The Argosy, November 1908 — page 40: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

606 “But the Yaquis will come back.” “Not yet. They get much angry not catching Red Two Legs, and have fight with soldiers. We have time. Must not hurry. Lose all.” There certainly was good logic in this, much as my impatience impelled me to hurry at once to my wife’s side. For, in my mind she was my wife without doubt or cavil. I cared not for that law or whatever it was that debarred me because the justice had not yet reached the words that made us man and wife. It had not been the fault of either of us. She was my wife, and I was willing to shoot up all Mexico to get her. The problem was not an easy one to solve. The peons had really done me no harm of their own will. And it was extremely possible that they did not know that any harm had been done. They were there with Hernandez, and if the father of a girl wants to take her into such a place it was no business nor concern of theirs. PeBilly; Ty said. = 15 ty could. peta message to her we might get up some scheme.” “Ves, if we could.” The old Moqui wrinkled his brow at this thought. It was going to be no easy matter to get a message to Consuelo without attracting the attention of some one else. Had there been no men there except Bonilla and Hernandez, I would. have thought it likely that Namona would go for water, wherever they got it, and that might help out. But with those men to do the work there was little chance of even that hope. But that idea of getting a message to Consuelo was one with potentialities. It was not only good in itself, but led up to other good ones. If I could get a message to her, in some way that nobody would suspect, Billy Barefoot and I could work out the rest of it. There was nothing to do but watch and see what chances there were. So I lay down near the edge of the cliff. I feasted my eyes on her graceful beauty as she moved slowly about, al- ways with that sad and listless manner. The three Indians sat and talked in THE ARGOSY. their own tongue, and played some game of their own. And now again the problem of food confronted me. I wondered that Billy had not thought of bringing some of the bear meat with us. But I knew the In- dians would not go hungry and waited till, in their own fashion, they would let me know. I was aware that they never offered information till it was due. If I asked, the answer probably would be to wait and see. I suppose the difficulty they had in expressing themselves in English was the cause of this, for they certainly gabbled enough in their own tongue. CHAPTER XVI. A NOVEL SCHEME, My watch, which I had not permitted to run down, and which had not been injured by my fall, told me, as did also a pretty healthy appetite, that it was noon, and time for dinner. But the three Indians were stolidly interested in their play. Once Billy looked up, and I made a motion of putting something into my mouth. He got up, ending the game abruptly, and motioned for all of us to follow. We walked quite a distance away from the lake and I found that my friends had established a camp. “Ts this safe?” I asked. “Ves. They never come here, and if they do we are Indians and havea right to live in the woods.” They had shot some game, and we made out to satisfy our appetites, and I smoked a while. I could think of nothing else than get- ting a message to Consuelo. Often it seemed to me that one of the Moquis could go in and speak to her, but then there was so much danger in that that I gave it up. Certainly I could not go myself. Having finished my pipe, I went back and returned to my occupation of watch- ing. But now there was nothing to watch. The peons were eating, but Con- suelo and her father and Hernandez had disappeared, undoubtedly into the house, since there was no other place to go. Cconmicdooks.com