“Exactly; only we’re not likely to discover anything at this hour of the day.”
It seems, however, that it is the unexpected that happens, and they had not ridden more than two or three miles from town before they made a discovery which brought them to a sudden halt and caused the utmost astonishment.
Not twenty feet from the river bank, entirely free from any attempt at concealment, lay at least a dozen cases of rifles and a rapid-fire Maxim.
“Well!” exclaimed Capt. Peak, as he surveyed the arms from the back of his horse, “What do you think of that?”
“The thinking doesn’t seem to be up to us,” laughed Billie. “The question is, what do you think?”
For some minutes Capt. Peak made no reply, the while his eye noted the surroundings. Then he dismounted and examined the ground carefully, while the boys watched him with interest.
“I’ll tell you what I think,” he finally exclaimed, as he came slowly back to his horse. “There has been a pretty good-sized gun-running expedition—so large, in fact, that these few arms have been entirely overlooked.”
“They must have been pretty bold to attempt such a thing so near Presidio del Norte.”
“Yes,” replied Capt. Peak, “and the very boldness of it is what helped them to succeed. This is the last place I should have looked for a crossing. I must send out and get these guns.”
“Don’t you think they will be missed later?” asked Adrian.