CHAPTER XXVIII

A STRANGE DISCOVERY

As nearly as Dave and Roger could calculate, there were about two
hundred of the Mexican guerrillas--dirty and fierce-looking
individuals, led by an officer wearing an enormous hat and a long,
drooping mustache.

The entire crowd looked disreputable in the extreme, and the youths
could not help but shudder as they gazed at the cavalcade.

"My gracious, Dave! do you call those revolutionists?" remarked Roger,
after the last of the horsemen had disappeared down the roadway.

"They may be revolutionists, Roger. But to my mind they look more like
bandits than anything else. Under the pretense of aiding Mexico they
probably steal whenever they get the chance."

"I'd hate awfully to fall into their clutches. I think they'd rob a
fellow of every dollar he had."

"Well, never mind those Mexicans, Roger," pursued Dave. "Come on, let
us see if we can't locate Ward Porton."

"He went over into one of yonder buildings."

"I know it, and I've got an idea," answered our hero. "Let us see if
we can't sneak across the roadway without being seen and then come up
to those buildings through the thick grass and behind that chaparral.
If we expose ourselves Porton will, of course, keep out of our sight
or run away."

With extreme caution the two chums worked their way through the
tall grass to the edge of the roadway. Then, watching their chance
when nobody seemed to be looking, they dashed to the other side and
into the grass again. Then they began to work their way cautiously in
the direction of the group of buildings into which the former
moving-picture actor had disappeared.

The buildings belonged to a Mexican ranch; but the place had evidently
been the scene of a fight at some time in the past, for one of the
buildings was completely wrecked and several of the others much
battered. There were no horses, cattle, pigs, or chickens anywhere in
sight; and the youths came to the conclusion that the ranch had been
abandoned by its owner.

"Probably some of those guerrillas came along and cleaned him out,"
observed Dave, "and after that he didn't think it would be worth while
to stay so long as the country was in a state of war."

In a few minutes more Dave and his chum gained the first of the
buildings. Here they paused to listen and to look around.

"You want to be on your guard, Roger," whispered our hero. "Porton may
be watching us and he may have some of his friends here. For all