THE RIVER MOTOR BOAT BOYS ON THE RIO GRANDE (continued 3)

“Oh, we’ve got ’em now!” Alex added. “None of them has a weapon in sight! It will be just like taking candy away from babies! See! they are taking his shoes off! Mother of Moses! What was that? Looked like a white flash!”

Captain Joe was once more in evidence.

The dog had appeared astonished at the inaction of the rescuing party and reached the conclusion that if anything was done he must do it himself.

As the dog charged in between the leader and the man to whom the duty of burning the boy’s feet had been assigned the former drew a revolver and fired, missing the canine by a foot or more. The others drew their revolvers, too, but did not discharge them.

A peremptory order came from the bushes and they dropped the weapons as if they had been red hot.

“Up with your hands!”

Almost before the words were out of the speaker’s mouth, the firearms were on the ground. But the leader still retained his huge revolver and was about to use it when the dog seized him by the leg in a vise-like hold.

The revolver dropped to the ground while the man tumbled about in agony, saying many things against the character of the dog. To all of which the dog, who was performing what he regarded as a sacred duty in defending the boy, paid not the slightest heed.

“Call him off!” the leader cried. “If you don’t want him killed, call him off!”

By way of reply Alex picked up the long weapon and used it to such good purpose on the head of the fellow that he was soon quite unconscious. In fact, so enraged was the boy that there is little doubt that the man would have been beaten to death if Case had not interfered to prevent his murder.

“What are you doing?” Case demanded. “Do you want to kill the man? I think you would better take a rest and cool off a little.”

“Look what was done to Jule by his orders!” answered the lad, still struggling to continue the attack. “Killing is none too good for the likes of him!”

“Save him for the hangman!” advised Jule as he cut the cords which bound him and regained his feet. “We’ll tie the bunch up and if they get away all right. If they don’t, why that’s all right, too!”

“We ought to kill him,” was Alex’s rejoinder.

“Oh, let him live,” laughed Case. “We can afford that much, seeing Jule escaped with whole feet. The chances were against that at one time.”

“What shall we do with the others?” asked the surgeon. “They are all equally guilty, I presume.”

“The fellow who lighted the match deserves to have his head knocked off,” Alex answered. “Did you notice the diabolical grin on his face when given the order?”

One fellow protested in broken Spanish that he had been opposed to the leader all the time, and it was finally decided to bind all three outlaws and leave them on the river bank.

“If we should leave the one who interfered in the interest of mercy,” Thede insisted, “he would release the others as soon as our backs were turned, so we may as well treat all alike.”

So the outlaws were tied up good and tight, and the four took to the boat again. It was necessary to bail the row boat out frequently as it was still leaking badly, but in time the long stretch of river was passed and the boys came in sight of the Rambler.

The last thing the boys heard of the outlaws was a volley of curses from the lips of the leader of the party, who had regained consciousness and was stating in strong words what he would do to the boys if they ever came in his way again.

“What’s doing on the Rambler?” Jule asked, as they came in view of the motor boat.

There certainly was “something doing,” for the deck swarmed with men, and only the cabin was held by Clay and Paul. When the boat came nearer the boys could hear the voice of the parrot ordering the men off the boat.

“Cut it out, cut it out!” he cried. “Get back, get back! You ain’t wanted here! Cut it out!”

“Tommy seems to be doing his part, all right,” said Alex. “I wonder how long this has been going on?”

“How are we going to get on board the Rambler?” asked the surgeon. “All the seats seem to be taken.” The men who had taken possession of the boat were now shaking their fists at the boys in the rowboat and offering to beat them up on the most liberal terms.

“The boat now belongs to me!” one of the river thieves shouted, waving his arms in the air. “I take it as abandoned property.”

“We’ll soon show you!” Alex shouted back.

“Go chase yourself!” shouted Jule. The rowboat kept steadily on her course toward the Rambler and some of the more timid of the occupants of the deck began climbing over the rail, but others stood their ground, making a display of firearms.

The boys were all armed now, Case having thoughtfully provided himself with arms for all, and for a moment it looked serious. When the boats touched, however, the Rambler was abandoned by those who had taken possession of her and not a shot was fired.

“Had a little mix-up?” asked Case.

“It looked serious about the time you arrived,” Clay responded. “They had us cooped up in the cabin, and there is no knowing what would have happened if you had not come.”

“Now,” said Alex, “suppose we celebrate with a good, square, all-to-the-good meal! It seems about a month since I had anything to eat.”

“You’re always hungry,” commented Case.

“Always hungry!” responded Alex. “Look here! If you get up without going to bed, and butt into a crowd of river thieves, and come near having your feet burned off, wouldn’t that make you hungry? I’ll bet you it would!”

All this time the men on the shore had been shaking their fists and shouting out oaths and cuss words.

CHAPTER XVII

ON MEXICAN SOIL AGAIN

This continued for perhaps an hour, the boys paying little attention to the racket made on the river bank. Then a shot was heard and the ragamuffins disappeared as if by magic.

Directly a detachment of United States soldiers made its appearance. The soldiers were warmly welcomed and Alex insisted on giving them all the food he had prepared.

“It’s only to cook more,” he argued.

“But I’m hungry enough right now to eat one of the outlaws,” Jule declared.

“If we’d waited a few minutes longer,” Alex laughed, “you might have had feet fricassee! That was a close call, young man! We got there in the nick of time.”

In time the soldiers were all fed, and then the boys began the work of getting the dinner over again.

The lads were warmly thanked for their hospitality.

“You may get into a place it won’t be so easy to get out of,” said the young lieutenant in charge of the squad. “If you do, and we are anywhere within reach, don’t hesitate to ask for help.”

The boys thanked the lieutenant for his offer, not even dreaming of the time when the words so casually spoken were to be made good.

“They about cleaned us out,” said Alex, glancing ruefully at the trampled greensward where the soldiers had eaten. “I don’t know what to do now! The tinned goods are about gone, and there aren’t any vegetables to speak of.”

“What’s the matter with falling back on the river?” asked Clay, getting out his fishing tackle with his one well arm. “We have taken many a fine meal from the river, and I don’t think it will go back on us now!”

“Who’ll catch the fish?” asked Jule. “I’m actually so hungry that my stomach is wishing my backbone good afternoon, and I don’t feel equal to the effort!”

“Suppose we get the Rambler off this mud bank first?” Thede suggested.

“That’s a good idea!” Alex cried out.

“Wonder we couldn’t have thought of that when we could have had the help of the soldiers!” grumbled Case.

“Kicker!” laughed Jule. “It will be an easy job to get the boat into the river again. She went against the bank with very little force, I take it.”

The lads who were not crippled worked together to such good purpose that the boat was soon in the water again. Not a thing was broken except the steering-gear and that was soon repaired.

“Now, about that fish?” Case said. “Who’s going to try for it? I might be one of the boys to make the effort.”

“I think you had better remain on board,” said Alex, “and let Jule and I see about the fish. We are the only old and original fishermen in the party!”

“Go to it, then,” Clay agreed, “but don’t get into any nest of pirates and get your feet burned!”

The boys were glad to be away on the water again, for there were things they wanted to talk over. Jule was the first one to open the conversation.

“Alex,” he began, uncertain how his communication would be received, “what is going on on board the Rambler?”

“Why do you ask that?” came the quick reply. “Have you noticed anything unusual?”

“About Paul and Thede,” Jule went on, “I have a notion that an understanding of some sort exists between the two.”

“And Rube, too?” asked Alex.

“Yes, and Rube also!”

“What do you know about it?” demanded Alex. “What have you seen—or heard?”

“You have suspected, then?” asked Jule.

“Sure!” answered Alex.

“Well?”

“There is certainly something between them,” was the reply. “We must keep a sharp lookout.”

“But it can’t be any plot to capture the Rambler,” suggested Jule. “They have had plenty of chances to do that.”

“How did they get together so soon?” said Alex. “Why, Rube was scarcely on the boat before it began.”

“So you noticed that, too, did you?”

“Of course I did!” was the answer. “When you see a man acting as if his very life depended on that of a boy, and that boy apparently a stranger, anyone would suspect. The fellow was too eager to know all about the case! Then, when Thede came on board, didn’t you think he got to the side of Paul pretty quickly?”

“Yes, I noticed that, and thought it very strange,” was the reply. “Now, what’s going to be done about it?”

“All we can do is to watch,” declared Alex.

“And where does Buck come in?” Jule asked, after a thoughtful pause. “You noticed that he had an electric boat handy when we needed one, and that the boat made pretty good time for an ordinary river boat! I’d just like to get to the bottom of this thing!”

“And Rube always had his roll out,” added Alex.

“But he explained that by saying that he knew all about us boys and knew that we were as good as gold,” Jule cut in.

“Well,” laughed Alex, “we’ve got into another mystery! I’d like to take just one plain adventure trip.”

“The mystery is all right,” Jule concluded, after rather a lengthy pause. “We shouldn’t know what to think about if there was no mystery.”

“Perhaps you are right,” was the reply, “but I’d rather not have the mystery so dense! There’s something going on, and that’s no joke. But this ain’t catching fish!”

“That’s right!” Jule agreed. “The others will be getting hungry. As you say, all we can do is to wait for developments and watch Thede and Paul.”

