"TRUST ROB!"
When Andy said that, both Tubby and Merritt felt a cold chill pass over
them. It could be easily understood that if those vindictive Regulars
had a chance to fire on the unknown party who wore the khaki of the
United States soldiers, and who, they must know, had been sending
messages from the rock jutting out above, there was no reason to believe
that they would have the least pity because he turned out to be a boy.
There were many mere lads bearing arms among the followers of Villa and
of President Huerta--there always are when revolution stalks through a
land and war clouds are in the air--so that the taking of a boy's life
did not mean anything unusual to these grim fighters.
But Merritt was alive to the importance of letting Rob know of the peril
that was lying in wait for him on the back trail. If he slipped away and
started to come down the side of the rugged slope, there was always a
terrible chance that he might know nothing of the three Mexican
Regulars lying under the rocks like genuine bushwhackers, ready to pour
a deadly volley in his direction as soon as they felt that he was in
their grip.
"Quick, Tubby, try and attract his attention again--tell him for
goodness' sake to wait up there and take another message!"
Merritt almost shrieked this as he sprang toward the fat chum. Tubby
instantly started the human windmill in motion again, waving his flag at
a great rate, and forming the signal "1111--3: Wait a moment," that
would tell the boy on the crag there was still something of vast
importance to be wigwagged to him.
"I can see him there yet!" said Andy, though his voice trembled as if he
were quaking with suspense.
"Yes, but his back is this way!" groaned Tubby, still keeping busy with
his flags.
Merritt even put his hands to his mouth and shouted the name of the
patrol leader several times, as though hoping with this primitive
megaphone to be able to attract the attention of the other; but
apparently sounds did not travel upward as well as they do on the level
ground. At any rate, they could not see Rob give the first sign of
turning; and he seemed to be busy watching something beyond, perhaps the
soldiers who were crawling through that little ravine under the railroad
track, a mile or more away.
"What if he starts down without once looking this way?" asked Andy.
"Oh! Ginger snaps and pop-guns! Don't mention it!" groaned Tubby.
"But that wouldn't be like Rob!" asserted Merritt, just as though he
might be trying the best way he knew to bolster up his own courage with
this hope. "It would be more his style to take a last look this way to
see if we had scattered to carry out his orders. Keep doing it right
along, Tubby, while we all watch and hope he'll turn around soon!"
It was an anxious time for those three lads, and one they were not
likely to forget soon, either.
All at once a whoop went up from Tubby.
"He's turned around, and is looking this way!" he exclaimed.
"Keep going, then; faster, Tubby!" cried Merritt. "Tell him to wait
up--very important!"
"There he is, starting in to wave!" cried Andy.
"W-h-a-t d-o y-o-u w-a-n-t?" came the question from above, with every
one of the three eager scouts below spelling it aloud.
"Stay where you are--great danger--three Federals in hiding on trail you
took going up. If you must come down, pick another route!"
Tubby sent all of this, Merritt supplying him with the words in
rotation; and evidently it was read correctly, for immediately after the
message ceased, Rob sent back his "O. K.," and added: "Don't fear for
me; I can take care of myself. So long!"
"He's gone!" cried Tubby, as the last fluttering letter came from above.
"Yes, and slipped out of sight just as if he meant to come back the same
way he took going!" interjected Andy in dismay.
"That's all right," added Merritt. "Don't you see it must have been just
a clever little stunt of Rob's, meant to fool the three cavalrymen who
are lying in wait down on that depressed route he took going up? He
reckons that they've been watching him all this while. So he just made
out to have no suspicion that he knew about their game. Trust our Rob
for keeping his wits about him! He'll slip around somehow, and leave
them in the lurch."
"Say, I hope now none of that outfit can read wigwag work!" Tubby
remarked, with a new line of trouble appearing on his usually smooth
forehead. "Because then they'd know what I told Rob, and of course
they'd change their position so as to cover the ground all along."
"Not one chance in a thousand that a single Federal ever took a lesson
in signal work with the flags," Merritt told him. But evidently he was
not so wholly free from fears himself, for immediately afterward he went
on to say: "Perhaps I'd better be hunting Lopez up and telling him all
that's happened. Out of gratitude for what Rob has done to save them
from being taken by surprise, these rebels may consent to make a little
sortie and chase the three fellows up there away."
"A splendid idea, Merritt!" declared Andy, while Tubby burst out:
"Gee! but wouldn't it be just glorious to turn the tables on that lot
and send them flying over the hill? Hurry up, and see if you can't get
our rebel friends to make a start. They could charge right up that hill
and scare the ambushers off like hot cakes. Go along, Merritt, and don't
let the grass grow under your feet!"
Merritt was off even while Tubby spoke. He was something like Rob, for
whenever he had an idea he believed in carrying it out with speed. In
this case it was essential that no time should be lost, for at any
minute one of the armed men who lay there in wait for Rob might find an
opportunity to get a shot at him, with a result that neither Tubby nor
Andy dared allow themselves to consider.
