Read The Broncho Rider Boys with the Texas Rangers Page 23

  CHAPTER XXIII.

  BILLIE SOLVES A MYSTERY.

  "Ouch!" exclaimed Billie, as his head came into contact with the door."I wonder what----" and then he stopped and listened.

  Overhead he could hear the sound of stamping feet and the sound ofshots. After a couple of minutes there was silence, which was moreominous than the sound of fighting.

  For a moment Billie's heart fairly stopped beating with fear for whatmight have happened to his companions. Had they been killed or simplyoverpowered? What was he to do?

  Even while these thoughts flashed through his mind the silence wasbroken by voices, and above all the others he could hear that of DonRafael, which he had now come to recognize.

  "Bring them out into the light where I can get a good look at them," heordered. "The gringo curs! We'll have a nice little shooting party atdaylight that will make them an example for others who want to spy uponMexican patriots!"

  "Patriots!" thought Billie. "If they are patriots, I'm sorry forMexico."

  "Where is the other one?" he heard Don Rafael ask a minute later.

  "These are the only two," was the reply.

  "Where is your comrade?" he heard Don Rafael ask, and Billie's heartgave a great leap for joy as Donald's voice replied:

  "Don't you wish you knew?"

  "Answer," commanded Don Rafael.

  To which Billie heard Adrian say: "You'll find out soon enough where heis!"

  "_Caramba!_" almost shouted Don Rafael. "If you don't answer at onceI'll shoot you now instead of waiting till daylight."

  "Do," replied Adrian, "and it will make it just that much worse foryou!"

  Evidently Don Rafael must have been somewhat impressed by what Adriansaid, for he did not shoot. Instead he commanded to bring more lightsand search the place.

  But there was nothing to be seen but the empty room, the scuffle havingobliterated all signs of the trap door.

  "Whose house is this?" Don Rafael at length asked.

  "Pancho Villa's," replied one of the men.

  "Villa's!" cried Don Rafael. "Villa's! May the saints protect us! Let usgo at once!"

  A minute later Billie heard the retreating footsteps overhead and acouple of minutes later all was again still.

  "I wonder what there is about Villa to scare Don Rafael in that way," hethought. "The last I knew, he was trying to get Villa to join therevolution."

  It was too big a problem for Billie, and so instead of bothering aboutit he began to figure how he was going to get out.

  "If the door could open to let me in," he said aloud to himself, "it canopen to let me out."

  "You are right!" replied a voice in Spanish from somewhere out of thedarkness.

  To say that Billie was not startled by the voice would be rather astrong statement, for brave as he was, such a happening tended to sendseveral creepy chills up his back. He had retained his hold upon hisknife as he fell, and his clasp upon it tightened considerably as heasked with all the courage he could command:

  "Who are you and how do you know?"

  "I know because I fixed it to open. I will leave you to guess who I am."

  In an instant it flashed into Billie's mind who it was that was speakingto him, and he replied with a good deal more assurance:

  "There is but one person who could have made and used it! You are PanchoVilla."

  "_Bueno!_" was the reply.

  "Well then," asked Billie, "will you kindly show me how to get out?"

  "Yes, if you will tell no one I am here."

  "It's a bargain," said Billie.

  A moment later there was a sound of a match being lighted and the cellarwas illumined by a faint gleam of light, which grew larger as the lightwas applied to the wick of a candle. By this light Billie saw he was ina cellar the same size as the room above and that his companion waslying on a bed in one corner of the cellar.

  "What's the matter?" asked Billie. "Are you sick?"

  "I have been wounded," was the reply.

  "When?"

  "The night you boys visited me."

  "By whom?"

  "I am not sure, but I think it was Don Rafael Solis."

  "That must have been the shot we heard as we were leaving that night!"

  "Yes!"

  "How are you now?"

  "I was going to leave here tomorrow. I am afraid there is going to be anuprising against President Madero very soon."

  "What!" asked Billie. "Didn't you know it had already broken out? Why,they are fighting all around here right now."

  Villa sprang to his feet, entirely forgetful of the wound in his side.

  "Do you mean to tell me," he said, "that a revolution has alreadybegun?"

  "Exactly!"

  "Who started it?"

  "Gen. Felix Diaz, they say. Up here, the garrison has joined therevolution. Gen. Sanchez was on his way to take command when therevolution broke out. He failed to reach here in time. He is nowattacking the city with a thousand infantry and five hundred cavalry."

  "Who is in command of the revolutionists?"

  "I do not know for sure; but one of the chief actors is called DonCarlos, while Don Rafael seems to have a lot to say."

  For several minutes Villa stood silent, turning the matter over in hismind and seemingly undecided as to the course he should pursue. Then hesuddenly straightened himself and looked Billie squarely in the eye.

  "The revolution is wrong," he said. "President Madero is the friend ofthe peon. I shall stick to him no matter what happens. Come, it is timeI was acting."

  He took a step up the stairs and by the light of the candle drew back abolt and opened the trap door. Then he stood aside for Billie to pass.

  Arriving in the room above they stopped and surveyed the wreck. Therail, with which the door had been battered in, was where it had fallenand confusion reigned.

  "Where are you going?" asked Billie after a moment.

  "To join Gen. Sanchez. Why?"

  "Because something has got to be done between now and daylight to savemy companions!"

  "_Bueno!_" exclaimed Villa. "They shall be saved!"

  "How?"

  "I will explain later! No friend of Santiago shall suffer for trying todo me a kindness. And, besides," he added after a moment, "I owe DonRafael one for this."

  He placed his hand on his wound and a look of fierce determinationpassed over his face.

  "How did it happen?" asked Billie, no longer able to restrain hiscuriosity.

  "He tried to assassinate me and would have succeeded had I not had thetrap door to hide me. I think my sudden disappearance must havefrightened him. That is why he was frightened again tonight when hefound he was in my home. He must think that the place is guarded by anevil spirit."

  "It seems more like a good spirit to me," declared Billie, "but let ushasten to Gen. Sanchez! I cannot rest easy till my companions have beenrescued."