“Paul appears to be such an innocent little chap that the very idea of spying on him seems preposterous,” added Alex. “Still, the innocence may all be assumed.”

“I dislike to think that,” was Jule’s reply.

The boys talked as they fished, but could make nothing of the situation. As a matter of fact, Rube had appeared out of the darkness that first night in rather a mysterious fashion.

And he had expressed great solicitude for the wounded boy. And he had always been ready with his money. And, another thing, he had had such a pile of it!

And Buck had had the Esmeralda quite ready on short notice! Of course the episode of Alex being treed by the bear was entirely unexpected and just happened.

It interfered somewhat with the plans of the party, and somewhat with Rube’s bank roll, but, as Alex declared, “it made the company all the tougher, and did no harm in the long run.” It was only incidental, and did not count for or against Thede or Paul.

The lads fished while they discussed every phase of the matter, but at last they were obliged to give it up.

“We’ll have to watch and wait,” Jule finally said. “If there is mischief afloat, it will show itself in time.”

And with this they had to be content.

The Rambler was running downstream very slowly, so as not to get ahead of the rowboat; still, as the boys took their time, doing more talking than fishing, it gained on them, and finally turned a bend in the stream and passed out of sight.

“Where’s the Rambler?” asked Alex, looking up from the contemplation of a fine string of fish.

“I guess she passed out of sight around that bend,” was the impatient reply. “Somehow that boat seems to delight in leaving us behind. Wonder why she didn’t slow up when the boys saw that she was passing us?”

“We’ll catch her in two jerks of a pig’s tail,” replied Alex, laying down his fishing tackle and picking up the oars. “There does seem to be a fatality about the thing, though—the way she sails calmly away and leaves us!”

The boys had spent a longer time than they had suspected in the discussion of the mysterious movements of the others, and the row was a long one. When they finally came in sight of the boat they were surprised to see no signs of life on board.

And they were amazed at the speed which she had gained. The lads looked at each other with questioning eyes.

“There’s something wrong!” almost shouted Jule. “The Rambler is running away from us!”

“That’s right!” was the quick reply. “Do you think we can catch her at the pace she is going?”

“Never!” was the discouraged reply.

There was silence for a moment, a silence broken only by the rippling of the Rio Grande and the call of a bird a-wing. Then Alex made a hopeful suggestion.

“The river makes a long bend just below,” he explained, “and, if we can get to the bottom of the turn, perhaps we can catch her. Nice thing, to run away and leave us like this!”

“There is evidently something wrong on board, though I can’t for the life of me see what it is,” Jule answered.

“If we cut across this point of land, we’ll have to come back for the rowboat,” suggested Alex.

“Provided some river character doesn’t see it first we may find it,” wailed Jule.

“Well, there’s nothing like trying,” Alex returned.

The boat was turned toward the left bank of the stream, but in a few seconds’ time, before the boat had proceeded more than a few feet, Jule, who was at the helm, changed her course so as to make the right side. In answer to Alex’s questioning look he said:

“The current sweeps across to the opposite shore after we round the bend. The Rambler will naturally follow that.”

“That’s right,” was the reply, “the south side for us. How would you like to bump into the river thieves again? Say, kid, but that was a close call for your feet!”

“Well, as long as they didn’t accomplish their purpose, I fail to see why we should be everlastingly sobbing over it.”

The boat’s keel soon grated on the south shore, and the boys left her, pausing only long enough to cast a parting glance at the trim little craft “The chances are that we shall never see the boat again,” Alex remarked.

“Rats!” was Jule’s reply. “If we find everything all right on board the Rambler, why can’t we come back and get her? I have a notion that the boys thought we were a long time catching these fish, and sent the boat ahead faster than usual just to give us a scare.”

“That’s all right,” replied Alex, “but I’ve got a hunch that you are wrong. Case would never sail away from his breakfast,” he added with a laugh, “and I don’t think there’s much left on board in the eating line.”

“What about the fish?” Jule asked. “We may as well tote them along, don’t you think?”

“Of course,” replied Alex. “We ain’t going to leave this nice mess of perfectly good fish in the boat. There may be people along here who like fish.”

The lads lifted the string of fish out of the rowboat, and, taking them in hand, struck across the point of land toward the river.

CHAPTER XVIII

A SLIPPERY CUSTOMER

The Rio Grande makes a long bend where the boys left it, and almost returns upon itself after winding in and out for many miles. The land is swampy in places as the river approaches Painted Cave, but mountains show, too, and the country is without any population to speak of. Its general features are rugged.

As the lads alternated between rocky soil and swamp, they had little leisure for conversation. It took about all their strength and agility to make their way, leaping, now, over pools of water, now climbing over rocky elevations.

The Southern Pacific runs close to the river here, and the boys could hear the trains moving along the line, on the American side. Now and then they caught sight of moving cars.

“I’m pretty nearly all in,” Jule complained, as they halted on a dry elevation to catch their breath. “I don’t suppose we could have chosen a rougher country than this if we had looked for a thousand years! It’s fierce!”

“Oh, it’s good enough—for a mountain-climbing goat!” Alex answered, wrinkling his nose. “What do you think about our being able to catch that boat?”

“I give it up!” Jule said, beginning to whistle.

He broke off after a minute and remarked:

“In the light of recent developments, what do you think of the situation? Clay and Case are true as steel, and, between them, they ought to be able to put Thede and Paul on their backs, especially as the latter has a broken leg!”

“What’s got into you?” demanded Alex. “You talk like Case! And Case in his bluest moments! I’ve not given up yet. Thede and Paul are all right! I’ll bank on it!”

Jule laughed heartily.

“So will I!” he said. “I’ll bank on it, too! If there is any mischief afloat, they are not in it. Only, I wish they would come out into the open, and tell us frankly what it is they are up to. It seems to me that that would be the honorable way.”

“Let’s not pass judgment until we know all about it,” replied Alex, taking up the string of fish and going on again.

The way was even rougher than before, now, and the lads were soon obliged to stop for a breathing spell. In the distance they now could see the Rio Grande, shimmering under the setting sun.

“We’ve got to make better time if we connect with the Rambler before night sets in,” Jule said, wiping the sweat from his forehead. “If there ever was a rockier road than this, we have never found it I think we would better dump the fish. They are a good deal of a burden to carry.”

“There they go!” Alex exclaimed, suiting action to the word, and tossing the fish down a rocky incline. “I wish we had some of them cooked! I’m so hungry that I could eat two pirates!”

“Well, here we go, in light marching order!” volunteered Jule. “If you get there before I do, just tell ’em I’m a-coming!”

The boy hummed the words of the old song over to himself, and assumed a cheerfulness he did not feel. It was fast growing dark, and the way was rocky, with pools of river water in places where the rocks pushed back from the shore.

And so, the lads pressed forward, with Jule still humming his tune and Alex laughing himself red in the face at thought of the plight they were in.

“Might as well laugh as cry,” was his comment on the situation.

At last they came to smoother ground, with the river showing under the setting sun, and paused to study the scene.

Directly their glances, following the windings of the stream, came upon the Esmeralda! They regarded each other with eyes which asked many questions but found no answer.

“How did that boat get here?” asked Alex. “We left her far up the river.”

“Don’t ask me!” was the reply.

“Well,” continued Alex, “it’s up to us to find out!”

The boat lay rocking in the river only a short distance from where the boys had halted. The prow light was on, and the craft gave other indications of occupancy, so the theory that she had broken loose and drifted to where she lay was not to be thought of.

The motor boat lay close to the right bank of the stream, and the question how she got there could not be easily answered, so the lads made haste to gain the little landing where she was tied.

The Rio Grande is a very shallow stream, often spreading out over a large stretch of country. Indeed, it is navigable for boats of medium size only below the city of Matamoros.

Therefore Alex and Jule were obliged to wade out to the boat when they came opposite her. Their first sight of the deck was rather a surprise.

Instead of showing excitement, it was calm as a morning in May. Buck sat on the railing of the craft, with his back toward the shore, pointing out the beauties of the landscape to Rube, who was standing not far away.

They both turned face about when the noise made by the boys in climbing to the deck attracted their attention, and advanced to meet them with hands extended.

“This sure is a sight good for sore eyes!” cried Rube, and the greeting of Buck was not less friendly.

“Now, will you explain just how the Esmeralda come to be here?” Jule said, after greetings had been exchanged. “We left her a long way upstream.”

“And how is it that we find you here, out of reach of the Rambler, and walking across country?” asked Buck.

“That’s just the point,” Alex answered grimly, “we haven’t seen the Rambler for several hours, and are walking across country to try and head her off!”

The boy thought he saw a quick glance of understanding pass from Rube to Buck, but he could not be certain.

Then he explained about the fishing trip and the flight of the motor boat. Rube and Buck listened attentively, but with the air of men who had heard all that story before.

“And so,” Buck said, at the completion of the narration, “you want to catch the Rambler?”

“That’s precisely the idea,” answered Jule. “But you haven’t told us yet why you are here. You must have passed us on some dark night, when there was no one on watch.”

“You are taking it for granted that the Rambler has been passed,” laughed Buck.

“Well, has she?” questioned Alex.

