-ridden
land."

"I don't blame you," said Pedro, "and I hope the day will soon
come when all this trouble will be over."

"Then you agree with me that we should tackle the bandits alone,
do you?" asked Donald.

"It is the only safe way."

"All right, then," exclaimed Billie. "Let's be off. If we use a
little strategy, I'm sure we shall succeed."

He turned to mount the horse, which a minute before had been
standing a few feet away, but it was gone.

"Where's my horse?" he cried.

The others turned in surprise.

"It certainly was here a minute ago," declared Adrian.

"Then it can't be very far away," insisted Donald.

"It's so far I can't see it," replied Billie.

"There it goes!" shouted Pedro, who had jumped his mount across
the track as soon as he heard Billie's cry.

The others looked in the direction indicated, and sure enough,
there went the horse about a quarter of a mile away on a dead run
and on its back was Billie's late acquaintance, Ab.

"By George," exclaimed Billie angrily as he snatched a rifle from
Donald's holster, "I've had enough of that ape. I'll put a stop
to his foolishness," and he leveled the rifle.

But ere he could press the trigger, there was a report from
another quarter and the horse and its rider hit the dust.

CHAPTER V.

WHEN THE OLD WAS NEW.

A cry of astonishment went up from the quartette and then they
stood silent to see what would be the next move.

They did not have long to wait, for presently a tall, gaunt
figure strode out of the brambles some yards from the fallen
horse and uttered a hoarse shout, upon which Ab sprang from the
spot where he had fallen and ran toward the newcomer, giving vent
to shrill cries as he ran.

"That must be his master," muttered Billie. "I'm glad I didn't
shoot the little beggar."

"I'm more interested in the master than in the monkey," said
Donald. "He is evidently not a Mexican. Who and what do you
suppose he is?"

"An animal trainer from a circus," replied Adrian.

"There are no circuses in this part of the world," commented
Billie.

"If he only had a hand organ instead of a gun, I could place
him," laughed Donald. "What do you make out of him, Pedro?"

"It's a _saltimbanco_."

"What is that?"

"A man who goes about making people laugh."

"Oh!" from Adrian. "You mean a mountebank?"

"I think so."

"And this chap," ventured Billie, "isn't satisfied with making a
monkey of himself, but carries a real one