The Blue Grass Seminary Girls on the Water Part 46

"Quick, Mabel! Here comes Hernandez!" cried Shirley.

Mabel's hesitancy and fright vanished on the instant. Quickly she lowered herself by her hands and dropped to the ground. She fell in a heap, but was unhurt and was up again in a moment.

"Where is he?" she asked.

Shirley was forced to laugh.

"I just said that to get you down," she returned. "If I hadn't you would have stayed up there all day."

Mabel's tension also relaxed, and the girls moved slowly away from the house, Shirley finding that her ankle had stopped hurting and was not even swollen.

"Where shall we go?" asked Mabel.

"American consulate, I reckon," replied the girl, "if we can find it."

"We must find it," said Mabel firmly.

"Yes but how. Neither of us can speak Spanish."

"Then we must find a Mexican who speaks English. We should have no trouble doing that."

The girls had been walking along rapidly, for they wished to put as much s.p.a.ce as possible between them and their recent prison; but at the same time they did not run for they did not wish to attract attention by the appearance of undue haste.

Suddenly there came a cry from behind. Unconsciously both girls stopped in their tracks and looked back over their shoulders. But one look was enough.

"Run!"

"Run!" cried Shirley in the same breath.

Dashing after them as fast as his stout body would permit, was Hernandez.

Shirley and Mabel wasted no time in deciding what was best to be done.

Keeping as close to each other as possible, they took to their heels and dashed madly along the street.

CHAPTER XXVII.-d.i.c.k IN PERIL.

The special train bearing Mr. Willing, Colonel Ashton, d.i.c.k and Captain Von Blusen arrived in Mazatlan only two hours after that on which Shirley and Mabel had reached the city. The four went at once to the American consulate.

Consul Edwards had been unable to accompany them, but after sending the telegram requesting that the fugitives be shadowed, he had written a note to Consul Harrington at Mazatlan and this he had given to Mr.

Willing as a means of introduction.

Mr. Willing sent in the letter to the consul, and the latter received them immediately.

"I have a man shadowing the fugitives," said the consul. "I told him to report here the minute he was sure he had run his quarry to earth."

"Is there no danger they will elude him?" asked d.i.c.k anxiously.

"Not much," was the smiling reply. "Fisher was formerly a newspaperman and has had considerable experience along that line."

And the consul was right. A short time later Fisher appeared.

"Have you found their refuge?" was Colonel Ashton's first question after the introductions had been made.

"I followed a man, two women and two girls to a native house in the eastern extremity of the city," was the reply. "I have no doubt they are the right ones."

"Good," returned the consul. "Now the first thing to do is to enlist the support of General Seauterey, the commandant of the city. Without him we can do practically nothing. But he will be glad to capture Hernandez."

The consul took his departure, announcing that he would return as soon as possible.

d.i.c.k left the room announcing that he would take a little stroll outside. Mr. Willing enjoined him to be back by the time the consul returned.

d.i.c.k, thinking deeply, was unconscious of the pa.s.sing of time and the distance which he had walked. At last he roused himself from his reverie and looked at his watch.

"Great Scott!" he exclaimed. "I have been gone more than an hour. I had better hurry back."

He gazed about him, and saw that he was in an evil-looking part of the town. He swung about on his heel and set out in the direction from which he had come.

As he pa.s.sed a narrow street, even dirtier-looking than the rest, an arm suddenly shot out and dealt him a blow across the head, knocking him to the ground.

d.i.c.k was stunned by the force of the blow, but he was by no means deprived of his coolness nor resourcefulness. He rolled over quickly several times, seeking to put as much distance as possible between himself and his unseen opponent, and then scrambled quickly to his feet.

Two men bore down on him. Short wiry Mexicans they were, and one held a knife in his hand. d.i.c.k took one look at them, then turned and ran.

But the force of the blow he had just received made it impossible for him to run far, and soon he turned, and with his back to the wall of a house, faced his adversaries.

Just out of striking distance the latter halted, and spoke to him in Spanish. d.i.c.k shook his hand, indicating that he did not understand.

"Speak English," he said.

The men conversed together in low tones, then one of them spoke a single English word to d.i.c.k:

"Money!"

"Oh, I see," said d.i.c.k, "you want my money, eh? Well, you won't get it.

I need it myself."

He shook his head at the men, and they gesticulated angrily, one of them raising his knife. Then, with a cry, they sprang forward.

d.i.c.k was in a serious predicament and he realized it. But he determined to do his best. As the men closed on him, d.i.c.k struck out. One of the men staggered back.

At that moment there came the sound of pattering feet down the street.

The men drew back. A second later two running figures came into sight, and d.i.c.k cried out in amazement.

The figures were Shirley and Mabel, and even as d.i.c.k recognized them a third form came into view, and this d.i.c.k immediately recognized as that of Hernandez.