“Yes, she has, and under the most peculiar circumstances,” was Buck’s reply. “She had another visit from the man who left the ‘To the Death’ written on her rowboat.”

“But I don’t understand,” exclaimed Jule. “How did he overtake us, and why did he run away?”

“Perhaps your curiosity will be satisfied before the end of the trip,” Buck replied, significantly. “By the way, here comes the motor boat we were speaking of.”

As he spoke he pointed to the Rambler, already drawing up to the Esmeralda.

“Do they know about our crossing the point to come out ahead of them?” asked Alex. “If they don’t I’ll give them a surprise.”

“Go to it, then,” laughed Buck.

Both boys hid under the rail of the boat and waited for the crew of the Rambler to speak. Both boys were giggling at the thought of the joke they had on the other boys.

“Boat ahoy!” came the call.

“Boat ahoy yourself!” was the answer.

“Come aboard!” cried Buck. “I have something I want to show you. It’s a peach!”

“Not a really, truly peach?” demanded Case’s voice.

“You’ll see what it is when you come on board,” replied Rube with a chuckle.

The boat drew up alongside and both Case and Thede crossed over to the deck of the Esmeralda. Then Alex and Jule sprang out and seized them.

At the termination of a friendly struggle, when all four were out of breath, the surgeon held Jule off at arm’s length and claimed to be inspecting him with great gravity.

“You’re the boy,” he finally said, “who went out to catch fish for starving men! Give an account of yourself!”

“Oh, the explanations ought to come from your own side!” said Jule, struggling to get away. “We didn’t sail away and leave you.”

“So that’s it, is it?” laughed Thede. “Well, under the circumstances, you are forgiven, but don’t do it again!”

“What about this desertion of us on the rolling deep?” asked Alex. “You’ve got to square that, you know!”

“Well, then, here goes!” replied Case, his face taking on a serious expression, “as soon as you boys got well out into the river, we felt the boat give a little dip to one side, but thought nothing of it. We must have been drifting an hour or more when we heard a rustling in the cabin, and Captain Joe, who had been growling at the side of the boat for the better part of half an hour, ever since he woke up, in fact, grew furious.

“Then he sprang through the open window which leads to the after deck and disappeared in the river. The jarring of the boat we had felt came from the impact of a human body against it! The dog had followed the intruder into the stream!”

“Did he get him?” asked Jule and Alex, in a breath.

“He did not,” was the answer.

“Too bad!” Alex answered. “That dog isn’t any good. If he had been he wouldn’t have slept when the boat was invaded!”

“Is that all the story?” asked Jule.

“Well, we followed on after the fellow until we were around a bend in the river, and then came on, thinking that you boys would find us, never thinking that we should find you here,” replied Case.

“What do you think that fellow means by following the Rambler?” asked Jule. “For no good purpose, I’m certain!”

“Did he leave any writing on the boat anywhere?” questioned Alex. “You know what he left the last time he paid us an unfriendly visit. I’d like pretty well to get him by the neck!” he added, with a tightening of the fists which boded no good to the fellow, whoever he might be.

“And now,” Jule cut in, “will you kindly explain how those on this boat knew that the stranger had paid the Rambler a visit on his way downstream. There is something mysterious about this whole business! Something I can’t get to the bottom of!”

“And I’d like to know when you passed us!” said Case, looking at Rube.

The giant only grinned.

“Out with it!” the lad commanded.

“Well,” was the reply, “I suppose I’ll have to tell! When I said the Rambler had been passed, I didn’t mean that we had passed her in the original channel of the Rio Grande. We took a side channel!”

“A side channel!” exclaimed Jule. “We saw no side channels! Where is it?”

“Just above the route you boys followed there is an island. Didn’t you notice it?”

“We thought it was nothing but a false alarm, leading nowhere,” replied Jule.

“The channel is rather narrow, but the water is deep enough to take in a boat like the Esmeralda,” was Rube’s reply.

“Still, I can’t see how that helps you out,” continued Alex. “The island may be there, all right, but the island can’t talk! It didn’t tell you that the fellow had paid another visit to the Rambler, did it? Who did tell you?”

“He told me himself!”

“But how did he tell you, and where?” demanded Alex. “You are getting me all balled up!”

“Well,” replied Rube, with a grin, “we drew aside in the channel I’ve been telling you about, thinking to catch some fish for dinner. You see we had the fish idea, too! The Rambler was ahead of us at that time, but we knew of the island channel and thought we could come out in the main channel just a little ahead of her.”

“Which you did!” cut in Case.

“Exactly!” was the reply. “Just as the Rambler passed the mouth of the channel, you boys were launching the rowboat!”

“You fellows must have had a late dinner!” commented Alex.

“Not so awfully late!” Rube replied. “You boys took more time fishing than you realized. Well, while we were hidden in the entrance to the channel we saw a man leave the Rambler and strike out for shore.

“We were lucky enough to intercept him when he was nearly exhausted with his swimming, and so we’ve got a surprise for you!”

In the meantime Clay had been helped over to the deck of the Esmeralda, and was investigating the cabin. He was still very lame from his wound, his left arm being in a sling, but was on the road to recovery.

Captain Joe, too, came on board, and was promptly forgiven by Alex. He patted the dog’s head and said to him:

“I know that you are an old sleepy-head, but you’re a darling just the same!”

And Captain Joe nodded his head, just as if he understood all the boy said.

At that moment Clay appeared in the doorway of the cabin. He was greeted with looks of inquiry by both Rube and Buck.

“Did you find him?” Buck asked.

“Find him?” repeated the boy. “Who is there to find? I discovered only a badly mussed cabin.

What’s been going on in there? Looks like a tornado had passed through it. You must have been having quite a merry time on board.”

Both Rube and Buck sprang for the cabin.

“What’s doing?” asked the astonished Alex. “Has everybody gone daffy, or have Rube and Buck discovered an oil well in the bottom of the boat?” The boys hastened to enter the cabin, where they found Rube and Buck bending over a broken strap.

“Now, what do you know about that?” the former was asking.

Buck shook his head, looking very much disgruntled.

CHAPTER XIX

RUBE TELLS A STORY

For a moment Buck and Rube looked as if they could not believe the evidence of their senses, then both broke into a hearty laugh. Then they shook hands and laughed again.

“Well,” said Clay, “I hope, when you fellows get done with your monkey-work, that you’ll condescend to tell us what you find so funny. It won’t take long to give it a name.”

Buck and Rube rushed out of the little cabin and gazed long and earnestly into the fast-gathering night. They walked to the side of the boat and looked over into the water. Then they roared again, to the disgust of the boys.

Alex tapped the top of his head significantly.

“They’ve gone mad!” he said.

The boys had followed Rube and Buck out to the deck, and now stood in a little circle about them.

“I don’t see any evidences of insanity,” laughed Thede, “but they will doubtless become raving mad in a moment!”

“Too bad!” cried Jule.

In the meantime Rube and Buck had had their laugh out and settled back on the seat which ran along the inner side of the railing. The faces of the two men were blank with amazement.

“Did you tie him tight?” asked Buck.

“You know it!” was the reply.

Again the men arose and walked into the cabin.

“He’s sure gone!” Rube said.

“He’s gone, all right!” answered Buck.

“When you have had your fun out, perhaps you’ll tell us who it is that’s gone!” ventured Alex, wrinkling his nose and attempting to speak very sternly, and, of course, making a failure of it, “because, you’ve had quite a time at this foolishness.”

“Well,” replied Rube, “we had a surprise for you, but there don’t seem to be anything doing in the astonishment line! We had little old ‘To the Death’ nicely trussed up in the cabin, but it seems that he got away!”

“Got away!” exclaimed Case and Jule in a breath.

“Yes, sir, got away!” replied the giant.

“Nice fellows you are!” exploded Case, sourly. “Why didn’t you tie him up so he wouldn’t get away?”

By this time Buck and Rube were almost as well acquainted with Case’s temper as were the other boys, so no attention was paid to this outburst of grouch.

“Where do you think he went?” asked Thede.

“You know as much about it as I do,” answered Rube. “Just take a look into the cabin.”

The cabin was a sight! Clothing was scattered over the floor, the mirror which hung above the sideboard was in tiny pieces, and the general appearance of the place was “on the bum,” as Alex expressed it. The boys gazed at the disorder for a moment and then returned to the deck to think it out.

By this time it was quite dark. A storm was coming up, and the boys decided to tie up for the night where they were.

There was plenty of provisions on the Esmeralda, and the hungry boys made a hearty meal. Thede and Clay shortly returned to the Rambler to acquaint Paul with what was going on.

“It seems to me,” said Buck, straightening up the disordered cabin, “that you boys have something in your minds that we ought to know, being as we are to sail together for a few days.”

“I don’t think we have anything on you, if we have!” Alex replied. “What’s it about those private interviews between Paul and yourselves?”

“You caught on, did you?” asked Rube, with a laugh. “Well, it is about time for a show-down, I reckon, don’t you think so, Buck?”

Buck nodded, and Rube continued.

“I don’t know whether I can tell this story accordin’ to Hoyle, but I’ll try. Once upon a time, as the story books say, there was an old miser who wanted the earth and the fullness thereof. Is that O. K., Buck? Does she start out right?”

Buck laughed good-naturedly, nodding his head again, and Rube went on.

