Frank Merriwell's Triumph Part 26

CHAPTER XII.

A LIVELY FISTIC BOUT.

Three days later they arrived in San Diego, where Felicia was returned to the home of Mr. and Mrs. Staples, the former having given up the search in despair.

It was Frank who led a party of Americans to the Castle Hidalgo, in El Diablo Valley. The only human being found there was a man who had been shot and left where he fell in one of the chambers of the ruins. As Merry looked at the body, he grimly said:

"Retribution, swift and terrible, overtook you, Carlos, on that dark night. Who can say the hand of Providence was not in it? You were the only one who might have given us trouble, for your chief was bound and gagged, and your mates were drugged by your own hands. It is likely that Black Joaquin yet lives; but it is certain he must in time meet his just deserts."

Fearing that Black Joaquin would not give up his scheming to get possession of the girl, Frank decided that it was unsafe to leave her in San Diego. Therefore, when he started on his return to Arizona, accompanied by d.i.c.k and Brad, he took Felicia along.

The railroad journey to Prescott was made without any incident worth recording. Having arrived there, Merry secured accommodations at the best hotel, for he expected to remain in the place a day or more before setting out for his new mines in the Enchanted Valley, where he had left Wiley and Hodge.

Little Abe was found safe in Prescott, where he had been left by Merry.

But for the fact that what she had pa.s.sed through had shaken Felicia's nerves and left her in a very excited frame of mind, the whole party would have been in high spirits. d.i.c.k was anxious to visit the mines, and the prospect was also attractive to Buckhart.

Imagine Frank's surprise, on leaving the hotel an hour after his arrival, to encounter Cap'n Wiley on the street. The sailor looked somewhat battered and weather-worn, and there was an unnatural flush in his cheeks and a suspicious odor upon his breath. The moment his eyes fell on Merry he stopped short and made a profound salute.

"Mate Merriwell!" he cried, "it is with a sensation of the most profound satisfaction that my eyes again behold your unexpected reappearance."

"Cap'n," said Frank soberly, shaking his head, "I fear you have been looking on the corn juice. There is something suspicious about your breath and your heightened color."

"Hus.h.!.+" said the marine marvel. "The dreadful ordeal through which I have lately promulgated myself made it necessary for me to take something in the way of medicine. Mr. Merriwell, there have been riotous doings since you departed."

"Any trouble in regard to the new mine?" asked Merry, somewhat anxiously.

"Oh, no; nothing of that sort. I have been tending strictly to business.

At the suggestion of Mate Hodge, I gathered up in Cottonwood, Central b.u.t.te, Stoddard, Bigbug, Cherry and elsewhere a score of hale and hearty laborers and piloted them safely to the valley, where they now are. He then sent me hither for supplies and other needed articles. I have secured half a dozen more good men, who will journey with us to the valley."

"Now, Wiley," said Frank, "tell me about these men you say you have engaged. What sort of men are they?"

"They are charming," a.s.sured the sailor. "You remember your Terrible Thirty."

"Yes."

"Well, they are men of the same cla.s.s. They are the real thing."

"But I am afraid such men are not just what we want, cap'n."

The sailor looked surprised.

"Why not?" he questioned.

"What we need are miners, not fighting men. It happened that I was able to control the Thirty, and they proved valuable to me at that time. You remember that as miners I couldn't retain one of them. You say you have picked up some more men here?"

"Sure, sure."

"I'd like to look them over, cap'n. Where are they?"

"If you will perambulate with me, I will present you to the bunch. I have them corralled not far away."

"Lead on," said Frank. "I will look them over."

Wiley led the way straight to a saloon, which they entered. As they walked in, several men were drinking at the bar, and Merry distinctly heard one of them, a huge, pockmarked fellow, say:

"It sure is ten chances to one the gent loses his mine afore he ever sets eyes on it again."

Frank recognized the fellow at a glance. He was a desperado with a bad reputation, and was known as Spotted Dan.

"There they are," said Wiley. "Those fine boys I have collected. You can see at a glance that they are the real thing."

"Altogether too real!" muttered Frank.

He was confident that the words of Spotted Dan referred to him, and in a twinkling his mind was made up.

"Mates," said Wiley, calling the attention of the ruffians, "it gives me untold pleasure to introduce you to Mr. Merriwell, the owner of the mines I told you about."

They turned and looked Frank over. His youthful appearance seemed to surprise them, and it was evident that they regarded him as a tenderfoot.

Frank lost no time.

"It's my duty to inform you, gentlemen," he said, "that Cap'n Wiley has made a slight mistake. I shall not need you."

This seemed to astonish them.

"What's that?" cried Spotted Dan hoa.r.s.ely. "Whatever is this you says, mister?"

Frank quietly repeated his words, upon which one of the ruffians swore.

"I reckons you is the one mistaken," said Spotted Dan, stepping out. "I opines, sir, that you does need us."

"Then you opine wrong."

"We has been engaged all fair and square, and we sticks by it. We proposes to see that you sticks by it, too."

"Cap'n Wiley had no authority from me to engage anybody," declared Merry. "That being the case, you can see at once that no agreement made with him counts for anything."

"Say you so?" sneered Dan. "Well, now, we thinks a heap different."

"What you think is a matter of indifference to me," said Merry, looking the ruffian straight in the eyes.

"Whatever does you take us fer?" snarled the pox-marked fellow. "We're no kids to be fooled with this yere way. You shakes us none whatever. If you tries it----"

"What then?" asked Merry, in a low tone.

"What then? Well, by the everlasting, I chaws you up! I flattens you out! There will be a funeral in Prescott to-morrow!"