Frank Among The Rancheros

A free download from http://www.dertz.in

Frank Among The Rancheros

The Project Gutenberg EBook of Frank Among The Rancheros, by Harry Castlemon This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net
Title: Frank Among The Rancheros
Author: Harry Castlemon
Release Date: December 19, 2005 [EBook #17349]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FRANK AMONG THE RANCHEROS ***

Produced by Suzanne Shell, Josephine Paolucci and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

[Illustration: THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN SERIES]

_THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN SERIES._
FRANK AMONG THE RANCHEROS.
BY HARRY CASTLEMON, AUTHOR OF "THE GUN-BOAT SERIES," "THE GO-AHEAD SERIES," ETC.
THE JOHN C. WINSTON CO., PHILADELPHIA, CHICAGO, TORONTO.

FAMOUS CASTLEMON BOOKS.
GUNBOAT SERIES. By HARRY CASTLEMON. 6 vols. 12mo.
FRANK THE YOUNG NATURALIST. FRANK IN THE WOODS. FRANK ON THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI. FRANK ON A GUNBOAT. FRANK BEFORE VICKSBURG. FRANK ON THE PRAIRIE.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN SERIES. By HARRY CASTLEMON. 3 vols. 12mo. Cloth.
FRANK AMONG THE RANCHEROS. FRANK AT DON CARLOS' RANCH. FRANK IN THE MOUNTAINS.
SPORTSMAN'S CLUB SERIES. By HARRY CASTLEMON. 3 vols. 12mo. Cloth.
THE SPORTSMAN'S CLUB IN THE SADDLE. THE SPORTSMAN'S CLUB AFLOAT. THE SPORTSMAN'S CLUB AMONG THE TRAPPERS.
FRANK NELSON SERIES. By HARRY CASTLEMON. 3 vols. 12mo. Cloth.
SNOWED UP. FRANK IN THE FORECASTLE. THE BOY TRADERS.
BOY TRAPPER SERIES. By HARRY CASTLEMON. 3 vols. 12mo. Cloth.
THE BURIED TREASURE. THE BOY TRAPPER. THE MAIL-CARRIER.
ROUGHING IT SERIES. By HARRY CASTLEMON. 3 vols. 12mo. Cloth.
GEORGE IN CAMP. GEORGE AT THE WHEEL. GEORGE AT THE FORT.
ROD AND GUN SERIES. By HARRY CASTLEMON. 3 vols. 12mo. Cloth.
DON GORDON'S SHOOTING BOX. ROD AND GUN CLUB. THE YOUNG WILD FOWLERS.
GO-AHEAD SERIES. By HARRY CASTLEMON. 3 vols. 12mo. Cloth.
TOM NEWCOMBE. GO-AHEAD. NO MOSS.
FOREST AND STREAM SERIES. By HARRY CASTLEMON. 3 vols. 12mo. Cloth.
JOE WAYRING. SNAGGED AND SUNK. STEEL HORSE.
WAR SERIES. By HARRY CASTLEMON. 5 vols. 12mo. Cloth.
TRUE TO HIS COLORS. RODNEY THE PARTISAN. RODNEY THE OVERSEER. MARCY THE BLOCKADE-RUNNER. MARCY THE REFUGEE.
Other Volumes in Preparation.
* * * * *
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1868, by R.W. CARROLL & CO., In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States, for the Southern District of Ohio.
COPYRIGHT, 1896, BY CHARLES A. FOSDICK.

CONTENTS.
PAGE
CHAPTER I.
A Novel Battle, 5
CHAPTER II.
Frank's New Home, 16
CHAPTER III.
Twelve Thousand Dollars, 29
CHAPTER IV.
Frank Proves Himself a Hero, 40
CHAPTER V.
The Fight in the Court, 54
CHAPTER VI.
The Mysteries Solved, 68
CHAPTER VII.
Frank Meets a Highwayman, 81
CHAPTER VIII.
Colonel Arthur Vane, 95
CHAPTER IX.
An Old Boy, 110
CHAPTER X.
Arthur Shows His Courage, 126
CHAPTER XI.
Arthur Plans Revenge, 137
CHAPTER XII.
Off for the Mountains, 154
CHAPTER XIII.
Pierre and His Band, 168
CHAPTER XIV.
A Dinner in the Mountains, 180
CHAPTER XV.
More Treachery, 193
CHAPTER XVI.
The Escape, 204
CHAPTER XVII.
The Struggle on the Cliff, 221
CHAPTER XVIII.
Conclusion, 237

FRANK AMONG THE RANCHEROS.
CHAPTER I.
A NOVEL BATTLE.
"Pull him along, Carlos! Pull him along!" shouted a young gentleman about sixteen years of age, as he danced about on the back porch of his uncle's house, in a state of great excitement; "why don't you pull him along?"
"He'll come, after awhile," replied the person addressed; "but he is very wild and obstinate."
The boy on the porch was almost beside himself--so much so, in fact, that he found it utterly impossible to stand still. He was jumping wildly about, swinging his arms around his head, and laughing and shouting at the top of his lungs.
We have met this young gentleman before. We have been with him through the woods, accompanied him across the prairie, and seen him in some exciting situations; but, for all that, it is by no means certain that his most intimate friend, could he have beheld him while he was dancing about on the porch, would have recognized him. The last time we saw him he was dressed in a suit of blue jeans, rather the worse for wear, a slouch hat, and a pair of heavy horseman's boots. Now, he sports a suit of clothes cut in the height of fashion--that is, Mexican fashion. They are not exactly of the description that we see on the streets every day, but they are common among the farmers of Southern California, for that is where this young gentleman lives. He is dressed in a short jacket of dark blue cloth, trimmed around the edges, and on the sleeves, with gold lace, and wide trousers of the same material, also gaudily ornamented. The hat, with which he fans his flushed face, is a sombrero, bound with gold cord, the ends of which are adorned with tassels, that fall jauntily over the edge of the brim. An embroidered shirt of gray cloth, and shoes and stockings, complete his attire; or, we may add, a long crimson sash, which is wound several times around his waist, and tied at the side, and a pair of