CHAPTER XIV.

APRIL TWENTY-ONE.

"Boys," said Mr. Black the following morning as they were preparing to pay a visit to the jefe politico, "I want you to do me a favor."

The boys looked at him in surprise.

"Well, what is it?" asked Donald, when Mr. Black did not immediately continue.

"I want you to accept, as a mark of my appreciation of your bravery and good services, the horses upon which you are mounted and the accoutrements."

The look of surprise on the faces of the boys deepened.

"I am sure, sir," replied Donald, speaking for the others, "we should be pleased to accept them if we were expecting to remain in the country. We hope, however, to leave Vera Cruz in a very few days."

"Boys," and Mr. Black's face was most serious, "there is no knowing when you will reach Vera Cruz; much less leave it."

"What do you mean?" from Billie.

"I had a long talk with my friend, Don Ramon, last night after you were in bed and he tells me that the railroad between here and Vera Cruz is in the hands of Gen. Maas, the other side of Guayabo, and there is almost no chance of your being allowed to pa.s.s through the lines."

"Why not?" from Adrian.

"Well, you see, since we have heard anything, relations between the two countries have become more and more strained and the United States has practically declared a blockade on Vera Cruz.

The entire Atlantic fleet is a.s.sembled outside and there is liable to be a clash at any time."

"Then we'll accept the horses, Mr. Black," spoke up Donald, "and we'll ride to Vera Cruz. It can't be more than fifty miles."

"Forty-six by rail," said Mr. Black. "I kind of thought you might like to try and make it, is why I want to give you the horses,"

and the speaker smiled knowingly.

"The sooner we start the better, I expect," said Adrian.

"Yes; after you pay your respects to the mayor."

The foregoing conversation explains how it happened that on the morning of April 21, 1914, the Broncho Rider Boys looked down from a little hill, the top of which was covered by tropical foliage, upon the harbor of Vera Cruz, with the American fleet in the offing.

By a circuitous route and by two nights of riding, hiding in the day, the boys had reached this spot about an hour after sunrise.

"Whew!" was Billie's exclamation as he looked out across the harbor at the men-of-war flying the American flag. "There's a bunch of them, isn't there?"

"Sure is," from Adrian, "and they look peaceable, too."

"You never can tell by the looks of a toad how far it will jump,"

laughed Donald. "But peaceable or warlike, I'd like mighty well to be on board one of them."

"Here, too," from Billie. "I wonder how we're going to make it."

"How would it do for one of us to try and get into town and find the American consul?" queried Adrian.

"Fine," from Donald, "if he succeeded; but bad if he did not."

"Then what had we better do?"

"Give it up. Suppose we wait here a while and something may turn up."

"I'd like to know what can turn up?" asked Billie.

"I don't know; but I was thinking that one of the ships might happen to send a boat ash.o.r.e for something. If we saw it coming, we could ride quickly into town."

Adrian laughed. "I reckon it would be just as hard to get through the Mexican lines then as now. No! I'm going out to reconnoiter."

It was an hour later when he returned.

"I've found a way," he said as he threw himself on the ground and fanned himself vigorously with his hat. "It's down by the water works. There are several Americans down there."

"Good," said Billie. "Let's go. I'm getting mighty hungry."

"Now don't be in a rush," cautioned Adrian. "There's a picket between here and there. We'll have to ride easy. You put the saddles on the horses. I'm pretty well tired. I want to tell you it's hot."

Billie was busy with the horses when Don suddenly pointed out toward the American men-of-war.

"Look!" he exclaimed. "There's something doing."

And sure enough there was.

Out from behind two of the largest vessels there suddenly darted a number of launches loaded with blue-jackets and marines.

In another instant they had headed for the sh.o.r.e, while out behind them trailed the American flag.

The boys sprang to their feet and watched the approaching boats with the utmost interest.

"There must be a thousand of them!" exclaimed Billie.

"More than that," said Donald, as his eyes ran over the oncoming boats. "There's nearer fifteen hundred."

"And look there," cried Adrian. "See those two smaller ships moving in toward sh.o.r.e."

"What do you suppose they are going to do?" asked Billie, all in a tremor of excitement.

"Looks to me," replied Donald, "like they were going to capture the town."

"Why, that's war!" from Adrian.

"Well, isn't that what we've been expecting? I wish I knew what it all means."