le to collect his thoughts. He was lying upon his back and looking up into darkness. He tried

and could move his hands about, he realized that he was lying in the bottom of a boat and

It was dinnertime the last I remember, and I do

n sprang over him and beached the boat, and Billie could feel it being pulled up onto the shore. Then a l

the man had been gazing silently into his

say "good evening" because it was dar

ly, but turned and

id Billie. "I thin

ling in his head and in the pit of his s

I get for going without my dinner. But I've

e it out, and so he closed his eyes and lay p

a coarse bed and by the light that came in through a small grated window in the ceiling, h

the walls were a couple of old-fashioned gun-racks, but no guns. The general impression it gave was not ple

t that came to his mind. "I'm out of the bo

and this time found that he w

the bed, and no windows save the one in the ceiling. Then he happened to think of his revolver, and fel

for want of anything better to do, he lay back on the be

or open, footsteps approach his bed

ee bending over him a strange-looking individual, who reminded him s

a voice in English, whose owner Billie could

adly hurt. I think he w

but see to it that he does not escape. Our s

llie as he heard the speaker withdraw. "To be k

and threw his hands over

his mental resolve. "I'll make them think I'm

head and again he observed the man

gain his voice was a

u feel badly

ed to Billie to wonder how he hap

in a voice that sounded most strange to him: "I

jailer, Billie was trying to determine. "You stru

of the rock; but at the word, the happenings

that bunch and they have brought me here-wherever this is. That must ha

just lay quiet as he felt a cooling lotion applied to his

you don't mind," he finally

ut as he learned afterwards he must have slept nearly twenty-four hours. The strange man still stood b

gnize either of them, but was brought

have been hunting and lost your foothold. I have sent word to your frien

n absolutely certain that he was a bad man, he would have believed hi

cape me. That is a matter of Mexican politics of which you young Americans know nothing. The

justified in saying "thank you," and sitting up in his bed to

Santiago, as Billie ate his

but I don't feel e

ou want some more?" as Billie emp

sides soup," declared Billi

m a tray which he had placed on

hey look pretty good. I'm sure I

ozo?" he asked as he fi

was the soft but dignified rep

ut he didn't think it wise to ask, so he simply sai

come to sp

rstand. Don Rafael is the only one here who

ught: "Funny, isn't it, that English is a for

get up?" Santiag

don't mind, I think I'll

. I'll be

lay with wide-open eyes

wonder where Donald and Adrian are, and if they really do know what has become of me. Of course they'll

h came the sunlight as the leaves which almost covered it o

ought. "If I could only get through that, I'd

nd wishing he were on the

omething shut

Billie. "I wonder

removed and the sun shone in again,

up in bed, "there's something looking i

tood directly under the

?" Then all of a sudden: "It might be Pedro

a low whine, a

ch excited. "There must be somebody with him. They m

a sharp bark and im

own; but not for an instant did he take his eyes from the little window in the ceiling. He could tell by the way the glints

ftly called, and then Billie recognized th