Frank at Don Carlos' Rancho

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  THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN SERIES _PHILADELPHIA_: PORTER & COATES.]

  THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN SERIES.

  FRANK AT DON CARLOS' RANCHO.

  BY HARRY CASTLEMON,

  AUTHOR OF "THE GUNBOAT SERIES," "THE GO-AHEAD SERIES," ETC.

  PHILADELPHIA: PORTER & COATES. CINCINNATI, O.: R. W. CARROLL & CO.

  CONTENTS.

  CHAPTER I. All about Horses, 5 CHAPTER II. About Bears, 22 CHAPTER III. A Strange Story, 32 CHAPTER IV. "Old Davy," 48 CHAPTER V. A Running Fight, 61 CHAPTER VI. Don Carlos' Rancho, 76 CHAPTER VII. A Heavy Reward, 96 CHAPTER VIII. Archie Learns Something, 113 CHAPTER IX. Archie and Beppo, 127 CHAPTER X. Archie Makes a Bold Dash, 144 CHAPTER XI. A Companion in Trouble, 161 CHAPTER XII. Frank's Adventures, 178 CHAPTER XIII. An Old Acquaintance, 197 CHAPTER XIV. The Don in Trouble, 216 CHAPTER XV. The Bridge of Clouds, 232 CHAPTER XVI. A Race In the Dark, 249 CHAPTER XVII. Conclusion. 265

  DON CARLOS' RANCHO.

  CHAPTER I.

  ALL ABOUT HORSES.

  Archie Winters found that he had been mistaken in the opinions he hadformed concerning life in California. When he first arrived at hisuncle's rancho, he had declared that the fun and excitement were allover, and that he and Frank were destined to drag out a weary,monotonous existence until the time came for them to return home. ButArthur Vane, with the assistance of Pierre Costello and his band, hadmade things exceedingly lively for him and Frank, and now they wereboth willing to acknowledge that they had had much more than theywanted of perilous adventure.

  The time never hung heavily on their hands, for there was alwayssomething interesting going on. First, Dick Thomas returned from SanFrancisco, and he and Johnny Harris became constant visitors at Mr.Winters's rancho. Then came several unsuccessful hunts after a grizzlybear, which persisted in breaking into the cow-pen every night, andfinally an incident happened that brought about a long string ofadventures, and raised Frank and Archie higher than ever in theestimation of the settlers. On the morning on which we introduce them,they, together with Johnny and Dick, were gathered in a room in Mr.Winters's rancho--the same room in which Frank had had one of thosememorable encounters with the highwayman--talking the matter over.

  The boys were in a state of siege. Every opening, except theport-holes, through which a breath of air might find its way in tothem, was closed, and the room was as hot as an oven. They wereperspiring like butchers; but not one of them thought of throwing opena door or window. Frank was stretched out on the bed, drumming on hisguitar; Archie was walking restlessly up and down the floor,thrashing his boots with his riding whip; Dick Thomas was looking upat the pictures on the walls; and Johnny Harris was standing with hisface close to one of the port-holes, fanning himself vigorously withhis hat. Silence reigned in the room, broken only by the crack ofArchie's whip, and light footsteps outside the door, with which wereoccasionally mingled low angry growls, and the rattling of a chain.None of the boys had spoken during the last ten minutes; and that, tothose who knew them, would have been sufficient evidence that theywere thinking about something exciting.

  "Frank," said Archie, at last, "why don't you stop that noise? I don'tsee how you can lie there and pound on that thing. One would think youwere making merry over our misfortune."

  Frank very good-naturedly laid down the obnoxious guitar, and placinghis hands under his head, looked at Archie as if waiting to hear whathe had to say next.

  "I would do something desperate, if I only had half a chance,"continued the latter, shaking his fist in the air, and flourishinghis whip about so recklessly that Dick retreated into a corner, out ofhis reach. "If I had those villains here I'd--I'd"----

  "O, take it easy," said Frank. "I don't see the use of making any fussabout it, for the mischief has been done, and we can't help it."

  "Take it easy!" repeated Archie, in disgust, "how can I? It wouldprovoke any body in the world, except you, and you never get provokedat any thing. I don't believe you are even sorry."

