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.