“We’ll put these lines back again in the face of every obstacle,” he thundered. Then, turning, he addressed the men in the room.
“Boys, the lines are down! For the first time since I’ve been in charge of Necaxa, Mexico City is without juice! I’m going to open the service again! Who is going to help me!”
“I am!” came the chorus and every man who could stand crowded about the engineer and[185] pleaded to be taken along. Even some of the wounded men raised themselves on their elbows and begged to be permitted to help in the crisis.
Quietly and methodically Mr. Ryder went about picking out his assistants. Two burly Mexican linemen were the first selected, then Harvey Carroll of the maintenance department under whose jurisdiction3 came all the repair work along the transmission line, and last of all a swarthy rurale, known among the men as the best rider and best marksman of all the Necaxa troop.
“You five will be enough. Carroll, you and the linemen get your repair kits4 and have the mozos saddle five horses. We’re to start immediately.” Then as the men were turning to go, the engineer called them together again.
“Perhaps I should warn you boys of the dangers that face us. I have an idea that this breaking down of the transmission lines is nothing more or less than a trap. Where we find the trouble we will also find a swarm5 of rebels ambushed6. They may shoot us from the poles just as they would shoot so many[186] pheasants. In fact, the more I think of it the more confident I am that they have pulled the wires down for the very purpose of luring7 some of us out into the mountains so that they can square accounts. Considering the situation in that light, do you all feel just as enthusiastic about going?”
“You bet we do,” came the hearty8 response and the five men hurried out to get their equipment together.
“Fine,” said Mr. Ryder, then turning and addressing the rest of the men in the toolhouse he said:
“It will be up to you fellows to guard the place from an attack until we return. I know your number is small now and some of our best fighters are out of commission, but just the same you must hold the place against any further assault. I don’t expect you’ll have much trouble after the way we treated José Cerro and his rebels this morning, but nevertheless you can’t afford to have your eyes closed. Clear up the place and get everything shipshape and ready for instant action.
“And as for you,” he continued, turning to[187] Jack9 Straw, “you’ve acquitted10 yourself well to-day and I must compliment you. Now, to top off all this, I want you to keep your eyes on the clock. It is exactly eleven o’clock. If we are not back or you do not get word from us by three this afternoon, arrange with Captain Alvarez, of the rurales, to have the whole squad11 ride the transmission line in search of us. They may get there in time to find our dead bodies, but anyway we can feel certain of a decent burial, can’t we, my boy?”
“You’re right you can, but I certainly hope that we’ll be able to locate you before burial is necessary, if we have to look for you at all,” replied Jack.
A few moments later the four other members of the repair squad rode up to the door of the improvised12 hospital, leading Mr. Ryder’s mount. The engineer shook hands with all his friends and bade them good-by while his assistants did likewise. Then when all were mounted and ready, word was given and the five horses went racing13 across the enclosure, through the gate and on to the trail that followed the line of transmission cables.[188] For half an hour they pushed ahead at a steady canter, keeping a careful watch on the shrubbery and underbrush for signs of the enemy. They saw any number of dead rebels. All along the trail were bodies of men who had been wounded in the recent battle and who had followed their companions until they dropped from sheer exhaustion14.
About four miles from Necaxa they located the break. The four large cables were completely down, but fortunately the parallel telephone wire was still in service. At first Mr. Ryder was at loss to know just how the peons had done the work until he examined the cable and discovered bullet marks.
“I have it,” he exclaimed suddenly; “the greasers have pumped shot into the cables and insulators15 until the lines simply couldn’t stay up. I guess the telephone wire was too small for them to hit. I’m mighty16 glad they are such poor shots. They have done very little damage for the cables are not cut to amount to anything. All that is necessary is some new porcelain17 insulators on the poles and a little patchwork18 on the lines and we will be able to[189] give Huerta his service in an hour. Come, boys, up the poles there and get the insulators in place. Cut in on the ’phone line and tell the station we’ll have the work done in an hour.”
The men became active immediately, even the rurale taking a hand in the work. From the four repair kits enough insulators were secured to equip the pole. The two linemen were sent aloft to install these while Mr. Ryder, Carroll and the rurale stayed on the ground to repair the lines. They were all so thoroughly19 busy and so absorbed in their work that none of them heard the soft patter of naked feet on the trail and in the underbrush about the pole. Indeed, they were surprised almost to the point of speechlessness when a wicked-faced little Mexican, revolver in hand, stepped into full view before them and requested them in Spanish to hold up their hands.
Mr. Ryder and the rurale jumped up simultaneously20 and reached for their guns but the ugly-looking Mexican merely smiled as he turned his revolver to cover them completely.
