Chapter 79 – Mendoza to the rescue

"Stop right there!" said the man aiming a rifle at them. "Put your hands up!"

Don Alejandro cursed under his breath and lifted his hands slowly, the same as Pablo. Another man approached them and took all their weapons.

"Are you on your own?" said the man aiming at them with the rifle.

The pair looked at each other quickly, and then answered at the same time.

"No," Pablo said.

"Yes," the old don said.

The man with the rifle showed his teeth with a crooked smile.

"Vamos, señores, make up your minds. What's it going to be? Yes or no?"

"We are on our own, yes, but the lancers will be here any minute now," Pablo said, hurriedly, "so, technically, we're not alone."

"Liar!" said the other man, hitting his abdomen with Don Alejandro's rifle. "We saw you coming. There's nobody around in miles!"

"All right, all right. You got our weapons. There's no need for this!" Don Alejandro said with his hands still up, while glancing worriedly at Pablo, who writhed in pain on the ground, holding onto his aching middle section.

"I'll tell you what's necessary or not. Domingo, keep guard here. I'll take them down. Come on, you two: walk, down that path," said Tomás, the man with Don Alejandro's rifle. He grabbed Pablo by the collar and pulled him up, back on his feet. Then he pushed him forward with the rifle's barrel, pressing on his sore back, directing him to the path. "You'll go first. No tricks, or I'll shoot you down. You, señor De la Vega, follow him."

"Do you know who I am?"

"Of course I do. You nearly hit me with one of your bullets yesterday, something I didn't appreciate."

Domingo approached Dulcinea, but before he could grab the reins, she bolted, following Toronado.

Yes! Run, Dulcinea, run for help! Don Alejandro thought.

"Mierda, Tomás, that pretty mare got away," Domingo said, spitting to the ground.

"Never mind. We got enough horses. We don't need anymore," Tomás said. "Come on, you two: get moving, I said!"

Don Alejandro walked behind a very unsteady Pablo, following the treacherous path to descend to the bottom of the canyon. Pablo staggered along the way, and he could have fallen to his death from that height if his boss had not help him every time he lost his footing. But, when they had descended more than three quarters of the path, Don Alejandro got distracted, looking down at the horses, spotting Apollo, and the next time that Pablo stumbled, tripping on a rock, he couldn't grab him on time. Pablo fell off the narrow path, tumbling down the canyon's wall.

"Pablo!"

Don Alejandro stopped, but Tomás kept pushing him with the rifle, urging him to continue.

"Sigue! No te pares!"

"We have to help him!"

Pablo rolled down a few meters, bouncing on and off that wall while trying to grab onto something, and he came to stop on a spur, where he lay immobile, half-way to the bottom, but out of reach from the path.

"He's as good as dead now. We can't reach him, and we are not going to try. Sod it."

"But…" Don Alejandro said, reluctant to move, but Tomás pushed him harder this time. The old don staggered and nearly followed Pablo down the canyon wall. Feeling the barrel of his own rifle pressing on his back he had to give up, and in the end, he carried on walking.

ZZZ

While coming down the hill, quite slowly, Sepúlveda's horse got suddenly spooked by a rattlesnake, reared, and his rider fell off. Sepúlveda was skilful enough to land on his feet, but he had let go of the reins. The horse ran away, stopping at the bottom of the hill, still on sight. After a long while playing catch with the horse, who was quite reluctant to let his rider reach him, avoiding him, the corporal managed to grab the reins and climbed back on the saddle.

"We have lost precious time here!" Mendoza said. "Those two raiders are nowhere to be seen now."

"Never mind. I recognize this area. I think they are heading to the lost canyon, which means that we have finally found the way there."

Mendoza looked around, and he had to agree with him.

"I think you are right. This looks like the right way now. Come on then, let's go."

Shortly after, they saw a black horse rushing their way.

"See? That's Toronado, the one and only, and no other," the sergeant said smugly.

