"Of course I'll come," he said. "You shall show me the way. My horse will carry us both."
He assisted her to mount behind him, and told her to cling about his waist.
Frank continued to question Gonchita, who sometimes became almost unintelligible in her excitement and distress. They passed through the valley and turned into a rocky gorge. Frank asked if it was much farther.
"We be almost to heem now," assured Gonchita.
Almost as the words left her lips the heads of four or five men appeared above some boulders just ahead, and as many rifles were leveled straight at Frank's heart, while a well-known, triumphant voice shouted:
"I've got you dead to rights, Merriwell! If you tries tricks you gits soaked good and plenty!"
At the same moment the girl threw her arms about Frank's body, pinning his arms to his sides, so that he could make no move to draw a weapon.
Merry knew on the instant that he had been trapped. He realized that he had been decoyed into the snare by the Mexican girl. He might have struggled and broken her hold, but he realized the folly of such an attempt.
"Be vera steel, señor!" hissed the voice of Gonchita in his ear. "Eet be bet-are."
"You have betrayed me," said Frank reproachfully. "I did not think it of you. And I was ready to do you a service."
Out from the rocks stepped Cimarron Bill.
"So we meet again, my gay young galoot," said the chief of the ruffians. "An' I reckon you'll not slip me so easy this time. That old Injun o' yours is food fer buzzards, an' so he won't give ye no assistance whatever."
"Oh, we finished him!" declared Bill. "That's why you ain't seen him fer some time. Set stiddy, now, an' don't make no ruction.
The Mexican girl obeyed, slipping to the ground with a laugh when she had disarmed Frank.
The ruffians now came out from the shelter of the rocks and gathered about the youth, grinning at him in a most provoking manner. He recognized several of the same fellows who had once before acted as guard over him. Red Sam was there, and nodded to him.
"You're a right slick poker-player," said the sandy rascal; "but we 'lowed a girl'd fool ye easy. Goncheeter done it, too."
"She did," he confessed. "I was taken off my guard. But you want to look out for Indians."