Show A jwj CARMEN 0 F T RANCH by FRANK H SPEARMAN frank H spearman service SYNOPSIS don alfredo Al treSo wealthy spanish owner of a southern california rancho refuses to heed several warnings of 0 a raid by a band of 01 outlaws sierra indians one day after tie he lias has finally decided to seek the protection ol of the nearby mission for or his wile wife and family the indians strike don alfredo Is killed and his two young daughters are torn from the arms of the fam ilys faithful maid monica and are carried aw away ay to the hills padre pasqual missionary friend of the family arrives at the ruins of the ranch and learns the story of the raid from monica after a trying and difficult trip across the plains and mountains from texas to california youthful henry B bowle av vie a texas adventurer with his friends ben Par daloe and simmie an indian scout sight the party of indians who have carried off the two little girls the three texans attack the war party ot of fifty odd indians and through a clever ruse scatter the savages to the hills the girls are saved the group makes its way out of the hills and meets the distraught monica the childrens maid the girls are left with monica and the friendly padre at a mission and the texans proceed to monterey here bowie completes his business for gen sam houston of texas who has commissioned him to deliver an important message bowie decides to have a look at the wild untamed country that california was in the middle nineteenth century bowle bowie disappears from california but returns eight years later and makes the acquaintance of a friendly spanish family at the rancho bancho guadalupe he Is attracted by the lovely carmen daughter of don ramon the ranchos owner CHAPTER VI continued 7 bowie listened indeed to the words of don ramon but he heard the cadences of another voice a voice of sweet throated music strange to the ear but bewildering in utterance for the first time in his life the texan without realizing it began to love the strange tongue in which californians spoke and to listen for every syllable that might fall from the lips of the young spanish girl the clinging black of her gown did not hide the tender slope of her shoulders it contrasted with the ivory of her slender neck and above this from a perfectly poised head fell soft masses of brown hair they framed the features of one just at the threshold of full bloomed adolescence lips filling with promise of a richer maidenhood eyes that retired under long dark lashes and opened with a searching light you want to start tomorrow don francisco was asking bowie nodded but I 1 have an idea suggested francisco my uncle is having matanza this week he is slaughtering surplus cattle for the tallow captain davis with whom my uncle trades is in port at monterey from china he will want much tallow for south america and boston it will be a big matanza you should see one much attention much excitement cit ement much work stay over a day or two the streams will then be fordable and you and bour your scouts in the meantime will be well entertained plenty of bears bears echoed bowie francisco nodded dozens they come down from the mountains at night after the matanza off offal al plenty of chance for a bear fight if you like one the texan showed interest asked more questions and said he would talk to his scouts the next morning bowie and his host rode out to where the matanza was in progress Par daloe and simmie were already on the scene watching every move of the ros as one rode quietly into the corral lassoed a steer by the horns homs and brought him outside when the rider had the beast well placed a second vaquero rop roped ed the steers hind legs threw him and 1 with two ropes taut tied his feet fee t in in a bunch and with a knife gave him the golpe de gracia what interested the texan seasoned as to cattle and horses was the skill and speed with which the vaqueros ros worked and the almost human intelligence of their horses the perfection of their response to every hint of their rider in snaring and handling a steer it was particularly ticul arly this skill of the hor horses ses that made the work p proceed rapidly without mishap or hitch for two days the work went forward speedily the matanza ground was a scene of the greatest activity to the texan the spectacle of such abundance such profusion of waste and such indifference to everything but the work in hand was a source at amazement A hearty lunch served to the family at noon was toll followed owed by a heartier dinner for the evening with the difference that native wine accompanied the dinner this was the family gathering of the day at which the hostess and her daughter were formally dressed after the family had settled about the fire in the living room and the conversation had shown signs of lagging don ramon made a request of carmen carmen took her place at the family harp ran her fingers over the strings and sting sang a spanish song the conversation and the words of the song were lost on bowie but not the c lear clear true notes of the girls voice don francisco explained that the song was the appeal of a lover to the stars to bear witness of his devotion to his mistress carmen sang again a french chanson it was very slight but it echoed in bowies ears most of the night it bothered bowie that