“And to think that I had my hands on him and didn’t recognize him!” said Billie, almost in tears with disappointment. “That’s twice I’ve let him escape. I’ll bet I don’t do it a third time!”
[CHAPTER XIX.—WITH THE REGULAR ARMY.]
Despite the escape of Don Rafael, the expedition had been a great success. All the other gun-runners, with the possible exception of the one whom Adrian knocked into the river, had either been captured or shot, the arms had been secured for evidence, and the boat, which had been so well used, had been captured.
“It’s all very well for the Rangers,” said Billie to Donald as they were climbing into bed that night, “but it hasn’t helped me a bit. I am no nearer keeping my promise to Santiago than I was yesterday morning. In fact, I am further away, for Don Rafael will be more cautious than ever.”
“Well, I wouldn’t worry about it,” replied Donald good-naturedly. “Go to bed and sleep over it. You may dream it out. Because we’ve done our best today is no sign we cannot do better tomorrow. We profit by experience, my father says. Our very failures make us try that much harder.”
“That’s a fact,” declared Adrian. “I’ve proved that myself.”
“It doesn’t seem as though I could try much harder,” said Billie, with a vigorous shake of his head; “but as Donald says, the best thing to do now is to sleep over it,” and he tumbled into bed and was soon sleeping as soundly as though he had not just been through an ordeal which would have been a memorable one even for one much more experienced than Broncho Billie.
The events of the morrow proved that sleeping over the matter was the very best thing that could have been done, because it was the last real good night’s sleep the boys had for some time. While they were eating their breakfast the next morning, Capt. Peak came in and told them that a revolution against President Madero had already broken out and that General Felix Diaz was attacking Vera Cruz.
“So you see,” he added, “our predictions were pretty nearly correct.”
“What effect will it have upon your work?” asked Donald.