NEWS OF NODDY NIXON.
"What's the matter? Bit by a kissin' bug?" asked Nestor, as Ned was
capering about.
"Nope! I'm going to find that buried city," replied Ned.
"He's loony!" exclaimed the miner. "He's been sleepin' in the moonlight.
That's a bad thing to do, Ned."
"I'm not crazy," spoke the boy. "I have a plan. If you don't want to
listen to it, all right," and he started for the cabin.
"What is it, tell us, will you?" came from the professor, who was in
earnest about everything.
"I just thought we might make a trip to Mexico in the automobile, and
hunt for that lost city," said Ned. "We could easily make the trip. It
would be fun, even if we didn't find the place, and the gold mine is now
in good shape, so that we could leave, isn't it, Jim?"
"Oh, I can run the mine, all right," spoke Nestor. "If you boys want to
go traipsin' off to Mexico, why, go ahead, as far as I'm concerned.
Better ask your folks first, though. I reckon you an' the professor
could make the trip, easy enough, but I won't gamble on your finding the
buried city, for I've heard such stories before, an' they don't very
often come true."
"Dearly as I would like to make the trip in the automobile, and sure as
I feel that we could do it, I think we had better sleep on the plan,"
said Professor Snodgrass. "If you are of the same mind in the morning we
will consider it further."
"I'd like to go, first rate," came from Jerry.
"Same here," put in Bob.
That night each of the boys dreamed of walking about in some ancient
towns, where the buildings were of gold and silver, set with diamonds,
and where the tramp of soldiers' feet resounded on the paved courtyards
of the palaces of the Montezumas.
"Waal," began Nestor, who was up early, making the coffee, when the boys
turned out of their bunks, "air ye goin' to start for Mexico to-day, or
wait till to-morrow?"
"Don't you think we could make the trip?" asked Jerry, seriously.
"Oh, you can make it, all right, but you'll have troubles. In the first
place, Mexico ain't the United States, an' there's a queer lot of
people, mostly bad, down there. You'll have to be on the watch all the
while, but if you're careful I guess you'll git along. But come on,
now, help git breakfust."
Through the meal, though the boys talked little, it was evident they
were thinking of nothing but the trip to Mexico.
"I'm going to write home now and find if I can go," said Ned.
Jerry and Bob said they would do the same, and soon three letters were
ready to be sent.
After their usual round of duties at the mine, which consisted in making
out reports, dealing out supplies, and checking up the loads of ore, the
boys went to town in the auto to mail their letters. It was a pleasant
day for the trip, and they made good time.
"It will be just fine if we can go," said Bob. "Think of it, we may
find the buried city and discover the stores of gold hidden by the
inhabitants."
"I guess all the gold the Mexicans ever had was gobbled up by the
Spaniards," put in Jerry.
"But we may find a store of curios, relics and other things worth more
than gold," added Ned. "If we take the professor with us that's what he
would care about more than money. I do hope we can go."
"It's going to be harder to find than the lost gold mine was," said
Jerry. "That map the professor has isn't much to go by."
"Oh, it will be fun hunting for the place," went on Bob. "We may find
the city before we know it."
In due time the boys reached town and mailed their letters. There was
some excitement in the village over a robbery that had occurred, and
the sheriff was organizing a posse to go in search of a band of horse
thieves.
"Don't you want to go 'long?" asked the official of the boys, whom he
knew from having aided them in the battle at the mine against Noddy
Nixon and his friends some time before. "Come along in the choo-choo
wagon. I'll swear you in as special deputies."
"No, thanks, just the same," Jerry said. "We are pretty busy up at the
diggings and can't spare the time."
"Like to have you," went on the sheriff, genially. "You could make good
time in the gasolene gig after those hoss thieves."
But the boys declined. They had been through enough excitement in
securing the gold mine to last them for a while.
"We must stop at the store and get some bacon," said Ned. "Nestor told
me as we were coming away. There's none at the camp."
Bidding the sheriff good-by, and waiting until he had ridden off at the
head of his forces, the boys turned their auto toward the general store,
located on the main street of Rockyford.
"Howdy, lads!" exclaimed the proprietor, as he came to the door to greet
them. "What is it to-day, gasolene or cylinder oil?"
"Bacon," replied Jerry.
"Got some prime," the merchant said. "Best that ever come off a pig. How
much do you want?"
"Twenty pounds will do this time," answered Jerry. "We may not be here
long, and we don't want to stock up too heavily."
"You ain't thinkin' of goin' back East, are ye?" exclaimed the
storekeeper.
"More likely to go South," put in Ned. "We were thinking of Mexico."
"You don't say so!" cried the vendor of bacon and other sundries. "Got
another gold mine in sight down there?"
"No; but----" and then Ned subsided, at a warning punch in the side from
Jerry, who was not anxious to have the half-formed plans made public.
"You was sayin'----" began the storekeeper, as if desirous of hearing
more.
"Oh, we may take a little vacation trip down into Mexico," said Jerry,
in a careless tone. "We've been working pretty hard and we need a rest.
But nothing has been decided yet."
"Mexico must be quite a nice place," went on the merchant.
"What makes you think so?" asked Bob.
"I heard of another automobilin' party that went there not long ago."
"Who was it?" spoke Jerry.
"Some chap named Dixon or Pixon or Sixon, I forget exactly what it was."
"Was it Nixon?" asked Jerry.
"That's it! Noddy Nixon, I remember now. He had a chap with him named
Perry or Ferry or Kerry or----"
"Bill Berry, maybe," suggested Bob.
"That was it! Berry. Queer what a poor memory I have for names. And
there was another with him. Let's see, I have it; no, that wasn't it.
Oh, yes, Hensett!"
"You mean Dalsett," put in Ned.
"That's it! Dalsett! And there was another named Jack Pender. There, I
bet I've got that right."
"You have," said Jerry. "You say they went to Mexico?"
"You see, it was this way," the storekeeper went on. "It was about three
weeks ago. They come up in a big automobile, like yours, an' bought
a lot of stuff. I kind of hinted to find out where they was headed
for, an' all the satisfaction I got was that that there Nixon feller
says as how he guessed Mexico would be the best place for them, as the
United States Government hadn't no control down there. Then one of the
others says Mexico would suit him. So I guess they went. Now, is there
anything else I can let you have?"
"Thanks, this will be all," replied Jerry, paying for the bacon.
The boys waited until they were some distance on the road before they
spoke about the news the storekeeper had told them.
"I wouldn't be a bit surprised if Noddy and his gang had gone to
Mexico," said Ned. "That's the safest place for them, after what they
did."
"I wish they weren't there, if we are to take a trip in that country,"
put in Bob.
"It's a big place, I guess they won't bother us," came from Jerry.
But he was soon to find that Mexico was not big enough to keep Noddy and
his crowd from making much trouble and no little danger for him and his
friends.
They arrived at camp early in the afternoon and told Nestor the news
they had heard. He did not attach much importance to it, as he was busy
over an order for new mining machinery.
There was plenty for the boys to do about camp, and soon they were so
occupied that they almost forgot there was such a place as Mexico.