At this gesture and outburst the others gained their feet and gathered around the pair, demanding to know what was the matter. As briefly as he could, Jack explained. In conclusion he added that so far as he could see, the first thing to do was to get into communication with Don Ferdinand’s ranch. Radio was the only means. Therefore, he would have to go at once to the flying field in order to call the ranch station.
The big fellow was dismayed. His handsome features were flushed. And his father, knowing more than the others of how Jack’s affections were involved, moved to his side and threw an arm across his shoulders.
“Easy, son,” he said. “If Ramirez intended to carry off Rafaela, he would have boasted of it to Don Ferdinand when he had our friend in his power.”
“Maybe so, Dad,” said Jack. “On the other hand, Ramirez might have been saving up that choice bit of information for a denouement. Anyhow, I think the best thing to do is to try and get in touch with Rafaela at once.”
“If you can’t get an answer, Jack,” Frank suggested, “suppose we fly out there in your plane.”
At that Captain Cornell shook his head. “It’ll be dark in another two hours,” he said. “And you couldn’t get started under an hour from now. The flight would take three hours. It would be folly to make the trip in your plane, Jack. You may know all that country well, but landing at night is a very different matter from making a daylight landing. If you were forced down, hm!” He shrugged his shoulders and spread out his hands in an eloquent gesture.
“There’s a landing field at Don Ferdinand’s,” Jack expostulated. “And nothing would go wrong that would force me down between here and there.”
“You never can tell,” said Captain Cornell. “Besides,” he added, turning to the others, “we have something else to think about. Don Ferdinand,” he added, addressing the latter directly, “you were in that house longer than I. Besides, Ramirez boasted to you of what he was planning to do. Now I saw numerous pallets there, indicating that a good many Orientals had slept there only recently. Did Ramirez reveal what had become of them and when he intended to try to smuggle them over the Border?”
“They were taken out of Nueva Laredo last night,” said Don Ferdinand. “That much, he tell me. One was stabbed in a fight, but could walk. They are walking toward Carana.”
“Not on horseback?”