Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty — Cortez And Pedro

We arrived in Hermosillo, a good-sized town and quite modern. I said to Chuck, “Take me to the Hotel Hermosillo and I’ll call Bill. You can have the Palace all to yourself until Bill gets here.” I had in mind that I d get some good sleeping in the hotel and wouldn’t have to listen to that terrible snoring.

I put my call through to Bill.

“You sure made good time,” he said. “I didn’t expect you to get there so soon. I can’t come down just now, but you go ahead and get the deal started and I’ll be there in two or three days with the gold buyer. There’s ten grand in the bank there in U. S. money, and I’ve arranged everything with the banker. He knows you’re coming, so show him your identification and he will give you the money.”

“I thought it was fourteen grand we needed.”

“They’ve agreed to take ten down on the first brick. We will pay them the other four grand when we get the second brick. Now be darn careful. Keep your mouth shut and don’t talk about gold to anyone but Cortez. He’s staying at the same hotel you are. Take an assayer with you and make darn sure they don’t unload a chunk of brass on you!”

Cortez was in his room and when I introduced myself he gave me a big smile-a golden smile. He had a mouthful of gold teeth and evidently liked to show them.

“The gold,” he said, “is back in the mountains and we can drive within several miles of the place. After that, the trip must be made on mules or horses.”

I told him I had a camper and a driver, and that I would like to take an assayer along. This was fine with him for he too had a man he would take along. Pedro something or other.

“We will leave the assayer with your man and Pedro to guard the camper while we go for the gold brick. One thing more, you must wear a blindfold over your eyes after we leave the camper. You can understand, mister Parker, that the hiding place is a deep secret. It is for your own protection as well as ours, that you do not know how to find this place.”