He left the room hurriedly to give his orders.
Steve looked enviously at his two friends who were in a perfect frenzy of eagerness and anticipation.
“Some fellows have all the luck,” he grumbled. “Here I am tied to this shack while you ginks are on your way for a fight with the greasers. It isn’t a square deal.”
“You’re getting your share all right,” replied Dick. “We wouldn’t be going at all if it hadn’t been for this old shack, as you call it, and the radio set that’s in it. Then too, perhaps you’ll have another message from Phil tomorrow. If you do, let us have it right away. We’ll keep in touch with you by radio from the plane.”
“You bet I’ll stick to this old radio set like a long lost brother,” replied Steve. “Probably though, Phil won’t dare to radio in the daytime for fear of being observed, and on the other hand I won’t dare to send to him for fear the clicking of the signal may betray him. But if anything does come, I’ll be right here.”
As the boys were about to go out, the door was flung open without knocking, and into the room swaggered the insolent Mexican messenger of Espato’s whom they had been expecting.
“Ah, senors,” he said with a sweeping bow that had mockery in it, “Eet ees me, you see. A leetle late but still I come. Zee money. Ees eet ready?”
Behind his back the boys carefully closed the door.
Steve rose slowly to his feet.
“It has been hard to get,” he said apologetically. “In fact, I’m afraid we can’t give you so much.”