Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Suzan Flanagan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net [Illustration: "THIS IS NO PLACE FOR ME," COMMENTED BILLIE AS HE KEPT HIMSELF WELL HIDDEN BEHIND A GIANT CACTUS. _The Broncho Rider Boys with Funston at Vera Cruz. Page 33._] The Broncho Rider Boys With Funston at Vera Cruz OR Upholding the Honor of the Stars and Stripes By FRANK FOWLER AUTHOR OF "The Broncho Rider Boys with the Texas Rangers," "The Broncho Rider Boys at Keystone Ranch," "The Broncho Rider Boys Down in Arizona," "The Broncho Rider Boys Along the Border," "The Broncho Rider Boys on the Wyoming Trail." [Illustration] A. L. BURT COMPANY NEW YORK. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright, 1916 BY A. L. BURT COMPANY THE BRONCHO RIDER BOYS WITH FUNSTON AT VERA CRUZ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- THE BRONCHO RIDER BOYS WITH FUNSTON AT VERA CRUZ. CHAPTER I. A DARING ADVENTURE. "Let me look, Billie," and Donald reached out his hand for the field glass through which Broncho Billie was gazing down from the summit of Real del Monte upon the plain of Quesco, through which the Pachuca river winds its way. "Maybe I can make out who they are." Billie handed over the glass without a word and stood expectant, while Donald scrutinized closely a body of horsemen--twenty or more in number--which had halted beside the railroad that connects the little city of Pachuca with the City of Mexico. "They are not soldiers, that's certain," was Donald's comment after he had inspected the riders carefully for a couple of minutes. "That's what I thought," from Billie. "They look like a bunch of _vaqueros_ to me; but what would a crowd of fifty cowpunchers be doing in a country where the only cattle are goats?" "That's right!" laughed Donald, greatly amused at Billie's odd expression, "but still that is what they appear to be. Perhaps they are expecting a drove of cattle up on the train." "More likely they are expecting a load of bullion going down to the City of Mexico," remarked the third of the party. "What do you think, Pedro?" turning to the fourth of the boys who composed the quartette. "I am afraid you are right, Adrian," replied Pedro, with an accent which denoted that of the four he was the only one who was not of an English-speaking race. "You don't think they would hold up a train in broad daylight, and that not more than five miles from town, do you?" queried Billie. "If they are what I suspect," declared Pedro, "I think they would hold it up at the station, if there were only a few more of them." "And what do you think they are?" "I think they are Zapatistas." "What are they?" asked Donald. "Followers of the bandit leader, Emilio Zapata."