CHAPTER XIII.
CROSSING THE FORD.
"Whee! hunt cover, fellers! Somebody's making a target of us!" exclaimedTubby, looking wildly around for a convenient tree or adobe hut behindwhich he might hide his ample form.
But the Mexican guide showed them how they could quickly find shelterback of the bank; and, possibly, all of the boys breathed easier whenassured that they were no longer exposed to the fire of the unseenmarksman far back on the other side of the narrow river.
"But what does it mean?" asked Rob. "I thought the rebels were in forceacross the bridge, and that they did all in their power to make UncleSam look on their side with favor."
"It is so, young senor," the guide replied; "but often have the bulletscome across here when the Federals and the rebels, they have fight itout over there. But now it is that some man thinks if Americans are shotit must come that the soldiers in El Paso will have to cross theinternational bridge, and that would mean what they call intervention."
"Oh! I see what you mean," Rob told him. "Then that was only some crazyman with a gun who wanted to bother Uncle Sam and make him real mad sohe would send his soldiers across to punish him. And once they steppedon Mexican soil it would mean we'd have a war on our hands."
After that they were careful not to expose themselves more than seemednecessary as they continued their walk; and coming back they keptfurther away from the river so as to avoid a repetition of thebombardment. There was not much chance of the wretched marksman hittingthem; but then, even bullets fired at random have been known to find alodging place, as Rob had been told.
One of the first things the guide had assured them was that it wouldnever do for the scouts to think of trying to enter Mexico by openlycrossing the bridge. It was closely guarded on the one side by UncleSam's soldiers, and across the line by squads of rebels. The latterexamined every one wishing to come or go, in many cases forciblypreventing the exit of some promising subject who might be made toyield tribute to the cause of the revolutionists, as well as refusing toallow others to enter Mexico, whom they believed might have some objectcontrary to the interests of their side.
But then the guide had informed them that he knew a ford where theymight with perfect safety cross the river, now at a low stage. Once onthe opposite shore they must depend on the fleet heels of their horsesto take them inland, and in this manner avoid a meeting with any hostileforce.
It was all arranged that they start early on the following morning.Mardo was ready to do whatever they asked; and Tubby expressed himselfas decidedly anxious to meet General Villa with as little delay aspossible. He felt just as Uncle Mark had declared it might be, that therebel commander in Chihuahua would by now believe he had done all thatcould be expected of him in serving the man who years before had savedhis life, and who had been also a friend of the lamented PresidentMadero. And as Villa's army needed rations and money desperately,possibly he would be planning either to kill off the fine steers on theMatthews Ranch, or else sell them to some enterprising Americanspeculator for shipment across the line.
Perhaps none of the boys expected to sleep any too soundly that night,thinking of what a novel experience was before them; though all of themwere tired after their long train ride.
Not a great while after supper, however, a soldier came to the inn andasked for Rob. He bore a message from the commandant to the effect thathe would be pleased to have another little chat with the young assistantscout master to hear how his plans were coming on.
This decided interest which the general seemed to take in theirenterprise gave Rob considerable pleasure. He eagerly availed himself ofthe privilege of meeting the soldier once more, and only regretted thathis three chums had not been included in the invitation.
And Rob spent a very satisfactory half hour with the general, to whom heconfided all his plans. He told so much about the previous experiencesof the Eagle scouts, also, that the interested soldier felt reluctant toterminate the interview.
"I could go on chatting with you for hours, my son," he said, shakinghands as he dismissed the boy, "because I am so deeply interested inyour ambitions and in what you have already gone through, you and yourfine comrades. But I have appointed a meeting with some of my officersto plan for the new emergencies that are continually arising. Believeme, you have my best wishes, and if I do not see you again on yourreturn--for something tells me you _will_ return, and after successfullycarrying out your mission, too,--let me hear from you. It will give megreat pleasure to reply."
This sort of talk was encouraging, to say the least. It gave Rob renewedambition to push on along the course he had mapped out.
Of course, when he arrived at the inn he found the other boys stillsitting up waiting for him; so that by degrees everything that thegeneral had said had to be repeated before they consented to go to bed.
With the coming of morning they were all up. Tubby kept declaring thathe did not have a wink of sleep all night on account of the hard bed andthe various strange noises that came from without. But Andy returnedthat every time _he_ waked up, and it must have been in the neighborhoodof a dozen separate occasions, he had particularly noticed that Tubbywas sprawled over two-thirds of their bed, and snoring "to beat theband." After that Tubby closed up, possibly under the impression thatthe others would call him a fake.