The black stallion reared in front of them, standing on his hind legs, neighing, and then bolted, heading in the same direction he came before, stopping a short distance away to look back at them, snorting.

"He wants us to follow him," Sepúlveda said.

"Yes, it looks like it. Come on then, because with all the time we lost trying to grab your horse, it's very late already. Let's have a quick look at that canyon, and then we'll return to the meeting point."

ZZZ

After that hard blow to his abdomen, Pablo felt sick and dizzy, and the last thing he wanted to do was walking down a very narrow, irregular and steep path, when he stumbled nearly at every step. Don Alejandro held him up several times, and if he wasn't for him, he could have tripped over the edge. That fact gave him an idea: what if he faked a fall to escape? Would he survive that? "No tricks or I'll shoot you down," that thug had said, but falling off that path to get covered in bruises —as a minimum damage, let alone broken bones— wasn't really a trick, more like suicide. But, after what these men had done to Pedro and Don Diego, he knew that complying with their demands would not be enough to keep him alive, not at all. More likely, they only took them down to their camp site to get more information, and after that, he anticipated they would dispose of him to keep Don Alejandro under control, because they probably planned to ask for ransom for his boss, as they had recognized him. He should take his chances now, rolling down that wall, now that they were getting close to the bottom.

Pablo murmured a short prayer, and on the next sharp bend he pretended to trip over, falling over the edge. Don Alejandro didn't catch him this time, because he had made sure he had distanced from him a bit. Hitting the ground repeatedly with his already sore shoulder and back wasn't fun at all. As he couldn't get hold of anything, he curled into a ball and kept tumbling down, until he stopped at a spur, hitting it with a loud thud. He didn't lose consciousness, but he stood as still as he could, face down, pretending to be knocked out, suffocating a cry of pain and trying to breathe in a relaxed manner, praying that man would not shoot him form above to finish him off. He heard Don Alejandro's cry and his complains when he was forced to keep walking. Luckily for him, that thug didn't bother to waste a bullet on him.

After a while, he lifted his sore head slowly to have a look around, wondering how the hell he was going to get out of there without anybody noticing he had moved from that spot.

ZZZ

"Boss, look what I got: that good shot De la Vega, the owner of these magnificent stallions!" Tomás said, guiding Don Alejandro roughly by his upper arm.

"What is he doing here alone? Where are his men?" said the leader of the horse-thieves.

"I don't know. He's on his own. He only had one man with him, who is now fodder for the vultures."

"You don't know that! He could still be alive!" Don Alejandro complained, shaking his arm off his.

"I'm not climbing down there to check. If he is still alive, he'll try to come down himself. And then I'll finish him off," that hideous man said, laughing while tapping the rifle. "Don't worry yourself: we won't kill you, at least not yet. You are more valuable to us alive."

"Yes, we can ask for a hefty ransom for him," the greedy leader said, pondering how much he should ask for. "They'll pay. At least ten thousand pesos, or even more. Tie him to that tree until I decide what to do with him, because we shouldn't stay here for long now."

Tomás tied the old don to a tree, close to the improvised barrier they had erected between the canyon walls to keep the horses confined, leaving him there unsupervised.

Don Alejandro looked up, grateful because at least they left him in the shade, under that leafy tree. He struggled with the bonds, but that man had done a good job with the rope and he couldn't get them loose. He looked at the canyon wall, to the narrow path they had used to descend, but he couldn't see Pablo from that position. Would he still be alive? He hoped so, but if he was, how could he get out of there if nobody helped him with a rope or something to climb back to the path? Then, he thought about the horses that escaped.

Come on, Toronado and Dulcinea, find us some help!

After a while, he heard voices behind him. It seemed that some people were already looking at the horses as potential buyers. He recognized one particular voice, which made his anger raise one notch.

"Where is that stunning grey, the one called Zeus? The stallion that won the race last summer in Los Angeles," said Manuel Contreras, the professional jockey.

