Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1914-09-11
Continued from last week

A day passed, and then another, and
the big whistle blew only for the
shifts: the loneliness of the hills op-
pressed him as he gazed out at the
quivering heat. And then, like a toad
after a shower, Amigo came padding
into camp on the heels of a thunder
storm, his sandals hung on his hip and
his big feet ~squelching through the
mud.
Across mis- shoulders he wore a gay
serape, woven by some patient woman
of his tribe; and in the belt beside
Buds pistol he carried a heavy knife.
blacksmithed from a ten4nch file by
some Yaqui hillman. All in all, he
was a fine barbarian, but he looked
good to the lonely Bud.
"Ola, Amigol" he hailed, stepping
out from the adobe house where he
had moved to avoid the rains; and
Amigo answered with his honest smile
which carried no hint Of savagery or
deceit.
Try as he would, Blu could not
bring himself to think Q ais Yaqui as
dangerous; and even when he bal
anced the Indians murderous bowie
knife in his hands he regarded it with
a grin. 1t was a heavy weapon, broad
across the backS zen on one edge,
and drawn to a point that was both
sharp and strong. The haft was
wrapped with rawhide to hold the
clutch Of the hand.
What do you do with this ?" queried
Hooker. "Chop wood? Skin deer?"
Eyes, chop wood" answered Amigo,
but he replaced it carefully in his belt
He looked the adobe house over
thoughtfully, listened long to the
news of the border and of the rurales'
raid on their camp, and retired to the
rocks for the night. Even Bud never
knew -rba-a he sleDt-somewhere up
ION the htllside-in caves or clefts in
the roeks-and not even the most
pressing invitation could make him
share the house for a night. To Amigo,
as to an animal, a house was a trap;
and he knew that the times were
treacherous.
So indeed they were, as Hooker vas
to learn to his sorrow, and but for the
Yaqui and his murderous knife he
might easily have learned it too late.
1t was evening. after a rainless day.
and Bud was cooking by the open fire.
when suddenly Amigo vanished and
four men rode in from above. They
we're armed with rifles, as befitted the
times, but gave no signs of ruffianly
bravado, and after a few words Bud in
vited them to get down and eat
"Muchas gracias, senor," said the
leader, dismounting and laying his rife
against a log, I'VE are not hungry"
"Then have some Coffee" invited
Hooker, who made it a point to feed
every who stopped, regardless of
their merit; and once more the Next
can declined. At this Bud looked at
him sharply, for his refusal did not
augur well, and it struck him the
mans face was familiar. He was tall
for a Mexican and heavily built, but
with a rather sinister cast of counte-
nance.
Where have l seen you before?"
asked Bud, after trying in vain to
place him. "In Fortuna?"
No, senor," answered the Mexican
politely. Il have never been in that
city. Is it far?"
.tTen miles by the trail" responded
Hooker, by no means treasured, and
under pretext of inviting them to eat,
he took a look at the other men. If
they had not stopped to eat, what
then was their errand while the sun
was sinking SO low? And why this
sullen refusal of the coffee which every
Mexican drinks?
Bud stepped into the house, as II on
some errand, and watched them un-
seen from the interior. Seeing them
exchange g~lances then, he leaned his
rifle just inside the door and went
about his cooking.
1t was one of the chances he took,
living out in the brush, but he had
come to know this low-browed type of
semi-bandit all too well and had small
respect for their courage. In case of
trouble Amigo was close by in the
rocks somewhere, probably with his
gun in his hand-but with a little pa
tience and circumspection the unwel-
come visitors would doubtless nov
on.
So he thought, but instead they lin
gered, and when supper was cooked he
decided to go to a show-down-and If
they again refused to eat he would
send them on their way.
wen amigos" he said. spreading
out the tin plates for them. Come and
eati"
The three lowlbrows glared at their
leader, who had done what little talk
ing there a SO far, and. seized with
a sudden animation. he Immediately
rose to his feet.
-