“Hurrah for me!” he shouted. “I am all right now. I’d like to see somebody try to take you away from me again, old fellow. Hallo, here!”
A horse interrupted Frank’s soliloquy—a little black horse, which galloped by almost within reach of him, and disappeared in the darkness outside the gate. He was in sight long enough for Frank to see that he carried two men on his back, one being seated in the saddle, and the other hanging helplessly across the pommel. The horse was King James; the man in the saddle was Pierre Costello; and the other was Archie Winters.
The cousins had left Pierre bound hand and foot in one of the underground rooms of the rancho; but he did not remain there long, for the herdsmen, from whom the boys had so narrowly escaped, soon cut down the door and released him. Pierre explained matters in a few words, by saying that the boys had taken him unawares, and made a prisoner of him; but he forgot to mention the fact that they had caught him almost in the act of murdering Don Carlos.
Pierre, finding himself once more at liberty, ran frantically about the rancho, up stairs and down, searching every-where for the boys. He found one of them at last, and it was Archie, who had been captured on the roof of the wing, and was being carried below. From the men who had him in charge, Pierre learned that Frank had again escaped, and that the Don had been pulled over the parapet. He was greatly excited over the news. He did not give a second thought to the old Spaniard’s misfortune—he did not care if the fall had broken his neck—but he was highly disgusted and enraged to learn that Frank had once more slipped through his fingers. He assisted his companions in disposing of their prisoner, and, when the latter had been locked up, Pierre managed to retain possession of the keys. It was his intention to go out with the others, and assist in recapturing Frank; but if that could not be done—if Frank succeeded in eluding them—he would take Archie to the mountains in his place. Pierre thought this a decided improvement on his old programme. Archie was not so large and strong as his cousin, and consequently he could be more easily managed. He would also bring the same amount of money in the shape of a ransom.
Pierre hurried to the court, and, when he arrived there, what was his amazement to find it filled with settlers! He did not stop to take a second look, but returned with all possible haste to the room in which Archie was confined. Lifting him in his arms as if he had been an infant, Pierre ran back to the court, and the first object that met his eyes was Archie’s horse. To his infinite delight the animal did not attempt to elude him; and when he had swung himself into the saddle, and pulled his prisoner up in front of him, he began to believe that his plans might, after all, prove successful. There was only one person in all that crowd who saw him as he dashed through the gate, and that was Frank Nelson. Pierre knew that some one was watching him, for he heard a loud command to halt, followed by the angry bark of a dog, and a clatter of hoofs behind him. He looked over his shoulder, and began to lose heart again. He knew, if Archie did not, that Roderick was a better horse than the one he was riding; and that as long as Marmion was on his trail, he could not hope to elude his pursuer. But he did not stop. He kept straight on toward the woods, and a few rods behind him came the swift mustang, bounding along as easily as though he had been furnished with wings.
During the race that followed, nothing but the clatter of the horses’ hoofs, and an occasional angry yelp from Marmion, broke the stillness of the night. Across the prairie went pursuer and pursued at furious speed, into the woods, over logs and rocks, up hill and down, through darkness so intense that one could scarcely see his hand before him, and finally Frank began to wonder at the endurance exhibited by the little black under his double load. But the furious pace was telling on him, and with all the whipping and spurring he received, he could not prevent the mustang from overtaking him. Pierre saw this, and hastily drawing rein, prepared to carry out a plan he had determined upon.
“Stop where you are!” he exclaimed, in a most savage tone of voice. “If you advance another step”——
The robber was about to say that if Frank came any nearer he would bury his knife in Archie’s body; but Marmion did not give him time to finish the sentence. He sprang straight at his throat, and, before Pierre could think of resistance, he was flat on the ground.
“Hold fast to him, old fellow!” shouted Frank, dismounting from his horse. “That makes amends for the cowardly manner in which you deserted me this morning. Archie, where are you?”