"We took all the De la Vega stallions," Tomás said. "He should be here. Have a better look, will you?"

"I did. That horse is not here."

"One of them escaped, remember? When the old man came shooting crazy," said Gonzalo, another bandit wearing a sling. "He killed Antonio and hit my arm."

"Ah, yes. Well, we can ask him about that horse. He's here," Tomás said.

"Who's here? Don Alejandro de la Vega?" Manuel said.

"Yes. Over there."

They covered the short distance to that tree and walked around it to face the old don.

"Look who's here. Well, well… No other than Don Alejandro de la Vega…" Manuel said whit a broad smile, and then he got serious. "I heard about you nephew. I'm so sorry."

"Thank you," Don Alejandro said cautiously, leery of that man's fake politeness and interest.

"No, old man, I mean that I'm sorry because it wasn't me who send that jerk to hell!"

Manuel laughed out loud, and the other men laughed with him.

"You go to hell, son of a bitch!" Don Alejandro said, struggling with his bonds again. Gonzalo slapped him hard to keep him quiet.

"Shut up and listen!"

"Where is Zeus, the stallion that won the race? I want that horse!" Manuel cried, grabbing Don Alejandro's waistcoat with both hands.

He only got a growl for an answer, until the man with the sling kicked Don Alejandro.

"Answer him!"

"I don't know where that horse is! You should know, you took them all!"

"I think Gonzalo is right," Tomás said. "That grey stallion escaped, and I guess he returned to the stables. He must be there."

"All right, in that case, I want my lot delivered in San Diego, as we agreed, and in the meantime, I'm going to get that horse myself. For free," the professional jockey said. "I know his ranch hands are out looking for the stallions because I saw the group before, heading north, miles away from here. I bet the hacienda is unguarded now."

"You leave my horses and my property alone!" Don Alejandro cried, red-faced, but they ignored him, amused by his futile anger.

"I'll go with you and your men. We have to ask for a ransom for the old man," Tomás said. "Hey, De la Vega, is your son still alive? Because I shot him yesterday."

"You bastard!" Don Alejandro cried, fighting with his bonds again, to no avail, incensed. "He had surrendered! Why did you shoot him?"

Tomás shrugged his shoulders with a hideous smile.

"For fun? But you should be grateful: I didn't blow his brains off. I think your son will be willing to pay ten thousand pesos for your safe return, which is not going to happen. And five thousand more for his miserable life, I'll make sure of that."

After checking with his boss, Tomás left with Manuel and his men, ignoring Don Alejandro's vain threats and complaints.

The old don was left behind with two of the horse thieves. One of them was Gonzalo, the man with the left arm on a sling, who punched him hard then for no particular reason, other than petty revenge.

"This is for my arm, you son of a bitch!"

"I should have killed you, like the other one. I should have killed you all!" the old don cried, which earned him a few more punches that left him semiconscious and bleeding under that tree, with a very worrying thought occupying his mind: Diego's safety.

ZZZ

Toronado was more careful this time and guided the lancers on foot to the other side of the canyon, where they could see what happened to Don Alejandro from a safe distance.

"Shit. They have Don Alejandro. What are we going to do? We need back up!" Sepúlveda whispered, because one of the horse thieves was close by, guarding that side, but had not spotted them, with his back to them.

"There is no time for that! We can do it, come on."

Toronado came galloping then, into the canyon, and jumped the fence to get in with the other horses. The horse thief on guard got distracted while looking at him, a window of opportunity that Mendoza used wisely, taking advantage to attack that man.

"Men of steel, men of steel," Mendoza muttered to himself, like a mantra, jumping on the bad guy from behind, tackling him down to the ground. Kneeling on top of him, he turned his head with his left hand and punched his face a couple of times with the other, knocking him out cold.

"Well done, Sergeant!" Sepúlveda said, truly impressed.

