F. S. Brereton

“ Bring the boys, Pepito," sang out Dudley. "Let us get the meal over before it is dark. Then the men will have time for a smoke before turning in."
Out there on the pampas, when the first streak of light found the camps astir, and the rising of the sun often enough discovered the gauchos, already breakfasted, their horses watered and fed, and themselves mounted and away after the cattle, a man did not as a rule wish to sit up late after darkness had fallen. Candles, like matches, were scarce, and, besides, the strenuous life, and the fresh open air, always had their effect. ”

“ It has made a man of me, lad. When I am away from the house on the rancho I feel free as the air. I eat and sleep heartily, and fine weather, sunshine, frost, or rain are one and the same to me. Give me the gauchos' camp on the plains, or amidst the small forests, the crackling fire of thistle tops, a saddle to rest my head on, and a thick blanket to cover me. I am happy then. I enjoy every minute of the day, and sleep soundly at night. But there is something else. Lad, there are Indians. ”

“ But he had not worked on the pampas for nothing, and no doubt he had seen many a similar adventure. Seeing that he could not escape, he watched the pursuing horse, and as the maddened brute twisted on its fore legs he threw himself on his face, the heels swishing a foot over his back. Then he rolled over and over, sprang to his feet, and rushed on again, reaching the rail of the corral as the horse came within striking distance again.
"He will be killed," shouted Dudley in his excitement. "The brute will kick the life out of him." ”

“ The bullet whizzed past his head, missing it by little more than an inch, and, flying along the deck, buried itself in the mast, giving a loud and ominous thud as it did so. An instant later Mr. Blunt rose to his feet, a spout of flame shot from his weapon, lighting up the immediate surroundings for one brief instant, and then he was down again, listening eagerly, and waiting for another opportunity, while he dragged at Dudley's clothing.
"Get down," he said sharply. "I saw what was happening by the flash. We are travelling as fast as they are. ”

“ There could be no mistaking the voice, and in a second Dudley was pulling frantically at his reins, shouting back with his head turned as much as possible, while hope, the certainty of succor and of safety, sent the blood rushing through his veins. His spirits went up with a jump. In an instant what had seemed a desperate position was entirely changed. Mr. Blunt was there, riding swiftly after him, for no one else on the pampas possessed such a voice.
"Halt! If you are a friend, halt at once; if an enemy, halt all the sooner." ”

“ Another volley rattled from the direction of the hillock, a scattered, irregular volley, broken by shouts and wild yells. Then there was a dull thud and the horse sprang into the air and then galloped on at an even greater pace, for it had been stung by a bullet which had struck it on the quarter. However, the range was rather far for a muzzle-loader, and it happened that the wound was only a superficial one.
"Steady, boy!" cried Dudley, taking good hold of his reins and looking round. "We have a long gallop before us and we had better be careful. Steady! Their horsemen are not in sight." ”

“ A minute later the attack had been abandoned. Antonio Sarvisti and his men had slunk back to their old positions, while the defenders still lay in their primitive fort, confident and brimful of enthusiasm.
"Just the time for me to move," whispered Dudley. "Harold, I leave the men to you. Whatever happens, hang on to this place and hold these rascals round you. If I get through, and can take a horse, I shall be at the estancia by noon, and might even be back soon after dark. If all is well, fire an occasional shot through the night. ”

“ But, suddenly, as the rascals within stared out from the shadows, they saw our hero lift his arm above his head and bring the band to a standstill. Almost at the same instant a shrill whistle sounded away on the right, a signal which all knew came from Pepito.
"Something wrong, I think," said Dudley to Harold, who rode up to his elbow. "I called a halt here as I could see no easy way into the forest. Everything looks so black ahead that I thought it wise to send a man to search for an opening. And now Pepito gives a whistle. What can be the reason?" ”