“This old gazabo was the uncle and administrator of the estate of a minor heir. Don’t I get any help in this narration?”

Rube waited a moment for a reply, but, none coming, he went on again, stammering and making a great mess of it. To tell the truth, Alex and Jule were too much interested in the story which was still coming to do anything to interrupt it.

“The old uncle was also guardeen of this minor heir, and it is easy to guess what a life he led the boy. By the way, it may be well to state right here that this old man was next of kin, and would inherit a fortune if the heir should die.”

Rube paused a moment to wipe his forehead, and then went on, after casting an appealing glance in Buck’s direction.

“This lad, who was only sixteen, thought the guardeen’s plans all wrong, and, after thinking the matter over a long time, decided to elope with himself, which he did!”

“Why don’t you mention names?” demanded Jule. “The boy’s name was Paul Stegman, wasn’t it?”

“You just wait until the story is finished,” answered Rube, with a broad grin. “Well, the old geezer tried his level best to catch the boy and land him in a home for imbeciles, or some such shop, but the kid had disappeared.

“One day the old man thought of one kink that hadn’t been worked, and that was the West. So he entered into correspondence with three men—a surgeon, and two officers of the law.”

“Now, you’re getting down to brass tacks!” shouted Jule. “Did these men catch the kid?”

“Yes, they discovered his whereabouts, but they hadn’t the heart to disturb him. You see, he had fallen into good hands. After being robbed of his boat and beaten almost to death, one of the searchers found him, one wild night, lying on his back in the rain.”

“Thought it was Paul,” Alex announced. “Why didn’t these men take him back to his uncle?”

“Not so you could notice it!” was the reply.

Alex and Jule both arose and gravely shook the hands of both men. Then they returned to their seats.

“But I don’t yet understand how the surgeon came to be standing on the river bank in the rain,” Jule cut in.

“He had just been put off the Rambler, then in possession of the pirates,” Alex added.

“Not so fast!” Rube continued. “He had been put off the Rambler some time before, after setting a broken leg for the boy. At that time the pirates began to see that the boy was worth more to them alive than dead. In other words, they decided to hold him for ransom.”

“But where does the surgeon come in?” asked Alex. “He says he was engaged in the practice of medicine in a little town up the river—was he?”

“Yes, I think he told the truth about that,” was the reply. “I reckon he wasn’t making any too much money though, and was about ready to quit when the miser offered his reward.”

“Offered a reward, did he?” said Jule. “This will be news to Paul! How much is the reward?”

“Five thousand.”

“Gee!” shouted the boy. “I’d like to get my hands on that sum myself.”

“I think I’ve got all the parties in this story sized up now but I’d like to know if you ever had a ranch?”

“Now look here, kid,” Rube answered, “don’t get too personal in your remarks! Why, of course I’ve got a ranch! The only lie I told you boys was about that brindle steer! I’ve got a brindle steer, but I didn’t lose him that rainy night.”

“You’re a fraud!” exclaimed Jule. “I infer, then, that Buck and yourself are officers of the law!”

Buck turned the lapel of his coat and showed the badge of a United States marshal.

“There you are!” he said “If you want any papers served, you have come to the right shop!”

“Now I see,” remarked Alex, “how the Esmeralda came to be so handy! I never suspected it at the time.”

“You are a pair of frauds! Just as Jule said,” ventured Alex, speaking after a pause. “How long have you known each other?”

“A matter of ten years!” Rube answered, with a chuckle. “I reckon it’s been about that time, eh, Buck?” he added, with a grin that spread over his face. “And we’ve been pretty good friends, at that, never went back on each other, eh?”

“I guessed that you had something to do with the law, yourself,” cried Jule, remembering a time when Rube had hastily put a silver badge out of sight. “Out with it!”

“Well, you see, the boys up in our neck of the woods seemed to think I’d make a fair sheriff, and so they elected me,” Rube stated, coloring as he did so, for it had been no part of his program that the boys should know him as the sheriff of his county.

“Now, if you’ll tell how you came to know Thede, we’ll call it square,” Alex suggested.

“Oh, he belongs up in my county, and of course I know him,” was Rube’s reply. “But,” he added, “I’m afraid we’ve got to lose him, for the hard-luck story he told you boys was about right. He’s a right pert boy, and we hate to lose him.”

By this time the wind was blowing a gale, and Buck arose to make the Rambler and the Esmeralda more secure. Vivid flashes of lightning lit the sky, and presently the rain began to fall in torrents.

It was hot, too, and the boys were stripped to their shirts, Alex, who was short and fat, was fanning himself with a newspaper. He gave a little start of surprise at something he saw in the sheet, but said not a word.

Case and Thede called out that they were all right, and that Clay was in the cabin, sitting by Paul, who was sound asleep.

“We heard nearly everything Rube said,” laughed Case, “and the parts he missed Thede told me! And so, you see, you are discovered—taken with the goods!”

“For the love of Mike!” shouted Alex. “Do you suppose Paul heard, too?”

“He’s sound asleep,” was the reply.

“It makes no difference if he did,” suggested Buck. “He has been wise to the game since the first day.”

“Oh, all right, then,” was Alex’s answer. “What does the kid think about your program? Is he enjoying this trip on the Rio Grande? He’s in no shape, with his broken leg, to take much comfort.”

“He thinks he’s lucky to be alive, after the treatment given him up the river,” Buck said. “You see, he got beaten up before they got the notion of holding him for ransom.”

“I don’t understand,” interposed Jule. “If the old miser wanted him murdered, he must have gotten into communication with the robbers, and offered them a large sum to do the job!”

“That’s just the point!” answered Buck. “That’s what we want to find out! That’s just what we are taking this trip for—to give the brutes a good chance to show their hands. Ordinarily, it would be enough to frustrate the old miser and the robbers, but someone must be punished for this mix-up, and we want to get the right ones.”

“And so the robbers are double-crossing the miser?” asked Alex. “They are going to play the blackmail game? Well, if he bargained with them to do murder, they can get about all he has!”

Alex, cutting his talk short, and pointing to a rim of trees standing not far away. Through the slanting rain a low clicking sound, the clicking of metal on metal.

“What’s doing over there?” the lad asked. “Sounds like a machine shop.”

All listened intently for a time. The sound had ceased now, and there was only the patter of the falling rain.

Buck arose to his feet and stood just outside the cabin, regardless of the fast-falling rain. He was listening for the sound to be repeated. Presently it came again.

“Counterfeiters!” exclaimed Rube.

The spot was a lonely one, one to fit well with the making of illegal coin. A range of low hills lay close to the river on the Mexican side, where the two boats lay.

It was too dark to see them now, but Buck explained that they were there, and that the spot was one frequented by outlaws of every description.

“Suppose we land and make sure,” Alex suggested.

“Yes,” said Jule, in a whisper, “I vote yes on that proposition—it will be jolly to catch a gang of counterfeiters. We have never had any such luck!”

“You are likely to get a bullet through your anatomy!” Buck answered. “Counterfeiters are not river thieves.”

“We carry a surgeon to cut it out if we do!” laughed Jule. “I’m going anyhow! The idea of catching a live counterfeiter appeals to me. What do you say, Alex?”

“I’m game!” was the reply.

Buck and Rube laughed softly.

They knew that the lads would go, rain or shine, and were already making preparations to go with them. Thede was called over to the Esmeralda and given instructions, and the two men, accompanied by the boys, started away through the storm, taking the direction from which the sounds came.

CHAPTER XX

TAKEN AT LAST

Paul awoke shortly after Thede’s departure for the Esmeralda, and Clay, Case and himself spent some moments wondering about the success of the night expedition in the rain.

Case and Clay only laughed at the idea of the counterfeiters being taken, declaring that the clicking sounds which the men had heard probably came from a long distance, and that, anyhow, there wouldn’t be any counterfeiters present when they came, after a long tramp in the rain, to the locality where they had been.

“They are slippery people, these counterfeiters,” Case argued, getting ready for supper, “and are not to be caught napping. When you get where you can put your finger on them, they are not there!”

“But suppose, for a minute, that they did catch them,” urged Paul, “what are they going to do with them? They might be kept on the Esmeralda. She is not loaded down with people like the Rambler.”

“Catch your men before you find places for them!” Case laughed. “If the boys do catch them, we’ll find a place to store them!”

“Say,” said Clay, sniffing at the rather meager supper cooking on the electric stove, “is that the best you can do in the way of supper? I could eat all that myself, and then want more! Suppose we go over to the Esmeralda for supper?”

“It is only a short time since you had your supper,” Case laughed. “I was just preparing a little snack because there was nothing else to do. If you want a hearty meal, you sure will have to go to the Esmeralda for it.”

“You know what Alex said about leaving the fish by the roadside,” Clay laughed. “How would you like some of those fish right now? They would go pretty good, eh?”

“I wonder if I could find them?” Case said.

“In this storm? I should say not! Forget it!”

But Case seemed fascinated with the idea of getting those fish, and referred to the fact that they were lying there in the rain, doing no one any good, several times during the next few minutes. At last Clay said with a laugh:

“Oh, go on and get the fish, if you are so stuck on doing it! There won’t be any peace on the boat until you have tried! I haven’t any idea that you will succeed, but you can try!”

