CHAPTER XI.
A COUNCIL OF WAR.
Having secured the guard and bound him firmly to a tree, the boysapproached the door through which Guadalupe had just been led captive.
"I never suspected it," said Adrian.
"Nor I," said Donald, "I thought sure it would be Billie. Where do yousuppose they caught her?"
"I can't imagine. You don't suppose they have attacked the house, doyou?"
"Hardly."
"Where do you suppose this door leads to?"
"There must be some sort of a cave back in these hills," and Donald leftthe door and began exploring the immediate neighborhood.
"By George!" he finally exclaimed, "I believe I've got it. You see thesehills form a little ridge leading to the creek. Somewhere in here thereis a cave which opens onto the creek, and these cutthroats have madesome kind of an underground passage to the cave."
Donald's guess was a good one. The only thing wrong about it was thefact that the underground passage was not made by the men at presentusing it, but by others many years before--how long, no one knows.
"I believe you are right," said Adrian, "and, if you are, what is thematter with following this ridge until we find the other entrance?"
"That's just what I was going to suggest," was Donald's reply. "Comeon!"
Suiting the action to the word, he ascended the hill, followed byAdrian.
Arrived at the top, the boys could see that they were some littledistance from the creek and that the ridge upon which they stood was notcontinuous but broken and irregular. There were also two paths.
"Which of these paths had we better follow, Don?" asked Adrian.
Donald bent down and examined both carefully.
"I believe," he finally said, "that this one on the left has been themost used. Suppose we take this?"
They did so, and after a few minutes approached the place where thebodies of the two smugglers were lying.
"What's this?" exclaimed Donald, starting back as the two figures caughthis eye.
Adrian made no reply, but stood staring in surprise at the unexpectedsight. It was not a pleasant spectacle, and both the boys involuntarilyturned away from the place.
Donald was the first to regain his composure. "Come," he said, "this isno time for squeamishness. Something serious has occurred, and we havebeen in too many serious scrapes to falter now! Let's see what hashappened."
They approached closer and examined the bodies.
"They have been killed by some wild beast," declared Adrian. "They lookjust like sheep that have been killed by wolves."
"Yes," replied Donald, "or by dogs."
"Why do you say dogs, Don?"
"I just have an idea; that's all."
Adrian wrinkled his brow. Then a smile of intelligence passed over hisface.
"I see," he exclaimed. "I have the same idea--Tanto!"
"Exactly," replied Don. "But they have captured Guadalupe in spite ofthe dog."
"By George, Don, you've hit it exactly! But where is the dog now? Hemust have escaped, or we should see his body here."
"True," replied Don. "But why should he run away? You'd think a dogwhich could do such a thing would stick to his mistress no matter whathappened."
"Sure you would. There's a mystery here we must unravel. Where do yousuppose Tanto is?"
As though in response to the question, there was a sharp bark from thethicket, and the next moment Tanto sprang up onto the mound and attackedone of the lifeless bodies.
Both the boys turned at the unexpected arrival, only to confront DonAntonio and an officer of the rurales, who clambered up beside the boys.
"What is the meaning of all this?" demanded the officer, gazing first atthe boys and then at the dog and his victims.
"You know as much about it as we," replied Adrian; "but anyone can guesswhat has happened," and he proceeded to tell the officer about seeingGuadalupe taken into captivity by the smugglers and the finding of thebodies, while Don Antonio called Tanto away and ordered the peons whohad followed him to cover the bodies with branches until they could beproperly cared for.
"Well," exclaimed the captain, for so the officer proved to be, "we haveevidently run to earth a desperate band; but I am not sure whether theyare simply smugglers or revolutionists."
"The presence of Don Rafael leads me to believe they are the latter,"said Don Antonio.
"We shall very soon find out," declared the captain. "My men will behere shortly, and we will force the door to the cave and run them outand capture them."
"How?" queried Donald.
"Very simply! I will station a part of my men in front of the cave. ThenI will force the rear door! If they try to escape by boat, they will beeither captured or shot. If they turn and show fight, we will be insufficient force to overpower them."
"And, while you are doing this, what do you think will happen to ourfriend and to Don Antonio's niece?"
"Yes," echoed Don Antonio, "we must remember Guadalupe! We can donothing until she is rescued!"
