The Valiant Runaways [58]
strikes, and leapt at each
other. Even Roldan gave a hoarse cry of surprise, and as for Adan, he
fell into vocabulary: one serpent had darted straight down the throat of
the other. For a moment there was a fearful lashing. The choking
serpent, with protruding eyes, like small green coals, and jaws
distended in agony, strove to dislodge his suffocating enemy, and the
other humped his back and leapt backward in frantic efforts to reach the
air again. But suddenly their struggles ceased; they flattened to the
ground, only the tails moving automatically. What was left looked like a
monster of some unknown species; a creature with no head, a huge belly,
and two tails.
"Caramba!" exclaimed Adan, "I could not eat that even if we had anything
to cook it with. It looks like a mass of poison."
"I should like to know where that poison was last night. It may be a
good sign, however: as they are the first living things we have seen, we
may be near to the edge of the desert."
Adan crossed himself.
"Come," continued Roldan, "let us move on, before hunger tempts us too
far."
Once more they started on their tortuous way. They walked very slowly,
both from necessity and inclination: the excitement of the fight over,
their physical necessities pressed heavily; they kept as close together
as they could, but rarely spoke: they were too hungry. Both were
oppressed by the fear that at any minute they would come upon a solid
wall of cacti and be obliged to retrace their steps, and both knew that
might mean a stunning blow to courage. At times the constant zig-
zagging, the unalterable, smooth, grey-green surface of the cacti, made
them halt dizzily, for both brain and body were sick for want of food.
But by degrees the wood grew thinner and thinner; and when the sun was
half way between the zenith and the western horizon, they left behind
the last straggling outpost and found themselves on the edge of a creek,
the same doubtless that they had crossed three nights before. They gave
each other a feeble simultaneous slap on the back, gathered their
energies, ran down the bank, and took a long draught of the running
water.
"I feel better," said Roldan, finally, "but hungrier than ever. There
are quail in that chaparral over there. I'll go after them, and do you
hunt for flint and build a fire."
He crossed the creek and entered the brush beyond. Almost simultaneously
there was a loud whirr of wings, and a large flock of quail rose from
the chaparral a few feet ahead of him. He had only his pistols, but he
was a good shot, and he decapitated two of the birds in rapid
succession. Then he reloaded and killed a squirrel. When he returned,
Adan was on his knees, with his large cheeks distended, coaxing a
handful of dried leaves and twigs into flame. It was a half hour before
the pyre was large enough for the sacrifice, but after that the birds
and squirrel, which meanwhile had been skinned and washed in the creek,
were but a short time singeing. It was an ill-cooked meal, but when it
was over Roldan said solemnly,--
"I have eaten of all the delicious dishes of the Californias, including
many dulces, but nothing ever tasted as good as this; no, not even the
first breakfast at Casa Encarnacion."
"Nor to me," said Adan, emphatically, and he crossed himself.
XXIII
"Hallo!" shouted a peremptory voice. "Hallo! Hallo!"
"It's the Senor Jim," gasped Adan.
Roldan sprang to his feet. "Hallo!" he cried.
There was a heavy trampling in the chaparral, and a moment later Hill
rode into view. He took off his sombrero and waved it at the boys, but
did not speak until he had crossed the creek and dismounted. Then he
turned and regarded them with his keen hard eyes.
"Well!" he exclaimed, "I never calkilated to see you alive agin, and
that's a fact. Hed some more adventures, I presume. Look as if ye'd hed
more adventures than grub."
"Indeed we have, Don Jim," said Roldan, solemnly. "Should you like to
hear them?"
"Should I? Well, I guess. You and your adventures have kinder
other. Even Roldan gave a hoarse cry of surprise, and as for Adan, he
fell into vocabulary: one serpent had darted straight down the throat of
the other. For a moment there was a fearful lashing. The choking
serpent, with protruding eyes, like small green coals, and jaws
distended in agony, strove to dislodge his suffocating enemy, and the
other humped his back and leapt backward in frantic efforts to reach the
air again. But suddenly their struggles ceased; they flattened to the
ground, only the tails moving automatically. What was left looked like a
monster of some unknown species; a creature with no head, a huge belly,
and two tails.
"Caramba!" exclaimed Adan, "I could not eat that even if we had anything
to cook it with. It looks like a mass of poison."
"I should like to know where that poison was last night. It may be a
good sign, however: as they are the first living things we have seen, we
may be near to the edge of the desert."
Adan crossed himself.
"Come," continued Roldan, "let us move on, before hunger tempts us too
far."
Once more they started on their tortuous way. They walked very slowly,
both from necessity and inclination: the excitement of the fight over,
their physical necessities pressed heavily; they kept as close together
as they could, but rarely spoke: they were too hungry. Both were
oppressed by the fear that at any minute they would come upon a solid
wall of cacti and be obliged to retrace their steps, and both knew that
might mean a stunning blow to courage. At times the constant zig-
zagging, the unalterable, smooth, grey-green surface of the cacti, made
them halt dizzily, for both brain and body were sick for want of food.
But by degrees the wood grew thinner and thinner; and when the sun was
half way between the zenith and the western horizon, they left behind
the last straggling outpost and found themselves on the edge of a creek,
the same doubtless that they had crossed three nights before. They gave
each other a feeble simultaneous slap on the back, gathered their
energies, ran down the bank, and took a long draught of the running
water.
"I feel better," said Roldan, finally, "but hungrier than ever. There
are quail in that chaparral over there. I'll go after them, and do you
hunt for flint and build a fire."
He crossed the creek and entered the brush beyond. Almost simultaneously
there was a loud whirr of wings, and a large flock of quail rose from
the chaparral a few feet ahead of him. He had only his pistols, but he
was a good shot, and he decapitated two of the birds in rapid
succession. Then he reloaded and killed a squirrel. When he returned,
Adan was on his knees, with his large cheeks distended, coaxing a
handful of dried leaves and twigs into flame. It was a half hour before
the pyre was large enough for the sacrifice, but after that the birds
and squirrel, which meanwhile had been skinned and washed in the creek,
were but a short time singeing. It was an ill-cooked meal, but when it
was over Roldan said solemnly,--
"I have eaten of all the delicious dishes of the Californias, including
many dulces, but nothing ever tasted as good as this; no, not even the
first breakfast at Casa Encarnacion."
"Nor to me," said Adan, emphatically, and he crossed himself.
XXIII
"Hallo!" shouted a peremptory voice. "Hallo! Hallo!"
"It's the Senor Jim," gasped Adan.
Roldan sprang to his feet. "Hallo!" he cried.
There was a heavy trampling in the chaparral, and a moment later Hill
rode into view. He took off his sombrero and waved it at the boys, but
did not speak until he had crossed the creek and dismounted. Then he
turned and regarded them with his keen hard eyes.
"Well!" he exclaimed, "I never calkilated to see you alive agin, and
that's a fact. Hed some more adventures, I presume. Look as if ye'd hed
more adventures than grub."
"Indeed we have, Don Jim," said Roldan, solemnly. "Should you like to
hear them?"
"Should I? Well, I guess. You and your adventures have kinder