CHAPTER XVI.
A VALUABLE DISCOVERY.
It was late the next morning when the boys awoke and began calling toeach other.
"What's the first thing on the program?" asked Adrian, as he put thelast touch upon his toilet.
"The first thing," declared Billie emphatically, "is breakfast. I hopethey have hot cakes and sorghum molasses."
"Not a very fashionable dish," laughed Donald.
"Hang the fashion," replied Billie. "What I want is something thattastes good. How about you, Ad?"
"That's me, too. But I think I prefer ham and eggs, sunny side up."
"What are you fellows trying to do?" asked Donald, "increase myappetite?"
"No need of that," laughed Billie. "I've never seen you when youcouldn't do justice to whatever is set before you; but hurry up."
Five minutes later they were seated before a breakfast table that seemedto have been fixed for their special benefit, for not only did the billof fare contain ham and eggs, but hot cakes and syrup as well.
For several minutes they were too busy to talk, but finally Donaldpushed back his chair with the remark that so long as he could get abreakfast like that, he didn't care how long he stayed on the border.
"Nor I either," echoed Billie. "But what had we better do to get intotouch with matters across the river?"
"I should certainly advise seeing Capt. Peak," said Adrian.
"Of course; but what then?"
"Depends upon his answer."
"Well," said Billie, "I have a duty to perform and the sooner I setabout it the better. Come on!"
He led the way out of the hotel and down to Capt. Peak's headquarters.They found the captain mounting his horse.
"I was just coming to see what had become of you," he said. "I didn'tknow but you had left the country."
"No reason why we should, is there?" laughed Donald.
"None at all; but I wouldn't be found on the other side of the river toosoon, if I were you. You must have stirred up a hornet's nest lastnight."
"I don't know what you mean by a hornet's nest," replied Billie, "but wedid have quite an exciting time."
"Of course you found Villa," said the captain.
"Found him and lost him," replied Adrian, and he proceeded to narratetheir adventure.
"And you have no idea who fired the shot?"
"Not the slightest."
"I'm sure Villa was not the victim," continued Capt. Peak, "or we shouldhave heard of it by this time. They would have been over here lookingfor the murderer."
"Which might have made a lot of trouble for us," said Donald.
"Exactly! But if you boys want something to help pass away the time fora couple of hours, get your horses and we'll ride down the river and seeif we can hear anything."
The boys gladly accepted the invitation and a few minutes later wereriding leisurely along the bank of the Rio Grande on what the captaincalled a tour of inspection.
"Sort of scout duty," laughed Adrian.
"Exactly; only we're not likely to discover anything at this hour of theday."
It seems, however, that it is the unexpected that happens, and they hadnot ridden more than two or three miles from town before they made adiscovery which brought them to a sudden halt and caused the utmostastonishment.
Not twenty feet from the river bank, entirely free from any attempt atconcealment, lay at least a dozen cases of rifles and a rapid-fireMaxim.
"Well!" exclaimed Capt. Peak, as he surveyed the arms from the back ofhis horse, "What do you think of that?"
"The thinking doesn't seem to be up to us," laughed Billie. "Thequestion is, what do you think?"
For some minutes Capt. Peak made no reply, the while his eye noted thesurroundings. Then he dismounted and examined the ground carefully,while the boys watched him with interest.
"I'll tell you what I think," he finally exclaimed, as he came slowlyback to his horse. "There has been a pretty good-sized gun-runningexpedition--so large, in fact, that these few arms have been entirelyoverlooked."
"They must have been pretty bold to attempt such a thing so nearPresidio del Norte."
"Yes," replied Capt. Peak, "and the very boldness of it is what helpedthem to succeed. This is the last place I should have looked for acrossing. I must send out and get these guns."
"Don't you think they will be missed later?" asked Adrian.
"No doubt; but the owners will have discovered the loss too late."
"I was just thinking it might be a good thing to leave them hereunmolested and set a watch over them."
"What good would that do? They will not make a second attempt at thesame place."
"It occurs to me," said Adrian with becoming modesty, "that it would bea good thing to ride on just as though we had found nothing. As soon aswe get around that piece of chaparral, let me come back and hide myself.I believe somebody will be around trying to locate the missing weapons.As I understand it, that rapid-fire gun is a valuable piece."
"There is no doubt of that," admitted the captain.
"If the one who comes hunting it finds it has not been molested, he willthink it has not been discovered and he will take some steps to carry itaway. When he does so, I can give the alarm and we can pounce down uponhim."
"Your idea isn't at all unreasonable," said the Captain, "and I'mperfectly willing to see what we can do."
Accordingly the little cavalcade rode along for more than half a mile.It then halted in the edge of the chaparral, where Adrian dismounted andslowly made his way back through the mesquite bushes which covered theplain.
It was hot lying there in the broiling sun, but Adrian did not mind.This was his idea, and somehow he felt sure that it would meet withsuccess; but for a long time it did not seem so. Finally, however, asAdrian began to think the Captain might better take charge of the arms,he noted a strange figure on the opposite bank of the Rio Grande. He wasa little man, and, as nearly as Adrian could make out, old.
"He doesn't look like a gun runner," thought Adrian; "but you never cantell."
At first the little man did not appear to be looking across the river atall; but as Adrian watched, he saw that the man on the other shorecarried a pair of field glasses.
"That means that I must lie mighty low," muttered Adrian to himself, andhe hugged the ground tight, behind the mesquite bush.
The man at length leveled his glasses and peered long and earnestly--notonly at the rapid-fire gun, which showed most prominently--but at all thebushes up and down the river for some distance.
"He certainly knows what he is looking after," thought Adrian, "but Idon't believe he will come over in the day time."
For the time being at any rate, Adrian was right; for after some minutesspent in observation, the man returned his glasses to their case andwalked rapidly away.
Slowly Adrian withdrew from his position, backing out on hands and kneesuntil he was hidden from the other bank. Then, rising, he hastened towhere he had left his friends.
"Well," was Billie's greeting as soon as Adrian came in sight. "I hopeyou discovered something to pay us for going without our dinner."
"If catching a gang of gun runners is enough, I think I did."
"What's that?" inquired Capt. Peak. "You think you have a line on them?"
"You can judge for yourself," replied Adrian, and he related what he hadseen.
"Don Pablo Ojeda!" exclaimed Capt. Peak as soon as Adrian had describedthe appearance of the man on the opposite shore. "If we can only catchhim red-handed, it will be a great capture!"
"You don't mean he's the old chap who tried to steal our mule, do you?"
"He surely is," declared Donald. "The description fits him perfectly."
"And it's very plain, now," continued the captain, "why they selectedthis spot. It is only half a mile up stream from the trail that leadsfrom Don Pablo's to the river--just far enough for a boat to float downof its own accord. All it would take would be one man to steer. Once theguns were put on board,
the others could ride down the river, swim theirhorses across and thus avoid any trouble in case the boat werediscovered."
"I'm glad if my information is of any use," said Adrian.
"It unquestionably is. Now then," and the captain mounted his horse, "tomake arrangements to capture all who come to this side of the river."
"Hadn't we ought to notify the Mexican authorities?" queried Donald.
"If we were sure the information wouldn't leak out," was Capt. Peak'sreply; "but there is too much revolution in the air right now to knowwhom to trust.
"No," after a pause, "we'll play this game alone," and turning his horseto the north, he started by a circuitous route for town, closelyfollowed by the boys.
"I'm glad we're this side the river," said Billie as they rode along. "Iseem to have more faith in the Rangers than in the Rurales."