Sunset Pass | Page 9

five minutes. How are the
kids--sleeping?"
"Sleeping soundly, God be praised, and never draming of the awful
peril we're in."
"Peril be blowed!" answered Pike stoutly. "We're safer here than we
could be anywhere east of the Verde and as soon as it's good and light
and the horses are rested, we'll be off for the Colorado Chiquito and
leave the Tontos miles behind. Take things easy, old girl, and don't
worry. Come along, Jim."
And so away they went through the inky darkness, plunging along the
rocky and winding path by which they had brought the ambulance up
the steep. Not until they had got down into the road itself did Pike give
his negro comrade an idea of what had happened. Then, speaking low
and seizing the other's arm, he began:
"Jim, old boy, we've got to pull together to-night. There's nothing the
matter with the wagon--that's all right, but that whelp Manuelito has
run off with the mules and the captain's put out after him. It'll be
daylight soon and he'll get the son of a gun--sure, and then hurry back
to join us; but the wagon lies just where I think you and I can start it
down the road and fetch it nearer camp. Then we can rake out what
provisions we want in case we have to stand a siege. See?"

[Illustration: "JIM, OLD BOY, WE'VE GOT TO PULL TOGETHER
TO-NIGHT."]
Black Jim's eyes nearly popped from their sockets. He had been on
scouts with his master, and bragged prodigiously around garrison about
how they fought Tontos down along the Black Mesa and in the infested
"Basin."
To hear Jim talk one would fancy he had killed at least half a dozen
Indians in hand to hand encounters. Indeed he had behaved with
self-possession and a very fair degree of coolness in the two affairs
which Gwynne's troop had had when Jim happened to be along. But
this was different. Then they had forty or fifty veteran soldiers.
Here--only old Pike and himself were left to defend the position--and
no one might say how many Apaches might come along. Besides it was
still dark (and Napoleon said all men were cowards in the dark), though
far in the east a grayish pallor was creeping up from the horizon. Who
could blame poor Jim if his knees shook and his teeth chattered a little,
but he went manfully along by Pike's side and soon they reached the
abandoned wagon.
As luck would have it, Manuelito had stopped where the road began a
pretty sharp descent and Pike felt sure that if they could only start the
thing they could run the wagon almost opposite their hiding place.
Then it would be far easier to get the stores up the rocks. Taking the
pole himself and telling him to "put his shoulder to the wheel" Pike
sung out a cheery "Heave!" and, slowly at first, then more rapidly, the
vehicle with its precious freight came thundering down the rocky and
almost unused road. Pike had to hold back with all his might and to
shout for Jim to join him, but between them they managed to control
the speed of the bulky runaway and to guide it safely to a point not far
from their little camp. The old trooper rummaged about until he found
the lantern hanging under the seat. This he quickly lighted, and then,
loading a sack of barley for the horse on Jim's shoulders, and lugging a
box of hard bread under one arm and of bacon under the other, he led
the way up among the rocks until they reached Kate's "field hotel," as
he called it. There they dumped their load under the ambulance. Pike

whispered a jovial "Go to sleep, old girl. You're all safe" to the still
trembling Irish woman, then down they went for another load. This
time they came laden with a wonderful assortment. Coffee, sugar,
condensed milk, canned corned beef, potted ham, canned corn and
tomatoes, some flour and yeast powders, a skillet or two, the coffee pot,
some cups, dishes, etc., and these, too, were placed close to the
ambulance, to Kate's entire mystification; and then, sending Jim down
for another little load, Pike set to work to build a tiny fire far back in a
cleft in the rocks.
"We'll all be glad of a cup of coffee now," he said to himself, "and so
will the captain; he should be brought back before day. We may have
no chance for cooking after the sun is up. Thank God, there's water in
plenty here in these hollows."
Out in the Arizona mountains one may journey day after day in July or
August, and all through the fall and winter, and cross gulley, gorge,
ravine, cañon