the string of flat cars and the snorting steam engine were waiting when jack, mr. ryder, the new assistant engineer and captain alvarez arrived. indeed, the soldiers and rurales were already hurrying their prisoners aboard. wicked-looking regulars were stationed at each end of the cars and there appeared to be small chance of any of the peons escaping from the train during its journey toward the capital.
in half an hour everything was ready. jack found that a large group of workmen had gathered to see him depart and he shook hands with each one of them before he finally swung aboard the platform of the yellow caboose and took his place beside mr. ryder and captain alvarez. slowly the little train gathered headway and with the cheers of the men ringing[227] in his ears jack straw said good-by to necaxa. but the string of cars had scarcely gone two hundred yards when a figure elbowed its way through the crowd of workmen and soldiers and came swinging down the narrow track at a rapid pace. his shoulder was bandaged about with white cloth and at his heels followed a tawny, long-eared hound. it was miguel, the indian runner, and his dog.
after some effort the agile messenger overtook the train and jumped aboard the steps of the caboose. hastily he held out his hand toward jack and mumbled something in spanish. the lad from vermont was greatly pleased that the redman was so eager to say farewell to him that he risked jumping aboard the moving train, and he wrung the indian’s hand warmly.
“what did he say?” asked jack of mr. ryder when the messenger had swung to the ground.
“he said ‘i am still in debt to you for saving my dog. many thanks, many thanks,’” replied mr. ryder.
“well, it strikes me that he paid that debt off several times during the last few days,”[228] laughed jack as he waved to the indian who remained standing in the center of the track watching the departing cars.
the news of the battle and the treachery of nedham at necaxa reached the capital over the long-distance telephone wire long before the train with the prisoners arrived and when jack and mr. ryder entered the american hotel after nedham and the rest of the prisoners had been turned over to the proper authorities, they found the evening papers crowded with the news. pictures of the prisoners that had been brought in, pen sketches of the battle and photographs of the plant at necaxa occupied the front page of the dailies and scare headlines fairly shouted the details attending the capture of josé cerro and his band. fortunately one of the papers printed an american as well as a mexican edition and jack was able to read the full account of his own adventures.
the capture of josé cerro was the subject of conversation in the dining-room of the hotel that evening too, and many of mr. ryder’s friends sought him out and congratulated him[229] on the successful way in which he had handled things at necaxa through all the trouble. indeed, after a time the publicity that they were attracting became distasteful to the two americans and they made haste to finish their meal.
but just as they were leaving the dining-room a tall sun tanned individual rushed up and clapping mr. ryder on the shoulder fairly shouted:
“why, harry ryder, you old fighting engineer, i am glad to see you alive after such a mixup. and as i live here is my young friend, jack straw.” jack instantly recognized the man as mr. warner, the marine engineer whom he had met on board the yucatan on his way south to vera cruz. the lad was more than pleased to see mr. warner once more and shook hands cordially.
“hello there, jim warner!” exclaimed mr. ryder; “what the dickens are you doing down in this part of the world?”
“why, i’ve been tinkering with the old lobo’s island light for nearly a month. to tell you the truth, i’ve just finished the job and knowing that you were within a few hundred[230] miles of me i decided to run in to see you. i was going out to necaxa to-morrow and spend a week or two with you, but unfortunately that can’t be done for i’ve just received a telegram from washington instructing me to go ahead with a mighty big undertaking i’ve been figuring on. i’ll have to hustle back to the coast immediately. and in view of the fact that you have been having quite a fuss out there i’m rather glad my plans have been changed. i’m not hankering to be drilled through by a soft-nosed bullet just now,” concluded mr. warner with a smile.
“oh! you would soon get used to those little things,” said jack banteringly.
“i suppose so,” replied the marine engineer. “you must have had rather an adventurous month there.”
“indeed i did,” answered jack.
“well, how would you like to have another month of thrills? if you feel inclined that way, come along with me. if you don’t fight men you’ll fight the elements. i am going to cruise the high seas for uncle sam.”
“that sounds interesting,” said jack, “but[231] i am going north on the next steamer from vera cruz.”
“so am i, and we’ll get a chance to talk it over anyway,” said mr. warner.
vail-ballou co., binghamton and new york
the end
