WHEN his enemy, Pedro Garcia, learned to run the automobile and became Mr. Henderson's chauffeur, a more disgusted dog than Silversheene could not well be imagined. Hitherto, when Dick was not available, Mr. Henderson had run the machine himself and now to have this objectionable Pedro take their place at the wheel, filled Silversheene with disgust.
Most dogs are very susceptible as to the character of those about them. They are especially keen to detect evil. This trait was so marked that a large business house kept a St. Bernard dog in the outer office. Whenever a stranger came into the office the dog would look him over, or perhaps sniff at him inquiringly. If the dog growled or showed other signs of disapproval, the stranger was turned down in the inner office.
So while Mr. Henderson knew that Pedro was rather untrustworthy as are many Mexicans, Silversheene knew his real character.
True, the dog and his master now rode on the back seat, and that was a comfort. But Silversheene had often to sit for a long time in the car with the hated greaser and this irked him exceedingly. He never slept on such occasions, but would lie watching Pedro intently. He would not let the chauffeur take anything from the back of the car when they were alone. It is probable that the dog also felt the hatred in the vengeful man's mind, and the evil that he was planning against him.
"It is strange," said Mr. Henderson to Richard one day, "how Silversheene dislikes Pedro. There seems to be something between them. I am almost afraid to leave them together."
"Silversheene is a gentleman, and Pedro is a skunk," said Dick. "So they don't mix well. There is more honor in a hair of that dog's tail than there is in the whole body of that greaser. I don't like him, Dad. I wish you would fire him and get a white man."
"Oh, I guess he is all right. You know he has been with us fifteen years. He has always been good help and he is a fine gardener."
Silversheene would often catch Pedro looking at him from out the corner of his eye, and he knew that the gaze was malevolent, but no one in the Henderson family ever dreamed of the dastardly plan which was brewing in the mind of the greaser.
One day Pedro and Mr. Henderson and Silversheene drove to some distant orchards where spraying was being carried on. Mr. Henderson left the dog and the driver in the car while he inspected the orchard. Silversheene wanted to go with his master, but Mr. Henderson finally left him in the machine. The last he saw of the dog as he glanced back was his beautiful head looking wistfully through the window. After he had passed from sight the dog lay down and pretended to sleep, but he was watching Pedro carefully as usual.
Mr. Henderson was gone a long time and he finally sent one of the men to tell Pedro to go to a small railway station a couple of miles distant for some express. He also told the man to let the dog come back with him, as he knew Silversheene hated to be left alone with the greaser. This part of the command the man failed to obey. As Pedro started up the car the dog noted that he grinned malevolently back at him and said something in Spanish. Of course the dog could not understand the words, but he knew the tone was malevolent.
Instead of driving directly to the station Pedro stepped on the accelerator and was soon flying along the road in an opposite direction. In about ten minutes he stopped before a small shack and a disreputable greaser came out.
"Hurry, Alsandra," cried Pedro excitedly. "I have just the good chance to-day. The good God he makes me this chance. Hurry, get out your machine. I have him in behind. He can't get away."
"Did you say fifty dollars, Pedro? We get fifty at Portland and you divide even."
"Yes," cried Pedro. "Hurry, I must be back quick." Then Alsandra hurried away and soon had a disreputable Ford standing beside the Henderson car.
Silversheene in the meantime seemed to divine that their actions had to do with him, and growled softly eyeing them suspiciously.
"He looks like a fighter," said Alsandra. "I guess he will give us much trouble. Could you get a slipnoose over his head from the front seat, Pedro? If you could we would have him all right. A dog with his wind shut off is as good as dead."
When Pedro dangled the rope over the seat, Silversheene met him with a deep snarl. He was now sure that they had sinister designs on him. But when Pedro barked at him and growled in answer to his growls, he suddenly felt a great longing to get at these two devils and tear them to pieces. So without considering the consequences he reared up on his hind legs and reached over the front seat for Pedro. This was just what the cunning greaser wanted. For with a sudden motion he slipped the noose over the beautiful head of the dog and with a sharp pull drew it tight. At the same time his confederate opened the back door of the machine and caught the dog by the hind legs and in another second they had the great fighter stretched out between them helpless.
Pedro pulled so hard on the rope that Silversheene's tongue came out and his breathing was temporarily suspended. Everything became black and he almost eeased to struggle.
Alsandra in the meantime hastily bound his hind legs together and his fore paws as well. He then stuck a stick through the foaming jaws of the dog and tied them with a strong cord, until he was completely muzzled. Then Pedro let up on the slipnoose on the dog's neck.
Poor Silversheene raged and boiled inwardly but could do nothing. He worked his paws frantically to get them loose, but the cords with which they were bound held. With his jaws he could only growl and that helped him little.
So he lay helpless while his captors slung him into the back of the Ford and tied him to the footrest. Finally Alsandra threw an old blanket over him, covering all but the tip of his nose, and the Ford drove rapidly away.
Pedro then made all haste to the station, secured the can of spray and drove back to the orchard. When Mr. Henderson returned to the car Pedro seemed very much excited, and explained at some length that while he was at the station the dog had climbed over the front seat of the car and run away, and that he had probably gone home.
Mr. Henderson glanced sharply at the greaser, but he looked honest. Then he remembered how Silversheene hated to be left with the Mexican and concluded that the story was true, so thought no more of it. But when they returned home and nothing had been seen of Silversheene his suspicions were aropsed.
They summoned the greaser and had a long conversation with him but could not break down his story. So there was nothing to do but advertise for the dog and put in motion what machinery they could for his recovery.
When Dick heard of it he said at once that the Mexican had played them some trick for getting rid of the dog; and if he ever found out what it was he would skin him alive.
So a campaign was started for the recovery of Silversheene, but it was a long time before they saw him again. When he did at last come back into their lives it was like a chapter from the Arabian Nights.