  "Yes, I am. I feel as badly about it as you do. I would not have lostRoderick for five hundred dollars. He carried me many a mile, and Iowned him so long that I had become greatly attached to him. He wasthe swiftest and best trained horse in the settlement."

  "Except mine," returned Archie, quickly. "Would your horse walk on hishind legs, or pick up your hat or whip for you? Mine would; and ifRoderick was not once badly beaten by him in a fair race, no horse wasever beaten in the world."

  Frank and Archie, as we know, had been rivals from their earliestboyhood, and now they had enthusiastic opponents in Johnny and Dick.Each one insisted that he owned the best horse, the best dog, and thebest gun; and that he could beat the others at riding, running,jumping, wrestling, and throwing the lasso. They all made loud boasts,claiming superiority in every boyish accomplishment, but that was donemerely for sport; for each of them knew that, in some things, he was along way behind the others. The honors were about equally divided, theextra ones falling to the lot of Frank Nelson. He was the strongestfellow, the swiftest runner, the best shot with a rifle or revolver,and wonderfully expert in wrestling. Johnny Harris had once ridden awild mustang, which was so vicious and unruly that none of the otherboys could be induced to mount him, and consequently he was thechampion horseman. Archie was the best jumper, and, until within a fewdays, had owned a horse that was equal to any trick pony the boys hadever seen in a circus. Archie's whole soul was wrapped up in thathorse, for he was the only one that had ever beaten Roderick in a fairrace. Dick Thomas was the happy possessor of a pack of splendidhounds, and could boast that he never missed his mark with the lasso.He had been a formidable rival for Archie in jumping, and for Frank inshooting and running; but had, at last, been compelled to give up thecontest, and acknowledge himself beaten.

  Frank and Archie were in great trouble--they had lost their horses.The animals had gone the way a good many other chargers had goneduring the last three weeks, for nearly every farmer in thatneighborhood had to mourn the loss of some favorite nag, which haddisappeared, and left no trace behind. Every one said that there wasan organized band of horse-thieves around; but who they were, or whatthey did with their booty, could not be ascertained. Large rewards hadbeen offered; the ranches had been patrolled of nights; the settlershad turned out to a man, and searched every nook and corner of themountains they could get at; but, in spite of all their vigilancevaluable horses were stolen every night, and no traces could bediscovered of them or the robbers. The settlers seemed to have givenup all hopes of ever bringing the guilty parties to justice; for now,when a horse was missing, there was nothing done, and but little saidabout it. There was no blowing of horns, and gathering of armed men,as had been the case a few days before. The farmers smiled, said thatmisery loved company, and seemed to think no more about the matter;but they were wide awake, and every man was watching his neighbor. Mr.Winters had been a heavy loser, and now Frank and Archie had come infor a share of the trouble. Roderick and King James (that was the nameof the horse that had taken the place of Sleepy Sam in Archie'saffections) were gone, and of course the boys were highly indignant.One thing that made Archie so angry was the fact that no one, exceptJohnny and Dick, seemed to sympathize with him. Frank played livelytunes on
his guitar, and advised him to "take it easy," while UncleJames, when Archie reported his loss to him, poked him in the ribswith his finger, and said: "Aha! now you can have the pleasure ofgoing afoot, like the rest of us."

  There was no danger that the boys would be obliged to go afoot. Therewere plenty of fine horses on the ranch, and Dick and old Bob, andhalf a dozen other Rancheros, were ready and willing to capture andbreak any nag they might select; but was there a Roderick or a KingJames among all these horses? The lost steeds were regarded by theiryoung owners as perfect specimens of their species. They were sointelligent that they could be taught any thing that horses everlearned; so swift that nothing in the settlement could keep pace withthem; so restless and fiery that they would never stand still longenough for their masters to be fairly seated in the saddle; and yet sodocile that they could be managed, and driven any where, without abridle. Were there any horses on the rancho that possessed all thesegood qualities? The boys were sure there were not.

  We must stop here long enough to tell how Archie came by his horse,and why he gave him that odd name.