“ And all the while the gaucho clung like a leech to it, while the cruel rowels of his spurs struck the heaving flanks incessantly, till the blood trickled from many a wound.
"ALL THE WHILE THE GAUCHO CLUNG LIKE A LEECH TO IT"
"It is no time for soft measures, Dudley," said Mr. Blunt. "It is kinder to be harsh now, for once and all, than constantly to repeat the cruelty. That horse is getting beaten. In a couple of hours he will be docile. How would you care to try your horsemanship?" ”

“ He was a plucky lad at heart, and, if he could only have realized it, there was ample reason for all his fears.
Even a grown man would have had his nerves braced to the highest on this dark night, and why therefore should he be ashamed? His old, gallant spirit returned. He groped his way forward with more energy now, till the inches and feet had grown to yards, till the murmur of the rascals surrounding the little band of comrades near the pampas was lost in the distance. He was clear. The enemy was behind him, and now all that remained was to steal a horse and gallop away. ”

“ A shot was fired, while one of the more active of the men, realizing what had happened, made a desperate leap at the rail, and hung to it for a moment. But it was for only a brief moment, for again a pistol sounded, the sharp report drowning the shouts of the men below. The man dropped into the water like a stone, leaving Mr. Blunt staring down at the place which his figure had occupied. Then it was the turn of the rascals aboard the other boat.
"Let them shout," said Mr. Blunt calmly. "They are beaten, hopelessly beaten, for we have the legs of them now. ”

“ Even to the men hidden in the forest an occasional glimpse was possible of the reddening sky, while the light, growing imperceptibly greater, seemed to steal down past the leaves and along the tree trunks till it reached the roots. It was dawn. Men could see the faces of their comrades, and Harold was able to tell the exact position of each one of his following, and for the first time could distinguish the outline of the quaint fort which Dudley had suggested before his departure. ”

“ Blunt. "Yes, a man feels fit and keen here. The air is a tonic to those who are weaklings when they come to the pampas, and many a delicate man have I seen get strong and healthy after a few months. Look at the sky! That is the sort of ceiling we have at night for the greater part of the year. The stars are brilliant, and that crescent of the moon makes the place almost as light as during the day." ”

“ But Dudley swung his animal round when fifty yards away, brought him back at a gallop, and was on his feet beside Mr. Blunt at the very moment when his horse came to a standstill.
"Just what I have been longing for ever since we left for Buenos Ayres," he laughed. "Life on shipboard may be very nice, but give me the open pampas and a horse."
"And me also," sang out Mr. Blunt, as he climbed into his saddle. "You will learn it all in a little while, Harold, and, like Dudley, will enjoy every minute of the day. For me the life is fascinating, and I'll be bound that you will find it the same. ”

“ Pietro himself threw the bolas as before, and to Dudley's delight, and, to be honest, to his amazement, he had the good fortune to strike the pith ball at the first shot and shatter it into a hundred or more pieces.
"Bueno! That is shooting, comrades," exclaimed the big, melancholy-looking man who had shaken hands with him on the previous day. "The señor can shoot, and by all accounts he is brave and can swim. Who knows, perhaps he can ride also. Whatever more he can do he is certainly the best gringo we have ever seen. ”

“ The gauchos shrieked as loud as any Indian, touched their horses with the spur, and in a moment the little band was plunging through the camp. Fleeing Indians went down under their heels, guns exploded in their faces, and of a sudden the dark mass of swaying horses blocked their path. Dudley's revolver snapped sharply, while the men behind poured a hail into the men attempting to mount. Then the confusion became indescribable, for the horses belonging to the Indians became maddened with fear. ”

“ Blunt had not yet arrived, these men of the pampas seized the opportunity of seeing for themselves what the newcomer could do.
"There are no wagers this time, señor," said Pietro, standing beside Dudley with an unconscious air of pride about him, as if it were he who had introduced the latest gringo, and was responsible for his actions and for his ability. "The men have asked me how long you have been in the country, and they can scarcely believe that you are such a shot. I have told them, and so have the comrades who looked on, how you beat Giono. But no; they cannot credit the statements." ”