[190]
“Ah, Se?or Ryder, I would not try to shoot if I were you, the woods are full of rifles,” he said very politely in Spanish. And it was true. Mr. Ryder could see a peon behind every bush and tree.
“Yes, it is I, José Cerro,” answered the Mexican calmly. Then turning to the engineer he said, “I hoped to get some of you in this trap, but I never expected to have the good fortune of capturing Se?or Ryder, I am sure. I am indeed honored to have you as my prisoner. I am also pleased for other reasons, for your capture means three thousand pesos to me and perhaps more, who knows.”
“Three thousand pesos! Who will give you that amount?” demanded the engineer.
“Ah, se?or, would it be loyal of me to reveal the name of my benefactor22, especially when he does not want his identity known?” asked Zapata’s lieutenant23 suavely24. Then he answered the question himself by saying, “No, no, that would not be kind. I cannot tell you, Se?or Ryder, but I can tell you that[191] you must come with me. You must hurry too, before your rurales hear of this trap. For my force is far too small as it is, thanks to the excellent fighting of you gringoes. Ho! men! come, take these monkeys from their perch25 on the pole. We must away with our prisoners. Come!”
A horde26 of battle-scarred peons appeared immediately, and with threatening speech and gestures managed to persuade the two Mexican linemen to climb down from the pole. Each of the five prisoners was commanded to mount his horse, then according to José Cerro’s instructions, peons bound their feet together under the horses’ stomachs and tied their hands behind their backs. This done the leader gave a few brief commands and the band started to move, striking off at right angle to the trail that followed the transmission line. They seemed to be following an invisible path through the thicket27 that led into a narrow ravine between the mountains in the direction of the broad valley where Los Angeles was located.
But they had hardly left the tiny clearing[192] about the pole when the figure of an Indian and a tawny28 hound crept out of the bushes. The redman was clad only in canvas trousers that were rolled up to his knees, and his left arm and shoulder was swathed in bandages. A moment he paused while his black eyes searched the ground and the surrounding shrubbery. Suddenly he caught sight of the narrow trail left by the cavalcade29.
“Ugh,” he grunted30, “they have gone toward the sunrise. They have no horses. We shall easily catch José Cerro.” He paused a moment longer to examine the trail, then, standing31 erect32, he mused33:
“I am right. Only so many horses as I have fingers, no more. Those are Se?or Ryder’s.”
And he disappeared as silently as he came.
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1
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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2
thwarted
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| 阻挠( thwart的过去式和过去分词 )； 使受挫折； 挫败； 横过 | |
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3
jurisdiction
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| n.司法权，审判权，管辖权，控制权 | |
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4
kits
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| 衣物和装备( kit的名词复数 )； 成套用品； 配套元件 | |
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5
swarm
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| n.(昆虫)等一大群；vi.成群飞舞；蜂拥而入 | |
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6
ambushed
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| v.埋伏( ambush的过去式和过去分词 )；埋伏着 | |
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7
luring
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| 吸引，引诱（lure的现在分词形式） | |
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8
hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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9
jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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10
acquitted
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| 宣判…无罪( acquit的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（自己）作出某种表现 | |
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11
squad
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| n.班，小队，小团体；vt.把…编成班或小组 | |
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12
improvised
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| a.即席而作的,即兴的 | |
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13
racing
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| n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的 | |
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14
exhaustion
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| n.耗尽枯竭，疲惫，筋疲力尽，竭尽，详尽无遗的论述 | |
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15
insulators
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| 绝缘、隔热或隔音等的物质或装置( insulator的名词复数 ) | |
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16
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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17
porcelain
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| n.瓷；adj.瓷的，瓷制的 | |
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18
patchwork
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| n.混杂物；拼缝物 | |
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19
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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20
simultaneously
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| adv.同时发生地，同时进行地 | |
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21
hissed
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| 发嘶嘶声( hiss的过去式和过去分词 )； 发嘘声表示反对 | |
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22
benefactor
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| n. 恩人，行善的人，捐助人 | |
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23
lieutenant
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| n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员 | |
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24
suavely
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25
perch
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| n.栖木，高位，杆；v.栖息，就位，位于 | |
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26
horde
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| n.群众，一大群 | |
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27
thicket
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| n.灌木丛，树林 | |
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28
tawny
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| adj.茶色的，黄褐色的；n.黄褐色 | |
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29
cavalcade
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| n.车队等的行列 | |
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30
grunted
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| （猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说 | |
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31
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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32
erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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mused
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| v.沉思，冥想( muse的过去式和过去分词 )；沉思自语说（某事） | |
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