“What did he want?”
“He told me to bring up the gray and black; he is going out to steal horses, now,” said Beppo, with the same indifference he would have manifested if he had said that Pedro was about to drive up a herd of cattle.
For a moment Archie stood, almost without breathing, looking up at the trap-door through which the Ranchero had disappeared. His heart beat so fast and furiously that he was almost afraid the man might hear it, and come back to see what was the matter. At first he did not know what to do; but, after a few seconds’ reflection, the details of a scheme which he had matured while Beppo was telling him about the plans of the mutineers, flashed through his mind, and he began to bestir himself.
Since he entered the stable and found his horse there, he had more than once told himself that if he could only contrive some way to get the animal above ground, he could laugh at all the Rancheros in Southern California. He would jump on his back, and go through the court, and out of the gate, at a rate of speed that would make Don Carlos and his band of rascals wonder; but the difficulty was to get the horse up there without being obliged to answer questions. As far as his disguise was concerned, he was not at all uneasy. He was so nearly Beppo’s size that the jacket fitted him exactly; and his journey across the plains, and constant exposure to the hot sun, had tanned his face until it was almost as brown as an Indian’s. It was just the color of Beppo’s—not quite so dirty, of course, but that was something the Mexicans would not be likely to notice. Besides, Archie was a capital mimic, and he knew that, if he was questioned, he could imitate his prisoner’s way of talking, Spanish twang and all. He had the keys, too, with which he could open any doors he might find in his way; but suppose he should meet some of the band, and they should ask him where he was going, and what he intended to do with the horses—what reply could he make? Now, however, he had no fears on that score. Pedro had made every thing easy for him. Mistaking him for Beppo, he had ordered him to bring up the horses; and if he met any one who took an interest in his movements, he would know how to answer them.
“I’ll soon be out of here,” said Archie, to himself; “and when I once find myself fairly in that court, won’t I astonish these Greasers? Uncle said this morning that if we could shoot Old Davy and arrest the horse-thieves, he would be glad of it. We’ve finished the grizzly, and if we can’t capture the robbers, we will at least have the satisfaction of knowing that we have broken up the band, and got our horses back. But I believe we can gobble up every one of them. When I get home I’ll tell Carlos to send out uncle’s herdsmen, and we will arouse the settlement, and raise a crowd of men, and come here and storm the rancho. I’ll have a chance then to see a fight and smell powder.”
Many a time, while talking over the particulars of the battle which had taken place years before at Mr. Winters’s rancho, Archie had expressed the hope that another band of freebooters would turn up before he left California, and make a second attack on the building. He had passed through a fight with hostile Indians; had heard the whistle of their bullets and arrows; and he thought that all that was needed to complete the list of his adventures, was the opportunity of taking part in a siege of a week or two. If every thing worked according to his calculations, it was probable that his wish would be gratified. How the robbers would fight when they found their stronghold surrounded by the settlers; and what desperate attempts they would make to cut their way out! How the rifles would crack! and how Dick Lewis and Bob Kelly would yell and exult at finding themselves once more in their natural element! Archie became highly excited over the prospect.
Archie’s first care was to provide for the safe keeping of his prisoner, which he did by binding his handkerchief over his mouth, and pushing him under Roderick’s manger, where he tied him fast; Beppo submitting to the operation without a murmur. His next work was to prepare the horses for their plundering expedition, which he had fully determined should not prove a success that night. A saddle, which hung upon a peg close at hand, was soon strapped on the mustang’s back; but when Archie had slipped the bridle over his head, a thought struck him, and he stopped and looked reflectively down at his prisoner.
“I shall have to untie this fellow again,” said he, “for I don’t know which way to go. These passage-ways run about in every direction, and I might get lost; then, if some of the band should meet me, they would know in a minute that I wasn’t Beppo. Whoa, there! Where are you going, Roderick?”
While Archie was talking to himself, the mustang backed out of his stall, and walked quietly to the grated door at the farther end of the stable, where he stopped, and seemed to be waiting for some one to come and let him out. He had become quite familiar with his new quarters; and Archie knew then that he had only to let Roderick take his own course, and he would lead him straight to the court. He quickly put the saddle on his own horse, and he also backed out of his stall, and took his stand beside Roderick, in front of the grated door. So far every thing was working to Archie’s satisfaction; but the dangerous part was yet to come, and he trembled when he thought of it. He carefully examined his revolver, hid his bowie-knife in his boot, and put the pistols, which he had found on the table, into his trousers’ pockets. Then he pulled out his bunch of keys, picked up the lantern, and started toward the door. He regretted an instant afterward that he had not left the lantern; for as he glanced toward the door, he saw a face pressed close against the bars, and a pair of eyes glaring at him with a most ferocious expression. Archie stopped suddenly, undecided how to act. Had the man penetrated his disguise? That question was quickly answered to his satisfaction by the Ranchero, who clenched his hand and shook it at him, saying, in a savage whisper: