CHAPTER XIX.

CAPTAIN CORNELL STRIKES A CLEW.

After that it did not take long for the truth to come out. And Captain Murray’s impatience to be gone rather than risk staying where the police of Nueva Laredo were liable to come upon them, expedited matters. What had happened was that Ramirez and three others had fled to the roof, by way of a trap door so cleverly concealed as to have escaped being seen and noted by the invading Americans.

Whither they had fled was unknown, however, by Captain Cornell. Bound, gagged, flung into a corner of the big second-floor front room, he had known nothing of his captors’ movements.

“And so when Jack and I left the rest of you to explore the tunnel, Ramirez and his gang came down from the roof and jumped you?” questioned Captain Murray.

Mr. Hampton nodded. His wound was causing him pain, yet not enough to prevent him from acting as spokesman.

“I left you fellows in the cellar, and then started back upstairs. When I reached the kitchen, I was in the act of closing the door when—”

“That’s right,” interrupted Captain Murray. “You did go down the cellar and see us off. I was thinking Jack and I had gone alone and had left that cellar door standing open. You must have closed it, and locked it. Did you? Or did the Mexicans?”

“I confess I don’t know,” admitted Mr. Hampton. “But I imagine that in my excitement I must have locked the door. I’m accustomed to locking doors, anyway. It’s a habit, and I lock a door without giving the matter any thought. But the Mexicans couldn’t have done it. They didn’t come downstairs.”

“Hm! You speak of being excited. What happened?”

“Why, just as I was closing the door to the cellar I heard a dull thud coming from the floor above. Then there was a muffled shuffling of feet, as if of men wrestling.”

Quickly Mr. Hampton continued. His first instinctive feeling, after hearing those strange noises from the rooms above, was to shout to his companions and ask them what was wrong? But he resisted the impulse. He feared that in some way the enemy had returned; and, if they did not already know of his presence, he had no intention of warning them. Taking off his shoes, he moved swiftly yet soundlessly up the stairs and along the corridor toward the front room. All the time he could hear sounds as of men grunting and straining, but no shouts, no exclamations.

And when he saw into the front room, the explanation was made plain. The three aviators, including Captain Cornell and his rescuers, evidently had been taken at a disadvantage. In fact, they here confirmed Mr. Hampton’s assumption that Ramirez and his assistants had stolen upon them while Captain Cornell was being freed from his bonds.

With revolvers leveled at them and under command not to make an outcry, there was nothing the Americans could do except to comply with the request to put up their hands. This they did.

“And what I heard,” said Mr. Hampton, “was the grunting and tugging of the Mexicans as they busied themselves at the task of roping and gagging our friends.

“Then I had a piece of hard luck,” he added, with a rueful smile. “I decided to take the Mexicans by surprise, as obviously they had taken my friends. If I could get the drop on them, I might force them into a corner and hold them until you returned. And I think I would have accomplished it, too. They had their backs turned and didn’t see me. But Captain Cornell was looking my way and—”

“And I gave you away,” interrupted the flyer, bitterly. “I didn’t mean, too,” he mourned. “But something in my eyes warned Ramirez, who was looking at me.”

“He whirled quick as a flash,” added Mr. Hampton. “And he shot toward the doorway as he turned. I jumped aside, but he caught me in the shoulder.”

“Yes, and I’ll say this,” declared Captain Cornell, admiringly, “you were game to the core. Why,” he explained, turning to his friend and rescuer, Captain Murray, “that bullet in the shoulder, at that close range, was enough to knock another man down. But Mr. Hampton leaped behind the door jam, and the next second his shots began streaming into the room. Say, you should have seen those rascals jump for the windows.”

“Trouble was I had to shoot with my left hand,” Mr. Hampton explained, “and I was feeling weak, besides.”

“Out they all went, one after another,” added Captain Cornell. “It isn’t a long drop from these second-floor windows to the ground, and they took the shortest route. I’m sorry Ramirez got away. But I’m glad Mr. Hampton came when he did, for I had the feeling that Ramirez contemplated dealing out an unlovely fate to us.”

“And the rest you know,” added Mr. Hampton. “When the Mexicans cleared out I tried to get to the window to take another shot at them, but managed to get just about that far when faintness overcame me. That’s when you called, Jack,” he added, turning toward his son.

A quick council was held. It was decided that the best thing for all concerned was to get back to American soil, as soon as possible. It was not likely that Ramirez would return. But he might notify the Mexican police that a party of Americans had broken into the house; and then complications unpleasant to contemplate would arise, if the police found them in possession.

There were many things still unexplained, still a mystery. Where was Don Ferdinand? What was the particular brand of deviltry actuating Ramirez? Why had Captain Cornell been taken prisoner? But these questions would have to wait for explanation. What was of moment was that Captain Cornell had been rescued at a cost of no wounds except Mr. Hampton’s, and it not serious. And the thing to do was to get away and regain the protection of American soil. “All right,” said Mr. Hampton, when this had been agreed on. “Jack, you’ve got long legs. Run around and get our taxi and bring it here.”

Jack started away obediently, but was halted by a dismayed cry from Bob: “My flivver. My stolen flivver.”

“Leave it where it is,” said Mr. Hampton, quickly. “I noticed it bore an American license. When we get back to Laredo, I’ll find out the owner, and buy him a new car. If you undertake to run it back across the Border, you’ll be halted. And then a lot of useless explanations will have to be made. And dangerous ones, too. As for the owner,” he added, with a smile, “I’m sure he’ll not object to getting a new car for his old one.”

“I’ll say not,” said Bob, fervently, thinking of the jouncing he had received. It was a sentiment in which Captain Cornell heartily joined.

Bob left with Jack, in order to thank young Juan Salazar, who had been of such great help, and to bind him to secrecy. During their absence a hurried search was made of the house. There was little furniture, only a great number of pallets scattered through all the rooms, both upstairs and down. There were no cabinets in which to look for papers, which might offer some clew to the mystery of what was Ramirez’s occupation. And over all there hung a perceptible odor at which the searchers sniffed now and again, puzzled. It was elusive yet pungent, and its origin could not be traced. But finally Captain Murray declared with a shout that he “had it.”

The others ran up to find him standing in the middle of the floor of an upstairs room, a number of dirty pallets with their filthy blankets about his feet.

“I think I know what Ramirez is up to now,” he declared, in answer to inquiries. “Sniff, you fellows. Can’t you tell what’s in the air? It’s the reek of Orientals. Ramirez is smuggling again. But this time he’s smuggling bigger game than usual.”

“What do you mean? Opium?” asked young Harincourt.

“Opium? No.” Captain Cornell was scornful.

“Well, but you said this smell is Oriental. And I notice it, too, now that you call attention to it.”

“It’s Oriental, all right. But, look around you. See all these pallets. Fellows, this is a receiving station for human contraband. Either Chinamen or Japanese are bedded here until Ramirez can deliver them across the Border in defiance of our immigration laws. By George,” he added, drawing a long breath, “that’s it. I had a suspicion of it earlier. The racket we’ve been through rather scattered my wits. But now that I use the old head and put two and two together, I get the answer all right.”

The other nodded. Only Mr. Hampton seemed uncertain.

“I don’t know, Captain,” he said. “That leaves so much to be explained. Why should Ramirez have drawn Don Ferdinand’s workers from the mine? How did he happen to lure away my cook, Ramon? Don Ferdinand suspected Ramirez of working up a revolutionary movement, you know. That’s why he followed Ramirez here clear from his distant estate.”

“That’s all true enough,” said Captain Cornell. “But I believe when your friend Don Ferdinand turns up, you’ll find out that I’m right. However, the cars are outside. Let’s get back to Laredo as quickly as the law will allow us. The bull fight will soon be over, and if we can get across the Bridge before the crowd hits it, we’ll be better off.”

“I suppose there’s nothing else to do now,” said Mr. Hampton, reluctantly joining the procession descending the stairs. “But I’m worried about Don Ferdinand. I didn’t think so much of his failure to keep his appointment with us at the Hamilton Hotel. But when you discover that Ramirez had Don Ferdinand’s car, that puts a different complexion on the matter. He must be in captivity somewhere.”

“Say, Mr. Hampton,” said Frank, who was just ahead of him, and who halted abruptly, “what fools we are. Has anybody thought to look on the roof?”

Mr. Hampton and Captain Cornell looked blank. Then sheepish smiles of comprehension dawned. Each shook his head.

“Well,” said Frank, turning and pressing past Mr. Hampton, up the stairs. “This is the only two-story building in the neighborhood, and that means no other building overlooks the roof. It’s just barely possible that we may find something of interest up there. I’m going to see.”

“And I’ll go with you,” said Captain Cornell. “Mr. Hampton, will you please explain to the others who I see have gone on. Tell them we’ll rejoin you shortly.”

“Maybe there are some men hiding up there,” Mr. Hampton said anxiously. “Be careful.”

“Oh, we’ll be careful, all right,” said Captain Murray. “They won’t take us off guard a second time.”

“Well, I don’t like it,” said Mr. Hampton. “If there were only some way of getting a look at that roof without risk—”

But the others had re-ascended the stairs and were out of earshot.