CHAPTER XIII.
IN THE CAMP OF THE INSURRECTOS.
Camp was made that night not far from the outskirts of what must havebeen a small town or village. Through the trees surrounding the campthe boys could catch the glint of distant lights as the sun set anddarkness rushed up with the suddenness characteristic of the southernlatitudes. Rumor about the camp was that there was a fair or carnivalin the village. To Jack's huge delight, he found that a tent was to beprovided for them, and that, if all went well, they would be able,after the camp was wrapped in sleep, to have a consultation.
But before this occurred something else happened which bore so directlyon the boys' fortunes that it must be related here. Supper in the campwas over, sentries posted, and the routine of what had evidently been along campaign taken up, when the three lads, who had been chatting withBob Harding and trying to draw out all he knew without betrayingthemselves, were summoned by a ragged orderly to present themselves inGeneral Madero's tent.
At first a dreadful fear that their deception had been discoveredrushed into Jack's mind, as they arose from the ground outside BobHarding's tent and made their way to the general's quarters. Thisfear, which his comrades shared with him, was speedily relieved,however. General Madero greeted them with the same grave courtesy hehad shown them earlier in the day, and, after a few words, bade them beseated. Each visitor having been accommodated with a camp stool, thegeneral turned to a written paper which he had before him on thefolding camp table, and which he had apparently been poring overintently when they entered.
"I sent for you, gentlemen," he said, "in the first place, because I amsure, from what Senor Ramon told me, our new recruits are anxious todistinguish themselves, and also because I have some duty to outline toyou which is peculiarly adapted for Americans to undertake.
"You know, doubtless, that the funds of the insurrectos are not asplentiful as they might be. Most of us are poor men. I myself havedisposed of my estate to make the revolution against the tyrant Diazsuccessful." He paused and frowned at the mention of the hated name,and then continued in the same grave, even voice:
"It becomes necessary, therefore, for us to raise funds as best we may.Of course, we might live upon the country, but this I am unwilling todo. The people are friendly to us. They give us their moral support.Let us then not repay good with evil by plundering them. Rather let uspay for what we get as we go along."
Harding nodded, as did the boys. It was best to give the general theimpression that they were deeply interested.
"Very well, then. But we must raise funds--and how? How better thanby helping ourselves to the product of which our country has beenrobbed by favorites of Diaz. I refer, I need hardly say, to theAmerican mining men who have enriched themselves at my poorcountrymen's expense."
Jack could hardly repress an angry start as he saw whither this line ofreasoning must lead. The gross injustice of the idea made him flushhotly, but he was far too wise to expose his hand to the wily oldinsurrecto leader, who was watching them with an eager look on hiswithered, yellow face.
"There is near here," continued the general, "a mine I have had my eyeson for a long time. It belongs to a Senor Merrill, a rancher----"
The general broke off abruptly. Jack had started so suddenly that thelamp on the table was jarred.
"Senor Hickey knows Senor Merrill?" he asked, bending his searchingblack eyes on the lad.
"I--no--that is, yes--I met Senor Merrill some time ago," stammeredJack. "Hearing his name again startled me. I was not aware he was inthis part of the country."
Apparently the explanation satisfied the old leader, for he continuedwith a satisfied nod.
"This Senor Merrill is rich, I hear. But all his wealth has notprevented his miners leaving him to answer the call of the insurrectocause. His mine, The Esmeralda, is not more than twelve miles fromhere. In the treasure room is stored much gold. Since we blew up therailroad, he has not been able to ship it. We must have that gold."
He paused and looked at the Americans inquiringly. Of the four, BobHarding alone looked enthusiastic.
"It should be easy, general," he said; "if the Mexican miners havequit, all we have to do is to march in and help ourselves."
"Yes, but Senor Merrill is not unsurrounded by friends," went on thegeneral, while Jack's heart gave a bound of gladness; "he has a Germansuperintendent and several mine bosses. They have arms and ammunition,and it will be a difficult matter to dislodge them. Also, there aretelephone wires by which he can summon aid from the regular troops."
"Well, what do you want us to do, sir?" asked Jack, with what wasreally, under the circumstances, a creditable simulation of disinterest.
"To undertake some scout duty. Find out just what his force is and thebest quarter from which to attack the mine. And, above all, sever hiscommunication with the outside world."
"Cut the wires?" asked Bob Harding eagerly.
"That's it. Make it impossible for us to fail."
"But, general, do not the regulars already know of your presence inthis part of the country?" asked Jack.
General Madero smiled.
