“Here’s all that’s left of me,” replied a faint voice. “O, my head!” groaned Archie, as Frank knelt down by his side, and cut the ropes with which he was bound. “There’s no fun in being carried with railroad speed through a thick woods on a dark night like this. But I want you to understand one thing: That wasn’t a fair race, because my horse had a double load to carry.”
Frank had been astonished a good many times that night, but he was utterly amazed, now. Here was Archie, who was aching in every limb, and bleeding profusely from the wounds he had received during his rapid ride through the woods—who, during the last few hours, had been the hero of more hair-breadth escapes than had ever before fallen to the lot of a boy of his age—who had but just been delivered from the power of a reckless and determined foe—here he was talking about the speed of his horse, and declaring that the race the animal had just run was not a fair test of his abilities!
“This is a pretty time to talk about such things, isn’t it?” asked Frank. “I suppose you hoped that Roderick would be beaten, didn’t you?”
“I can’t say that I did,” replied Archie, as his cousin lifted him to his feet; “but I could not help telling myself that if Pierre wanted to save himself, all he had to do was to drop me overboard, and he would leave you behind so rapidly that you would never boast of Roderick’s speed again.”
(We may here remark that the question of the relative merits of the two horses remained for a long time undecided; but still it was settled, at last, and to the satisfaction of both the boys. It was an exciting race, and a long one; and the history of it shall be given in its proper place.)
Archie, in spite of his wounds and bruises, was as lively and plucky as ever. One desire was uppermost in his mind, now, and that was to effect the capture of the robber; but he need not have troubled himself on that score, for Pierre had already been secured. When the cousins reached the place where he was lying, they found him motionless and helpless, Marmion’s powerful jaws being closed upon his throat. The dog barked and whined furiously when compelled to let go his hold, and it was all his master could do to prevent him from again attacking his enemy.
“Santa Maria!” gasped the robber, when he found himself free from the teeth of the dog.
“That’s what I say,” exclaimed Archie, who, having removed Pierre’s sash from his waist, proceeded to confine his hands and feet. “I think you are at the end of your rope now, my hearty. You may make up your mind to start for your old quarters at San Diego, to-morrow morning, by the early train. What shall we do with him?”
“We’ll leave him here until we can procure assistance, and come back for him,” replied Frank. “Now, let’s start for home.”