The captain removed his sombrero and scratched his head.
"I hadn't thought of that," he finally said.
"That is where Don Rafael is the smartest," said Adrian. "That is why hewas trying to capture Pedro."
"What would you suggest?" asked Don Antonio, who had come to have awholesome respect for the opinions of the American boys.
"I haven't figured it out yet," replied Adrian. "Have you thought ofanything, Don?"
"Yes; I have thought of a number of things, but none that seems to meetthe requirements."
"How would it do to try and get into communication with Don Rafael?"suggested Adrian.
"Not a bad idea at all," replied Donald; "but--hello! what's the dogfound?" he suddenly asked, as Tanto, with nose to the ground, began towag his tail and utter a joyous whine.
The exclamation at once called the attention of the four to the littlegrated window, through which Guadalupe was looking when seized by thebandits, and Donald threw himself down beside the dog and peered intothe space below.
"What do you see?" asked Adrian.
"Three figures," whispered Donald, "but I can't make out who they are. Iwish we could pull out these iron bars!"
He seized the grating and pulled with all his might, but the barsrefused to yield.
"If we only had a crowbar!" he exclaimed.
"Beat them down," came a voice from below.
Donald started back in surprise for just a moment, then put his faceclose to the bars and whispered back:
"What did you say?"
"Beat the bars down! They are only held in their place by a frame whichmust be rotten."
Donald repeated the instructions to the others.
"We haven't anything to beat them in with," replied Adrian. "Who is ittalking--Billie?"
"I don't know who it is," replied Donald. "Sounds like a woman's voice.Can't somebody find a big stone?"
"Plenty," said Don Antonio. "Here, _hombres_," to the peons, "bring oneof those big stones yonder."
The men hastened to obey, and, with the stone for a sledge hammer,Donald quickly knocked out the iron bars, which fell noisily to thefloor below.
The opening thus made enabled him to get his head in sufficiently tohave seen the interior of the room, had it not been that he shut off hisown light; but it was not necessary for him to see what was going on,for this time Billie was out of bed and talking to him.
"Is that you, Ad?" he asked.
"No, it's Don. How are you, Billie? All right?"
"All except a little weakness in my legs and a bit of dizziness in myhead."
"Who is with you?"
"Guadalupe and Santiago."
"Santiago who?"
"I don't know his other name, but he's all right. He's looking out forus."
"Are you a prisoner?"
"Sure. What do you suppose I'm doing here--taking a vacation?"
Donald could not help laughing at Billie's characteristic reply, inspite
of the seriousness of the situation, as he turned from the windowto repeat his conversation to his companions.
"What had we better do?" he finally asked.
"Is your friend armed?" asked the captain.
Donald put the question to Billie and received a negative reply.
"Suppose you hand him your rifle and then find out just how things arein the room below."
"Here, Billie," called Don, "you take my Marlin and defend yourself tothe last. How are things fixed down there?"
"Santiago can tell you better than I," was the response. WhereuponSantiago explained to Donald the exact condition in the cave.
It appears that when the men who had captured Guadalupe took her beforeDon Rafael, he was filled with joy, and ordered that she should be keptwith the greatest care.
"She will prove another and most valuable hostage," he declared, and atonce ordered her locked up in the same cell with Billie, which was theonly place of its kind in the cave. When Santiago objected, he orderedhim locked up also.
"And here we are," explained Santiago. "There is but one door into thecell, and that very narrow, so now that we have two weapons, for I stillhave my revolver, we can prevent anyone from coming in. The only waythey could get us out is to starve us out, which, of course, isimpossible now that you are here."
The information was received with great thankfulness by the rescuingparty. In his attempt to make the escape of his prisoners impossible DonRafael had put them in the one spot where, under the changed conditions,they were comparatively, if not perfectly, safe.
Very briefly Don whispered the proposed plan of attack to those withinthe cave, closing with an injunction to Billie to be on the alert and tomake every shot count if the smugglers should attempt to force theentrance.
"And here's something to keep up your courage," he added, throwing intothe cell the luncheon which had been given him when he left the Haciendadel Rio that morning. "You see, I remembered your failing."
While this conversation had been going on, the rurales to the number ofhalf a hundred, guided by Pedro, had arrived, and arrangements were atonce perfected for an attack upon the smugglers' stronghold.