Case arose from the locker, where he had been sitting, and, going to the window, looked out on the driving rain. The night was sultry, and the rain splashing on the deck of the motor boat seemed rather attractive.

The boy threw off the light coat he had worn and stood in undershirt and light trousers. After looking critically at his feet for a second, he proceeded to put on a pair of coarse shoes, well calculated for walking in rocky places.

“So you are going, after all!” Clay laughed. “Well, good luck go with you! If a crazy notion ever got into a boy’s head, one has entered yours now! The idea of going out in this storm! Why, it is raining some, I tell you!”

“Who cares for the rain?” was the reply. “I shall enjoy the trip immensely! If we had Alex or Jule here to explain their line of march, we’d have fish to eat!”

“But they are not here,” commented Clay, “and one might as well look for a needle in a load of hay as to try to follow their footsteps. Better give the thing up!”

“No,” was the reply, “I’ll get a good bath, anyhow, and I may find the fish, though it’s dollars to apples that I don’t!”

The boy took up his searchlight and crossed over to the Esmeralda, which lay between the Rambler and the Mexican shore. Thede had a hearty laugh at the idea of the lad venturing out in the rain.

“You’ve got the fish notion as badly as Rube and Buck have the counterfeiters’ hunch,” he said. “When they get where they are, they won’t be there.”

“All right!” was the reply. “If I can’t get the fish, I’ll get a good bath! Say, Clay is over there on the Rambler, starving to death! Can’t you get him over here and fill him up?”

“Sure!” was the ready response. “I can stuff him like we do raccoons!”

“I guess that will hold him for a while!” laughed Case.

With that he left the boat, and the last seen of him was the round hole made in the night by his searchlight.

Clay and Paul were left alone on the Rambler. Clay told Paul what he had heard of the plans of the four adventurers, closing with the statement that they would succeed only in getting soaked to the skin.

They had a frisky time with Captain Joe, the cub, and the parrot, putting the latter through all his tricks, and the cub also coming in for a share of the frolic. The dog soon grew weary of the game, and took refuge out in the rain.

“What’s the matter with Captain Joe?” asked Paul. “He doesn’t appear to be in his usual spirits! Perhaps he’s sulking because he was not invited to the counterfeiter hunt!”

The parrot was in a talkative mood, and reeled off such sayings as he had heard the boys repeat by the yard. At last he cocked his head on one side and shouted:

“Come out of that! Come out of that! What are you hiding for? What are you hiding for?”

“That’s odd!” Clay exclaimed, looking about the cabin of the Rambler curiously. “I never knew the bird to act in that way before. He usually contents himself with shorter questions.”

“I believe there’s something going on,” Paul declared, almost in a whisper. “Listen!”

Both boys listened for a moment, and then Clay stepped to the door, or window, leading to the aft deck and threw it open, remarking, as he did so, that it was a wonder it had not been open all the evening.

Then came the surprise of his life.

As Clay threw the window open a grinning face confronted him—a low, mean face, with small, black eyes, a bulldog chin, and a forehead which seemed like that of a snake, it sloped so, and was so narrow. The fellow, who was slender of form, extended a threatening revolver in his right hand and climbed through the window.

Clay was not armed, and he knew that Paul was in the same fix. Weapons lay all about him in the cabin, but none was within reach.

“What do you want?” demanded the lad, watching for an opportunity to get out of range of the weapon.

“You!” was the laconic answer.

“But,” Clay began, but the leveled revolver stopped him, for he saw murder in the little eyes.

The first work of the intruder was to collect all the weapons in sight and put them out of reach of the boy, who stood in the meantime with his hands raised above his head.

Then Paul received his attention. The fellow made a critical examination of the broken leg, smiling as he did so.

“You have taken excellent care of him,” was his only comment.

“What is it that you want?” Clay asked again, still watching for his chance.

“Your boat,” answered the fellow.

He paused a moment, as if considering, and then nodded his head in the direction of the place where Paul was lying, with his hands also well up in the air.

“And the kid,” he added.

“If it is money you want, name the sum,” Clay said. “He has been hurt, and can’t be moved.”

The fellow chuckled and made no reply. He took some strong cord from a pocket and proceeded to tie Clay. Was there no chance of escape? If Case would only return!

The tying went on, and Clay was obliged to endure it. If some of the boys would come!

Where was Captain Joe? Somehow, that dog never was where he was wanted! If he would only come now!

Perhaps he had been silenced by a blow on the head. But no; the dog was out on the front deck, and the intruder had entered the cabin from the rear.

The man who seemed to have taken undisputed possession of the Rambler, first taking care to place the weapons beyond the reach of Paul, proceeded then to put the motors in motion. Clay watched him as he did so with anxious eyes, hoping to see him push the wrong lever, but the fellow did nothing of the kind.

All this time rain had been falling in great sheets, but now there came a lull in the storm.

The cords hurt Clay’s wounded arm, and he uttered an involuntary groan of pain. As if attracted by the cry, Captain Joe appeared in the cabin doorway!

The dog was quick to take in the situation, and, before he could make a move to defend himself, had the fellow by the throat. He had not counted on Captain Joe!

The fellow gasped as the teeth of the dog tore at his throat, and he tried to cry out, but was unable to do so. Together they rolled here and there on the cabin floor.

The noise of the struggle attracted the attention of Thede, who lost no time in getting on board the boat. At a word from Clay the dog released his hold, and the man fell back in a faint.

“I wonder if he’s dead?” Thede said, as he bent over the unconscious man. “It surely isn’t the fault of the dog if he still has life in his body!”

Then he paused a moment and looked about. He saw the plight Clay was in and hastened to release him.

“It seems to me that you kept this little performance rather private!” he said as he cut the cords. “How did he get into the cabin?”

“Came in by the window, from the after deck,” was the reply. “Strange you didn’t see or hear him when he crossed from the Esmeralda!”

“The rain probably prevented the noise he made, if he made any at all, being heard, and the chances are that he didn’t make any! The people who go forth on the mission he seems to have been on usually make as little stir as possible.”

The surgeon now gave his attention to the man, who had been severely injured by the dog, who now stood close by to see that he did not escape. He was covered with blood, his throat being badly tom.

“It seems to me that I’m having a right smart practice on this boat!” he said, with a smile. “I’ll have to go to the other boat for my instruments. That is a ragged wound!”

“Don’t you recognize the fellow?” asked Clay. “Don’t think I ever saw him before.”

“You saw his back, and that was under water,” Clay urged. “Now do you know what I mean?”

“Not little ‘To the Death’? I never guessed that!”

“That’s who it is.”

Thede now left for the Esmeralda, and Clay busied himself stanching the blood, which was flowing from the wound in the man’s neck in a steady stream.

Presently he heard voices and listened to catch the words. It was Alex and Jule, talking excitedly, and evidently making good use of their legs.

“I’m going to get the Rambler and run down,” Alex’s voice said. “If Buck and Rube get the others, there’ll sure be a load!”

The rain had ceased, and the stars were shining, lighting the rocks with a silvery radiance. There would be a moon later on.

“Now, what does the kid mean by that?” mused Clay, forgetting for the moment to care for the injured man.

CHAPTER XXI

A NIGHT OF WATCHING

Rube and Buck, accompanied by Alex and Jule, passed through the rain with no thought but that of capturing the counterfeiters in their minds. The rain fell steadily, making a great patter on the leaves of the forest trees, so conversation was difficult.

“They have chosen a fine locality for the job,” suggested Buck, pausing to wipe the sweat from his face. “This certainly is a section of country where they are not likely to receive many visitors.”

“That’s right,” Jule agreed. “This spot makes one think of graveyards and ghosts!”

The steady click of metal now came more distinctly, and presently a light was discernible through the trees. Then the party halted for consultation, standing close together to avoid being overheard. There was no knowing how many trees sheltered listeners.

It was finally decided that Rube and Alex should proceed to the right, while Buck and Jule took the opposite direction.

“We sure can surround ’em, anyway, and we may be able to capture a few of ’em!” Rube suggested. “Mighty slippery people, these gentlemen who make bogus coin!” he added, snapping off his searchlight.

The snapping off of the light made the forest as dark as a pocket, but this condition existed for only a few minutes, for the light of a great fire in a cave of large size shone out upon the stealthily advancing men.

“It strikes me,” commented Alex, “that they’ve got a heap of nerve to build a fire like that. How do they know who’ll be passing along here?”

Rube chuckled softly.

“You are in Mexico now, son, where the people wink at all the crimes in the book of laws. Besides, these people are about as likely to have callers as pigs are to fly!”

“Well, we’ve got to the nest, now how are we to get inside?” asked Alex, wrinkling his nose in perplexity. “We might rush in on ’em, quick, and catch ’em with the goods!”

“Watch, and wait for Buck and Jule to come up,” was the slow reply. “They may be able to suggest some plan. Whatever you do, be careful. These people shoot quick and straight. The first thing you know, you won’t know anything!”

They waited a long time for Buck and Jule, but at last they came, having taken a route which led to the other side of the rocky elevation which formed the base of the cave. It was only by the quick display of a searchlight that Rube and Alex located their chums.

Then a long conference was held, Jule and Alex being in favor of rushing the place and taking it by storm, while Buck and Rube were more conservative.

