Frank raised five.
Pede shoved in six dollars, and added another five.
"I tak' dis pot," he said.
Monte looked his cards over. Then he looked at Pede. He knew the Mexican.
"You oughter be shot!" he said. And he threw his cards down, turning to Frank.
"You ain't got a ghost of a show agin' that greaser, youngster," he averred.
"Well, as long as my money lasts I'll stay with him," smiled Merry.
He did. Having thrust the last of his money into the pot, he finally called.
Pede spread out his three queens, smiling with crafty triumph.
"You no fool me," he said. "My t'ree bigger dan your t'ree. I tak' da mon'."
"Wait a minute," said Merry. "I happen to have more than threes here."
And he displayed his full hand, coolly raking the money over to his side of the blanket.
CHAPTER V.
PINTO PEDE RECEIVES HIS LESSON
Pinto Pede was the most disgusted Mexican in all Arizona. At the same time he was thoroughly thunderstruck. That Merriwell had secured the pair of fives with his three jacks for all of his style of drawing seemed like legerdemain.
Big Monte gave a shout of surprise, that was not entirely unmingled with delight.
"Waal, say!" he roared; "that's the furst time I ever seen Pede done up on his own deal by a tenderfoot! Haw! haw! haw!"
As the game continued Frank soon demonstrated that he was quite capable of holding his own with those men. On his deal he simply played "hob" with them. In less than thirty minutes he had won over a hundred and fifty dollars.
Cimarron Bill had sauntered up and was standing near, his arms folded, silently watching the progress of the game.
"Gentlemen," said Frank finally, "you're too easy for me. Just to show you how easy you are, I'll deal a hand around and then tell you what you have."
"Not if you lets me cut," declared Monte.
Merry had gathered the cards and was shuffling them.
"You may cut," he said.
He put the cards down on the blanket, and Monte divided them into two parts, after which he watched Frank to see that he picked them up right.
Merry picked them up with one hand, doing so swiftly. He picked them up all right, but he cleverly made the pass, which restored the cards to their original positions, as they were before Monte had cut.
Then he dealt.
When they picked up their cards, he began at the left and called off the cards each man held, going around the entire circle.
Monte threw his down, with a cry of amazement.
"An' this yere is what we takes for an easy mark!" he exclaimed.
"He cheat!" grated Pinto Pede. "Dat how he win all da mon'."
"I don't want your money," said Merry. "I find it too easy to make money off such chaps as you. You talk about tenderfeet, but the East is full of tenderfeet who could skin you fellows to death. If you ran into a New York bunco man he'd have your boots off your feet in less than thirty minutes. In fact, gentlemen, you need to get your eye-teeth filed."
He was laughing at them, as they plainly saw. This made Pinto Pede furious, and, with a cry of rage, the Mexican snatched out a knife, flung himself forward on his knees, clutched the captive's throat and seemed about to finish him.
Quick as a flash, Merriwell had seized Pede's wrist, which he gave a twist that made the bones crack and brought a yell from the yellow-faced fellow's lips. The knife dropped. Merry tossed it over his shoulder, and then flung Pede backward, groaning over his wrenched arm.
"The only safe way to play such tricks on me," said the undisturbed captive, "is to catch me when I'm asleep."
Then Cimarron Bill spoke, and they saw he had a pistol in his hand.
"It sure is a good thing for Pede that the gent stopped his play just as he did, for if Pede had done any cuttin' I'd sartin shot him up a whole lot. I has told you boys that Mr. Merriwell is to be kept safe an' unharmed until I gits ready to finish with him, an' when I says a thing like that, I generally has a way o' meanin' it. If Pede had used his knife, I'd a-let daylight through him instanter."
Now they all knew Bill spoke the truth, and so Pede was doubly humiliated.
"He was a trifle hasty," said Merriwell coolly. "I was about to explain that I never keep money won at cards, as I do not believe in gambling. I sat in this game to illustrate to you fellows that it doesn't always pay to get puffed up and look contemptuously on a tenderfoot. Having made the lesson plain, I will withdraw my own money, which will leave the amount I have won. You may divide it equally among you and go on with your game."
This Frank did exactly as he said, taking himself out of the game.
There would have been a quarrel over the division of the money had not Bill interfered.
Possibly Frank was counting on that quarrel, for a fight among the men might have given him an opportunity to escape. However, if such was his plan, it miscarried, for Bill acted as judge and saw that the matter was settled without further dispute or bloodshed.
Merry turned away, his hands in his pockets, seeming to take no further interest in the gambling ruffians. They looked after his fine, supple, manly figure, and Big Monte said:
"Gents, he shore is a hummer! I admits it now. He's put up a heap different from any tenderfoot I ever struck afore. We knows he kin shoot, fer didn't he perforate Sam's coat back yander in the raveen when Sam h'isted it on his rifle. We know he kin play keerds, fer didn't he jest demonstrate it to our complete satisfaction. We know he has a heap of nerve, fer he sure has showed it all the way through. An' I'm bettin' he's goin' ter make it a right hot fight afore the galoots what are arter his mines gits what they wants."
"You forgits he's dealin' with Bill," said one of the others; "an' Bill shore has the keerds stacked on him."
"That's all right," said Monte; "but you got ter do somethin' more than stack the keerds on that young chap. Didn't Pede do that, an' didn't he beat Pede a-plenty at his own game? That showed me that you never kin tell when you has Frank Merriwell beat fer fair."
Frank had known all the time that Bill was watching. He had played the game more for the benefit of the chief of the rascals than any one else. At the same time, it had served to pass away a little time and had been a diversion for the moment.
The guards also were near, watching every move closely.
Frank had satisfied himself that there was no chance of making a break to escape without throwing his life away, and so he seemed to return to the hut with perfect content. Indeed, his nonchalance and apparent lack of fretfulness and dissatisfaction over his misfortune was most amazing to the rough men.
Merry ate supper heartily.
There was a clay fireplace in the hut, and, the night coming on cool, a fire was built there. Merry lolled before the fire on the hard-packed earth, which served as a floor to the hut. Bill came in, sat down on the ground, and rolled a cigarette.
"Well," he finally said, "how do you find yourself to-night?"
"Oh, comfortable," carelessly answered Frank.
"Smoke?"
"Never do."
"Drink?"
"Out of my line."
"Still you can shoot and play poker! I certain admits you're a queer one!"
After a little silence, Bill again dismissed the guard. Then he said:
"I'm in a leetle hurry to know what your answer is to that there propersition I made ye. I sw'ar, partner, I sure reckons we'd make a hot pair. I takes to you!"
"You're very complimentary!"
"I'm