Chapter XXII: A Surprise for Clay

Clay and Thede met the bedraggled man at the rail. There were questions in their eyes which they dreaded to put into words.

"Mornin'," came the cheerful greeting.

Clay looked him over critically.

"You're a sight!" he said.

Rube looked down at his torn clothes, at his sodden boots, and smiled.

"They don't look very spick an' span, do they?" he asked. "But you ought to see the other boys!"

"Where's Case?" asked Paul. "He went out to catch fish off dry land, and we haven't seen him since."

In answer to Rube's wondering look, Clay explained that Case had gone in the hope of finding the string of fish dropped by Jule and Alex. Rube's only reply was a grin.

"Where are the others?" asked Paul, as Rube climbed wearily aboard the _Rambler_. "Is Case with them?" he added.

Before making any reply Rube threw himself down with a sigh of relief and drew off his boots, sodden with water from the underbrush.

"Yes, Case is with the others," he replied, then, "and the gang will be here in something like half an hour. Got any notion where we've been?" he added with a most exasperating grin.

"That's just what we're anxious to hear," replied Clay.

"Well," replied Rube, "we've been over to the United States--yes, sir, over to the good old United States!"

The boys gave the man an incredulous look, as if doubting his word. Perhaps he just thought he had been over there!

"Where did you get a boat?" asked Thede, after a long silence.

"The counterfeiters had one," was the laconic reply, "and we geezled it. We had a fine time over there--not!"

"Well, why don't you open up and tell us about it?" Clay said, irritated at the provoking deliberation of the man.

Rube looked hopelessly about, as if expecting aid from some unknown source, and was about to begin when there came a shout from the bank and Buck, Case, Alex, and Jule made their appearance. Rube looked very much relieved, and Clay stepped forward to meet the approaching men, his face wreathed in smiles.

"You're a nice boy to go after fish!" he said, giving the lad a friendly poke. "The next time we send you out, we'll keep you at home where we can watch you!"

Alex displayed a string of fish!

"Here's your old fish!" he said, with pardonable pride. "Now we'll have something to eat!"

"Are those the same fish?" Clay demanded.

"The same--the very same!" Case answered. "Say, but I could eat one, scales and all."

While the fish were cooking, and while Alex was bringing everything in the eatable line over from the _Esmeralda_, Case and Jule told of the adventures of the night.

"You see, it's just like this," he began, but Jule stopped him with a laughing remark.

"Tell about your adventures first," he said.

Captain Joe, who had been trying all this time to attract attention to himself, now sprang upon Alex and began licking his face. The boy stroked the dog's head affectionately. His side was still sore where the outlaw's bullet had cut its way through the flesh.

Case replied with a laugh, and went on with his story.

Alex and Jule had come across Case, it seemed, when he had given up all hope of finding the fish and was on his way back to the _Rambler_. The three had searched a long time for Buck and Rube, but had found them at last.

They had taken what they had believed to be a shorter way to the boat and had lost their way, being at the time of meeting Alex and Jule, traveling in the right direction.

"Why don't you get us over to God's country?" demanded Jule.

"All right!" was Case's answer. "The counterfeiters had evidently crossed over from the American side of the Rio Grande in a rowboat, for one was found in a little bayou near the point of meeting. This gave Rube an idea.

"'Why not take the prisoners across the river without going to the _Rambler_?' he asked. 'If we lock 'em up in a Mexican jail, the chances are that they will be out before our backs are turned. The people over here have little respect for the law.'

"This was finally agreed to, and we bundled the prisoners into the boat. It was a tight squeeze, getting us all in, but the feat was accomplished at last and we were across the river in a jiffy.

"We landed at a small village--a typical border town, with plenty of Mexicans in evidence. The streets ought to have been pretty quiet at that time of night, but they were anything but that.

"A company of United States soldiers--the same we had given a banquet to up the river--had possession of the town, and were making a search for the four counterfeiters! Of course we gave up the two we held, and were warmly thanked by the lieutenant in charge, who had not forgotten us by any manner of means.

"We had a midnight supper with the soldiers--a supper which took us far into the night. Then, after making a date with the lieutenant at the mouth of the Pecos river, we returned to the _Rambler_. Not much of a story, after all!"

"Well, we've got plenty of time to make the Pecos river, as the men will have a long walk, so I propose getting forty winks!" said Clay. "I didn't get enough sleep last night to put in tea! Who's for the feathers?"

"I'm afraid we can't meet you boys and the lieutenant at the mouth of the Pecos river," said Buck, after a short consultation with Rube. "You see, it's like this," he continued, "unless you boys want to stick around and watch us work, we'll have to be on our way. It's back up the river for us, but we may be at the mouth of the Pecos in time to greet you boys and the soldiers, though it's rather doubtful."

