“You see, it was this way!” said Dick. “When that awful explosion happened,” he made an expressive gesture, “our ponies got just as wild as any wild horses of the plains.” Then the lad rapidly sketched the course of events. He told about the mad dash the horses had made; how he had narrowly escaped being jerked from the saddle by Cranny Beaumont’s horse; the wild race that followed, during which “Starlight” succeeded in breaking away and was seen no more.
“An’ if I don’t ever get hold o’ him again, I’ll certainly be on my uppers with a vengeance!” murmured Cranny.
Fortunately the party had managed to keep together, but in their efforts to capture “Starlight” a great deal of time elapsed before they rode back into the plaza again.
Passing the hotel every one was surprised and delighted to see Jimmy Raymond standing on the veranda. While the party had gone in search of him the lad was making his way to the hotel in order to find his new-found friends.
“Oh! If you had only known!” murmured Tom, regretfully.
“However, when we saw Jimmy it all looked as though the finish of the story had been written,” declared Dick.
“And how did the ‘to be continued’ part come in?” questioned Cranny eagerly.
“Two whopping big policemen, seeing the bunch, sauntered up. I guess they imagined the Constitutionalists’ attack would be easily repulsed. Both of ’em began to fire a lot of questions at us. Then one suddenly discovered a pocket camera in Edmunds’ coat. That settled it—we might be spies for all they knew—several Americans had been caught doing just that sort of work for the Constitutionalists—we couldn’t bluff them!”
“Well, wasn’t that about the limit!” exclaimed Tom, indignantly.
“Ralph Edmunds, of course, talked right up to the men. It didn’t do a bit of good, however; the bunch was ordered to proceed at once to the police station.”