THREE IN A TRAP.
The day was declining when Frank, Dick, and Brad came down into El Diablo Valley. It was, indeed, a dark, wild place, and for some time it seemed almost impossible of access. No plain trail led into it. On an elevation in the valley they had seen a ruined pile that bore a strong resemblance to a crumbling castle. The very appearance of these buildings belied the tale that Joaquin Murietta had built them there. Had they been so recently constructed their ruined condition was unaccountable. It seemed certain that at least a hundred years had passed since their erection. About the valley and the castle appeared hanging an air of mystery and romance.
That any one should choose such a remote and desolate spot to rear those buildings was beyond comprehension to the three young Americans who now beheld the ruins for the first time. Somehow those crumbling stones reminded them of the march of Cortez and his conquering treasure hunters. What Spaniard of that day, left behind in Mexico and supposed to be dead, had enriched himself with the treasures of the Aztecs and had escaped northward, only to find himself imprisoned in the new land, and to finally use a part of his treasures to erect this castle?
During the middle hours of the day alone did the southern sunshine fall soft and golden in El Diablo Valley. Therefore, they descended into the shadows and approached the castle, which seemed to lie silent and deserted in the midst of the valley.
“It’s a whole lot strange we never heard of this place before,” observed Buckhart. “Of course, others have seen it.”
There was a cloud on Dick’s face.
“Do you think, Frank,” he questioned, “that there is any hope of finding Felicia here? Since leaving the mission we have seen nothing to indicate that we were still on the right trail.”
“It’s a good deal like hunting for a needle in a hay-stack,” confessed Merry.
“Maybe those galoots who have her doubled back on us,” suggested Brad. “Maybe they turned on us there at the mission.”
“It’s not impossible,” was Merry’s regretful admission. “However, we are here, and we will find what there is to find.”