"Which side does he belong to?" asked Adrian. "Huerta or Carranza?" "Neither. He is simply a bandit, and his followers prey upon any whom they find unprotected." "And do you really think they are going to hold up and rob the train from Pachuca?" "_Sin duda!_" meaning without doubt. "Then we must prevent them," declared Donald emphatically. "What business is it of ours?" asked Billie. "If one bunch of Mexicans wants to rob another bunch, especially if the second bunch are Huertistas, I don't know that it is for us to interfere. I'm not looking for trouble." "You're not afraid, are you? If----" "Say, Don," interrupted Billie, "what's the use of always asking such foolish questions? If I remember rightly, the last time you asked me that question was up on the Rio Grande a year ago, about the time that I was swimming rivers and breaking into prisons with the Texas Rangers to get you and Ad out of trouble. Now why----" Donald held up both hands. "That's enough, Billie," he laughed. "I'll take it all back. Of course you're not afraid. But I insist we must prevent this hold-up." "And again I ask, why?" "Because there may be women and children on the train and----" "That's enough," exclaimed Billie. "You needn't go on with the rest. But what's the plan? We're a good ten miles from those chaps--unless we had an airship." "And then how far do you think it is?" queried Adrian. "Well," replied Billie slowly, as he squinted up one eye, "I should say they are about four miles away as the crow flies. But we are not crows. By the Real road, it is at least ten miles." "There must be a short cut somewhere," insisted Donald. "There is," explained Pedro. "Just around the next turn in the road there is a goat path that leads down to the river. If you are not afraid of getting wet----" "There you go," laughed Billie. "Afraid of getting wet! Just let's settle it once for all that we are not afraid of anything that it is right for us to do." Pedro laughed good-naturedly. "Well, then, since we are not afraid of getting wet, we can follow the river for about two miles by fording it several times, and emerge on the plain a mile this side of the clump of trees which hides those fellows from the highway." "And then what?" from Billie. "That is as far as I've gone." "Then you'll have to do better. Just as soon as we emerge from behind those trees, we'll be a fair target. Four against twenty is 'most too much on an open plain." For several minutes no one spoke. It was Adrian who broke the silence. "I think I see a way, not only to save the train, but possibly to capture the bandits." The boys looked up in surprise. "Do you notice how the railroad curves in toward the hills just after it crosses the river bridge?" he continued, pointing out the place he meant. "Sure, we see it," from Billie.