Frank at Don Carlos' Rancho

by Harry Castlemon

When the sound of the footsteps had died away, Archie drew a long breath of relief, and began to congratulate himself on his escape, and to repeat what the man had said to him. Two things were evident: one was that he had been mistaken for Beppo, a Mexican boy about his own age who was employed on the rancho; the other, that he had some sort of a secret commission to execute, and that for the faithful performance of his work, he would be rewarded by the present of a revolver. What that commission was, Archie neither knew or cared; he had something of much more importance to think about. Suppose the man should happen to meet the genuine Beppo, and should find out that he had given the keys to somebody else! Would he not try to ascertain who that some one else was, and wouldn’t he call for help, and begin a thorough search of the rancho?

“I haven’t a single instant to lose,” said Archie, to himself. “Let me see! I must follow this gang-way and open the first door on my left, and be sure and lock it after me. I don’t much like to do it, for there is no knowing what I may find in that room. I hope one of these keys will let me out of this den of robbers.”

So saying, Archie began to feel his way along the left wall of the passage, and presently came to the door of which the man had spoken, and which he succeeded in opening after trying several of his keys. Hastily passing through the door, he closed and locked it, and then began to feel a little more secure; although he did not know which way to turn next. If he kept straight ahead, he might come in contact with some object, or step upon one of those trap-doors he so much dreaded. After a little hesitation he placed his hands upon the wall, and began moving slowly around the apartment, but had not taken more than half a dozen steps before he ran against something. A moment’s examination showed him that it was a table, with several articles upon it—a bowie-knife, a brace of pistols, two or three lassos, a lantern, and a box of matches. These last were just what he had been wishing for. He lighted the lantern, and then turned to take a survey of the room. It proved to be a sort of armory and depot of supplies. The walls were covered with weapons, and saddles, bridles, blankets, ponchos, and numerous other articles of like description, were scattered about over the floor. A hundred horsemen could have been equipped from that room.

As soon as Archie had satisfied himself that he was alone, he began to examine the objects about him a little more closely; and almost the first thing his eyes rested on was a piece of property belonging to himself.

“Isn’t it lucky that I didn’t speak to that man?” he soliloquized. “Didn’t I say that old Spaniard was one of the robbers? That’s my saddle. I would know it among a million. It is the very one that was on Sleepy Sam when Uncle James bought him in St. Joseph. Now, my horse is in this very rancho; and he isn’t far off, either. This settles the question of Don Carlos’ guilt.”

Archie now became doubly anxious to effect his escape from the rancho. The man who had given him the keys had told him that some one was always roaming about those passage-ways, and as long as he remained there he was in danger of discovery. But he had said that if his horse was in that rancho, he would have him out, and he was going to keep his word. He would not think of going home until he had found him. Once on his back, and outside of the walls of the rancho, he could laugh at the robbers. If Roderick was there, he would take him, too. He hoped to be able to secure both horses, and make good his retreat without being discovered; and if he could do that, wouldn’t he astonish his cousin when he came home in the morning? But something prevented Archie from carrying out this plan. As it happened, Frank was the one who recovered the horses; and if it had not been for him and Roderick, Archie would never have mounted King James again.

Archie’s first care was to take possession of the weapons he found on the table; then he raised his lantern, and took another survey of the room. He saw a door opposite to the one by which he had entered; and when he had opened it, he found that it led into a long, low apartment, which was used as a stable. It contained several horses, which the robbers had selected and kept on account of their great speed and endurance, and conspicuous among them stood Roderick and King James.

“Aha!” exclaimed Archie.

“Santa Maria!” cried somebody else.