APRIL TWENTY-ONE.
"Boys," said Mr. Black the following morning as they were
preparing to pay a visit to the jefe politico, "I want you to do
me a favor."
The boys looked at him in surprise.
"Well, what is it?" asked Donald, when Mr. Black did not
immediately continue.
"I want you to accept, as a mark of my appreciation of your
bravery and good services, the horses upon which you are mounted
and the accoutrements."
The look of surprise on the faces of the boys deepened.
"I am sure, sir," replied Donald, speaking for the others, "we
should be pleased to accept them if we were expecting to remain
in the country. We hope, however, to leave Vera Cruz in a very
few days."
"Boys," and Mr. Black's face was most serious, "there is no
knowing when you will reach Vera Cruz; much less leave it."
"What do you mean?" from Billie.
"I had a long talk with my friend, Don Ramon, last night after
you were in bed and he tells me that the railroad between here
and Vera Cruz is in the hands of Gen. Maas, the other side of
Guayabo, and there is almost no chance of your being allowed to
pass through the lines."
"Why not?" from Adrian.
"Well, you see, since we have heard anything, relations between
the two countries have become more and more strained and the
United States has practically declared a blockade on Vera Cruz.
The entire Atlantic fleet is assembled outside and there is
liable to be a clash at any time."
"Then we'll accept the horses, Mr. Black," spoke up Donald, "and
we'll ride to Vera Cruz. It can't be more than fifty miles."
"Forty-six by rail," said Mr. Black. "I kind of thought you might
like to try and make it, is why I want to give you the horses,"
and the speaker smiled knowingly.
"The sooner we start the better, I expect," said Adrian.
"Yes; after you pay your respects to the mayor."
The foregoing conversation explains how it happened that on the
morning of April 21, 1914, the Broncho Rider Boys looked down
from a little hill, the top of which was covered by tropical
foliage, upon the harbor of Vera Cruz, with the American fleet in
the offing.
By a circuitous route and by two nights of riding, hiding in the
day, the boys had reached this spot about an hour after sunrise.
"Whew!" was Billie's exclamation as he looked out across the
harbor at the men-of-war flying the American flag. "There's a
bunch of them, isn't there?"
"Sure is," from Adrian, "and they look peaceable, too."
"You never can tell by the looks of a toad how far it will jump,"
laughed Donald. "But peaceable or warlike, I'd like mighty well
to be on board one of them."
"Here, too," from Billie. "I wonder how we're going to make it."
"How would it do for one of us to try and get into town and find
the American consul?" queried Adrian.
"Fine," from Donald, "if he succeeded; but bad if he did not."
"Then what had we better do?"
"Give it up. Suppose we wait here a while and something may turn
up."
"I'd like to know what can turn up?" asked Billie.
"I don't know; but I was thinking that one of the ships might
happen to send a boat ashore for something. If we saw it coming,
we could ride quickly into town."
Adrian laughed. "I reckon it would be just as hard to get through
the Mexican lines then as now. No! I'm going out to reconnoiter."
It was an hour later when he returned.
"I've found a way," he said as he threw himself on the ground and
fanned himself vigorously with his hat. "It's down by the water
works. There are several Americans down there."
"Good," said Billie. "Let's go. I'm getting mighty hungry."
"Now don't be in a rush," cautioned Adrian. "There's a picket
between here and there. We'll have to ride easy. You put the
saddles on the horses. I'm pretty well tired. I want to tell you
it's hot."
Billie was busy with the horses when Don suddenly pointed out
toward the American men-of-war.
"Look!" he exclaimed. "There's something doing."
And sure enough there was.
Out from behind two of the largest vessels there suddenly darted
a number of launches loaded with blue-jackets and marines.
In another instant they had headed for the shore, while out
behind them trailed the American flag.
The boys sprang to their feet and watched the approaching boats
with the utmost interest.
"There must be a thousand of them!" exclaimed Billie.
"More than that," said Donald, as his eyes ran over the oncoming
boats. "There's nearer fifteen hundred."
"And look there," cried Adrian. "See those two smaller ships
moving in toward shore."
"What do you suppose they are going to do?" asked Billie, all in
a tremor of excitement.
"Looks to me," replied Donald, "like they were going to capture
the town."
"Why, that's war!" from Adrian.
"Well, isn't that what we've been expecting? I wish I knew what
it all means."
