Montfort. Now, I had just had a letter from Uncle John,
wanting me to raise the island to get hold of you and ship you North at
once. He had had no letters; was alarmed, you understand. Laid up with a
bad knee, or would have come himself. I was just going to start back to
the city in search of you, when up comes Don Quixote. When he heard I
was your cousin, he fell into my arms, pony and all. Give you my word he
did! Almost lost him in my waistcoat pocket. I cheered him up a bit, and
we've been poking about together these three days, looking for General
Sevillo's camp. Thought you might be there. We were camping by the
roadside when we heard your firing. Ah! here he comes now!"
The rough riders came back, their horses trotting now, instead of
galloping. Between them, ambling gently along, was a piebald pony of
amiable appearance, and on the pony sat a little old gentleman with
snow-white hair and a face as mild and gentle as the pony's own. At
sight of Rita running to meet him, he uttered a cry of joy, and checked
his horse. Next moment he had dismounted, and had her in his arms,
sobbing like a child.
"Dear Donito Miguelito!" cried Rita. "Forgive me! please do forgive me,
for frightening you. I could not go to the convent, indeed I could not.
I am a wretch to have treated you so, but I could not go to that place."
"Of course you could not, my child," said the good old man. "_Nunc
dimittis_, Domine! Now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace. Of
course you could not."
"I could not live with Concepcion; don't you know I could not, Donito
Miguelito?"
"The thought is impossible, my Pearl. Speaking with all possible
respect, the Senora Montfort, though high-born and accomplished, is a
hysterical wildcat. You did well, my child; you did extremely well. So
long as I have found you, nothing matters; but, nothing at all. As my
great, my gigantic friend, my colossal preserver, el Capitan Gimmo,
says, 'Ourrah for oz!'"
"Hurrah!" shouted the rough riders.