CHAPTER XX.
"TRUST ROB!"
When Andy said that, both Tubby and Merritt felt a cold chill pass overthem. It could be easily understood that if those vindictive Regularshad a chance to fire on the unknown party who wore the khaki of theUnited States soldiers, and who, they must know, had been sendingmessages from the rock jutting out above, there was no reason to believethat 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 andof President Huerta--there always are when revolution stalks through aland and war clouds are in the air--so that the taking of a boy's lifedid not mean anything unusual to these grim fighters.
But Merritt was alive to the importance of letting Rob know of the perilthat was lying in wait for him on the back trail. If he slipped away andstarted to come down the side of the rugged slope, there was always aterrible chance that he might know nothing of the three MexicanRegulars lying under the rocks like genuine bushwhackers, ready to poura deadly volley in his direction as soon as they felt that he was intheir grip.
"Quick, Tubby, try and attract his attention again--tell him forgoodness' sake to wait up there and take another message!"
Merritt almost shrieked this as he sprang toward the fat chum. Tubbyinstantly started the human windmill in motion again, waving his flag ata great rate, and forming the signal "1111--3: Wait a moment," thatwould tell the boy on the crag there was still something of vastimportance to be wigwagged to him.
"I can see him there yet!" said Andy, though his voice trembled as if hewere quaking with suspense.
"Yes, but his back is this way!" groaned Tubby, still keeping busy withhis flags.
Merritt even put his hands to his mouth and shouted the name of thepatrol leader several times, as though hoping with this primitivemegaphone to be able to attract the attention of the other; butapparently sounds did not travel upward as well as they do on the levelground. At any rate, they could not see Rob give the first sign ofturning; and he seemed to be busy watching something beyond, perhaps thesoldiers who were crawling through that little ravine under the railroadtrack, 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 hemight be trying the best way he knew to bolster up his own courage withthis hope. "It would be more his style to take a last look this way tosee if we had scattered to carry out his orders. Keep doing it rightalong, 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 notlikely 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 waitup--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 everyone of the three eager scouts below spelling it aloud.
"Stay where you are--great danger--three Federals in hiding on trail youtook going up. If you must come down, pick another route!"
Tubby sent all of this, Merritt supplying him with the words inrotation; and evidently it was read correctly, for immediately after themessage ceased, Rob sent back his "O. K.," and added: "Don't fear forme; 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 sameway he took going!" interjected Andy in dismay.
"That's all right," added Merritt. "Don't you see it must have been justa clever little stunt of Rob's, meant to fool the three cavalrymen whoare lying in wait down on that depressed route he took going up? Hereckons that they've been watching him all this while. So he just madeout to have no suspicion that he knew about their game. Trust our Robfor keeping his wits about him! He'll slip around somehow, and leavethem in the lurch."
"Say, I hope now none of that outfit can read wigwag work!" Tubbyremarked, with a new line of trouble appearing on his usually smoothforehead. "Because then they'd know what I told Rob, and of coursethey'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 lessonin signal work with the flags," Merritt told him. But evidently he wasnot so wholly free from fears himself, for immediately afterward he wenton to say: "Perhaps I'd better be hunting Lopez up and telling him allthat's happened. Out of gratitude for what Rob has done to save themfrom being taken by surprise, these rebels may consent to make a littlesortie 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 lotand send them flying over the hill? Hurry up, and see if you can't getour rebel friends to make a start. They could charge right up that hilland scare the ambushers off like hot cakes. Go along, Merritt, and don'tlet the grass grow under your feet!"
Merritt was off even while Tubby spoke. He was something like Rob, forwhenever he had an idea he believed in carrying it out with speed. Inthis case it was essential that no time should be lost, for at anyminute one of the armed men who lay there in wait for Rob might find anopportunity to get a shot at him, with a result that neither Tubby norAndy dared allow themselves to consider.
Both of them continued to stand there, keeping their eyes glued on theside of the rise, at about the spot where they knew the soldiers layhidden. More than a few times one or the other believed he could detectsome 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 theirfears 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 fellerisn't going to show the white feather and just shrug his shoulders theway they're so fond of doing down here, as much as to say Rob'll haveto 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 himconsolingly. "I reckon these rebels are fighters, and they'll think it abully good chance to get one back on the enemy by knocking over three ofthe Regulars. See, he's showing a whole lot of interest right now.There, Merritt is pointing up at the place where we know the ambushersare squatting. Will they sally out and chase them away? Oh! I hope so, Ihope 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 hisboyish voice. "See, that captain is yelling something to his men, for alot of them are running up, waving their guns, and chattering all sortsof things--like a pack of monkeys finding a cocoanut. Make your mindeasy, 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 Robhad done in making his way to the top of the elevation, and sending wordas to what the enemy was doing; and the guide had in turn transmittedthis to the rebel chief, upon whom it must have made considerableimpression, for he was plainly excited and bent upon discharging hisobligations toward the signal sender, according to the plan suggested bythe Eagle's corporal.
A dozen men were told off and given hurried instructions. Theyimmediately ran the length of the train, and then with loud shouts andwaving guns started for the foot of the rise, not bothering to take thetrouble Rob had done to keep their movements secret. In fact, they musthave 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 stirredhimself. "And I saw the puff of smoke up yonder where the three Regularsare hiding! Guess they know the game is up and mean to have a few cracksat the climbing rebels before they skip out!"
"And there goes a shot from below," said Tubby, "showing that ourfriends don't mean that the fun shall all be on one side. Yes, andlisten 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 asthey fly past! Hear 'em slash against the rocks! That will make 'emflatten out like pancakes!"
"All the while the rebels are climbing right along and getting nearerand nearer," Andy remarked, though not once could he tear his eyes awayfrom the scene upon the side of the elevation. "They may hang on theretoo 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 torun across the Regulars when they're making off!" Tubby pursued, voicinghis fears.
"Trust Rob, Tubby; give him credit for horse sense, won't you?" scoffedthe other scout. "And let me tell you, Tubby, that, if they do runacross him, chances are they'll be sorry! Remember, Rob's got a gunalong with him, and you've seen yourself how he could shoot at flyinggame many's the time. If he has to defend himself, he'll wing that lotin 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 guessI'm only saying what I do because my nerves are all unstrung. It's justawful to have to stand here watching, not able to lift a finger to helpour chum! If I could only be in the thick of the thing, I wouldn't becroaking like this."
"I believe you, Tubby," said Merritt, who had come up in time to hearthe last few sentences spoken by the others. "But there's little dangerof Rob falling into a trap, now that he's been warned. I wouldn't besurprised if he's just been lying low all this time in some nice holeunder 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 beliefthat he's one of the enemy, than that those three Federals will catchhim 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 stoodand watched the little puffs of smoke that broke out in ever so manyplaces along the side of the rugged slope. These told that the rebelswere advancing steadily upward toward the spot where the men who hadmeant to waylay the wigwag operator had taken up their positions.
All the people who had been on the stranded train, men, women andchildren, had come out of their various hiding-places, and now stood ingroups, along with the rebels at bay, behind the line of cars. Theireyes were glued on what was happening up there on the heights. For bynow it had been circulated that one of the Americano boys had gone aloftto spy upon the enemy, and had reported important news, which fact hadacted so favorably on the commander of the Villa forces that he had senta detachment of his men to try and save the gringo lad from beingcaptured or shot.
Boy Scouts Under Fire in Mexico Page 20