"Ouch, my hand!" Mendoza said, shaking it in the air, wondering how Don Diego never complained of sore fists. Were his black leather gloves cushioned inside? "Come on, we have to go down there and rescue Don Alejandro!"

"Shouldn't we go back to report at noon, to get help?"

"Forget about that! It's nearly noon already, we'll never get there on time. I want to believe that, if we don't return, the lancers will come this way to find us. Don't you think?"

"Yes, that would be the most logical step... but…" we are talking about the lancers here, he thought.

"Come on then."

"But we still need back up!"

"No, we need cunning wit, like Zorro. He never has back up, and he gets the job done. On his own. As we are going to do."

"Excuse me, Sergeant, but we are not Zorro."

"No, he is only one man, and we are two. Double the manpower. Come on, follow me."

Men of steel. Men of steel, he carried on muttering, to spur himself, taking the small box Felipe gave him a few hours earlier, at the hacienda. For the second time that morning, he sniffed some of the white powder it contained, for an instant boost of energy and confidence.

Sepúlveda followed him, wondering what the hell had happen to the usually cowardly sergeant to suddenly become so daring and brave. Unbelievable.

ZZZ

Manuel Contreras headed for the hacienda De la Vega. He really wanted to get hold of that horse, Zeus, at any cost, even if risking that somebody would identify him under that bandana. Tomás rode with him, by his side, making him uncomfortable. If anything went wrong, he didn't want to be associated with a ruthless killer. The punishment for horse thieves was harsh enough, but these men were out of control, and they would not hesitate to kill anybody that got on their way. Not the best partners in crime.

"What are you going to do when we get there?" Manuel asked.

"What do you mean? Ask the young De la Vega for a ransom for his father, of course."

"And if he refuses?"

"I don't think he will," Tomás said with his hideous smile.

"And what are you going to do with Don Alejandro? He saw me there, buying the stolen horses. He doesn't know who you are, but he knows me."

"I don't think he'll ever return home, so don't worry."

"Look, I don't want to get involved in any of that. I'll get the horse, and I'll be out of there as soon as I can. I'll wait for the delivery of the other horses in San Diego, as agreed, but I don't want to know what you do in the meantime."

"That's fine for me. Just try not to get in the way, wimp," Tomás said, with a sinister laugh.

Definitely, not the best partner. Not one to be trusted.

ZZZ

While Toronado created havoc, stirring the horses, that got very excited to see him running among then so frantically, Mendoza managed to neutralize another two bandits, using Zorro's technique of foxy stealth, approaching them from behind one by one, unseen. Meanwhile, Sepúlveda got to Don Alejandro, freeing him from his bonds.

"Don Alejandro, are you all right?"

The old don blinked, dazed, looking at him through his now bruised eyes, and smiled when he recognized him.

"Corporal Sepúlveda, how good to see you here! Where are the other lancers? I can't see them."

"There are no others. Only me and Sergeant Mendoza."

"Really? Only you two against all these dangerous men?"

"Yes, look."

Sepúlveda pointed at the sergeant, who was knocking out another bandit with yet another hard punch, like Zorro would do to avoid using weapons. This one was easy, because he had an arm in a sling.

"Are my old, aching eyes playing tricks on me? Is that Mendoza? For real?"

"Yes, it's him. If you ask me, I think he's got possessed or something. But I'm not going to complain. Come on, let's get out of here."

"Oh, no, look!"

The leader of the gang came up to the sergeant, carrying a gun.

"He'll shoot him! Do something!"

ZZZ

Pablo made his move when Toronado got everybody distracted. Luckily for him, while he was at that spur, nobody could see him from the bottom of the canyon, only from above. He carefully climbed up that vertical wall as fast as he could to reach the path, having some uneasy moments when he lost his footing for real and nearly fell down that earth wall again, and then he hurried down the path to reach the bottom, still feeling a bit dizzy. When he got there, Toronado was kicking the fence, destroying it, leading the horses out, all escaping in a stampede of furious hooves that ran over two of the bandits that had got in the way to stop them. They got badly injured when the horses trod over them, and after that, they lay still on the ground, unconscious or even dead.

