CHAPTER XXI.

ON RAMIREZ’S TRAIL.

Jack had been listening but at the same time his thoughts had been busy with conjectures. To him, it did not seem likely that Ramirez had laid his plans solely in order that he might lure Don Ferdinand into his power. Some other motive there must be. And his thoughts leaped to Rafaela. With the departure of her father and the major portion of his men, she would be left with but slim protection in her mountain fastness. Was it possible that Ramirez had deliberately planned affairs so that she should be left defenceless? He could not understand why this supposition occurred to him, not realizing that Rafaela was in the background of all his thoughts of late to a greater extent than he appreciated; but occur it did. And now he remembered, too, that when leaving home to fly to Laredo, he had been unable to gain a response to his radio calls to Rafaela.

Was it possible that already evil had befallen her? A sudden fear clutched at his heart. The others were talking among themselves, excitedly. Snatches of their conversation informed Jack that the aviators of the Border Patrol were discussing this turn of events and what it would mean for them, inasmuch as it placed in their possession the clew to a traffic in human contraband which would have to be broken up. Don Ferdinand for the moment no longer occupied the center of attention, and Jack, noting this, slipped around behind his chair and leaning over the back of the chair, addressed him in a low voice.

The old man listened a moment and then looked up startled, while over his features came an expression of alarm. He half started out of his chair.

“Jack, I am the fool,” he said. “That devil Ramirez, he have seen my daughter two-three month ago at the fiesta and have try to kees her. My men, they have beat him. He nurses revenge. It is for that revenge I think he try to get me in his power. But, no, it is that he may carry off my daughter while I am away. Fool, fool,” he cried, and struck his head with his clenched fist. Then his eyes brightened.

“But, no, Jack. If he want to carry off my daughter, why is he here?”

“I thought of that, too,” replied Jack. “But maybe he is trying to combine business with pleasure. While he conducts his smuggling operations, and lures you out of the way in pursuit of him, some lieutenant may be swooping down and carrying Rafaela away.”

Don Ferdinand frowned, twisting his mustaches ferociously. “He is a devil. He is smart as Satan himself. Perhaps, it is that you are right, Jack.”

Jack persisted. “Look here, Don Ferdinand. This fellow Ramirez had a band with him before he took your men away from the mine, didn’t he? Well, if he took a score from you, and that’s about all he brought this way with him, he must have left others behind in the mountains. He—”

“Enough, Jack. You are right.” Don Ferdinand leaped to his feet. “Fool, fool,” he cried again, once more striking his head.

At this gesture and outburst the others gained their feet and gathered around the pair, demanding to know what was the matter. As briefly as he could, Jack explained. In conclusion he added that so far as he could see, the first thing to do was to get into communication with Don Ferdinand’s ranch. Radio was the only means. Therefore, he would have to go at once to the flying field in order to call the ranch station.

The big fellow was dismayed. His handsome features were flushed. And his father, knowing more than the others of how Jack’s affections were involved, moved to his side and threw an arm across his shoulders.

“Easy, son,” he said. “If Ramirez intended to carry off Rafaela, he would have boasted of it to Don Ferdinand when he had our friend in his power.”

“Maybe so, Dad,” said Jack. “On the other hand, Ramirez might have been saving up that choice bit of information for a denouement. Anyhow, I think the best thing to do is to try and get in touch with Rafaela at once.”

“If you can’t get an answer, Jack,” Frank suggested, “suppose we fly out there in your plane.”

At that Captain Cornell shook his head. “It’ll be dark in another two hours,” he said. “And you couldn’t get started under an hour from now. The flight would take three hours. It would be folly to make the trip in your plane, Jack. You may know all that country well, but landing at night is a very different matter from making a daylight landing. If you were forced down, hm!” He shrugged his shoulders and spread out his hands in an eloquent gesture.

“There’s a landing field at Don Ferdinand’s,” Jack expostulated. “And nothing would go wrong that would force me down between here and there.”

“You never can tell,” said Captain Cornell. “Besides,” he added, turning to the others, “we have something else to think about. Don Ferdinand,” he added, addressing the latter directly, “you were in that house longer than I. Besides, Ramirez boasted to you of what he was planning to do. Now I saw numerous pallets there, indicating that a good many Orientals had slept there only recently. Did Ramirez reveal what had become of them and when he intended to try to smuggle them over the Border?”

“They were taken out of Nueva Laredo last night,” said Don Ferdinand. “That much, he tell me. One was stabbed in a fight, but could walk. They are walking toward Carana.”

“Not on horseback?”

“No. And he say, this devil Ramirez, that he will put them across the Rio Grande tonight,” Don Ferdinand added.

“Boys,” said Captain Cornell, decisively. “That means work for us.”

The members of the Border Patrol nodded, their eyes bright. All but Captain Murray. “But Ramirez knows we’ll be on his trail,” he objected. “He knows we’re in it. Otherwise, Cornell, why did he capture you?”