"The heads of bone which command them know little beyond dancing andhow to flirt correctly," he said. "My flying column has, in the pasttwo days, passed from one end of the province to the other withouttheir being aware of it. The main part of my army is in easternChihuahua, blowing up bridges and otherwise diverting their attention,while I have come into, what you Americans call, Tom Tiddler's ground,where I mean to pick up all the gold and silver I can. Why not?" hedemanded, with a sudden access of fury. "Is it not ours? What righthave these interlopers of Americanos here? Mexico for the Mexicans anddeath to the robber foreigners!"
He brought his lean, shriveled hand down on the table with a thump thatmade the lamp shake. His Latin temperament had, for the moment,carried him away; for a flash the blaze of fanaticism shone in hiseyes, only to die out as swiftly as he regained command of himself.
"When shall we depart on this duty, sir?" asked Bob Harding, after abrief pause.
"To-morrow. The hour I will inform you of later. Not a word of thisin the camp, remember. I can trust to you absolutely?"
"Absolutely," rejoined Bob Harding, with, apparently, not a singlequalm of conscience.
The general's eyes were bent upon the boys who had not rejoined to hisquestion.
"Absolutely," declared Jack, saving his conscience by adding a mental"Not."
Bob Harding, who was sharp enough in some things, was quick to detect achange in the manner of the three supposed soldiers of fortune as theyleft the general's tent.
"Don't much like the idea of going up against your own countrymen, eh?"he asked easily.
"No," rejoined Jack frankly, "we don't."
"Now look here, Hickey, isn't that drawing it pretty fine? Merrill andchaps like that have practically buncoed old Diaz into granting themall sorts of concessions, and----"
"I'm pretty sure Merrill never did, whatever the rest may have done,"was the quiet reply.
"Eh-oh! Well, of course, it's all right to stick up for one's friendsand that sort of thing, but I guess that you chaps, like myself, aredown here to, line your pockets, aren't you?"
"Perhaps," was the noncommittal reply.
"Well, to be frank with you, I _am_. I'm down here just for what thereis in it, and if I can see a chance to line my pockets by a quiet visitto the gold room of a mine, why, that's the mine owner's lookout, isn'tit? I run my risk and ought to have some reward for it."
"That's queer reasoning, Harding."
"Say, Hickey, you're a rum sort of chap. So are your chums here, too.Not a bit what I expected you to be like. I thought you wererip-roaring sort of fellows, and you act more like a bunch of prizeSunday-school scholars."
There was a taunting note in the words that Jack was not slow to catch.Particularly was the last part of Harding's speech brought out with aninsulting inflection. Jack's temper blazed up.
/> "See here, Harding," he snapped out, "do you know anything aboutdynamite?"
"Eh? What? Yes, of course. But, good gracious, what's that got to dowith----"
"Everything. Dynamite doesn't say or do much till it goes off, doesit?"
"What are you driving at, my dear fellow, I----"
"Just this;" Jack's eyes fairly snapped in the starlight, as he lookedstraight into Harding's weak, good-natured countenance; "don't monkeywith high explosives. Savvy?"
Harding's eyes fell. He mumbled something. For a minute he wasabashed, but he soon regained his spirits.
"Forgive me, Hickey," he exclaimed, "and you, too, Rafter and Divver.I thought you were just a bunch of kids, but now I see you are the realthing. Blown in the bottle, this side up, and all that.
"Say, do you know," he went on, lowering his voice cautiously andbending forward as if afraid the coffee-colored sentry pacing near bymight overhear, "for a while I even thought you were imposters."
"No!" exclaimed Jack, starting back in well-assumed amazement.
"Fact, I assure you. Funny, wasn't it?"
"Not very funny for us had your suspicions been correct," put in WaltPhelps.
"My dear Con, I should think not. Putting your eyes out with red-hotirons would be one of the least things that old Madero would do to you.Fatherly old chap, isn't he? But, as you said, Hickey: Don't fool withdynamite!"
A few paces more brought the boys to their tent.
"Well, good night, or buenas noches, as they say in this benightedland," said Harding, as they reached it. "Better turn in and have agood sleep. And then to-morrow it's Ho! for Tom Tiddler's ground, apickin' up gold and silver."
"And maybe bullets," came from Walt.
"Oh, my dear fellow, that's all in the life. Buenas noches!"
And Bob Harding passed on, humming gayly to himself.
The boys entered their tent and lit the lamp. It was silent as thegrave outside, except for the steady tramp, tramp of the sentries. Atlong intervals the weird cry of some night bird came from the woods, onthe edge of which they were camped, but that was all.
Jack sat down on the edge of his cot and gazed across the tent at theothers.
"Well?" he said.
"Well?" came back from his two chums in danger.
Thus began a conversation which, with intervals of silence, when thesentries' heavy footsteps passed, continued into early dawn. Then,with a consciousness that the future alone could bring about a solutionof their dilemma, the three tired lads tumbled into their cots to sleepthe slumber of vigorous, exhausted youth.