"Suppose we caucus on the proposition," suggested Alex. "For one, I'm willing to remain with Buck and Rube."

"Wouldn't it be better to go to the mouth of the Pecos, and wait for them there?" Clay cut in. "I understand that the Pecos is a peach of a stream when it comes to crooks and turns, and I'd like to see it. If it is a sure thing that you will be there within a few days, we might go on and wait for you there."

"Oh, we've got to be there, all right!" Rube declared.

"Then we're all right," cried Alex. "We'll just drop down and wait for you there. Now, what will you have to eat?"

"Why, we have just had a whale of a meal," Thede said. "Do you want to stuff us like they do hens for market?"

"That was just a lunch," laughed the boy. "A little fish breakfast! Before the trip ends, I want a chance to show what I can do in the cooking line."

So Rube and Buck went back up the river, while the _Rambler_ turned her prow to the east. Of course Alex and Jule had to have another meal.

"Do you think," smiled Jule, "that we came on this excursion to go hungry? Not much! When we get farther downstream, where we can get 'coons that are good and fat. I'll show the gang how to cook one. My mouth waters at the thought!"

As the _Rambler_ proceeded on her way, it was plain to be seen that Alex had something on his mind. He kept more than usually still, and the frown between his eyes grew more marked.

Clay noticed the change in the boy and waited for him to give the reason for it. He knew that in time the answer would come.

It came one night when Alex was on watch. It was a brilliant night in June, and the boy had been unusually thoughtful that day.

"Suppose," Alex began, "that a man died and left a big fortune--not a few thousands, but millions--and he had only one heir."

Clay knew that the thing which had been bothering Alex was on the way to the surface, and waited for him to go on.

"And suppose this man had a brother who was greedy for the big fortune, and suppose the brother also died, where would the fortune go until the heir became of age?"

"To whoever the court appointed guardian," was the reply. "Is there such a case?"

"Would the heir have any say about the appointment of the guardian?" continued the lad.

"I think he ought to," was the answer.

Alex was thoughtful for a short time and then drew from an inside pocket a folded newspaper, which he passed over to Clay.

"Perhaps you would better read the story for yourself," he said, "then you'll know all about it."

The newspaper contained a long account of the death by drowning of one Orlando Stegman.

"Where did you get this?" asked Clay, after running hastily through the article. "Is the Orlando Stegman, the person named here, the uncle of Paul?"

"Yes," was the answer. "Another part of the same newspaper contains an advertisement offering a reward for the discovery of the heir. Paul won't have to dodge about the country any more."

"Did you show him this article?" asked Clay, rising to his feet. "Tell me where you got it."

"It just appeared," was the reply. "I have no idea where it came from. It is a Chicago paper, and how a Chicago newspaper got down here is more than I can guess."

Clay turned the paper and read the date line.

"Why," he said in amazement, "the paper is over two weeks old. Well, it doesn't matter how it got here, it is here, and makes a millionaire of the boy we--or Captain Joe, rather--fished out of the Rio Grande! And a pretty good job he did, too!"

"I didn't tell Paul of the discovery," Alex said, after a pause, during which he blocked the door to the cabin, "because I didn't want to lose him. Just the minute he gets hold of that paper he'll want to be off, and I want Rube or Buck, or both, to get well acquainted with him so as to be appointed guardian. How does that strike you?"

"Fine!" exclaimed Clay.

"We might have guardians in duplicate!" Alex laughed. "Do they ever have guardians in duplicate?"

"Sometimes they have three," was the reply. "But why did you keep so sly about it? You might have told me!"

"Well," was the answer, "I was in doubt what to do about it. You see, I didn't want you to know about it until I had it all thought out. You would be apt to tell the other boys, and I didn't want to be bothered."

"What are you going to do now? It is still up to you to decide, you know."

Clay, having given up all idea of notifying the boy of his accession to great wealth, dropped down on the railing of the _Rambler_ and looked at Alex with eager eyes. "Will you tell Paul?"

"No, I think not," replied Alex. "You see, I want to wait until Rube and Buck get here. They may not want to accept the trust."

"I haven't the least idea that they will; they are modest men, doubting their own ability. You will have to argue pretty hard to talk them into taking the responsibility."

"We'll find a way!" Alex insisted.

This was the third night of the trip to the mouth of the Pecos, the _Rambler_ having been tied up the two previous nights because the gasoline tank had sprung a leak and there were no filling stations within reach.