With a nod to his four men Darrin led the way inside. Instantly
the seven men were on their feet, staring wildly at the intruders.
One man started for a stack of rifles that stood in a corner,
but Ensign Darrin hurled him back.

"Don't let any man reach for a gun, or draw any sort of weapon,"
Darrin ordered, quickly.

Then to the Mexicans, in Spanish, Dave shouted:

"Stand where you are, and no harm will be done to you. We have
not come here to molest you, but you hold Americans prisoners
here, and we mean to take them away with us."

"No, no," answered one of the Mexicans, smilingly, "you are mistaken.
We have no prisoners here."

Dave's heart sank within him for one brief moment. Had he made
a mistake in invading this house, only to find that his mission
was to be fruitless?

Then he suspected Mexican treachery.

"Pardon me," he urged in Spanish, "if I satisfy myself that you
are telling the truth. Stand where you are, all of you, and no
harm shall come to you. But don't make the mistake of moving
or of reaching for weapons."

Darrin strode swiftly past the group and stepped into a hallway,