Pablo approached those battered bodies and took their guns, that looked undamaged. Carrying one in his right hand, he was ready to assist Sergeant Mendoza when another man aimed his gun at him. Without much thinking, Pablo fired first, hitting that man on his back.

"Madre de Dios!" Mendoza cried, feeling his torso for a possible bullet, but when that man dropped to the ground, he saw Pablo behind him, holding a smoking gun. "Pablo! You saved my life! Gracias, muchas gracias."

"You are welcome, Sergeant," Pablo said, tossing that empty gun, "but we shouldn't waste time on this. Come on, let's get out of here!"

Sepúlveda and Don Alejandro joined them then.

"Don Alejandro, are you all right?" Pablo said, concerned about his bruised face.

"Yes, Pablo, don't worry. I see you have managed to come down that path on your own. I was so worry about you. I thought you were dead!"

"No, it was a trick. These idiots fell for it."

"Did you trip on purpose? To fall off the canyon wall?" Don Alejandro said, perplexed.

"Yes. The most stupid thing I've ever done in my life. But it worked!"

"And you, Sergeant… I knew you could do it!" Don Alejandro said, tapping his shoulder, looking proud of him. "Thank you so much."

"Men of steel, Don Alejandro. Men of steel," Mendoza said, self-satisfied.

"Come on, let's go back to the hacienda. We have no time to lose," Don Alejandro said.

"Not that fast. We should tie them all up, so the lancers can collect them later," Mendoza said. "I don't want them to escape before we return."

"No! You don't understand! They went to the hacienda to get Zeus and to ask Diego for a ransom. He is in great danger, like everybody else is at the hacienda, because there is nobody else left there to defend it. And he suffers from vertigo now and can't leave the bed! We have to get there to help him, as soon as possible!"

"All right. I'll go," Mendoza said.

"We'll all go," Pablo said.

Right then, the man that was still at the top of the canyon shot his rifle, hitting Sepúlveda's thigh. The corporal cried in pain and dropped to the ground, holding onto his bleeding leg.

"Madre de Dios!" Mendoza cried, dragging his man to safety, out of the line of fire. The other two followed him, pressing their bodies against the canyon wall so the sniper could not hit them from above.

"Shit! I forgot there is another man up there!" Pablo said.

"Yes, me too," Don Alejandro said. "Damn!"

"Only one?" Mendoza said.

"As far as we know, yes, only one," Pablo said. "His name is Domingo."

"All right. I'll get him. Don't move from here, stay covered," Mendoza said, heading for the path.

"Who is that man? Where is the Sergeant Mendoza we all know?" Don Alejandro said, watching him go, flabbergasted.

"I don't know, but I like this one more," Pablo said, removing the lancer's belt.

"Me too," Sepúlveda said, crying in pain when Pablo used the belt as a tourniquet on his leg. "How bad is it? Will I lose the leg?"

"Don't worry, Corporal. It is only a through-hole, but it is bleeding quite a lot. This will help to slow down the bleeding until we can get you to the doctor," Don Alejandro said.

They heard another gunshot, followed by a few more at regular intervals. They looked up, but they could not see what was going on.

"That man must be firing to hit the sergeant, but so far, he must have missed, as he keeps trying," Don Alejandro said.

"I hope he carries on missing," Pablo said.

"Indeed. Go, Mendoza!" Don Alejandro said, snatching an invisible enemy with his fist.

ZZZZZ

A.N. – If you haven't tried, you don't know how difficult it is turning Mendoza into a hero in a more or less credible way. To do so, I resorted to have him high on the cocaine, provided by Felipe in an unseen scene. Ha! Mendoza is THE MAN! (Of steel. Better than Ironman, LOL)