WHEN VILLA CAME.
"Seems to me they are dropping down closer and closer all the time. How
about that, Rob?" questioned Andy presently, as a new burst of shots
rang out.
"They are closing in some, for a fact," admitted the scout master, who
had been well aware of this condition right along, though up to now he
had kept it to himself, waiting to ascertain whether any one of his
comrades would notice it.
"Hasn't the time come yet, Rob?" pleaded Andy.
"For what?" asked the other, although he could easily guess what Andy
meant by the way he handled his rifle and looked anxiously up the slope
to where those little jets of smoke accompanied each shot on the part of
the advancing Federals.
"To let us have a hand in the mix-up," Andy continued. "You as much as
said that if things got down to hard pan we'd just _have_ to help the
rebels. They're our best friends, and you reckoned the others would
treat us mean if they made us prisoners of war,--p'raps stand us up
against a rock and wind us up, like they're so fond of doing with lots
of prisoners down in this heathen country. Please say 'yes,' Rob. I'm
not a sharp-shooter, p'raps, but I just know I could chip off a shoulder
strap from the uniform of that officer trying to hide behind that stump
up there. Let me make him jump, won't you, Rob?"
But the other shook his head in the negative.
"Not yet, Andy, so lay your gun down again," he said, at which the other
grumbled not a little.
"You said you'd let us if we got close to the last ditch, Rob," he
remarked complainingly; "and seems like we might be close on that line
now."
"You may think so," said Rob, with a reassuring smile; "but that's the
time you shoot wild, Andy. Our prospects were never so bright as they
are right now."
Even Merritt and Tubby showed that they were surprised to hear Rob speak
in so positive a way, when it was plainly to be seen that the men on the
hillside were becoming bolder, and apparently getting ready to rush the
defenses of the rebel force a little later, after they had covered more
ground.
"Show your hand, Rob," said Merritt; "you're holding something out of
sight, or you wouldn't talk like that. I know your ways; what's doing?"
"Listen, and you'll hear the rebels cheering right now!" said Rob.
"Yes, that's so," Andy replied; "but then they're ready to yell if
anything happens. When that Federal lost his hold and fell about five
feet, scrambling around like a squirrel that had missed its jump from
one limb to another, they whooped it up till you'd thought the fight was
won! What are they cheering for now, Rob?"
"Lopez has told the captain, as I made him promise to, when things began
to look kind of gloomy all along the line; and they're passing it on,"
Rob observed.
"Yes, that's all very fine, but passing what along?" demanded Andy.
"Now that the cheering has let up for a few seconds, and the Federals
have stopped firing to puzzle out what the row means, suppose you boys
trim your ears, and see if you don't get some sort of sound that
surprises you!"
"Great Cæsar! that rumbling must mean a train somewhere, Rob!"
ejaculated Merritt excitedly; while Andy chimed in:
"Does it, Rob? And did you glimpse it coming when you were away up
yonder on the peak of the rocks?"
"Yes," replied the scout master with a laugh, "through my glasses, away
off toward the south. And, boys, that train is just loaded down with
rebel soldiers coming up from Chihuahua to get after the raiding parties
of Federals that have been burning bridges and destroying railroad stock
on the Mexican Central here!"
"And you didn't whisper a word of it to us, Rob, all this while?" cried
Tubby, with a reproachful look on his beaming face.
"Why, you see, I didn't want any one to have false hopes," Rob told him.
"How could I tell whether that train would get here in a week? The track
might be all torn up on the other side of the burnt bridge. But I fixed
it with Lopez that he was to tell the captain when he saw me wave my red
bandanna handkerchief over this rock; and you saw me do that a few
minutes ago."
"When you first caught the rumble of the train, and knew it must be
drawing near on the south side of the river?" interjected Merritt.
"That's what happened," Rob replied.
"But see here," Tubby insisted, "how are they going to help us if that
same train can't cross on the steel girders of the burned bridge? You
don't reckon it can do that, do you, Rob?"
"Certainly not, Tubby," replied the other, "but that isn't going to keep
the men from getting over. You'll find some of them crossing like cats
on the remains of the bridge. Others may wade the river, which doesn't
appear to be very deep from what I saw of it."
"Yes, I noticed that you walked up that way and took observations, while
the rest of us were watching the bridge burn," said Tubby. "And right
then chances were you figured it all out in your mind how a feller might
wade across if he had to! There never was such a chap to lay out plans
ahead of time. No wonder you're always ready to act when things happen
in a hurry!"
Rob simply touched the badge that was fastened to his left sleeve at the
shoulder. Its position showed that he was filling the part of assistant
scout master; and the fact that it was complete, told that the wearer
must be a first class scout. Then he repeated the words emblazoned on
the badge:
"Be prepared!"
