Roughriders of the Pampas: A Tale of Ranch Life in South America

by F. S. Brereton

The squat figure seated on the top of an upturned saddle seemed bigger than usual. The flickering light cast by the flames magnified the leader of the brigands, till in Dudley's eyes he seemed to be of vast dimensions. But it was not that which frightened him; it was the words which he had heard, the order which had been given, and which he had been able to understand. More men were to come to the clearing. For an hour or more the place would be tenanted, and by then the dawn would be dangerously near. He must move now. He must risk it.

"Yes, I must risk it," he repeated to himself. "And as I am sure to be followed at once I will take only one of the horses. The other would perhaps delay me, for I have to pass through the forest."

But still he watched the ruffian seated by the fire, while he slid one hand along to the bridle of the fine animal he had selected. The horse moved, turned its shapely head, and whinnied again, as if impatient to get away. As for Antonio, he was in the act of draining his pannikin, but stopped abruptly and swung round on his seat. Then, as if he were suspicious, he came running across to the horses and passed swiftly along the front of the line, examining each picket rope as he passed.

"Ah! Loose!" he exclaimed, as he found one dangling from the headstall. "And this has been cut with some sharp instrument."

There was a note of alarm in his voice now, for he stood opposite the very animal which Dudley was about to remove, and held the severed end of the picket rope towards the light. Someone was meddling with the horses, he was sure, and at once, without hesitation, he slipped between the animals as if he were already certain that the marauder, whoever he might be, lay at their heels. Nor was he disappointed. In the shadow cast by the fine beast Dudley had selected, Antonio's eyes detected a dark figure, erect and motionless. He stared at the man, called to him as if to make sure that he was not one of his: own gauchos, and then slid one hand down to his revolver. But he never drew the weapon, for our hero was too quick for him. Discovery was certain now, he knew, and in the few seconds which passed while the leader of the brigands was coming towards him he had formed his plans. He had drawn his revolver, and held it by the muzzle at arm's length. Then he saw Antonio, slip between the horses, and heard him call. It was time to act, and as it happened this rascally Italian helped the plans which Dudley had made, for he stood so that a flickering ray from the fire fell on his face. The mark was a good one, and within easy distance. In an instant the revolver swung back a foot, and then, launched with all the force of which Dudley was capable, it flew forward, struck the forehead of the rascal who had called, and knocked him senseless to the ground.

"My turn this time," said Dudley, as he ran forward to regain his weapon. "Now I fancy there is nothing to prevent my getting away. Whoa, lad! Stand there a moment while I fetch your comrade. Ah! here's a bolas rope which will make you fast to a tree."

He had hit upon a coil of rope attached to the blanket strap which the horse wore, and in a twinkling had secured the animal to a tree close by. Then he ran off for the second, which he found standing drowsily where he had left it, and unmindful of the fact that its picket rope was gone. It was a fine, big beast, and Dudley decided to ride it at first in preference to the other.

"He is strong and will carry me fast. The other fellow is a stayer," he thought, "and if he has no weight to carry till I want him will take me away from anything the enemy possess. Now to mount and slip out of the forest."

He placed the animals side by side, and made ready to mount, no easy matter when a horse is big and has no saddle. He stepped back a pace so as to obtain a run, and in doing so kicked an object lying on the ground. It was Antonio Sarvisti, alive and breathing without a doubt, but stunned and unconscious. Dudley had almost forgotten his existence, once his lucky shot had disposed of his interference. But now, as he accidentally came upon him again, a sudden thought caused him to delay his departure.

"Supposing he comes to and gives the alarm," he said. "That would be bad in every way, for even if they did not catch me, they would know that someone had ridden for help, and might decamp before the gauchos could surround them. Now, if I can get rid of this ugly fellow, his own men will hardly miss him for an hour or two, for who is to say that he is not in the forest? Then there is just a chance, a small one it is true, that the men from our estancia might be able to reach this place in time. His following will be uncertain how to act. That means delay, and with a little luck on our side—yes, I'll take him."