“He’s in a big hurry to get away from here,” thought Jo Ann. “He evidently has some strong reason for rushing us this way. I’m going to delay him in every way I can so Dr. Blackwell’ll be sure to be at the mine before we get there. If he isn’t there——” She shuddered at the thought of what might happen to Florence, Carlitos, and herself.
Just then the boss broke into such a rapid flow of Spanish that Jo Ann could catch only a word or two.
At his threats Florence shook so she could hardly get on her horse. He would kill all of them, he had said, if any one of them tried to escape.
“We no sabe,” Jo Ann spoke up. “We Americanos—no sabe.”
The emphasis Jo Ann had placed on the word “we” made Florence understand at once that she did not want her to let the man know that she could speak or understand Spanish. Though she could not guess Jo’s reason, she decided to pretend not to understand him.
Just as they were about to start off down to the trail Jo Ann heard the faint but heartrending cry of the deserted peon.
“Suppose the boss should tie us and leave us to die of thirst and starvation like that,” she said to herself. “Perhaps that’s what he did to Carlitos’ father, José said no one knew what had become of him.”
“I’m glad I’m first,” she thought a moment later. “That’ll give me a better chance to delay him.”
On reaching the trail, she deliberately turned her horse back in the direction from which they had just come. That would delay them a little bit.
The horses of both Carlitos and Florence followed her lead.