Merritt made a discovery about this time, which he announced in tones of
delight.
"Looky there, boys! The enemy is in full flight, believe me! You can see
them skipping out everywhere. Guess they've glimpsed the train coming
along, and know that they'll soon be outnumbered five to one. And it's
going to take them some little time to reach the place where they've
left their mounts; so good-bye to you, Mr. Huerta's crowd!"
In a short time it was considered safe to show one's head above the
rocks, and presently some of the rebels were running back toward the
remains of the bridge, shouting at the top of their lungs with joy.
"There's the train!" cried Merritt, as he stood on the rock behind which
he and his three chums had established the Red Cross field hospital, and
done such effective work among the wounded.
Tubby gave several loud cheers; in fact, every one was calling out now,
even the fugitives in the sink, some of whom appeared in view, hurrying
back to the cars, possibly to stand by their precious luggage and keep
inquisitive hands from opening the packages.
The long troop-train came to a stand close to the other side of the
river. Immediately a swarm of dark-faced men dropped from the heavily
laden cars, and there was a concerted rush in the direction of the
smoking bridge.
Just as Rob had said, many of the more daring, finding that the steel
work had cooled to some degree, started to make their way across like
monkeys, just as though they had lingering hopes of being able to come
to hand-grips with the Regulars who had set fire to the railroad
property. Others began to ford the stream, the water hardly coming up
more than to their waists, as the dry season was on at the time.
"Well, I'm glad that it's all over and none of us got so much as a
scratch!" Tubby was saying, while with his comrades he watched the swarm
of men crossing the river.
"Yes, but I feel bad because I never got a chance to bang away even
once," Andy grumbled, as, with gun tucked under his arm, he leaned
dejectedly against the end car, and took in all the bustling sights.
"It's just as well," Rob told him. "If you knew right now that you had
made one of those men go limping off to suffer all sorts of pain,
because you felt that you just _had_ to use your gun, when it wasn't
your fight at all, do you think you'd feel any better because of it,
Andy?"
Andy never said another word; but evidently Rob had set him to
considering the conditions, and he saw things in a different light.
"They've got some horses aboard that car away back," Merritt announced.
"See, they are getting them out! Look at that man giving orders, Rob.
Seems like everybody just hustles whenever he says a single word. I
reckon he must be somebody away up!"
"Mebbe General Villa himself!" suggested Tubby exultantly.
"I'm hoping it may turn out that way," Rob remarked, trying to appear
calm, although himself more or less excited. "But whoever it is, he must
have given orders for a pursuit, because you notice that as fast as the
men get on this side they join some of our friends here, and go hurrying
off. It must be that they hope to waylay the Federals before they can
reach their horses and gallop away."
A short time later they began to hear regular volleys from the quarter
whence these squads of eager-eyed men had gone, which would plainly
indicate that they had been successful in intercepting the enemy, so
that something like a fight was going on. Their shots must have bowled
over some of the cavalrymen's mounts, for several prisoners were brought
back to the train, wearing the dirty white uniforms of the Mexican
soldiers and looking as though they expected a short shrift, with a
firing squad to follow.
Meanwhile, the boys had been intensely interested in watching the figure
of the mounted man who seemed to be a born leader. He directed all that
was done, and appeared capable even of starting the rebuilding of the
bridge after some fashion, so as to allow the passage of troop trains.
"Yes," Rob was telling himself, as he kept his eyes focused on the
figure of this man, using his glasses meanwhile to aid his vision, "I
really and truly believe that must be General Villa himself! I've heard
him described, and this man seems to fill the bill."
Each of the other scouts must needs have a look through the wonderful
lenses; after which, Rob called to Lopez, who chanced to be passing.
"Is that General Villa?" the scout asked.
"None other, young señor," the guide replied.
Whereupon Tubby threw his hat several times high into the air, and said
"Bully, bully, and again bully!" until he quite lost his breath, and had
to rest.
"There, he's made up his mind to cross the river and see how the land
lies on this side," remarked Merritt a little later on.
So the four tried and true comrades stood there waiting, feeling more
than a little curiosity as they watched the remarkable man, whose name
had been before the public so much of late, ride down to the ford, push
his horse into the water, let him take a drink, and finally urge him
across.
As he came up the near bank Rob, accompanied by his three chums,
advanced to meet him, each boy giving the scout salute gravely and then
standing at attention. Lopez hovered near, ready to render assistance in
case there was any need of an interpreter, which could hardly be, as
Villa was known to talk English fluently.
Tubby was fairly holding his breath with anxiety, for the fateful
moment was now at hand when he would learn whether the former bandit,
Villa, now chief in command of the rebel forces operating in Chihuahua,
would remember the debt of gratitude he owed Doctor Mark Matthews.