The Broncho Rider Boys with Funston at Vera Cruz

  CHAPTER II.

  A STRANGE MIX-UP.

  While the train was gathering headway the conductor and theguards rounded up all the men they could find on the train whowere armed. There were more than a dozen, so that in point ofnumbers, the force on the train nearly equalled the Zapatistas.These were so stationed at the windows that they could give thewould-be robbers a warm reception.

  "We must use some strategy," declared Adrian, "or we will simplysucceed in killing a few and scaring away the others. That willnot be a very brilliant deed."

  "No," from Donald, "but it will save the bullion. What's yourplan?"

  "Well, I was thinking it would be a good plan to separate thetrain."

  "How?"

  "You can see it is all down grade from here to where the banditsare waiting for us."

  "Yes."

  "As soon as we get to running a good speed, Billie and I will gointo the express car with the three guards. You and Pedro stayhere with the other guards and the passengers. As we near thebandits, uncouple the train, put on the brakes and stop thecoaches. We will rush by with the engine and express car, firingas we go----"

  "Which will be all right," interrupted Billie, "if they don'tditch the engine."

  Adrian's face fell.

  "I hadn't thought of that."

  "Well, you'd better."

  After a moment Adrian's face brightened.

  "They might better ditch the engine and express car than thewhole train," he declared.

  "Right you are," from Donald. "If you and Billie are game enoughto try it, I say it is the proper thing. If they ditch theengine, we will be back a ways and can run down to yourassistance. If they don't ditch you, we will have them betweentwo fires."

  "Just what I thought," replied Adrian. "How about it, Billie?"

  "I'm game. My head may be a little thick, but I can see just asfar through a two-inch plank as the next one."

  "All right, then. Come on," and Adrian led the way into the carahead, while Donald and Pedro stood by to uncouple as soon asthey passed the clump of trees before alluded to.

  Almost at the same instant several sharp blasts from the whistlegave the danger signal, and Donald threw over the coupling leverand put on the brake. The coaches slowed quickly down, but theengine and express car dashed in between the horsemen stationedon either side of the track.

  Prepared for what they knew was coming, the engineer and firemanhad thrown themselves down on the floor of the cab, while Adrian,Billie and the three guards poured a volley into the robbers asthey passed and several horses lost their mounts.

  This fire was followed by a fusillade from the horsemen and aminute later the engine, striking an unspiked rail, rolledcompletely over into the ditch, wrenching itself clear from theexpress car, which, after bumping over the ties for severalseconds, suddenly ceased its antics and glided smoothly along.

  As by a miracle it had run completely over the space from whichthe rail had been loosed and landed upon the good track, downwhich it now sped.

  So unexpected was the change from ties to track that Adrian andBillie were unable for a few moments to understand what hadhappened. Then Billie rushed to the door and seized the handbrake.

  "Grab hold and help stop this car," he yelled to Adrian, "orthere is no knowing where we'll land."

  Adrian hastened to obey, but the wrench that had been given thecar when the engine broke loose had put the brake out ofcommission and the car sped on.

  The three Mexican guards now appeared on the platform and gazedwildly up the track where they could see the fight going onbetween the bandits and their companions.

  "What shall we do, Senor?" asked one of them.

  "Search me," from Billie. "How long is this grade?"

  "It is down hill all the way to Pitahaya."

  "How far is that?"

  "Ten kilometers from Pachuca."

  "That must be about three miles farther," said Adrian.

  "Correct," from Billie, "but unless it's a mighty steep up-gradethe other side of Pita-what's-its-name, we're going so fast we'llnot stop till we've run away past it."

  "Well, what of it? We can coast back, can't we?"

  The car gave a lurch to one side that almost threw the boys offthe platform.

  "We're certainly going some," called Adrian. "Hang on!"

  And hang on they did until they dashed past the little station ofPitahaya and after several minutes began to slow down.

  "This is a little better," Adrian finally remarked as the carshowed some sign of coming to a stop.

  "Yes, indeed," from Billie. "I suppose we'll come to a dead stopsoon. Do you think she'll start back on her own hook, or shall wehave to start her?"

  "We'll soon see," and see they did, for a couple of minutes laterthe car came to a stop.

  For some minutes the five occupants of the car waited to see ifit would start back down the grade. When it did not they got offto decide what could be done.

  "It's a mighty steep hill," Billie ventured. "Looks as though thefive of us ought to start it. Let's try."

