“That’s so,” assented Ralph sorrowfully, and then with a violent twist of spirits, “I guess we’re goners.”
“There, go galloping off the reservation agin,” struck in Pete; “we ain’t goners yit by a long shot, but we’ve got a powerful lot of work afore us, as the government said when they tackled digging that Panama Canal.”
All now became silent once more, or at least the boys could hear nothing. Evidently the Mexicans had withdrawn for a council of war.
“This time they’ll be in dead earnest,” opined the cow-puncher, “so keep a smart eye open for ’em everywhere.”
Hanging breathlessly on the least sound, the besieged party waited for the first sign of the coming attack. It was a long time in making itself manifest, and when it did, it was for a moment puzzling enough. It came in the form of a noise from above.
“Somebody’s on the roof!” exclaimed Pete. “The foxy varmints! I wonder they didn’t think of that before.”
The roof of the lonely rancho was flat, and soon they could hear several footsteps on it as their besiegers paced about.
“What are they going to do?” asked Ralph in a puzzled tone.
“Not hard to guess,” rejoined the professor, “cut a hole in it, I guess, and then they’ll have us completely at their mercy.”
“If we let them,” said Jack, “but why not try to escape by the trap, while they are busy on the roof?”
“That might be a good idea if it warn’t likely that they have the foot of the ladder guarded, or most probably have taken it down,” said Coyote Pete; “no, you’ll have to guess agin, Jack. Think uv something new and original.”
“I might say try that door, but I guess that’s guarded, too.”
“Tell you what we’ll do,” exclaimed Jack suddenly, struck with an inspiration, “we’ll try the walls. There may be a secret passage or a concealed window in them some place.”
“This ain’t a story book, son, and I never heard of such things outside of one. Lady Gwendolens in real life come out by the fire escape more often than by the old secret passage or the haunted wing.”
Undismayed, however, Jack set about his task. He was in the midst of it, and had met with no success,—not that he had seriously hoped for any,—when a sudden sound pierced the darkened garret.
The noise was that of axes cutting into the roof.