"Not a sign."
"That"s mighty funny. Where do you suppose he can be?"
"He may be hiding back in the woods, just as we are."
"Well," said the corporal, "now that we know where the greasers are, what"s the matter of going forward?"
"No matter at all," replied Adrian. "We can easily bear away to the left and give them the shake, but I don"t know what to do about the others."
"The others will have to look out for themselves," replied Brooks. "They are able to do it."
The words had hardly left his lips ere there came the sound of a single shot away to the left.
"There they are!" cried Billie. "Come on!"
The little cavalcade started forward, but ere they had gone a dozen rods they could hear the sound of approaching hors.e.m.e.n, crashing through the woods to their right.
"The Mexicans!" said Adrian.
"To cover, every man!" cried the corporal.
A minute later every horse lay flat on the ground with his rider concealed behind him.
CHAPTER XXIII.
A DINNER AND ITS RESULT.
With a shout the Mexicans broke into the clearing which the Americans had just left. They were a motley crowd, not much like the cavalry that forms such a great part of Uncle Sam"s army.
"It seems a shame to hurt them," muttered the corporal. "They look as though they would run if you said boo!"
Seeing no one, the Mexicans, some twenty or twenty-five in number, came to a halt and their leaders held a council of war.
The Americans, a couple of rods back in the woods, partly concealed by the trees and partly by the deepening twilight, watched them silently.
After a couple of minutes" confab, the captain of the band gave an order which the boys could not hear and a couple of Mexicans dismounted and began carefully to examine the ground. They were looking for the prints of horses" hoofs.
"_Aqui"sta!_" exclaimed one of the men on foot, pointing to the ground.
The captain drew near and leaned over from his horse to see more clearly.
He was evidently satisfied, for he straightened up and gave another command and the two hors.e.m.e.n sprang to their saddles.
Another command and every man"s sabre flashed in the air.
Raising his own sabre aloft, the captain was about to give another command, when there was the sound of a single shot from the rear and the captain"s sabre went flying from his hand, struck by a rifle ball.
"_Carramba!_" he cried. "_Emboscado!_" meaning "an ambush," and putting spurs to his horse he turned and fled in the direction from which he had come, followed by the entire band, while the Americans fired a volley into the air.
"They"ll never stop running," laughed the corporal, "until they reach home--wherever that is."
"And in the meantime we"ll get out of here," said Mr. Black.
The men sprang to their feet and to their horses. At the same moment there came from the woods to the left the well-known whistle of the Broncho Rider Boys.
"It"s Don!" cried Billie, as he gave the answering call, and an instant later Donald came into view through the trees, closely followed by half a score of Uncle Sam"s troopers.
"Just too late," said Adrian.
"Too late for what?" queried Donald.
"To see a masterly retreat," and in a few words he told Donald what had occurred.
"Well," was the rejoinder, "I am glad no blood was shed. But who fired the shot from the rear?"
"I," came a voice, and out of the shadows appeared a figure which had a most familiar appearance. "If you don"t recognize me," he continued, "you may recognize Ambrosio."
"By George!" exclaimed Billie, "if it isn"t our old friend Strong. Where on earth did you come from?"
"I suppose I might ask you the same thing," was the laughing reply. "Briefly, I am on my way to Vera Cruz. I heard there was a band of American brigands out in the mountains and I thought I might fall in with them."
"So that"s what they call us, is it?" said Billie. "I never expected to be called a brigand."
"Strange things happen to men who travel," declared Strong facetiously; "but you"d better be going. There are some good troops in this section and they are on the lookout."
"Good advice," muttered the old trooper. "This ain"t no pleasure excursion."
"Sorry we haven"t a horse for you," said Adrian to Strong, "but I guess you are used to walking."
"A good deal more so than riding. But, if one of you don"t mind giving Ambrosio a lift, it will help some."
Several expressed their willingness to take the ape on behind, but he would go to no one but Billie.
"All right, old man," laughed the boy; "but no funny business,"
and he broke off a twig and shook it at Ambrosio. "You see this."
Now that the two companies had united, they broke away from the railroad and made a bee line toward Vera Cruz, arriving in sight of the city at daybreak.
"Here"s where we part company with the troopers," explained Donald. "We six and Ambrosio will ride into town together and the boys will come in as they wish. There must be no suggestion of a military expedition."
"I see," said Mr. Black, "and I want to thank you all for your kindness to my daughter and to me. That is about all I can do now. Perhaps some day I can do more."
"That"s enough," muttered the old trooper, "unless you can get us all sent back home. I can"t see any use of keeping us here."
"That"s all right, old man," laughed the corporal. "You know you would not go home if you could."