so certain was mainwaring that he had seen the girls that he was determined to satisfy himself on the point, and he never took thought of the danger into which he might be plunging.
the track which he and norfolk ben took to reach the top of the cliff did not lead them past the bodies of the ute braves, or the young rancher might have got some idea of the peril into which he was walking so blindly.
they rode to a spot where the ridge seemed most accessible on horseback and attempted to ride up, but they found it too steep for the horses and hurried up on foot.
they soon reached the crest of the cliff, and not seeing any one there mainwaring went on a little way and shouted. he thought that if the girls were near they might answer. indeed, he even imagined that he heard a cry in response coming from some way farther on, and he pushed forward at his best speed.
“marse mainwaring, i wouldn’t go dar out ob sight o’ de odders,” said the thoughtful ben. “i ’clar’ to goodness, i wouldn’t! you dunno what dar is in dem rocks. maybe painters—maybe wolves.”
there were wolves, indeed—but they were wolves in human shape, and mainwaring soon found them, as he hurried on, despite of ben’s entreaties.
“you can go back if you’re afraid,” he said, most unjustly, to the faithful fellow.
“i’se mighty ’fraid, marse mainwaring,” was the response. “but i’se comin’ with you.”
ben followed doggedly, willing to share the danger if he could not get mr. mainwaring to shun it.
just where a small chasm opened in the rocks, and mainwaring stepped in to see if there was any sign of the girls there, he was confronted by half a dozen men, with leveled guns.
ben cried out from behind:
“look out, marse mainwaring! dere’s men wid shootin’ irons!”
sure enough they were caught in a trap.
a man of tall stature, with all of his face hidden except his nose and eyes by a tremendous black, bushy beard, cried out:
“stranger, you’re caught in a trap! if you’ve got any prayin’ ter do, do it quick—an’ then shell out! i see you wear a watch—an’ some diamonds. we’ll take them first an’ yer life afterwards!”
“it might pay you better to think twice about taking my life,” said mainwaring, growing suddenly calm, though at first he had been momentarily startled.
“i can’t see that!” growled the leader of the gang. “boys, knock that black man on the head! he’s not doing any good standing there!”
“don’t do dat, marse white man! don’t do it! you’ll spoil dat gun if you do!”
ben’s expostulation—his look and his words—spoken as one of the men raised his rifle to strike him down, created such a roar of laughter from the gang that the man could not strike.
“an’ it’s no use killin’ such a good cook an’ servant as i is. ’fore de wah i’d have brought a heap o’ money—you bet i would!”
another laugh showed that ben’s appeal had put his captors in something like a better humor, or else the rich spoil they had taken from mainwaring had done it.
for the man who seemed to lead the gang had found a full set of diamond shirt studs on the rich young rancher, a diamond ring, a fine watch, and a wallet full of money.
“rich—this chap sure is rich!” said the outlaw leader gleefully, as he showed the plunder to his mates.
“maybe he’s got more that could be reached, bill harkness. let’s keep him till we find out about that,” suggested one of the men.
“well, i’ll agree to that,” said the leader. “we can make use of this black man, anyway, when we get to the cave. he says he can cook.”
“i jest kin do dat, marse white man!”
“well, move on! we can’t stay here long, for some of your gang may likely be on our track.”
the next moment a cry of surprise broke from the lips of mainwaring and one of real joy from those of ben.
two young girls, very pale and fatigued, but, even so, very beautiful, stood near some horses guarded by three or four armed men.
“’clar’ ter goodness, dere’s de cherubims!” shouted faithful ben, breaking away from all restraint and rushing up to the girls, whose hands he seized and kissed, while he actually wept with joy to see them alive. “oh, missie may an’ missie gertrude! jest to think i’m with you once more! ben’s ready to go now when gabriel blows his horn—he is dat! oh, honeys, is it you—all sure alive?”
“the darky knows you?” asked the leader of the band.
“yes,” said may. “he is my father’s servant.”
“yes—i is his serbant, an’ yours, too, missie may. your old fadder is alive, an’ he jest would give a hunderd t’ousand dollars—an’ he’s got it, too—to see you an’ missie gertrude alive!”
“a hundred thousand dollars! do you know what you are saying, darky?” cried the leader of the bandits, while the rest of the gang talked eagerly among themselves.
“yes, marse white man, i jest do know what i’m sayin’! and de old boss has done got it, all in hard coin.”
“where is he now?”
“away back at de fort. he’s dere sure, an’ so is de money. i know he’d give it all to see dese young ladies back with him.”
