CHAPTER IV.
A FRIEND IN NEED.
"This is certainly a funny excursion," laughed Billie, after the boyshad ridden along in silence for some minutes. "It's like looking for aneedle in a haystack."
"How so?" queried Donald.
"Well, isn't it? This big country is the haystack, and the bunch of gunrunners is the needle. I see mighty little chance of finding them."
"Oh, I don't know," replied Donald. "We never started out to findanything yet that we didn't locate it--even old Bray," he added as anafterthought.
"That's right," chimed in Adrian. "There is nothing like having yourluck with you."
"Huh," grunted Billie, "I'm not sure but the greatest luck we could havewould be not to find anything."
Adrian looked at the speaker in surprise.
"It's the first time I ever knew you to show the white feather," hesaid.
"Who's showing the white feather?" demanded Billie, with much spirit."I'm just as anxious as anyone to put a stop to lawlessness; but youwouldn't call any man a coward, would you, because he wouldn'tdeliberately stick his head in a hornet's nest?" And he gave his horse avicious dig with his spurs.
"Oh, don't get mad about it," said Adrian. "I didn't mean to hurt yourfeelings."
"Well, then, don't be accusing me of showing the white feather. There'sa whole lot of difference, in my mind, between being a coward and usinga little common sense."
"He has the best of you there, Ad.," remarked Donald; "when it comes todoing things, Billie will be on the job."
Donald's words were like oil on the troubled waters, and after a fewminutes Billie continued in a voice entirely free from any irritation:
"The thing I can't understand is this: If somebody has so muchinformation as to what is to be done, why don't they have some littleknowledge of those who propose to do it? The whole thing looks fishy tome."
"I believe you're right," assented Adrian, after turning the matter overin his mind for several minutes. "There is something kind of mysteriousabout it."
"I don't see it," declared Donald, "but, even if there is, all we haveto do is to keep our eyes and ears open. We have the law on our side."
"Looks like mighty little law to me," replied Billie, who, for somereason or other insisted upon looking on the dark side. "But, to changethe subject, what do you call that?" and he pointed away to the south,where a cloud of dust was to be seen.
"Looks as though it might be a herd of cattle." said Donald, after amoment's inspection. "Although," he added, after further observation,"it would be a mighty small one."
"They certainly make a lot of dust," was Adrian's comment, followed in amoment with: "Look! Look! It's a race! It's a race!"
A race it certainly was, in which something less than half a dozenhorsemen were engaged, and the boys drew rein to watch it.
At the first glance it did not appear to be very exciting, as one of theriders was so far in advance that there seemed very little chance forany of the others. But, as the boys watched the flying horsemen, itslowly dawned upon Donald that there was something wrong.
"By George!" he suddenly exclaimed, "I don't believe it's a race at all.It looks to me as though there were three trying to catch one, and Idon't think it's for any good purpose."
"I believe you're right, Don; and, look," exclaimed Adrian, "they'reheaded this way!"
That the boys were right was fully evidenced as the flying horsemenapproached. The pursuers seemed to be men, while the fugitive was a ladof about the same age as our travelers.
All at once the boy espied the Broncho Rider Boys, and, digging hisspurs into his horse, turned abruptly and rode directly toward them.
"_Socorre mi! Socorre mi!_" he called, as he came within hailingdistance.
"What does he say?" asked Billie.
"He's crying for help," replied Donald. "What had we better do?"
"Help him, of course," replied Billie.
"And get ourselves into a lot of trouble for our pains," declaredDonald.
"Who cares! Three to one is more than I can stand," and Billie yankedhis Marlin from its sheath at his saddle girth.
Seeing that Billie intended to interfere, even if he had to go it alone,Don and Adrian followed his example, and, spurring their horses forward,interposed between the boy and his pursuers.
"What's all the trouble?" asked Donald in Spanish, as soon as thepursuing horsemen had come to a halt.
"He is running away from home," replied one who seemed to be the leader,"and his uncle sent us to bring him back."
"It isn't so," declared the lad, who had stopped his flight and had comeup behind the boys. "Do not believe him, _senores_!"
Adrian turned at the sound of the lad's voice. "Which are we tobelieve?" he asked.
"Believe me," exclaimed the lad imploringly. "If you let them take me, Ido not know what they will do with me."
"Why are they chasing you?" asked Don.