“Huh. He was in that crowd in Nueva Laredo last night, when Don Ferdinand and the boys and I got together. Saw me stop Don Ferdinand and bring him back. Then he turned around and mixed in with the crowd. So he knew Don Ferdinand and I were acquainted. When he saw me examining his auto, out there in front of his house, or rather, Don Ferdinand’s stolen auto, he socked me. But—he doesn’t know I’m an aviator, or that you fellows who came to my rescue are aviators. I guess he’s still trying to figure out how you came to the rescue.”

Captain Murray’s brow cleared. “Good. Then he doesn’t know that the Border Patrol is on his trail. What a sweet surprise we’ll spring on him at Carana. We’ll take your ship and mine. I’ll telephone the field to warm ’em up—and they’ll be ready when we arrive.”

He turned to the room telephone. Jack halted him. “Tell them to warm my ship up, too, Captain, please,” he begged. “If I can’t get Don Ferdinand’s daughter by radio, I’ll have to fly over there.”

“One hundred and fifty miles,” interrupted Captain Cornell. “And dark in little more than an hour from now. You can’t do it, Jack. Night-flying is nothing for an inexperienced man to undertake.”

“We’ll see,” said Jack. “Anyway, you have my ship warmed up for me, please, Captain Murray.”

Leaving the room abruptly, with the remark that he would return in a short time, Jack went toward his own room on the same floor. A gabble of voices floated upstairs from the lobby, where the bull fight of the afternoon was under discussion. Frank and Bob, true comrades, followed him.

“What you going to do, Jack?”

“Get a sweater and helmet.” Jack’s lips set in a grim line.

“If you go, we’re going with you.”

“We’ll talk about that later. Thanks, though, fellows.”

As they returned, the aviators were emerging into the hall. With them were Mr. Hampton, Mr. Temple and Don Ferdinand, all wearing anxious faces.

“Here he is,” cried Captain Cornell. “Listen, Jack. We’ve decided what to do.”

The two groups faced each other.

“It wouldn’t do, Jack, it wouldn’t do at all, for you to fly in your boat to Don Ferdinand’s. Your boat is all right, I know, a peach of a little craft. But it isn’t equipped with a searchlight, and it’s too frail to be trusted in a forced night landing. Besides, you haven’t any experience in night-flying. So if it seems necessary to make a flight to Don Ferdinand’s, you and I’ll go in a De Haviland.”

Jack’s face which had been growing more and more set in a grim look of determination, lightened materially. “Oh, say, Captain, that’ll be fine,” he said. “You’re a white man.” And he gripped the other’s hand.

“Hm!” Captain Cornell grunted. “Come on, we’re all going out to the field. The fellows have their car at the door, and we’ve ordered a couple of taxis.”

In the hotel lobby, the group attracted considerable attention from the various groups of old-timers and tourists scattered about. Jack Hannaford, the old ex-Ranger, huge, grizzled, mustached, strode up to Captain Cornell.

“Howdy,” he cried. Then in a lower voice, he added: “Looks like trouble for somebody, when doggone near the whole Laredo flight of the Border Patrol puts its heads together. Got something you can let me in on?”

The others were going on. Captain Cornell was tempted to tell Hannaford of the expedition that was afoot. He liked the old Ranger. No harm could be done by it. On the other hand, nothing was to be gained. And his companions were waiting for him.

“Yes, a little expedition up the river, Hannaford,” he said. “I’m in a hurry. Excuse me now, and I’ll tell you about it later.”

Hannaford stepped closer and dropped his voice still lower. “Is it about Ramirez?” he asked. “You was asking ’bout him yestiddy, you know.”

“Ramirez?” gasped Captain Cornell. “Yes, Hannaford, it is. What do you know about him?”

“Nothing much,” said Hannaford, in a deceptively indifferent voice. “Only I know where he is.”

“You know where he is.”

“Uh. Doc Garfield jist telephoned me, right here in the lobby, that he got Ramirez in his office. The duck come in with a bullet through his arm. Broken. Wanted it set.”

“Hampton’s bullet did that. Doc Garfield? Where? Here in Laredo?”

“Uh-huh. Down near the Bridge.”

“Great guns.” The excited Captain Cornell stared incredulously at his informant. “Why’d this doctor call you?”

“Good friend o’ mine. Knows I got a grudge to settle with Ramirez. Wanted to know if there was any warrant out for him. Doc Garfield, he’s an old-timer. Knows these Border ruffians, most of ’em, by sight, anyways.”

“And you told him—”

“Tol’ him? What could I tell him? Tol’ him they was no warrants out that I knew of. But I was on my way to light out for Garfield’s when I see you come inta the lobby. Jist hung up the ’phone.”

“Hannaford, listen. No, wait a minute. My friends must hear of this. Oh, shucks, come with me. That’s the best way.”

Captain Cornell seized the old ex-Ranger by an arm and half-urged, half-drew him out of the lobby to the street.