“does this man speak the truth?” asked the bandit leader sternly of mainwaring.
“i believe he does,” said the latter, who had hardly let his eyes move from the face of may all this time. “if there is any doubt of the father of these ladies having the money, i know who has it, and who will give up even that large sum to see them restored, safe and unharmed, to their father.”
“you mean yourself, i suppose?”
“for such a purpose i can command that sum. i happen to be a fairly rich man.”
“that’s as it may be. why don’t you bargain for your own life?”
“because i would rather buy their safety than my own. i am young and single—and not afraid of death.”
“well, you certainly take things pretty coolly! the things you wear show you are rich. what do you say, boys? shall we take them all on to the cave and hold them to ransom? i guess we can make more by that than by our regular business.”
“yes; take them to the cave!” cried one of the men, and all the rest shouted their approval of the proposition.
“we must hurry up. there’s a lot of men down below[182] the cliff, and they aren’t in that indian fight,” said one of the outlaws, who came up at this moment.
“mount at once! we are lucky to have fresh horses!” shouted the leader of the band. “mount and away!”
then turning to mainwaring he said:
“stranger, i’ll treat you well if you’ll act square. if you don’t, you’ll die without having time to pray!”
“treat those girls well, and you shall have every dollar i have in the world, if necessary,” replied mainwaring.
a grateful look from both girls, but especially from may, made him feel that his fortune could not possibly be better expended.
“they shall be well treated—if we are well paid,” said the bandit.
now they were all mounted and were moving off up among the rugged hills at a sweeping trot, which was increased to a gallop when the road got better.
mainwaring now had a good chance to look at the party, for he and the girls were placed in the center, norfolk ben following close behind them.
there were in all about twenty-five or thirty men, all well armed and mounted, and all looking what they were—outlaws and murderers of the worst type.
for a time they kept on in silence, the route being through a wild and picturesque country, which mainwaring would have admired under any other circumstances.
but now he was busy thinking what buffalo bill would do when he missed him. would he discover the trail? and if he did, would not the very fact of his following it up be fatal to the hopes, if not to the lives, of the captives?
he thought that he would explain this to the leader of the band, and get his permission to ride back and prevent the border king from following until the ransom matter was negotiated. but the thought of leaving the girls, even for an instant, with such men deterred him from that course.
he was wondering what to do, when one of the rear guard thundered by him and rode to the front. after he spoke to the leader the pace was increased to a swift gallop, and then the leader of the party dropped back along the column to mainwaring.
“young man,” he said, “i’ve got a few questions to ask you, and if you don’t answer them we’ll not bother about that ransom. what party were you with when you happened to hit on our trail?”
“a party of scouts, commanded by buffalo bill—whom you have probably heard of.”
“yes; i’ve heard of him!” growled the bandit. “but were there no troops—no cavalry—in the party?”
“none when i left, but they were expecting some to come up. they were expecting them to come every hour.”
“young fellow, i believe you have told me the truth, and now i’ll tell you some news. these scouts and cavalrymen are on our trail; but you needn’t think it will help your case much. i’d drop you, indian fashion, with a bullet before i’d lose you.
“in about half an hour you’ll see them the worst-whipped crowd you ever heard of. by that time we’ll be in a place where their cavalry will have about as much play as a horse in a hencoop.
“so you’d better keep cool and remain quiet, without trying to escape, and then you and them gals will be safe. remember, i’m not foolin’ in this business. a sign or word that looks to me like getting away—and it means a bullet through your heart!”
mainwaring knew that every word the man said was meant, and that any attempt to escape would not only bring death upon himself, but upon the helpless girls, whom he longed to protect with his own life, if necessary.
the horses were kept to their full speed now for several miles, and they seemed to have left pursuit far behind, when they suddenly rode into a gorge so deep and dark that it seemed as if twilight had descended when they entered.
the leader of the bandits here checked the speed a little, and mainwaring looked up, almost awe-stricken by the sight which met his eyes.
great rocks, red as if burned by volcanic fire, hung from either side, almost over their heads, showing only a narrow strip of sky as he looked far up the dark chasm.
and narrower yet seemed the pass as they kept on, until suddenly they came to a place where it was only possible to ride in single file. here the leader halted and made the rest pass on.
mainwaring saw the girls go just before him, and then he followed, just as the crack of a rifle shot and a loud, ringing shout reached his ears.
only too well did he recognize the ring of the long-range rifle of the border king and the sound of buffalo bill’s voice.