“Don’t you boys get us into any place we can’t get out of,” said Rube, with a little laugh. “If we go into that cave we are likely to do just that very thing!”

“All right,” replied Alex, “if you want to sneak in just go on and we’ll follow!”

There were four men in the cave, all so busy over their work that they did not have time to grab a single weapon for their own defense, so the fight which followed was very short.

Rube felled one of the four with a blow of his fist, and the others yielded to the persuasions of the automatics. When all were tied up, and after the boys had searched the cavern for more, another consultation was held.

“I wonder if they are all here?” Alex said, regarding the captured prisoners with a smile. “Call the roll, someone who knows all the names! I pass on these Mexican names!”

The boy’s question called forth only sullen looks and scowls. It was easy to see what would have been the fate of the boys had the conditions been reversed.

Both Buck and Rube understood a few words of Spanish, and tried their best to enter into conversation with their prisoners, but all their questions were answered by scowling looks.

A search of the cave revealed a complete counterfeiter’s assortment of tools and dies used in the work, together with considerable silver. The dies were destroyed, and as much of the silver as could be carried without inconvenience appropriated.

“What are you going to do with the silver?” asked Alex.

“Oh, it will come in handy, all right!” answered Buck. “Mexican law provides for turning it over to the government, but as there is no government to speak of, we’ll just geezle it! If we turn it over to the people who have charge of the government, there is no knowing whether it will ever get into circulation.”

Once more they tried to talk with the prisoners, but received only scowls in reply. So they gave up the attempt and began the return trip.

“This capture has been an easy one,” was Jule’s comment, as the boys walked along in the rear of the two men who were taking good care that the captured men did not escape. “A little bit too easy!”

“Why too easy?”

“Oh, we may have trouble yet,” was Jule’s reply.

It did look that way to the boys. The prisoners kept an eye out for a chance to make a run for it.

Now and then one of them halted for an instant to listen, but, hearing nothing, walked on again.

“That fellow is expecting someone to rescue him,” Alex said, after some distance had been passed. “Anyhow, we are too near the boats now for any attempt at rescue to prove successful.”

“How do you know that?” demanded Jule. “The boats are no protection. If we find them as we usually have, they’ll need help from us. What’s that?”

The prisoners had made a break for liberty, and, taking advantage of a rocky spot where walking was very difficult, had darted off, bound as they were. Buck and Rube fired several shots, but the men ran all the faster.

At last two of the men were found, lying hidden under a bush, but the others could not be discovered, though the lads searched all around.

“We’re lucky to have these two left!” Alex said with a grin. “If the others don’t attack us before we get to the boats, we’ll be lucky. Our searchlights make a good mark!”

“And they can hear the noise we make going through the bushes a mile off!” added Jule.

“Suppose we go on ahead and search the river?” proposed Alex. “We can run up and down the stream, anyway. The stars are shining, and the light is fine. Then we can take the Rambler and run her up and down stream. I’ve got a hunch that they will make for the river and try to cross to the American side.”

“I don’t see why they should do that,” was the reply. “There are plenty of mountains, or high ground at least, for them to hide in. But you may be right. We’ll try the river first.”

After searching the bank of the river, the boys made for the Rambler, crossed the Esmeralda, and went on board. There they found the surgeon bending over the injured man and everything in confusion.

“What’s doing here?” asked Jule.

Then Clay told the story of the attack on the boat and how Captain Joe came to the rescue.

“Good dog!” cried Alex, stroking the dog’s head. “Don’t you, none of you, ever call him a no-account cur again! This makes two men he has pulled down lately. That is a fair record for a cur dog, don’t you think?”

“Captain Joe is a peach of a dog!” cut in Jule. “I shall never forget how he jumped that river pirate who was lighting the match to bum my feet!”

“Do you know who this man is?” asked Clay, after a short pause, during which the dog was petted and caressed to his heart’s content. “Give a guess.”

The boys made a close examination of the man’s features, but they were so bloody that identification was difficult, if not impossible.

“I give it up!” said Alex.

“So do I!” chorused Jule.

Then the surgeon told who the injured man was, and the boys expressed great satisfaction.

“We’ll see that he don’t get away a second time,” Clay declared. “He’s a tricky chap, but he will stay put now. By the way, where’s Case—on the Esmeralda, I take it.”

Clay and Paul looked at each other with sober eyes.

“Case left the boat two hours ago,” answered Clay. “He said he was going to look for the fish you boys left, and should have been back within half an hour.”

“He seems to be setting up a rivalry to Alex,” laughed Paul. “That boy certainly can have more adventures in less time than any boy in the wide world!”

“Oh, Clay can go some in that line!” laughed Alex, “but where do you think the boy is?”

“Why didn’t Captain Joe go with him?” asked Jule.

“Because the dog needs rest,” replied Clay. “He has had a hard time of it, haven’t you, Joe?” caressing the dog as he spoke. “And your wound hasn’t healed yet, and you ought to be in the hospital! Tell him that you are in no shape to go chasing over the country looking for lost fish!”

The dog made the explanation as plainly as it could be made by one not having the gift of speech, and the boys all laughed and looked pleased.

“You are worth a dozen dead dogs yet!” declared Alex.

“I’d like to know which way Case went,” wondered Jule. “We saw nothing of him.”

“Perhaps Rube and Buck will bring him with them,” Clay said hopefully.

“Doesn’t it take a long time to bring those two captives in?” asked Thede, still busy over the injured man, who was now beginning to show signs of returning consciousness.

“That’s just what I was thinking,” Alex exclaimed.

The boys looked in every direction except at each other. There was in the eyes of every one of them a premonition of evil which he did not want the others to see!

“The moon is coming up now, let’s go and look for them!” suggested Jule. “I want to put on a dry suit, then I’ll be ready.”

“It strikes me that we have no time to waste, if we want to overhaul the United States Marshal and the Sheriff,” Alex declared. “And we might give a thought to Case while we are out looking the others up. Beats the dickens how we do get scattered!”

“All right,” agreed Jule, “if you want to start right now. I’m ready, only it won’t do you any good to tell how hungry you are before you’ve gone a mile. If you drag me off without a chance to change my clothes, I’ll see that you don’t get anything to eat until we get back!”

“But suppose I should find the fish, what about that?” Alex replied, starting away.

The moon was up above the tops of the trees now, and was at the full. It was a splendid night, and the boys enjoyed it greatly as they hastened along.

“Which way?” asked Jule.

“I don’t know,” replied Alex. “The counterfeiters’ cave is downstream, but the two men who were found in hiding under a bush gave them a run before they were caught, and I’m all at sea.”

“Which way did Case go?”

“Again I don’t know.”

“Well, we must decide on something pretty soon or it will be morning before we reach a conclusion,” Jule suggested.

That was a long night for those who remained on the Rambler. The hours dragged slowly, with no word from the boys.

Thede dressed the wounded man’s throat and got him into an improvised bed. Then he sat down to await news from the boys. The night passed and the sun rose in a cloudless sky.

“I feel like taking up the search myself,” Clay exclaimed. “The boys are probably doing all that anyone could do, yet I think I could do better. I’ve a good notion to see what I could do!”

“And leave us alone? I guess not!”

It was Paul who spoke, but the very next moment something occurred which gave a new light to the situation.

Rube came back, weary and worn, but he came alone!

CHAPTER XXII

A SURPRISE FOR CLAY

Clay and Thede met the bedraggled man at the rail. There were questions in their eyes which they dreaded to put into words.

“Mornin’,” came the cheerful greeting.

Clay looked him over critically.

“You’re a sight!” he said.

Rube looked down at his torn clothes, at his sodden boots, and smiled.

“They don’t look very spick an’ span, do they?” he asked. “But you ought to see the other boys!”

“Where’s Case?” asked Paul. “He went out to catch fish off dry land, and we haven’t seen him since.”

In answer to Rube’s wondering look, Clay explained that Case had gone in the hope of finding the string of fish dropped by Jule and Alex. Rube’s only reply was a grin.

“Where are the others?” asked Paul, as Rube climbed wearily aboard the Rambler. “Is Case with them?” he added.

Before making any reply Rube threw himself down with a sigh of relief and drew off his boots, sodden with water from the underbrush.

“Yes, Case is with the others,” he replied, then, “and the gang will be here in something like half an hour. Got any notion where we’ve been?” he added with a most exasperating grin.

“That’s just what we’re anxious to hear,” replied Clay.

“Well,” replied Rube, “we’ve been over to the United States—yes, sir, over to the good old United States!”

The boys gave the man an incredulous look, as if doubting his word. Perhaps he just thought he had been over there!

“Where did you get a boat?” asked Thede, after a long silence.

“The counterfeiters had one,” was the laconic reply, “and we geezled it. We had a fine time over there—not!”

“Well, why don’t you open up and tell us about it?” Clay said, irritated at the provoking deliberation of the man.

Rube looked hopelessly about, as if expecting aid from some unknown source, and was about to begin when there came a shout from the bank and Buck, Case, Alex, and Jule made their appearance. Rube looked very much relieved, and Clay stepped forward to meet the approaching men, his face wreathed in smiles.

