FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45  
46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   >>   >|  
shrilly. "Senor Juarez very nervous. I just stretch and whistle a little and he want to shoot." A peculiar smile came over Juarez's face, but he said nothing. All the stolid Indian in his nature came to the surface. He merely grunted contemptuously at the Mexican's remark and this made the volatile Manuel uneasy in his turn, for he wanted to realize that his malice had struck home, but Juarez did not give him that satisfaction. There was a sort of hidden duel between these two, the subtle Mexican and the crafty Indian nature of Juarez. It remained to be seen who would win. The four Frontier Boys went silently along down the dark canyon, each one occupied with his own thoughts and the ill-omened Mexican guide in the lead. Juarez kept a sharp lookout on either side of the trail expecting an ambush. His horse seemed to feel something of the strain his rider was under, as a horse will. Once he shied at something he saw in a clump of bushes, and nearly went off the trail. It was only with the aid of Juarez's horsemanship that he clawed his way back to safety. The Mexican was much amused at this incident, and Jim gave him a sharp call down. CHAPTER VII FARMER BROOM We must now return to Captain Broom and his escort, whom we left sitting on a hill covered with trees near the Sebastian rancho. Old Pete's story had been interrupted by the skipper's warning,--"Somebody is coming our way." There was no question about that, they could hear the someone coming towards the hill whistling cheerfully. Then the form of a man could be seen, coming up the slope of the elevation. "I wonder where those altogether blessed cows are," he was heard saying in Spanish, but of course, this is a free and not a literal translation. "They are generally hiding under these trees," he continued. The sailors kept absolutely still and old Pete covered the bowl of his pipe with his hand so that its light might not discover them. "Carambe!" cried the Mexican as he stopped about three feet from the recumbent Captain, "I fear my good master's cows have been smoking, not like nice Mexican cows, a cigarette, but a pipe like a vile gringo. Come, get up, you black brute," noticing the big bulk of the Captain for the first time, and he hauled off and gave the skipper a hearty kick on the haunch. Never was there a more surprised greaser in the whole ungainly length of California for this apparently gentle cow that he kicked, (not for
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45  
46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Mexican

 

Juarez

 

coming

 

Captain

 

covered

 
nature
 

skipper

 

Indian

 

altogether

 

literal


Spanish
 

blessed

 

whistling

 

warning

 

Somebody

 

interrupted

 

Sebastian

 
rancho
 

question

 

elevation


cheerfully

 

translation

 

discover

 

hearty

 

hauled

 

noticing

 
gringo
 
haunch
 

California

 
length

apparently

 

gentle

 

kicked

 
ungainly
 

surprised

 

greaser

 

cigarette

 

hiding

 
generally
 

continued


sailors

 

absolutely

 

Carambe

 

master

 

smoking

 

recumbent

 
stopped
 
satisfaction
 

struck

 

malice