We must keep together, though. We might never find each
other in the dark if we should become separated."
Silently they crawled toward the spot where Billie had seen the
soldiers. When they did not hear any sign of them after several
minutes' crawling they stopped to listen.
"There surely was a squad here a few minutes ago," declared
Billie. "They must have moved."
They remained silently thoughtful for several minutes, but all
was as silent as a graveyard.
"That's mighty funny," said Billie. "I know I was not mistaken.
Let's go back by the train."
They turned for that purpose and could see a group of figures at
the platform of each coach.
"That's the answer," exclaimed Billie. "They have surrounded the
train. Now let's see what will happen."
They had not long to wait as an officer shortly boarded each car
and a minute later there was a commotion among the passengers.
Drawing a little nearer, the boys could hear the officer in the
car nearest them explaining that the passengers would be obliged
to alight and change trains.
"The track has been torn up ahead of us," he said, "and we shall
have to walk nearly a mile to where the train is that came up
from Vera Cruz."
This had been quite the customary thing in Mexico for some months
and the passengers prepared to obey.
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