  We have spoken of Captain Porter, an old fur-trader, who owned arancho a few miles distant from the one belonging to Mr. Winters. Hewas a fleshy, jolly old gentleman, who always took a great deal ofinterest in every thing the boys did, and listened to the stories oftheir adventures with as much good nature as he exhibited in relatinghis own. Having lived on the frontier from his earliest boyhood, hehad seen a world of excitement and adventure; and the easy way he hadof recounting his exploits over his after-dinner pipe, proved anattraction too strong to be resisted by the boys, who scarcely alloweda day to pass without a visit to his rancho. They had a happy facultyof making friends wherever they went; and it was not long before theold fur-trader began to show that they held a prominent place in hisestimation. He presented Frank with Marmion, the dog which had donehim such good service in his encounters with Pierre Costello, andshortly afterward he treated Archie in a still more handsome manner.

  One day the cousins rode over to dine with the captain, and while onthe way, Archie, who could never be persuaded to acknowledge thatRoderick was a swifter horse than Sleepy Sam, challenged Frank to atrial of speed. The race came off, and Archie, as usual, was badlybeaten. When Frank dismounted at the captain's door, his cousin wasnot in sight.

  "Where's the little one?" asked the fur-trader, who was seated on theporch, enjoying his long Indian pipe.

  "He is coming," replied Frank. "Whenever he is on horseback he can'tbe easy unless he is racing with somebody," he added, to explain howhe came to leave him so far behind.

  "And do you always beat him?"

  "Always. He grumbles and scolds about it at a great rate, but itdoesn't seem to help the matter any. He has tried every horse onuncle's rancho, too; but has never been able to find one that can beatRoderick."

  The captain settled back in his chair, and looked at the mustang as hewas being led away by one of the Rancheros; and, when Archie came up,trying to smile, but looking rather crestfallen over his defeat, hewinked at him, and nodded his head in a very significant manner.Neither of the boys knew what he meant; but Archie found out whendinner was over, for then the trader drew him aside, and held awhispered consultation with him. Frank regarded them both withsuspicion, and when Archie looked at him, and wrinkled up his nose,and made other mysterious signs, he became satisfied that they weregetting up some sort of a conspiracy. Nothing was said or done,however, that threw any light on the matter until they were ready tostart for home; and then, when their horses were brought out, Franksaw that Sleepy Sam was not there. In his place was a small,clean-limbed animal, as black as midnight, which was pawing theground, and jumping about as if impatient to be off. While Frank stoodlooking at him, and admiring his fine points, Archie seized thebridle, and sprang into the saddle.

  "Hallo!" exclaimed his cousin, who now thought he understood themeaning of the mysterious winks and whisperings, "who owns thathorse?"

  "He belongs to the subscriber," replied Archie, highly elated.

  "He is a fine-looking animal, but I don't know what you are going todo with him."

  "Don't you? Well, jump into your saddle and I'll show you. He waspresented to me by Captain Porter, on condition that I make him beatthat ugly-looking mustang of yours; and I am going to do it."

  "It isn't my style to allow a challenge like that to pass unnoticed,"said Frank, as he mounted Roderick. "Hold on! Don't be in such ahurry. Come back here, and give me a fair chance."

  The boys had a good deal of trouble in getting started, for Archieshowed a disposition to "jockey." His expectations had been raised tothe highest pitch by the captain's glowing description of the black'swonderful speed, but he knew what Roderick could do, and he did notintend to allow his cousin to get the start of him by so much as aninch. In order to prevent that, he managed to keep a little in advanceof Frank. But at last, after several false starts, they got offtogether, and the trader witnessed a race that was worth going milesto see. He entered heartily into the sport, clapping his hands, andshouting and laughing at the top of his voice; and when the rivals hadpassed out of sight of the rancho, he returned to his seat, his faceall wrinkled up with smiles, and his fat sides shaking withsuppressed mirth.

  Archie had not overrated the powers of his horse. He took the lead atthe start, and, what was more, increased it at every jump. For half amile he went at an astonishing rate, carrying his rider faster than hehad ever traveled before on horseback; but then the furious pace beganto tell on him, and the mustang, which was good for a three-mile raceat any time, gained rapidly. Archie, who had kept one eye over hisshoulder all the while, noticed this, and knowing that Roderick's longwind would bring him out winner, if the race continued much farther,pulled up his horse and stopped.

