no urging. As rapidly as they could, consistent with
making as little noise as possible, the three young horsemen rode out
of the patch of woods in which the camp had been made, and emerged on
the high road without being stopped. Suddenly, however, a sentry with
a fixed bayonet, seemed to spring from the ground in front of them. He
cried something in Spanish, to which Jack replied by driving his horse
full at him. The fellow went down, and rolled over and over, as the
horse's hoofs struck him. Before he recovered his feet, the Border
Boys were upon the road and galloping for dear life. There was no use
in caution, now. Everything depended, in fact, on putting as much
distance as possible between themselves and the camp before their
absence was discovered.

Fortunately, their horses were fresh, powerful animals, with long,
swinging gaits. They got over the ground at a wonderful rate, and
Jack's heart began to beat exultingly. Not far distant lay some hilly
ground, broken with deep gullies and thickly grown with wooded patches.
Could they gain it, they would have a chance of concealing themselves.

"Hullo! They've discovered we've gone!" exclaimed Jack suddenly, as
behind them they could hear shots and bugle calls. "Don't spare the
horses, boys; we've got to make that rough country."

The quirts fell unmercifully on the big, powerful horses, and they
plunged snorting forward.

"We're kicking up dust enough to be seen ten miles," grumbled Walt.

"Can't be helped," flung back Jack, "speed is what counts now."

Before many minutes had passed, such good progress had they made that
the edge of a clump of woods was reached, and they plunged rapidly into
the friendly shelter.

"Where to now?" gasped Ralph.

"Right on! Right on!" shot out Jack. "Keep going till the horses
drop, or they overtake us. It's our only chance."

On and on into the wood, the hunted boys rode. Their wiry horses were
flagging now, but still seemed capable of more effort. Over the rough
ground, though, the pace at which they urged them was a killing one.
Still, as Jack had said, it was "their only chance."

All at once, from their rear, they heard shouts and bugle calls. Jack
turned a shade paler. The demonstration was much too close to be
pleasant. He had hardly believed that it was possible for the Mexicans
to have gained upon them so rapidly.

"Guess we're up against it," muttered Walt Phelps, in his usual laconic
manner.