Both of them continued to stand there, keeping their eyes glued on the
side of the rise, at about the spot where they knew the soldiers lay
hidden. More than a few times one or the other believed he could detect
some slight movement, as though the men might be taking an observation;
but the distance was so great they could not be sure, and no doubt their
fears magnified many things.
"He's found Lopez, and is talking to him right now!" Andy said,
referring to Merritt, after a little time had elapsed.
"Yes, and you can see that our guide believes the news mighty important,
because already he's beckoning to that captain who's carrying a sword,
even if he hasn't any uniform," Tubby continued. "I hope now the feller
isn't going to show the white feather and just shrug his shoulders the
way they're so fond of doing down here, as much as to say Rob'll have
to take care of himself. That would be a burning shame, wouldn't it,
Andy?"
"But I don't believe they'll act that way," the other told him
consolingly. "I reckon these rebels are fighters, and they'll think it a
bully good chance to get one back on the enemy by knocking over three of
the Regulars. See, he's showing a whole lot of interest right now.
There, Merritt is pointing up at the place where we know the ambushers
are squatting. Will they sally out and chase them away? Oh! I hope so, I
hope they will!"
"It looks as though they might be thinking of doing that very thing,
doesn't it, Tubby?" Andy again burst out, a ring of satisfaction in his
boyish voice. "See, that captain is yelling something to his men, for a
lot of them are running up, waving their guns, and chattering all sorts
of things--like a pack of monkeys finding a cocoanut. Make your mind
easy, Tubby; there's going to be something doing soon!"
All Tubby made answer was expressed in one word:
"Bully!"
Evidently Merritt had managed to tell Lopez what a great service Rob
had done in making his way to the top of the elevation, and sending word
as to what the enemy was doing; and the guide had in turn transmitted
this to the rebel chief, upon whom it must have made considerable
impression, for he was plainly excited and bent upon discharging his
obligations toward the signal sender, according to the plan suggested by
the Eagle's corporal.
A dozen men were told off and given hurried instructions. They
immediately ran the length of the train, and then with loud shouts and
waving guns started for the foot of the rise, not bothering to take the
trouble Rob had done to keep their movements secret. In fact, they must
have meant to let the three Regulars know of their intentions as they
scattered and started to climb the hill.
"There! Listen to that, will you?" shrilled the excited Tubby.
"It was a gunshot, sure as anything!" added Andy, hardly less stirred
himself. "And I saw the puff of smoke up yonder where the three Regulars
are hiding! Guess they know the game is up and mean to have a few cracks
at the climbing rebels before they skip out!"
"And there goes a shot from below," said Tubby, "showing that our
friends don't mean that the fun shall all be on one side. Yes, and
listen to how the dogs of war keep on barking, will you, Andy? Whee!
isn't this exciting, though? I can just imagine how the bullets sing as
they fly past! Hear 'em slash against the rocks! That will make 'em
flatten out like pancakes!"
"All the while the rebels are climbing right along and getting nearer
and nearer," Andy remarked, though not once could he tear his eyes away
from the scene upon the side of the elevation. "They may hang on there
too long, and find it a hard job to make their get-away, after all."
"I hope Rob isn't in line with all this shooting, or that he happens to
run across the Regulars when they're making off!" Tubby pursued, voicing
his fears.
"Trust Rob, Tubby; give him credit for horse sense, won't you?" scoffed
the other scout. "And let me tell you, Tubby, that, if they do run
across him, chances are they'll be sorry! Remember, Rob's got a gun
along with him, and you've seen yourself how he could shoot at flying
game many's the time. If he has to defend himself, he'll wing that lot
in one, two, three order, give you my word for it!"
"I know that, Andy, as well as you do," agreed the fat boy; "and I guess
I'm only saying what I do because my nerves are all unstrung. It's just
awful to have to stand here watching, not able to lift a finger to help
our chum! If I could only be in the thick of the thing, I wouldn't be
croaking like this."
"I believe you, Tubby," said Merritt, who had come up in time to hear
the last few sentences spoken by the others. "But there's little danger
of Rob falling into a trap, now that he's been warned. I wouldn't be
surprised if he's just been lying low all this time in some nice hole
under a rock, waiting to find out what would happen. To tell the truth,
I'm more concerned about the rebels shooting at Rob, under the belief
that he's one of the enemy, than that those three Federals will catch
him napping."
Unfortunately, these words gave poor Tubby fresh cause for alarm.
"Oh! I hope that doesn't happen," he kept on saying, as they all stood
and watched the little puffs of smoke that broke out in ever so many
places along the side of the rugged slope. These told that the rebels
were advancing steadily upward toward the spot where the men who had
meant to waylay the wigwag operator had taken up their positions.
All the people who had been on the stranded train, men, women and
children, had come out of their various hiding-places, and now stood in
groups, along with the rebels at bay, behind the line of cars. Their
eyes were glued on what was happening up there on the heights. For by
now it had been circulated that one of the Americano boys had gone aloft
to spy upon the enemy, and had reported important news, which fact had
acted so favorably on the commander of the Villa forces that he had sent
a detachment of his men to try and save the gringo lad from being
captured or shot.