in these household meetings he could never manage to catch the eye of carmen I 1 he was discreet enough not to attempt to coax her glance his way and old enough to be ashamed ol of himself for his curiosity but curiosity persisted toward the end ol of his stay a natural resentment at the aloofness of one who had for a week enlisted his lively interest impelled him to practice such retaliatory measure as he could the least satisfactory is feature of his attempt to ignore her was that this made no apparent difference whatever to carmen if she were aware there was no evidence of it for her he seemed not to exist don francisco on the other hand grew increasingly attached to bowie everything about the texan in interested te the youth especially was he fascinated by the plains mans novel revolver indeed the whole male population of rancho guadalupe marveled at a pistol that would shoot six bullets without re charging the matanza always brought down an army of bears from the hills and don francisco seeking excuse to prolong the stay of the hunters promised them as many bear fights as they had stomach for black bers beirs cinnamon bears and occasionally ahe the famed monarch of the sierras the grizzly the highly respected oso pardo as don francisco called him this prospect of adventure interested the two scouts they added their appeal to that of don francisco and bowie not loath to linger near the flame of the distant candle he had lighted for himself consented hardly had night fallen when the vanguard of the bears arrived from the hills emptied empted Bemp ted by the rejected meat and off offal al of the matanza the bears would come down at nightfall jor for a feast this gave the hunters disposed for sport their chance shortly the matanza ground was well filled with the hairy monsters gorging growling fighting among themselves and snapping ferociously at those bolder coyotes who dared trespass on the preserves of their banqueting betters the texans watched don ramon circling a chosen bear lassoed him by the neck don francisco watching his chance executed the more difficult feat of roping the bears hind legs and the two horsemen riding then in opposite directions forced the bear to fight his utmost to save himself in the end he was killed the vaqueros ros made nightly sport with the big fellows the texans seeing bear after bear brought to the knife were not greatly impressed in the morning don ramon invited bowie for a canter over the rancho he particularly wanted to see how the rain had left the footbridge leading across the river to the grain fields which stretched in m rolling acres toward the bay returning he suggested a short cut through the hills the two men were riding briskly abreast when crossing a canyon they stumbled suddenly almost on top of a bear ambling along on her way with two cubs to the matanza ground miral oso pardo cried don ramon the warning was well ordered the bear enraged reared with the swiftness of a jack in the box on her huge feet and sprang as luck wa would uld have it at don ramon she struck him with a raking blow of her claw it caught his trouser leg the stout cloth unhappily for the rider held and the unlucky don found himself torn from the saddle in catapulting headfirst to the ground his foot caught in the stirrup and his frenzied horse dashed down the canyon dragging the rider a dozen yards before the don could release himself As he kicked clear with a mighty effort his head struck a rock and he sprawled on the canyon floor half conscious the bear dashed awkward but swiftly after the fleeing horse and the helpless rider bowie close at hand had barely seconds to head his panicky mount toward the angry beast and uncoil hi his lasso yelling to the don to fie flee e bowie flung his rope at the loping grizzly it settled over her head and bowie spurring swiftly back despite the weight and size of the grizzly jerked the monster around and threw her off her feet only for an instant rolling over the bear doubly infuriated seized the lasso in her claw and began reeling bowie and his horse hand over hand toward her the texan perceived his peril his horse strove vainly to pit his strength against the strength of his enormous enemy it was 0 a hopeless endeavor relentlessly the bear dragged horse and rider toward him luckily a sizable tree stood near with shout and spur bowie plunging forward whirled the horse and man managed aged to circle the tree before the be bear ar could take up all the slack it gave the texan an instant of respite and he dismounted but in that instant the bear charged him the tree between the two was of little consequence as the hunted man was aware and the grizz grizzles lys leap was far beyond the nimblest feat of a runner taking what was at best a merely desperate chance bowie as he jumped fired shot aft t AI but in that instant the bear charged him er shot into the bears mouth and head then he dropped the empty revolver whipped out his knife and waiting not a second plunged directly into the bears arms for what was likely to prove a fatal embrace only one of the two he knew could come out alive the foreman pedro was riding away from the corral when he saw don ramons horse racing out of the hills the halfbreed half breed realized at once there was trouble shouting to nearby near by vaqueros ros