“You’re a nice boy to go after fish!” he said, giving the lad a friendly poke. “The next time we send you out, we’ll keep you at home where we can watch you!”

Alex displayed a string of fish!

“Here’s your old fish!” he said, with pardonable pride. “Now we’ll have something to eat!”

“Are those the same fish?” Clay demanded.

“The same—the very same!” Case answered. “Say, but I could eat one, scales and all.”

While the fish were cooking, and while Alex was bringing everything in the eatable line over from the Esmeralda, Case and Jule told of the adventures of the night.

“You see, it’s just like this,” he began, but Jule stopped him with a laughing remark.

“Tell about your adventures first,” he said.

Captain Joe, who had been trying all this time to attract attention to himself, now sprang upon Alex and began licking his face. The boy stroked the dog’s head affectionately. His side was still sore where the outlaw’s bullet had cut its way through the flesh.

Case replied with a laugh, and went on with his story.

Alex and Jule had come across Case, it seemed, when he had given up all hope of finding the fish and was on his way back to the Rambler. The three had searched a long time for Buck and Rube, but had found them at last.

They had taken what they had believed to be a shorter way to the boat and had lost their way, being at the time of meeting Alex and Jule, traveling in the right direction.

“Why don’t you get us over to God’s country?” demanded Jule.

“All right!” was Case’s answer. “The counterfeiters had evidently crossed over from the American side of the Rio Grande in a rowboat, for one was found in a little bayou near the point of meeting. This gave Rube an idea.

“‘Why not take the prisoners across the river without going to the Rambler?’ he asked. ‘If we lock ’em up in a Mexican jail, the chances are that they will be out before our backs are turned. The people over here have little respect for the law.’

“This was finally agreed to, and we bundled the prisoners into the boat. It was a tight squeeze, getting us all in, but the feat was accomplished at last and we were across the river in a jiffy.

“We landed at a small village—a typical border town, with plenty of Mexicans in evidence. The streets ought to have been pretty quiet at that time of night, but they were anything but that.

“A company of United States soldiers—the same we had given a banquet to up the river—had possession of the town, and were making a search for the four counterfeiters! Of course we gave up the two we held, and were warmly thanked by the lieutenant in charge, who had not forgotten us by any manner of means.

“We had a midnight supper with the soldiers—a supper which took us far into the night. Then, after making a date with the lieutenant at the mouth of the Pecos river, we returned to the Rambler. Not much of a story, after all!”

“Well, we’ve got plenty of time to make the Pecos river, as the men will have a long walk, so I propose getting forty winks!” said Clay. “I didn’t get enough sleep last night to put in tea! Who’s for the feathers?”

“I’m afraid we can’t meet you boys and the lieutenant at the mouth of the Pecos river,” said Buck, after a short consultation with Rube. “You see, it’s like this,” he continued, “unless you boys want to stick around and watch us work, we’ll have to be on our way. It’s back up the river for us, but we may be at the mouth of the Pecos in time to greet you boys and the soldiers, though it’s rather doubtful.”

“Suppose we caucus on the proposition,” suggested Alex. “For one, I’m willing to remain with Buck and Rube.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to go to the mouth of the Pecos, and wait for them there?” Clay cut in. “I understand that the Pecos is a peach of a stream when it comes to crooks and turns, and I’d like to see it. If it is a sure thing that you will be there within a few days, we might go on and wait for you there.”

“Oh, we’ve got to be there, all right!” Rube declared.

“Then we’re all right,” cried Alex. “We’ll just drop down and wait for you there. Now, what will you have to eat?”

“Why, we have just had a whale of a meal,” Thede said. “Do you want to stuff us like they do hens for market?”

“That was just a lunch,” laughed the boy. “A little fish breakfast! Before the trip ends, I want a chance to show what I can do in the cooking line.”

So Rube and Buck went back up the river, while the Rambler turned her prow to the east. Of course Alex and Jule had to have another meal.

“Do you think,” smiled Jule, “that we came on this excursion to go hungry? Not much! When we get farther downstream, where we can get ’coons that are good and fat. I’ll show the gang how to cook one. My mouth waters at the thought!”

As the Rambler proceeded on her way, it was plain to be seen that Alex had something on his mind. He kept more than usually still, and the frown between his eyes grew more marked.

Clay noticed the change in the boy and waited for him to give the reason for it. He knew that in time the answer would come.

It came one night when Alex was on watch. It was a brilliant night in June, and the boy had been unusually thoughtful that day.

“Suppose,” Alex began, “that a man died and left a big fortune—not a few thousands, but millions—and he had only one heir.”

Clay knew that the thing which had been bothering Alex was on the way to the surface, and waited for him to go on.

“And suppose this man had a brother who was greedy for the big fortune, and suppose the brother also died, where would the fortune go until the heir became of age?”

“To whoever the court appointed guardian,” was the reply. “Is there such a case?”

“Would the heir have any say about the appointment of the guardian?” continued the lad.

“I think he ought to,” was the answer.

Alex was thoughtful for a short time and then drew from an inside pocket a folded newspaper, which he passed over to Clay.

“Perhaps you would better read the story for yourself,” he said, “then you’ll know all about it.”

The newspaper contained a long account of the death by drowning of one Orlando Stegman.

“Where did you get this?” asked Clay, after running hastily through the article. “Is the Orlando Stegman, the person named here, the uncle of Paul?”

“Yes,” was the answer. “Another part of the same newspaper contains an advertisement offering a reward for the discovery of the heir. Paul won’t have to dodge about the country any more.”

“Did you show him this article?” asked Clay, rising to his feet. “Tell me where you got it.”

“It just appeared,” was the reply. “I have no idea where it came from. It is a Chicago paper, and how a Chicago newspaper got down here is more than I can guess.”

Clay turned the paper and read the date line.

“Why,” he said in amazement, “the paper is over two weeks old. Well, it doesn’t matter how it got here, it is here, and makes a millionaire of the boy we—or Captain Joe, rather—fished out of the Rio Grande! And a pretty good job he did, too!”

“I didn’t tell Paul of the discovery,” Alex said, after a pause, during which he blocked the door to the cabin, “because I didn’t want to lose him. Just the minute he gets hold of that paper he’ll want to be off, and I want Rube or Buck, or both, to get well acquainted with him so as to be appointed guardian. How does that strike you?”

“Fine!” exclaimed Clay.

“We might have guardians in duplicate!” Alex laughed. “Do they ever have guardians in duplicate?”

“Sometimes they have three,” was the reply. “But why did you keep so sly about it? You might have told me!”

“Well,” was the answer, “I was in doubt what to do about it. You see, I didn’t want you to know about it until I had it all thought out. You would be apt to tell the other boys, and I didn’t want to be bothered.”

“What are you going to do now? It is still up to you to decide, you know.”

Clay, having given up all idea of notifying the boy of his accession to great wealth, dropped down on the railing of the Rambler and looked at Alex with eager eyes. “Will you tell Paul?”

“No, I think not,” replied Alex. “You see, I want to wait until Rube and Buck get here. They may not want to accept the trust.”

“I haven’t the least idea that they will; they are modest men, doubting their own ability. You will have to argue pretty hard to talk them into taking the responsibility.”

“We’ll find a way!” Alex insisted.

This was the third night of the trip to the mouth of the Pecos, the Rambler having been tied up the two previous nights because the gasoline tank had sprung a leak and there were no filling stations within reach.

CHAPTER XXIII

WHAT CAME OF A RAMBLE ON SHORE

The boat was only a short distance from the mouth of the Pecos when the discovery was made that the propeller had ceased to operate. The boat was drifting in the rather swift current.

Clay threw out the anchor and turned to Alex with a look of inquiry on his face.

“Shall we let her drift?” he asked. “It’s not far to the town of Viaduct, which is at the mouth of the Pecos. It is likely that we can get a supply of gasoline there.”

“Perhaps we had better wait until daylight,” argued Alex. “We can then get a good night’s sleep.”

“Not much!” Clay returned. “I don’t know how much sleep you want, but it appears to me that two nights ought to be enough!”

“Then let’s get in the rowboat and go on shore!” Alex said, wrinkling his nose. “It seems a pity to lose this fine night. We can give Captain Joe a run on the bank and return before any of the boys wake up. The dog will enjoy the outing.

“The boat will watch itself. We won’t go far, and we won’t be gone long. Come on!”

Clay very reluctantly consented, and Captain Joe was brought from the cabin, much to his delight, and made a member of the party. The instant his feet touched the shore, however, he was off, taking a wide circle. Clay looked at Alex in consternation.

“How’ll we ever get him back?” he asked, ruefully. “He will stay half the night. And we ought to be back on the boat. I’m sorry we ever left it!”

“Is that the Esmeralda?” asked Alex, pointing out into the river, where the lights of a motor boat showed. “It looks like it, and yet it doesn’t. She seems narrower, and sits lower in the water.”

“Esmeralda? Nothing! We’d better be making tracks for the Rambler! I don’t like the looks of this!”

Clay’s wounded arm prevented his taking an oar, but he could assist Alex immensely by sculling, and this he did. Captain Joe was left on shore until such time as would suit the convenience of his dogship to return, and the lads started for the Rambler at top speed.

But, fast as they speeded over the water, the strange boat traveled faster, and reached the Rambler first. Then the boys stopped rowing and watched the performance on their motor boat.

