Once in a while the mountains rumble and they say Tahquitz is trying to escape.
"Long ago, so the story went, Tahquitz used to come down and steal maidens from the villages. They said he ate them. One day a brave young warrior tracked him into the mountains and found the cave where he lived, and walled it shut with Tahquitz inside."
My father looked across his cup at Smith. "What do you mean, 'come back'?"
Peg-Leg's eyes twinkled slyly and he stole a look at my father. "They be sayin' he's out of his cave, an' that he walks the mountains of a night. They've found tracks up yonder, even down close to the hot springs. No Cahuilla will leave his lodge after dark. Not now."
"There are many such beliefs," Papa said mildly. "This here's more'n just a belief. Got so no Injun will even hunt in the piney woods. They stay down on the desert. They're scared, Verne, real scared. I know Injuns, an' no matter what folks say, they don't scare easy." There was a movement behind us, and looking around, I saw it was Miss Nesselrode. She had gotten out of the wagon and was coming up to the fire.
Peg-Leg Smith saw her at the moment I did and scrambled up with surprising agility. He swept off his hat. "Ma'am! I heard there was womenfolks along, but wasn't expectin' to have the pleasure."
"Please sit down, Mr. Smith. The coffee smelled so good I just had to have a cup. Besides, I want to see the most notorious horse thief in the country."
Smith looked pained. "Now, ma'am, that ain't right. Ain't right nor fair. If you was a man, I'd shoot you for sayin' that, but I can't shoot no woman. Especially no lady. It just ain't fair, you takin' advantage like that. Anyway, I never stole no horses of yours." He looked at her suddenly. "I didn't, did I?"
"No, Mr. Smith, you have not. I hope you never will, Mr. Smith, because you have become something of a legend. I would not like to hang a legend."
"What?" He was startled.
"Yes, Mr. Smith. I may go into the horse business, and if ever I do, and if ever you steal any horses from me, I would follow you to wherever you went with however many men it took, and I would hang you, Mr. Smith." "Now, ma'am, that's no way to talk! You wouldn't hang a poor one-legged man, would you? After all, nobody's ever catched me with stole horses. It's just one o' them stories that gets around.
"Anyway, that was all years ago. I'm out here huntin' a gold mine I lost." He looked at her, his eyes innocent. "You wouldn't want to invest in a gold mine, would you, ma'am?"
"No, Mr. Smith, I would not." She held out a hand for his cup. "May I get you some more coffee, Mr. Smith?" He watched her cross to the coffeepot and refill his cup. She returned it to him, smiling. "Tell us, Mr. Smith. How did you make three thousand horses disappear in the desert with men chasing you? That should be a most interesting story."
"Now, now! Ma'am, you shouldn't ought to believe such stories! Them horses were stole by Injuns, driven off by Injuns. I had noth--"
"Please, Mr. Smith! Who led those Indians?"
Smith turned to look at Zachary Verne. "Zack? How come you got this woman along? Whose woman is she, anyway? If she keeps talkin' like this, she could get a body into trouble! Why, I'm an old man now, fixin' to move up to Frisco an' settle down. I can't have stories like that gettin' around. Folks won't trust me!"
Smith was enjoying himself, and my father knew he was. "I d'clare, ma'am, if you was to want to go partners with me, I might just go back into business again!"
She smiled at him. "You're a rascal, Mr. Smith, and a scoundrel, but I like you. You're an interesting man."
She paused. "Tell me the truth, Mr. Smith. Did you really amputate your own leg?"
"Had to. Wasn't nobody to he'p except there toward the end. Milt Sublette, he did some cutting. Injun shot me in the leg, shattered the bone right below the knee. Wasn't no doctor within a thousand miles, prob'ly. It was cut or die, and all the time, them Injuns was around. I'd
"Long ago, so the story went, Tahquitz used to come down and steal maidens from the villages. They said he ate them. One day a brave young warrior tracked him into the mountains and found the cave where he lived, and walled it shut with Tahquitz inside."
My father looked across his cup at Smith. "What do you mean, 'come back'?"
Peg-Leg's eyes twinkled slyly and he stole a look at my father. "They be sayin' he's out of his cave, an' that he walks the mountains of a night. They've found tracks up yonder, even down close to the hot springs. No Cahuilla will leave his lodge after dark. Not now."
"There are many such beliefs," Papa said mildly. "This here's more'n just a belief. Got so no Injun will even hunt in the piney woods. They stay down on the desert. They're scared, Verne, real scared. I know Injuns, an' no matter what folks say, they don't scare easy." There was a movement behind us, and looking around, I saw it was Miss Nesselrode. She had gotten out of the wagon and was coming up to the fire.
Peg-Leg Smith saw her at the moment I did and scrambled up with surprising agility. He swept off his hat. "Ma'am! I heard there was womenfolks along, but wasn't expectin' to have the pleasure."
"Please sit down, Mr. Smith. The coffee smelled so good I just had to have a cup. Besides, I want to see the most notorious horse thief in the country."
Smith looked pained. "Now, ma'am, that ain't right. Ain't right nor fair. If you was a man, I'd shoot you for sayin' that, but I can't shoot no woman. Especially no lady. It just ain't fair, you takin' advantage like that. Anyway, I never stole no horses of yours." He looked at her suddenly. "I didn't, did I?"
"No, Mr. Smith, you have not. I hope you never will, Mr. Smith, because you have become something of a legend. I would not like to hang a legend."
"What?" He was startled.
"Yes, Mr. Smith. I may go into the horse business, and if ever I do, and if ever you steal any horses from me, I would follow you to wherever you went with however many men it took, and I would hang you, Mr. Smith." "Now, ma'am, that's no way to talk! You wouldn't hang a poor one-legged man, would you? After all, nobody's ever catched me with stole horses. It's just one o' them stories that gets around.
"Anyway, that was all years ago. I'm out here huntin' a gold mine I lost." He looked at her, his eyes innocent. "You wouldn't want to invest in a gold mine, would you, ma'am?"
"No, Mr. Smith, I would not." She held out a hand for his cup. "May I get you some more coffee, Mr. Smith?" He watched her cross to the coffeepot and refill his cup. She returned it to him, smiling. "Tell us, Mr. Smith. How did you make three thousand horses disappear in the desert with men chasing you? That should be a most interesting story."
"Now, now! Ma'am, you shouldn't ought to believe such stories! Them horses were stole by Injuns, driven off by Injuns. I had noth--"
"Please, Mr. Smith! Who led those Indians?"
Smith turned to look at Zachary Verne. "Zack? How come you got this woman along? Whose woman is she, anyway? If she keeps talkin' like this, she could get a body into trouble! Why, I'm an old man now, fixin' to move up to Frisco an' settle down. I can't have stories like that gettin' around. Folks won't trust me!"
Smith was enjoying himself, and my father knew he was. "I d'clare, ma'am, if you was to want to go partners with me, I might just go back into business again!"
She smiled at him. "You're a rascal, Mr. Smith, and a scoundrel, but I like you. You're an interesting man."
She paused. "Tell me the truth, Mr. Smith. Did you really amputate your own leg?"
"Had to. Wasn't nobody to he'p except there toward the end. Milt Sublette, he did some cutting. Injun shot me in the leg, shattered the bone right below the knee. Wasn't no doctor within a thousand miles, prob'ly. It was cut or die, and all the time, them Injuns was around. I'd
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