As soon as they had had breakfast they found the guide waiting, mountedon his own horse; and then the bustle of preparation began. Tubby had tobe helped more than a few times, for he became so excited that he couldnot remember where he had left a number of important things. Andyfinally declared that it was lucky that the fat scout's head was firmlyattached to his body, for otherwise he would be losing that also!
"Well," answered Tubby, grinning, "even if that did happen, I wouldn'tbe the first feller who'd gone and lost his head, would I? I'd like tohave ten dollars for every time you have, Andy Bowles."
Finally everything was in readiness, and they started; but there were nocheers wafted after them on this occasion. The boys, acting under theadvice of the general, had been very careful not to tell a single personother than Mardo Lopez what they intended doing. The rebels had manysecret sympathizers on that shore of the Rio Grande; and perhaps one ofthese might think it worth while to transmit the news across that alittle party of gringo boy soldiers contemplated invading the sacredsoil of Mexico.
Leaving the lively town of El Paso behind, the little party struck alongthe river, and continued to gallop for several hours, until they came tothe place where the ford mentioned by Lopez lay.
The cautious native guide was very careful to keep a bright lookout, notwishing to have his charges fired on from either bank of the streamwhile crossing.
"Better you wait here, young senors," he observed, as they pulled up inthe shelter of some scrub trees that grew on a rise; "as for me, I willgo over and take a look around on the other side. When you hear me call,and I wave my hand, it is a sign that you cross safely."
"All right, Lopez, we're on to what you mean," Andy told him.
They watched him crossing the stream, taking note of what he did, so asto keep the current from pushing his mount from the shelf that made thewater so shallow.
"We must copy exactly that way of doing," Rob directed the rest. "Inever crossed a river at a ford in my life; and certainly not onhorseback. But it seems easy enough once you've got the hang of things."
"Huh! won't be any trouble at all," Tubby assured him, being confidentof his ability to keep his horse headed right; and Andy also declaredthat it looked "just as easy as falling off a log."
Lopez, after pulling out on the other side, rode some distance up anddown, as well as back from the river, in order to make sure that theremight not be a party of natives, whether Federals, rebels, or bandits,lying in ambush. Should such a party open fire upon the boys while theywere in the middle of the stream, they would be next to helpless toreturn the shots.
"There, he's waving his hat, now, and beckoning to us to come on!"exclaimed Mer
ritt, as the guide came galloping down close to the edge ofthe river. "That means the coast is clear, and we can cross over inpeace. Rob, after you!"
Rob started in, and so well had he taken note of his landmarks, that hewas able to follow exactly after the guide. At the same time he kept hishorse's head turned partly up-stream, so that it could resist the sweepof the swift current. Had the flank of the animal caught the full forceof the rushing water the crossing would have been more difficult.
Merritt came after Rob, then Andy, and last, but far from least, Tubby.No sooner did the latter find himself in water deep enough to wet hishalf-drawn-up feet than he realized that to a novice this crossing aford was not such a simple thing after all. He tried his best to followAndy, and in so doing exposed the side of his horse to the swing of thecurrent more than policy would seem to dictate.
In consequence of this indiscretion, presently Tubby began to find thathe could no longer keep exactly in the wake of the scout just ahead ofhim. Then he discovered that he was constantly losing ground, so tospeak, and being carried further and further down the river, a foot at atime.
He could hear Lopez shouting something, but as the Mexican hadunconsciously lapsed into Spanish, of course poor Tubby failed tounderstand a single word of the instructions he was calling.
"Hey, I'll have to swim for it, fellers!" the fat boy shouted; thoughjust what good it would do to inform his comrades of his predicament hecould not have told had he been asked.
Rob turned in the saddle and saw that unless a miracle came to pass,Tubby was bound to get a wetting. He started to call out something, andthen stopped short, for it was useless to try and tell the lucklessscout what to do. Already his horse had reached the end of the ford andwas in deep water, swimming lustily for the shore; while the alarmedTubby threw both arms around the animal's neck, and held on for dearlife.
Whether there was any real danger in the situation or not the other boyscould not, of course, say; but Tubby's way of clasping his short armsabout his horse's neck so as to prevent himself from being washedoverboard was so comical that they had to laugh, even while urging theirown mounts to the farther shore, so as to be on hand to renderassistance if such should be needed.
To Tubby it was all serious enough; and no doubt just then he imaginedthat he stood a fair chance of being separated from his possessions andcarried down the Rio Grande, perhaps to an untimely death.