As some of the readers may not know what was the cause of the
action it may be explained that a German steamship had arrived
the night before loaded with arms for Huerta's army. Admiral
Fletcher had no right to seize the German ship, so he determined
to seize the port of Vera Cruz. Then if the arms were landed they
would be in the hands of the Americans.
"Well," declared Adrian, "whatever else it means, it means
business."
"Do you suppose the Mexicans will try to prevent the landing?"
asked Billie.
"We'll know in a minute, for they are most ashore," said Donald.
Donald was right and in another minute a shot rang out followed
by a rattle of musketry.
"Flash! Flash! Bang! Bang!" spoke the howitzers in the foremost
of the launches.
Boom! Boom! Boom! came the sound of three guns from the ship
nearest the city, which proved to be the _Prairie_.
The crash of the six-inch shells as they struck in the city could
be heard above the rattle of the rifle fire which had now become
continuous.
"It's a sure enough battle," cried Billie. "Come on! Let's go
down!" and he flung himself onto his horse.
"What would you do?" cried Donald, seizing Billie's horse by the
bridle. "You'd be killed by the fire from our own guns. This is
the best place we could be in while the firing is going on. As
soon as our men have driven the Mexicans out of town, then we can
go in."
"But I want to take a hand in the fun," said Billie.
"It's no fun, as you'll find after it's all over. No knowing how
many of our boys are being lost, to say nothing of the Mexicans."
"Look!" cried Adrian, who had not taken his eyes from the scene
in the harbor. "There are a couple of other ships going into
action."
Billie turned at sound of Adrian's words. Sure enough, there came
flashes from more guns, as the _Chester_ and _San Francisco_
moved up into striking distance, although at that time the boys
did not know the vessels' names.
"What show will the Mexicans have against those guns!" exclaimed
Donald. "They'll be driven out of town in short order."
Once more Donald was right and after some minutes of firing, the
boys realized that the rifle fire was becoming less.
"If they retreat, which way do you suppose they will go?" queried
Adrian.
"I was just thinking about that," was Donald's reply. "What do
you think, Billie?"
"I should think along the main line of railroad."
"And I imagine they'll retreat in every direction," said Adrian.
"In which case," advised Donald, "we'd better be prepared to make
a dash through."
"Look here," from Billie. "Can't you see that the shots are all
aimed at one particular place? I'm sure if we come around by the
south, we can get in behind our men some way. It's a good deal
better chance than to stay here to be shot down by the retreating
Mexicans."
The others were forced to admit the wisdom of Billie's advice and
they proceeded to follow it.
Mounting their horses, they rapidly retraced their steps for a
couple of hundred yards and then headed for the harbor.
They had not gone more than half a mile when they caught a
glimpse of foot soldiers forming in line on what appeared to be a
parade ground.
"This is no place for us," exclaimed Donald. "Back to the woods."
"I'm afraid it's too late," from Adrian.
"I hate to run for it," was Billie's comment, "but it's the best
we can do. I have no mind to fall into Mexican hands right now."
He put spurs to his horse and dashed through a little clump of
trees which grew by the way, closely followed by the other two.
They seemed to have done just the right thing and were
congratulating themselves upon their lucky escape, when they
heard horses coming from the other way.
Billie drew his horse up with a sudden turn.
"It looks as though we'd have to fight for it, boys! If we do
let's give a good account of ourselves."
They drew their Winchesters for instant use.
The sound of hoofbeats drew nearer and then there burst into
sight from around a turn in the road a sight which caused the
boys nearly to fall from their horses with laughter.
Riding on a mule and followed by several peons on burros was the
florid-faced gentleman whom they had met on the train the day
they left the City of Mexico. He was bare-headed and his coat
tails streamed out in the breeze. He had no saddle and was
clinging onto the mule by grasping him around the neck.
"Help! Help!" he cried as he caught sight of the boys. "I
surrender. I surrender."
Seeing the boys' horses directly in his path, the mule came to a
sudden stop, with both feet stuck out before him. The result was
that the florid-faced gentleman, who wished to head a company of
marines to drive the Mexicans off the earth, shot forward over
the mule's head and landed in a cactus bush.
Now a cactus is not a pleasant thing to sit upon, even when the
greatest care is used; but to be shot into it as from a catapult
is more than any one can bear.
With a yell that might have been heard half a mile, had it not
been for the noise of the guns, the man scrambled to his feet and
darted away down the hill, while the peons stopped at the
unexpected sight of the boys.
"Americanos!" they cried, and, tumbling off their burros, fell on
their knees in abject terror, as though expecting that their end
had come.