  The five put their shoulders against the car and pushed with alltheir might, but it refused to budge.

  "If we only had a crowbar," said Adrian, "we could start it in ajiffy. Suppose some of you look in the car. There might be onethere."

  The three Mexicans jumped to obey.

  Directly they appeared in the doorway with a large claw-bar intheir hands.

  "Will this do?" asked one.

  "Sure! Throw it off," said Billie, "and I'll soon start the oldcaboose."

  Picking up the bar, Billie inserted the claw under one of thewheels while Adrian stood with his hand on the car rail ready tospring aboard.

  At the first attempt the claw slipped and nothing happened, butat the second attempt the wheels yielded a little.

  "This time she'll go," Billie called. "All aboard!"

  Adrian sprang onto the car as Billie bore down upon the bar andthe wheels began to revolve.

  "Never mind the bar," cried Adrian as he saw that Billie wasraising the implement to throw it onto the platform. "Jumpaboard!"

  Billie started to obey, but the advice came too late. As hedropped the bar it struck one end of a tie, flopped over and hithim on the shin.

  "Wow!" he yelled, grabbing his ankle with both hands.

  "Never mind your leg," shouted Adrian. "Jump on or you'll beleft."

  Billie tried to obey, but the car was now under headway andalthough he sprinted his best, he was soon left behind.

  Adrian started to jump off the car, but seeing his intentionBillie called to him not to do it.

  "I'll get there some time," he called. "Just tell them I'mcoming," and he stood in the middle of the track looking ruefullyafter the rapidly disappearing car.

  After some moments he picked up the claw-bar and threw itspitefully into the ditch beside the track, as much as to say,"Lay there! You're the cause of all the trouble." Then he startedslowly after the car.

  In the meantime Adrian was flying as fast back toward Pachuca ashe had been flying away from it only a few minutes before. Itcould not have been more than ten minutes altogether since thewreck of the engine and Adrian figured that if the grade weresteep enough the car might gain momentum enough to carry it backto the scene of the trouble; but he had little hope that itwould.

  When he shot through Pitahaya on his return trip, however, he sawthat the car was going at a terrific rate of speed.

  "What do you think?" he asked one of the Mexicans. "Do you thinkwe'll get all the way back?"

  "Cierto," was the reply. "When they first built this road theyused to have mules haul the car to the top of this hill and thenturn it loose and it would run almost to Pachuca. That was beforeit had any engines."

  Adrian looked at the man and winked one eye very slowly.

  "Senor, it is true," spoke up another. "I was a guard at thetime."

  Adrian could scarcely believe the statement, but he afterwardlearned that the men spoke the truth. br />
  "Well, then," he said, "we had better look to our arms, for wemay need them. There is no knowing how this affair has turnedout."

  The advice was well taken, for as they drew near the scene of thewreck, they saw that they were badly needed. More than a dozenhorsemen were in sight at some distance from the wreck and withtheir long-range rifles were doing their best to pick off any onewho showed his head.

  "Our party must be out of ammunition," suggested Adrian, "or theywould give a better account of themselves."

  "Our carbines would not carry that far," explained one of theguards.

  "Our Marlins will," replied Adrian, and as he spoke there weretwo simultaneous flashes from two of the car windows and two ofthe bandits fell, one shot from his horse and the other with hishorse shot under him.

  For a moment the other horsemen hesitated as to the course theyshould pursue and then, putting spurs to their horses, theydashed toward the train, just as the express car, having reachedthe end of the track, bumped onto the ties and came to a stop.

  "Now!" cried Adrian as the riders drew near, firing as they came,and four shots rang out.

  The volley from so unexpected a quarter took the horsemencompletely by surprise, and they pulled up with a jerk. Theaction proved their undoing, for as they stood thus for a moment,they gave those in the train the opportunity they desired and thevolley that followed turned four more riderless horses upon theplain.

  It was more than flesh and blood could stand, and the seven oreight remaining horsemen turned and fled, followed by at leastthree whistling bullets from as many Marlins.

  The fight was over and the bullion had been saved, but what ofBroncho Billie, who had been left at the top of the hill fourmiles away?

  That was the first question asked by Donald when he greetedAdrian two minutes later.

  "Oh, he's all right," was the laughing reply. "He's just taking alittle walk for his health."

  But when Billie failed to put in an appearance an hour later, theboys mounted their horses and started up the track to meet him,leading Billie's mount between them.