  "Now see here," exclaimed Frank, "this is not fair."

  "What isn't?" asked his cousin, innocently.

  "Why, to give up the race when I begin to gain on you. Come on; thisquestion isn't decided yet."

  "I think it is," replied Archie. "I am entirely satisfied. Didn't Ikeep ahead of you for half a mile?"

  "Yes, but I want to explain."

  "A fellow who is beaten always wants to make some excuses orexplanations. I have beaten you fairly. I own the swiftest horse inthe settlement, thanks to Captain Porter, and I have just thought ofan appropriate name for him. The genuine Roderick, the rebel yourhorse is named after, had things all his own way for a while, but methis equal, at last, in King James, who whipped him in a fair fight.Your Roderick has found his match now, and I don't know any bettername for the gallant little nag that has beaten him, than King James.That is what I shall call him."

  Frank had boasted loudly of the mustang's victories over Sleepy Sam,and now Archie paid him back in his own coin. It was of no use for himto say that he would not acknowledge himself beaten--that Roderick wasa "long-winded" horse, and that in a race of three miles he wouldleave the black one-third of the distance behind--for Archie would notlisten; nor could he be induced to consent to another trial of speed.He was very proud of his victory, and loved every glossy hair of thelittle horse which had vanquished the hitherto invincible Roderick.But now he was gone. He was in the hands of some unknown thieves, whohad entered the stable during the night, and made off with him and themustang. The robbers must have known something about the merits of thetwo horses, for there were several other fine animals in the stable,but they were the only ones taken. The loss fell heavily on the boys,for they had expected to ride those horses to the head-waters of theMissouri during the coming autumn. Captain Porter was getting ready tostart northward, on one of his annual trading expeditions, and Frankand Archie, and the two trappers, were to accompany him. It was thecaptain's intention to spend a few weeks in trapping on the Missouriand its tributary streams, and, when cold weather came, to go intowinter-quarters in the mountains.

  The cousins had nearly gone wild with delight when Uncle James decidedthat they might join the expedition, and had
looked forward withimpatience to the day set for the start. What splendid sport theywould enjoy! What multitudes of beavers and otters they would trap;what havoc they would make among the buffaloes and antelopes; andwhat fine opportunities they would have to listen to the trappers'stories, when they were snug in their warm cabin in the mountains,with a fire blazing cheerfully on the hearth, while the fierce winterwas piling up the snow-drifts without! Frank and Archie had oftentalked of these things; but now the journey across the plains, and theexcitements attending a winter's sojourn in the mountains, had lostall charms for them. Indeed, during the last week, Archie hadrepeatedly declared that he would not stir a step. If he could notride King James on the expedition he would not go; he would stay athome.

  "I can't see why the farmers don't wake up and do something," saidArchie, who was so deeply engrossed with his troubles that he did notnotice that he was flourishing his whip in unpleasant proximity to hiscousin's ears. "If they are willing to let their horses go withoutmaking any attempt to recover them, I am not. The thieves are hiddensomewhere in the mountains--I am sure of that--and if I were a man Iwould not sleep soundly until I had found them."

  "It isn't often that I wish any body harm," said Frank, "but I hopeRoderick will throw the man who stole him, head over heels, the firsttime he tries to mount him."

  "Look out, fellows!" exclaimed Johnny, suddenly.

  A heavy tramping was heard in the hall, which grew louder as thefootsteps approached the door. The sound had a strange effect upon theboys, for they all uttered exclamations, and began running about theroom. Frank sprang up and perched himself upon the head-board of thebed; Dick seized a chair, and thrust it out in front of him, as ifwaiting to receive the attack of some enemy; while Johnny ran to oneof the windows, and endeavored to open the shutters. But the heavybar, with which they were fastened, fitted tightly in its place, andseeing that the door of the wardrobe was ajar, he squeezed through it,and shut himself in. Archie was the only one who stood his ground.