Mexico Missouri message., 1914-08-20
CHAPTER xIII-continued.

1t was slow work: slower than they
had thought. and the gang Of Mexi
cans that they had hired for muckers
were marvels Of ineptitude. Left tC
themselves. they accomplished moth
ing, since each problem they encoun
tered seemed to present to them some
element OF insuperable difficulty. to
solve which they either went into eau
GUS or waited for the boss.
To the Mexlcans of Sonora bernardo
Bravo was the personification of all
the malevolent qualities-he being a
bandit chief who had turned first gen.
eral and then rebel under Madero--
and the fact that he had at last been
driven out Of Chihuahua and therefore
over into Sonora, made his malevo-
1ence all the more imminent.
Undoubtedly. somewhere over to the
east, where the Sierras lowered like a
blue wall. Bernardo and his outlaw
followers we're gathering for a raid,
and the raid would bring death to 80
nora.
lie was a bad man. this Bernardo
Bravo, and IL half OF the current sto-
ries were true, he killed men when
ever they failed to give him money,
and was never too hurried to take a
fair daughter OF the country up behind
him, provided she took his fancy.
Yes. surely he was bad man-but
that did not clear away the rock.
9 For the first week Phil took charge
OF the gang, urging. directing and ca
5oling them, and the work went mer-
Fily on, though rather slowly. The
MeIicans liked to work for Don Felipe.
he was so polite and spoke such good
Spanish; bat at the end OF the week
1t developed that Bud could get more
results out Of them
Every time Phil started to explain
anything to one Mexican all the 9th.
es stopped to listen to him. and that
took time But Buds fayorite way of
directing a man WAS by grunts and
signs and bending his own back to
the task Also. he refused to under
stand Spanish, and cut OF all long
winded explanations and suggestions
by an impatient motion to go to work.
which the traba jadores obeyed with
shrugs and grins.
So Don Felipe turned powderman
and blacksmith. sharpening up the
drills at the little forge they had fash.
ioDed and loading the holes with dy.
mantle when 1t became necessary 10
break a rock. while Bud bossed the
unwilling Mexicans.
In An old tunnel behind their tent
they set a heavy gate, and behind II
they stored their precious powder
Then came the portable forge aud the
Blacksmith shop, just inside the mouth
OF the cave, and the tent backed uu
against II for protection. For If there
as any one thing, next to horses, tina,
the rebels are wont to steal, IL Is
giant powder TO blow up culverts with
or 10 lay on the counters OF timorous
country merchants and brighten them
into making contributions.
IS for their horses. Bud kept them
belled and hobbled, close TO the house
and no one ever saw him without his
gun In the morning. when he got I'D
ne took 1t from under his pillow anc
hung it on his belt, and there Il
stayed until bedtime.
He also kept d sharp watch on tn,
trail, above and below, and what few
men did pass through we're conscious
of his eye. Therefore II was all tn,
more surprising when, one day. look
ang up suddenly from heaving at
great rock, he saw the big Yaqui sol
der Amigo, gazing down at him from
abe cut bank
Yes. it was the same man. but viii
"a dinerence-his rife and cartridge
belts were absent and his clothes wer,
torn by the brush But the sam,
goodnatured, competent smile va
there, and after a few words with Blu,
he leaped nimbly down the bank am
laid hold upon the rock. They pulle,
together, and the boulder that har
baked Buds gang OF Mexicans move
easily for the two OF them.
Then Amigo seized crowbar an
slipped 1t into a Granny and shove
them few things about moving rocks
For half an hour or more he worke
along, seemingly bent on displayin
his skill, then he rat down on tn
bank and watched the Me1icans wit
Tolerant half-amused eyea.