Part 19 (1/2)
”It would be bad if Belknap didn't turn out the man you think him, wouldn't it?” I asked, innocently.
”It would,” she said. And with that I came away.
XIV
BROTHER BELKNAP'S REVOLUTION
The next thing needed in my calculations was time. My three-day vacation ended Monday; I had to have an extension or a sure thing on another, shortly. I was ready to throw up my job, but I felt it wouldn't come to that, likely, so I pulled for home and Jim.
At the store Pedro told me Jim had been there yesterday afternoon, but left at once in no pleasant frame of mind. Pedro didn't know where he had gone. Took out toward the east, riding fast.
I didn't know what to do. If I went after him, it was likely I'd miss him; if I waited, he mightn't be around again for days.
”What ailed him, Pede?” I asked.
”That is that which I am not to know,” says Pedro. ”He cuss and swear mos' fiercily. He also es-strike one stranger _hombre_ who has been here making conversation with the workers. _Si_, he strike heem verree strong, so that the stranger does not know anything for one hour. He also say he will to shoot that stranger if he put the foot on thees groun' again. The men that are there make protestation and Senor Holton say, 'You are fools.' And Pepe, the large one, say, 'I am not a fool,'
and Senor Holton say, 'No--you are a jacka.s.s,' and Pepe say, 'You have abused us much.' I am astonish to hear that, for of all men I have seen none is so kind to the people as Senor Holton; and I am moved to say, 'Pepe, you lie!' He thereupon strike me at the nose, as you see. I say,'Pepe, you may strike my nose, but that does not make you not a liar--a liar is what you are.' And Senor Holton say, 'Mind them not, Pedro, you are an honest man; but now I shall to abuse them for the fair if I do hear one cheep,' and he draw out his peestol and say, 'Yap, you coyotes! Let me hear you!' and there is such silence that one may hear his heart. Then Senor Holton say to me, 'Pedro, this is bad business.
Mind the store the best you can--I must ride. If they come at you h'run away--I do not care for these goods, and you have spoken up like a man.'” Pedro smote himself upon the lung with his clenched fist. ”H'run I shall not,” says he. ”Thees store can only be obtain by making the es-step over my corpsey.”
”Corpsey” sounded kind of frivolous for the occasion. However, underneath all the rolling eye and fine large gestures, the sand of the little man lay strong. I didn't understand the racket at all, but I knew it meant business or Jim would never have taken such a stand.
”Why didn't you tell me this first, Pedro?” I asked. ”I might have gone away and left you alone.”
”That was what I try to weesh,” said he. ”For you are young, and there is life before you. These are b-a-a-d fallows, these; if they keel Pedro, eet ees no harm, but you have been kin' to me, and I do not weesh you hurt. So I say, I shall let him go; they mus' not harm Beel; and then I feel so verree lonesome, and I think, He shall know and for himself decide.”
”Why, you darned old Guinea!” I yelled at him, ”d'you suppose I'd leave you to buck this through alone? I don't know what got into Jim not to put some men in with you.”
Pedro shrugged his shoulders. ”Senor Holton had no time--what it ees, ees emperative--and for those men, they are all mad, I think. They come and es-swear at me, who never have done them injury--I, never! Who can say Pedro harmed him? They only leave when you are to arrive.”
I don't know why, but suddenly it came upon me that we were stacked against a crowd of men--I mean it came right _real_ to me, and I sat down in a chair, limp. I never admired a man more than I did Pedro, at that moment. There he was, the little man I so often laughed at, quietly going about his business, waiting for a crowd to come and kill him! I didn't mind one or two, or perhaps a few more men, so much, but the crowd threw a crimp into me. When you learn how much bigger a coward a crowd is, than any one man in it, you are not so troubled, but then!
Well, it was the first time I'd been right down terrified in my life, and it was awful. I raked the sweat off my forehead, steadied myself the best I could, and says:
”Well, Pede, we're in for it!”
”_Tiene V. razon!_” says he; ”but we will to do what we can. If I live, always shall I remember how Beel stay with me.”
I've heard it said that a good example will steady you when you're scart. Out of my personal experience I beg to differ. I got mad at Pedro for not being frightened; and the more I thought how well he behaved, the worse rattled I got. I sat there, in a hot chill every time I heard a noise outdoors, till at last some sense came back to me. ”This won't do!” says I. ”Here, Pede, where's the hot-water bottle?”
He handed me a bottle of brandy. I put the neck to my neck and warmed my poor soul. Lord! but it tasted good. Dutch courage ain't on the same shelf with real courage, but it's a durned sight better than scart-to-death in a rumpus.
I hadn't more than time to give a ”hoo” of satisfaction and put the bottle down, when there came a running and a yelling down the road. Pede and I jumped for the door together. The valley lay flat between the hills, north of us, and you could see a mile to the turn in the road.
Down the road two men were running for their lives, a screeching gang after them, peppering 'em with rocks, clubs, and what not. Also there was the s.h.i.+ne of knives--the s.h.i.+ne that always sickens me. I waited for a gun-shot, but none came. The two had fifty yards' start, and they weren't losing it, if they could help it. As they drew nearer I could hear remarks about Papists from the crowd. In a second I saw the play--Brother Belknap's revolution!
That braced me. The victims ran with their arms over their heads for protection; when one dropped his arms and raised his head to cry for help, I recognized Tony Gonzales, the squarest, nicest man in the place.
That steadied me more yet. Fifty men to the two!
”Come on, Pedro!” I hollered. We each grabbed a pick-handle, and with that in one hand and a gun in the other, we went to the door.