to follow he spurred for the hills before he reached them bowies horse dragging the broken rope shot out of the canyon and gave him the direction at the same moment he heard pistol shots echoing down the canyon walls urging his companions who were stringing along behind to follow fast pedro galloped into the canyon his practiced eye told him the story as he be rode whatever it had been it was over for the canyon was as still as the grave on he galloped until rounding a bend he saw the bodies of the grizzly and the texan lying less than ten yards apart both apparently dead but pedro dared take no chances his horse was frantic and he knew the deadly danger of a wounded bear casting a hasty glance at bowie who lay on his face he urged his frightened horse closer to the fallen monster of the sierras the vaquero eyed the beast narrowly while he rode his horse kicking and flinging around him until he caught sight of the handle of a bow bowle ie knife sunk to the hilt between the ribs under the left forepaw the grizzly lay quite dead hastening to bowie pedro slipped from his horse to examine him dust covered and mangled the texan lay in a rapidly widening pool of his own blood his heart was beating faintly and pedro giving hurried orders to his comrades raised the unconscious man in his arms pushed up from one ear a flap of scalp torn from bowies temple and shouting tor for puff puffballs balls plastered the dry spores as best he could over the unconscious mans head shoulders and arms CHAPTER VII bowle bowie woke in bed to see a tall fall bald man in the brown woolen habit of a franciscan padre sitting in a chair beside him and eying him with a suspicion of a smile As bowie e opened his eyes the padre raised the forefinger of his right hand and laid it across his own lips as if to enjoin silence DOS pa labros amigo no masl he ha said in a low sympathetic voice few words from you for some time yet I 1 want to see some nourishment for you before you expend any strength you left most of that amigo in the canyon yes he continued still in english 1 I know what you want to ask you were brought back to the ranch house given up for dead when they sent for me at the mission I 1 asked who is this man A texan mangled by a grizzly they told me A texan I 1 repeated and when they assured me you were I 1 said the texan is not dead I 1 have seen many men torn by grizzlies grizzlier grizz lies but the texan outlasts the bear however I 1 say to you seriously few words and on your back till we can get more blood coursing through your veins bowie lay so utterly weak he could hardly find voice but speak he would padre he said breathing with difficulty if the bear is dead I 1 want my knife my knife he repeated with an effort and my revolver for answer the franciscan rose turned to the bureau in the bedroom took from it the long knife and the colt revolver they have been cared for amigo as you see but I 1 advise you to rest up for at least three months before you resume resume with a grizzly that is indeed a knife remarked the padre holding up the bowie knife for interested inspection where did you get it amigo the blade was made from a blacksmiths file returned bowie with a trace of pride in his weakness and calls for a long strong arm to wield it mused the padre don francisco entered the room on tiptoe he greeted bowie warmly Ar amigo ardigo he exclaimed thanks to god that you are alibel tell me what happened in that canyon the padre put up his hand he is too weak to talk but in a few words begged don francisco in a few words responded bowie dryly we had more or less of a fight madre de dios exclaimed don francisco 1 I would call it more than less of a fight pedro has never seen so big a bear no not in all his life he truly says but bowie you must know padre martinez he has been our surgeon amigo we had none else to call on dr doane was in santa barbara doctors are scarce in california very scarce we feared you would die from all the blood you lost but dinez who graduated a surgeon in spain before he became a missioner came quickly to our aid and you see bowie weakly acknowledged his obligation by pressing the hand of padre martinez who sat beside his bed and the padre silenced don francisco by waving him out of the room and then following him at the door he encountered don ramon just coming to speak to bowie and in matter of fact to apologize for exposing his guests life to such danger don ramon brought back his nephew francisco f for or translator only a few words padre exclaimed don ramon but he saved my life I 1 must at least thank him bowie who in the everyday course of the life af a frontiersman would not have looked on his narrow escape as an extraordinary event found himself the hero of the ranc bancha rancha Par daloe and simmie shining in the penumbra of his prestige and though thong h secretly elated at the feat put on airs of indifference among the va va queros gueros to intimate that where they came from such incidents were everyday occurrences the days went slowly almost painfully for an active man like bowie dona maria realizing that her husbands life had been spared through the diversion of the bears fury was unremitting in her solicitude for the texans comfort and when he was ready to sit up carmen sent flowers and a chinese confection to him |