Tykota's Woman (Historical Romance) Read Online Free

blinked excitedly. "Tell me
more about the Perdenelas and the treasure."
    Mr. Rumford knew he'd found an avid
audience as he usually did when he spoke of the
gold of the Perdenelas. "No one knows exactly
where their land is located. A few misguided
souls with gold fever have ventured into the desert, seeking their treasure. Most of them
never returned, and those who did were halfstarved and ranting about evil spirits. Don't
know what they encountered out there, but
evidently something drives them out of their
minds."

    Alvin Carruthers laughed nervously. "You're
trying to lead me down a fool's path, aren't
you?"
    "Judge for yourself. The word lately is that the
old chief of the Perdenelas has died and that his
chosen son will be taking his place. No one
seems to know much about the son, but they say
he may be far more ruthless than his father."
    The man across from Makinna shifted his
position, and his knee bumped hers. She drew
back, tucking her legs away from him.
    She didn't want to believe there was a tribe in
these parts that was even more ruthless than the
Apache. But what if Mr. Rumford spoke the
truth? She shivered and glanced out the window
at the vast desert, thinking few could survive in
that wasteland.
    What kind of man would it take to live out
there?

     

Makinna relaxed a bit when Mr. Carruthers
smiled and said, "I believe you're trying to pull
a ruse on me, Mr. Rumford. I've heard about
some of the tales you Westerners spin to ensnare
us city folk."
    "I won't deny that I've been guilty of weaving
a little trickery with tenderfoots in the past, but
what I tell you now is not a sham. At least, I
believe there's some validity to the story, since
it's spoken of among the other Indian tribes."
    Mr. Carruthers still looked skeptical. "Very
well, then. Why don't you tell me more about
your mysterious Indian tribe and their hidden
gold? Who knows? I may decide to take up a
shovel and go looking myself."
    "This is as much as I know," Mr. Rumford continued. "The legend says that the Perdenelas
live in a secret oasis in the desert called Valle de
la Luna, which means Moon Valley. Their
sacred mountain is called the Mountain of the
Moon. Hidden somewhere in that mountain is a
vast treasure, its exact location known only to
the chief. The secret is supposedly passed down
only from father to son."

    Excitement flashed in Mr. Carruthers's eyes.
"Where'd the treasure come from?"
    Mr. Rumford shrugged. "Perhaps a mine,
maybe lost Spanish gold. No one knows for
sure."
    "It's just as I thought. What you're saying is
that no one knows anything for a fact."
    "Well, there's no tangible proof, if that's what
you're asking, but there's evidence enough to
make me consider that there might be some truth
in the tale."
    "No, no. I will not go along with you on this
unless you can give me something substantial,"
Mr. Carruthers challenged.
    Mr. Rumford shook his head. "I, too, am a bit
skeptical, but bear in mind that this is a legend
that will not die." He turned to the window,
suddenly pensive. "I personally witnessed a man
crawling out of the desert, raving like a lunatic,
swearing he'd seen a lush, green valley hidden
by twin peaks in the middle of the desert, and
that he'd entered the face of the mountain."

    "Nonsense!" Carruthers said scornfully. "The
man had probably been too long in the sun, and
it had addled his brain."
    "Maybe, maybe not," Mr. Rumford replied.
"But that man had a nugget clutched in his
hand that was the purest gold I've ever seen.
Explain that if you can." He shifted his weight.
"I'll tell you something else. I met up with an
Indian who scouted for the army over at Ft.
Bliss. He was a Mescalero Apache, and he swore
the Perdenelas do exist. Told me there was bad
blood between them and the Chiricahua
Apache-something about trouble between the
old chief and his second wife. It seems she was
from the Chiricahua tribe and was jealous of
the