"I don't know, unless it is because they do not like my father."
"Who is your father?"
"General Sanchez, of President Madero's staff."
"Who are these?" and Don pointed to the waiting horsemen.
"I don't know who that man is," replied the lad, pointing to the leader,"but the others are peons on my uncle's _hacienda_."
"Is this true?" asked Don, turning to the pursuers, while Billie andAdrian tenderly fondled their rifles.
"Partly," replied the leader. "But you heard him say he did not know whoI am. Well, I am one of his uncle's closest friends. I learned thismorning that Pedro," and he pointed at the boy, "was getting into badcompany, and so came out to look for him. I found him in bad company andtold him he must come home with me. He refused and rode away. I thenstarted after him. If I were not his uncle's friend, do you think Iwould have his uncle's peons with me?"
"It hardly seems so," replied Donald; "but, if you are such a goodfriend of his uncle, it's a wonder he does not know you. How about that,Pedro," and he again turned to the boy.
"It's all a lie," was the emphatic reply. "I was out watching the men atwork at the foot of the mountains this morning, when this man rode up.He told me to come with him. Never having seen him, I refused, whereuponhe threatened to flog me. I jumped on my horse and rode away. A fewminutes later he came after me, making all sorts of threats. Then hesummoned the peons and chased me. They seem to do everything he tellsthem, but I do not know why."
"It sure is a queer mix-up," said Donald to his companions, in English,"and I don't know what to do."
"I'll tell you what," exclaimed Billie, after the matter had been fullyexplained to him, "let's all ride back to his uncle's, wherever that is,and see what he says."
"Why, sure," said Donald. "Billie, you'll make a judge some day. We'llgo at once."
When the proposed plan was explained to the Mexicans, both sides to thecontroversy quickly acquiesced, and, turning their horses about, thecombined parties started toward the mountains, Pedro leading the way.
The road ran along the bank of the Concho for a couple of miles, andthen turned abruptly toward the foothills. It was a beautiful valley,and the Broncho Rider Boys were much interested in the scenery. Theypassed several small groups of adobe houses, which Pedro explained wereon his uncle's estate, which seemed very large.
"There is the house," Pedro at length explained, pointing to a fineappearing place on the top of a small hill. "It's only a couple of milesfarther."
So interested had the boys become in what Pedro was telling them thatthey had paid very little attention to the rest of the company, until,as they rounded a turn in the now rocky road, Adrian discovered that theman who had made all the trouble had disappeared. Adrian quickly turnedand rode back a few rods to where he could get an unobstructed view ofthe road behind, and there was Mr. Mexican riding away as fast as hishorse could carry him.
"What shall we do?" queried Adrian, as soon as he had called the othersback.
"Nothing, I should say," was Donald's advice. "It
looks like thequestion of who was right and who wrong had settled itself. I say goodriddance. What do you say, Pedro?"
"I say let him go. I don't want him; but I should like to know who heis." Then to the peons: "Do you know who he is?"
The peons looked stupidly at each other, but made no reply.
"Why don't you answer?" asked Donald sharply. "Who is that man?"
"_Quien sabe!_" was the exasperating answer, as the men shrugged theirshoulders in a manner which reminded Billie so much of a vaudeville actthat he burst into a hearty laugh.
"_Quien sabe!_" he repeated. "Well, I know enough Spanish to understandthat they don't know. But why don't they know?"
"It's too deep for me," replied Adrian. "The whole affair is toomysterious for anyone but a Sherlock Holmes to ferret out; but there iscertainly no need of our going any farther in this direction, and I movethat we start back."
"You won't have any trouble in getting home now, will you?" he asked,turning to Pedro.
"Oh, no; and are you going back to the Rio Brava?"
"To the what?" asked Donald.
"The Rio Brava."
"He means the Rio Grande," explained Adrian. "The Mexicans call it theRio Brava, and that is the way it is on their maps. I saw one of theirgeographies once."
"Then we're going back to the Rio Brava," laughed Billie, "and I hope weget there before it begins to rain."
Whereupon, bidding good-by to Pedro, who was most profound in histhanks, they started on their return ride.
They had not been riding more than half an hour before the clouds, whichhad been getting blacker and blacker, became so angry-looking that theydetermined to seek shelter, and turned their horses' heads toward one ofthe little cluster of houses they had passed earlier in the day.