apsed, before Coyote Pete returned. His reappearance was not an
orderly one. Instead, he landed in the interior of the altar in one
bound. His face was streaming with sweat, and he looked anxious and
worried.

"What news?" asked Jack.

"The worst," was the rejoinder.

"Have they found our camp?"

"Not yet, but that's only a question of a few minutes now. At present
they are unhitching and cooking a meal. Luckily the shade at this time
of day lies to the north-west of the mesa, so that they may not explore
the other side for some time."

"Let us hope not. But what have you found out about them? What are
they doing here?"

"Just what I suspicioned. They are a part of a gang of gun-runners."

"Gun-runners?"

"Yes. From listening to their conversation, I have found out that this
insurrection's a heap worse than we ever supposed. Half of Chihuahua
is up in arms ag'in the government, and they are plotting to blow up
railroad bridges, cut wires, and paralyze the country generally. Then
they are goin' ter raid all the American mines and get the gold."

"Why, dad's mine's in Chihuahua, close to the border," gasped Jack.

"I know it. I heard that greaser ragamuffin, Black Ramon, mention his
name. Your dad's the first one they're goin' after----"

"The scoundrels."

"They owe him a grudge, you know, and now's their chance to get even."

"Do they know that dad is in Mexico now?"

"I didn't hear that. All I found out was what I told you, and that, as
I said, they are running guns across the border. That wagon's loaded
up with machine-guns in heavy cases. They are labeled as agricultural
machinery, and were taken off the train by white accomplices seventy
miles or more from here. They chose this part of the border, I guess,
as even Uncle Sam would never suspect any one of trying ter get guns
over them hills yonder."

"Well, they can't take a wagon over those rocky, desolate places. How
are they going to get them across, do you suppose?" asked the
professor, his pain almost forgotten in the tense interest of the
moment.

"That's just the funny part uv it," said Pete; "they never mentioned
the mountains. You don't suppose there's any other way they could get
'em over the border, do you?"

"Maybe they have an airship," suggested Walt Phelps.

"Maybe," said Pete quite gravely, "I wouldn't put nothin' past a
greaser."

"Hush!" exclaimed Ralph suddenly, "somebody's coming."

With beating hearts