In a minute’s time six husky men were transferred to the deck of the Rambler, and the boys could see that they were not at all welcome. They saw Thede bound and laid aside, then Case and Jule shared the same fate. The boys were helpless, as, by a strange circumstance, their automatics had been left behind.

They had intended bringing them, but they now lay on the prow of the boat, where they had been placed by Clay.

In a moment the men on board the Rambler caught sight of the rowboat and invited the boys to come on board. The invitation was declined, and the outlaws opened fire.

The boys dropped into the bottom of the boat and lay still until the men exhausted their charges, and then rowed with all speed for the shore, where they took shelter behind a slight elevation.

“We’ve gone and done it now, after all we’ve been through!” exclaimed Clay, grinding his teeth at the thought of what might be going on on board the motor boat. “We’ve been captured a dozen times, but never like this! What shall we do now?”

“Give the thing up!” was Alex’s answer. “It’s all my fault. I dragged you ashore against your will, and against your better judgment Yes, I did, and you know it.”

“You are mistaken, for I was just aching to come!” answered Clay. “Try to think clearly for only a second. I think my reasoning powers are wool-gathering.”

“I think mine are in the same boat,” Alex answered. “But look there! What’s coming off now?”

The boys saw, in the clear moonlight, Case and Jule led to the railing of the Rambler and released from the ropes which held them. Then they were unceremoniously kicked into the river!

Case at once started to swim for the shore, but Jule was not seen again. The boys looked long and anxiously, but he was nowhere to be seen. They looked into each other’s faces with eyes which held a suspicious moisture.

“Jule’s drowned!” Alex moaned, starting forward. “I hope I can get to the place where he went down in time to save him!”

“You will only throw your life away if you go out there now. The outlaws are looking for you to do something like that. Let’s wait for Case to swim in.”

“But we might be able to save his life if we went out with the boat,” urged Alex.

“Wait for Case,” was all Clay would say.

The outlaws, who had reloaded their weapons, fired volley after volley at the lad who was swimming, but their bullets all went wide of the mark, and Case was soon on shore, looking about for Clay and Alex. He saw them when they arose in the rowboat and came running to meet them.

“Where’s Jule?” asked Alex.

“I’m afraid he’s drowned,” was the sober reply.

“When did you see him last?” asked Clay.

“I never saw him after he went down. He just dropped to the bottom like a piece of lead,” said Case. “I guess the Rambler’s gone this time!” he added.

“If we only had Jule back it could go to the bottom, for all we’d care!” exclaimed Clay.

There were strange doings on board the Rambler. The parrot was calling shrilly for the outlaws to “Come off the perch,” and the baby bear was clawing an outlaw with all his strength, which, after all, was not great.

An outlaw seized the parrot and started for the side of the boat with him, intending to pitch him to the stream below, but the fellow who seemed to be the leader of the gang stopped him.

The Rambler was near the shore, and every word spoken was distinctly heard.

“Cut that!” said the harsh voice of the outlaw. “Well keep him for a pet!”

“Nice pet!” snarled the pirate. “If I had my way, the doctor would go overboard, too.”

“The surgeon will be needed to care for the boy,” was the reply. “He can be attended later on.”

The man dropped Tommy to the deck with an oath on his lips, and stood watching him with malice in his glance. Paul and the surgeon were huddled close together in the cabin, not knowing when their own time would come.

The outlaws all seemed to speak good English, and the boys listened to their talk for several minutes without learning anything of their plans. Then the leader proposed going to the shore in quest of the boys, who were sure to hang around until the departure of the boat.

“We made a mistake in letting the two we had get to the shore,” he said. “We should have tied them up and then decided what to do with them. We can at least get the rowboat if they are not to be found.”

“Yes,” said another, “we don’t want the kids about, for they will put the officers on our track, and the officers will do a lot of hunting for that millionaire boy we have.”

“I’m thinking whether the old man will give down enough to pay for all this trouble,” said another. “Why not collect the reward and let it go at that?”

“It strikes me that is the better way,” declared another. “The fellow who didn’t know that the kid was good and dead, at the point up the river, made a mistake.”

“Well, who’s going to the shore?” asked the leader, giving an order for the rowboat to be brought from the other motor boat.

The boys did not hear the reply, for at that minute there came the sound of footsteps on the country road. In another second the lieutenant made his appearance, closely followed by a dozen men.

The lieutenant spoke softly from the heavy shade of the trees which crowded hard upon the highway at that point.

“Stay where you are,” he said. “I have plenty of men, and will capture the whole kaboodle. We have been watching you for a long time. Are you all right?”

“All except Jule,” was the grave reply. “The outlaws threw him out of the boat, and he’s drowned!”

“Keep still, now, here they come!”

There were four men in the rowboat, and they came on at good speed, the leader standing up in the boat in order to get a better view. He stepped to the shore and stood talking with his men a moment.

“How do I know the boys are unarmed?” he said, evidently in reply to a question. “Why, I saw two automatics lying on the prow of the Rambler! Just as if the kids had intended taking them with them, and then forgotten them!”

Then his eye caught a movement in the shadow, and the next moment he was looking down the barrel of a loaded musket.

“Keep still!” a voice said. “Lay your weapons on the ground. Not there. Here!”

The men were tied almost before they knew what had happened, and the three boys, sitting in the boat behind the little elevation, were instantly on their feet.

After thanking the lieutenant over and over again, they turned their thoughts to the missing Jule.

“We’ve just got to find him!” Clay cried. “We have been chums too long to be parted so!”

Before anyone could make a suitable reply the Rambler again became the center of the scene. The lads could scarcely believe their senses. The outlaws were deserting the Rambler!

CHAPTER XXIV

AND THE LAST

There followed a moment’s silence, and then, rising clear and high, came the voice of the parrot.

“A dead man’s chest! A dead man’s chest! Yo, ho, and a bottle of rum! And a bottle of rum!”

“The men who are deserting the Rambler certainly have heard the parrot before!” whispered Case. “What does it mean?”

While the boys and the soldiers wondered over the strange happening, another voice came from the Rambler.

“Up, boys, and at them! Drive ’em into the river!”

“Peter Pratt!” shouted Alex, dancing up and down in the excitement of the moment.

“Good old Jule! I knew they couldn’t kill him!” exclaimed Clay, leaping out of the boat.

It was plain to be seen that the outlaws were returning to the boat which lay within reach, and in another moment would be off down the river. There were three of them now, the man who had been tied up in the cabin being the third.

“Now, what’s the matter with them?” asked the lieutenant, with a look of wonder in his eyes. “They surely are not running away from one man! Ah, I see now!”

What he saw was the Esmeralda, making record time.

“That boat stands about as much show of running away from the Esmeralda as the baby bear does of flying!” exclaimed Case.

The boys on shore watched the race for some moments, and then saw the pirate boat surrender. She was taken back upstream, where she was anchored beside the Rambler.

The prisoners were taken out and added to the collection on the shore. They were then turned over to the lieutenant, who at once started toward El Paso with them.

“Hope you’ll have a fine trip,” said the lieutenant, at parting. “You boys certainly deserve something good!”

“Good luck to you!” cried Clay. “Only for your help, we’d be in a bad fix right now. I don’t see how you happened along so opportunely.”

“We were patrolling the shore,” was the explanation, “and saw that help was needed.”

With which unsatisfactory reply the march northward was resumed.

There was very little conversation between the boys until the Rambler was reached. Then Clay tried to express the gratitude of the party, but was promptly headed off by Rube.

“We only did our duty!” he said.

Then the guardianship matter was broached, and of course both Rube and Buck declined to have anything to do with it.

“Oh, I’ll talk them into it!” laughed Paul.

And he did!

The remainder of the trip, which was shared by Rube and Buck, was one long dream of contentment. There were moonlight nights on the Rio Grande when all Nature seemed in repose.

When the Gulf of Mexico was reached, Alex gave many exhibitions of his skill as a fisherman, and the rivalry between the two motor boats was keen.

Captain Joe, who reached the shore at the landing near the mouth of the Pecos river just in time to be taken on board the boat, had many a race with the boys along the sands of the Gulf, and seemed to enjoy every minute of it.

Long before the Rambler returned to the North, Teddy Junior was playing with the dog, rolling over and over on the deck of the Rambler in many a mad frolic.

When at last the Rambler and Esmeralda returned northward, taking passage for both motor boats on a slow-sailing vessel, they were landed at New York, whence the boats were shipped to Chicago by rail.

When Chicago was reached, it was discovered that all the time of the two guardians would be required, so they reluctantly resigned their offices and devoted their time to the handling of Paul’s large estate.

“Say, Buck,” laughed Alex, after the boys were settled at school again, “what would we have done without the Esmeralda? We certainly should have lost the Rambler.”

“And without Rube’s bank roll we might have been obliged to walk back to Chicago!” put in Jule.

“But that is all past and gone,” said Buck, “so what’s the use of bringing it up?”

The newspapers, a few days later, contained the announcement that the counterfeiters and the band of river thieves who were working for the reward which had been offered by the old miser—now in his grave—had all been sentenced to long terms in prison.

When he read the announcement Alex only sighed.

“They deserved it all!” he declared.

THE END