Part 18 (2/2)
”Nicolas, you're a Mexican, but I wish they produced more of your kind on the American side of the Rio Grande.”
”The _caballeros_ have been too generous with me,” protested the poor fellow, in a husky voice. ”I have not deserved this. And, though I have been a stupid servant, you have not once beaten me with your canes.”
”If you can find the canes you may keep them, then, as a souvenir of what you didn't get,” laughed Reade. ”And now, Nicolas, we must hasten, or we shall lose our trains.”
The Mexican would have said more, but he was too dazed. In his left hand he held ten dollars in American money, about the same thing as twenty in Mexican coin. It was more money than he had ever held of his own before--it was almost a fortune. Surely, these _Americanos_ must suddenly have taken leave of their senses!
Then, too, Senor Reade had just spoken of missing the train.
Did they not realize that the nearest railway train was seventy miles away? a.s.suredly, they must be mad!
In the meantime Tom and Harry, having once more shouldered their trunks, kept on down the broad hallway and out on to the porch.
There was no one there to oppose them, though Don Luis was secretly regarding them through the crack of a nearly closed door. There was an evil, leering smile on the face of the Mexican mine owner.
Down the steps, along the drive--it was not a short one, and then out into the road, Tom continued. His back was beginning to feel the unaccustomed load on his shoulder.
”Drop it, pretty soon, Tom,” muttered Hazelton, behind him.
”I believe I will Reade nodded. Reaching the farther side of the road he dropped one end of the trunk to the ground. Harry did likewise.
”Whew!” sputtered Tom. ”I'd rather be an engineer, any day, than a delivery wagon!”
”Well, we're here,” announced Harry. Then inquired, ”What are we going to do now?”
CHAPTER XI
A PIECE OF LEAD IN THE AIR
”Get your wind back,” advised Tom. ”Also ease your shoulder a bit.”
”And then?”
”We'll carry the trunks up the slope and dump them in some depression in the rock.”
”What's the use of the trunks, anyway?” Harry wanted to know.
”No one else will shelter us in this country. We can't get a wagon to take our trunks away in. Surely, you don't intend to shoulder these trunks to the railway station--seventy miles away?”
”No,” Reade admitted. ”We'll have to abandon our trunks. All I wanted to be sure about was to get them out of Don Luis's house.
And now I am just as anxious to get them out of sight of his porch. As long as the trunks stand here they'll tell Don Luis of our discomfort. I don't want that thieving rascal to have the satisfaction even of laughing at our trunks.”
”All right, if that's the way you feel about it,” Hazelton grunted.
”I'm ready to shoulder mine.”
”Come along, then,” Tom nodded. ”Up the slope we go.”
Their climb was a hard one. But at last they halted, dropping their heavy baggage on a flat surface of rock that was not visible from the big white house. Then up a little higher the now unenc.u.mbered engineers trod. When they halted they could see far and wide over this strange country.
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