The Benson signal., 1916-07-22
CHAPTER I-Continued.

Day after day he had sat by his
tent watching the little parties of rebel
horse riding the line on the lookout
for the Americans who should succeed
In eyading the law that prohibited gun
running; for in those days almost any
one would take a chance with rifle
worth it's weight in coined silver and
cartridges selling openly for fifteen
cents apiece. And gun running was
made easier by the reason of the fact
that the smuggler must be caught red
handed in the act of carrying the arms
across the very line itself; for any
American citizen could legally own a
thousand rifles within ten feet of the
boundary.
Its the same old tale, of course" "
reflected Kynaston as he trotted lei
surely down the gentle slope that led
to the Santa Mesa flats. from which
the land sloped south to the Great
Ranges, where the miners were pray
ing for peace that should allow them
to work undisturbed the great ore
beds that held the wealth Of the ages.
Twenty miles, I suppose. and then
q ride back What ia it, corporal?"
Corporal Welsh had ccme back from
the point" of three men that was
riding in advance of the party to give
timely warning of any rebels who
might be On the road
Its firing. sir, 1 think, off to the
southeast. Listen, sir"
1t was firing beyond a doubt. The
men sat with intent faces, listening to
the sporadic sputter of the shots. The
scratch of match as man lit ciga-
rette broke the silence.
Kynaston raised his right hand over
his head, the fist clenched, and raised
and lowered it quickly thrice. The
little squad automatically formed in
column Of twos and broke into a
steady trot, following closely on the
heels of their officer as he pushed on
up the valley which, they well knew,
opened out beyond the trees.
Up, up, UP they pushed till the live
oaks gave place to pinyon pines, and
the pines to powders. There, where
the rocks ran out into scrub and the
red earth showed like a blood-stain
against the setting sun, they saw and
heard again the cause of the firing.
Far away against the southern sky
they saw the tall hats of the Villa
revOlutiOnists outlined among the
grass stems and the dark shadows of
the mesQuit. Occasional flashes of
red fire from the summit of the hill
showed where their line was formed.
lnstinctively, Kynaston looked for
the men at whom they were firing. To
his left he saw stirring among the
boulders; even as he watched he saw
the defenders move out in an attempt
to gain the American side of the line.
There were about twenty of them;
they came down the hillside as tree
falls, intent only on gaining the sure
refuge of the line of pollard willows
that marked the limit of Mexican tal-
ritory. That the Villistas were aft.r
them could not be doubted, for tina
rush of maddened horsemen swirled
down the hill as chips suck into a
whirlpool. The fleeing Carranzistas,
seeing the intent in their enemies
gait, and knowing right we'll what
would happen should they come to
hand grips with their pursuers, poured
across the international line almost in
front of Kynaston. The leader, a very
much bedraggled captain of infantry,
came forward somewhat breathlessly.
"Senor captain. l kiss your hands
and feet!"
Kynaston had the grace to look at
those selfsame hands and feet, and,
seeing that they were in condition to
be embraced as was suggested, grinned
behind his hand as he made answer:
Il am very glad to meet you. You
are familiar, l presume, with the re-
Quirements of international law when
an armed party crosses the line of a
neutral state? Surrender must be
made at once, and your party will be
intened at some point to be desig-
mated later by the proper authorities" +"
"Of certainty" He reached back
and, unhitch1ng his silver-mounted
machete, Swung 1t forward gracefully.
''Senor." he said, behold my little
word"