Frank Merriwell in Mexico: The Search for the Silver Palace — page 21: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

FRANK MERRIWELL IN MEXICO. “3 4g. “Oh, very well, ”” with a gesture ex-| with the sun at their backs, headed” pressive of regret. “T know it is quite toward the west. linpossible to change the determination of | Before the day passed Pedro: showed - vou Americans. if you have firmly de-| by many things that he was quite familiar | cided to go, you will go, even though you | lwith the desert. He knew where shade. knew all the deadly dangers that may lay and water were to be found, and, at noon-- in wait for you.”’ | day, they rested long beside a spring, Being again assured ‘that the landlord. with the Sun beating on the wide waste. would do: his best to obtain a guide, ‘of sand, over which “the heat haze danced, Frank proposed to retire for the night, and where no cool ing breath seemed astir. For all of the troubles that beset him,; The heat affected Hans much more” Frank was able to sleep soundly, having ‘than it did Frank. The Dutch boy safe trained himself to sleep under almost any} ‘fered, but he made no complaint. circumstances. Hansaiso slept and snored, | | WwW ith the stin well over into the western’. to be awakened in the morning by Frank, sky, they pushed onward again. They did. who was shaking him roughly. not halt as the grateful] shadows of. night © ‘Come, Hans, it is time we were stir-. ‘lay on the desert, but followed Pedro = ting.’? | (ene on. . “Wot vos dot?’ cried the Dutch lad, | At last, far across the desert, they saw surprise. COW e don’d peen asleep more | | the twinkling ofa light that seemed like as fifteen minutes alretty yet.”’ . a fallen star. | “Tt is morning.’? “Tt’s a cainp-fire,’? declared Pedro, in- “T don’d toldt you so! Vell, dot peats|Spanish. ‘‘Who can be there?” der pand!”’ | | ‘Tt may be bandits,”? suggested Frank, Hans got up and dressed with great | somewhat wary. reluctance, yawning and declaring over ‘‘No,’’ declared the guide, “bandits da" and over that the nights in Mexico were not build fires on the open plains. Bandits _ not more than Biteen or twenty minutes | it cannot be.” in length. | He did not. hesitate to lead eo The landlord had prepared a special | straight toward the fire. breakfast for them, and it proved the best) Frank whispered to Hans: they had found since leaving “the | ‘Have your weapons ready. This may States,’? so they ate heartily and felt ibe the trap.’ much better afterward. | As they approached the fire they were After breakfast the landlord himself. ‘able to make out the figures of two or informed them that he had been able to! three horses, but no human being was to. obtain a guide. be seen, although a cofiee-pot sat on some (He is the very person you want, coals, fragrant steam rising from the. young senors, for he knows the desert | nozzle. and he knows the mountains. You may, Pedro stopped, seeming somewhat un depend on him to lead you straight across|easy for the first time. to Huejugilla el Alto.” | | "What is it??? asked Frank, with ap- : The guide was waiting for thein, | ' prehension. wrapped | to his chin in a crimson poncho, | ' “Wah, vot id vos?’’ asked Hans. “Vos and smoking a cigarette. He was a dark-|der camp left all alone mitids lonesome?’’. faced, somewhat sinister- looking fellow,; ‘‘Not that, senors; but we have been and he gave his name as Pedro. _ "| heard, and the ones at the camp | are hid-. While Frank did not hke the appear-: ing and watching. ”’ auce of the man, he felt that it was not! “Vell, I like dot. Maype dey haf der policy to delay longer, and a bargain was trop on us alretty soon.”’ soon made. Pedro not only agreed to ‘That is likely,’ said Frank. take them quickly across the desert, but; Pedro called out something in Spanish, . he contracted to furnish horses for them. ! but there was no answer, save that one of The forencon was not far advanced the horses lifted its head and neighed. when they rode out of Zacatecas, and,| Then Frank tried it in English: iin eonmiiichooks (©)