“ If he carries one, surely he can shoot, or else why have the weapon?"
"Bueno! You will have the match," was the answer, given very suavely, for Pietro knew the man with whom he had to deal, and he had no wish to experience his rough temper. "Good, Giono, we will speak to the señor. As to the rifle, it is yours if you can win it. I have no fears of our gringo. Señor," he said, coming up to Dudley, "Señor, we have had a little discussion amongst ourselves, and I, who think I know a man when I see him, have boasted that you can shoot. ”

“ Of the twenty or more passengers aboard but two had put in an appearance at meals in the saloon, and for them, hardy travellers though they were, eating had been a matter of difficulty, for the table was decked with fiddles, and every scrap of crockery and glassware was secured. To eat soup one had to cling to the basin with one hand and to the spoon with the other, while one balanced oneself in his seat as skilfully as the elements allowed.
Dudley had been utterly miserable. He had not been five miles to sea before, and he had succumbed to nausea within two hours. ”

“ He knew the life of the pampas, and he knew his fellow men. This foreman of the hands employed on the rancho was a good friend to Mr. Blunt, the partisan of the weaklings, and a man who loved fair play. He went to his station with the thongs of the bolas trailing out behind him, and with the fringes of his leggings fluttering in the breeze. Dudley and the others sauntered over towards the well, the men looking askance at Giono, while Dudley kept a cautious eye upon him.
"An ugly-looking beggar," he said to himself, "and boasts too much to like being beaten. ”

“ They sat for a few seconds wondering what was happening, for the noise from the camp, which was now as intense as before, and which had spread on either side, was suddenly taken up on the far side of the herd of cattle. The gauchos were shouting, calling to their comrades, it seemed, while the bellowing from the cattle was almost deafening. Then a flying figure came from behind them, and one of the gauchos dashed up to Dudley.
"Lead the men this way, señor," he shouted eagerly. "The herd is moving. It is out of hand. The leaders are already running through the camp. Ride for your lives!" ”

“ The sight which Dudley saw when late that evening they arrived on the western border of the rancho was indeed a novel and most interesting one. There were some fifty gauchos in all, widely separated, and broken up into twos. Of these groups of two, one man was always mounted, while at the hour at which they arrived the gaucho off duty for the time had strayed from his comrade to those nearest at hand, and had now squatted over a fire of thistle tops, smoking and eating.
"That is how the herd is watched," explained Mr. Blunt. "The men must have rest, for night and day the watch must be kept. ”

“ No man likes to be hounded off his own land, and see the possessions of which he has had charge filched from beneath his very nose. Such a course of conduct is demoralizing. The thought that they were to make a struggle, not for their own lives so much as for their master's property, heartened these fine gauchos, and they cast many an admiring glance at their young commander. Dudley limped across the grass, for he was stiff and sore after such a tumble, and clambered into the saddle. ”

“ In short, they cultivated a native politeness for the simple reason that ungainliness and a surly manner led to trouble, and a man, however pugnacious, could not be forever fighting, or hope always to be victorious.
"Pietro is thinking tenderly of his gun," was Giono's harsh rejoinder as he scowled at Dudley. "He wishes to make excuses for this English pup. Good! I am willing to accept a fine of some sort. Give me a hunting knife, Pietro, and we will cry quits. But is it not a pity? This señor stands as if he owned the ground on which his heels rest, and lets all the world see his revolver. ”

“ Meanwhile Dudley had struck out, had reached the surface, and had looked round for Mr. Blunt and the shark. Hardly half a minute had passed since he leaped from the rail, but in that short space of time he had decided on his course of action, though when he plunged into the water he had no idea what course to pursue. Then, like a flash, he remembered reading in some book about sharks, and of how natives in some odd corner of the world were in the habit of attacking them.
"A shark is helpless if you can tear his tail," he said to himself. ”