"This will be enough for one meal, caballeros?" he asked.
"Oh, plenty," nodded Tom.
"And then I have some of our Mexican beans, dried," Nicolas continued. "They will do when we are not so near a food supply. I have also a little dish in which to boil them over a fire. Oh, we shall get along excellently, caballeros."
Shortly the very simple meal was ready and eaten in record time.
"And here is something else that we shall drink in the morning," Nicolas announced, presently as he held up a package. "It is chocolate."
As Tom and Harry both detested this beverage, they were forced to feign their enthusiasm.
"Now, I feel as though we ought to do some walking," Tom declared, rising and stretching.
"Walking?" queried Nicolas. "Where?"
"Over the hills to the nearest telegraph station. There is one within twenty miles, is there not?"
"There is, caballero," Nicolas assented, gravely, "but it will be impossible for us to reach it."