William MacDonald - The Battle At Three-Cross

Lance told his story while he smoked a cigarette. Katherine’s eyes grew wider and wider while she listened. Jones grew more and more interested. When Lance had finished:

“No end remarkable,” Jones commented. “Amazing, what? This Temple of the Plumed Serpent—I know very little about archaeology, but jewels and gold often found in such places. Aztec, no doubt. I knew the ancient Aztec people worshiped a god named Quetzalcoatl—called Plumed Serpent——”

“That’s what Horatio called him—“Quetzalcoatl,” Lance put in.

“Quite so, quite. Those overgrown tombstones—you mention—quite probably stelae—records, calendar, history of the race and so on. I should like to see them.”

“You won’t have to go far,” Lance stated. “It’s on Three-Cross property, the whole setup, temple and all, but so well hidden behind trees and brushy ridges that you’d never know it was there unless you stumbled on it by accident or found it as I did.”

Katherine put in, “Lance, that armlet Father sent me—it must have come from the feathered snake temple.”

“That’s my idea.” Lance nodded.

Katherine smiled suddenly. “Lance, Uncle Uly was so upset over your disappearance yesterday that he clean forgot his precious cactus discovery.”

The professor flushed to the roots of his hair. “Ridiculous, eh?” Jones smiled wryly. “Another example—triumph of emotions over ratiocination. Must have—completely lost—head. However, we returned—today. Echinopsis gregoriana —safely in my possession—now.”

“We returned to the place where you disappeared,” Katherine explained. “Oscar wanted another look at the earth to see if he had overlooked anything. He hadn’t—but I had to remind Uncle Uly to bring his precious plant this time.”

“By the time we returned here”—Jones changed the subject—“Oscar discovered—your horse—missing from corral. Thought perhaps you had come or someone in Muletero had stolen it. Went to Muletero to see——”

“It was Horatio who took the horse,” Lance said, “and he didn’t take it to Muletero—thank heaven!”

Oscar arrived and was overjoyed to find Lance. “By cripes!” Oscar said earnestly, “we were sure upset. I betcha I ate two pounds of lemon drops. You know, nothing like lemon drops to keep a man’s courage up.”

Lance had started to tell his story when, one by one, the others of the expedition put in an appearance. They were gray with dust and fatigue, but sight of Lance quickly restored them to normal. Lance went over and over his story. Darkness fell, lamps were lighted, while the men sat talking in the big room of the ranch house. Lance suddenly remembered Fletcher and asked if they’d seen him.

“He’s out looking for you,” Katherine said.

“Fletcher is?” Lance said unbelievingly.

Katherine nodded. “That’s where he said he was going anyway. He was here last night when we arrived. We told him what had happened. He left almost immediately—alone. Said he knew this country and he might learn something. Before he left he advised us all not to leave the ranch. Fletcher said the Yaquentes are very dangerous hereabouts and to leave everything to him. He hasn’t returned since.”

Lanky Peters growled, “I can’t say I liked the way he advised us not to leave the ranch. It sounded to me like a command. Course, we didn’t pay no attention. Just before I returned here I paid a visit to the Yaquente camp. Them Injuns is living in a canyon about a quarter of a mile east of Muletero. I rode through the camp. Nobody paid me any real attention, but I did get some dirty looks. A lot of them Yaquentes looked sort of hopped up, like they’d been eating mezcal buttons or something. You’ve heard of ’em doing that, haven’t you?”

Lance said, “Yes, I’ve heard of it being done.” Oscar and Jones exchanged glances. So far as Lanky and the rest of the employees knew this was a cactus-hunting expedition, nothing else.

Oscar frowned. “Something else I don’t like: when I was coming through Muletero I saw Chiricahua Herrick just coming out of the local cantina. Probably his whole gang is here too.”

Lance asked quickly, “Did Herrick see you?”

Oscar nodded. “He said hello, in fact, genial as you please. He didn’t seem none surprised at seeing me here either. I don’t like the setup. Between Herrick and his crowd and the Yaquentes, it looks like we might be kept virtual prisoners here at the ranch.”

The men quickly exchanged looks. Lanky Peters and the other hands appeared puzzled. Lance said, “Lanky, you and the others might as well know it now. The main object of this expedition was to hunt cacti, I suppose, but there’s two or three other things in the wind to be settled. There may be some fighting before we get through. If anybody feels the job might get too tough he’s free to get his horse and leave now—and there ’ll be no hard feelings.” Lance waited. None of the crew showed any signs of leaving. As a matter of fact they appeared to take a fresh interest in the proceedings. Lance went on, “I can’t go into details now, but you’ll get the whole story eventually. Isn’t that right, Professor?”

Jones looked startled. “Bless me, I suppose it is. I’m interested, however, in nothing but cacti——”

Katherine interrupted by rising from her chair and saying, “I’ve simply got to go and clean up. When do we eat?”

Cal Braun nodded. “I’ve been thinking it’s time I started to get supper. Give me a half-hour, Miss Gregory.”

“One minute,” Lance said. “If Fletcher does return here, and I have a feeling he may not, I’d just as soon no one told him what happened to me. You know, regarding that snake temple and so on. If he wants to know what happened tell him to see me. I’ll tell him as much as I think he should know.”

“It’s all right with me,” Lanky drawled. “I didn’t like that Fletcher’s looks from the first minute I saw him——”

Lance cut in, “There’s some sort of queer setup around here. Maybe Fletcher hasn’t a thing to do with it, but I’m not taking chances.”

Katherine left to go to her own room. Cal Braun departed for the kitchen. The rest sat around and smoked. No one said a great deal. Fletcher didn’t put in an appearance. Lance wondered where he was, what he was doing. He felt quite sure Fletcher wasn’t carrying on any intensive search of any sort.

Cal Braun finally announced that supper was ready. The meal was eaten, more or less, in silence. When it was concluded Lance went to the doorway and glanced outside. It was clear and starry. A wonderful night on which to point out to a certain girl the beauty of starlight on the mountains. Lance steeled himself against the thought and smiled at Katherine who may have had something of the sort in her own mind. Lance stood in the open doorway. Eventually he caught Oscar’s eye and pointed to Lanky Peters. Oscar caught the idea and nodded. Lance passed through the doorway and outside.

He made his way down to the far end of the gallery and rolled and lighted a smoke, shielding the flame of the match between his cupped hands. Within a few moments Oscar put in an appearance. “What’s on your mind, Lance?”

Lance asked if Lanky was coming. Oscar said he was.

Lance said, “Let’s wait for him. There’s no use me repeating what I have in mind.”

Lanky came strolling along the gallery, his lean frame bulking big against the light shining from windows of the ranch house. The three men squatted down against the adobe wall of the building at the far end of the gallery where the shadows were thickest.

“I didn’t give out all the details,” Lance commenced, “when I was telling my story. That Yaquente—I call him Horatio—feels sort of grateful to me because I saved him from a beating at Herrick’s hands a spell back. Well, Horatio has squared his account. If he hadn’t I’d been the victim in a ceremony that’s due to be held tonight——”