"What is it?" he asked.
"Trouble," was Billie"s laconic reply. "Come out."
"How can I? The guard is at the door."
"Jump out of the window."
"They might see me."
Billie thought fast.
"Let Ad stand between you and the door."
"Great," from Donald.
He aroused Adrian and told him the situation.
"You stay in the train," he said, "and we"ll keep you posted as to what is going on outside. If there is any real danger we will give the alarm."
He picked up his overcoat and pretended to be fixing a pillow.
Adrian did the same. Then, while the guard"s back was turned, he dropped out of the window.
Billie was beside him when he rose to his feet.
"This way, Don," he whispered. "Let"s get out into the dark and hold a council of war."
They glided out into darkness, but where they could keep their eyes on the engine.
"Now tell me about it," said Don.
Billie told him what he had discovered.
"It does look strange," Donald admitted. "Have you any plan?"
"I haven"t an idea above an oyster," was the characteristic reply.
Donald scratched his ear reflectively.
"How would it do," he finally asked, "to sneak over by the soldiers and see if we can"t pick up some sc.r.a.p of conversation that may give us a clue as to what is going on?"
"Fine. We must keep together, though. We might never find each other in the dark if we should become separated."
Silently they crawled toward the spot where Billie had seen the soldiers. When they did not hear any sign of them after several minutes" crawling they stopped to listen.
"There surely was a squad here a few minutes ago," declared Billie. "They must have moved."
They remained silently thoughtful for several minutes, but all was as silent as a graveyard.
"That"s mighty funny," said Billie. "I know I was not mistaken.
Let"s go back by the train."
They turned for that purpose and could see a group of figures at the platform of each coach.
"That"s the answer," exclaimed Billie. "They have surrounded the train. Now let"s see what will happen."
They had not long to wait as an officer shortly boarded each car and a minute later there was a commotion among the pa.s.sengers.
Drawing a little nearer, the boys could hear the officer in the car nearest them explaining that the pa.s.sengers would be obliged to alight and change trains.
"The track has been torn up ahead of us," he said, "and we shall have to walk nearly a mile to where the train is that came up from Vera Cruz."
This had been quite the customary thing in Mexico for some months and the pa.s.sengers prepared to obey.
"I don"t believe it is true," said Billie to Donald.
"We can soon find out," declared Donald. "Let"s walk down the track a piece. We can easily keep ahead of the crowd."
Avoiding the glare of the locomotive"s headlight, the boys hurried down the track and when far enough away from the train to feel secure, they took the middle of the track.
"This is far enough ahead," said Donald, "to keep out of sight and the track is all right so far. I don"t believe it is torn up at all."
"Then what is up?"
"That is what I"ve been trying to decide for nearly an hour,"
replied Billie. "It looks as though they intended to make all the Americans prisoners."
"But what for?"
"Why, for hostages, to be sure. Don"t you remember how Caesar took a lot of the Helvetians for hostages?"
"By George!" from Donald. "I believe you are right. Do you suppose it is Huerta"s orders?"
"I expect so. He hates Americans."
While the boys had been talking the pa.s.sengers had been taken from the train and were now coming toward them.
"Let"s keep just far enough ahead to see what will happen," said Donald. "We must get in touch with Adrian somehow."
They started ahead, but it speedily developed that the others were not following. Instead they had been halted a short distance from the locomotive, back from the track, and surrounded by soldiers.
"There seems to be a hitch somewhere," Don finally remarked.
"They don"t seem to know just what they do want to do."
"Come on back and find out," said Billie. "It"s up to us to do something."
Cautiously they crept back to where they could hear the conversation among the pa.s.sengers and the questions they asked the guard. Some were laughing and more were expressing indignation. A few of the women were crying, but above all they could hear the voice of the florid-faced man telling what he would do as soon as he could get into touch with Admiral Fletcher.
"Which won"t be very soon, unless I"m mistaken," laughed Donald.