Part 16 (2/2)
”I suppose they tell their own people about them”
”Those ”
”The rebels don't care for the _aainst them, and must suffer with the Americans”
To play the part of spies in such a country as this was not easy, for the Auished from the natives Had Ben and the ht have passed for Spaniards, as each was tanned fro sun But this could not be, and so they had to go ahead and trust to luck to see theth they felt that they must be close to the enemy's picket line, and paused to consider the situation Before the at a small but deep stream which flowed into the Rio Grande River
”I think so to a hill, frolow ”There is certainly a camp-fire back there”
”There is a house just below us,” returned Ben ”Or is it a mill?”
”A ht at the water's edge”
”Perhaps the rebels are using the ate?”
Thethe streae, and were on the point of crossing, when a sharp cry rang out fro
”Hullo, that's a woman's voice!” exclaimed Ben ”Somebody is in trouble”
”Help! thief! murderer!” came in Spanish ”Oh, help, for the love of kind Heaven, help!”
”It's a woh!” ejaculated theto find out,” answered Ben The cry for aid appealed to his heart, and he bounded toward theproved to be, without further hesitation Nor was Major Morris far behind him
As they ca for a faint light that came from one of the rooms built over the mill streale was going on, for now both heard the cry for help repeated, followed by the overturning of a table Then came the voices of two men, and the cry ca so around to the front of the building, he found the rickety stairs leading to the house floor, and bounded upward The door at the top stood ajar and he pushed it in, with Major Morris at his heels The roo on in the aparth to see that his pistol had not sustained any injury in the tumble into the hole, and was ready for use, and then threw open the door before hi out of the darkness Ben could see but little, for a few seconds The rooh the haze the young captainbeside an overturned table, one with a knife in his hand To his intense surprise the ulars
”What does this ot no further, for a swift look around the room told him that the twofor help was not there
CHAPTER XVIII
THE ADVENTURE AT THE MILL-HOUSE
For the moment it must be confessed that Ben was absolutely dumfounded, and Major Morris also They had fully expected to see a woulars before them, and they could scarcely believe the evidence of their own senses
But if the officers were astonished, the men they confronted were likewise taken back, and stared in aave way to consternation